And I'm all the way up
And you can stay up
And if you ask anybody where I live
They'll point to the hills and say
Go all the way up
Go all the way up
I'm all the way up
I'm all the way up
Nothing can stop me, I'm all the way up
Rutgers keeps topping themselves. Just when you think you have seen it all. They reach higher and higher. They get better and better. I was not around for the Final 4 run back in 1976 and have always envied you guys who really have made up the core fanbase at the RAC for over 35 years. The closest I got to this was starting with a Temple game in 89 at the RAC my first as a student which really was the beginning of that magical run which would later culminated in the legendary A10 tourney final games vs Penn Sttat which led to RU's first tourney bid since 1983. There was another big run after a slow start to the season in 1991. That team had high expectations but lost to the likes of Duquesne early in the season and were sputtering at 7-6 before turning the jets on and winnning the regular season A10 title and going back to the NCAA tourney in 91. As a student those were great times. There were some big time wins over ranked opponents under Waters but it never quite amounted to anything. I think this stretch of 4 straight wins over ranked opponents is historical and dwarfs anything that this program has done since the Final 4 season.
Folks we are witnessing a similar situation when an upstart 10 seed gets hot and makes a run to the Final 4 in the NCAA tournament. RU handled MSU is the round of 64, took down OSU in the round of 32, dug deep to beat Wisconsin on the road in the round of 16 and then punched their way into the final 4 with a rousing dominance of another higher seeded team. You know what I am talking about too. The competition gets tougher yet Rutgers becomes more imposing and awe inspiring. Think the RU womens NCAA tourney run to the Final 4., Rutgers is white hot right now. Rutgers defense is the best in the world right now bar none. Its not about what they were in November or even what they were just 3 weeks ago. They control their own destiny. Two more games and they may be cutting down the nets in the Big 10. That is how scintillating Rutgers is playing right now. Rutgers is one game out of first place in the Big 10. Rutgers can legitimately win this league the way they are playing. Someone had a thread asking if Rutgers is playing better than any school of the country and the answer is a resounding yes. Nothing can stop them, they're all the way up!
Today RU made #12 Illinois look absurd. This was a complete domination. Do not get fooled by a couple of runs here and there and Illinois cutting it down late. The Rutgers defense tyrannized Illinois. So many players came up in the moments that they had to. Game plan executed to pefection. Coach Pike just spinning that wheel that simply cannot get stop once it is going. The RAC crowd was deranged tonight,. Loudest constant noise in early possessions in a long long time perhaps going back to 89 although there were some jacked up crowds vs SHU back in the early 90s. Everyone showed up and packed the seats...8200 and the blackout looks phenomenal. After the first timeout up 13-7, I think Illinois already knew they were in trouble. I think the fans knew this game was ours if they did their part and they did. Going bonkers on key possession especially defensively in the 2nd half that and Illinois could never find their way back really. A bunch of symbiotes! All the bells and whistles of a RAC game on steroids.
There were so many plays tonight that stick out. Such a team effort. Relentless, imposing, overpowering, smothering, stingy, you cannot find enough words to describe the defense but damn the offense was pretty efficient early. The team obviously rode the wave of the RACcrowd early getting out to that lead. Rutgers was pretty much getting any look they wanted in those first 10 minutes. They did not convert them all but they converted enough. You want to keep momentum rolling. Getting Cliff involved early, then Ron and the unleashing Paul who had some beautiful conversion mid range jumpers. Those are the shots that good teams make. Those shots do not go down like they did the first meeting and Illinois is getting their transition game going. Did you notice, the Illinois had zero transition game..none and even though RU turned the ball over, 14 times. Illinois was intimidated and bothered by RU that they did not push and make RU pay. RU gave up just 2 points in a 5 game stretch where they extended their lead to 13 on a confident Ron Harper banker to go up 24-11. From that point the rest of the half was a typical ugly Big 10 defensive battle. Played pretty evenly, RU has some trouble getting their offense going but were successful in rebounding and showing poise where earlier in the year they would crumble in these moments.
2nd half so Illinois hit a 3 to cut it to 6 but they would never get closer all game. A decisive 14-1 run over 6 minutes put Rutgers in full control. As a fan you just love to see these kind of runs in the 2nd half where Rutgers just takes control. All of sudden, RU up 19 at 47-28. RU cleaned up on the boards, I think they had 10 during this time, they were getting chance point and even Hyatt was tipping them in. Illinois responded with a little 7-0 but then the offensive sequence of the game. Geo who was pretty quiet hit his typical jumper that stopped the bleeding putting RU up 49-35....then came a barrage of 3s that sealed the game. Geo to Mulcahy in the corner for 3, Paul to Ron in the opposite corner for 3. Geo to Dean for his patented Threeber...back to back to back 3s. Illinois was left gasping down 60-37 in needs of a defibrillator. Caleb would get a steal and a bucket to give RU a new biggest lead of 23 at 60-37. Illinois did try to make it interesting going on a 22-8 run to cut it to 9 at 67-58. While it may have made some nervous. RU was never in doubt of losing this game. Time after time they came up in the last few minutes when it mattered even as it looked like they were struggling handling the press. Ron Harper came up with 75 foot drive to the hoop uncontested for a dunk that realistically put this game out of reach. Paul and Cliff did their thing again and Geo hit a couple of free throws. In fact I think it was better for them that they had to close out a game around 10 points rather than win by 25. Come NCAA tourney time, schools will make runs like these and sometimes the leads will not be from a 23 point starting point. Learning from some mistakes tonight will pay dividends later.
