GAME 1: Basketball is Back

[bac2therac]

This will likely be the shortest recap you will see from me all season long

First game and first games are always not going to be perfect,.

RU did exactly what a top 25 school is supposed to do an inferior opponent. No style points given in opening games.

Unfortunately in these games you want two things, a win and no injuries and well the latter didnt happen so Geo hurt again is an issue. We know how RU suffered with a less than 100% Geo. With expectations soaring, we cannot go through that again this season. its important to get Geo fully healed and if that means missing a game or two in the next week, then so be it

On the other hand, Geo's absence gave the chance for some spreading of the wealth as Montez and Paul looked extremely comfortable on the offensive end. Ron Jr took over the leadership role and after perhaps taking too many first half shots, I liked less shots from him in the 2nd and under control, 18 pts, 10 boards, he was the steadying and guiding force. Mulcahy 7-7 fg, 15 pts, 7 assists, 1 turnover looked completely poised and in control. Montez 8-15 17 points had the type a game from a guy who sometimes would be wildly inconsistent in a 40 minute game

Big Cliff had a sensational debut...double double perfect 6-6 fg, 14pts, 11 boards, yes its all on dunks and boards against an undersized team but to me its the confidence and poise he showed in his first game. No jitters and was the man in the middle.

Myles perfect as well, understated game 5-5 fg, 10 points, 4 boards, didnt have to shine tonight

JY didnt have his shot tonight and I think the lineup tweak without Geo factored into less output but 8 assists and only 2 turnovers I will take that

Mag, Palm and Reiber got their feet wet and thats all we can ask for them right now

Liked RU getting a ton in transition tonight making a outgunned and outmanned Sacred Heart pay..its called taking care of business and lord knows we have seen other RU teams not do that even in the Pike era where we had closer than anticipated games

Thought after the initial 8 minutes to get adjusted, the defense picked it up and the RU created their own energy which sustained most of the game so I have no issue with that.

Defense could have been better, but its first game and not judging

Free throw shooting continues to be abysmal as is 3 point shooting and I think took only 1 in the 2nd half??? Its first game but given this teams struggles in both catagories, I will say keep an eye on this but really RU shot 61% and could score at will so....

Its just so good to even have basketball back and two more games to work out the kinks even without Geo I think we will be alright in these games,

I like the confidence and swagger of this team, its been 29 years since we had a team with expectations!

 

[zebnatto]

Good recap, Bac.

Only disagreement concerns D where I will be judgmental and say it was disappointing.

 

[bac2therac]

fair enough, certainly no one would be impressed on it but I wouldnt read too much in a game where Baker went out pretty early and we were getting alot of easy looks, the hunger was more on offense tonight, I am sure Pike took notice on what he needs to clean up

 

[anon_ivydyf0amkzay]

Love these recaps...well mostly after wins 😉

 

[Groz]

Good recap as usual Bac. Reading some of the posts during the game, I thought some of our fanbase were way too critical during this first game.

I fully expect our defense to pick up the intensity as the season moves on.

Best of Luck,
Groz

 

[zebnatto]

Compared to last year, we played without Caleb, Geo, Akwasi, and Shaq.

 

[read option]

FT’s seems to be something that you’re either good at or you’re not. We’re not.

I generally expect better overall shooting from the field as the season goes on.

We play D. We might not turn better opponents over like we did to SH, but we should get our fair share along with forcing bad shots.

Am interested to see how we respond when tested. The Cuse game will tell us a lot.

 

[richthedentist]

Good recap, Bac.

Only disagreement concerns D where I will be judgmental and say it was disappointing.

Very dissapointing terrible on switches on the outside and just gave up way TOO many open 3 point looks which of course Scared Heart can knock down but somehow we still cannot shoot 3 pointers; Myles Johnson still gets caught double teaming way too high and someone has to rotate to his man which leaves other guys wide open

 

[TMCB]

A win is a win. Never trailed shot 60%, cliff great, paul great, same as Harper johnson and others Montez.

 

[DECKRU]

First Bac recap, now the season is officially started! Solid performance, this is all you can ask for in opener. Take care of a lesser opponent, get everyone some playing time. Cliff looks like a monster. Only downside is Geo's injury, but at least with this part of schedule he can take his time and get 100% hopefully.

 

[Unionst]

Very dissapointing terrible on switches on the outside and just gave up way TOO many open 3 point looks which of course Scared Heart can knock down but somehow we still cannot shoot 3 pointers; Myles Johnson still gets caught double teaming way too high and someone has to rotate to his man which leaves other guys wide open

The high double team is what he is coached to do. It’s our defense. I’m not a fan but I’m not going to pretend to know more than Pike.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

What's funny is I looked around on other B1G message boards and the same issues plaguing teams last year are still there this year. Their fans have the same complaints from last year. So, we should be OK for the season. 😉

 

[Scangg]

It was complete domination with excellent performances from B1G Cliff Mulcahy and Mathis. Everyone had their moments. Rutgers has never dunked so much. I hear the older crowd mentioning the Bailey years, but as a team I doubt there was ever a game with more dunks in Rutgers history. Rutgers was relentless with dunks lobs and points in the paint.

