And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
You said you'd die for me
Woke up to reality
And found the future not so bright
I dreamt the impossible
That maybe things could work out right
I thought it was you
Who would do me no wrong
This team did 1-0 pretty good for two games in a row. Giving some of us a glimmer of hope. Rutgers has 2 fantastic NBA talents and when they are clicking and the supporting cast are providing just enough like they did in the last 2, Rutgers can have a success. With 2 star players who likely are the best players at any time on the court, Rutgers remains a threat to be able to jump up and beat anyone at anytime. Some players stepped were stepping up and the defense was looking tuned in. Dare I say we were seeing growth and team ball rise to the surface. Alas tonight was a reminder this team isnt all that different from what we have seen all year. Rutgers will be in every game and will do somethings really good such as rebounding the ball tonight. Unfortunately team ball has been an issue that has dogged us from game 1. Tonight it was turnovers that put RU at a disadvantage in the first half. In the 2nd half it was once again a familiar scoring drought where the supporting cast came up empty again. The 11-0 PSU run when Pike subbed in after RU had the ball up 3 spoke volumes and effectively that was the game. I can go over what each player did and did not do but its just revisiting familiar territory. It is what it is. One step forward and one step back.
Getting in a dust up in the game thread about Ace Bailey....no shit sherlocks, RU would not have been in the game without Ace Bailey going off for 30 points on 13-15 fg shooting. That Rutgers lost despite that effort in a very winnable game vs a solid not likely NIT Penn State team in a non hostile environment is the problem itself. The surrounding cast isnt good enough we know that. Add in Dylan having one of his worst games as a Scarlet Knight (and yes he was a non factor before his injury) and its not pretty. That Pike chose the path of riding 2 freshmen phenoms looms as the biggest issue. Ace had dunks, incredible shots, and he will be on sportscenter tonight. The game film tonight will be salivated over by NBA scouts. Its quite the highlight film for the NBA. See the thing is, me and many some others here (I could be mistaken) are not here the NBA. Ace's two bonehead plays, the first after the monster dunk jawing and then the 2nd that the other Ace baited him into really showed the immaturity of a freshman perhaps more interested in his highlights than helping the team. I get it Ace loves hoops and he loves Rutgers. What I question is whether making the NCAA tourney in a one year stop is the real goal here. Again it looks like Pike has to rely on Ace/Dylan just going off for RU to win games and like tonight to even make it a game. To me that is not teamball.
It is shattered dreams for me. I have spoke my peace all year long about the futility of this season. The promise was a NCAA season and dreaming the possibilties and embracing the attention. It did not take long til the signs were there the promise was going horribly wrong. They had to keep going 1-0 and they did not tonight. Mathematically yes they are alive but look at the record...10-9. They are what they are. Tonight just bringing back to reality that this team just isnt good enough to get and build leads on a consistent basis. They will win some close games and lose some close games. They will jump and surprise and then remind you exactly why you are not enjoying the rollercoaster. Fix one thing and another crops up. Rebounding our best all year yet still our opponents shooting nearly 50%. Small individual improvements from EO and Grant get highlighted because the bar had been set so low. Every team is getting better at this point in the year. Its a little late to try and figure things out 19 games in and RU still seems to have a glaring lack of leadership and poise. To me that was the difference in the game. Ace Baldwin provided that in spades for the Nittany Lions. To me a more impactful 22 points on 6-16 shooting with 5 steals and 8 assists than Ace's ridiculous 13-15fg, 30 point game. If you cannot understand what I am talking about then I guess you do not care about who won the game. Penn State does not have the better players. Their sum is greater than the parts thats for sure. Solid team ball and incredible ball movement. Tonight was the perfect example of team ball and poise of individuals whether that was Ace's offensive prowess or Dylan's futility
People will say Dylan was hurt tonight and the flu the other games and that is why they lost. Yeah part of the reason but deserving teams find ways to win when players are hurting or they have the depth to pull it out. PSU had a 10ppg starter out plus their senior leader trying to come back from back issues. No one feels sorry for you in this league. The 2024-2025 Rutgers basketball team is all out of excuses at least for me and I know there will be others that differ in that opinion. Monster game at MSG lost a ton of luster. Like I said RU can jump and beat better teams and a win at MSG would not surprise me at all but what exactly does that mean. Is going 1-0 even good enough at this point given 11-10 and 1-7 in Quad 1 is as ugly as its going to get for a power 5 school. I woke up to reality and found that the future not so bright.....
