GAME 13 OHIO STATE: One Small Step

[bac2therac]

Messy has been an understatement for the performance of the team this year and have talked about ad nauseum. The lack of toughness vs Mississippi State plus the Stonehill near disaster certainly put this program at a crossroads for the season. Just as winning is contagious in this league, so is losing. The league is unforgiving and before you know it things can spiral out of control much like they did to Ohio State last season. I do not take a moral victory because that is a losing mentality. Yet sometimes its not always about winning. Even in preseason I did not expect Rutgers to win this game and not many thought RU would even have much of a chance tonights against a bigger and more offensive orientated team. I do not know if RU can replicate this at Iowa or next week when they return to the RAC but for one night, RU got back to basics, back to what has always defined Pikiell teams. It's the defense stupid. The hardnosed, head down, lunch pail kids who stick to their task and hit the floor while making their own luck returned. Tonight a major step forward and just a glimmer of hope to keep us impatient fans from jumping off a cliff.

RU did not compete vs Illinois or Wake. At Prudential vs SHU, was perhaps the only game this year where RU showed that hunger and they dominated it from start to finish while riding hot shooting. But that looked like fools gold following a meek effort vs Mississippi State getting thrashed on the boards and then the Stonehill stinkfest that just made us shake our ****ing heads. The 2nd half of the game tonight, Rutgers finally captured that magic that they had not in any other games this year. Make no mistake the first half was ugly for RU. A track meet early on. Derek and Noah were energized and active and they were hitting Yet, everyone knows thats a speed that RU cannot win on. By midway through the half, OSU started hitting everything and RU went ice cold. A 22-4 run would put OSU up 41-24 and it looked like wheels were off the scarlet kaboose and Buckeyes could put up a 100 spot before the final buzzer. No doubt, some of it was that OSU was simply hot...7-9 I think on their first 3 point attempts. But mostly it was another lackadaiscal RU effort on D and on the boards. Most of the 3s were pretty wide open. RU did not do a great job of getting back in transition after some awful shot selection. Down 45-32 at half, the only way RU could get back in the game would be through defense...and you know what it happened.

Pikiell pushed the buttons at halftime. Austin Williams became an unlikely defensive hero in slowing down Thorton. That big of extra size made all the difference. The defining of a role for Austin who has been struggling to get back in the rotation was big time. Kudos to Pikiell for giving Austin that chance and a yeomans effort by Austin to answer the call. Mag clamped down on Battle who was shredding us from the outside in the 1st half. Mag may have put up too many shots for my liking at 12 including two ill advised late but I felt that this was the most MAG defense we have seen this season. Dare I say the 2nd half we begain to see the identity of the team and each player start to take shape. Look I have been frustrated with Derek Simpson inability to take a leap forward but Shack and some others ended up spot on that he needed to be given a chance to become an alpha tonight. Derek who was shooting just 9-36 in his previous 4 games, shot 9-16 alone today with 2 3s for 23 points and a whopping 8 boards. Its a start. Consistency is going to be the issue but Derek built off of that game winning 3 vs Stonehill and took the reigns of the ship tonight with reckless abandon. Noah has been so poor the past few games. A total non entity vs Stonehill, someone lit a fire on his ass because he was aggressive in looking for his shot in the first half today. 7-13 fg, 5 boards in 27 minutes. RU has been so poor lately especially against power 5 competition because the guard play was so horrid. Yes it helps shooting but these guys played with more purpose. All in all Rutgers was all over the floor today. Countless times this year players refused to sacrifice their bodies going for loose balls or rebounds. Pike's message got through. RU outboarded OSU in the 2nd half and came ahead in offensive rebounds 13-8 and those second chances allowed them to sneak up and stay in this game. Hyatt with a whopping 10 boards was able to be a big time contributor doing more than scoring. Just one shot in the first half taken but 2nd half he arrived on both ends. Overall I saw a committment to defense with specific double teams that just all out bothered Ohio State. Those open looks were not there. Almost everything the Buckeyes made in the last 10-12 minutes of the game they really had to earn and there were alot of rushed misses. Nothing came easy for them and I was stunned that at the 4 minute mark RU had limited them to just 22 points.

RU got to within 1 at 67-66, holding the Buckeyes to just 1 fg and 5 points in a critical 6 minute stretch but just could not get over the hump. Its cliche but you cannot spot your opponent a 17 point lead on the road and expect to win a game. While there were chances down the stretch. RU just could not make the plays needed to win. Two sloppy turnovers and then a big time 3 by Gayle of OSU put them up 6 and while Noah answered with his own 3, a controversial foul on Austin Williams gave OSU 2 foul shots and a two possession lead. Not the best choices by Mag, earlier with a bad turnover and then down 74-69 with a couple of questionable shots. Not sure thats who Pike should be going with in that situation. Derek would end up hitting a big 3 to cut it to 2 but OSU made the foul shots to seal it at 76-72. While the final possession wasnt going to matter anyhow I felt RU was panicked to even get a good shot off and Griffiths poor decision to not shoot when he got the ball instead passing to Cliff WTF. So while RU played great until about the 2 minute mark. Have to give OSU credit for doing what they had to do to close it out. RU just made enough crucial mistakes late to fall short.

