Where NJ basketball teams stand in NCAA Tournament hunt

New Jersey hasn’t sent four college basketball teams to March Madness since 1991. Five? It’s never happened. Don’t write off the possibility this year. There are five Garden State squads in the hunt less than three weeks from Selection Sunday.

Here’s a rundown of where all eight Jersey programs stand, and what has to happen this week:

Rutgers (17-10 overall, 9-7 Big Ten)

The Scarlet Knights can lock up an NCAA Tournament bid and a bye in the Big Ten Tournament by going 2-2 down the stretch. They might be able to reach the Dance with a 1-3 finish, but why make everyone sweat? This week, a split against Michigan (Thursday at home, 8:30 p.m.) and Penn State (Sunday on the road, 6:30 p.m.) would keep the chains moving. A 2-0 week would go a long way toward avoiding a suboptimal 8-9 game in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights currently project as a No. 8 seed.

Seton Hall (16-12 overall, 9-8 Big East)

The Pirates must win their final three games in order to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Two of those are Quad 1 opportunities that could move the needle. It starts Friday when 16^th-ranked Xavier visits the Prudential Center (7 p.m.). Remember, the selection committee largely has ignored conference tournament results in recent years. For Seton Hall, which is on the outside looking in at the moment, the work has to get done now.

Princeton (17-8 overall, 8-4 Ivy League)

The Tigers are in a three-way tie for first place with Yale and Penn and have clinched a berth in the four-team Ivy League Tournament, which takes place at Jadwin Gym March 11-12. On Saturday at 2 p.m. they visit Harvard, a team they beat by three points at home in December. Whoever emerges from the Ivy tourney will get a No. 13 or No. 14 seed in March Madness.

Fairleigh Dickinson (16-13 overall, 9-5 NEC)

With one week left in the Northeast Conference’s regular season, the Knights sit in third, closely behind Merrimack (10-4) and Stonehill (10-5). FDU went 2-0 against Merrimack and 1-1 against Stonehill. The tiebreakers could be important, because the winner gets home court throughout the NEC Tourney – plus a guaranteed NIT bid. FDU finishes out at St. Francis (Pa.) Thursday (7 p.m.) and at home against St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday (1 p.m.). They beat both earlier this season.

Rider (14-11 overall, 11-5 MAAC)

The Broncs are tied for second with Siena and two games behind Iona. They’ve beaten Iona and face the Gaels again, at home, in the March 4 finale. This week they host Siena Friday (7 p.m.) and Mount St. Mary’s Sunday (2 p.m.). Siena won the first meeting by five in upstate New York. Winning the regular season earns a banner and an NIT berth, but no home court because the conference tourney takes place in Atlantic City.  

Saint Peter’s (10-15 overall, 5-11 MAAC)

The defending MAAC Tournament champions almost certainly will be playing in the tourney’s opening round March 7. They’re in ninth place at the moment.

NJIT (7-19 overall, 4-9 America East)