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GAME 17 MINNESOTA: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

bac2therac

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Jul 30, 2001
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Belle Mead NJ
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town
Just spread the word around


Okay I am going to repeat myself.... Yes I told you before its all about GETTING RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM. Let's face it. Expectations have changed. Look no further than the game thread. Down 2 at halftime and it was like we were down double digits. That is perfectly okay. Expectations should be higher because we know this team can play better than it has and that is why its so frustrating to watch. Tonight we dug out another ugly yet beautiful win. See I am starting to repeat myself again. Thats what happens when you string 4 straight Big 10 wins for the first time in history and I do not even remember the last time in another conference we won 4 straight. Winning with defense, winning with lunch pail, winning with putting your head down and clawing your way to a win, winning by working hard, nothing fancy, nothing flashy, doing it the way Pikiell excited us in the previous seasons. The gang is back together again....Geo, Myles, Ron, Caleb and Paul. The boys are back in town...just spread the word around. This is what makes Rutgers basketball. This is the bread and butter. Guess who's back in town, this is how we have turned the season around

Much of this game was ugly. RU was not playing with purpose and not playing with the urgency that you would think on its home court. Minnesota is a nice team but I did not think they were doing anything particularly dicey on either end of the court. RU was hampered by a bevy of mistakes from the bench but lets also note excuse some of the starters were also playing poorly. At the end of 5 game skid, there was a consensus on the board that we needed to go back to basics and make a change which would mean Young and Mathis out of the starting lineup and reduced minutes for at least one if not both. It is clear that Coach Pikiell and his staff made that crucial move that saved the season and the shot at a NCAA bid. I have no doubt about it that this lineup shakeup was perhaps THE best move in Pikiell's tenure here. A bold move that potentially can ruffle some feathers but one that had to be made in order for the program to move forward. Last 3 games, RU very strong starts with big drop off with subs. Seems like once that happens in all 3 games, even the starters go into a funk. In the last 5-6 minutes of this game, RU again relied solely on its starting lineup to grind out this victory and its so rewarding to see a lunch pail guy like Caleb make huge plays late and a struggling star in Harper once again come up huge in the late stages. Throw in the Geo patented shot making shot and Myles presence on defense and Paul's headiness.

I kept saying in the game thread that this game was unfolding just like Iowa. RU out to an early lead, then let Iowa retake lead, then played even. RU didnt play particularly bad versus Iowa, its just that they could never come with a stop when they needed too. In this game, it wasnt looking good, Minnesota seemingly got every bounce and lucky break, 3s from a big man, were getting two shots everytime down as they were outboarding us for that stretch. Then things changed. Caleb was the catalyst. Admittedly I thought Caleb played too much in the first half and needed glasses his shot was so off. In the latter stages though he had a look in his eye. 2 consecutive boards, 2 free throws and 2 buckets and a dunk off of a steal to complete to score 8 straight RU points and all of sudden the game was tied at 60. Caleb, Caleb Caleb feel so good for you that you stepped up to the plate. Caleb's play sparked a huge monmentum shift but Caleb was not done, his 3 point shot at 1:38 pushed RU into the lead at 71-70. Caleb went for 14 points on 5-11 shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals in his best game since I don't know when. Yet for all Caleb contributed, all of the starters were vital down the stretch. Myles was a defensive monster in that stretch and it was Myles that largely kept RU in the game to that point. 7-8 shooting, 15 points, a whopping 12 boards and 3 blocks. As good as big guy was for Minnesota, it was steady Myles that matched him. What about Ron...well again like a few recent games, just all out struggling with his shot and at times not looking good on defense but Ron showed up in crunch time. Consecutive rebounds off of Minnesota misses in the last minute and then nailing 3 foul shots. An overall spotty game but Ron continues to show he will contribute and make winning plays even if his shots are not falling. Ron did that tonight, we needed every bit of what he gave us late. Geo was quiet much of the game but damn when he showed up he showed. A layup here, a jumper there, two free throws, and oh just his patent step back jumper. Geo scored 8 points in a key stretch, the only other bucket was the Caleb 3 but it was his beauty at 1:01, a long jumper right on line that put RU up 73-72 a lead they would never relinquish. To top it all off, Geo secured the game sealing rebound off the Ron missed free throw. The boys are back in to ow own....just spread the word around

I thought Mathis was solid in his limited minutes. He had one ugly shot but his 3 buckets were pretty nice looking and I thought he played under control, maybe should have some more minutes early but I was content with him not being in late. I think Mathis can contribute alot to this team in the future so I like he is buying into his new role. I will not get too much into the JY situation because its polarizing here. JY will be counted on this year for sure. We need a locked in JY, he is a part of success. However he is not the main cog and again thats what we realized in our 5 game skid. Our ceiling may not be as high but the lunch pail kids are the ones I trust and apparently Pike trust to dig out these wins. Obviously JY needs to be integrated sooner than later. RU cannot survive with just 5 starters for 10 minutes at a time. JY is well beyond the time where making stupid mistakes should be tolerated and until he straightens it out the best solution for this team is to go with what got you there in the first place. I applaud how Pikiell is handling this and the last piece of the puzzle is getting JY's head on straight and to realize when things are going sideways

Have to make special mention of the free throw shooting. I believe RU started 3-8 and they finished at 18-25....hitting 15 of their last 17. Quite a spectacular clip for a team that has just been struggling all year. Don't ever say free throws do not matter because if this team shot is regular clip they lose tonight.

oh and one more thing. I would never want Marcus Carr on my team, in fact Minnesota's college hoops IQ might rival some horrible Jordan/Hill teams. Carr the star was a big fat zero with his horrific mistakes down the stretch most notably dribbles to nowhere leading to a wasted timeout and then a just stupid 3 point shot with 23 seconds on the clock when a simple drive to the basket would do. I know they had no timeouts but man Pitino looks pretty small after this game. I would imagine the Minnesota fans were pissed to the say the least which their meltdown. Not fouling Geo after the Harper miss was further proof of a poorly coached team. Waaaaaaaaah Oh Ricky


Enjoy Rutgers fans, enjoy this win, no game until next Tuesday. Two weeks ago, RU had just lost their 5th in a row, were 7-6 and just 3-6 in league and this board was like a wake. Now 4 in a row, 7-6 in league with a top 4 finish still in their grasp, a NET that probably lands in the top 25 and 3 wins away from a virtual NCAA tournament lock.


