GAME 12 Wisconsin: Truth is Rutgers is not a good team

[bac2therac]

Truth hurts. Before the game I said we would see what kind of team we had even if we did not win. Well we did not win and while the defense was better, the fact that we could not hit a bucket to save our lives against a Wisconsin team that was off big time pretty much says it all. Face it, Wisconsin was awful for about 10 minutes, bricking shot after shot, yet Rutgers could not even get fundamentals right. They turned it over and missed absolute bunnies, they took some of the worst shots you could think of. RU crumbled and allowed a 12-0 Wisconsin run that ended the game. Honestly I felt it was over at 49-44. Rutgers blinked and an even game was suddenly gone. This is the kind of game you WIN at home if you want to bounce back after a horrible stretch of basketball. You know people have said how can people be so negative on this team..well its not just one loss, its not just two losses, its not 3, now its 4 in a row and now 5 of 6. All I can surmise is Rutgers is not very good.

Kyk was right. He took heat. Rutgers runs zero offense. Relies solely on one on one play and if Young can hit his shots. Other than that I do not see any functional offense and if you watch the last 6 games you would agree. Every single one of these players put up airballs and bricks tonight. This team continued to miss free throws. It went from a likable team to unlikable in a hurry. The pouting is beyond old. And guess what, this team is not well coached right now. The terrible end game here with Myles fouling after 30 seconds ran off is a prime example. Whether it is the rotations or adjustments, Pikiell is not getting it done. Its a sad sad situation. The season is basically teetering on the brink. There are easier games coming up but RU is almost in a must win situation for the next 2. I suppose they can do it but based on what exactly.

Expectations matter. There is no more honeymoon. To describe this team as anything less than a disappointment is not be paying attention. This is big time college basketball and Rutgers is looking like they do not want to be a part of it

 

[ScarletDave]

Even Eddie Jordan didn’t lose to Wisconsin at the RAC. And not a Wisconsin team that scored 60 points and coming off a 40-point second half blowout. Terrible

 

[King of S]

Will the NIT be played this year?

 

[cyrock3]

If this season doesn't recover and it's looking like it won't... Pat Hobbs needs to sit Pikiell down and have a long talk about Steve Hayn.

 

[babbs09]

There’s so much wrong with this team. I just dont even know what to say anymore. Its so shocking and pathetic that they have just quit on themselves. We all expected steps forward and its been nothing but backslide. This team has absolutely zero fortitude and are just crumbling before our very eyes.

The complete disappearance of Geo is a huge part of it. RHJ is all up in his own head and is providing no spark. Can’t hot water if we fell out of a boat. Not being able to pad the record with cupcakes. A complete inability to hit foul shots. Complete absence of half court offense. Sub par coaching. A freshman class giving us absolutely nothing (outside of Cliff).

Its just frustrating and sad. Just feel so duped. Really hope they can figure it out, but I don’t think this team has the sack to turn it around. They are just going to pout and will continue to unravel. I’m not saying Pike has lost it, but I’m suddenly way more concerned than I ever thought I would be.

 

[RW90]

We cannot win with Geo, Ron, and Mathis AWOL in the scoring column.

 

[richthedentist]

If this season doesn't recover and it's looking like it won't... Pat Hobbs needs to sit Pikiell down and have a long talk about Steve Hayn.

Its not Hayn he has two supposed great former college point guards as his top assistants and yet we run no offense

 

[sct1111]

We cannot win with Geo, Ron, and Mathis AWOL in the scoring column.

It's really this. They've been absolutely terrible. Geo and Ron are the leaders. When they play like trash so does the rest of the team. Mathis has been a complete liability offensively. You won't win games in their conference when your preseason all big ten and 20ppg scorer play this awful.

Ron looks out of shape.

 

[ScarletteK80]

Both MBB, and WBB do well when playing non-conference teams, but, but..
look like crap in the B1G.

 

[cyrock3]

Its not Hayn he has two supposed great former college point guards as his top assistants and yet we run no offense

Hobbs delivered us Jacob Young and Jaden Jones.

Knight has had a good track record throughout the years.

