Ooh, you know it's alright and it's coming on
We gotta get it right back to where we started from
The last few weeks have painful for all of us. Alot of negativity, some warranted, some driven by emotional frustration and wtf moments. 5 losses, 6 in the last 7, a season unraveling down the hill like an avalanche heading into a dark abyss. Today was different today we finally saw something all RU fans could get behind. Remember the good times. Remember the basketball we saw hints of in Pike's third year and which came to fruition in year 4. Last year's team defined the program. A Team that came out with energy, played hard nosed defense, was opportunistic in transition, with big shot potential by Geo the shot maker. A team who was resilient and tough and physical when challenged. Maxine Nightengale sang it well...."We gotta get it right back to where we started from"
Today we were back to basics. Back to how we used to do it. I touched on it I believe in the Jacob Young thread I started on Thursday night. The thought was perhaps RU got too enamored with a certaih style and lineup which perhaps was not putting this team in position to put its best foot forward. Look almost every single player had struggled coming into this game but it was noticable that in this 7 game stretch RU has got off to some really bad starts. Excessive reliance on forcing the offense through Jacob Young and Montez Mathis to me had led to poor starts and sloppy turnovers and an ineffective offense that was pressing. iknow Geo has taken a ton of criticism this year for just not being the same player and that is leash is too long but the fact remains Geo is the heart and soul of this team. Putting him back into his role where RU had the most success with was definitely worth a try by Coach Pikiell and it immediately paid dividends.
Such a wonderful stat.....in the first 4 and half minutes of the game, all 5 of our starters had made scored. RU was moving the ball around, getting it inside even and most importantly not becoming the predictable drive amongst trees that that we have become used to with Mathis/Young getting alot of early touches. You could see almost immediately the energy was there on the team. Coach Pikiell had challenged them and they responded. Defensively we were tough early and we were rebounding and we were not turning it over. Getting that 15-8 lead early spurred on our confidence. Leaving in our starters with just the sub Cliff for Myles which led to two dunks by Cliff is MAJOR credit to Pikiell for realizing he needed a shakeup. Sometimes you have to play and ride what is working and certainly Pike did today. Geo and Ron both logged 37 minutes and Paul 36. In total the bench only played 37 minutes and only 3 bench players used and Mathis just 3. Sometimes you have to get it right back to where you started from. You play defense, you hustle, you get on the ground for balls, you hit shots, you make shots, you trust your leader Geo.
Geo Baker showed his moxy today. 37 minutes, 7 of 15 shooting, 4-9 threes, 5 assists, 1 turnover 19 points, His best overall game this season. Only against Purdue had even reached 19 points, coincidentally another win. Geo had a big moment in the first half to swing momentum nailing a 3 then on a beautiful pass by Young off a steal, slammed it home. Indiana had gone up 26-24 and suddenly RU was back up 29-26 and never trailed the rest of the way. Geo hit 3 more treys in the 2nd half. All in very timely moments, the biggest of which might have been at 62-59 which allowed RU to get a 6 point cushion, a one they desperately needed as Indiana was chipping away. From there it seemed like Ron Harper took over. Harper was responsible for 6 of RU's last 7 points, including 4 free throws and 3 crucial rebounds and a block. Welcome back Ron Harper. Ron hit a very high degree of difficulty shot at 68-65 to make it a 5 point lead and that wasnt the first time he hit that this game. For Ron it was so nice to see his confidence back, those shots were bricking in the past couple of games, now they were smooth. Ron put in a warrior's effort putting his body on the line in 37 minutes with a team leading 12 boards and 15 points. No his three point shot isnt back yet but this was the kind of game we have been expecting from him. Geo and Ron back in the day were the guys who got it done. Fitting we went right back to where we started from
Myles Johnson had a glorious game today. 8 boards, 5 blocks, 4-4 shooting, 8 points, 27 minutes. Probably his most consistent game this season, he was a force in the paint swatting everything away and converted when his time was called offensively. Myles made the play that one the game for RU. Off a Harper miss with RU just up 3 with 10 seconds left, full of headiness, Myles secured the rebound and quickly passed to Geo. Myles wasnt frustrated today. He kept focus, maybe only one bad foul and the usual phantom one as well. What about Paul Mulcahy. Well Paul might have been the only one to show some passion vs Penn State but you could tell the kid was locked in today. He was not afraid to be physical going to the rim and when his time was called on the perimeter. Paul knocked down a couple of 3s. Pike trusted in Paul alot today, 36 minutes taking minutes away from Mathis and JY who have much higher ceilings defensively. Credit to Paul for answering the challenge. And there is Caleb. Caleb has been shaky since coming back, shot has been there at times but looked pretty poor vs Penn State. Today Caleb inserted in the starting lineup but challenge to just play within himself passed the test. I think this was Caleb's best overall game since coming back because he succeeded on both ends of the court. 