Ok everyone is probably sleeping so many of you might be waking up. Good morning sunshines! Its a long one so go ahead and grab a cup of java
Glorious!.....the best games and wins of the year (surpassing the Ohio State win) and easily the best half of basketball played on both offense and defense by the players. Where to even start. Just about everyone contributed to the win but let's start first with the coaching Coach Pikiell and his staff have taken some heat and criticism for some of the poor play of late, whether it be in game rotation or recruiting misses or not being able to get them a win over Northwestern despite it right there for the taking. Alot of it is frustration from years of losing from the fans. I know I am guilty of it. I try to not go too crazy with the criticism or praise but its tough to see the team lose playing poorly with a weak offense and try to see hope. Well today Coach Pike seemed to run circles around Coach Miles. I thought he had RU resilient once again ready to play after disappointment and even though the team was sloppy and it led to a 13 point Nebraska lead, I think the energy was good and the want to win. The 2nd half is where Pike shined and when Miles went to the 1-3-1 zone, RU just tore it apart. Pike did a great job in getting his team to run certain plays and they were perfectly prepared in position on the court to get easy looks. I thought the rotation was very very good. Obviously it helped Eugene was able to play but generally Pike let the players making play ride it out. I think defensively is where may have won the game. You can tell when this team doesnt play good defense..just look at the recent road trip. RU's half court defense was excellent and it had to be because Nebraska was slicing us in transition. So the whole gameplan worked for Pike. Major credit today and in contrast to Miles whose didnt seem to push any of the right buttons with his team
I will say this. Nebraska...a very good potent offensive team, didnt seem like they wanted this game. Missed alot of chippies early and Miles did comment that he thinks his team had a lack of want in this game. I agree and it was evident in the last 7-8 minutes where they really seemed to not make the right kind of decision on offense...a lot of chucks..alot of chucks late. Did we get their best shot..well I think they did lay somewhat of an egg but credit Rutgers who elevated their game to a level where they were able to just take the spirt out of the Cornhuskers in the last two minutes.
Now back to RU....without a doubt Eugene is the heart and soul of the team, RU was able to gut out the OSU win without him but it was clear that in the 3 losses after that his absence was enormous to the point that in retrospect it was unfair to even expect this team to function at a needed level to compete let alone win. He just jumpstarted the team with energy when he came in and his presence alone changes the game on both ends. Eugene is such a tough warrior and those characteristics filter down to the rest of the team and many elevated their games in response. 8 points on 6 boards back less than two weeks from his injury..tough as nails in 26 minutes and going 4 of 5 at the line as well. I do not know how healthy Eugene is but it is clear that Rutgers cannot win games in the league without him. He is such a key cog that removing him probably just unravels the whole team given their youth. He made such a crucial rebound off his miss at 67 all that led to a Johnson bucket to put RU up and they never looked back. A question was asked the other night, would we have been Northwestern with Eugene, I thought yes, I can clearly say that this team would not have won tonight with Eugene
Now next...Geo Baker. Kid can play, kid having a rough stretch. We know what he can do when he is the Geo we all know love. Let us remember kid is just a sophomore and is trying to carry the weight of a young team on his back. I noted at half, he was just 1-2 for 3 points. To win Geo would have to get involved more in the offense which meant taking more shots and cutting down on the turnovers. He wasnt responsible for all 13 first half turnovers but he had 3 I believe. I do not know what they gave Geo at halftime but he was a different man in the 2nd half. Geo had a 5 point flurry early in the first half that cut into the Nebby lead but later he took over in a crucial stretch of the game where he put up 7 points that took RU from down 47-45 to up 52-49 and in position to take control of the game. He played a game high 38 minutes and did very well in keeping the team confident and calm during the course of the 2nd half. I think peeps should back off a bit in the criticism.