 
Flipped through to find the last conference 4 game win streak. Once again, 2003-04.
16Sat, Jan 24, 2004REGSt. John's (NY)Big EastW7870106W 1Louis Brown Athletic Center
17Wed, Jan 28, 2004REG@VillanovaBig EastW7168116W 2Wells Fargo Center
18Sat, Jan 31, 2004REGNotre DameBig EastW8170126W 3Louis Brown Athletic Center
19Wed, Feb 4, 2004REGMiami (FL)Big EastW7270OT136W 4Louis Brown Athletic Center
 
yep I was at that Nova game, at the Ski Lodge. We thought that was the year.
I was there too. Showed up without tickets and struggled to scalp...

Crazy idea here: how about dinner time on the second team with Duke and Cliff, twin towers. Might but is a couple of rebounds and some interior D, while Cliff learns there college game.

Oh and can we please stop forcing the alley oops. Take them when they are there. Don't pass into tight windows...

Solid win
 
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The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town
Just spread the word around


Okay I am going to repeat myself.... Yes I told you before its all about GETTING RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM. Let's face it. Expectations have changed. Look no further than the game thread. Down 2 at halftime and it was like we were down double digits. That is perfectly okay. Expectations should be higher because we know this team can play better than it has and that is why its so frustrating to watch. Tonight we dug out another ugly yet beautiful win. See I am starting to repeat myself again. Thats what happens when you string 4 straight Big 10 wins for the first time in history and I do not even remember the last time in another conference we won 4 straight. Winning with defense, winning with lunch pail, winning with putting your head down and clawing your way to a win, winning by working hard, nothing fancy, nothing flashy, doing it the way Pikiell excited us in the previous seasons. The gang is back together again....Geo, Myles, Ron, Caleb and Paul. The boys are back in town...just spread the word around. This is what makes Rutgers basketball. This is the bread and butter. Guess who's back in town, this is how we have turned the season around

Much of this game was ugly. RU was not playing with purpose and not playing with the urgency that you would think on its home court. Minnesota is a nice team but I did not think they were doing anything particularly dicey on either end of the court. RU was hampered by a bevy of mistakes from the bench but lets also note excuse some of the starters were also playing poorly. At the end of 5 game skid, there was a consensus on the board that we needed to go back to basics and make a change which would mean Young and Mathis out of the starting lineup and reduced minutes for at least one if not both. It is clear that Coach Pikiell and his staff made that crucial move that saved the season and the shot at a NCAA bid. I have no doubt about it that this lineup shakeup was perhaps THE best move in Pikiell's tenure here. A bold move that potentially can ruffle some feathers but one that had to be made in order for the program to move forward. Last 3 games, RU very strong starts with big drop off with subs. Seems like once that happens in all 3 games, even the starters go into a funk. In the last 5-6 minutes of this game, RU again relied solely on its starting lineup to grind out this victory and its so rewarding to see a lunch pail guy like Caleb make huge plays late and a struggling star in Harper once again come up huge in the late stages. Throw in the Geo patented shot making shot and Myles presence on defense and Paul's headiness.

I kept saying in the game thread that this game was unfolding just like Iowa. RU out to an early lead, then let Iowa retake lead, then played even. RU didnt play particularly bad versus Iowa, its just that they could never come with a stop when they needed too. In this game, it wasnt looking good, Minnesota seemingly got every bounce and lucky break, 3s from a big man, were getting two shots everytime down as they were outboarding us for that stretch. Then things changed. Caleb was the catalyst. Admittedly I thought Caleb played too much in the first half and needed glasses his shot was so off. In the latter stages though he had a look in his eye. 2 consecutive boards, 2 free throws and 2 buckets and a dunk off of a steal to complete to score 8 straight RU points and all of sudden the game was tied at 60. Caleb, Caleb Caleb feel so good for you that you stepped up to the plate. Caleb's play sparked a huge monmentum shift but Caleb was not done, his 3 point shot at 1:38 pushed RU into the lead at 71-70. Caleb went for 14 points on 5-11 shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals in his best game since I don't know when. Yet for all Caleb contributed, all of the starters were vital down the stretch. Myles was a defensive monster in that stretch and it was Myles that largely kept RU in the game to that point. 7-8 shooting, 15 points, a whopping 12 boards and 3 blocks. As good as big guy was for Minnesota, it was steady Myles that matched him. What about Ron...well again like a few recent games, just all out struggling with his shot and at times not looking good on defense but Ron showed up in crunch time. Consecutive rebounds off of Minnesota misses in the last minute and then nailing 3 foul shots. An overall spotty game but Ron continues to show he will contribute and make winning plays even if his shots are not falling. Ron did that tonight, we needed every bit of what he gave us late. Geo was quiet much of the game but damn when he showed up he showed. A layup here, a jumper there, two free throws, and oh just his patent step back jumper. Geo scored 8 points in a key stretch, the only other bucket was the Caleb 3 but it was his beauty at 1:01, a long jumper right on line that put RU up 73-72 a lead they would never relinquish. To top it all off, Geo secured the game sealing rebound off the Ron missed free throw. The boys are back in to ow own....just spread the word around

I thought Mathis was solid in his limited minutes. He had one ugly shot but his 3 buckets were pretty nice looking and I thought he played under control, maybe should have some more minutes early but I was content with him not being in late. I think Mathis can contribute alot to this team in the future so I like he is buying into his new role. I will not get too much into the JY situation because its polarizing here. JY will be counted on this year for sure. We need a locked in JY, he is a part of success. However he is not the main cog and again thats what we realized in our 5 game skid. Our ceiling may not be as high but the lunch pail kids are the ones I trust and apparently Pike trust to dig out these wins. Obviously JY needs to be integrated sooner than later. RU cannot survive with just 5 starters for 10 minutes at a time. JY is well beyond the time where making stupid mistakes should be tolerated and until he straightens it out the best solution for this team is to go with what got you there in the first place. I applaud how Pikiell is handling this and the last piece of the puzzle is getting JY's head on straight and to realize when things are going sideways

Have to make special mention of the free throw shooting. I believe RU started 3-8 and they finished at 18-25....hitting 15 of their last 17. Quite a spectacular clip for a team that has just been struggling all year. Don't ever say free throws do not matter because if this team shot is regular clip they lose tonight.

oh and one more thing. I would never want Marcus Carr on my team, in fact Minnesota's college hoops IQ might rival some horrible Jordan/Hill teams. Carr the star was a big fat zero with his horrific mistakes down the stretch most notably dribbles to nowhere leading to a wasted timeout and then a just stupid 3 point shot with 23 seconds on the clock when a simple drive to the basket would do. I know they had no timeouts but man Pitino looks pretty small after this game. I would imagine the Minnesota fans were pissed to the say the least which their meltdown. Not fouling Geo after the Harper miss was further proof of a poorly coached team. Waaaaaaaaah Oh Ricky


Enjoy Rutgers fans, enjoy this win, no game until next Tuesday. Two weeks ago, RU had just lost their 5th in a row, were 7-6 and just 3-6 in league and this board was like a wake. Now 4 in a row, 7-6 in league with a top 4 finish still in their grasp, a NET that probably lands in the top 25 and 3 wins away from a virtual NCAA tournament lock.


