Is there a Rutgers hotel? Tailgate? Pep Rally? Nineteen years ago at the Insight Bowl there were all three.

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Look at that stretch starting with Alabama and ending with Illinois. That’s brutal.

So ... I have to admit I was so depressed over the loss to OSU (not so much the loss, but HOW they lost), that I could not bring myself to do a post mortem. My brief summary, with which I think everyone can agree: The worst defensive effort of the season ... like no defense played at all by RU ... very dispiriting. I was also going to say that in the last 4-5 games Martini has been at BEST ... useless ... at worst ... really damaging (no defense, no rebounding, no boxing out, turnovers, missing shots ... and that it may be time to reduce his minutes - though I thought for Grant. I know, I know - anyone can say that after the fact, eh? But really, I mentioned it to several friends BEFORE the Penn St game.

On to the RU-Penn State game:

General:

1) Coaching: Though the team and individual players earned this victory, Pikiell gets HUGE props for a great job for this game. I mean he IS a terrific coach (doom and gloom of certain posters aside). But for this game, he was able to make important adjustments, both before the game and during:

a) Got the team to focus on 2 great practices after the awful OSU performance;

b) Changed the starting line-up by inserting Davis for Derkack ... and it worked. Davis did not have a ton of stats (0 assists and 2 turnovers, for example), but there is no doubt that move completely set the entire tone of the RU defensive effort ... and completely disrupted PSU's best player's performance ... a key to the entire game.

c) Altered the rotation, partly by having Derkack come off the bench (though he got the same amount of playing time), a DNP for Martini and Grant and went large chunks of the 2nd half, especially down the stretch, with small ball of Bailey at the "5", in response to PSU going small ball ... and resulted in RU not only mostly keeping up on defense, but especially added to dominating the backboard.

d) Managed to at least BEGIN (and hoping it sticks) to instill a mantra of rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. I think someone pointed this out elsewhere, but how many times in his post-game interview did Bailey mention "rebounding." Like, 10 times? The team showed much more urgency rebounding - especially Bailey, and Harper - but 4 other players with 3 or 4 rebounds each. And 12 offensive rebounds, scoring 22 2nd chance points, to PSU's 6 offensive rebounds and just 8 2nd chance points.

2) Defense: The team played its best defensive half of the season, in my opinion (not purely by the stats, but given the quality of the opponent, and offensive capability of PSU, the moment - but the EYEBALL test tells me the 1st half was the best overall defense RU had played all season. And add rebounding , which is one element of defense. PSU entered the game outrebounding their opponents by 5 rpg, and had 101 offensive rebounds (11+ per game) to just 87 for their opponents (under 9 per game). RU outrebounded PSU 46-32 - HUGE, and did this in part by only allowing PSU to get 6 offensive rebounds - probably a season low - while RU grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. And in some ways that actually understated RU's rebounding edge, since RU missed 11 FT's, 3 of which ended up as rebounds for PSU (none for RU) - meaning RU grabbed 12 of its 31 missed shots from the field (39%), while PSU grabbed just 6 of its 38 missed shots (16%). For the season, prior to this game, RU had been averaging getting 33% of its missed shots, while PSU had been averaging 39%. And RU played this defense without being able to create turnovers: RU averaged forcing 13+ turnovers per game, but PSU really took care of the ball, committing just 6 turnovers ... but the timing of those turnovers created was huge: 2 late steals, one by Bailey leading to a transition bucket by Bailey, and 1 by Harper leading to Baldwin's 4th foul. I'll get to this in the player discussions, but pretty much each RU player showed at least moments of solid defense. The best were probably Davis, Harper and both centers: Ogbole and, yes, Sommerville ... Bailey and Derkack were terrific in spots, key spots. It should be noted that PSU's best player, Baldwin, though he did get 7 assists, also committed 3 turnovers, and more importantly was harassed and hurried into a 3-14 FG shooting night. Yes, in some games he MAKES some of those shots - but almost every shot of his was heavily contested, and hurried. Plus, PSU's 2nd leading scorer, their starting center, only got 4 FG attempts and scored just 4 points. PSU's 2 main centers had a combined 8 points and 9 rebounds, coming into the game averaging 18 ppg and 9 rpg. I would additionally point out that RU did a much better job defending the high screen - yeah PSU shot 39% from 3, but even so, it felt to me like RU was doing a better job with that - and RU's hedging the screen, but switching or the post player getting back to cover the offensive player rolling to the basket was much improved - very few uncontested lay-ups in this game, because of defensive positioning and help defense. Of course, it has to keep improving, but definite progress, in my opinion.