Montez Mathis...the exponential growth continues, I think even exceeding anyone exceptions at this point. Yet another double digit scoring game, Mathis played more like a junior than a frosh....20 points on 7-16 shooting and a whopping 9 rebounds. His best all around game as a Knight...6-10 at the line. Mathis as with last game as emerged as a legit threat and I think is surprising some teams. Obviously with Eugene and Geo playing well, RU becomes much harder to guard and Mathis seemed to take advantage of that today. Just a great bball IQ/ We do not even know his ceiling yet.
Myles Johnson....well his best as a Knight. I may give him player of the game in what was such a team effort. In the game thread, I was getting worried as Nebraska was cutting that lead to 2 and I said they are making the plays and RU isnt. Could RU make the plays...who would have ever thought it would be Myles answering the call and making the plays that gave RU the win. 6 of 8 shooting...13 points, 11 boards for a double double, 4 assists wait wut, 2 blocks...one of them I will get to in a second. Myles had 9 of RU's last 14 points...are you kidding me? Hit two huge back to back buckets in an excellently run offense and then followed it later with two back to back layups, one at 67 all where RU desperately need a score and then another at 72-67 that effectively ended Nebby's hopes. Not going to fault him for missing some free throws at all. Johnson had 4 rebounds in the last minute of play but his biggest play may have been his block of a Copeland layup attempt at 72-67. Just that 4-5 minutes of play was just scintillating by Myles. For guys playing in the paint, its all about confidence, when was the last time that RU could go inside and be confident that the guy could produce. Credit the staff in developing him, credit them to trusting him and of course credit Myles to taking that opportunity and producing. I believe BTN said he was a PLUS TWENTY tonight..wow. Again another player we are just scratching the surface with.
Peter Kiss...the much maligned Peter Kiss. Rumored to be the best shooter on the team, start out impressively enough but seemingly disappeared to the point where he even got a DNP after starting the season. Was this a miss by Pike...maybe maybe not, not so fast. I said a few games back after the DNP that Kiss is going to end up getting his call and his chance to play his role. And I think thats the key here, perhaps Kiss was not intended to be the starter or a guy that had to be the third scoring options. Perhaps he plays a different role for this team. Kiss struggles in December and the emergence of the freshmen left us reevaluting the role for Kiss. Tonight Kiss played the role and did it well. Kiss got time in the 2nd half with Harper picking up that 4th and quite frankly he wasnt playing all that well. Kiss would up hitting on an important 3 that gave RU some breathing room and its largest lead at 6, 62-56 and then would wind up grabbing a big time rebound at 69-67 and draining two foul shots to put RU up 4. Kiss was just 1-3 in 18 minutes but he hit all 5 of his free throws. He gave this team what it needed. All the little things that put RU in position to win.
Harper and Carter quieter games and Harper seemed to struggle in the 2nd half but he still had 7 rebounds. Carter was effective in the first half but Myles and Eugene were going to get the minutes. McConnell gave 9 minutes and had a nice floater in the first half but this was the kind of game where RU wasnt going to be counting on him, same for Thiam
Some key stats to look at.....turnovers....13 at half, RU even with all those turnovers had retaken the lead. If they could just get out of their own way....well 2 turnovers in the second half, that is called valuing the possession. Baker the floor general was the calming influence. But in the game thread, I truly was frightened by the Nebby transition game. RU played solid half court D in the first half but that was only after a made basket, after a miss or a turnover, Nebby was just shredding RU. There was no way that RU could win if Nebraska was able to push the ball in transition. RU attacked, got the line, made shots and turned it over less. It allowed the defense to do its thing and Nebraska at times seemed frustrated and chucked up a lot of questionable shots.
Rebounding...RU outboarded Nebraska 44-34 including 14-9 offensively and really got some key boards late which kept Nebby from 2nd chance opportunities. That goes to will and want and RU wanted it more.