Nice summary as usual. Only significant quibble is 3 more wins is an absolute lock and 2 more wins is a virtual lock, to me, given our high quality wins, including 3 on the road. But I'm actually thinking we win 4 more, which would make us a 7 seed or so.
 
Nice summary as usual. Only significant quibble is 3 more wins is an absolute lock and 2 more wins is a virtual lock, to me, given our high quality wins, including 3 on the road. But I'm actually thinking we win 4 more, which would make us a 7 seed or so.

5 or 6. Team is out of synch and locked in both. Iowa game in the 60's with than leaving the court shaking their heads wondering how they just lost to us.
 
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town
Just spread the word around


Okay I am going to repeat myself.... Yes I told you before its all about GETTING RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM. Let's face it. Expectations have changed. Look no further than the game thread. Down 2 at halftime and it was like we were down double digits. That is perfectly okay. Expectations should be higher because we know this team can play better than it has and that is why its so frustrating to watch. Tonight we dug out another ugly yet beautiful win. See I am starting to repeat myself again. Thats what happens when you string 4 straight Big 10 wins for the first time in history and I do not even remember the last time in another conference we won 4 straight. Winning with defense, winning with lunch pail, winning with putting your head down and clawing your way to a win, winning by working hard, nothing fancy, nothing flashy, doing it the way Pikiell excited us in the previous seasons. The gang is back together again....Geo, Myles, Ron, Caleb and Paul. The boys are back in town...just spread the word around. This is what makes Rutgers basketball. This is the bread and butter. Guess who's back in town, this is how we have turned the season around

Much of this game was ugly. RU was not playing with purpose and not playing with the urgency that you would think on its home court. Minnesota is a nice team but I did not think they were doing anything particularly dicey on either end of the court. RU was hampered by a bevy of mistakes from the bench but lets also note excuse some of the starters were also playing poorly. At the end of 5 game skid, there was a consensus on the board that we needed to go back to basics and make a change which would mean Young and Mathis out of the starting lineup and reduced minutes for at least one if not both. It is clear that Coach Pikiell and his staff made that crucial move that saved the season and the shot at a NCAA bid. I have no doubt about it that this lineup shakeup was perhaps THE best move in Pikiell's tenure here. A bold move that potentially can ruffle some feathers but one that had to be made in order for the program to move forward. Last 3 games, RU very strong starts with big drop off with subs. Seems like once that happens in all 3 games, even the starters go into a funk. In the last 5-6 minutes of this game, RU again relied solely on its starting lineup to grind out this victory and its so rewarding to see a lunch pail guy like Caleb make huge plays late and a struggling star in Harper once again come up huge in the late stages. Throw in the Geo patented shot making shot and Myles presence on defense and Paul's headiness.

I kept saying in the game thread that this game was unfolding just like Iowa. RU out to an early lead, then let Iowa retake lead, then played even. RU didnt play particularly bad versus Iowa, its just that they could never come with a stop when they needed too. In this game, it wasnt looking good, Minnesota seemingly got every bounce and lucky break, 3s from a big man, were getting two shots everytime down as they were outboarding us for that stretch. Then things changed. Caleb was the catalyst. Admittedly I thought Caleb played too much in the first half and needed glasses his shot was so off. In the latter stages though he had a look in his eye. 2 consecutive boards, 2 free throws and 2 buckets and a dunk off of a steal to complete to score 8 straight RU points and all of sudden the game was tied at 60. Caleb, Caleb Caleb feel so good for you that you stepped up to the plate. Caleb's play sparked a huge monmentum shift but Caleb was not done, his 3 point shot at 1:38 pushed RU into the lead at 71-70. Caleb went for 14 points on 5-11 shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals in his best game since I don't know when. Yet for all Caleb contributed, all of the starters were vital down the stretch. Myles was a defensive monster in that stretch and it was Myles that largely kept RU in the game to that point. 7-8 shooting, 15 points, a whopping 12 boards and 3 blocks. As good as big guy was for Minnesota, it was steady Myles that matched him. What about Ron...well again like a few recent games, just all out struggling with his shot and at times not looking good on defense but Ron showed up in crunch time. Consecutive rebounds off of Minnesota misses in the last minute and then nailing 3 foul shots. An overall spotty game but Ron continues to show he will contribute and make winning plays even if his shots are not falling. Ron did that tonight, we needed every bit of what he gave us late. Geo was quiet much of the game but damn when he showed up he showed. A layup here, a jumper there, two free throws, and oh just his patent step back jumper. Geo scored 8 points in a key stretch, the only other bucket was the Caleb 3 but it was his beauty at 1:01, a long jumper right on line that put RU up 73-72 a lead they would never relinquish. To top it all off, Geo secured the game sealing rebound off the Ron missed free throw. The boys are back in to ow own....just spread the word around

I thought Mathis was solid in his limited minutes. He had one ugly shot but his 3 buckets were pretty nice looking and I thought he played under control, maybe should have some more minutes early but I was content with him not being in late. I think Mathis can contribute alot to this team in the future so I like he is buying into his new role. I will not get too much into the JY situation because its polarizing here. JY will be counted on this year for sure. We need a locked in JY, he is a part of success. However he is not the main cog and again thats what we realized in our 5 game skid. Our ceiling may not be as high but the lunch pail kids are the ones I trust and apparently Pike trust to dig out these wins. Obviously JY needs to be integrated sooner than later. RU cannot survive with just 5 starters for 10 minutes at a time. JY is well beyond the time where making stupid mistakes should be tolerated and until he straightens it out the best solution for this team is to go with what got you there in the first place. I applaud how Pikiell is handling this and the last piece of the puzzle is getting JY's head on straight and to realize when things are going sideways

Have to make special mention of the free throw shooting. I believe RU started 3-8 and they finished at 18-25....hitting 15 of their last 17. Quite a spectacular clip for a team that has just been struggling all year. Don't ever say free throws do not matter because if this team shot is regular clip they lose tonight.

oh and one more thing. I would never want Marcus Carr on my team, in fact Minnesota's college hoops IQ might rival some horrible Jordan/Hill teams. Carr the star was a big fat zero with his horrific mistakes down the stretch most notably dribbles to nowhere leading to a wasted timeout and then a just stupid 3 point shot with 23 seconds on the clock when a simple drive to the basket would do. I know they had no timeouts but man Pitino looks pretty small after this game. I would imagine the Minnesota fans were pissed to the say the least which their meltdown. Not fouling Geo after the Harper miss was further proof of a poorly coached team. Waaaaaaaaah Oh Ricky


Enjoy Rutgers fans, enjoy this win, no game until next Tuesday. Two weeks ago, RU had just lost their 5th in a row, were 7-6 and just 3-6 in league and this board was like a wake. Now 4 in a row, 7-6 in league with a top 4 finish still in their grasp, a NET that probably lands in the top 25 and 3 wins away from a virtual NCAA tournament lock.