 

[jtung230]

I was not a Pike fan until last year. Regardless how this year turns out, Pike has done a great job. He created expectation. GS will face the same next year.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Your record is 11-1 with post game write ups. Your emotions have gotten the better of you. Go back and rewrite in 24 hours.

your GPA now stands at 3.9.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Playing Wisconsin is not designed to look like you are a great offense, they're ranked for a reason....

As fans want to pat themselves on the back with coaching criticism, and offer no real indication of what can or should be done.....that's fine but it's not factual.

Two good teams played an ugly game....even if RU won, the same criticism would have been "RU doesn't run an offense "....LOL

Wisconsin apparently doesn't, neither does Purdue, neither does Ohio State or others.

Here's the real answer which is valid and fair.....When Wisconsins offense stopped scoring for 8 minutes in the 2nd half, eventually it turned into "go make a play offense.....Trice over a switched Cliff from 23 feet at 2 on the shot clock.....Trice turning the corner on a breakdown by the defense for a layup.....that's no different than Jacob Young blowing by Davison or Trice for layup...

I posted elsewhere in another thread that you're going to struggle beating ranked teams when you have 27 minutes, 2 points, 4 unforced turnovers and 0-3 on wide open 3s from Paul Mulcahy. I know fans want the star players to be stars all the time, but in elite competition, the ball will find your 4th and 5th options.

Not only were 13 turnovers not forced by Wisconsin, they were wild and sloppy lobs to a Cliff that were in heavy traffic in a clogged lane. RU has the mid-range drive and pull up shots available and forces passes instead.

Can RU do better in half court offense....Yes if they take what the defense gives you or take advantage of what teams want to take away. A poorly coached team would have your best players forcing up 18 to 19 shots....that's not what we are seeing. The team clearly doesn't have another option beyond Jacob Young to be explosive and get around a good defensive player. Baker and Harper are good half court players but others have to help....

I know Caleb had 2 or 3 open shots in the 2nd half that were way short or looked like he didn't get enough lift on the shot with his legs....BUT I have seen posters saying his return has interrupted team rotation or chemistry....that is 100% FALSE....He has taken what the defense gives...if they sag off, he takes the jumper....if he has a driving lane, he is looking to score by driving and pulling up to bank a shot in or mid-range. If you didn't have Caleb in these last 3 games, these games would be more lopsided.

Good news was everywhere despite what bac and others are saying....

A)...Cliff was a very effective defender most of the game...he made some shots more difficult for Wisconsin that they had to shoot over him....he kept Wisconsin off the offensive glass...his 15 minutes was drastically different than 15 minutes of what would have been on defense for Reiber and or Douc.

B) Jacob Young plays relentless defense and is still explosive on drives....his end of the 1st half on defense made a 5 to 6 point game, instead a 1 point game into halftime.....the defense also forced another offensive foul, that could have landed RU with a halftime lead.....yet dumb fans saying RU isn't playing hard....LMAO......he harassed Trice most of the night and burned them off the dribble.

C) Myles played well in 25 minutes...defensive sequence, switch, wall up, block shot, block shot rebound against Potter was excellent. He took what the defense gave him....and you actually should have him with more than 5 shots, despite his poor FT shooting....a missed dunk where he draws fouls, gets a defense in trouble...he needs more touches....any good half court offense offers something from the low post.

D) Caleb drained 3, nice drive on a couple of 2s...(one he was clearly fouled and should have been an "And-1")......looked to get tired in 2nd half....he's played a lot more minutes in his return and most have been well after shaking the rust off.

E) 60 points allowed....not 70, not 75 or 80.....anyway you slice it, Wisconsin is a good offense....holding them to 60 should mean a win most nights.

The last piece of the puzzle is finding a wing shooter in the Yeboah role and finding someone (Jaden Jones, Palmquist....??) to play and score in the minutes Mulcahy is playing.

Not concerned about Mathis, Ron and Geo...they'll bounce back....the bench needs more than just Caleb....I can't see how Jaden Jones, even as he just turned 18 yesterday, can't score more than 2 points if given minutes on the wing, where you need a shooter. It may take 2, 3 weeks to get him up to speed but one additional shooting threat off the bench would be huge.

