GAME 10 Seton Hall: The Needle and the Very Fine Line

[newell138]

although I thought we would win, i did think this was going to be a lot tougher than most thought due to the OSU hangover. Too many turnovers and too many missed layups, but still this was a winnable game....

There was a brief moment where the RAC once again came alive. RU a couple of stops and 2 Paul free throws and Caleb hoisting a 3 with the shot clocking running down, suddenly its 38-34 and RU gets another point. I think many agree a big turning point happened on the next possesion. Caleb grabs rebound, dribbles down court, instead of resetting for good shot on a big possession up 4, Caleb inexplicably throws up a 3 immediately. Bad shot, bad decision, bad outcome by a senior leader

Its only a poor decision if the shot doesn't fall, he had a good look and if he makes that, the RAC explodes and who knows what happens after that

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Paul Mulcahy must shoot the ball. Did he take one normal jump shot ?

Mulcahy must be a threat to score or he might as well sit on the bench.

Last year Paul averaged 17 points and 7 assists per game in the 6 game stretch from Northwestern to Purdue in February. It changed the season and he looked like one of the best players in the country.

Cliff has got to stop getting 2 fouls in every game in the first 10 minutes.
Cliff has got to stop trying to force a shot while being double teamed 12 feet from the basket.

The entire team has got to stop with the forced entry passes and the insane amount of turnovers.

The inability to work the ball inside reminds me of Cliff's freshman year and all the wasted opportunities from forced and impossible alley oop attempts.

 

[Scarlet Blind]

December 1 @ Kansas
December 7 vs Lincoln(Pa)
a December 11 @ Rutgers

November 30th @ Miami
December 3rd vs Indiana
December 8th @ Ohio St
December 11th vs Seton Hall

Who had 4 real games back2back to prepare for and only 2 days for Seton Hall coming off a tough mentally draining "loss" and which team basically was preparing for Rutgers the last 9 days? Rutgers played like a mentally exhausted team. Pike made the mistake of not playing Reiber more, he looked like he had something to give last night and forgot about him. The team played good defense all night but man they looked uncomfortable and gun shy in taking any shot all night, only 43 FG attempts in 40 minutes. They have almost a week for Wake they will be fine the next game, last night was a cumulative effect of the last 12 days total, nothing more.

 

[Mr Magoo]

December 1 @ Kansas
December 7 vs Lincoln(Pa)
a December 11 @ Rutgers

November 30th @ Miami
December 3rd vs Indiana
December 8th @ Ohio St
December 11th vs Seton Hall

Who had 4 real games back2back to prepare for and only 2 days for Seton Hall coming off a tough mentally draining "loss" and which team basically was preparing for Rutgers the last 9 days? Rutgers played like a mentally exhausted team. Pike made the mistake of not playing Reiber more, he looked like he had something to give last night and forgot about him. The team played good defense all night but man they looked uncomfortable and gun shy in taking any shot all night, only 43 FG attempts in 40 minutes. They have almost a week for Wake they will be fine the next game, last night was a cumulative effect of the last 12 days total, nothing more.

Wake’s guards are better and quicker than Seton Hall’s and Wake is a better team overall than Seton Hall. Very tough matchup for us. We’ll find out soon enough.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

You're going to be wrong again because you seem to forget that defense has value.

We’ll see. I said 8-3 OOC, that looks good right now. Then 8-12 in big ten play which is only 2 games off from our 2020-2021 team that went 10-10 in conference play and they had jacob young, geo, ron and myles. You dont think a primary lineup of JY, Geo, Montez/Caleb Ron and Myles are two games better than Paul, cam, caleb, mag and cliff? Interesting.

 

[zebnatto]

Seems an agreed upon major story line: not a single one of our core guys played even an average game.

 

[RUJMM78]

Decent review but as poor a shooting night as it was not one mention of 18 turnovers?? Wasn’t that a bigger issue?

Refs matter and it was abundantly clear that RU was not mentally recovered from devastating loss at OSU due to refs.

Not comment of the irony that once again with the game on the line the refs didn’t notice the opposition step on the line? RU gets the ball last chance to tie or win?

No comment that Hyatt appears to be improving.

No comment that RU shot 10/11 from the line and that almost won us the game. Weirdly Caleb again missed crucial foul shot in almost identical situation?