It was not just a few plays, it was all plays. Team ball and whatever you want to call RU they are like some sort of giant walking amoeba moving up and down the court absorbing Illinois and spitting it out. 40 minutes of hell. No need to go through stats. They will go up and down with each game. Each player is as important as the next. Some days some will score more than others or more rebounds or more steals. Each player takes his turn. Special shoutout to the bench players. It seems like one or two players step up in their roles and deliver and Hyatt/Reiber did tonight. Plus the guys who saw little or no time are most certainly contributing in practice and they need a special thank you for all they do to in preparing the starters during this gauntlet
So I have been hammering the idea of taking one game at a time for the past few weeks and again that is the approach. A possible battle for first place at Purdue. Every recap, it seems like the each game is simply bigger than the next. It is very tough to beat a team 2x in this league. As Illinois who won the first meeting vs RU by 35. A new kind of challenge but Rutgers has answered all its challenges so far going 4-0 in the gauntlet. They are on the kind of run that basketball players can only dream of. All this team does is win because they are all the way up and aint no stoppin us now. The fans take a bow tonight. The RAC is the best atmosphere is all of college ball, We have the best defense in the nation right now. We are playing better than any school in the country right now. Enjoy these moments. These are the days to remember.
Where does that put Rutgers in bracketology. See my thread for an update tomorrow morning. Rutgers is all the way up. I was one of the few bracketologists to have RU in the field BEFORE this game. After the win tonight, RU's 6th in Quad 1, I have RU shooting way up beyond the first four byes. Not exactly what see I have them right now but it very well may be better than the 10 seed line AT THIS MOMENT...this always change but right now Rutgers has propelled itself over several bubble schools whose flimsy resumes are looking sorry next to Rutgers
Still work to do...cannot go 0-5.
Never say that Bac is an old man. Here is a song that that the under 35 crowd might know. Not my genre but I'M ALL THE WAY UP....... (oh and it comes with a Tipper Gore pmrc warning)
And you can stay up
And if you ask anybody where I live
They'll point to the hills and say
Go all the way up
Go all the way up
I'm all the way up
I'm all the way up
Nothing can stop me, I'm all the way up
Rutgers keeps topping themselves. Just when you think you have seen it all. They reach higher and higher. They get better and better. I was not around for the Final 4 run back in 1976 and have always envied you guys who really have made up the core fanbase at the RAC for over 35 years. The closest I got to this was starting with a Temple game in 89 at the RAC my first as a student which really was the beginning of that magical run which would later culminated in the legendary A10 tourney final games vs Penn Sttat which led to RU's first tourney bid since 1983. There was another big run after a slow start to the season in 1991. That team had high expectations but lost to the likes of Duquesne early in the season and were sputtering at 7-6 before turning the jets on and winnning the regular season A10 title and going back to the NCAA tourney in 91. As a student those were great times. There were some big time wins over ranked opponents under Waters but it never quite amounted to anything. I think this stretch of 4 straight wins over ranked opponents is historical and dwarfs anything that this program has done since the Final 4 season.
Folks we are witnessing a similar situation when an upstart 10 seed gets hot and makes a run to the Final 4 in the NCAA tournament. RU handled MSU is the round of 64, took down OSU in the round of 32, dug deep to beat Wisconsin on the road in the round of 16 and then punched their way into the final 4 with a rousing dominance of another higher seeded team. You know what I am talking about too. The competition gets tougher yet Rutgers becomes more imposing and awe inspiring. Think the RU womens NCAA tourney run to the Final 4., Rutgers is white hot right now. Rutgers defense is the best in the world right now bar none. Its not about what they were in November or even what they were just 3 weeks ago. They control their own destiny. Two more games and they may be cutting down the nets in the Big 10. That is how scintillating Rutgers is playing right now. Rutgers is one game out of first place in the Big 10. Rutgers can legitimately win this league the way they are playing. Someone had a thread asking if Rutgers is playing better than any school of the country and the answer is a resounding yes. Nothing can stop them, they're all the way up!
Today RU made #12 Illinois look absurd. This was a complete domination. Do not get fooled by a couple of runs here and there and Illinois cutting it down late. The Rutgers defense tyrannized Illinois. So many players came up in the moments that they had to. Game plan executed to pefection. Coach Pike just spinning that wheel that simply cannot get stop once it is going. The RAC crowd was deranged tonight,. Loudest constant noise in early possessions in a long long time perhaps going back to 89 although there were some jacked up crowds vs SHU back in the early 90s. Everyone showed up and packed the seats...8200 and the blackout looks phenomenal. After the first timeout up 13-7, I think Illinois already knew they were in trouble. I think the fans knew this game was ours if they did their part and they did. Going bonkers on key possession especially defensively in the 2nd half that and Illinois could never find their way back really. A bunch of symbiotes! All the bells and whistles of a RAC game on steroids.