Yet after the past two games, its amazing to finally even being doing a legit recap that hints of positivity. Look I am still not budging on the idea that this is not a post season team. There are still major issues with the constructed roster that will not go away. Yet tonight showed RU has the ability to win its share of games and be a pest in league play. A step forward by Coach Pikiell. Not only in giving some big time trust to his players but also by getting this team back to playing defense. They will never outshoot anyone. I do not care how fast they are or how fast they want to play. The talent is still limited. The best play will always be defense and I feel Pikiell made a statement tonight and his charges did as well. You scrap for those rebounds, dawg. Pikiell's Junkyard Dogs....if that is the identity this team needs so be it. I am fine with it and okay with this season being on the rough side if we can continue to get it. Iowa will be incredibly tough with their hot outside shooting. Yet the Hawkeyes are vulnerable themselves right now looking to find consistency. Its a team that RU can outough so I am curious to see what the mindset of the team is following the tough loss. I thought they were fragile after Stonehill especially when Pike as praising them. They picked themselves off the ground and sucked it up. Can only gain confidence from a performance like that tonight vs a very likely NCAA team.

 

[richthedentist]

Good recap as always

 

[kcg88]

I would argue that this was still fool's gold to some extent because Simpson out shot his baseline midrange percentage by a huge margin tonight. He's not giving us that regularly. There's still no playmaking, no getting the ball to guys in spots where they can take advantage.

 

[bac2therac]

I would argue that this was still fool's gold to some extent because Simpson out shot his baseline midrange percentage by a huge margin tonight. He's not giving us that regularly. There's still no playmaking, no getting the ball to guys in spots where they can take advantage.

look I do get what you are saying. I did want to have a positive take. I will add that Ohio State was choking in this game. This was a game under Ron/Geo when down 15 would have ended up winning in the last couple minutes. Do not have those players. Do not have the leadership or headiness in the last 3 minutes. Still I do not expect this team to beat Ohio State or NCAA teams on the road so I am keeping expectations pretty low. Today was a step. It may not be a step enough to beat Iowa but given the dismal performances vs other pulse teams except for SHU, I loved that this team did not roll over when they easily could have and lost 90-60. That they did it while recommitting to defense is what I find some warm fuzzy in.

At least we saw a pulse from Noah...at least we saw Derek make as many shots in one game 9 then he did in his previous 4. These are the kind of things that NEEDED to happen for this team to even compete given the stench vs Stonehill

 

[fluoxetine]

At the very least I think this game should show a lot of people that we aren’t going to lose by 30 to every team with a pulse. That doesn’t mean we aren’t still a 6-14 team but it’s not this completely non competitive thing like some people are/were making it sound.

 

[Scangg]

I would argue that this was still fool's gold to some extent because Simpson out shot his baseline midrange percentage by a huge margin tonight. He's not giving us that regularly. There's still no playmaking, no getting the ball to guys in spots where they can take advantage.

But we only shot 25% from 3 and they shot 46% if you want to play the baseline game

 

[winfield102]

Look at every pass to cliff (exclude the ones where he gets it at the top 20+ feet from the basket). What was the end result? Freaking brutal. WAKE UP Pike.

A coach for a CYO girls team would know it's an exercise in futility and stop the players from passing to that player if they were in a bad position to receive the ball.

Cliff sets up way too far from the basket, is looking for the ball and we pass it to him. Holy hell. Repeatedly do dumb things and you deserve the results you get.


You could tell the announcer was just flabbergasted by the frequency of low quality shots (by many of the players).


RU has to win the games where Simpson gets hot because he has been consistently not hot.

 

[bac2therac]

At the very least I think this game should show a lot of people that we aren’t going to lose by 30 to every team with a pulse. That doesn’t mean we aren’t still a 6-14 team but it’s not this completely non competitive thing like some people are/were making it sound.

at least for me I needed to see some evidence that we could compete against pulse teams and more than just some fools gold 3 point shooting. The question now is can they continue this committment to defense. I am more encouraged

 

[Scangg]

As much as it was great to see the scoring from the guards... only 2 assists in the first half and 7 total for the team isn't a recipe for success for a team that lacks many good 1 on 1 players. Players like Cliff Hyatt Gavin need guards who can create and find them in good positions to score and it's just not happening. Cliff and Hyatt combine for 3 shots 1st half

We also continue to not value possessions especially in key moments. We really need to value the ball since we aren't efficient offensively

Mag on Battle and Williams on Thorton in the 2nd half got us back to Pike identity. Winning the rebound battle was refreshing. Williams is needed against bigger guards with Noah Simpson and Davis lacking the size and strength. He may need a larger role against Perkins and Iowa