No comment that RU requests all fans to wear Red to the game. AD shows up in all black. Odd. Bad karma

bac

Decent review but as poor a shooting night as it was not one mention of 18 turnovers?? Wasn’t that a bigger issue?

Refs matter and it was abundantly clear that RU was not mentally recovered from devastating loss at OSU due to refs.

Not comment of the irony that once again with the game on the line the refs didn’t notice the opposition step on the line? RU gets the ball last chance to tie or win?

No comment that Hyatt appears to be improving.

No comment that RU shot 10/11 from the line and that almost won us the game. Weirdly Caleb again missed crucial foul shot in almost identical situation?

No comment that RU requests all fans to wear Red to the game. AD shows up in all black. Odd. Bad karma

bac gave a outstanding review because he praised the defense and found fault with the offense .Mentioning the refs in a game where Rutgers only scored 43 points is just a excuse made to divert attention from what was happening on the court.

 

[RUJMM78]

the whole Cliff saga needs a seperate thread he is the number one issue right now...multiple times not being able to stay on the court in the first half, wild swings from half to half game to game and this game both halves stunk save for that 1 minute stretch before halftime

I mentioned preseason that Cliff staying out of early foul trouble was a key to future team success.The coaching staff needs to work with Cliff to correct this problem ASAP.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I mentioned preseason that Cliff staying out of early foul trouble was a key to future team success.The coaching staff needs to work with Cliff to correct this problem ASAP.

It’s his own doing. He already had one foul, then made a horrible offensive play and compounded the mistake by committing a stupid foul while trying to make up for it. A freshman-type mistake.

 

[RUJMM78]

December 1 @ Kansas
December 7 vs Lincoln(Pa)
a December 11 @ Rutgers

November 30th @ Miami
December 3rd vs Indiana
December 8th @ Ohio St
December 11th vs Seton Hall

Who had 4 real games back2back to prepare for and only 2 days for Seton Hall coming off a tough mentally draining "loss" and which team basically was preparing for Rutgers the last 9 days? Rutgers played like a mentally exhausted team. Pike made the mistake of not playing Reiber more, he looked like he had something to give last night and forgot about him. The team played good defense all night but man they looked uncomfortable and gun shy in taking any shot all night, only 43 FG attempts in 40 minutes. They have almost a week for Wake they will be fine the next game, last night was a cumulative effect of the last 12 days total, nothing more.

Rutgers has been a mediocre offensive scoring team since the Temple game..

 

[Mr Magoo]

bac

bac gave a outstanding review because he praised the defense and found fault with the offense .Mentioning the refs in a game where Rutgers only scored 43 points is just a excuse made to divert attention from what was happening on the court.

Agree. Refs had zero to do with this. They very rarely do (OSU obvious exception). If anything, the calls were slightly skewed towards us.

 

[motel00]

The most disturbing thing about this loss and the loss at Miami is that we do not have anyone who wants to take the last shot. We won games the last several years because we had guys like Geo Baker and Ron Harper who want to take that last shot. Last night you could see that Mulcahy did not want to take the last shot. McConnell did not want to take the last shot. And God help us if Hyatt is the guy to take the last shot.If someone doesn’t step into this role we are going to have a season of mediocrity.

 

[biazza38]

The most disturbing thing about this loss and the loss at Miami is that we do not have anyone who wants to take the last shot. We won games the last several years because we had guys like Geo Baker and Ron Harper who want to take that last shot. Last night you could see that Mulcahy did not want to take the last shot. McConnell did not want to take the last shot. And God help us if Hyatt is the guy to take the last shot.If someone doesn’t step into this role we are going to have a season of mediocrity.

Agree 1000% with this. That guy will eventually be Simpson. Just not this year. He’s too out of control but I think he can eventually be the guy when he gets older

 

[NickRU714]

The most disturbing thing about this loss and the loss at Miami is that we do not have anyone who wants to take the last shot. We won games the last several years because we had guys like Geo Baker and Ron Harper who want to take that last shot. Last night you could see that Mulcahy did not want to take the last shot. McConnell did not want to take the last shot. And God help us if Hyatt is the guy to take the last shot.If someone doesn’t step into this role we are going to have a season of mediocrity.