3) Offense: RU's offense was much better this game - much more weaving, much more moving the ball with the pass - with especially good skip pass results - particularly in the 1st half. It helped that RU hit 5-6 3's to begin the game, before tailing off. BUT ... RU also adjusted in the 2nd half and took just 4 3's (vs 18 in the 1st half) - they were not really there in the 2nd half. Overall RU shot 48% FG for the game - but 48% in EACH half ... and 21-38 (55%) from 2-point range. Remember, in the Kennesaw St game RU was miserable from 2-point range (like under 40%, I think). But the key, also, was aggressive - and extremely efficient - offensive rebounding. RU had 12 offensive rebounds, leading to 22 points!!! That basically means RU SCORED in the possession after at least 10 of its 12 offensive rebounds. Bailey alone had at least 3 baskets on offensive rebounds, and Harper another one. I would add, that on the season prior to this game, RU had assists on about 50% of its made FG's. In this game it was 17 assists to 29 made FG (59%).

Players:

Bailey: I lead with Bailey, even though Harper was amazing. Why? Because of the elevation of his rebounding and defensive effort in this game. Bailey was 0-4 on 3's - and he has to keep shooting those, BTW. He was 6-14 FG (43%), but had 4 offensive rebounds, 3 of which were immediate put backs for FG. He had 15 rebounds overall, a terrific effort - and it was a combination of better positioning AND obvious effort, hunger, for getting the rebounds. His defense was solid - his help defense better. And he made one of the most important defensive plays of the late game, with a steal, followed by him driving to the rim and scoring. He did force 1-2 tougher than needed shots, and made a wierd decision late in the game to pump fake the 3, get his man up in the air, begin to dribble drive, then stepped back for the 3 (missed) ... I would have thought a continued dribble and pull up from 15 feet (would have been wide open) might have been the better choice - and right up his mid-range strength. Take Bailey's ridiculously skilled shot-making - and now add rebounding and defensive effort - another potential All American, eh? FYI - I saw multiple examples of Bailey seeking to set off-ball back screens for Hayes in this game. I had not seen that previously.

Harper: He just is ... so good, eh? Another crazy-efficient game - done from 3-point range this game, in part! He just has more ways to make shots than anyone ... 8-14 FG overall, 3-6 3-point .... 12 rebounds ... 5 assists, 2 blocked shots, a HUGE end of game steal ... ZERO fouls - and NOT because he was not playing defense, either: When Davis was not in the game, Harper was the primary defender of Baldwin - and did a really nice job, using his height, physical strength and wing span to limit Baldwin. He DID miss 4 FT, going just 5-9. He did seem absolutely exhausted for a number of the FT attempts ... still, maybe last night was just an aberration that happens from time to time (Harper generally being an excellent FT shooter).

Davis: Inserted into the starting line-up with one main purpose: Disrupt Baldwin. Davis has not been as good defensively as he was last season - very disappointingly so, in fact. But LAST night he was great - Mission accomplished. He was a significant part of RU setting a defensive tone that had PSU on their heels for the 1st 30-32 minutes of the game. Great move by Pikiell because Davis did exactly what he was supposed to do. Davis did have 2 turnovers (one pretty bad), but 3 of his 4 shots were very good ones, and was 2-4 overall. Alos 0 assists ... but he did what his role called for.

Ogbole: Dropped a terrific pass from Williams at the start that would have been an easy dunk. Had another awful turnover, trying to dribble-drive from practically the 3-point line (the resulting steal by Baldwin coming over to help was pre-ordained). Only 3 rebounds in 15 minutes - but ... 3 blocked shots, and more altered shots, relatively effective rim protection, and solid defense on the PSU starting center who had been averaging 13 ppg (and got just 4 points). and good help defense.