Mathis is a great all around player despite his occasional lapses. But his unique contribution is that when the O stalls, he has the skills and balls to get us some clutch baskets to keep us in the game until the rest of the team regroups. This has happened in many games where the O is flat, and Mathis gets 2-3 clutch baskets in a row for us, and then he's mostly done. You can't build a successful offense around a guy that goes 1 on 5 and makes a circus shot that goes in. But he makes those shots consistently enough and it has saved some games for us.

I'm not saying that's his only contribution. Not at all, but that's one thing he seems to consistently do.
 
Mathis is a great all around player despite his occasional lapses. But his unique contribution is that when the O stalls, he has the skills and balls to get us some clutch baskets to keep us in the game until the rest of the team regroups. This has happened in many games where the O is flat, and Mathis gets 2-3 clutch baskets in a row for us, and then he's mostly done. You can't build a successful offense around a guy that goes 1 on 5 and makes a circus shot that goes in. But he makes those shots consistently enough and it has saved some games for us.

I'm not saying that's his only contribution. Not at all, but that's one thing he seems to consistently do.
Yeah he is great on defense he had that one block it may have been on Carr going in for a layup from behind
 
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I had to be at work early. The team started to annoy me so I went to bed early in the second half. Figured, maybe I'll wake up and be pleasantly surprised which I was. If I had not checked the score and come to this board first and read the threads, I would have thought we lost. Speaks to the raised expectations of fans that Bac notes in his recap. Sometimes I get annoyed by that, but it's the direct result of the program's transformation and that's good to see.
 
I thought Minnesota was in great position to win the game until the last couple of minutes. Seemed like the long rebounds, 50/50 balls and unforced miscues were all trending in their direction. To RU's credit they overcame a significant amount of adversity and pulled out an important W.

Every W is important because you never know when COVID is going to come knocking at your door. The number of nightly postponements is eye opening. Given what is going on with women's Bball and now wrestling it is a tribute to the team that they are doing their best to remain safe and healthy. That sacrifices component of Geo's message the other day got lost with his other less thoughtful comments.

Myles was really good again last night and the increased offensive output is a difference maker. I was concerned he was coming too far out to double on Carr down the stretch but it worked. Geo was Mr. Big shot down the stretch and Ron made some key FT's. I did not think we could win a game with JY having another 6 TO's but the overall team number was lower and I think he and Paul had 10 of the 12. Of course no one asked Pike about this after the game.

Finally, back to my first point about Minny being in a good position to win, I am not sure what Pitino was thinking about on the last couple of possessions on both end of the floor. He needed to extend the game and did just the opposite. Just glaring mistakes IMO.
 
Nice summary as usual. Only significant quibble is 3 more wins is an absolute lock and 2 more wins is a virtual lock, to me, given our high quality wins, including 3 on the road. But I'm actually thinking we win 4 more, which would make us a 7 seed or so.
I find the seeding crap confusing and BS at times. During the game against Minnesota, BTN flashes a graph showing both teams' resumes and where they would be seeded. Minnesota was a 7th seed while Rutgers was a 10th, but Rutgers was better in every category used to argue for seedings.
 
The seeding is actually the most interesting and crucial part IMHO, unless you are on the last four in/out line.
 
Jacob Young is shooting 45% on threes in Big Ten play and yet has a below-average offensive rating. That's very hard to pull off, but man the unforced turnovers need to stop. He's had six turnovers in 2 of our last 3 games. In the final 6 games of last season, he had five turnovers COMBINED.
 
I find the seeding crap confusing and BS at times. During the game against Minnesota, BTN flashes a graph showing both teams' resumes and where they would be seeded. Minnesota was a 7th seed while Rutgers was a 10th, but Rutgers was better in every category used to argue for seedings.


its just a snapshot in time, RU took a hit in bracketology with the 5 game losing streak, last night win completed the recovery and we flipped ahead Minnesota in most predicted brackets although there a few dopes like Bracketwag out there.
 
Anyone else notice Harper slipping all over the place with new sneakers? That should not happen at a home game?
Thought Mulcahy hitting early three and several great assists was a big key.
Was also impressed with Mulcahy going coast to coast and almost hitting the shot before the buzzer.
Baker, McConnell and Johnson, the game balls, sounds like a law firm. ;-). All three had solid games.
Dying to know what that T was as it sure didn't look like much on TV. Ref with rabbit ears? Did not appear that Young directed his actions against anybody. Weird calls by refs could have again cost us the game. What happened to warnings? He still plays great D, hustles and 3's were huge. Turnovers and technical not so much.
Hard to believe that Myles isn't nominated with other centers.
Mathis had nice minutes off the bench.
Amazing that we are winning getting absolutely nothing from Harper, 2 for 8? 3 Rebounds? 4 fouls? Most minutes on team? He might need to sit a bit more too. Clutch fouls shots though! Kudos.
We won this game at the line. That's a very good sign! Cliff going 3-4! Nice!
Carr at times looked like good Corey. Last minute not so much.
Their center was better than I thought, They may be a tough out on the road. Although not sure Mashburn was all that. Maybe if we hound the first two. Then again Minny may be playing for an NCAA bid that last game.
Kinda cool having three sons of NBA players on the court.
Great D making Minny burn all timeouts were crucial moments of the game.
We turned over the ball way too much (JY) but at the end we valued possessions.
Winning ugly is the mark of a good team.
 
nice work as always bac!

you may avoid the JY situation but I won't. he needs to get his f'in head screwed on straight but quick. I've about had it with his nonsense. That turnover-PF-TF sequence got him a firm seat on the bench and he didn't even take his warm-up shirt off afterward. Deserved, yes but he's letting his teammates down in a big way. This endless dribbling to nowhere with no intent has got to stop and if the gimme layup isn't there, please don't force it against bigger defenders. This is bad, out of control JY we saw at beginning of last season, and he progressed so nicely second half of last season then early this season but has regressed. Pike needs to have a heart to heart with him and maybe some of his teammates do as well (Geo, Myles). Wake up JY!