Remember when people said it was a benefit to not have a single "guy"?
Now that we have a multitude of options the opposing defense won't know who is going to take the last shot and can't key on them.

That was a fun fantasy.

 

[Mr Magoo]

The most disturbing thing about this loss and the loss at Miami is that we do not have anyone who wants to take the last shot. We won games the last several years because we had guys like Geo Baker and Ron Harper who want to take that last shot. Last night you could see that Mulcahy did not want to take the last shot. McConnell did not want to take the last shot. And God help us if Hyatt is the guy to take the last shot.If someone doesn’t step into this role we are going to have a season of mediocrity.

Not sure if Geo wanted to take the last shot or was forced to…it was the only end-game play we had. Dribble dribble dribble, low percentage step-back three at the buzzer. As remedial as that play is, we have no one this year who can even attempt it.

 

[G- RUnit]

bac

bac gave a outstanding review because he praised the defense and found fault with the offense .Mentioning the refs in a game where Rutgers only scored 43 points is just a excuse made to divert attention from what was happening on the court.

The reason for only scoring 43 points were the turnovers. The turnovers imho were a result of the hangover from the devastating “loss” to Ohio State. I don’t think that’s diverting attention I think that’s trying to find a reason for poor play. We also saw the game and knew we didn’t shoot well. I thought turnovers were a far bigger issue than lack of scoring imho.

Thought Hyatt was best player on the court yesterday and worthy of some review. Reiber came in, made a nice shot, had a nice rebound.

Agree that Caleb missed three was crucial miss of game. Shot was way out of his range. Two steps too far back and he even looked awkward shooting it and nobody underneath.

If part of the title your article is fine line then you miss a golden opportunity when you don’t emphasize two games in a row that the opposing player stepped on the line and the refs missed it denying RU an end game tie or victory. As poorly as we played we were denied an opportunity. Certainly our defense deserved that. We only gave up 45 points. We shot 10 for 11 from line. There is a fine line with parity in college basketball. Officiating is just as important as any other factor.

 

[LotusAggressor]

Remember when people said it was a benefit to not have a single "guy"?
Now that we have a multitude of options the opposing defense won't know who is going to take the last shot and can't key on them.

That was a fun fantasy.

No efficient offensive team does it by committee. Most good offensive teams have a go-to guy that they play through. It doesn't matter if you have a multitude of options that aren't actually options.

 

[bac2therac]

Seems an agreed upon major story line: not a single one of our core guys played even an average game.

Mag was good

 

[RutgersDom]

16-15 (8-12) thats what this team is. Just really lacks talent

are you going to change this like a lot of your other predictions?

 

[bac2therac]

Remember when people said it was a benefit to not have a single "guy"?
Now that we have a multitude of options the opposing defense won't know who is going to take the last shot and can't key on them.

That was a fun fantasy.

Some fans completely overrate what this team is. Great team when everything is cranking. Can beat probably all but 10 teams but if one thing slips up we can easily fall apart. Very small margin of error but it also speaks to just how good of a coach Pike is winning with lesser talent

 

[RutgersDom]

I can agree with that, we might not be a NCAA team this season, I am not sure others realize that.

I think we were so bad offensively (Literally not one player played well on offense that we are overreacting (Shocking right?) here a bit...Am I a bit concerned that Cam averaged 16 vs OOC and 6 vs the better teams? A bit yes but I anticipate him finding his way to average double digits in BIG play...I also see Simpson eventually gaining more minutes and helping with his drives. Our O probably won't look as bad as that all season and you know our D is legit. Maybe better than last year...We should be OK this year...Bubble maybe yes but maybe a bit above that.
Can we slip to the bottom of the bubble? Sure...Too early to make predictions...This team will improve over the season...

 

[Geo_Baker_1]

Not sure if Geo wanted to take the last shot or was forced to…it was the only end-game play we had. Dribble dribble dribble, low percentage step-back three at the buzzer. As remedial as that play is, we have no one this year who can even attempt it.

Oh i wanted to 😂

Looking at this game from an optimistic point of view… that was probably the worst 40 mins of Rutgers basketball in a while and we only lost by 2. Pikes is relentless and will figure it out.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

NJH,

We have played 11 games and adjusted for opponent 8 of the 11 were passable offensively. Any of those 8 games we win by double digits.