3-6 shooting including a 3, Caleb contributed with 2 blocks and 4 boards and no turnovers, giving 4 fouls. Back to the Caleb who isnt the guy trying to force bad shots but the guy who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Cliff look comfortable today. 8 points and 3 rebounds in just 12 minutes. Getting offense from him is a bonus but its important we try to get him the ball when the opportunity exists. Jacob only 22 minutes and a bit shaky late with decision making but contributed 8 points on just 3-7 shooting. Big buy and step up for Jacob today. Minutes and role slashed but by and large he bought into it and that likely just a key development as Geo stepping up. Jacob is an important part of RU's success. I just think we relied too much on him being our top option given his uncanny ability to drive and make some beautiful shots. Sometimes you have to take a step back to see the big picture. The switch today worked. I do not know if its something that is going to work every game but I think Pikiell might be on something here. Mathis just 3 minutes and let us just say Mathis will get his number called again and hopefully responds. He was almost single handedly responsible for the Purdue win. Mathis will win us games in the future. Important that he buys into what Pike is trying to do here so hopefully he has accepted today.
Obvious team looks better when team makes shots. RU shot 51%, 27 for 53 and a decent for them 12-17 at the line. However two things stick out to me...rebounding, RU finally winning at 26-21 and turnovers, RU only turning it over 9 times to Indiana's 12. I think the tone set early led with the effort and better decision making led to both stats being positive for Rutgers. Indiana is a very good offensive team, you saw them start to get hot at times. It was imperative for RU to limit their amount of shots late and RU stepped it up.
College basketball can be a cruel game. RU's futility seemingly snowballed each game. One win could possibly change all that. I am not ready to declare that Rutgers has turned the corner but now getting to 4-6/8-6 has stabilized the wounds of the past month. Where RU goes from here is up to them. After last game I stated I had lost my faith and belief in this team and they would have to prove it to me. Its funny how getting bac to where they started from could bring it bac so quickly
We gotta get it right back to where we started from
The last few weeks have painful for all of us. Alot of negativity, some warranted, some driven by emotional frustration and wtf moments. 5 losses, 6 in the last 7, a season unraveling down the hill like an avalanche heading into a dark abyss. Today was different today we finally saw something all RU fans could get behind. Remember the good times. Remember the basketball we saw hints of in Pike's third year and which came to fruition in year 4. Last year's team defined the program. A Team that came out with energy, played hard nosed defense, was opportunistic in transition, with big shot potential by Geo the shot maker. A team who was resilient and tough and physical when challenged. Maxine Nightengale sang it well...."We gotta get it right back to where we started from"
Today we were back to basics. Back to how we used to do it. I touched on it I believe in the Jacob Young thread I started on Thursday night. The thought was perhaps RU got too enamored with a certaih style and lineup which perhaps was not putting this team in position to put its best foot forward. Look almost every single player had struggled coming into this game but it was noticable that in this 7 game stretch RU has got off to some really bad starts. Excessive reliance on forcing the offense through Jacob Young and Montez Mathis to me had led to poor starts and sloppy turnovers and an ineffective offense that was pressing. iknow Geo has taken a ton of criticism this year for just not being the same player and that is leash is too long but the fact remains Geo is the heart and soul of this team. Putting him back into his role where RU had the most success with was definitely worth a try by Coach Pikiell and it immediately paid dividends.
Such a wonderful stat.....in the first 4 and half minutes of the game, all 5 of our starters had made scored. RU was moving the ball around, getting it inside even and most importantly not becoming the predictable drive amongst trees that that we have become used to with Mathis/Young getting alot of early touches. You could see almost immediately the energy was there on the team. Coach Pikiell had challenged them and they responded. Defensively we were tough early and we were rebounding and we were not turning it over. Getting that 15-8 lead early spurred on our confidence. Leaving in our starters with just the sub Cliff for Myles which led to two dunks by Cliff is MAJOR credit to Pikiell for realizing he needed a shakeup. Sometimes you have to play and ride what is working and certainly Pike did today. Geo and Ron both logged 37 minutes and Paul 36. In total the bench only played 37 minutes and only 3 bench players used and Mathis just 3. Sometimes you have to get it right back to where you started from. You play defense, you hustle, you get on the ground for balls, you hit shots, you make shots, you trust your leader Geo.