Williams: Not his best game - only 3-9 FG. BUT ... what heart, kept getting knocked to the floor, injured even, and kept coming back. 3 rebounds, 4 assists, just 2 turnovers, ... and just 1-3 FT (like the rest of the team). He did fine ... there will be games where RU will need more from him.

Sommerville: I am going to start with his defense here. Though the stats show 0 steals and 0 blocked shots, I felt Sommerville actually played his best defensive game of the season. His high screen defense and his rotational help defense was MUCH better that he has done in the past. Yes, he still has to improve, and yes, he still does need to get out on the 3-point shooters better. But I saw definite improvement. And offensively he was really good - especially in the decisions he was making. He struck an excellent balance of taking shots (3-4 FG), and giving up the ball to keep the offense flowing - including 4 assists, ALL of those passes were excellent passes. Plus 4 rebounds.

Derkack: Got the same minutes he usually has, but off the bench this time - and in THIS game that worked well for RU. another stat-stuffing (in small ways) game, for good and ill: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 2-4 FG, 8 FT's (but only made 5). His defense was solid - it has been better in some games, and worse in others. Gave very good energy. I like his role off the bench. Not sure Davis is the best player to start every game, but I like Derkack's energy off the bench.

Acuff and Hayes: Both got good runs, 25 minutes total. And both played their roles perfectly. Acuff is clearly, at this stage, primarily a spot-up catch and shoot option for RU - and that is probably his best role. Though at Eastern Michigan he dominated the ball, because of need, and was less efficient for it, his SPOT-UP, catch and shoot, 3-point shooting was better than his other 3-point shooting. And we know Hayes can shoot (the OSU 1-5 game notwithstanding). But both played well enough defensively to stay on the floor for the minutes they were needed for. Hayes was a little more solid on defense than Acuff this game and added 3 rebounds, 2 offensive rebounds. Combined they were 4-9 3-point FG ... Hayes did miss a bunny lay-up, or he would have looked even better - but I think he got the offensive rebound on that play?

Martini: DNP - coach's decision, I believe (no report of injury?). Look at my opening comments about the last 4-5 games he has played. Grant also a DNP - went with Davis/Hayes/Acuff instead.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Where would RU basketball be without the Harper family - and would Pike still have his job?! Kudos to Pike for recruiting and landing the OG, RH Jr. - who, let's face it, was the guy who truly led the best RU teams of the recent past and into the NCAA's - after decades of incompetence - and we haven't had a player like Dylan (who literally could have gone anywhere) in even more decades (or possibly ever).

Yes or no? Discuss.

I poke around a lot and I found this morning a story where they projected the landing spot for the top ten quarterbacks in the portal.
I couldn't believe it when I saw #9 was this guy from UNLV. Are we seeking a qb thru the portal ?
BTW, # 10 was some guy whose name I can't recall (Rickie Collins, LSU) projected as going to Syracuse.

💻: Peacock
🕰️: Tuesday at 7:00pm ET
🏟️: Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) -- Piscataway, New Jersey
💰: Rutgers -1.5pts || Over/Under set at 157.5pts

This billionaire former Milwaukee Bucks owner thinks so:


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Is there any chance Gregg would be on the chopping block, or, more likely,when the new president and A.D. come in, given an ultimatum to start winning or else?

Yes, I know his buyout is massive, and they just signed up to an extension, but that would be taking a significant step back from the last few seasons and specifically, last year

Yes, I know we have an exceptional recruiting class coming in (as of now) and I’m hoping that he can keep it together, but that would be especially challenging if this situation were to happen

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I'm surprised we haven't hit $1B yet and by some of the schools ahead of us.

1. I am THRILLED we got the win, contrary to popular opinion around here.
2. However we WERE lucky…could have easily been a loss - largely forgot how to defend fhe 3 in the second half
3. I hope Acuff plays more. I saw signs last night - the made shots and much better on D.
4. Yes, Ogbole had a few moments on D. But he negates that with boneheaded plays. And his hands are terrible.
5. Martini obviously isn’t playing becusse of his D and lack of rebounding. It’s too bad - he is who he is. I don’t see him getting much time going forward.
6. J Mike more in control last night, and I guess he’ll keep starting. Wish he would learn to pass when he drives.

