GAME 11 OHIO STATE: Speechless

[bac2therac]

What we were watching in the beginning of the season was not reality. RU ranked in the top 15 for a couple of weeks with a shot at breaking into the top 10. That was not reality. Reality is this team has lost 4 of 5 and in all those games its generally been exposed as overrated. As cliche as it is its very appropriate for this team. They do not play defense at all. They lost any hunger. They have handled adversity the past few weeks as bad as some Jordan teams. Leadership has disappeared. The juniors and seniors at times play selfishly wanted to always make the highlight reel while others pout when things do not go there. Its amazing that a few weeks ago I loved so much of this team but when you see none of that in the last 3 weeks it easy to start wrting them off. I have no idea if this team will ever recover this year. Their glaring weaknesses have been exposed and are not going away. They lack a true 4 and its going to be hard to succeed without one. The 5 gives zero on offense. The guards try to drive in trees only going to blocked. They cannot hit free throws. They do not play defense. They do not hustle. Some said my post was negative after Michigan State...lol. Well now this is the third game this season where the team looked like complete trash with horrible body language. No more excuses its has to be fixed. Pikiell has made some head scratching lineup choices of late and I have no idea what he is teaching on rebounding and defense

Not much to recap. The game was over after RU had a 6 point lead and then OSU hit two quick 3s..that was it. RU was never in it after that. An embarrassing 22-4 run. For the 2nd straight game, I walked away, this time after the first 3 minutes of the 2nd half. I used to do this in the Jordan years not back to back under Pikiell. The Big 10 conference is full of good teams every night. No one feels sorry for you. If you cannot get your act together you will finish in the bottom 4 and that is a real possibility if RU cannot start playing like a functional team that cares. Until they do I for one am going to lower my expectations going forward for my own sanity. I think we all got carried away, no fault of our own, it looked like this team was for real. Unfortunately the players look like their head swelled to levels where they decided not to bother to work and hustle and focus and do their job, so disappointing. The only thing positive today was Caleb looks to have his shot back, otherwise all negatives and where is the lifeline

 

[richthedentist]

Yeah Caleb was the only positive thing and he takes him out of the game like you said his substitution are head scratching as his coaching his lack of fire when game after game we get zero calls at one point today it was 17-7 in fouls called and the refs only did their make up calls in the last 5 minutes to make the number of foul shots look somewhat respectable we canno keep getting outshot by 10-15 foul shots by the other team a game

 

[Degaz-RU]

I said at halftime that Pike should have started McConnell in the 2nd half. But Caleb didn’t check in until around the 12:00 mark.

 

[richthedentist]

I said at halftime that Pike should have started McConnell in the 2nd half. But Caleb didn’t check in until around the 12:00 mark.

Another head scratcher!!

 

[jonS]

I think the world of Pikiell but a little visible anger along the sidelines might have shaken the team out of their lethargy. The team lacks toughness and physical teams have their number. That being said--you are 100% right in that the team is missing a true PF at 4. Akwasi's absence has really hurt. Other than Myles , nobody is looking to rebound. The team really needs Cliff back and soon. Myles is playing tentatively on defense in order to stay on the floor but it's hurting the team badly on defense and rebounding. And when he's boxed out or out of position , there's no one to rebound. Several times Myles came to the top of the key to block a shot and no one was underneath to rebound. ...Ron is not playing his complete game ( is ankle still bothering him?) and seems more focused on scoring and Geo must be hurt. He's a liability on defense and has done next to nothing on offense. Other than Jacob and Caleb , no one played with any energy or intensity. Finally the lack of OOC games limited the time that the freshmen could get their feet wet, develop and gain confidence. The net result is that Pikiell is hesitant to play them now and starters are getting too many minutes. It's a bad situation but I actually believe Rutgers matches up better with Wisconsin. We shall see. and the week's down time will help the team get back to health.