Foul Shooting...it matters....RU was 10 of their first 11 and Nebby finished with a poor 10-18. Foul shooting killed the Huskers. RU kept themselves in the game by making them early. Yes RU was only 7-15 late as they finished 17-26 but hit enough key ones where the misses didnt matter. Namely Kiss. Getting to the line now a couple of games in a row is a new wrinkle for this team.
Resiliency...mentioned it before but is any team more resilient than this one. Can shake off some bad losses just when you think they have not shot they surprise you.
I think the lack of consistency is maddening...you never know which RU team is showing up. Night Man had a nail on the head post in the game thread that spoke to this...and that you dont even know what you will get within the game. This was echoed as I chatted with some long time fans and posters here before leaving the RAC. With so much youth, the learning curve is wild and disjointed. They can play poorly at times but then bam surprise you with what you saw in the second half. Tonight the team was probably the closest to being on the same page as they have all season long. Its best half of basketball and its best win. Making shots matters...ALOT, making plays matter. Having Eugene back matters. Its just tough because we see the good and we want it all the time and they are not ready yet to give it all the time. Year of developing and progress and this team will likely break our hearts again and make us pull our hair out but they will also give us moments of brilliance and enjoyable satisfying wins like tonight.
on the RAC...5022 was official attendance, seemed a tad less than that. Overall energy was great for a cold night and the lower attendance. . Loud at times, team definitely feeds off the energy. , students...I mean actual students not non students filled the section. Solid enough job by them, ..hoping for more for Indiana and of course a Michigan sellout which is should be already. Good job cheering late although there was a lull when Nebby had tied things up I thought it should have been louder.
DANKE SEHR DANKE SEHR or something like that.....anyone in the vicinity of 212 and 213 know what I am talking about. These apparent German girls with accents who were Nebraska fans shouting it everytime RU shot foul shots in the last 5 minutes and it was working...I knew Danke means thanks but I guess they were saying Thank you very much in German as a way to distract the players. Eventually they got drowned out by the cheers..sucks for them. I actually like the presence of opposing team fans in that section because it amps up the intensity level of the game and always good to rub it in a bit when RU wins.
What's next...that is for another thread
Glorious!.....the best games and wins of the year (surpassing the Ohio State win) and easily the best half of basketball played on both offense and defense by the players. Where to even start. Just about everyone contributed to the win but let's start first with the coaching Coach Pikiell and his staff have taken some heat and criticism for some of the poor play of late, whether it be in game rotation or recruiting misses or not being able to get them a win over Northwestern despite it right there for the taking. Alot of it is frustration from years of losing from the fans. I know I am guilty of it. I try to not go too crazy with the criticism or praise but its tough to see the team lose playing poorly with a weak offense and try to see hope. Well today Coach Pike seemed to run circles around Coach Miles. I thought he had RU resilient once again ready to play after disappointment and even though the team was sloppy and it led to a 13 point Nebraska lead, I think the energy was good and the want to win. The 2nd half is where Pike shined and when Miles went to the 1-3-1 zone, RU just tore it apart. Pike did a great job in getting his team to run certain plays and they were perfectly prepared in position on the court to get easy looks. I thought the rotation was very very good. Obviously it helped Eugene was able to play but generally Pike let the players making play ride it out. I think defensively is where may have won the game. You can tell when this team doesnt play good defense..just look at the recent road trip. RU's half court defense was excellent and it had to be because Nebraska was slicing us in transition. So the whole gameplan worked for Pike. Major credit today and in contrast to Miles whose didnt seem to push any of the right buttons with his team
I will say this. Nebraska...a very good potent offensive team, didnt seem like they wanted this game. Missed alot of chippies early and Miles did comment that he thinks his team had a lack of want in this game. I agree and it was evident in the last 7-8 minutes where they really seemed to not make the right kind of decision on offense...a lot of chucks..alot of chucks late. Did we get their best shot..well I think they did lay somewhat of an egg but credit Rutgers who elevated their game to a level where they were able to just take the spirt out of the Cornhuskers in the last two minutes.