 

[kcg88]

Playing Wisconsin is not designed to look like you are a great offense, they're ranked for a reason....

As fans want to pat themselves on the back with coaching criticism, and offer no real indication of what can or should be done.....that's fine but it's not factual.

Two good teams played an ugly game....even if RU won, the same criticism would have been "RU doesn't run an offense "....LOL

Wisconsin apparently doesn't, neither does Purdue, neither does Ohio State or others.

Here's the real answer which is valid and fair.....When Wisconsins offense stopped scoring for 8 minutes in the 2nd half, eventually it turned into "go make a play offense.....Trice over a switched Cliff from 23 feet at 2 on the shot clock.....Trice turning the corner on a breakdown by the defense for a layup.....that's no different than Jacob Young blowing by Davison or Trice for layup...

I posted elsewhere in another thread that you're going to struggle beating ranked teams when you have 27 minutes, 2 points, 4 unforced turnovers and 0-3 on wide open 3s from Paul Mulcahy. I know fans want the star players to be stars all the time, but in elite competition, the ball will find your 4th and 5th options.

Not only were 13 turnovers not forced by Wisconsin, they were wild and sloppy lobs to a Cliff that were in heavy traffic in a clogged lane. RU has the mid-range drive and pull up shots available and forces passes instead.

Can RU do better in half court offense....Yes if they take what the defense gives you or take advantage of what teams want to take away. A poorly coached team would have your best players forcing up 18 to 19 shots....that's not what we are seeing. The team clearly doesn't have another option beyond Jacob Young to be explosive and get around a good defensive player. Baker and Harper are good half court players but others have to help....

I know Caleb had 2 or 3 open shots in the 2nd half that were way short or looked like he didn't get enough lift on the shot with his legs....BUT I have seen posters saying his return has interrupted team rotation or chemistry....that is 100% FALSE....He has taken what the defense gives...if they sag off, he takes the jumper....if he has a driving lane, he is looking to score by driving and pulling up to bank a shot in or mid-range. If you didn't have Caleb in these last 3 games, these games would be more lopsided.

Good news was everywhere despite what bac and others are saying....

A)...Cliff was a very effective defender most of the game...he made some shots more difficult for Wisconsin that they had to shoot over him....he kept Wisconsin off the offensive glass...his 15 minutes was drastically different than 15 minutes of what would have been on defense for Reiber and or Douc.

B) Jacob Young plays relentless defense and is still explosive on drives....his end of the 1st half on defense made a 5 to 6 point game, instead a 1 point game into halftime.....the defense also forced another offensive foul, that could have landed RU with a halftime lead.....yet dumb fans saying RU isn't playing hard....LMAO......he harassed Trice most of the night and burned them off the dribble.

C) Myles played well in 25 minutes...defensive sequence, switch, wall up, block shot, block shot rebound against Potter was excellent. He took what the defense gave him....and you actually should have him with more than 5 shots, despite his poor FT shooting....a missed dunk where he draws fouls, gets a defense in trouble...he needs more touches....any good half court offense offers something from the low post.

D) Caleb drained 3, nice drive on a couple of 2s...(one he was clearly fouled and should have been an "And-1")......looked to get tired in 2nd half....he's played a lot more minutes in his return and most have been well after shaking the rust off.

E) 60 points allowed....not 70, not 75 or 80.....anyway you slice it, Wisconsin is a good offense....holding them to 60 should mean a win most nights.

The last piece of the puzzle is finding a wing shooter in the Yeboah role and finding someone (Jaden Jones, Palmquist....??) to play and score in the minutes Mulcahy is playing.

Not concerned about Mathis, Ron and Geo...they'll bounce back....the bench needs more than just Caleb....I can't see how Jaden Jones, even as he just turned 18 yesterday, can't score more than 2 points if given minutes on the wing, where you need a shooter. It may take 2, 3 weeks to get him up to speed but one additional shooting threat off the bench would be huge.

How many moral victories do we need to make the tournament?

 

[zappaa]

Better have your best players leading the way or you lose.

 

[jordkap]

How many moral victories do we need to make the tournament?