Not worried about RHJ, he'll round back into form he just needs to keep swinging. I have full confidence in him.
 
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nice work as always bac!

you may avoid the JY situation but I won't. he needs to get his f'in head screwed on straight but quick. I've about had it with his nonsense. That turnover-PF-TF sequence got him a firm seat on the bench and he didn't even take his warm-up shirt off afterward. Deserved, yes but he's letting his teammates down in a big way. This endless dribbling to nowhere with no intent has got to stop and if the gimme layup isn't there, please don't force it against bigger defenders. This is bad, out of control JY we saw at beginning of last season, and he progressed so nicely second half of last season then early this season but has regressed. Pike needs to have a heart to heart with him and maybe some of his teammates do as well (Geo, Myles). Wake up JY!

Not worried about RHJ, he'll round back into form he just needs to keep swinging. I have full confidence in him.


cannot argue. We are all rooting for JY and we know he will hit some big shots for us, we need him. As for Ron what I liked the past few games is that his shot isnt there but he is contributing in crunch time whether a big rebound, big shot or free throws, that is a good sign
 
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One other thought. He can sure hold down the fort when Myles is on the bench better than Duke/Riemer we've seen that but......Cliff is raw. He's getting by on shear athleticism. Glad he's on our team, but lots of work needed. A year of coaching some big man fundamentals and hitting the weight room look out. Really shows how important the pre-conference schedule is to acclimate freshmen to the college game
 
One other thought. He can sure hold down the fort when Myles is on the bench better than Duke/Riemer we've seen that but......Cliff is raw. He's getting by on shear athleticism. Glad he's on our team, but lots of work needed. A year of coaching some big man fundamentals and hitting the weight room look out. Really shows how important the pre-conference schedule is to acclimate freshmen to the college game

Just to tack on to this, think about who he has to go up against each and every night in the BIG. Guys like Garza, Cockburn, Robbins, etc. its a gauntlet for a guy like Myles to lock them down but for a raw freshman to jump right in is a monumental task. I think that gets lost in this as well. Love the energy effort & what potential Cliff has so not concerned with his development at all. Just as you said not having a pre-conference schedule and than the injury all obstacles to overcome. Looking forward to seeing his development during the rest of the year and beyond. Think he can actually be a big who seems to have some shot form from the line that might translate to a mid range game.
 
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town
Just spread the word around


Okay I am going to repeat myself.... Yes I told you before its all about GETTING RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM. Let's face it. Expectations have changed. Look no further than the game thread. Down 2 at halftime and it was like we were down double digits. That is perfectly okay. Expectations should be higher because we know this team can play better than it has and that is why its so frustrating to watch. Tonight we dug out another ugly yet beautiful win. See I am starting to repeat myself again. Thats what happens when you string 4 straight Big 10 wins for the first time in history and I do not even remember the last time in another conference we won 4 straight. Winning with defense, winning with lunch pail, winning with putting your head down and clawing your way to a win, winning by working hard, nothing fancy, nothing flashy, doing it the way Pikiell excited us in the previous seasons. The gang is back together again....Geo, Myles, Ron, Caleb and Paul. The boys are back in town...just spread the word around. This is what makes Rutgers basketball. This is the bread and butter. Guess who's back in town, this is how we have turned the season around

Much of this game was ugly. RU was not playing with purpose and not playing with the urgency that you would think on its home court. Minnesota is a nice team but I did not think they were doing anything particularly dicey on either end of the court. RU was hampered by a bevy of mistakes from the bench but lets also note excuse some of the starters were also playing poorly. At the end of 5 game skid, there was a consensus on the board that we needed to go back to basics and make a change which would mean Young and Mathis out of the starting lineup and reduced minutes for at least one if not both. It is clear that Coach Pikiell and his staff made that crucial move that saved the season and the shot at a NCAA bid. I have no doubt about it that this lineup shakeup was perhaps THE best move in Pikiell's tenure here. A bold move that potentially can ruffle some feathers but one that had to be made in order for the program to move forward. Last 3 games, RU very strong starts with big drop off with subs. Seems like once that happens in all 3 games, even the starters go into a funk. In the last 5-6 minutes of this game, RU again relied solely on its starting lineup to grind out this victory and its so rewarding to see a lunch pail guy like Caleb make huge plays late and a struggling star in Harper once again come up huge in the late stages. Throw in the Geo patented shot making shot and Myles presence on defense and Paul's headiness.

I kept saying in the game thread that this game was unfolding just like Iowa. RU out to an early lead, then let Iowa retake lead, then played even. RU didnt play particularly bad versus Iowa, its just that they could never come with a stop when they needed too. In this game, it wasnt looking good, Minnesota seemingly got every bounce and lucky break, 3s from a big man, were getting two shots everytime down as they were outboarding us for that stretch. Then things changed. Caleb was the catalyst. Admittedly I thought Caleb played too much in the first half and needed glasses his shot was so off. In the latter stages though he had a look in his eye. 2 consecutive boards, 2 free throws and 2 buckets and a dunk off of a steal to complete to score 8 straight RU points and all of sudden the game was tied at 60. Caleb, Caleb Caleb feel so good for you that you stepped up to the plate. Caleb's play sparked a huge monmentum shift but Caleb was not done, his 3 point shot at 1:38 pushed RU into the lead at 71-70. Caleb went for 14 points on 5-11 shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals in his best game since I don't know when. Yet for all Caleb contributed, all of the starters were vital down the stretch. Myles was a defensive monster in that stretch and it was Myles that largely kept RU in the game to that point. 7-8 shooting, 15 points, a whopping 12 boards and 3 blocks. As good as big guy was for Minnesota, it was steady Myles that matched him. What about Ron...well again like a few recent games, just all out struggling with his shot and at times not looking good on defense but Ron showed up in crunch time. Consecutive rebounds off of Minnesota misses in the last minute and then nailing 3 foul shots. An overall spotty game but Ron continues to show he will contribute and make winning plays even if his shots are not falling. Ron did that tonight, we needed every bit of what he gave us late. Geo was quiet much of the game but damn when he showed up he showed. A layup here, a jumper there, two free throws, and oh just his patent step back jumper. Geo scored 8 points in a key stretch, the only other bucket was the Caleb 3 but it was his beauty at 1:01, a long jumper right on line that put RU up 73-72 a lead they would never relinquish. To top it all off, Geo secured the game sealing rebound off the Ron missed free throw. The boys are back in to ow own....just spread the word around