Paul is not a prototype PG
Caleb is a bad offensive player (as measured by power conference guard/wings)

These are the pieces we have. The only other point guard on the roster is Jalen Miller.

We are great on defense because we use defensive schemes and execute. Going from zone and switching to man 18 seconds in to a possession is incredibly hard. The amount of switching and hedging and generally execution on screens.

With our limited roster going from a top 10 defense to a top 50 isn't negotiable.

I'd like to see more of Simpson without the ball in his hands in the 1st 25 seconds of the shot clock. Let him play off the ball and make hard cuts when Woolfolk or Cliff or even Paul have the ball in the opposite post. Let Simpson be the guy with the ball in the last 5 seconds when there is less pressure of making the right play.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Oh i wanted to 😂

Looking at this game from an optimistic point of view… that was probably the worst 40 mins of Rutgers basketball in a while and we only lost by 2. Pikes is relentless and will figure it out.

instead you were eating a cupcake.

worst 40 minutes of offense in Rutgers basketball

 

[Geo_Baker_1]

instead you were eating a cupcake.

worst 40 minutes of offense in Rutgers basketball

that cupcake was good too! Lol.

Seton hall did a great job pushing everything out. On the wings and on the post ups. Every catch was way out of position. I think i wish Derek played more but that’s a lot easier to say now than in the moment as a head coach. Everyone’s saying we didn’t run anything but the reality is everyone was super passive and we needed a 1 on 1 guy to attack and put some pressure on the defense.

When was the last time we’ve seen a Cliff lob? His guy hasn’t had to help off a drive from the top of the key really at all this year

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

agree, Gavin is awesome but good lord where are our guards

Gavin isn't awesome. He is a fictional character.

He becomes real when he demonstrates he can go above a screen defensively, can execute most things we ask defensively and can make shots against long major D1 players. Until then he is off my radar.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

that cupcake was good too! Lol.

Seton hall did a great job pushing everything out. On the wings and on the post ups. Every catch was way out of position. I think i wish Derek played more but that’s a lot easier to say now than in the moment as a head coach. Everyone’s saying we didn’t run anything but the reality is everyone was super passive and we needed a 1 on 1 guy to attack and put some pressure on the defense.

When was the last time we’ve seen a Cliff lob? His guy hasn’t had to help off a drive from the top of the key really at all this year

I think there are enough pieces to be below average offensively (that is all we may need). As you said Pike will figure it out. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom (UMASS last year) to make more than minor changes. Last night on offense was rock bottom.

 

[Scarlet Blind]

Rutgers has been a mediocre offensive scoring team since the Temple game..

It"s not like we've ever been a top offense in any of the past 4 years, we have stretches of games with good offense but never an entire season.

Ken Pom,
19-20 72nd offense 6th defense
20-21 82nd offense 16th defense
21-22 96th offense 56th defense
22-23 142nd offense, 4th defense

If they could figure out an offensive system which enhances each players strengths while maintaining the elite defense we will become an elite top 25 team. Their shot selection has been pretty bad at times. We are shooting 42.4% as a team from the field. Dean, Paul and Cliff are the farthest off their career numbers as players.

Cam 13-18 72.8% close 2, 12-30 40.0% far 2, 18-46 39.1% from 3
(94 shots/ 10 games, FG 45.7%) Career 47.0%
Cliff 44-68 64.7% close 2, 11-33 33.3% far 2, 2-12 16.7% from 3
(113 shots/ 10 games, FG 50.4%) Career 59.3%
Hyatt 20-40 50% close 2, 3-13 23.1% far 2, 14-46 30.4% from 3
(99 shots/ 10 games, FG 37.4%) Career 36.8%
Mag 16-27 59.3% close 2, 8-18 44.4% far 2, 4-16 25.0% from 3
(61 shots/ 10 games, FG 45.9%) Career 45.4%
Paul 8-18 44.4% close 2, 2-7 28.6% far 2, 2-5 40.0% from 3
(30 shots/ 6 games, FG 40.0%) Career 46.4%
Derek 12-34 35.3% close 2, 7-21 33% far 2, 7-21 33.3% from 3
(76 shots/ 10 games, FG 34.2%)
Caleb 6-9 66.7% close 2, 6-20 30.0% far 2, 4-12 33.3% from 3
(41 shots/ 5 games, FG 39.0%) Career 38.8%
Dean 3-6 50% close 2, 1-1 100% far 2, 3-10 30% from 3
(17 shots/ 10 games, FG 41.2%) Career 48.4%
Woolf 13-17 76.5% close 2, 2-7 28.6% far 2
(24 shots/ 10 games, FG 62.5%)

You can see some of bad shooting percentages that have cause some of the struggles offensively on the season.