This team is going down the path of 2020 Purdue. Coming up short, blaming a tough schedule

 

[Freddy Stubbs]

Worst part is this team will not be as talented next year without JY and Geo. I hope Pike can hit the transfer portal to improve the depth.
Not sure what players not playing this year have to offer. (Palmquest/Reiber)

 

[JFK20]

Playing Wisconsin is not designed to look like you are a great offense, they're ranked for a reason....

As fans want to pat themselves on the back with coaching criticism, and offer no real indication of what can or should be done.....that's fine but it's not factual.


Good news was everywhere despite what bac and others are saying....

What a sanctimonious blow hard you are. Seriously. I don’t know why you have such a high esteem of yourself, who you think you are, or why you think you know so much more than everyone else. It’s nauseating.

“Good News was everywhere” as Rutgers lost its 4th straight basketball game. As Rutgers shot 2-7 from the line and 37% from the field. As Rutgers had SIX assists on 25 made baskets. How stupid all us fans are! To not see and appreciate what you can see!

 

[bac2therac]

Your record is 11-1 with post game write ups. Your emotions have gotten the better of you. Go back and rewrite in 24 hours.

your GPA now stands at 3.9.

No not all..nothing to recap anymore. These are getting shorter and shorter as the losses pile up and my interestcdrops to Fred Hill levels

We are not watching good basketball and not moving forward toward something

 

[rudad02]

Truth hurts. Before the game I said we would see what kind of team we had even if we did not win. Well we did not win and while the defense was better, the fact that we could not hit a bucket to save our lives against a Wisconsin team that was off big time pretty much says it all. Face it, Wisconsin was awful for about 10 minutes, bricking shot after shot, yet Rutgers could not even get fundamentals right. They turned it over and missed absolute bunnies, they took some of the worst shots you could think of. RU crumbled and allowed a 12-0 Wisconsin run that ended the game. Honestly I felt it was over at 49-44. Rutgers blinked and an even game was suddenly gone. This is the kind of game you WIN at home if you want to bounce back after a horrible stretch of basketball. You know people have said how can people be so negative on this team..well its not just one loss, its not just two losses, its not 3, now its 4 in a row and now 5 of 6. All I can surmise is Rutgers is not very good.

Kyk was right. He took heat. Rutgers runs zero offense. Relies solely on one on one play and if Young can hit his shots. Other than that I do not see any functional offense and if you watch the last 6 games you would agree. Every single one of these players put up airballs and bricks tonight. This team continued to miss free throws. It went from a likable team to unlikable in a hurry. The pouting is beyond old. And guess what, this team is not well coached right now. The terrible end game here with Myles fouling after 30 seconds ran off is a prime example. Whether it is the rotations or adjustments, Pikiell is not getting it done. Its a sad sad situation. The season is basically teetering on the brink. There are easier games coming up but RU is almost in a must win situation for the next 2. I suppose they can do it but based on what exactly.

Expectations matter. There is no more honeymoon. To describe this team as anything less than a disappointment is not be paying attention. This is big time college basketball and Rutgers is looking like they do not want to be a part of it

This is a good team that is tight, pressing & way off it's game, & is probably losing its confidence. It is now mental. Very tough to turn around, but I've seen it done.

 

[bac2therac]

This is a good team that is tight, pressing & way off it's game, & is probably losing its confidence. It is now mental. Very tough to turn around, but I've seen it done.

The margin of error is razor thin. Next two are must wins. Lets see what they have in the tank. Have to prove themselves all over again to me.

 

[rubjk]

Playing Wisconsin is not designed to look like you are a great offense, they're ranked for a reason....

As fans want to pat themselves on the back with coaching criticism, and offer no real indication of what can or should be done.....that's fine but it's not factual.

Two good teams played an ugly game....even if RU won, the same criticism would have been "RU doesn't run an offense "....LOL

Wisconsin apparently doesn't, neither does Purdue, neither does Ohio State or others.

Here's the real answer which is valid and fair.....When Wisconsins offense stopped scoring for 8 minutes in the 2nd half, eventually it turned into "go make a play offense.....Trice over a switched Cliff from 23 feet at 2 on the shot clock.....Trice turning the corner on a breakdown by the defense for a layup.....that's no different than Jacob Young blowing by Davison or Trice for layup...