Simpson needs to play closer to this level regularly. Can he? TBD but hopeful. He consistently created a lot of separation to get off that jumper

Still not sure why we didn't go to red hot Simpson with a high ball screen end of game. Mag bullied battle then we went back to him but battle wasn't on him anymore

 

[Scangg]

at least for me I needed to see some evidence that we could compete against pulse teams and more than just some fools gold 3 point shooting. The question now is can they continue this committment to defense. I am more encouraged

I'm confused. We competed tonight and shot 25% from 3... if we had fools good 3 point shooting tonight we would have won

 

[bac2therac]

I'm confused. We competed tonight and shot 25% from 3... if we had fools good 3 point shooting tonight we would have won

fools gold 3 point shooting is great but its fools gold, it will not impress me. Much more impressed with our committment to defense

 

[bac2therac]

As much as it was great to see the scoring from the guards... only 2 assists in the first half and 7 total for the team isn't a recipe for success for a team that lacks many good 1 on 1 players. Players like Cliff Hyatt Gavin need guards who can create and find them in good positions to score and it's just not happening. Cliff and Hyatt combine for 3 shots 1st half

We also continue to not value possessions especially in key moments. We really need to value the ball since we aren't efficient offensively

Mag on Battle and Williams on Thorton in the 2nd half got us back to Pike identity. Winning the rebound battle was refreshing. Williams is needed against bigger guards with Noah Simpson and Davis lacking the size and strength. He may need a larger role against Perkins and Iowa

Simpson needs to play closer to this level regularly. Can he? TBD but hopeful. He consistently created a lot of separation to get off that jumper

Still not sure why we didn't go to red hot Simpson with a high ball screen end of game. Mag bullied battle then we went back to him but battle wasn't on him anymore

the last 3 minutes was not good execution. A total lack of leadership. Mag taking the 3 is questionable but then jacking the rebound up right away just awful. I think we had burned timeouts by that time too..the last possession with Gavin..oy

the 7 assists is concerning. I have a feeling Pike is going to be doing alot of coaching by the seat of his pants this year based on feel. The emphasis will have to fall on defense but Austin fit the role tonight but maybe its J Mike in the next game

 

[bitnez]

Scangg and I are the same page with Gavin, etc. He doesn’t look good right now because our guards drive to shoot rather than pass. Look at the ball movement by OSU tonight. That’s how you get open 3s in rhythm and get your 3rd scorer off. I know Derek scored the ball today but Derek and Noah froze out the rest of the roster in the first half. We only had a handful of assists. We need to share the ball a lot more.

 

[G- RUnit]

Absolutely no commentary on officiating which was a huge factor in the game?

First half foul discrepancy ridiculous. OSU because of foul discrepancy is able to foul RU at will at end of half and prevent a good shot. Officiating matters.

Fernandes drives to the hoop and gets mugged. No call. But RU gets ticky tacky fouls.

OSU twice slides with the ball. No traveling. Slides back Court. No traveling or back Court. Two possessions to OSU. Officiating matters.

Good defensive play by RU and OSU player falling down and announcer incredulous that foul is on RU.

Fernandes elbowed in throat no call.

Over the top on Cliff no call.

Mags wide open underneath gets fouled. No foul and Mags charged with traveling.

Think any of these factors had any effect on the game. I know I do. SMH.

Cliff purposely elbowed in throat. No call, Cliff out of the game. Should have been flagrant and probably tossed. In college football he is. Officiating matters.

Those plays difference in game. Officiating matters. RU had one push off by Fernandes on our favor. Officiating ridiculous and the difference in the game.

Simpson second great game in a row. Rebounding by him is a revelation.

Second game in a row JMike hurt us for the Simpson bashers. Fouls and awful shooting when we were still very close. He like Gavin is hurting us.

Hyatt should drive more to the hoop but quietly great rebounding game. Shooting too many threes.

Mag hurt us early not covering Battle but had a nice 2nd half although shooting not great.

AWilliams best game.

Great 2nd half adjustments by Pike

Shaky first half by Pike.

Fernandes nice game.

Have to acknowledge very good foul shooting by RU. Kept us in game.

OSU hitting threes and awful officiating equally responsible for this loss.

For BAC to not even comment on officiating makes this a poor review. Otherwise stellar as usual.

 

[Scangg]

Scangg and I are the same page with Gavin, etc. He doesn’t look good right now because our guards drive to shoot rather than pass. Look at the ball movement by OSU tonight. That’s how you get open 3s in rhythm and get your 3rd scorer off. I know Derek scored the ball today but Derek and Noah froze out the rest of the roster in the first half. We only had a handful of assists. We need to share the ball a lot more.