 

[Plum Street]

What we were watching in the beginning of the season was not reality. RU ranked in the top 15 for a couple of weeks with a shot at breaking into the top 10. That was not reality. Reality is this team has lost 4 of 5 and in all those games its generally been exposed as overrated. As cliche as it is its very appropriate for this team. They do not play defense at all. They lost any hunger. They have handled adversity the past few weeks as bad as some Jordan teams. Leadership has disappeared. The juniors and seniors at times play selfishly wanted to always make the highlight reel while others pout when things do not go there. Its amazing that a few weeks ago I loved so much of this team but when you see none of that in the last 3 weeks it easy to start wrting them off. I have no idea if this team will ever recover this year. Their glaring weaknesses have been exposed and are not going away. They lack a true 4 and its going to be hard to succeed without one. The 5 gives zero on offense. The guards try to drive in trees only going to blocked. They cannot hit free throws. They do not play defense. They do not hustle. Some said my post was negative after Michigan State...lol. Well now this is the third game this season where the team looked like complete trash with horrible body language. No more excuses its has to be fixed. Pikiell has made some head scratching lineup choices of late and I have no idea what he is teaching on rebounding and defense

Not much to recap. The game was over after RU had a 6 point lead and then OSU hit two quick 3s..that was it. RU was never in it after that. An embarrassing 22-4 run. For the 2nd straight game, I walked away, this time after the first 3 minutes. I used to do this in the Jordan years not back to back under Pikiell. The Big 10 conference is full of good teams every night. No one feels sorry for you. If you cannot get your act together you will finish in the bottom 4 and that is a real possibility if RU cannot start playing like a functional team that cares. Until they do I for one am going to lower my expectations going forward for my own sanity. I think we all got carried away, no fault of our own, it looked like this team was for real. Unfortunately the players look like their head swelled to levels where they decided not to bother to work and hustle and focus and do their job, so disappointing. The only thing positive today was Caleb looks to have his shot back, otherwise all negatives and where is the lifeline

Good analysis back

 

[Freddy Stubbs]

Caleb and JY are the only 2 playing with any fire on defense lately. Start them, Myles, RHJ and Paul next game.

 

[richthedentist]

I think the world of Pikiell but a little visible anger along the sidelines might have shaken the team out of their lethargy. The team lacks toughness and physical teams have their number. That being said--you are 100% right in that the team is missing a true PF at 4. Akwasi's absence has really hurt. Other than Myles , nobody is looking to rebound. The team really needs Cliff back and soon. Myles is playing tentatively on defense in order to stay on the floor but it's hurting the team badly on defense and rebounding. And when he's boxed out or out of position , there's no one to rebound. Several times Myles came to the top of the key to block a shot and no one was underneath to rebound. ...Ron is not playing his complete game and seems more focused on scoring and Geo must be hurt. He's a liability on defense and has done next to nothing on offense. Other than Jacob and Caleb , no one played with any energy or intensity. Finally the lack of OOC games limited the time that the freshmen could get their feet wet, develop and gain confidence. The net result is that Pikiell is hesitant to play them now and starters are getting too many minutes. It's a bad situation but I actually believe Rutgers matches up better with Wisconsin. We shall see.

Between not having Cliff and the fouls called against him in the first OSU game have completely taken him out of his game

 

[BigEastPhil]

My take :

- Ron and Geo :are not healthy. You can’t play this bad for consecutive games and be healthy. Their ankles are still limiting them big time

- Team Chemistry: Something is off. I get the sense everyone wants their shots and are no longer willing to defer. Could there be locker room issues?

- Myles: not the same player since Cliff got hurt and the meltdown in Columbus. We need Cliff back and fast !

Pike: he’s not lighting the fire and is being outcoached. Team is not playing hard defensively and there are too many defensive lapses. Have no idea why he didn’t press earlier or change defenses

Leadership: Where is it? I see no alpha on this team. It used to be Geo

Defense / Rebounding: Abysmal. How many 2nd chances continue to occur due to lack of procuring rebounds.