Now back to RU....without a doubt Eugene is the heart and soul of the team, RU was able to gut out the OSU win without him but it was clear that in the 3 losses after that his absence was enormous to the point that in retrospect it was unfair to even expect this team to function at a needed level to compete let alone win. He just jumpstarted the team with energy when he came in and his presence alone changes the game on both ends. Eugene is such a tough warrior and those characteristics filter down to the rest of the team and many elevated their games in response. 8 points on 6 boards back less than two weeks from his injury..tough as nails in 26 minutes and going 4 of 5 at the line as well. I do not know how healthy Eugene is but it is clear that Rutgers cannot win games in the league without him. He is such a key cog that removing him probably just unravels the whole team given their youth. He made such a crucial rebound off his miss at 67 all that led to a Johnson bucket to put RU up and they never looked back. A question was asked the other night, would we have been Northwestern with Eugene, I thought yes, I can clearly say that this team would not have won tonight with Eugene
Now next...Geo Baker. Kid can play, kid having a rough stretch. We know what he can do when he is the Geo we all know love. Let us remember kid is just a sophomore and is trying to carry the weight of a young team on his back. I noted at half, he was just 1-2 for 3 points. To win Geo would have to get involved more in the offense which meant taking more shots and cutting down on the turnovers. He wasnt responsible for all 13 first half turnovers but he had 3 I believe. I do not know what they gave Geo at halftime but he was a different man in the 2nd half. Geo had a 5 point flurry early in the first half that cut into the Nebby lead but later he took over in a crucial stretch of the game where he put up 7 points that took RU from down 47-45 to up 52-49 and in position to take control of the game. He played a game high 38 minutes and did very well in keeping the team confident and calm during the course of the 2nd half. I think peeps should back off a bit in the criticism.
Montez Mathis...the exponential growth continues, I think even exceeding anyone exceptions at this point. Yet another double digit scoring game, Mathis played more like a junior than a frosh....20 points on 7-16 shooting and a whopping 9 rebounds. His best all around game as a Knight...6-10 at the line. Mathis as with last game as emerged as a legit threat and I think is surprising some teams. Obviously with Eugene and Geo playing well, RU becomes much harder to guard and Mathis seemed to take advantage of that today. Just a great bball IQ/ We do not even know his ceiling yet.
Myles Johnson....well his best as a Knight. I may give him player of the game in what was such a team effort. In the game thread, I was getting worried as Nebraska was cutting that lead to 2 and I said they are making the plays and RU isnt. Could RU make the plays...who would have ever thought it would be Myles answering the call and making the plays that gave RU the win. 6 of 8 shooting...13 points, 11 boards for a double double, 4 assists wait wut, 2 blocks...one of them I will get to in a second. Myles had 9 of RU's last 14 points...are you kidding me? Hit two huge back to back buckets in an excellently run offense and then followed it later with two back to back layups, one at 67 all where RU desperately need a score and then another at 72-67 that effectively ended Nebby's hopes. Not going to fault him for missing some free throws at all. Johnson had 4 rebounds in the last minute of play but his biggest play may have been his block of a Copeland layup attempt at 72-67. Just that 4-5 minutes of play was just scintillating by Myles. For guys playing in the paint, its all about confidence, when was the last time that RU could go inside and be confident that the guy could produce. Credit the staff in developing him, credit them to trusting him and of course credit Myles to taking that opportunity and producing. I believe BTN said he was a PLUS TWENTY tonight..wow. Again another player we are just scratching the surface with.
