Find your way back.....Geo, Pikiell, shotmakers, the defense, toughness, the RAC, the Rutgers we grew up on.....vintage experience tonight.
Tremendous win tonight. Perhaps to me one of the most satisfying wins since joining the Big Ten. The last monkey around the programs neck was finally removed. The woes of RU vs Michigan go way back to the deflating Final 4 defeat, continued through a tough NIT championship loss in front of a partisan RU crowd at MSG and then carrying over 9 straight conference losses none more disappointing was the Wolverines handing RU their only loss at the RAC in 2020. Winless in 13 tries vs perhaps the biggest name school in the conference, tonight presented perhaps the best opportunity for a win. A talented yet young and wobbly Michigan team who has struggled to find any identity this season seemed ripe for the picking. In a pregame thread leading up to this game, I said this was going to be a measuring stick game for both programs. I think what we saw tonight was Rutgers at its best. The Geo and Ron show, the dynamic duo giving us more of what we craved from that glorious breakthrough season in 2020. Something that had been missing for so long. The Purdue win was glorious in its own right because of the miracle finish and knocking off a # 1 win. That was historical. That was threading the needle. Beating Michigan tonight was historical. Beating Michigan by thoroughly dominating them in every facet of the game up and down the stat line and really not even being challenged was impressive. RU won because they kicked Michigan ass. They outrebounded them, they outshot them, they defended better, they intimidated them, they were more physical. Pike and company outcoached, outprepared and outmotivated Howard and his crew. This was winning in such a satisfying manner. This wasn't Rutgers getting out to a big lead and trying to hold on. This was Rutgers sustaining a full 40 minutes.
True, Michigan is not a top 25 school this year and may or may not even contend for a NCAA berth by seasons end but its not about them, its about us. Nothing will ever be able to remove the stain of losing to Lafayette. Not even beating #1 Purdue. The rocky start to the season left RU not even thinking about NCAA but just thinking about winning the next game. What we have learned from Rutgers is in its 4 game stretch vs Clemson, Purdue, SHU and Michigan is you can probably toss into the dumpster what you thought of the team back in November. This is not the same team and its quite clear that several players have shook off an inexplicable rough start to the season. The core 5 are playing as well as they can right now. When Geo and Ron are in sync, Rutgers can beat anyone on its schedule. If RU could play all its games at the RAC, it would compete for the Big 10 championship. Alas this team also has glaring flaws and it all revolves around depth. Yet during this 4 game stretch, Pike and his charges have done a yeomen's job of hiding these deficiencies. For all the handwringing about recruiting and rotations, he has proven why he is the paid coach and we are just bums throwing out our frustrations on a message board. As we approached December, it was getting late early for this program. As we get to the first weekend in December maybe just maybe the mantra of one game at a time. Day by day, game by game improvement is the elixir to navigate through the Big 10 landscape. The old cliche says "its not where you started but its where you end"
The game itself was full of plays. As said in earlier recaps, players make plays. Geo a sort of vindication for him tonight. A really uneven start to the year, some brutal performances vs weak competition then missing time from a hamstring injury, hit by the flu, did not even play vs Purdue and now tonight Geo floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. Absolutely deadly tonight. Vintage Geo Baker tonight.....39 minutes, 10-15 shooting, 5-7 from 3, 27 points, 4 boards, 4 assists in a whopping 39 minutes. One of his best games ever as a Knight and a true testament for refocusing his season after missing time and being the Geo that he and every RU fan knows he can be. Again you cannot expect sick lines like this all the time but a locked in Geo is what we ask for. Shots will not always fall but focus and leadership is key. How Geo goes is often how Rutgers goes moreso than Ron even. Its a big reason that we sputtered early on. Geo succeeding helps everyone else on the team succeed including the bench which needs to contribute. The energy is contagious to everyone else. Even guys like Miller and Jones who did not play much tonight are helped by watching and playing with Geo. Lead by example for someone has been hard on Geo, he needs to get a ton of praise for how he has comeback and elevated his game. Tonight was almost effortless for him yet some of those jumpers were not easy shots. They were made with breezy confidence. So sweet to watch some of those highlights in the 2nd half. I think he had about 3 very key shots in key moments, the kind of shots that allowed RU to sustain double digit leads none more important his 3 when Michigan went on a small run to cut the lead to 8 with about 5 minutes to go and then another with about 3 to go that put RU up 70-59 and likely was the final dagger needed and Geo followed that up with a key rebound. Just a superlative game and could be deserving of a Big 10 player of the week honor depending on what he does vs Nebby