I thought Mathis was solid in his limited minutes. He had one ugly shot but his 3 buckets were pretty nice looking and I thought he played under control, maybe should have some more minutes early but I was content with him not being in late. I think Mathis can contribute alot to this team in the future so I like he is buying into his new role. I will not get too much into the JY situation because its polarizing here. JY will be counted on this year for sure. We need a locked in JY, he is a part of success. However he is not the main cog and again thats what we realized in our 5 game skid. Our ceiling may not be as high but the lunch pail kids are the ones I trust and apparently Pike trust to dig out these wins. Obviously JY needs to be integrated sooner than later. RU cannot survive with just 5 starters for 10 minutes at a time. JY is well beyond the time where making stupid mistakes should be tolerated and until he straightens it out the best solution for this team is to go with what got you there in the first place. I applaud how Pikiell is handling this and the last piece of the puzzle is getting JY's head on straight and to realize when things are going sideways

Have to make special mention of the free throw shooting. I believe RU started 3-8 and they finished at 18-25....hitting 15 of their last 17. Quite a spectacular clip for a team that has just been struggling all year. Don't ever say free throws do not matter because if this team shot is regular clip they lose tonight.

oh and one more thing. I would never want Marcus Carr on my team, in fact Minnesota's college hoops IQ might rival some horrible Jordan/Hill teams. Carr the star was a big fat zero with his horrific mistakes down the stretch most notably dribbles to nowhere leading to a wasted timeout and then a just stupid 3 point shot with 23 seconds on the clock when a simple drive to the basket would do. I know they had no timeouts but man Pitino looks pretty small after this game. I would imagine the Minnesota fans were pissed to the say the least which their meltdown. Not fouling Geo after the Harper miss was further proof of a poorly coached team. Waaaaaaaaah Oh Ricky


Enjoy Rutgers fans, enjoy this win, no game until next Tuesday. Two weeks ago, RU had just lost their 5th in a row, were 7-6 and just 3-6 in league and this board was like a wake. Now 4 in a row, 7-6 in league with a top 4 finish still in their grasp, a NET that probably lands in the top 25 and 3 wins away from a virtual NCAA tournament lock.
Nice summary. Couple things:

1. The next game is next Wednesday, I believe; not next Tuesday as you stated in your last paragraph.

2. Please split up into more paragraphs. Is much easier to read.
 
Nice summary as usual. Only significant quibble is 3 more wins is an absolute lock and 2 more wins is a virtual lock, to me, given our high quality wins, including 3 on the road. But I'm actually thinking we win 4 more, which would make us a 7 seed or so.
I'm on the fence if 9-11 conference record gets it done. But looking at the rest of the schedule, it would be a big disappointment not to get to 10-10.
 
Nice job bac and others. A few other observations:

1. The pick and roll game Carr and Robbins were playing in the 2nd half was absolutely toasting us, giving Carr a clear path to attack the basket. It was like the 2018 Fordham game all over again, when freshman G Nick Honor torched us in the pick and roll game, except he used the screens to nail about seven 3-pointers. Pike made a risky but ultimately brilliant decision to basically have Myles double team Carr and swarm him.

2. We've all recognized that Mulcahy has improved his 3-point shot this year. And that has been critical to the functioning of our offense. But what has gone unnoticed is that he has gone from being a "poor" defender to being a solid/underrated defender. He still has difficulty guarding extremely quick guards, but he can stay with most other guards and small forwards, as his lateral movement/slide has become much quicker this year. He is also holding his own, often against bigger forwards, playing post defense, and his weakside help defense is usually on point.

3. Myles had ZERO fouls last night. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In 28 minutes. When has that ever happened? I noticed a few plays where he very well could have gotten called for a foul, most especially on that play in the 2nd half when Gach attacked from the right side and Myles blocked the running 8-footer, and I thought there was a good amount of body contact. I actually think the refs have finally wised up to how Myles plays defense, and they are respecting him more now. It's about damn time.

4. I won't belabor the points made about JY being out of control with the high TO rate. But his 3-point shooting has been a very nice surprise. He's actually leading the team in 3-pt shooting percentage at 43.9% (19-53), and many of them have been timely makes.

5. It's nice to see RU winning without huge scoring output from Harper. But, I think the difference between an early exit from the NCAA tournament, and a deep run in the tournament, is Ron finding his shooting stroke and giving us a consistent scoring option. He doesn't have to score 20+ ppg, but we need him to hit two 3-pointers a game and give us 14-17 points. And yeah, it couldn't hurt for him to explode for 25 every once in a while. Our offense is just too limited without him consistently scoring in the mid to high teens.

6. Nice contribution from Tez off the bench last night, with three mid-range jumpers, including two when he took advantage of a smaller defender in the post. Very smart of Pike and/or the team finding that mismatch and exploiting it.

7. Geo Baker is now showing us why he was picked as a pre-season all-B1G guard. He's finally healthy, and he is absolutely the leader of this team. Last night's 8-point flurry in crunch time was just a leader taking over a game. As Billy Raftery would say..., ONIONS!!

8. God dammit do I want to beat Garza and Iowa. Time for payback...
 
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town
(The boys are back in town)
Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town
Just spread the word around


Okay I am going to repeat myself.... Yes I told you before its all about GETTING RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM. Let's face it. Expectations have changed. Look no further than the game thread. Down 2 at halftime and it was like we were down double digits. That is perfectly okay. Expectations should be higher because we know this team can play better than it has and that is why its so frustrating to watch. Tonight we dug out another ugly yet beautiful win. See I am starting to repeat myself again. Thats what happens when you string 4 straight Big 10 wins for the first time in history and I do not even remember the last time in another conference we won 4 straight. Winning with defense, winning with lunch pail, winning with putting your head down and clawing your way to a win, winning by working hard, nothing fancy, nothing flashy, doing it the way Pikiell excited us in the previous seasons. The gang is back together again....Geo, Myles, Ron, Caleb and Paul. The boys are back in town...just spread the word around. This is what makes Rutgers basketball. This is the bread and butter. Guess who's back in town, this is how we have turned the season around

Much of this game was ugly. RU was not playing with purpose and not playing with the urgency that you would think on its home court. Minnesota is a nice team but I did not think they were doing anything particularly dicey on either end of the court. RU was hampered by a bevy of mistakes from the bench but lets also note excuse some of the starters were also playing poorly. At the end of 5 game skid, there was a consensus on the board that we needed to go back to basics and make a change which would mean Young and Mathis out of the starting lineup and reduced minutes for at least one if not both. It is clear that Coach Pikiell and his staff made that crucial move that saved the season and the shot at a NCAA bid. I have no doubt about it that this lineup shakeup was perhaps THE best move in Pikiell's tenure here. A bold move that potentially can ruffle some feathers but one that had to be made in order for the program to move forward. Last 3 games, RU very strong starts with big drop off with subs. Seems like once that happens in all 3 games, even the starters go into a funk. In the last 5-6 minutes of this game, RU again relied solely on its starting lineup to grind out this victory and its so rewarding to see a lunch pail guy like Caleb make huge plays late and a struggling star in Harper once again come up huge in the late stages. Throw in the Geo patented shot making shot and Myles presence on defense and Paul's headiness.