There were so many plays tonight that stick out. Such a team effort. Relentless, imposing, overpowering, smothering, stingy, you cannot find enough words to describe the defense but damn the offense was pretty efficient early. The team obviously rode the wave of the RACcrowd early getting out to that lead. Rutgers was pretty much getting any look they wanted in those first 10 minutes. They did not convert them all but they converted enough. You want to keep momentum rolling. Getting Cliff involved early, then Ron and the unleashing Paul who had some beautiful conversion mid range jumpers. Those are the shots that good teams make. Those shots do not go down like they did the first meeting and Illinois is getting their transition game going. Did you notice, the Illinois had zero transition game..none and even though RU turned the ball over, 14 times. Illinois was intimidated and bothered by RU that they did not push and make RU pay. RU gave up just 2 points in a 5 game stretch where they extended their lead to 13 on a confident Ron Harper banker to go up 24-11. From that point the rest of the half was a typical ugly Big 10 defensive battle. Played pretty evenly, RU has some trouble getting their offense going but were successful in rebounding and showing poise where earlier in the year they would crumble in these moments.
2nd half so Illinois hit a 3 to cut it to 6 but they would never get closer all game. A decisive 14-1 run over 6 minutes put Rutgers in full control. As a fan you just love to see these kind of runs in the 2nd half where Rutgers just takes control. All of sudden, RU up 19 at 47-28. RU cleaned up on the boards, I think they had 10 during this time, they were getting chance point and even Hyatt was tipping them in. Illinois responded with a little 7-0 but then the offensive sequence of the game. Geo who was pretty quiet hit his typical jumper that stopped the bleeding putting RU up 49-35....then came a barrage of 3s that sealed the game. Geo to Mulcahy in the corner for 3, Paul to Ron in the opposite corner for 3. Geo to Dean for his patented Threeber...back to back to back 3s. Illinois was left gasping down 60-37 in needs of a defibrillator. Caleb would get a steal and a bucket to give RU a new biggest lead of 23 at 60-37. Illinois did try to make it interesting going on a 22-8 run to cut it to 9 at 67-58. While it may have made some nervous. RU was never in doubt of losing this game. Time after time they came up in the last few minutes when it mattered even as it looked like they were struggling handling the press. Ron Harper came up with 75 foot drive to the hoop uncontested for a dunk that realistically put this game out of reach. Paul and Cliff did their thing again and Geo hit a couple of free throws. In fact I think it was better for them that they had to close out a game around 10 points rather than win by 25. Come NCAA tourney time, schools will make runs like these and sometimes the leads will not be from a 23 point starting point. Learning from some mistakes tonight will pay dividends later.
It was not just a few plays, it was all plays. Team ball and whatever you want to call RU they are like some sort of giant walking amoeba moving up and down the court absorbing Illinois and spitting it out. 40 minutes of hell. No need to go through stats. They will go up and down with each game. Each player is as important as the next. Some days some will score more than others or more rebounds or more steals. Each player takes his turn. Special shoutout to the bench players. It seems like one or two players step up in their roles and deliver and Hyatt/Reiber did tonight. Plus the guys who saw little or no time are most certainly contributing in practice and they need a special thank you for all they do to in preparing the starters during this gauntlet
So I have been hammering the idea of taking one game at a time for the past few weeks and again that is the approach. A possible battle for first place at Purdue. Every recap, it seems like the each game is simply bigger than the next. It is very tough to beat a team 2x in this league. As Illinois who won the first meeting vs RU by 35. A new kind of challenge but Rutgers has answered all its challenges so far going 4-0 in the gauntlet. They are on the kind of run that basketball players can only dream of. All this team does is win because they are all the way up and aint no stoppin us now. The fans take a bow tonight. The RAC is the best atmosphere is all of college ball, We have the best defense in the nation right now. We are playing better than any school in the country right now. Enjoy these moments. These are the days to remember.
Where does that put Rutgers in bracketology. See my thread for an update tomorrow morning. Rutgers is all the way up. I was one of the few bracketologists to have RU in the field BEFORE this game. After the win tonight, RU's 6th in Quad 1, I have RU shooting way up beyond the first four byes. Not exactly what see I have them right now but it very well may be better than the 10 seed line AT THIS MOMENT...this always change but right now Rutgers has propelled itself over several bubble schools whose flimsy resumes are looking sorry next to Rutgers
Still work to do...cannot go 0-5.
Never say that Bac is an old man. Here is a song that that the under 35 crowd might know. Not my genre but I'M ALL THE WAY UP....... (oh and it comes with a Tipper Gore pmrc warning)