This is something we started to do near the end of last season. Below are the first two weeks of rankings according to Intermat. Let's update weekly to follow progress. If anyone knows how to format this better, please do.

125 Peterson No. 9 17
133 Shawver No. 6 6
141 Olivieri No. 22 22
149 Clark No. NR NR
Cetta No. 33 33
157 Harer No. NR NR
165 White No. 32 32
Barbosa No. NR NR
174 Turley No. 13 18
184 Soldano No. 20 21
197 Poznanski No. 12 12
HWT Slavikouski No. 4 9

I was wondering how our blue chip players would adjust to a much higher level of competition when we started this season. For some reason, I thought the rest of the team with the infusion of transfers would pretty much be solid enough to hold the line. Well, Dylan is a superstar that has definitely become better on D while Ace has had his ups and downs, but still finds points and was a defensive star last night. The important thing is that the rest of the team which has under performed early has also become a lot better. Every player last night had points. If we can continue this growth, I see no reason to think we cannot make noise in the BIG and make the tournament.
I know Pike has taken a lot of crap, and some was probably deserved, but it does look like he is also growing with this team.

What a wasted opportunity for this program. Pike's seat would be hot if we had an AD.

There's been enough conversation about this topic lately, across multiple threads, that it warrants its own.

For guitarists: What do you play, what do you listen to, who do you like, what gear suits you best, stuff like that. For the rest, it's art - your opinion matters, even if you're not familiar with how it's made.

Hopefully we'll get some good chatter, here. And hopefully it can stay on the board. I mean, hey - it's gotta be as good as "What beers have you tried and how were they", amirite?

Cc: @RUGuitarMan, @mildone, @RUScrew85, @Knight Shift

I haven’t seen it mentioned but we played down the stretch without a true 5. What were your thoughts and do u expect a lot more of this?

I had my recap pretty much settled in my head with about a bit over 8 minutes to go after an Ace Bailey dunk put Rutgers up 72-61. Rutgers had played an incredible first half on both ends and then was seemingly repelling everytime Penn State started to chip away. RU seemed to really make some leaps and bounds in how to play with a lead and looked like they were headed to closing this one out. My praise was going to be effusive especially concentrating on that first half and LET THIS TEAM EAT..IT IS HUNGRY was going to be my recap title. Well that ended up flying out the window by games end as RU struggled in the end game and just was able to get the jalopy across the finish line. No matter how scary and hairy it got and how that all too familiar feeling in the stomach burgeoned in the last 90 seconds, Pike and company managed to stick the landing and that is all that matters. This was a MUST win for this program. I do not care if you say Bac how could the 2nd Big 10 game of the season be a must win. It was. In particular a loss tonight after such an incredible effort for 32 minutes especially that scintillaing and dominating first half would have been catastrophic. All that work down the drain for nothing. The psyche would be shattered by yet another St Johns type collapse.

Rutgers had struggled to go beyond the flashes of high level play they have showed at times. Groundhog day...was this how it was going to be every game. High scoring but not making the shots and stops in crunch time. RU had only beaten a likely below average Notre Dame team hold off a barrage of desperation 3s that forced OT. RU had a 9 point lead vs A&M that they blew in an instant and traded blows with Bama until they started to run out of firepower late. At Ohio State, RU seemingly was never in it or maybe not even aware what it took to compete in a Big 10 road game. A return to the RAC with a jacked up crowd very eager to support the team obviously proved to be an igniter that showed Rutgers what it REALLY takes to win night in and night out in the Big 10. I cannot say with complete confidence or any confidence actually that this is a turn the corner moment for the program. I do know with FULL CONFIDENCE that the win even in its ugly and ultimately gritty fashion was a NECESSARY step for this young team so close at time trying to find an identity and learn to win. Thankfully RU gets a 3 game drop in competition and those 3 games are likely going to tell the tale of what kind of springboard maybe more so how fast can RU develop its confidence and learning how to close out game before the Big 10 schedule really kicks in at the start of the New Year.