 

[bac2therac]

instead you were eating a cupcake.

worst 40 minutes of offense in Rutgers basketball

the Iowa game last season at the RAC was 48-46 and played with great D by both teams. I need a refresher on how that game went down. Last night it was more than just good defenses that made both offenses look horrible

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Agree 1000% with this. That guy will eventually be Simpson. Just not this year. He’s too out of control but I think he can eventually be the guy when he gets older

Can you explain this so I can understand your thought process on this.....??

Was Simpson out of control in BOTH halves of the Indiana game.....

Why is dribbling the ball 30 times in a possession and dribbling into the baseline slowly and with no plan, deemed OK by Mulcahy......??

One plays the game with quickness and needs experience. But another player is now in Year 4 of the program and continues to baffle fans by somehow playing slowly, but is deemed to be playing under control??

The game ultimately will slow down for Simpson, but right now, I am shocked on the free passes or reluctance to try and get more scoring or easy baskets with Simpson, but we are OK with what we just watched last night.

Just because a player plays at a slower pace, doesn't mean they're less prone to turning the ball over. I would like to think last night clearly showed that.

I would also add the absurd turnover by Spencer with the ball, up 1 at Ohio State with under a minute to go.

If you just run any isolation and dribble the ball at the top of the key and set a screen and let Spencer chuck up a 3, that's a better option than a crazy low percentage bounce pass to Caleb, in traffic. Spencer's play was at a slower pace, but a turnover is a turnover.

 

[goru7]

Remember when people said it was a benefit to not have a single "guy"?
Now that we have a multitude of options the opposing defense won't know who is going to take the last shot and can't key on them.

That was a fun fantasy.

It is not a fantasy. We have 5 scoring options but they have to take the shot. Turning the ball over possession after possession instead of a shot on the rim where you can get a rebound is a recipe for disaster. Almost impossible we only took 43 shots in 40 minutes. That’s criminal.
Caleb should be taking as many 12-15 footers as he can , Hyatt should be cranking as many threes as he can . If Cam cannot hit the three then drive and hit a 10 footer like he did late on the Miami and Ohio State games. Paul can set his feet and shoot more. Derek definitely is not scared to shoot. Cliff has had some bad halves and yesterday a bad game overall but he can shoot as well. We have plenty of options just have to use them. Nothing wrong with being a 45-50% 2 point shooting team when we have limited 3 point options and we play the type of defense we do.

 

[bac2therac]

NJH,

We have played 11 games and adjusted for opponent 8 of the 11 were passable offensively. Any of those 8 games we win by double digits.

Paul is not a prototype PG
Caleb is a bad offensive player (as measured by power conference guard/wings)

These are the pieces we have. The only other point guard on the roster is Jalen Miller.

We are great on defense because we use defensive schemes and execute. Going from zone and switching to man 18 seconds in to a possession is incredibly hard. The amount of switching and hedging and generally execution on screens.

With our limited roster going from a top 10 defense to a top 50 isn't negotiable.

I'd like to see more of Simpson without the ball in his hands in the 1st 25 seconds of the shot clock. Let him play off the ball and make hard cuts when Woolfolk or Cliff or even Paul have the ball in the opposite post. Let Simpson be the guy with the ball in the last 5 seconds when there is less pressure of making the right play.

good post. I dont want Derek racing down the court throwing a 9.9 degree of difficulty pass or taking a quick shot. He needs less pressure on him and he needs to be taking a shot within the offense after not handling it coming up the court. I do think Derek will play more vs Wake but remember Pike's tries to win these games in slugfest where its about D and valuing possessions. He felt he would much rather roll with Paul/Caleb/Cam rather than maybe some helter skelter that Derek would bring. Pike got it right vs Indiana but he didnt want to pull that trigger with Derek here. Maybe it would have worked, maybe it would have led to transition buckets by SHU.

its amazing Miller is basically forgotten at this point, thats why I always bring up recruiting. RU now has two guys..Miller and Palm who do not play, Reibs is what he is and he will give you that dont expect more. Derek and Wolf are promising but not ready. Pike did not recruit that good for this year and its scary that we only have Gavin signed for next year. You have to replenish at a high rate and it looks like he is falling short there.