The freshman are going to be needed as role players and all showed some promise. Mag is going to have a bright future and be an absolute terror on defense. He strikes me as the quintessential Pike guy. Palmquist can be a stretch 4 who also showed the ability to get to the basket and willingness to defend. Reiber looked good in mop up duty and will be ready if we see injuries to the bigs.

The nitpicking is a bit much but some people need to complain and will never be happy. Its the first game and we destroyed the opponent. This team is clearly good. Enjoy it

 

[ColonelRutgers]

With no other actual information to base this on other than watching the game, I would say the chance of Geo playing against FDU and Hofstra is about zero. I HOPE he will be back by Syracuse but not counting on that either with conference play not far behind that one. Just hope this just a temporary thing and can get better with rest and treatment. Sucks.

 

[RUinFla]

Good to check ESPN and see the RU box score on the first page of scores, the page that has the scores of the ranked teams. Tough to see Baker go down, but have believed in Mulcahy since late last season. Nevertheless, Geo has been my favorite current player since the first televised game when he was a freshman. Hope the team successfully avoids the virus.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

This was like watching one of those games we played in Spain last year. Nice to win. You learn very little.

 

[RutgersMO]

What's funny is I looked around on other B1G message boards and the same issues plaguing teams last year are still there this year. Their fans have the same complaints from last year. So, we should be OK for the season. 😉

Haven't read the boards or created a spread sheet on 3's / FT's...but it seems we were the worst in both categories.

This needs to improve drastically....and is something that we should be working on against FDU / Wagner? Take more 3's and make more 3's...and make your FT's: DAMMIT

Other than that just hope that Geo can come back and play @ 100% by Cuse...or start of conference play.


MO

 

[RU848789]

This was like watching one of those games we played in Spain last year. Nice to win. You learn very little.

Well, for me, I learned that, despite the weak competition, Cliff is going to be a star and could be our first guy to go pro early since Douby, as I could see him going pro after 3 years (even if he's not really ready, as the NBA will just love his length and athleticism, although he needs to learn/hone his post moves first, so that’s why I’m hoping it’s 3 years for our sake). I think this year, he'll be dominant inside on defense and offense against some teams and we're going to see a ton of dunks. If he ever develops a mid-range game, he could be an All-American with his physical tools. I had only seen him for a few minutes in one HS game, so this was the first time really seeing him play and I'm so friggin' excited to watch him grow and progress this year (despite what I'm sure will be some struggles, as happen for any first year player).

 

[RUChoppin]

Another small item of note.... Myles Johnson had 0 fouls in 16 minutes.

 

[winfield102]

An insane amount of dunks. 15?

 

[RutgersMO]

With no other actual information to base this on other than watching the game, I would say the chance of Geo playing against FDU and Hofstra is about zero. I HOPE he will be back by Syracuse but not counting on that either with conference play not far behind that one. Just hope this just a temporary thing and can get better with rest and treatment. Sucks.

If he only needed one good thumb...maybe he can do it with one ankle too! JK...

Pray for healing ...improvement in D, mid range shooting / 3's and Frekin' FT's!!

MO

 

[Scangg]

Another small item of note.... Myles Johnson had 0 fouls in 16 minutes.

Myles had a quiet good game as well. Lots of players contributing tonight. Another quiet good game was Young who had 8 assists and he may have been fouled on both of his 2 TOs. Lot of positive signs from this game. Obviously not elite competition but basically everyone played well and the team shared the ball nicely

 

[cfech]

I thought it was a good first game, if Young and Mulcahy combine for 15 assists this team will win a-lot of games. Regarding Cliff, love the fact that there is a 2nd legit 7 foot rim protector to put in when miles is in foul trouble, changes the dynamic of the team, and dunks, rbs and blocks are what he will be best at, doesn't have the post game myles has. Mathis seems to have taken a jump to me, there were several plays where he controlled his body better than I have ever seen him do before that led to points, where they used to be charges. Harper was fine, Mulcahy looks stronger and had a few great passes. Curios to see which freshman steps up , palm will get minutes on this team if he can knock down the 3 and be competent on d, also liked that play where he put it on the floor and drew a foul. As far as defense goes, will have to be better but I think the guys knew they were better than this team from the tip and just didn't play with the same intensity they would otherwise, still ended with 4 block and 10 steals, not worried about it long term tho.

 

[Kbee3]

Myles had a quiet good game as well. Lots of players contributing tonight. Another quiet good game was Young who had 8 assists and he may have been fouled on both of his 2 TOs. Lot of positive signs from this game. Obviously not elite competition but basically everyone played well and the team shared the ball nicely

I can't wait to see them play a quality team.