Our offense was essentially Noah and Simpson going one on one to score. How many games will that lead to victories? I'm a bit skeptical that is going to be a reliable strategy

 

[bac2therac]

Our offense was essentially Noah and Simpson going one on one to score. How many games will that lead to victories? I'm a bit skeptical that is going to be a reliable strategy

I do not know how it happened but at the end of the half, Hyatt was just 1-1 fg...how is that possible.

 

[Scangg]

I do not know how it happened but at the end of the half, Hyatt was just 1-1 fg...how is that possible.

The only way that's possible is not passing the ball to Hyatt at all haha

2 assists first half in 20 minutes of basketball... how is that possible?

Paul Mulcahy rolling over in his grave

 

[PiscatawayMike]

I do not know how it happened but at the end of the half, Hyatt was just 1-1 fg...how is that possible.

I was wondering about that, too.

Crazy...

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I do not know how it happened but at the end of the half, Hyatt was just 1-1 fg...how is that possible.

Guards hijacking the ball

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The only way that's possible is not passing the ball to Hyatt at all haha

2 assists first half in 20 minutes of basketball... how is that possible?

Paul Mulcahy rolling over in his grave

Missed that one. How did he die?

 

[BigEastPhil]

Liked and was encouraged that the team battled tonjght.

Would love to see Derek become the floor leader and alpha He ll have his off and chaotic nights but he is by far our most explosive and dynamic player.

Kudos to Austin Williams who played a locked down defensive game on Thornton.

Cliff is an enigma. I’m at a loss. Don’t see the agility he’s had in the past and thus the possibility he’s injured.

Can we please minimize the amount of 3s we shoot every game? We suck at it - why bother shooting it so much ?

Thought Noah played well as did Woolfolk.

Team played much better than I expected against a good tall athletic squad

I also believe we out rebounded the Buckeyes.

 

[Scangg]

Missed that one. How did he die?

NIL via Transfer Portal. Tragic

It's a Bill Waltonism

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Liked and was encouraged that the team battled tonjght.

Would love to see Derek become the floor leader and alpha He ll have his off and chaotic nights but he is by far our most explosive and dynamic player.

Kudos to Austin Williams who played a locked down defensive game on Thornton.

Cliff is an enigma. I’m at a loss. Don’t see the agility he’s had in the past and thus the possibility he’s injured.

Can we please minimize the amount of 3s we shoot every game? We suck at it - why bother shooting it so much ?

Thought Noah played well as did Woolfolk.

Team played much better than I expected against a good tall athletic squad

I also believe we out rebounded the Buckeyes.

I too was encouraged by Woolfolk…..

There is definitely a split among fans about the Simpson as PG alpha guy. I strongly disagree with here, yet acknowledge there are posters that are well respected that are in your camp.

1. I think it is bad for 2023-24. We need to share the ball and work together and make each other better. Simpsons shots arent in the flow of the offense they become the offense. The average night it will mean low efficiency.
2. Think about 2024-25. Do we want Derek putting his head down while Ace and Dylan chill in the corner? If Derek is the PG next year his head needs to be up looking for others, creating for others and only shooting high percentage shots.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Great recap Bac. There is some reason for hope in tonight’s performance. In addition to all of the positIves noted above, RU won two huge stats tonight against a physical and good-shooting team — rebounds and free throws. It has been quite a while since this team has done that against good competition.

Hopefully Pike finds a way to get Gavin out of his slump. His body language was totally downtrodden tonight. It seems like he has lost all confidence. Even just a decent shooting night for Griffiths and RU wins.

 

[winfield102]

Early in the game right after thorton got his 1st foul, Hyatt was in a good position to post him up after a defensive switch by OSU. Simpson doesn't even look at it and dribbles to the top.

That was a great opportunity to have thorton possibly pick up his 2nd and be out for the rest of the 1st half. Low IQ basketball moment.

 

[Scangg]

I too was encouraged by Woolfolk…..

There is definitely a split among fans about the Simpson as PG alpha guy. I strongly disagree with here, yet acknowledge there are posters that are well respected that are in your camp.

1. I think it is bad for 2023-24. We need to share the ball and work together and make each other better. Simpsons shots arent in the flow of the offense they become the offense. The average night it will mean low efficiency.
2. Think about 2024-25. Do we want Derek putting his head down while Ace and Dylan chill in the corner? If Derek is the PG next year his head needs to be up looking for others, creating for others and only shooting high percentage shots.

Maybe let Simpson be the man off the bench when Dylan is out, but I worry he's not a good fit with Dylan Ace and Gavin next season. He's really only effective one on one creating for himself at this point offensively and he takes a lot of shots

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

We "should" have a lot to be encouraged about....the lack of assists in 1st half is not an issue....teams are going to focus on Hyatt, he is right now the leading scorer. I had no problem with the guards who stopped turning down shots and took the 1st available look.

There is also no concern whatsoever about Simpson, who played downhill, took the same shots he had vs Mississippi State and Stonehill.....those shots are there.