Geo could not do it alone of course. The 2nd half of the dynamic duo Ron Harper was even more deadly from 3, draining 5 of his 6. Ron struggled with his 2s and finished 7-13 but with 20 points and 6 boards, a very strong defensive effort tonight. Ron was more effective scoring in the first half but better defensively in the 2nd. Ron's flurry of 3s in the first half allowed RU to get that breathing room they never relinquished. I think a key Ron bucket was late in the first half where RU was struggling offensively. When Ron and Geo are scoring over 20 each, RU is a tough out but I was impressed with Harper's defense tonight as well. With Caleb back in the game, the pressure was off Ron to produce and it was Caleb who simply stepped up. How frustrating must it have been for Caleb to get those two early fouls which sort of negated his game. When Caleb was back in he made up for lost time converting right away on old fashion 3 point play to start the 2nd half. Caleb had 5 boards and 4 assists and it is safe to say the Caleb we saw in November is no longer. Ditto for Paul. Paul with a quietly solid game getting in with a 3 in the first half, only 7 points but a whopping 7 assists with just one turnover and really had some great vision especially in cruch time in distributing a 3 to Geo and a big dunk by Cliff. How about Big Cliff. Listen Dickinson got most of what he wanted tonight. Cliff just could not handle him but the keys were Cliff stayed out of foul trouble until late. Cliff played a whopping 35 minutes which might be a career high. He struggled with his shot, I think 4 of them might have come on one possession, yet Cliff with 12 boards was one of the key reasons why Michigan was basically one and done especially in the first half. Cliff has come along way. He will have better offensive nights and easier bigs to guard. He bent but did not break tonight. Its a big step for him.
Give props to Hyatt because those buckets he made, Rutgers really needed in those moments, 17 min, 6 points, 5 rebounds. RU sorely needs a couple of guys off the bench to be able to hit those open shots. I think Hyatt's first two plays were dribbles off his leg. In the game. It appeared like Hyatt just trying too much as we have seen before but after that he really settled in and those jumpers were smooth. Its a step in the right direction for him. Also a shout to Dean Reiber...just 4 minutes but took a shot., made his free throws and then was able to come in late for defense to sub for Cliff. Thats all we could ask, role playing minutes where he does not hurt the team. Miller at 8 minutes showed some defensive intensity and Jones with just 5, I think all in the first half didnt factor in at all but you know what, with Michigan playing just 7 or 8. I do not think it was a game where either frosh should have been counted on for anything. Mag got popped in the mouth again apparently and lost some teeth so we will have to see how that plays out going forward. He is a guy we are really going to need because he really gives those important energy minutes.
Of course the coaching staff needs some plaudits as well. Pike kept his team together during the covid situation, eased them in with two cupcake type outings and now everyone seems in game ready shape and I like that he was willing to extend Geo to 39 minutes and Cliff to 35. Certainly not a blueprint for every game but there are games where you have to lean on your best players. By hook or crook, the past 4 games, Pike is doing an outstanding job of getting the most of his team. What impressed me about tonight is he has his players back to rebounding. Nifty to watch was RU seemed to try and bother the ball handler sometimes doubling them, sure it gave some easy looks to Dickinson and then Housten in the 2nd half but I liked the aggressiveness. Night and day from November. Michigan seemed to move away from taking the 3 after having very little success in the first half.
Do not know exactly what happened at the end of the game before the handshakes but damn I like our team especially Ron not backing down. All game long we were the tougher team and after the game was over, we still were, while the lasting image of the Wolverines was an flailing Diabate? being heavily restrained to howling jeers from the RU faithful. These are the kind of moments you live for at the RAC which suddenly has regained its mojo. Big credit to the fanbase, had to be around 7K there which surprised me given all the restrictions and covid lurking. The long and twisting road of college basketball. Rutgers incredibly finding their way back to what they were and giving the fans perhaps a little more to add to the story.
