Messy has been an understatement for the performance of the team this year and have talked about ad nauseum. The lack of toughness vs Mississippi State plus the Stonehill near disaster certainly put this program at a crossroads for the season. Just as winning is contagious in this league, so is losing. The league is unforgiving and before you know it things can spiral out of control much like they did to Ohio State last season. I do not take a moral victory because that is a losing mentality. Yet sometimes its not always about winning. Even in preseason I did not expect Rutgers to win this game and not many thought RU would even have much of a chance tonights against a bigger and more offensive orientated team. I do not know if RU can replicate this at Iowa or next week when they return to the RAC but for one night, RU got back to basics, back to what has always defined Pikiell teams. It's the defense stupid. The hardnosed, head down, lunch pail kids who stick to their task and hit the floor while making their own luck returned. Tonight a major step forward and just a glimmer of hope to keep us impatient fans from jumping off a cliff.
RU did not compete vs Illinois or Wake. At Prudential vs SHU, was perhaps the only game this year where RU showed that hunger and they dominated it from start to finish while riding hot shooting. But that looked like fools gold following a meek effort vs Mississippi State getting thrashed on the boards and then the Stonehill stinkfest that just made us shake our ****ing heads. The 2nd half of the game tonight, Rutgers finally captured that magic that they had not in any other games this year. Make no mistake the first half was ugly for RU. A track meet early on. Derek and Noah were energized and active and they were hitting Yet, everyone knows thats a speed that RU cannot win on. By midway through the half, OSU started hitting everything and RU went ice cold. A 22-4 run would put OSU up 41-24 and it looked like wheels were off the scarlet kaboose and Buckeyes could put up a 100 spot before the final buzzer. No doubt, some of it was that OSU was simply hot...7-9 I think on their first 3 point attempts. But mostly it was another lackadaiscal RU effort on D and on the boards. Most of the 3s were pretty wide open. RU did not do a great job of getting back in transition after some awful shot selection. Down 45-32 at half, the only way RU could get back in the game would be through defense...and you know what it happened.
Pikiell pushed the buttons at halftime. Austin Williams became an unlikely defensive hero in slowing down Thorton. That big of extra size made all the difference. The defining of a role for Austin who has been struggling to get back in the rotation was big time. Kudos to Pikiell for giving Austin that chance and a yeomans effort by Austin to answer the call. Mag clamped down on Battle who was shredding us from the outside in the 1st half. Mag may have put up too many shots for my liking at 12 including two ill advised late but I felt that this was the most MAG defense we have seen this season. Dare I say the 2nd half we begain to see the identity of the team and each player start to take shape. Look I have been frustrated with Derek Simpson inability to take a leap forward but Shack and some others ended up spot on that he needed to be given a chance to become an alpha tonight. Derek who was shooting just 9-36 in his previous 4 games, shot 9-16 alone today with 2 3s for 23 points and a whopping 8 boards. Its a start. Consistency is going to be the issue but Derek built off of that game winning 3 vs Stonehill and took the reigns of the ship tonight with reckless abandon. Noah has been so poor the past few games. A total non entity vs Stonehill, someone lit a fire on his ass because he was aggressive in looking for his shot in the first half today. 7-13 fg, 5 boards in 27 minutes. RU has been so poor lately especially against power 5 competition because the guard play was so horrid. Yes it helps shooting but these guys played with more purpose. All in all Rutgers was all over the floor today. Countless times this year players refused to sacrifice their bodies going for loose balls or rebounds. Pike's message got through. RU outboarded OSU in the 2nd half and came ahead in offensive rebounds 13-8 and those second chances allowed them to sneak up and stay in this game. Hyatt with a whopping 10 boards was able to be a big time contributor doing more than scoring. Just one shot in the first half taken but 2nd half he arrived on both ends. Overall I saw a committment to defense with specific double teams that just all out bothered Ohio State. Those open looks were not there. Almost everything the Buckeyes made in the last 10-12 minutes of the game they really had to earn and there were alot of rushed misses. Nothing came easy for them and I was stunned that at the 4 minute mark RU had limited them to just 22 points.