Geo Baker showed his moxy today. 37 minutes, 7 of 15 shooting, 4-9 threes, 5 assists, 1 turnover 19 points, His best overall game this season. Only against Purdue had even reached 19 points, coincidentally another win. Geo had a big moment in the first half to swing momentum nailing a 3 then on a beautiful pass by Young off a steal, slammed it home. Indiana had gone up 26-24 and suddenly RU was back up 29-26 and never trailed the rest of the way. Geo hit 3 more treys in the 2nd half. All in very timely moments, the biggest of which might have been at 62-59 which allowed RU to get a 6 point cushion, a one they desperately needed as Indiana was chipping away. From there it seemed like Ron Harper took over. Harper was responsible for 6 of RU's last 7 points, including 4 free throws and 3 crucial rebounds and a block. Welcome back Ron Harper. Ron hit a very high degree of difficulty shot at 68-65 to make it a 5 point lead and that wasnt the first time he hit that this game. For Ron it was so nice to see his confidence back, those shots were bricking in the past couple of games, now they were smooth. Ron put in a warrior's effort putting his body on the line in 37 minutes with a team leading 12 boards and 15 points. No his three point shot isnt back yet but this was the kind of game we have been expecting from him. Geo and Ron back in the day were the guys who got it done. Fitting we went right back to where we started from
Myles Johnson had a glorious game today. 8 boards, 5 blocks, 4-4 shooting, 8 points, 27 minutes. Probably his most consistent game this season, he was a force in the paint swatting everything away and converted when his time was called offensively. Myles made the play that one the game for RU. Off a Harper miss with RU just up 3 with 10 seconds left, full of headiness, Myles secured the rebound and quickly passed to Geo. Myles wasnt frustrated today. He kept focus, maybe only one bad foul and the usual phantom one as well. What about Paul Mulcahy. Well Paul might have been the only one to show some passion vs Penn State but you could tell the kid was locked in today. He was not afraid to be physical going to the rim and when his time was called on the perimeter. Paul knocked down a couple of 3s. Pike trusted in Paul alot today, 36 minutes taking minutes away from Mathis and JY who have much higher ceilings defensively. Credit to Paul for answering the challenge. And there is Caleb. Caleb has been shaky since coming back, shot has been there at times but looked pretty poor vs Penn State. Today Caleb inserted in the starting lineup but challenge to just play within himself passed the test. I think this was Caleb's best overall game since coming back because he succeeded on both ends of the court. 3-6 shooting including a 3, Caleb contributed with 2 blocks and 4 boards and no turnovers, giving 4 fouls. Back to the Caleb who isnt the guy trying to force bad shots but the guy who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Cliff look comfortable today. 8 points and 3 rebounds in just 12 minutes. Getting offense from him is a bonus but its important we try to get him the ball when the opportunity exists. Jacob only 22 minutes and a bit shaky late with decision making but contributed 8 points on just 3-7 shooting. Big buy and step up for Jacob today. Minutes and role slashed but by and large he bought into it and that likely just a key development as Geo stepping up. Jacob is an important part of RU's success. I just think we relied too much on him being our top option given his uncanny ability to drive and make some beautiful shots. Sometimes you have to take a step back to see the big picture. The switch today worked. I do not know if its something that is going to work every game but I think Pikiell might be on something here. Mathis just 3 minutes and let us just say Mathis will get his number called again and hopefully responds. He was almost single handedly responsible for the Purdue win. Mathis will win us games in the future. Important that he buys into what Pike is trying to do here so hopefully he has accepted today.
Obvious team looks better when team makes shots. RU shot 51%, 27 for 53 and a decent for them 12-17 at the line. However two things stick out to me...rebounding, RU finally winning at 26-21 and turnovers, RU only turning it over 9 times to Indiana's 12. I think the tone set early led with the effort and better decision making led to both stats being positive for Rutgers. Indiana is a very good offensive team, you saw them start to get hot at times. It was imperative for RU to limit their amount of shots late and RU stepped it up.
College basketball can be a cruel game. RU's futility seemingly snowballed each game. One win could possibly change all that. I am not ready to declare that Rutgers has turned the corner but now getting to 4-6/8-6 has stabilized the wounds of the past month. Where RU goes from here is up to them. After last game I stated I had lost my faith and belief in this team and they would have to prove it to me. Its funny how getting bac to where they started from could bring it bac so quickly