Rutgers survived and they advance one game at a time. Winning helps us all. Tonight was a Quad 1 win for now. I am not necessarily convinced that Penn State will be a legit tourney team this year but they took Purdue to the woodshed and were coming into the RAC with a high level of confidence and feeling they could come in and punch RU in the mouth. I always watch how the tones of games are set early to how things are going to play out. In Vegas you knew from the jump RU was going to be quite competitive. At Ohio State that pace and lack of defensive effort was going to doom us. RU has had trouble getting out to good starts at the RAC even against some of the weaker schools. The first couple of minutes were not all that pretty but once RU settled down they took control and defended the home court. It was RU throwing the first punches. I think the risky and ultimately magic trick of the night by Pike was putting J Mike in the lineup and having him defend Ace Baldwin. Baldwin struggled early and never got on track. Their Ace was just 2-10 fg in the first half. PSU was never comfortable and that is because of a tremendous Rutgers defense effort on the ball and on the boards. In one of the rarer moments this year it was Rutgers bothering their opponents. Penn State was rushing and bricking 3s and missing chippy layups. It wasnt dumb luck...well maybe a bit but that was Rutgers bringing a higher level of defense than we have seen all year long.

RU was getting stops and then making the Nittany Lions pay with shots. It helps when Ace Bailey is cleaning up on the boards. He must had 5 or 6 rebounds in just the first 5-6 minutes alone. Likely challenged by Pike and then answering the call. The back to back to back 3s by Dylan Harper had the RAC roaring in approval. Key stretch actually was with RUs bench players in. They actually built on the league with Babyface Hayes draining two wing 3s and Lathan with a couple of nifty looking buckets. All of a sudden RU was showing spurtability and took a 29-17 lead and Penn State would be forced to try and chip away the rest of the way. Its the kind of lead I have been waiting for Rutgers to get it where its not about trading baskets. Its about turning your opponent over, getting those stops, getting those offensive rebounds and having that success show up as a big lead on the scoreboard. What I also liked is RU's ability to draw fouls on Penn State and get to the line towards the end of that first half. Derkack in particular connected on both one and one opportunities. Then continuing with the trend of bench players stepping up, Tyson Acuff out of nowhere with 2 smooth 3s. Role players playing their role. You can either be a black hole like Hayes and Acuff were headed to or pick up your game and answer when you are called upon. That they did and the much maligned supporting cast of J Mike, JD, PJ, and Tyson were every bit as responsible for that shimmering first half dominance as Rutgers 2 NBA lottery picks. Do not forget the assist to Coach Pikiell for shaking things up just enough and winning the game prep with his charges nentally. Also an assist to the RAC for chiming in at the right moments and things were looking great going into halftime. Some incredible stats with respect to rebounding at 27-17 and 3 point fg shooting at 8-18. Yet you could tell RU was a bit tired in those later stages. They put forth collective a yeomens effort on both ends. They challenged themselves in ways that they didnt vs the bottom feeders or even in the Vegas. Perhaps they did not know they had it in them. Pike got it out of them.

That kind of confident playmaking would continue in the 2nd. RU would get their biggest lead of 17 on an opening dunk by EO right out of the gate but no one expected Penn State to just curl up. They came out taking it right to RU. I do not know what they fed Villione in the lockerroom but the kid was unstoppable scoring PSU first 9 points of the half. What was encouraging that RU kept being resilient. They kept answering and built the lead back up to 15 again. It would see saw back to 7 but RU would push it back to 11. Penn State was not going away but at that point, I felt RU looked really confident in not panicking and remaining in control. RU got PSU in some foul trouble and Baldwin got sent to the bench with 4. I thought much of the rest of the game would be RU drawing fouls getting to the line and closing it out getting fed. I was wrong. Things were not that easy. Just takes a few mistakes and turnovers back to back compounded by an uncanny knack to start bricking free throws and all of sudden you are sitting in your seat trying to will that clock to move quicker. With about 5 to go and RU up 74-66 I was thinking to myself, its going to be alright as long as RU gets to 85 or hold PSU under 80 right....you mean it shouldnt be that hard to do that...right..right? All in all RU scored just 8 points in the last 8:18 mirroring a similar drought at OSU. Just 6 points in the last 6 and 4 points in the last 4. RU would miss 5 of their last 7 free throws and I think 7 of their last 10. A team under duress cracking under pressure perhaps taking their foot off the gas a bit running the shot clock down. I am talking to you Pike. A move I guess made to limit Penn State possessions because maybe he wasnt confident that RU could get any stops late of the Nittany Lions. Pike was really going to go for threading that needle and it did just work