All I know is Pike and someone on the team such as Harp,Jacob or Geo need to step up and right the ship and fast !

 

[RUJMM78]

What we were watching in the beginning of the season was not reality. RU ranked in the top 15 for a couple of weeks with a shot at breaking into the top 10. That was not reality. Reality is this team has lost 4 of 5 and in all those games its generally been exposed as overrated. As cliche as it is its very appropriate for this team. They do not play defense at all. They lost any hunger. They have handled adversity the past few weeks as bad as some Jordan teams. Leadership has disappeared. The juniors and seniors at times play selfishly wanted to always make the highlight reel while others pout when things do not go there. Its amazing that a few weeks ago I loved so much of this team but when you see none of that in the last 3 weeks it easy to start wrting them off. I have no idea if this team will ever recover this year. Their glaring weaknesses have been exposed and are not going away. They lack a true 4 and its going to be hard to succeed without one. The 5 gives zero on offense. The guards try to drive in trees only going to blocked. They cannot hit free throws. They do not play defense. They do not hustle. Some said my post was negative after Michigan State...lol. Well now this is the third game this season where the team looked like complete trash with horrible body language. No more excuses its has to be fixed. Pikiell has made some head scratching lineup choices of late and I have no idea what he is teaching on rebounding and defense

Not much to recap. The game was over after RU had a 6 point lead and then OSU hit two quick 3s..that was it. RU was never in it after that. An embarrassing 22-4 run. For the 2nd straight game, I walked away, this time after the first 3 minutes. I used to do this in the Jordan years not back to back under Pikiell. The Big 10 conference is full of good teams every night. No one feels sorry for you. If you cannot get your act together you will finish in the bottom 4 and that is a real possibility if RU cannot start playing like a functional team that cares. Until they do I for one am going to lower my expectations going forward for my own sanity. I think we all got carried away, no fault of our own, it looked like this team was for real. Unfortunately the players look like their head swelled to levels where they decided not to bother to work and hustle and focus and do their job, so disappointing. The only thing positive today was Caleb looks to have his shot back, otherwise all negatives and where is the lifeline

BAC.- once again spot on comments.Fans believed the hype at the beginning of the season and that was reinforced with early season wins.In the B1G reality can crush teams that don't have the mental toughness ,depth and go to scorers. Rutgers has all those problem areas along with injuries,the lack of inside scoring,abysmal foul shooting , excessive fouling on defense.,rebounding not up to previous levels and defense allowing too many points.In other words plenty of problems that have been exposed and little time to correct where there are no easy games in the B1G.Without Harper and Baker scoring in high double figures on a consistent basis.I don't see how Rutgers can win 10 B1G games which might be the minimum required for a NCAA bid.Caleb definitely was a bright spot and fully expect he will play more minutes.

 

[BOCA93]

Can’t disagree with any of that. They’ve lost their identity which is what’s most disappointing. Tough in your face D and rebounding will keep them in games even when shots aren’t falling. Instead of crashing the defensive glass, they seem more content to cheat and sprint out hoping for an easy transition point. Without board there is no transition.

 

[MadRU]

Please stop with the locker room issues. There has been not one word to support this. No reason to even speculate like that.

One constant of this team is that they all get along with each other.

 

[brookdale-soda]

What we were watching in the beginning of the season was not reality. RU ranked in the top 15 for a couple of weeks with a shot at breaking into the top 10. That was not reality. Reality is this team has lost 4 of 5 and in all those games its generally been exposed as overrated. As cliche as it is its very appropriate for this team. They do not play defense at all. They lost any hunger. They have handled adversity the past few weeks as bad as some Jordan teams. Leadership has disappeared. The juniors and seniors at times play selfishly wanted to always make the highlight reel while others pout when things do not go there. Its amazing that a few weeks ago I loved so much of this team but when you see none of that in the last 3 weeks it easy to start wrting them off. I have no idea if this team will ever recover this year. Their glaring weaknesses have been exposed and are not going away. They lack a true 4 and its going to be hard to succeed without one. The 5 gives zero on offense. The guards try to drive in trees only going to blocked. They cannot hit free throws. They do not play defense. They do not hustle. Some said my post was negative after Michigan State...lol. Well now this is the third game this season where the team looked like complete trash with horrible body language. No more excuses its has to be fixed. Pikiell has made some head scratching lineup choices of late and I have no idea what he is teaching on rebounding and defense