And it doesn't mean Simpson will go 1 on 1 and ignore Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey or anyone next year......it's possible Simpson doesn't even start next year. All we need to see from Simpson, was what we saw at the end of the B1G season last year, which is Simpson taking what's available to him, so we have another scorer next year, to help the freshman.

There are so many ways we looked like Ohio State early in the B1G schedule last year. OSU invested a lot in a couple of grad transfers in, to buy time for Sensabaugh, Thornton and Roddy Gayle, who couldn't find minutes most of last season.....by the time the end of the season happened, Gayle eventually emerged and took off, which resulted in OSU making the B1G tournament semifinals. The losses of 9 out of 10 by OSU, had some ugly moments but the talent eventually figured it out. Now OSU is positioned to challenge for the Top 4 double bye.

We have to hope that with each minute and play invested into Simpson early last year, starts paying off like we saw vs Ohio State. I won't say the Davis injury vs MSU opened the door and forced Simpson onto the floor, but it is a competitive backcourt now. We aren't just rolling out minutes now.

In terms of Gavin Griffiths, his freshman season is kinda like Simpson last year. Not really enough minutes or shots for my liking, but I remain very confident that he needs 22 to 26 minutes a night. Every defensive possession he gets lost on now, gets better as he plays more.

I also like the subtle message that perhaps the staff delivered to Stephen Bardo when discussing Gavin Griffiths. It was almost as if the potential struggles with his shooting, obviously carry over to other aspects of his game.....which is typical of most shooters....it's much easier to fly around and make plays on defense, when your shots fall. Which is what we saw from Fernandes and Simpson.

There are some obvious danger signs of a lack of depth up front and I am pretty certain that Gavin, Davis (who also was baptized to B1G road play) and Woolfolk, all should get more comfortable as January moves forward.

I thought the number of turnovers was low, considering a couple were unforced.

I thought Mag moved much better and looks like a player who is getting more comfortable. He took shots that are pushing him out of his comfort zone, but the roster needs an expanded version of Mag, in order for him to stay on the floor. Getting him into double figure shots, means he's active and willing to shoot. I'd rather him force or take a couple of bad shots, vs passing them up and trying to force a pass into a turnover.....that turnover, trying to pass it back outside late, needed to be shot or forced up into the defender to draw contact. These are new moments for Mag, to see if he can learn how to function with the basketball, in higher leverage situations. There's no more comfort level of deferment to others like years past, he is now in the frying pan, and I thought his 2nd half was pretty good.

What I am somewhat concerned with is the assumption that we can carry this over to Iowa. It is an opponent who typically shoots much better in their own gym, so we have to be able to play in the mid to high 70s to have a chance to win. I needed to see RU into the 70s, for my own comfort level and we got there, without much from Cliff, Gavin or Davis......even if Noah and Simpson have normal games vs Iowa, we could see Gavin, Davis and Cliff offset that, and stay in the game. There's now a path towards winning other than 63-60 right now, with this roster.....if we need to get into a rock-fight, we can play that game as always.

Now, we have the ability to get into the 70s and keep up with an Iowa, Nebraska versions of last year or Ohio State this year.

 

[kcg88]

But we only shot 25% from 3 and they shot 46% if you want to play the baseline game

So we shot 3% worse than our average and they shot 8% better than theirs?

 

[bitnez]

We "should" have a lot to be encouraged about....the lack of assists in 1st half is not an issue....teams are going to focus on Hyatt, he is right now the leading scorer. I had no problem with the guards who stopped turning down shots and took the 1st available look.

There is also no concern whatsoever about Simpson, who played downhill, took the same shots he had vs Mississippi State and Stonehill.....those shots are there.

And it doesn't mean Simpson will go 1 on 1 and ignore Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey or anyone next year......it's possible Simpson doesn't even start next year. All we need to see from Simpson, was what we saw at the end of the B1G season last year, which is Simpson taking what's available to him, so we have another scorer next year, to help the freshman.

There are so many ways we looked like Ohio State early in the B1G schedule last year. OSU invested a lot in a couple of grad transfers in, to buy time for Sensabaugh, Thornton and Roddy Gayle, who couldn't find minutes most of last season.....by the time the end of the season happened, Gayle eventually emerged and took off, which resulted in OSU making the B1G tournament semifinals. The losses of 9 out of 10 by OSU, had some ugly moments but the talent eventually figured it out. Now OSU is positioned to challenge for the Top 4 double bye.

We have to hope that with each minute and play invested into Simpson early last year, starts paying off like we saw vs Ohio State. I won't say the Davis injury vs MSU opened the door and forced Simpson onto the floor, but it is a competitive backcourt now. We aren't just rolling out minutes now.

In terms of Gavin Griffiths, his freshman season is kinda like Simpson last year. Not really enough minutes or shots for my liking, but I remain very confident that he needs 22 to 26 minutes a night. Every defensive possession he gets lost on now, gets better as he plays more.