RU got to within 1 at 67-66, holding the Buckeyes to just 1 fg and 5 points in a critical 6 minute stretch but just could not get over the hump. Its cliche but you cannot spot your opponent a 17 point lead on the road and expect to win a game. While there were chances down the stretch. RU just could not make the plays needed to win. Two sloppy turnovers and then a big time 3 by Gayle of OSU put them up 6 and while Noah answered with his own 3, a controversial foul on Austin Williams gave OSU 2 foul shots and a two possession lead. Not the best choices by Mag, earlier with a bad turnover and then down 74-69 with a couple of questionable shots. Not sure thats who Pike should be going with in that situation. Derek would end up hitting a big 3 to cut it to 2 but OSU made the foul shots to seal it at 76-72. While the final possession wasnt going to matter anyhow I felt RU was panicked to even get a good shot off and Griffiths poor decision to not shoot when he got the ball instead passing to Cliff WTF. So while RU played great until about the 2 minute mark. Have to give OSU credit for doing what they had to do to close it out. RU just made enough crucial mistakes late to fall short.
Yet after the past two games, its amazing to finally even being doing a legit recap that hints of positivity. Look I am still not budging on the idea that this is not a post season team. There are still major issues with the constructed roster that will not go away. Yet tonight showed RU has the ability to win its share of games and be a pest in league play. A step forward by Coach Pikiell. Not only in giving some big time trust to his players but also by getting this team back to playing defense. They will never outshoot anyone. I do not care how fast they are or how fast they want to play. The talent is still limited. The best play will always be defense and I feel Pikiell made a statement tonight and his charges did as well. You scrap for those rebounds, dawg. Pikiell's Junkyard Dogs....if that is the identity this team needs so be it. I am fine with it and okay with this season being on the rough side if we can continue to get it. Iowa will be incredibly tough with their hot outside shooting. Yet the Hawkeyes are vulnerable themselves right now looking to find consistency. Its a team that RU can outough so I am curious to see what the mindset of the team is following the tough loss. I thought they were fragile after Stonehill especially when Pike as praising them. They picked themselves off the ground and sucked it up. Can only gain confidence from a performance like that tonight vs a very likely NCAA team.
RU did not compete vs Illinois or Wake. At Prudential vs SHU, was perhaps the only game this year where RU showed that hunger and they dominated it from start to finish while riding hot shooting. But that looked like fools gold following a meek effort vs Mississippi State getting thrashed on the boards and then the Stonehill stinkfest that just made us shake our ****ing heads. The 2nd half of the game tonight, Rutgers finally captured that magic that they had not in any other games this year. Make no mistake the first half was ugly for RU. A track meet early on. Derek and Noah were energized and active and they were hitting Yet, everyone knows thats a speed that RU cannot win on. By midway through the half, OSU started hitting everything and RU went ice cold. A 22-4 run would put OSU up 41-24 and it looked like wheels were off the scarlet kaboose and Buckeyes could put up a 100 spot before the final buzzer. No doubt, some of it was that OSU was simply hot...7-9 I think on their first 3 point attempts. But mostly it was another lackadaiscal RU effort on D and on the boards. Most of the 3s were pretty wide open. RU did not do a great job of getting back in transition after some awful shot selection. Down 45-32 at half, the only way RU could get back in the game would be through defense...and you know what it happened.