Not much to recap. The game was over after RU had a 6 point lead and then OSU hit two quick 3s..that was it. RU was never in it after that. An embarrassing 22-4 run. For the 2nd straight game, I walked away, this time after the first 3 minutes. I used to do this in the Jordan years not back to back under Pikiell. The Big 10 conference is full of good teams every night. No one feels sorry for you. If you cannot get your act together you will finish in the bottom 4 and that is a real possibility if RU cannot start playing like a functional team that cares. Until they do I for one am going to lower my expectations going forward for my own sanity. I think we all got carried away, no fault of our own, it looked like this team was for real. Unfortunately the players look like their head swelled to levels where they decided not to bother to work and hustle and focus and do their job, so disappointing. The only thing positive today was Caleb looks to have his shot back, otherwise all negatives and where is the lifeline

Spot on. Caleb wanted to play. Like man on fire type intensity. Aside from that uninspiring play.

 

[bac2therac]

I think the world of Pikiell but a little visible anger along the sidelines might have shaken the team out of their lethargy. The team lacks toughness and physical teams have their number. That being said--you are 100% right in that the team is missing a true PF at 4. Akwasi's absence has really hurt. Other than Myles , nobody is looking to rebound. The team really needs Cliff back and soon. Myles is playing tentatively on defense in order to stay on the floor but it's hurting the team badly on defense and rebounding. And when he's boxed out or out of position , there's no one to rebound. Several times Myles came to the top of the key to block a shot and no one was underneath to rebound. ...Ron is not playing his complete game ( is ankle still bothering him?) and seems more focused on scoring and Geo must be hurt. He's a liability on defense and has done next to nothing on offense. Other than Jacob and Caleb , no one played with any energy or intensity. Finally the lack of OOC games limited the time that the freshmen could get their feet wet, develop and gain confidence. The net result is that Pikiell is hesitant to play them now and starters are getting too many minutes. It's a bad situation but I actually believe Rutgers matches up better with Wisconsin. We shall see. and the week's down time will help the team get back to health.

the entire team except for Myles is looking for points.....not a good sign, they are interested in being heroes and are making incredibly poor decision in first halves with the ball, by the time we get to the 2nd, they are under pressure, trying to hard and its too late.

 

[phlop87]

I love what like has done up until the past 3 games. The team seems to have lost its edge. They haven’t been playing D with any intensity. They aren’t boxing out so they are getting out rebounded by double digits and they play selfishly on O. Based on my eyeballs And who we have a aiable I would start JY, Paul, mcconel Harper and Myles I would never run the high pick set with Myles. I would do that with Harper. Let him roll to the basket or pop out for a 3. I would have Myles play along the baseline. Stay weakside and slide to the box if his guy leaves him.

 

[jonS]

the entire team except for Myles is looking for points.....not a good sign, they are interested in being heroes and are making incredibly poor decision in first halves with the ball, by the time we get to the 2nd, they are under pressure, trying to hard and its too late.

What's very surprising is that it's an experienced veteran team yet they seem to lack floor leadership , especially from Ron and Geo. I hope Pikiell does not schedule a game to replace the PSU game. They need the time to heal and get closer to 100% health.