I posted elsewhere in another thread that you're going to struggle beating ranked teams when you have 27 minutes, 2 points, 4 unforced turnovers and 0-3 on wide open 3s from Paul Mulcahy. I know fans want the star players to be stars all the time, but in elite competition, the ball will find your 4th and 5th options.

Not only were 13 turnovers not forced by Wisconsin, they were wild and sloppy lobs to a Cliff that were in heavy traffic in a clogged lane. RU has the mid-range drive and pull up shots available and forces passes instead.

Can RU do better in half court offense....Yes if they take what the defense gives you or take advantage of what teams want to take away. A poorly coached team would have your best players forcing up 18 to 19 shots....that's not what we are seeing. The team clearly doesn't have another option beyond Jacob Young to be explosive and get around a good defensive player. Baker and Harper are good half court players but others have to help....

I know Caleb had 2 or 3 open shots in the 2nd half that were way short or looked like he didn't get enough lift on the shot with his legs....BUT I have seen posters saying his return has interrupted team rotation or chemistry....that is 100% FALSE....He has taken what the defense gives...if they sag off, he takes the jumper....if he has a driving lane, he is looking to score by driving and pulling up to bank a shot in or mid-range. If you didn't have Caleb in these last 3 games, these games would be more lopsided.

Good news was everywhere despite what bac and others are saying....

A)...Cliff was a very effective defender most of the game...he made some shots more difficult for Wisconsin that they had to shoot over him....he kept Wisconsin off the offensive glass...his 15 minutes was drastically different than 15 minutes of what would have been on defense for Reiber and or Douc.

B) Jacob Young plays relentless defense and is still explosive on drives....his end of the 1st half on defense made a 5 to 6 point game, instead a 1 point game into halftime.....the defense also forced another offensive foul, that could have landed RU with a halftime lead.....yet dumb fans saying RU isn't playing hard....LMAO......he harassed Trice most of the night and burned them off the dribble.

C) Myles played well in 25 minutes...defensive sequence, switch, wall up, block shot, block shot rebound against Potter was excellent. He took what the defense gave him....and you actually should have him with more than 5 shots, despite his poor FT shooting....a missed dunk where he draws fouls, gets a defense in trouble...he needs more touches....any good half court offense offers something from the low post.

D) Caleb drained 3, nice drive on a couple of 2s...(one he was clearly fouled and should have been an "And-1")......looked to get tired in 2nd half....he's played a lot more minutes in his return and most have been well after shaking the rust off.

E) 60 points allowed....not 70, not 75 or 80.....anyway you slice it, Wisconsin is a good offense....holding them to 60 should mean a win most nights.

The last piece of the puzzle is finding a wing shooter in the Yeboah role and finding someone (Jaden Jones, Palmquist....??) to play and score in the minutes Mulcahy is playing.

Not concerned about Mathis, Ron and Geo...they'll bounce back....the bench needs more than just Caleb....I can't see how Jaden Jones, even as he just turned 18 yesterday, can't score more than 2 points if given minutes on the wing, where you need a shooter. It may take 2, 3 weeks to get him up to speed but one additional shooting threat off the bench would be huge.

It’s nice to see someone who actually watches the game and pays attention and offers commentary based on what actually happened in the game. Our struggles were about forgetting who we are and not playing relentless D and rebounding. Now that is back and it’s now about Ron, Geo and Mathis playing awful and they will return.

 

[RUJMM78]

Harper and Baker need to be consistent double digit scorers to complement Young .What we see now is a team struggling to score 60 points which means losses in the B1G.This game was very similar to performances a couple years ago where tough defense and rebounding kept Rutgers in games but the lack of offense resulted in losses.Opponents have watched tapes of previous Rutgers games and made adjustments to stop drives to the basket except for Young.The offense is then limited to meaningless passes and throwing up a 3 point shot with 5 seconds remaining on the shot clock.The team lacks players that can shoot off the dribble which makes it easier to defend Rutgers offense.In the end it comes down to coaching and talent.Successful teams have multiple scoring options on the court and bench players that can contribute points.Recruiting is the life blood for college sports.In the B1G there are very few easy wins.Without fans in the RAC the home court advantage has disappeared and winning on the road remains a difficult challenge without consistent scoring.

