This season is the epitome of all things Rutgers. We finally get a unreal recruiting class (of freshman), when it matters the least. The extra covid year + NIL pay for play has really made freshman recruiting not as important as it used to be as it pertains to winning and making it far in the tourney. Both Ace and Dylan are no doubt talented, but that doesn't mean they don't make freshman mistakes. Look no further than the Kentucky Calipari teams that were even more talented with consecutive top 5/10 recruiting classes with one and done's and 1st weekend exits from the tourney.
I don't think Pike is a horrible coach, but he isn't elite either. He needs to make adjustments in how he recruits in this new NIL era and all the uncertainty around it to really get Rutgers over the hump. Can he do it? We'll see as we're not getting rid of him with the years left on his contract.