 

[hoquat63]

An insane amount of dunks. 15?

I’m pretty sure that’s more than the 76 team had for the whole year (dunking illegal then). I’m sure someone will correct me if that is incorrect.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Myles had a quiet good game as well. Lots of players contributing tonight. Another quiet good game was Young who had 8 assists and he may have been fouled on both of his 2 TOs. Lot of positive signs from this game. Obviously not elite competition but basically everyone played well and the team shared the ball nicely

agree with everything.

I really hope FDU plays man. Sharing the basketball and compiling assists is way easier vs zone.

 

[jonS]

Mulcahy looked so much more confident in his play last night. And it's hard to believe this was Cliff's first game. He played like it was his 10th. He also looked better with his FT form even though he made only half his shots. The defense lacked intensity which can be expected for the first game against an inferior opponent. It helps that so many guys played last year considering the team did not have a scrimmage game to iron out the kinks. And Palmquist and Mag looked good in the few minutes they played. If Palmquist makes those sideline jumpers he will be a big help for the team.

 

[jonS]

Compared to last year, we played without Caleb, Geo, Akwasi, and Shaq.

I think we'll miss Akwasi a lot. He always seemed to make the big three pointer when it was needed and contribute in other ways. Under appreciated asset to the team..

 

[richthedentist]

The high double team is what he is coached to do. It’s our defense. I’m not a fan but I’m not going to pretend to know more than Pike.

I just worry the good teams are going to destroy us on that double as it always results in wide open three pointers

 

[RUHouston]

It was a very good first game especially considering how last year‘s first game went!

Big Cliff certainly flashed! But, he should against weak competition. Hopefully he gets to go against someone taller than 6’7 before he runs into Kofi.

Paul looked so much more confident and better than last year, as one would expect. It’s going to suck without Geo the next few games but with Paul running the point we should be ok in the near term.

 

[bac2therac]

I think we'll miss Akwasi a lot. He always seemed to make the big three pointer when it was needed and contribute in other ways. Under appreciated asset to the team..

its a big loss IMO but can be made up but its going to take Pikiell tinkering

 

[cubuffsdoug]

I just worry the good teams are going to destroy us on that double as it always results in wide open three pointers

Keep in mind Rutgers has not scrimmaged against another team in preseason like most years. So there is an adjustment period as the new players are incorporated into the system. You have to admit Rutgers looked much better in this year's first game compared to last year.

 

[Scangg]

Every year we are going to be losing an Akwasi or better moving forward. Multiple a year. We lost less talent than most B1G teams last season so its a win for us overall

 

[patk89]

Just looked it up. Jammin James Bailey had 116 dunks himself during the 77/78 season.

 

[urbanecane]

I did not watch the game, but the box score tells a good story. To me, this team is clearly good and has a chance to be great if they can hit 3 pointers and free throws at a respectable clip. Yeboah was so great in his role last year. I'm curious to see if improvements from Mathis, Harper, and Young (and addition of Palmqvist) can fill the Yeboah void.

 

[jonS]

its a big loss IMO but can be made up but its going to take Pikiell tinkering

He was a solid consistent player. And he made his free throws--something that is a challenge for this team.

 

[RURM85]

Every year we are going to be losing an Akwasi or better moving forward. Multiple a year. We lost less talent than most B1G teams last season so its a win for us overall

Completely agree. Rutgers brings back the second most points scored from last season in the B1G. Every year we lose players that fans bemoan. In recent history, from the Mack and Jack show to Nigel Johnson to Corey Sanders to Eugene last year, there are fans who always think the team will take a back slide due to players lost each and every year. That's College sports.

I will say having watched 7-8 games already, even though these Game 1s are primarily Cream Puffs for the Big Ten teams, this Conference has more talent and better teams than last year, which is really hard to believe. The rosters are deeper and there's some really impressive freshmen talent, not to mention significant improvements of players returning from last year. The Competition in this Conference is fierce.

 

[rutger80]

The thing that will always take the longest is team defense. With limited practice time and no scrimmages, it will take a few games before all the new players are integrated into the defensive scheme.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

FDU, another easy win

Don't sleep on Hofstra

 

[BillyC80]

Mulcahy looked so much more confident in his play last night. And it's hard to believe this was Cliff's first game. He played like it was his 10th. He also looked better with his FT form even though he made only half his shots. The defense lacked intensity which can be expected for the first game against an inferior opponent. It helps that so many guys played last year considering the team did not have a scrimmage game to iron out the kinks. And Palmquist and Mag looked good in the few minutes they played. If Palmquist makes those sideline jumpers he will be a big help for the team.

Reiber gave us something too. What’s clear is everyone including all the new guys will be contributing this season. Should be fun to watch.