 

[zappaa]

This is a good team that is tight, pressing & way off it's game, & is probably losing its confidence. It is now mental. Very tough to turn around, but I've seen it done.

Good teams (I think we are) that break a streak like this are led by their best players taking over and showing everyone the way.
If you expect your 4th and 5th options to break this funk you’re sorely mistaken

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

No not all..nothing to recap anymore. These are getting shorter and shorter as the losses pile up and my interestcdrops to Fred Hill levels

We are not watching good basketball and not moving forward toward something

Your analysis is very short sighted. Sorry.

the defensive effort and rebounding has been poor the last 5 or 6 games until last night. We aren’t going anywhere until that is fixed. Last night we brought it.

we didn’t make shots. It was clear and simple.

also not mentioning Harper injury could be a factor shows me you may not be watching things closely. Multiple times he came down awkwardly and he doesn’t jump and move as well.

you usually are very good. Sorry to call you out, but I amdisappointed you aren’t better than this and are sinking to the level as other overly emotional fans.

 

[Knight Ed]

The fact that this team has recessed to celebrating moral victories in losses is sad.

 

[bac2therac]

Your analysis is very short sighted. Sorry.

the defensive effort and rebounding has been poor the last 5 or 6 games until last night. We aren’t going anywhere until that is fixed. Last night we brought it.

we didn’t make shots. It was clear and simple.

also not mentioning Harper injury could be a factor shows me you may not be watching things closely. Multiple times he came down awkwardly and he doesn’t jump and move as well.

you usually are very good. Sorry to call you out, but I amdisappointed you aren’t better than this and are sinking to the level as other overly emotional fans.

The team will need to prove it to me. Simple as that. They lost their goodwill. The offensive performance was horrific. Do you want me to go into end game where Young misses one and one and your experienced center fouls with no time on the shot clock. These mistakes are constant in every game. Do you want me to really go through all of them in the last 6 games I will

Sorry playing better on defense is fine but im not declaring a moral victory over it. Wisconsin played as bad as they did vs Michigan

 

[rubjk]

The team will need to prove it to me. Simple as that. They lost their goodwill. The offensive performance was horrific. Do you want me to go into end game where Young misses one and one and your experienced center fouls with no time on the shot clock. These mistakes are constant in every game. Do you want me to really go through all of them in the last 6 games I will

Sorry playing better on defense is fine but im not declaring a moral victory over it. Wisconsin played as bad as they did vs Michigan

The lack of execution was really on Ron, Geo and Mathis. They had decent looks but nothing was falling. Poor shooting individually is on them. They aren’t playing at the level they should and are tentative and lack confidence. The key is getting their scoring back.

 

[goru7]

What we saw and what we did not see and wondering where it went. That obviously was a game Wisconsin felt extremely lucky to leave the RAC with a win. Rutgers outplayed them defensively, on the glass, offensive and defensively , points in the paint , and most people looking at that would say Rutgers won easily . But then the shooting numbers are revealed and neither team’s shooting was good , but Rutgers was horrendous. Literally 1 more made three from the 2 of 19 and Jacob’s 2 missed front ends of one on ones that were missed were the difference between a win and a loss .2 players played well, Jacob and Myles and most everyone else played like crap in the following order , Ron, Paul, Geo . I do not think Caleb or Tez played terribly , especially Tez because he didn’t play enough. Hated Pike’s rotations tonight . Paul played too much as he had one of his worst games with 4 terrible inopportune turnovers and missed open shots . Tez should not have been on the bench for most of that second half. Ron should have sat down as well . His forced shots and his laziness hanging out on the perimeter should have earned him a seat next to Pike. Geo has disappeared literally. Ball movement has disappeared and do not call the weave exchanging the ball between 3 players ball movement. The only thing that was tried that worked was ball screens with Jacob for layups because Wisconsin could not handle him as Gard admitted in the post game presser . The thing that was not tried was to highlight Myles and give him the damn ball. Yes had a superb first half and that flush early I thought was a sign he was going to have a monster night. But as I have been lamenting , our guards suck at feeding the post and Pike has to stop bringing Myles up on every ball screen and instead yell at his damn guards to feed Myles on the block. We didn’t play inside out , which in my opinion is the way we should play , and a way to get out of this shooting slump. Myles cannot take only 5 shots a night but especially tonight where he could have brought us a victory with more touches. Myles is also one of our better passers , so if the guys are cutting and squaring up ready to shoot as soon as the pass comes , our shooting % will improve.

