Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

For Rutgers men's basketball fans, the biggest day of the offseason is Wednesday, May 24. That's the day when Corey Sanders, the team's star point guard, will presumably announce whether he will return to Rutgers for his junior campaign or keep his name in the 2017 NBA Draft.

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Geoff Burke | USA TODAY Sports

Since announcing that he would be testing the NBA Draft waters for the second straight offseason last March, there has been little in the way of news about the Scarlet Knights 6-2 guard. Privately, Rutgers coaches have expressed optimism that their best player will return for his junior campaign. But the Sacramento Kings this past weekend announced that Sanders was among several players working out of the club Monday.

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Rutgers guard @C_Sanders3 will participate in second Kings Pre-Draft Workout on Monday! pic.twitter.com/06lsLE0cwc — Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) May 21, 2017

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Sanders has yet to sign with an agent, which keeps alive his collegiate eligibility if he wants to return to Rutgers. But considering he’s working out for a team two days before the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw their names from consideration for the NBA Draft, the odds of him returning to Rutgers seems to be 50-50 at best.

Here are 3 reasons why he would return to Rutgers and 3 reasons why he won't:

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Could Corey Sanders follow Quincy Douby's path to Sacramento?

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Why Sanders will return to Rutgers:

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Geoff Burke | USA TODAY Sports

He didn't participate in the NBA Combine

Sanders wasn't one of the 67 players invited to participate in the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago earlier this month.

While there were a handful of players who were drafted in the second round despite getting snubbed from the pre-draft combine last year, consider there are 60 spots available in the NBA Draft and, did we mention, 67 players were invited ... and Sanders wasn't one of them?

We checked a half-dozen respected mock draft boards Monday and Sanders wasn't projected to be picked in either round next month. Throw in the fact that the NBA Draft is littered with foreign players — 16 players from overseas were among the 60 picks last year — and the odds seem remote that Sanders will be drafted.

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Noah K. Murray | USA TODAY Sports

He has struggled against elite competition

For all of his growth as a player under Steve Pikiell’s mentorship last season, Sanders still struggled against superior competition. Consider his stats against the four guards who earned spots on the All-Big Ten first and second teams:

In two games vs. Maryland's Melo Trimble: 21 points on 7-for-29 shooting, with four assists and four turnovers.

Minnesota's Nate Mason: 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting, with five assists and three turnovers.

Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig: 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting, with three assists and three turnovers.

In three games vs. Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh: 49 points on 21-for-49 shooting, with eight assists and nine turnovers.

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To sum up, in seven games against the guards who earned spots on the Big Ten’s first two teams, Sanders averaged 12.3 points on 35.5 percent shooting, with 2.5 assists and 2.4 turnovers per game.

In his other 24 games, Sanders averaged 13 points on 38.8 percent shooting, with 3.8 assists and 2.8 turnovers per game.

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BTN | YouTube.com

He can become a modern legend at Rutgers

Realistically speaking, how many Rutgers players possess the ability to become one of the program's all-time greats? Well, Sanders can be just that if he finishes his Scarlet Knights career at his current trajectory.

Currently standing just 161 points shy of the 1,000-point plateau, Sanders would move into the program’s top 20 in points if he scores 400-plus points for the third straight season in 2017-18. He is also only 37 assists shy and 46 steals away from of moving into the top-10 all-time in both of those statistical categories.

After two seasons in which he sniffed All-Big Ten consideration, Sanders could achieve legendary status with another star-quality campaign. Don't believe it? Consider Quincy Douby, who left following his junior season after morphing into an All-Big East guard, became one of the newest members of Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame. It's not far-fetched to think Sanders can breathe the same rarefied air if he finally earns a spot on All-Big Ten first team.

Oh, and just imagine if he ever carried Rutgers into the NCAA Tournament? Forget about his retired jersey hanging from the rafters. Rutgers may name the RAC after him.

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Why does Quincy Douby regret leaving Rutgers early for the NBA?

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Why Sanders will turn pro:

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RVision1766 | YouTube.com

His game might translate better to the NBA

While hardly an elite-level shooter, Sanders has averaged 14.2 points through his 59-game collegiate career by proving to be extremely adept at breaking down whichever defender gets in his way.

It's not a stretch to say his ability to drive and dish could make his better suited for the pro game considering pick-and-roll plays are more abundant in today’s NBA game than ever before.

Few pro scouts we’ve talked to at Rutgers games over the past two seasons have questioned Sanders' pro-level abilities. Like many prospects testing the NBA waters this offseason, Sanders' shooting needs refinement. His on-the-ball defense remains a work-in-progress as well.

Could he refine those shortcomings under the wings of Pikiell and Rutgers assistant Brandin Knight? Absolutely. It's also possible he could refine those same skills in the NBA Development League.

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Noah K. Murray | USA TODAY Sports

He's proven to be nomadic

Almost from the time he arrived at Rutgers as the most ballyhooed recruit in the Eddie Jordan era, there were questions over just how long he would play for the Scarlet Knights.

Remember, Sanders spent time at five high schools prior to arriving at Rutgers and, following a solid rookie campaign, there were serious transfer rumors after Jordan's ouster. If he elects to return to Rutgers, it will be the first time in his basketball career that he's been with the same team for three straight seasons.

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It's A Miracle How You'll Wake Up And Ya Dreams Right In Ya Face 😌 — Clover  (@C_Sanders3) May 22, 2017

He's working out for an NBA team as the deadline looms

On a day when two local players — St. John's Bashir Ahmed and Seton Hall's Angel Delgado — who tested the NBA waters this spring announced a return to their respective schools, Sanders was busy working out for the Sacramento Kings along with Pitt’s Jamel Artis, Georgia’s J.J. Frazier, Vanderbilt’s Luke Kornet, Louisville’s Mangok Mathiang and Iowa State’s Monte Morris.

It's noteworthy that five of those players are seniors; only Sanders has collegiate eligibility remaining. For Rutgers fans keeping their fingers crossed on a Sanders return, their best hope is that a Kings scout simply tells him he will be better served to return to college for another year.

But if you're wondering just how much Sanders aspires to be an NBA player, consider his last words prior to his Kings workout: "It's A Miracle How You'll Wake Up And Ya Dreams Right In Ya Face,'' he tweeted.

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When was the last time each RU program reached the NCAA Tournament?

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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.