I kept saying in the game thread that this game was unfolding just like Iowa. RU out to an early lead, then let Iowa retake lead, then played even. RU didnt play particularly bad versus Iowa, its just that they could never come with a stop when they needed too. In this game, it wasnt looking good, Minnesota seemingly got every bounce and lucky break, 3s from a big man, were getting two shots everytime down as they were outboarding us for that stretch. Then things changed. Caleb was the catalyst. Admittedly I thought Caleb played too much in the first half and needed glasses his shot was so off. In the latter stages though he had a look in his eye. 2 consecutive boards, 2 free throws and 2 buckets and a dunk off of a steal to complete to score 8 straight RU points and all of sudden the game was tied at 60. Caleb, Caleb Caleb feel so good for you that you stepped up to the plate. Caleb's play sparked a huge monmentum shift but Caleb was not done, his 3 point shot at 1:38 pushed RU into the lead at 71-70. Caleb went for 14 points on 5-11 shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals in his best game since I don't know when. Yet for all Caleb contributed, all of the starters were vital down the stretch. Myles was a defensive monster in that stretch and it was Myles that largely kept RU in the game to that point. 7-8 shooting, 15 points, a whopping 12 boards and 3 blocks. As good as big guy was for Minnesota, it was steady Myles that matched him. What about Ron...well again like a few recent games, just all out struggling with his shot and at times not looking good on defense but Ron showed up in crunch time. Consecutive rebounds off of Minnesota misses in the last minute and then nailing 3 foul shots. An overall spotty game but Ron continues to show he will contribute and make winning plays even if his shots are not falling. Ron did that tonight, we needed every bit of what he gave us late. Geo was quiet much of the game but damn when he showed up he showed. A layup here, a jumper there, two free throws, and oh just his patent step back jumper. Geo scored 8 points in a key stretch, the only other bucket was the Caleb 3 but it was his beauty at 1:01, a long jumper right on line that put RU up 73-72 a lead they would never relinquish. To top it all off, Geo secured the game sealing rebound off the Ron missed free throw. The boys are back in to ow own....just spread the word around

I thought Mathis was solid in his limited minutes. He had one ugly shot but his 3 buckets were pretty nice looking and I thought he played under control, maybe should have some more minutes early but I was content with him not being in late. I think Mathis can contribute alot to this team in the future so I like he is buying into his new role. I will not get too much into the JY situation because its polarizing here. JY will be counted on this year for sure. We need a locked in JY, he is a part of success. However he is not the main cog and again thats what we realized in our 5 game skid. Our ceiling may not be as high but the lunch pail kids are the ones I trust and apparently Pike trust to dig out these wins. Obviously JY needs to be integrated sooner than later. RU cannot survive with just 5 starters for 10 minutes at a time. JY is well beyond the time where making stupid mistakes should be tolerated and until he straightens it out the best solution for this team is to go with what got you there in the first place. I applaud how Pikiell is handling this and the last piece of the puzzle is getting JY's head on straight and to realize when things are going sideways

Have to make special mention of the free throw shooting. I believe RU started 3-8 and they finished at 18-25....hitting 15 of their last 17. Quite a spectacular clip for a team that has just been struggling all year. Don't ever say free throws do not matter because if this team shot is regular clip they lose tonight.

oh and one more thing. I would never want Marcus Carr on my team, in fact Minnesota's college hoops IQ might rival some horrible Jordan/Hill teams. Carr the star was a big fat zero with his horrific mistakes down the stretch most notably dribbles to nowhere leading to a wasted timeout and then a just stupid 3 point shot with 23 seconds on the clock when a simple drive to the basket would do. I know they had no timeouts but man Pitino looks pretty small after this game. I would imagine the Minnesota fans were pissed to the say the least which their meltdown. Not fouling Geo after the Harper miss was further proof of a poorly coached team. Waaaaaaaaah Oh Ricky


Enjoy Rutgers fans, enjoy this win, no game until next Tuesday. Two weeks ago, RU had just lost their 5th in a row, were 7-6 and just 3-6 in league and this board was like a wake. Now 4 in a row, 7-6 in league with a top 4 finish still in their grasp, a NET that probably lands in the top 25 and 3 wins away from a virtual NCAA tournament lock.


You're too tough on Carr....In the first half and much of the second , Rutgers struggled to contain him. Yes he made mistakes during the last 2-3 minutes that cost Minny the game but they wouldn't have been in that position but for Carr. He is very good notwithstanding his late mistakes. Minnesota surprised me in the first half---they are quick , athletic and really took it to Rutgers , especially in transition. I'm not surprised they beat Michigan and Iowa. We beat a very tough team last night without playing our best.
That said we won without Harper and JY playing that well. . Harper needs to rebound --I think it's just as important ,if not more so , than his scoring. When Myles is drawn out from the basket Rutgers needs a second consistent rebounder. To his credit , his rebounds in the final minute of play were critical. Also JY--it's easy to fault his 6 TO's and forced offense. But to his credit, he never lets it affect his defense. He was very tough on Carr....Kudos to Caleb--his defense on Carr in the last minute was terrific and some big points.....And Geo looks to be finally over his ankle woes--he's quicker , more aggressive on offense and much more confident on the floor. Myles was excellent--nice to see he's looking to score and his foul shooting is marginally better. I thought Cliff had a mediocre few minutes. He must still be getting over the knee trouble as his rebounding has suffered.
 
I'm on the fence if 9-11 conference record gets it done. But looking at the rest of the schedule, it would be a big disappointment not to get to 10-10.
I think we're 98% in at 9-11, so trust me, I want at least 10 wins, which is 100% in - and with our schedule, if we continue to play well, I'm expecting a 4-3 finish for 11-9.
 