Defense and rebounding was fixed tonite , something lacking since Cliff first got hurt . The offense has to change to playing inside out through Myles or Cliff, mixing in some ball screens for Jacob ( and Geo if he chooses to use them) . Not playing Tez and playing Paul too much is a huge mistake. Finally the Ron turn from All American level to just forcing things and being lazy on the perimeter and Geo ‘s disappearing act is the elephant in the room. Maybe letting Jacob start and run the offense and bringing Geo in and letting him run the offense gets him going again because we need him even more than we need Ron right now. Last night Geo and Ron combined for 12 points on 6 of 25 shooting and even more glaring was they attempted 0 foul shots tell you everything that is wrong with their game right now. Should be impossible that either one doesn’t attempt a foul shot. That has to end immediately by putting Ron on the block and Geo in ball screens . Despite the really disappointing loss in a very winnable game , we fixed the defense and rebounding , now fix the offense.
I

 

[RURM85]

Rutgers went back to its true identity which is playing defense and rebounding. Sorely needed and they need to continue to focus on its identity for the rest of the season.

Wisconsin D packed it in, gave Rutgers good outside looks and the Rutgers outside shooting was ridiculously poor. Can't win with Baker/Harper/Mathis combining for 16 points in total and missing almost every outside shot. 2 3-Pointers the whole night. Pathetic. Game came down to Trice hitting some key outside shots toward the end (he was quiet the entire night up until down the stretch) and the difference in foul shots - Wisconsin 16-21 and Rutgers 2-7.

Poor outside shooting is not going to happen every night. We're neither as good or as bad as you think or feel.

Those calling for Pike to be fired need their heads examined. Team has done nothing but improve each season he's coached and the majority of players develop and improve their games year after year. Sometimes teams finish with worse records than the previous year and are a better team (i.e. Big Ten Conference is a better Conference than last year and Rutgers didn't have the 8-9 OOC Cupcakes to beat up on), or yes, a team will take a step back. Understanding expectations were sky high coming into the season due to how we finished last season and rankings, I'll wait until the final results are in.

 

[goru7]

Good teams (I think we are) that break a streak like this are led by their best players taking over and showing everyone the way.
If you expect your 4th and 5th options to break this funk you’re sorely mistaken

You are correct . Ron and Geo have to change what they are doing . Neither got to the line tonight, Geo has to use the ball screens and go to the hoop and he will get fouled. Ron has to stop being lazy hanging out on the perimeter and get on the block and get on the offensive glass . If they got to the line 10 times tonight instead of 0 we win.

 

[Mr Magoo]

Even Eddie Jordan didn’t lose to Wisconsin at the RAC. And not a Wisconsin team that scored 60 points and coming off a 40-point second half blowout. Terrible

I don’t think Pike is all that that great of coach but please don’t compare him to Jordan, who rolled the balls out and collected his check.

 

[zappaa]