I also like the subtle message that perhaps the staff delivered to Stephen Bardo when discussing Gavin Griffiths. It was almost as if the potential struggles with his shooting, obviously carry over to other aspects of his game.....which is typical of most shooters....it's much easier to fly around and make plays on defense, when your shots fall. Which is what we saw from Fernandes and Simpson.

There are some obvious danger signs of a lack of depth up front and I am pretty certain that Gavin, Davis (who also was baptized to B1G road play) and Woolfolk, all should get more comfortable as January moves forward.

I thought the number of turnovers was low, considering a couple were unforced.

I thought Mag moved much better and looks like a player who is getting more comfortable. He took shots that are pushing him out of his comfort zone, but the roster needs an expanded version of Mag, in order for him to stay on the floor. Getting him into double figure shots, means he's active and willing to shoot. I'd rather him force or take a couple of bad shots, vs passing them up and trying to force a pass into a turnover.....that turnover, trying to pass it back outside late, needed to be shot or forced up into the defender to draw contact. These are new moments for Mag, to see if he can learn how to function with the basketball, in higher leverage situations. There's no more comfort level of deferment to others like years past, he is now in the frying pan, and I thought his 2nd half was pretty good.

What I am somewhat concerned with is the assumption that we can carry this over to Iowa. It is an opponent who typically shoots much better in their own gym, so we have to be able to play in the mid to high 70s to have a chance to win. I needed to see RU into the 70s, for my own comfort level and we got there, without much from Cliff, Gavin or Davis......even if Noah and Simpson have normal games vs Iowa, we could see Gavin, Davis and Cliff offset that, and stay in the game. There's now a path towards winning other than 63-60 right now, with this roster.....if we need to get into a rock-fight, we can play that game as always.

Now, we have the ability to get into the 70s and keep up with an Iowa, Nebraska versions of last year or Ohio State this year.

I appreciate it simply opinion by both, but I disagree on Simpson. He is a volume shooter who doesn’t share the ball well. He’s a terrible fit with the guys here now (Gavin, Hyatt, Cliff) and he’ll be even worse next year. Next year we won’t need scoring — we’ll need men who played like A Will last night.

I also disagree on Mag. He was great defensively in second half but we don’t need him shooting 3s and contested jumpers. That’s not his game. He was developing a nice game playing the high post last year before his injury. That’s what we need — not corner 3s that he won’t normally hit.

I do agree on Gavin. We have to ride this out and not cut his minutes. He is improving on defense, but his offensive game is a mess. Keep running him out there. He will eventually get it and we’ll be much better for it this year and especially next year.

Finally, you are spot on OSU. They struggled last year with the young guys but it’s paying off now.

 

[motorb54]

I like the positive take. As a fan we should hope.
But I missed the first half. We gave up 45 first half points.
Not going to win many games like that.

 

[RUJMM78]

I too was encouraged by Woolfolk…..

There is definitely a split among fans about the Simpson as PG alpha guy. I strongly disagree with here, yet acknowledge there are posters that are well respected that are in your camp.

1. I think it is bad for 2023-24. We need to share the ball and work together and make each other better. Simpsons shots arent in the flow of the offense they become the offense. The average night it will mean low efficiency.
2. Think about 2024-25. Do we want Derek putting his head down while Ace and Dylan chill in the corner? If Derek is the PG next year his head needs to be up looking for others, creating for others and only shooting high percentage shots.

Simpson won't control the ball.The offense will be focused on Harper and Bailey and the three other players on the court should have open shots .The center position will be the biggest concern and getting a player from the transfer portal should be a viable option.

 

[bac2therac]

I too was encouraged by Woolfolk…..

There is definitely a split among fans about the Simpson as PG alpha guy. I strongly disagree with here, yet acknowledge there are posters that are well respected that are in your camp.

1. I think it is bad for 2023-24. We need to share the ball and work together and make each other better. Simpsons shots arent in the flow of the offense they become the offense. The average night it will mean low efficiency.
2. Think about 2024-25. Do we want Derek putting his head down while Ace and Dylan chill in the corner? If Derek is the PG next year his head needs to be up looking for others, creating for others and only shooting high percentage shots.

We "should" have a lot to be encouraged about....the lack of assists in 1st half is not an issue....teams are going to focus on Hyatt, he is right now the leading scorer. I had no problem with the guards who stopped turning down shots and took the 1st available look.

There is also no concern whatsoever about Simpson, who played downhill, took the same shots he had vs Mississippi State and Stonehill.....those shots are there.

And it doesn't mean Simpson will go 1 on 1 and ignore Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey or anyone next year......it's possible Simpson doesn't even start next year. All we need to see from Simpson, was what we saw at the end of the B1G season last year, which is Simpson taking what's available to him, so we have another scorer next year, to help the freshman.