 

[G- RUnit]

Young had a nice game imho.
Pike has to start working refs.
Again I believe at one point in first half fouls were 10-3 OSU, on the road no less.
Mulcahy non flagrant on Key call was ridiculous. Arguably a jump ball. Pike has to protect players and go ballistic! I think the whole no technical in career is frankly bad for a coach.
At least Caleb got untracked and played well.
Myles for a smart guy has to play smarter. The silly pick play does not work. High risk little reward. Please stop. Three years same foul. Ugh!
Harper not rebounding or boxing out can not be attributed to bad ankle. Looked out of shape today too. Wonder if still hurt?
I guess the other good thing is we didn’t quit when down 20 and almost made it back.
With Mathis, Caleb and Young seems like we should use pressure more often and certainly should have more today.

 

[G- RUnit]

Thought Mulcahy had some good minutes.

 

[Unionst]

When Cliff comes back I would like to see heavy use of full court pressure. We will be able to play 9 at that point. Don’t expect to see it though, not Pike’s style.

 

[BOGDANOVICH]

Here we go again? Kevin Bannon started great ,then crashed. Mike Rice started out great, then crashed. Eddie Jordan started out with such promise, and then just crashed. Now Steve Pikiell. It looked for a while like he had a team that was a top 25 team , he got everybody excited, and now he crashes. Is there a curse on Rutgers basketball?

 

[BOCA93]

Here we go again? Kevin Bannon started great ,then crashed. Mike Rice started out great, then crashed. Eddie Jordan started out with such promise, and then just crashed. Now Steve Pikiell. It looked for a while like he had a team that was a top 25 team , he got everybody excited, and now he crashes. Is there a curse on Rutgers basketball?

life as a Rutgers fan lol

 

[RUfubar]

why do we look physically timid ?
like men vs boys physicality
i like Mathis when he's slashing, aggressive, and in your face intimidating. Where is that ?
tenacious thing. too much mental, physical baby fat.

 

[bethlehemfan]

why do we look physically timid ?
like men vs boys physicality
i like Mathis when he's slashing, aggressive, and in your face intimidating. Where is that ?
tenacious thing. too much mental, physical baby fat.

I agree with this. We play very soft.

 

[Scangg]

We are playing as bad as we can play really. We won't play this poorly all season.

Caleb, Paul and, as always, Young brought energy and effort tonight. Pike should at least consider starting them all to send a message.

We lost our defensive identity. When you dont have the intensity and effort, you dont.... force turnovers, get stops, rebound the ball. When you don't do those things, you can't get out and run. When we get out and run and score easy buckets in transition, it is when we were at our best. You need stops to do that. You need effort energy and intensity.

We need Cliff back. He helps with everything we are lacking... defense rebounding and passion. He looked like he cared on the bench. His big dunks get the team going.

We are really lacking a 4 which is another reason I really wanted Hawkins. Might need to think about getting a transfer true 4 in here next season.

Loved when this team used to relentlessly attack the rim and rebound like mad. On offense it felt like any given shot we might get the offensive board. Mathis Caleb Mulchahy Harper should all be crashing the boards. If we give up a bucket or two so be it. Those relentless possessions attacking the rim helps to break teams morale and generate a lot of energy.

Press to switch up the momentum or at least the rhythm when a team is on a run and we can't get anything going. Especially with guards out and our team having players like Young and Caleb

 

[pawildcat]

I was surprised how the game went today. From an outsider's point of view I think you need to get your reserve big guy back to protect Johnson. You need to have at least one big guy in to avoid getting killed on the boards. Either that, or your non-bigs are going to have to start crashing the boards. Also, as Bardo pointed out, there was too much one-on-one stuff going on. When I watched Rutgers in the opening of the B1G season they seemed to have much more fluent ball movement. Most B1G teams play good half-court defense, and you're going to get bottled up if you get static. There were a couple of fouls that could've gone your way, but I don't think the refs beat you today. Ohio State had the better of play and they were out of their mind from the three-point line for a while. They're usually not that great a three-point team.

I've enjoyed watching your team this year. Hope they get it straightened out.