Peter Kiss...the much maligned Peter Kiss. Rumored to be the best shooter on the team, start out impressively enough but seemingly disappeared to the point where he even got a DNP after starting the season. Was this a miss by Pike...maybe maybe not, not so fast. I said a few games back after the DNP that Kiss is going to end up getting his call and his chance to play his role. And I think thats the key here, perhaps Kiss was not intended to be the starter or a guy that had to be the third scoring options. Perhaps he plays a different role for this team. Kiss struggles in December and the emergence of the freshmen left us reevaluting the role for Kiss. Tonight Kiss played the role and did it well. Kiss got time in the 2nd half with Harper picking up that 4th and quite frankly he wasnt playing all that well. Kiss would up hitting on an important 3 that gave RU some breathing room and its largest lead at 6, 62-56 and then would wind up grabbing a big time rebound at 69-67 and draining two foul shots to put RU up 4. Kiss was just 1-3 in 18 minutes but he hit all 5 of his free throws. He gave this team what it needed. All the little things that put RU in position to win.
Harper and Carter quieter games and Harper seemed to struggle in the 2nd half but he still had 7 rebounds. Carter was effective in the first half but Myles and Eugene were going to get the minutes. McConnell gave 9 minutes and had a nice floater in the first half but this was the kind of game where RU wasnt going to be counting on him, same for Thiam
Some key stats to look at.....turnovers....13 at half, RU even with all those turnovers had retaken the lead. If they could just get out of their own way....well 2 turnovers in the second half, that is called valuing the possession. Baker the floor general was the calming influence. But in the game thread, I truly was frightened by the Nebby transition game. RU played solid half court D in the first half but that was only after a made basket, after a miss or a turnover, Nebby was just shredding RU. There was no way that RU could win if Nebraska was able to push the ball in transition. RU attacked, got the line, made shots and turned it over less. It allowed the defense to do its thing and Nebraska at times seemed frustrated and chucked up a lot of questionable shots.
Rebounding...RU outboarded Nebraska 44-34 including 14-9 offensively and really got some key boards late which kept Nebby from 2nd chance opportunities. That goes to will and want and RU wanted it more.
Foul Shooting...it matters....RU was 10 of their first 11 and Nebby finished with a poor 10-18. Foul shooting killed the Huskers. RU kept themselves in the game by making them early. Yes RU was only 7-15 late as they finished 17-26 but hit enough key ones where the misses didnt matter. Namely Kiss. Getting to the line now a couple of games in a row is a new wrinkle for this team.
Resiliency...mentioned it before but is any team more resilient than this one. Can shake off some bad losses just when you think they have not shot they surprise you.
I think the lack of consistency is maddening...you never know which RU team is showing up. Night Man had a nail on the head post in the game thread that spoke to this...and that you dont even know what you will get within the game. This was echoed as I chatted with some long time fans and posters here before leaving the RAC. With so much youth, the learning curve is wild and disjointed. They can play poorly at times but then bam surprise you with what you saw in the second half. Tonight the team was probably the closest to being on the same page as they have all season long. Its best half of basketball and its best win. Making shots matters...ALOT, making plays matter. Having Eugene back matters. Its just tough because we see the good and we want it all the time and they are not ready yet to give it all the time. Year of developing and progress and this team will likely break our hearts again and make us pull our hair out but they will also give us moments of brilliance and enjoyable satisfying wins like tonight.
on the RAC...5022 was official attendance, seemed a tad less than that. Overall energy was great for a cold night and the lower attendance. . Loud at times, team definitely feeds off the energy. , students...I mean actual students not non students filled the section. Solid enough job by them, ..hoping for more for Indiana and of course a Michigan sellout which is should be already. Good job cheering late although there was a lull when Nebby had tied things up I thought it should have been louder.
DANKE SEHR DANKE SEHR or something like that.....anyone in the vicinity of 212 and 213 know what I am talking about. These apparent German girls with accents who were Nebraska fans shouting it everytime RU shot foul shots in the last 5 minutes and it was working...I knew Danke means thanks but I guess they were saying Thank you very much in German as a way to distract the players. Eventually they got drowned out by the cheers..sucks for them. I actually like the presence of opposing team fans in that section because it amps up the intensity level of the game and always good to rub it in a bit when RU wins.
What's next...that is for another thread
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