Pikiell pushed the buttons at halftime. Austin Williams became an unlikely defensive hero in slowing down Thorton. That big of extra size made all the difference. The defining of a role for Austin who has been struggling to get back in the rotation was big time. Kudos to Pikiell for giving Austin that chance and a yeomans effort by Austin to answer the call. Mag clamped down on Battle who was shredding us from the outside in the 1st half. Mag may have put up too many shots for my liking at 12 including two ill advised late but I felt that this was the most MAG defense we have seen this season. Dare I say the 2nd half we begain to see the identity of the team and each player start to take shape. Look I have been frustrated with Derek Simpson inability to take a leap forward but Shack and some others ended up spot on that he needed to be given a chance to become an alpha tonight. Derek who was shooting just 9-36 in his previous 4 games, shot 9-16 alone today with 2 3s for 23 points and a whopping 8 boards. Its a start. Consistency is going to be the issue but Derek built off of that game winning 3 vs Stonehill and took the reigns of the ship tonight with reckless abandon. Noah has been so poor the past few games. A total non entity vs Stonehill, someone lit a fire on his ass because he was aggressive in looking for his shot in the first half today. 7-13 fg, 5 boards in 27 minutes. RU has been so poor lately especially against power 5 competition because the guard play was so horrid. Yes it helps shooting but these guys played with more purpose. All in all Rutgers was all over the floor today. Countless times this year players refused to sacrifice their bodies going for loose balls or rebounds. Pike's message got through. RU outboarded OSU in the 2nd half and came ahead in offensive rebounds 13-8 and those second chances allowed them to sneak up and stay in this game. Hyatt with a whopping 10 boards was able to be a big time contributor doing more than scoring. Just one shot in the first half taken but 2nd half he arrived on both ends. Overall I saw a committment to defense with specific double teams that just all out bothered Ohio State. Those open looks were not there. Almost everything the Buckeyes made in the last 10-12 minutes of the game they really had to earn and there were alot of rushed misses. Nothing came easy for them and I was stunned that at the 4 minute mark RU had limited them to just 22 points.
RU got to within 1 at 67-66, holding the Buckeyes to just 1 fg and 5 points in a critical 6 minute stretch but just could not get over the hump. Its cliche but you cannot spot your opponent a 17 point lead on the road and expect to win a game. While there were chances down the stretch. RU just could not make the plays needed to win. Two sloppy turnovers and then a big time 3 by Gayle of OSU put them up 6 and while Noah answered with his own 3, a controversial foul on Austin Williams gave OSU 2 foul shots and a two possession lead. Not the best choices by Mag, earlier with a bad turnover and then down 74-69 with a couple of questionable shots. Not sure thats who Pike should be going with in that situation. Derek would end up hitting a big 3 to cut it to 2 but OSU made the foul shots to seal it at 76-72. While the final possession wasnt going to matter anyhow I felt RU was panicked to even get a good shot off and Griffiths poor decision to not shoot when he got the ball instead passing to Cliff WTF. So while RU played great until about the 2 minute mark. Have to give OSU credit for doing what they had to do to close it out. RU just made enough crucial mistakes late to fall short.
Yet after the past two games, its amazing to finally even being doing a legit recap that hints of positivity. Look I am still not budging on the idea that this is not a post season team. There are still major issues with the constructed roster that will not go away. Yet tonight showed RU has the ability to win its share of games and be a pest in league play. A step forward by Coach Pikiell. Not only in giving some big time trust to his players but also by getting this team back to playing defense. They will never outshoot anyone. I do not care how fast they are or how fast they want to play. The talent is still limited. The best play will always be defense and I feel Pikiell made a statement tonight and his charges did as well. You scrap for those rebounds, dawg. Pikiell's Junkyard Dogs....if that is the identity this team needs so be it. I am fine with it and okay with this season being on the rough side if we can continue to get it. Iowa will be incredibly tough with their hot outside shooting. Yet the Hawkeyes are vulnerable themselves right now looking to find consistency. Its a team that RU can outough so I am curious to see what the mindset of the team is following the tough loss. I thought they were fragile after Stonehill especially when Pike as praising them. They picked themselves off the ground and sucked it up. Can only gain confidence from a performance like that tonight vs a very likely NCAA team.