There are so many ways we looked like Ohio State early in the B1G schedule last year. OSU invested a lot in a couple of grad transfers in, to buy time for Sensabaugh, Thornton and Roddy Gayle, who couldn't find minutes most of last season.....by the time the end of the season happened, Gayle eventually emerged and took off, which resulted in OSU making the B1G tournament semifinals. The losses of 9 out of 10 by OSU, had some ugly moments but the talent eventually figured it out. Now OSU is positioned to challenge for the Top 4 double bye.

We have to hope that with each minute and play invested into Simpson early last year, starts paying off like we saw vs Ohio State. I won't say the Davis injury vs MSU opened the door and forced Simpson onto the floor, but it is a competitive backcourt now. We aren't just rolling out minutes now.

In terms of Gavin Griffiths, his freshman season is kinda like Simpson last year. Not really enough minutes or shots for my liking, but I remain very confident that he needs 22 to 26 minutes a night. Every defensive possession he gets lost on now, gets better as he plays more.

I also like the subtle message that perhaps the staff delivered to Stephen Bardo when discussing Gavin Griffiths. It was almost as if the potential struggles with his shooting, obviously carry over to other aspects of his game.....which is typical of most shooters....it's much easier to fly around and make plays on defense, when your shots fall. Which is what we saw from Fernandes and Simpson.

There are some obvious danger signs of a lack of depth up front and I am pretty certain that Gavin, Davis (who also was baptized to B1G road play) and Woolfolk, all should get more comfortable as January moves forward.

I thought the number of turnovers was low, considering a couple were unforced.

I thought Mag moved much better and looks like a player who is getting more comfortable. He took shots that are pushing him out of his comfort zone, but the roster needs an expanded version of Mag, in order for him to stay on the floor. Getting him into double figure shots, means he's active and willing to shoot. I'd rather him force or take a couple of bad shots, vs passing them up and trying to force a pass into a turnover.....that turnover, trying to pass it back outside late, needed to be shot or forced up into the defender to draw contact. These are new moments for Mag, to see if he can learn how to function with the basketball, in higher leverage situations. There's no more comfort level of deferment to others like years past, he is now in the frying pan, and I thought his 2nd half was pretty good.

What I am somewhat concerned with is the assumption that we can carry this over to Iowa. It is an opponent who typically shoots much better in their own gym, so we have to be able to play in the mid to high 70s to have a chance to win. I needed to see RU into the 70s, for my own comfort level and we got there, without much from Cliff, Gavin or Davis......even if Noah and Simpson have normal games vs Iowa, we could see Gavin, Davis and Cliff offset that, and stay in the game. There's now a path towards winning other than 63-60 right now, with this roster.....if we need to get into a rock-fight, we can play that game as always.

Now, we have the ability to get into the 70s and keep up with an Iowa, Nebraska versions of last year or Ohio State this year.

Now see, this is the Hawk I am used to. Good post. I too am concerned about keeping pace with Iowa BUT they are struggling too. Im circling the Indiana game

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Now see, this is the Hawk I am used to. Good post. I too am concerned about keeping pace with Iowa BUT they are struggling too. Im circling the Indiana game

We shouldn't worry about lack of assists?
Teams are focusing on Hyatt?

The PRIMARY issue with this team IS the lack of assists.
No team is focusing on Hyatt.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Simpson won't control the ball.The offense will be focused on Harper and Bailey and the three other players on the court should have open shots .The center position will be the biggest concern and getting a player from the transfer portal should be a viable option.

If we really are playing for next year he should be off the ball, learning how to move without the ball. When he drives to the paint his primary focus should be looking for others. That is what we want for 2024-25.

In 2023-24 we have a players who has lead the nation in blocks and a 4/5 star recruit who is a lights out shooter. All year our small guards drive full speed, downhill in to the paint and look for neither of our best pieces. Our offensive efficiency demonstrates how that is working. Last night we got top 10 percentile results from Simpson, something that will rarely be repeated.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I appreciate it simply opinion by both, but I disagree on Simpson. He is a volume shooter who doesn’t share the ball well. He’s a terrible fit with the guys here now (Gavin, Hyatt, Cliff) and he’ll be even worse next year. Next year we won’t need scoring — we’ll need men who played like A Will last night.

I also disagree on Mag. He was great defensively in second half but we don’t need him shooting 3s and contested jumpers. That’s not his game. He was developing a nice game playing the high post last year before his injury. That’s what we need — not corner 3s that he won’t normally hit.

I do agree on Gavin. We have to ride this out and not cut his minutes. He is improving on defense, but his offensive game is a mess. Keep running him out there. He will eventually get it and we’ll be much better for it this year and especially next year.

Finally, you are spot on OSU. They struggled last year with the young guys but it’s paying off now.

I can't disagree about what you are seeing with Simpson OR Mag, but I am just looking at the surrounding cast of players around them.....if those players are starting and on the court for 25 to 30 minutes a game this year, we can't ask them to play a 5th man role, as if we have 4 other bona-fide scorers with them.