 

[bac2therac]

Can you explain this so I can understand your thought process on this.....??

Was Simpson out of control in BOTH halves of the Indiana game.....

Why is dribbling the ball 30 times in a possession and dribbling into the baseline slowly and with no plan, deemed OK by Mulcahy......??

One plays the game with quickness and needs experience. But another player is now in Year 4 of the program and continues to baffle fans by somehow playing slowly, but is deemed to be playing under control??

The game ultimately will slow down for Simpson, but right now, I am shocked on the free passes or reluctance to try and get more scoring or easy baskets with Simpson, but we are OK with what we just watched last night.

Just because a player plays at a slower pace, doesn't mean they're less prone to turning the ball over. I would like to think last night clearly showed that.

I would also add the absurd turnover by Spencer with the ball, up 1 at Ohio State with under a minute to go.

If you just run any isolation and dribble the ball at the top of the key and set a screen and let Spencer chuck up a 3, that's a better option than a crazy low percentage bounce pass to Caleb, in traffic. Spencer's play was at a slower pace, but a turnover is a turnover.

Do you think Pike is going to hand the reins over to Derek and limit Paul's minutes...I do not. As GRF has said, Pike has a blueprint and thats not changing and do you expect Pike to make a radical change. The guy on the bench is always the answer, I can recall posts from you last year about Jaden and Jalen. I do not necessarily disagree with you. Paul, Caleb and Cam are simply not playmakers on offense...and thats why again I am going to hit Pike for his recruiting, too much of a pass is given because RU made the tourney led by Ron, Myles and Geo. Well those 3 are not here and Pike didnt replace them

 

[bac2therac]

The reason for only scoring 43 points were the turnovers. The turnovers imho were a result of the hangover from the devastating “loss” to Ohio State. I don’t think that’s diverting attention I think that’s trying to find a reason for poor play. We also saw the game and knew we didn’t shoot well. I thought turnovers were a far bigger issue than lack of scoring imho.

Thought Hyatt was best player on the court yesterday and worthy of some review. Reiber came in, made a nice shot, had a nice rebound.

Agree that Caleb missed three was crucial miss of game. Shot was way out of his range. Two steps too far back and he even looked awkward shooting it and nobody underneath.

If part of the title your article is fine line then you miss a golden opportunity when you don’t emphasize two games in a row that the opposing player stepped on the line and the refs missed it denying RU an end game tie or victory. As poorly as we played we were denied an opportunity. Certainly our defense deserved that. We only gave up 45 points. We shot 10 for 11 from line. There is a fine line with parity in college basketball. Officiating is just as important as any other factor.

RU also turned it over alot in games vs Temple and Ohio State. Its a major issue and now two guys who just came back are the major culprits...9 combined. You cant turn it over that many times and expect to win while you are shooting 30 some percent.

Officiating had zero to do with this loss. Stop dwelling on what happened at Ohio State. If anyone with the program is still dwelling on it, its a major problem

 

[Scarlet Blind]

Temple game was 1-16 from 3
TOs Hyatt 4, Cliff, Mag 3, Derek 2
Miami game was 7-25 from mid range/far 2
TOs Caleb 5, Hyatt 3, Cam, Mag 2
Ohio St games was 5-17 from 3 the weakest, 15-20 rim, 8-17 mid
TOs Cliff, Paul 4, Caleb 2
Seton Hall 8-17 close, 1-9 mid, 5-17 from 3 was a complete collapse.
TOs Caleb 5, Paul 3, Cam, Mag, Hyatt, Derek 2

138-252 54.8% close 2 is way down from past years.