Tremendous win tonight. Perhaps to me one of the most satisfying wins since joining the Big Ten. The last monkey around the programs neck was finally removed. The woes of RU vs Michigan go way back to the deflating Final 4 defeat, continued through a tough NIT championship loss in front of a partisan RU crowd at MSG and then carrying over 9 straight conference losses none more disappointing was the Wolverines handing RU their only loss at the RAC in 2020. Winless in 13 tries vs perhaps the biggest name school in the conference, tonight presented perhaps the best opportunity for a win. A talented yet young and wobbly Michigan team who has struggled to find any identity this season seemed ripe for the picking. In a pregame thread leading up to this game, I said this was going to be a measuring stick game for both programs. I think what we saw tonight was Rutgers at its best. The Geo and Ron show, the dynamic duo giving us more of what we craved from that glorious breakthrough season in 2020. Something that had been missing for so long. The Purdue win was glorious in its own right because of the miracle finish and knocking off a # 1 win. That was historical. That was threading the needle. Beating Michigan tonight was historical. Beating Michigan by thoroughly dominating them in every facet of the game up and down the stat line and really not even being challenged was impressive. RU won because they kicked Michigan ass. They outrebounded them, they outshot them, they defended better, they intimidated them, they were more physical. Pike and company outcoached, outprepared and outmotivated Howard and his crew. This was winning in such a satisfying manner. This wasn't Rutgers getting out to a big lead and trying to hold on. This was Rutgers sustaining a full 40 minutes.
True, Michigan is not a top 25 school this year and may or may not even contend for a NCAA berth by seasons end but its not about them, its about us. Nothing will ever be able to remove the stain of losing to Lafayette. Not even beating #1 Purdue. The rocky start to the season left RU not even thinking about NCAA but just thinking about winning the next game. What we have learned from Rutgers is in its 4 game stretch vs Clemson, Purdue, SHU and Michigan is you can probably toss into the dumpster what you thought of the team back in November. This is not the same team and its quite clear that several players have shook off an inexplicable rough start to the season. The core 5 are playing as well as they can right now. When Geo and Ron are in sync, Rutgers can beat anyone on its schedule. If RU could play all its games at the RAC, it would compete for the Big 10 championship. Alas this team also has glaring flaws and it all revolves around depth. Yet during this 4 game stretch, Pike and his charges have done a yeomen's job of hiding these deficiencies. For all the handwringing about recruiting and rotations, he has proven why he is the paid coach and we are just bums throwing out our frustrations on a message board. As we approached December, it was getting late early for this program. As we get to the first weekend in December maybe just maybe the mantra of one game at a time. Day by day, game by game improvement is the elixir to navigate through the Big 10 landscape. The old cliche says "its not where you started but its where you end"
The game itself was full of plays. As said in earlier recaps, players make plays. Geo a sort of vindication for him tonight. A really uneven start to the year, some brutal performances vs weak competition then missing time from a hamstring injury, hit by the flu, did not even play vs Purdue and now tonight Geo floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. Absolutely deadly tonight. Vintage Geo Baker tonight.....39 minutes, 10-15 shooting, 5-7 from 3, 27 points, 4 boards, 4 assists in a whopping 39 minutes. One of his best games ever as a Knight and a true testament for refocusing his season after missing time and being the Geo that he and every RU fan knows he can be. Again you cannot expect sick lines like this all the time but a locked in Geo is what we ask for. Shots will not always fall but focus and leadership is key. How Geo goes is often how Rutgers goes moreso than Ron even. Its a big reason that we sputtered early on. Geo succeeding helps everyone else on the team succeed including the bench which needs to contribute. The energy is contagious to everyone else. Even guys like Miller and Jones who did not play much tonight are helped by watching and playing with Geo. Lead by example for someone has been hard on Geo, he needs to get a ton of praise for how he has comeback and elevated his game. Tonight was almost effortless for him yet some of those jumpers were not easy shots. They were made with breezy confidence. So sweet to watch some of those highlights in the 2nd half. I think he had about 3 very key shots in key moments, the kind of shots that allowed RU to sustain double digit leads none more important his 3 when Michigan went on a small run to cut the lead to 8 with about 5 minutes to go and then another with about 3 to go that put RU up 70-59 and likely was the final dagger needed and Geo followed that up with a key rebound. Just a superlative game and could be deserving of a Big 10 player of the week honor depending on what he does vs Nebby