We tried force feeding Cliff earlier in the season.....did that work out well?? NO

We have Aundre Hyatt, who is now taking better shot attempts, mostly within the offense....he probably takes 2 shots a game that he could pass up, but like Jacob Young a couple of years ago, I don't want Hyatt hesitating like he did late last year.....as long as those 2 extra forced shots, don't balloon to 5 or 6 extra shots, I am fine where he is now.

That's 40% of the primary lineup....if Mag or Simpson don't take shots, where else are they going to go??

I have expressed serious doubts and tried for months to try and explain that Mag was not the ultimate reason we struggled down the stretch last year, because he is where you want him to stay.....which is remaining in a limited role, not taking shots and continuing as a glue guy.

That is where Mag was last year.....he is now a senior... he has now been elevated to a higher role and he has to be pushed beyond what we have ever seen him do before.....why?? Because this roster needs him to do it AND, we need to see if he can fit or play in this style next year.

I am fine with Mag taking 10 to 12 shots a game now.....we let Eugene develop......we let Caleb develop into a player who defended at a high level, so if he forced up a 3 pointer, I'm not going to go crazy......Mag has to earn minutes and show he can function in a up tempo faster paced game, so he has a role next year. The stumbles and traveling when it should he a layup, are painful growing pains to watch, instead of a easy 2 points, we get nothing. BUT, Pike has consistently force-fed players into roles and stress-tested them.....and in most cases, Pike and the staff have been rewarded.....and each and every season, those mistakes cost RU basketball games early in the season, to try and buy an improved version of the player, down the road.

If Mag takes 3 to 4 3s per game and is a willing, confident shooter, let him shoot. I don't care what the percentages look like, I just would rather the flow of the game, dictate him taking the shots and forcing him to take them. He has worked on the shot, it's not like it's an ugly release or bad form.....if the opponent scouts us and let's him take an open corner 3, I'd rather trust Mag to take an open 3, vs asking Hyatt to be force fed, 4 extra 3 point shots, that are likely contested.

Once Mag starts making those shots, everything opens up across the floor....

In terms of Simpson, giving him the freedom to take 12 to 15 shots, is what guard recruits want to see from RU basketball.....you want to see an offense, with freedom to create and hit shots.

Once he starts scoring more, then the assists will come, as teams start to try and contain Simpson and force him to give up the ball or make passes......then that opens up Gavin Griffiths or Noah or Davis or even Mag/Hyatt.

This notion that Simpson is not a willing passer is not true. He was the best option, on the ball to create shots last year and is also the best option for this year. This only helps his confidence and expanding what we look like next year, when teams are going to swarm Dylan Harper and make Dylan a playmaker.

Right now, Dylan and Simpson can be expected to handle the ball and I can trust Dylan won't have to carry the entire playmaking responsibility, next year. Every successful trip down the floor for Simpson and Davis this year, only helps us next year.

 

[ScarletNut]

I would argue that this was still fool's gold to some extent because Simpson out shot his baseline midrange percentage by a huge margin tonight. He's not giving us that regularly. There's still no playmaking, no getting the ball to guys in spots where they can take advantage.

"There's still no playmaking"....sums it up about our guards. Just think of all the assists our team used to accumulate the last few seasons. The announcer, Bardo, noted it in the first half when he said Rutgers had only 2 assists. Too much one on one offense. IMO, we miss mulcahy and Spencer's passing as much as any other parts of their games.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We agree force feeding isn't optimal with Cliff. He needs the ball on the move OR he needs the ball from a guard who gets in to the paint. One of Simpson's finishes/makes last night was the wrong play. He had a simple bounce pass to Cliff for a dunk. Is he going to ignore (actually not see) open Harper and Bailey next year.

 

[bac2therac]

We shouldn't worry about lack of assists?
Teams are focusing on Hyatt?

The PRIMARY issue with this team IS the lack of assists.
No team is focusing on Hyatt.

I agree with his reasonable take

Listen this team is what it is. It desperately needed to find points last night and got them. Unfortunately we know where this is headed in the standings

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

"There's still no playmaking"....sums it up about our guards. Just think of all the assists our team used to accumulate the last few seasons. The announcer, Bardo, noted it in the first half when he said Rutgers had only 2 assists. Too much one on one offense. IMO, we miss mulcahy and Spencer's passing as much as any other parts of their games.

We need a few players on the court making the extra pass. Mag is now hunting down shots. It is contagious. When a few people pass others do. Right now everyone knows if they pass they arent getting it back. Woolfolk is the guy that stands out as a player actually looking to get others involved offensively.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I agree with his reasonable take

Listen this team is what it is. It desperately needed to find points last night and got them. Unfortunately we know where this is headed in the standings

It isn't repeatable.

1 other thing to consider about last night......OSU really doesn't have shot blockers. Okapara kind of. They are 123rd in BLK shot % which is really low for a power conference. We are 8th.


EDIT: He only took 1 shot at the rim...10 attempts were considered mid range