2021-22 382-608 62.8%
2020-21 359-600 59.8%
2019-20 444-761 58.3%

 

[goru7]

that cupcake was good too! Lol.

Seton hall did a great job pushing everything out. On the wings and on the post ups. Every catch was way out of position. I think i wish Derek played more but that’s a lot easier to say now than in the moment as a head coach. Everyone’s saying we didn’t run anything but the reality is everyone was super passive and we needed a 1 on 1 guy to attack and put some pressure on the defense.

When was the last time we’ve seen a Cliff lob? His guy hasn’t had to help off a drive from the top of the key really at all this year

Only tried a couple of times but suprised did not run high pNR with Paul and Cliff to get that lob or get Paul to the hole or a pass to the wing for a 3 at least 10 more times. Or bringing Derek back to run it and he can penetrate quicker than Paul. Having Paul dribbling endlessly into the baseline and no plan for when he was cut off was perplexing but more disappointed Pike didn’t stop it and make the adjustment.
We are in agreement 19 turnovers were unacceptable and overall about 35 minutes of Bad Offense hopefully we never see again.

 

[redlinehw]

Spencer’s inability to hit big shots at key moments is hurting the team.

He’s had opportunities- If he hits a couple of three’s at the right time - Rutgers wins against SH and OSU

 

[RU84]

Can you explain this so I can understand your thought process on this.....??

Was Simpson out of control in BOTH halves of the Indiana game.....

Why is dribbling the ball 30 times in a possession and dribbling into the baseline slowly and with no plan, deemed OK by Mulcahy......??

One plays the game with quickness and needs experience. But another player is now in Year 4 of the program and continues to baffle fans by somehow playing slowly, but is deemed to be playing under control??

The game ultimately will slow down for Simpson, but right now, I am shocked on the free passes or reluctance to try and get more scoring or easy baskets with Simpson, but we are OK with what we just watched last night.

Just because a player plays at a slower pace, doesn't mean they're less prone to turning the ball over. I would like to think last night clearly showed that.

I would also add the absurd turnover by Spencer with the ball, up 1 at Ohio State with under a minute to go.

If you just run any isolation and dribble the ball at the top of the key and set a screen and let Spencer chuck up a 3, that's a better option than a crazy low percentage bounce pass to Caleb, in traffic. Spencer's play was at a slower pace, but a turnover is a turnover.

Agree. Somehow when a faster player trying to penetrate and make a play turns it over, he's deemed "out of control" but when a player dribbling slowly or stationary tries to jam a pass between defenders and turns it over, he's "under control?" Which player is tougher to guard and puts more pressure on the defense ultimately creating more open looks?

 

[biazza38]

Can you explain this so I can understand your thought process on this.....??

Was Simpson out of control in BOTH halves of the Indiana game.....

Why is dribbling the ball 30 times in a possession and dribbling into the baseline slowly and with no plan, deemed OK by Mulcahy......??

One plays the game with quickness and needs experience. But another player is now in Year 4 of the program and continues to baffle fans by somehow playing slowly, but is deemed to be playing under control??

The game ultimately will slow down for Simpson, but right now, I am shocked on the free passes or reluctance to try and get more scoring or easy baskets with Simpson, but we are OK with what we just watched last night.

Just because a player plays at a slower pace, doesn't mean they're less prone to turning the ball over. I would like to think last night clearly showed that.

I would also add the absurd turnover by Spencer with the ball, up 1 at Ohio State with under a minute to go.

If you just run any isolation and dribble the ball at the top of the key and set a screen and let Spencer chuck up a 3, that's a better option than a crazy low percentage bounce pass to Caleb, in traffic. Spencer's play was at a slower pace, but a turnover is a turnover.

Dude, shorten your posts.
Do you really think I’m reading this whole thesis?
As for yesterday, Simpson immediately turned it over twice the second he got in the game. What he did against Indiana no longer matters. It’s a new game

Mulcahy’s play has nothing to do with Simpson eventually being a playmaker. Simpson’s play against Indiana showed me that he wants the ball and can shoot it. That being said, he’s currently not that guy. I think has the potential to be a Geo type that others on this roster don’t have

 

[bac2therac]

remember when everyone said that we would beat Miami and Temple if we had both Caleb and Paul....last night showed we dont necessarily know that.