Nice job bac and others. A few other observations:

1. The pick and roll game Carr and Robbins were playing in the 2nd half was absolutely toasting us, giving Carr a clear path to attack the basket. It was like the 2018 Fordham game all over again, when freshman G Nick Honor torched us in the pick and roll game, except he used the screens to nail about seven 3-pointers. Pike made a risky but ultimately brilliant decision to basically have Myles double team Carr and swarm him.

2. We've all recognized that Mulcahy has improved his 3-point shot this year. And that has been critical to the functioning of our offense. But what has gone unnoticed is that he has gone from being a "poor" defender to being a solid/underrated defender. He still has difficulty guarding extremely quick guards, but he can stay with most other guards and small forwards, as his lateral movement/slide has become much quicker this year. He is also holding his own, often against bigger forwards, playing post defense, and his weakside help defense is usually on point.

3. Myles had ZERO fouls last night. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In 28 minutes. When has that ever happened? I noticed a few plays where he very well could have gotten called for a foul, most especially on that play in the 2nd half when Gach attacked from the right side and Myles blocked the running 8-footer, and I thought there was a good amount of body contact. I actually think the refs have finally wised up to how Myles plays defense, and they are respecting him more now. It's about damn time.

4. I won't belabor the points made about JY being out of control with the high TO rate. But his 3-point shooting has been a very nice surprise. He's actually leading the team in 3-pt shooting percentage at 43.9% (19-53), and many of them have been timely makes.

5. It's nice to see RU winning without huge scoring output from Harper. But, I think the difference between an early exit from the NCAA tournament, and a deep run in the tournament, is Ron finding his shooting stroke and giving us a consistent scoring option. He doesn't have to score 20+ ppg, but we need him to hit two 3-pointers a game and give us 14-17 points. And yeah, it couldn't hurt for him to explode for 25 every once in a while. Our offense is just too limited without him consistently scoring in the mid to high teens.

6. Nice contribution from Tez off the bench last night, with three mid-range jumpers, including two when he took advantage of a smaller defender in the post. Very smart of Pike and/or the team finding that mismatch and exploiting it.

7. Geo Baker is now showing us why he was picked as a pre-season all-B1G guard. He's finally healthy, and he is absolutely the leader of this team. Last night's 8-point flurry in crunch time was just a leader taking over a game. As Billy Raftery would say..., ONIONS!!

8. God dammit do I want to beat Garza and Iowa. Time for payback...
Great post/points.
 
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One other thought about the game last night. Was it just me or did others think Gus Johnson and JimJackson mailed in that performance. Seemed to me they did very little pregame prep and made the same comments over and over. Gus was calling shots contested when no such defense existed. Just a lot of inaccurate statements that did not match the actual action. How many times did we hear Minnesota had not won a road game? Jackson seemed most interested in discussing the three father son relationships? I was seriously considered hitting the mute button. I expected better from them.
 
I had to be at work early. The team started to annoy me so I went to bed early in the second half. Figured, maybe I'll wake up and be pleasantly surprised which I was. If I had not checked the score and come to this board first and read the threads, I would have thought we lost. Speaks to the raised expectations of fans that Bac notes in his recap. Sometimes I get annoyed by that, but it's the direct result of the program's transformation and that's good to see.
You have to go to work early?
 
Nice job bac and others. A few other observations:

1. The pick and roll game Carr and Robbins were playing in the 2nd half was absolutely toasting us, giving Carr a clear path to attack the basket. It was like the 2018 Fordham game all over again, when freshman G Nick Honor torched us in the pick and roll game, except he used the screens to nail about seven 3-pointers. Pike made a risky but ultimately brilliant decision to basically have Myles double team Carr and swarm him.

2. We've all recognized that Mulcahy has improved his 3-point shot this year. And that has been critical to the functioning of our offense. But what has gone unnoticed is that he has gone from being a "poor" defender to being a solid/underrated defender. He still has difficulty guarding extremely quick guards, but he can stay with most other guards and small forwards, as his lateral movement/slide has become much quicker this year. He is also holding his own, often against bigger forwards, playing post defense, and his weakside help defense is usually on point.

3. Myles had ZERO fouls last night. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In 28 minutes. When has that ever happened? I noticed a few plays where he very well could have gotten called for a foul, most especially on that play in the 2nd half when Gach attacked from the right side and Myles blocked the running 8-footer, and I thought there was a good amount of body contact. I actually think the refs have finally wised up to how Myles plays defense, and they are respecting him more now. It's about damn time.

4. I won't belabor the points made about JY being out of control with the high TO rate. But his 3-point shooting has been a very nice surprise. He's actually leading the team in 3-pt shooting percentage at 43.9% (19-53), and many of them have been timely makes.

5. It's nice to see RU winning without huge scoring output from Harper. But, I think the difference between an early exit from the NCAA tournament, and a deep run in the tournament, is Ron finding his shooting stroke and giving us a consistent scoring option. He doesn't have to score 20+ ppg, but we need him to hit two 3-pointers a game and give us 14-17 points. And yeah, it couldn't hurt for him to explode for 25 every once in a while. Our offense is just too limited without him consistently scoring in the mid to high teens.

6. Nice contribution from Tez off the bench last night, with three mid-range jumpers, including two when he took advantage of a smaller defender in the post. Very smart of Pike and/or the team finding that mismatch and exploiting it.

7. Geo Baker is now showing us why he was picked as a pre-season all-B1G guard. He's finally healthy, and he is absolutely the leader of this team. Last night's 8-point flurry in crunch time was just a leader taking over a game. As Billy Raftery would say..., ONIONS!!

8. God dammit do I want to beat Garza and Iowa. Time for payback...
Agree with all your points Mulcahy made a play on the last drive by Carr at the end of the game where he came off his man and didn't allow Carr to drive to the left which did not go unnoticed by Jim Jackson the commentator a suttle but very heady play that probably saved an easy layup;

Also #8 times 1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
The irrelevant back and forth between Gus and Jim Jackson annoyed me to the point where I shut off the sound a few times. There’s a tight game going on and they have to get into story time? Yep, they mailed it in and at the same time talked over the game way too much.
 
One other thought about the game last night. Was it just me or did others think Gus Johnson and JimJackson mailed in that performance. Seemed to me they did very little pregame prep and made the same comments over and over. Gus was calling shots contested when no such defense existed. Just a lot of inaccurate statements that did not match the actual action. How many times did we hear Minnesota had not won a road game? Jackson seemed most interested in discussing the three father son relationships? I was seriously considered hitting the mute button. I expected better from them.
They were pretty boring and yeah, sometimes making observations that seemed incorrect to me. Not irritating. But nowhere near as on-point and fun as Bardo.
 
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