But Rutgers finally did what they do not do and that is getting stops. It certainly was a team win but Ace Bailey basically closed this one out. Clinging to a 77-75 lead, RU defended a Ace Baldwin shot and Ace got the board only to see it poked away by Puffy. Ace would make up for it with a steal of his own poking the ball away and racing up court for a layup, the first of which he missed but he putback his own miss to give RU a 79-75 lead with just 50 seconds left. RU got a break when PSU missed 1 of 2 free throws to play it out under 44 seconds where J Will took an open but perhaps not the best shot with the shot clock winding down. That would set PSU for one last shot to tie with about 11 seconds left and the RAC on its feet shouting in unison. PSU Ace took a 3 that was off the mark as Ace Bailey hauled down his 15th and most important rebound of the game. He was fouled, missed the first but calmly hit the 2nd securing the win. Ace Bailey grew up big time tonight. Dylan had been receiving all the accolades in most other games but this game ball goes to Ace for how he delivered down the stretch and on the boards and just being in the right spots for putbacks all game long. Big kudos to him and Coach Pike for getting things figured out. Ace was only 6-14 fg shooting and 0-4 3pt fg but 15 boards and 15 rebounds and serving a real purpose out there that helped the team rather than just padding the stats.

Of course Dylan Harper was fanstastic again. Yeah perhaps a bit tired toward the end, he would finish with a game high 24 on 8-14 fg, a whopping 12 boards and 5 assists. I felt it was important coming into the game that Dylan get established early rather than wait until the 2nd half and that he did. For both Ace and Dylan to contribute beyond shooting with their defensive effort on the glass was an enormous progression for the teams growth. J Will with 8 points on just 3-9 fg shooting but those shots he did hit were timely and he also had 4 assists. . RU desperately needs him to contribute on both ends like he did tonight. Have to cleanup some of the mistakes with that bad turnover late and a couple of bricks at the free throw line. Lathan how about 4 assists tonight and had a couple of big moves to the hoop. 22 minutes 6 points on 3-4 fg shooting. A step forward for him tonight in learning to play in control and was the better of our centers tonight. I thought EO was just ok, made a pretty bad turnover in the 2nd half you could see coming a mile away but gave those 15 minutes proving he can fill a role in Big 10 games and that is alot more than we thought coming into the season. J Mike only 19 minutes and 4 points on 2-4 fg but I dont want him shooting. He set the tone on Baldwin early and PSU played catch up after that. Good call Pike! As said early both PJ and Acuff played enormous roles in building that big first half lead. I still think PJ is getting some wide open looks, I know you cannot make them all but if he can just get one more of them a game that Pike may feel confident enough to use him in big spots late i the game when we are struggling on offense. With the way the game went toward the end, even though they got some minutes, I thought it was a tough spot for Pike to have them contribute rather than lean on the top 3. JD was all out tough today bringing the intangibles. He was 5-6 on free throws before bricking two late. 3 assists but 3 tos, still got 24 minutes even without the start and I will say I think I may like the switch to bring JD off the bench. Martini now deep on the bench at least for this game and ditto for Dylan Grant who some have pining for more time

Bottom line is Rutgers got it done. That is a step in the right direction. More positives to take even as some negatives and questions about the team linger. Is this just one of the ones we get by playing it so close to the vest every game or are we ready to take that next step up. Too soon to tell yet tonight had to happen and the jalopy made it across the finish line. Have to hold serve in the Big 10 this year at home. This league may not have a dominant team but there are probably 15 schools competing for NCAA bids this season. There is no requirement for Quad 1 wins to be pretty, they just need to happen. Take this win and run with it.

Has anyone received confirmation of tickets issued. I was told twice by my "ticket rep", things got delayed as the ticket office has been dealing with Football Bowl ticket process.