What we saw and what we did not see and wondering where it went. That obviously was a game Wisconsin felt extremely lucky to leave the RAC with a win. Rutgers outplayed them defensively, on the glass, offensive and defensively , points in the paint , and most people looking at that would say Rutgers won easily . But then the shooting numbers are revealed and neither team’s shooting was good , but Rutgers was horrendous. Literally 1 more made three from the 2 of 19 and Jacob’s 2 missed front ends of one on ones that were missed were the difference between a win and a loss .2 players played well, Jacob and Myles and most everyone else played like crap in the following order , Ron, Paul, Geo . I do not think Caleb or Tez played terribly , especially Tez because he didn’t play enough. Hated Pike’s rotations tonight . Paul played too much as he had one of his worst games with 4 terrible inopportune turnovers and missed open shots . Tez should not have been on the bench for most of that second half. Ron should have sat down as well . His forced shots and his laziness hanging out on the perimeter should have earned him a seat next to Pike. Geo has disappeared literally. Ball movement has disappeared and do not call the weave exchanging the ball between 3 players ball movement. The only thing that was tried that worked was ball screens with Jacob for layups because Wisconsin could not handle him as Gard admitted in the post game presser . The thing that was not tried was to highlight Myles and give him the damn ball. Yes had a superb first half and that flush early I thought was a sign he was going to have a monster night. But as I have been lamenting , our guards suck at feeding the post and Pike has to stop bringing Myles up on every ball screen and instead yell at his damn guards to feed Myles on the block. We didn’t play inside out , which in my opinion is the way we should play , and a way to get out of this shooting slump. Myles cannot take only 5 shots a night but especially tonight where he could have brought us a victory with more touches. Myles is also one of our better passers , so if the guys are cutting and squaring up ready to shoot as soon as the pass comes , our shooting % will improve.

Defense and rebounding was fixed tonite , something lacking since Cliff first got hurt . The offense has to change to playing inside out through Myles or Cliff, mixing in some ball screens for Jacob ( and Geo if he chooses to use them) . Not playing Tez and playing Paul too much is a huge mistake. Finally the Ron turn from All American level to just forcing things and being lazy on the perimeter and Geo ‘s disappearing act is the elephant in the room. Maybe letting Jacob start and run the offense and bringing Geo in and letting him run the offense gets him going again because we need him even more than we need Ron right now. Last night Geo and Ron combined for 12 points on 6 of 25 shooting and even more glaring was they attempted 0 foul shots tell you everything that is wrong with their game right now. Should be impossible that either one doesn’t attempt a foul shot. That has to end immediately by putting Ron on the block and Geo in ball screens . Despite the really disappointing loss in a very winnable game , we fixed the defense and rebounding , now fix the offense.
I

Well said

 

[Roy_Faulker]

Maybe letting Jacob start and run the offense and bringing Geo in and letting him run the offense gets him going again because we need him even more than we need Ron right now.
I

I had wondered about this as well.
I actually think the team played better with JY leading the way when Geo was out.

 

[goru7]

I had wondered about this as well.
I actually think the team played better with JY leading the way when Geo was out.

I am not saying Geo should not play as we need him back but he should not start. Let Jacob go for 5-8 minutes , then let Geo run the show, ball screens and pull up jumpers or drive to the hole and dish if picked up. Playing together has not seemed to work.

 

[billgumpper]

When this team was going good early in the season they were hitting a good amount of 3's. That's not the case anymore. Also as much as I hate to say it, they didnt have Geo and McConnel who are getting major minutes and not playing well.

 

[billgumpper]

Also when we were going well we had 3 good scorers. Harper and Mathis have completely fallen apart.

 

[motorb54]

Now that Cliff is back hope they feed him when he works for position. They do not feed Myles and that should have happened last night. The passes to Cliff were generally poor. Get him the ball where he can operate. And his free throw percentage will be better than Myles'.

Harper twice last night was on the left wing and started toward the paint where he would be 10 to 12 feet from the basket. He stopped and retreated to the three point line. Problem was the ball was thrown to the paint spot he could have been in. Looked like terrible passes (one of Paul's bad turnovers was as much Harpers fault as it was Pauls). Why won't Harper go to the paint? Is he too in love with the 3? One of his only makes was when he penetrated down the right side of the lane.
Sad that if he could have duplicated his 5 of 12 from the previous two games we would have won.

 

[RUinPAC10land]

I really don't understand some of these posts. The team lost by 5 to a top 10 team. Many players are coming back from injuries and they are playing in the toughest conference in college basketball. I am certain the team will turn it around once the injuries start to heal. There are a lot of games left and the fire Pike posts have to stop.

 

[rudad02]

Good teams (I think we are) that break a streak like this are led by their best players taking over and showing everyone the way.
If you expect your 4th and 5th options to break this funk you’re sorely mistaken

Yes someone has to break the ice & the team will feed off it.