 

[bethlehemfan]

I was surprised how the game went today. From an outsider's point of view I think you need to get your reserve big guy back to protect Johnson. You need to have at least one big guy in to avoid getting killed on the boards. Either that, or your non-bigs are going to have to start crashing the boards. Also, as Bardo pointed out, there was too much one-on-one stuff going on. When I watched Rutgers in the opening of the B1G season they seemed to have much more fluent ball movement. Most B1G teams play good half-court defense, and you're going to get bottled up if you get static. There were a couple of fouls that could've gone your way, but I don't think the refs beat you today. Ohio State had the better of play and they were out of their mind from the three-point line for a while. They're usually not that great a three-point team.

I've enjoyed watching your team this year. Hope they get it straightened out.

Good observation. We have been very stagnant on offense. A lot of one on one and little ball movement. Lots of dribbling and standing.

 

[wngarbarini]

As a long time season ticket holder I did not even watch today’s game as I am severely disappointed in their performance lately and see them as a .500 team or worse playing uninspired basketball. So not worth watching. Will read sbout the debacles in the paper

 

[read option]

This team lost Carter and Yeboah but added Cliff and everyone who returned was obviously a year more experienced. Anything less than a NCAA tournament bid would be considered underachieving. But after reaching the top 15 and now tanking, not making the tourney would be a complete disaster.

Turned off the MSU game midway through the 2H, and only watched a few minutes of today’s 2H here and there because this team is unwatchable right now.

I’d sign for .500 the rest of the way but I don’t see that happening unless we do a complete 180. What a disappointing season this is turning out to be.

 

[bac2therac]

I just glanced at the schedule. RU is going to enter a tough stretch, the losses could pile up. If they can sustain through the losing the back half offers opportunity for the rebound and a chance to get back to the needed .500 and 10-10 in league. The way the team is playing its hard to just say they will win this or that game. I see RU about 6-9 in league heading into the last 4 with the PSU game somewhere to be added.

 

[Mr Magoo]

So tired of hearing about injuries as an excuse (along with the refs). OSU’s starting PG, who killed us when he was at FSU, didn’t play today. McCaffrey went down early in the Iowa game against us. Injuries happen. We are the deepest we’ve been in years and we are only down our backup center. Our defense is giving up a ton of points and our offense is worse. Players are going through stretches where they are both selfish and lazy. There were absurd shots taken today by Mathis (several), Young, Harper, and Mulcahy, that my HS coached would have yanked them for and I was just left saying WTF. I don’t remember one insane shot taken by OSU, btw.

 

[Groz]

the entire team except for Myles is looking for points.....not a good sign, they are interested in being heroes and are making incredibly poor decision in first halves with the ball, by the time we get to the 2nd, they are under pressure, trying to hard and its too late.

Bac good recap. The only thing that I kind of disagree with is that the individual players are looking for their points. They are very frustrated on offense and just looking to do something positive to get us going. I really don't think that they are just looking for their "points". If that was the case, Ron and Geo would be shooting almost every time they touch the ball. At times Jacob looks selfish, BUT, he knows he almost "HAS" to do something to get things going.

The BIGGER problem has been the defense. Where we did show signs of playing great Defense in parts of Syracuse, Purdue and Iowa games, for the most part we have been out hustled for most of the past 5 games.

Best of Luck,
Groz

 

[Caliknight]

They fell in love with the idea that they could put score teams and forgot what makes getting good looks possible. Defense and rebounding.

There may not be locker room issue but there is definitely a chemistry issue on the court.

Looks like a lot of guys looking to get theirs. Not the team ball we have seen.

Pike has his work cut out. I said this game was the biggest of the season. Laying an egg after the MSU debacle does not bode well for the season. Forget the tourney talk. This team is fighting for its basketball life.