Geo could not do it alone of course. The 2nd half of the dynamic duo Ron Harper was even more deadly from 3, draining 5 of his 6. Ron struggled with his 2s and finished 7-13 but with 20 points and 6 boards, a very strong defensive effort tonight. Ron was more effective scoring in the first half but better defensively in the 2nd. Ron's flurry of 3s in the first half allowed RU to get that breathing room they never relinquished. I think a key Ron bucket was late in the first half where RU was struggling offensively. When Ron and Geo are scoring over 20 each, RU is a tough out but I was impressed with Harper's defense tonight as well. With Caleb back in the game, the pressure was off Ron to produce and it was Caleb who simply stepped up. How frustrating must it have been for Caleb to get those two early fouls which sort of negated his game. When Caleb was back in he made up for lost time converting right away on old fashion 3 point play to start the 2nd half. Caleb had 5 boards and 4 assists and it is safe to say the Caleb we saw in November is no longer. Ditto for Paul. Paul with a quietly solid game getting in with a 3 in the first half, only 7 points but a whopping 7 assists with just one turnover and really had some great vision especially in cruch time in distributing a 3 to Geo and a big dunk by Cliff. How about Big Cliff. Listen Dickinson got most of what he wanted tonight. Cliff just could not handle him but the keys were Cliff stayed out of foul trouble until late. Cliff played a whopping 35 minutes which might be a career high. He struggled with his shot, I think 4 of them might have come on one possession, yet Cliff with 12 boards was one of the key reasons why Michigan was basically one and done especially in the first half. Cliff has come along way. He will have better offensive nights and easier bigs to guard. He bent but did not break tonight. Its a big step for him.
Give props to Hyatt because those buckets he made, Rutgers really needed in those moments, 17 min, 6 points, 5 rebounds. RU sorely needs a couple of guys off the bench to be able to hit those open shots. I think Hyatt's first two plays were dribbles off his leg. In the game. It appeared like Hyatt just trying too much as we have seen before but after that he really settled in and those jumpers were smooth. Its a step in the right direction for him. Also a shout to Dean Reiber...just 4 minutes but took a shot., made his free throws and then was able to come in late for defense to sub for Cliff. Thats all we could ask, role playing minutes where he does not hurt the team. Miller at 8 minutes showed some defensive intensity and Jones with just 5, I think all in the first half didnt factor in at all but you know what, with Michigan playing just 7 or 8. I do not think it was a game where either frosh should have been counted on for anything. Mag got popped in the mouth again apparently and lost some teeth so we will have to see how that plays out going forward. He is a guy we are really going to need because he really gives those important energy minutes.
Of course the coaching staff needs some plaudits as well. Pike kept his team together during the covid situation, eased them in with two cupcake type outings and now everyone seems in game ready shape and I like that he was willing to extend Geo to 39 minutes and Cliff to 35. Certainly not a blueprint for every game but there are games where you have to lean on your best players. By hook or crook, the past 4 games, Pike is doing an outstanding job of getting the most of his team. What impressed me about tonight is he has his players back to rebounding. Nifty to watch was RU seemed to try and bother the ball handler sometimes doubling them, sure it gave some easy looks to Dickinson and then Housten in the 2nd half but I liked the aggressiveness. Night and day from November. Michigan seemed to move away from taking the 3 after having very little success in the first half.
Do not know exactly what happened at the end of the game before the handshakes but damn I like our team especially Ron not backing down. All game long we were the tougher team and after the game was over, we still were, while the lasting image of the Wolverines was an flailing Diabate? being heavily restrained to howling jeers from the RU faithful. These are the kind of moments you live for at the RAC which suddenly has regained its mojo. Big credit to the fanbase, had to be around 7K there which surprised me given all the restrictions and covid lurking. The long and twisting road of college basketball. Rutgers incredibly finding their way back to what they were and giving the fans perhaps a little more to add to the story.
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