 

[RuBird]

So tired of hearing about injuries as an excuse (along with the refs). OSU’s starting PG, who killed us when he was at FSU, didn’t play today. McCaffrey went down early in the Iowa game against us. Injuries happen. We are the deepest we’ve been in years and we are only down our backup center. Our defense is giving up a ton of points and our offense is worse. Players are going through stretches where they are both selfish and lazy. There were absurd shots taken today by Mathis (several), Young, Harper, and Mulcahy, that my HS coached would have yanked them for and I was just left saying WTF. I don’t remember one insane shot taken by OSU, btw.

You talked about injuries to 1 player on 2 teams. We not only have Cliff out but Harper, Young, McConnel and Geo are certainly not 100%. That is a fact not an excuse.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The issues have been there since and including the Illinois game. Great shooting masked the fact we have lost our identity as a team that rebounds, defends and wins 50/50s.

our captains don’t defend like they should

 

[RU-05]

What we were watching in the beginning of the season was not reality. RU ranked in the top 15 for a couple of weeks with a shot at breaking into the top 10. That was not reality. Reality is this team has lost 4 of 5 and in all those games its generally been exposed as overrated. As cliche as it is its very appropriate for this team. They do not play defense at all. They lost any hunger. They have handled adversity the past few weeks as bad as some Jordan teams. Leadership has disappeared. The juniors and seniors at times play selfishly wanted to always make the highlight reel while others pout when things do not go there. Its amazing that a few weeks ago I loved so much of this team but when you see none of that in the last 3 weeks it easy to start wrting them off. I have no idea if this team will ever recover this year. Their glaring weaknesses have been exposed and are not going away. They lack a true 4 and its going to be hard to succeed without one. The 5 gives zero on offense. The guards try to drive in trees only going to blocked. They cannot hit free throws. They do not play defense. They do not hustle. Some said my post was negative after Michigan State...lol. Well now this is the third game this season where the team looked like complete trash with horrible body language. No more excuses its has to be fixed. Pikiell has made some head scratching lineup choices of late and I have no idea what he is teaching on rebounding and defense

Not much to recap. The game was over after RU had a 6 point lead and then OSU hit two quick 3s..that was it. RU was never in it after that. An embarrassing 22-4 run. For the 2nd straight game, I walked away, this time after the first 3 minutes of the 2nd half. I used to do this in the Jordan years not back to back under Pikiell. The Big 10 conference is full of good teams every night. No one feels sorry for you. If you cannot get your act together you will finish in the bottom 4 and that is a real possibility if RU cannot start playing like a functional team that cares. Until they do I for one am going to lower my expectations going forward for my own sanity. I think we all got carried away, no fault of our own, it looked like this team was for real. Unfortunately the players look like their head swelled to levels where they decided not to bother to work and hustle and focus and do their job, so disappointing. The only thing positive today was Caleb looks to have his shot back, otherwise all negatives and where is the lifeline

Both the early season, where we played very well, and the more recent games, where we have played poorly, are a part of reality.

 

[TDIrish27]

The issues have been there since and including the Illinois game. Great shooting masked the fact we have lost our identity as a team that rebounds, defends and wins 50/50s.

our captains don’t defend like they should

I agree with this but I think the fan base needs to relax.

Teams go through lulls over the course of a season and especially in this environment.

Rutgers has good players and a good coach and both will figure it out IMO.

 

[RU-05]

As a long time season ticket holder I did not even watch today’s game as I am severely disappointed in their performance lately and see them as a .500 team or worse playing uninspired basketball. So not worth watching. Will read sbout the debacles in the paper

So a long time season ticket holder was giving up at 7-3 and 3-3 in conference?

I get that we are playing poorly right now, but geez.

 

[GilliganIsland]

So a long time season ticket holder was giving up at 7-3 and 3-3 in conference?

I get that we are playing poorly right now, but geez.

I guess he won't be going to any games this year. Please dont sell your tickets to away team fans

 

[RU-05]

I guess he won't be going to any games this year. Please dont sell your tickets to away team fans

Well I won't blame him for that one.

 

[shields]

That is why i was reading people wanted us to play Oregon or teams like that. The conference is difficult enough.