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
You said you'd die for me
Woke up to reality
And found the future not so bright
I dreamt the impossible
That maybe things could work out right
I thought it was you
Who would do me no wrong
This team did 1-0 pretty good for two games in a row. Giving some of us a glimmer of hope. Rutgers has 2 fantastic NBA talents and when they are clicking and the supporting cast are providing just enough like they did in the last 2, Rutgers can have a success. With 2 star players who likely are the best players at any time on the court, Rutgers remains a threat to be able to jump up and beat anyone at anytime. Some players stepped were stepping up and the defense was looking tuned in. Dare I say we were seeing growth and team ball rise to the surface. Alas tonight was a reminder this team isnt all that different from what we have seen all year. Rutgers will be in every game and will do somethings really good such as rebounding the ball tonight. Unfortunately team ball has been an issue that has dogged us from game 1. Tonight it was turnovers that put RU at a disadvantage in the first half. In the 2nd half it was once again a familiar scoring drought where the supporting cast came up empty again. The 11-0 PSU run when Pike subbed in after RU had the ball up 3 spoke volumes and effectively that was the game. I can go over what each player did and did not do but its just revisiting familiar territory. It is what it is. One step forward and one step back.
Getting in a dust up in the game thread about Ace Bailey....no shit sherlocks, RU would not have been in the game without Ace Bailey going off for 30 points on 13-15 fg shooting. That Rutgers lost despite that effort in a very winnable game vs a solid not likely NIT Penn State team in a non hostile environment is the problem itself. The surrounding cast isnt good enough we know that. Add in Dylan having one of his worst games as a Scarlet Knight (and yes he was a non factor before his injury) and its not pretty. That Pike chose the path of riding 2 freshmen phenoms looms as the biggest issue. Ace had dunks, incredible shots, and he will be on sportscenter tonight. The game film tonight will be salivated over by NBA scouts. Its quite the highlight film for the NBA. See the thing is, me and many some others here (I could be mistaken) are not here the NBA. Ace's two bonehead plays, the first after the monster dunk jawing and then the 2nd that the other Ace baited him into really showed the immaturity of a freshman perhaps more interested in his highlights than helping the team. I get it Ace loves hoops and he loves Rutgers. What I question is whether making the NCAA tourney in a one year stop is the real goal here. Again it looks like Pike has to rely on Ace/Dylan just going off for RU to win games and like tonight to even make it a game. To me that is not teamball.
It is shattered dreams for me. I have spoke my peace all year long about the futility of this season. The promise was a NCAA season and dreaming the possibilties and embracing the attention. It did not take long til the signs were there the promise was going horribly wrong. They had to keep going 1-0 and they did not tonight. Mathematically yes they are alive but look at the record...10-9. They are what they are. Tonight just bringing back to reality that this team just isnt good enough to get and build leads on a consistent basis. They will win some close games and lose some close games. They will jump and surprise and then remind you exactly why you are not enjoying the rollercoaster. Fix one thing and another crops up. Rebounding our best all year yet still our opponents shooting nearly 50%. Small individual improvements from EO and Grant get highlighted because the bar had been set so low. Every team is getting better at this point in the year. Its a little late to try and figure things out 19 games in and RU still seems to have a glaring lack of leadership and poise. To me that was the difference in the game. Ace Baldwin provided that in spades for the Nittany Lions. To me a more impactful 22 points on 6-16 shooting with 5 steals and 8 assists than Ace's ridiculous 13-15fg, 30 point game. If you cannot understand what I am talking about then I guess you do not care about who won the game. Penn State does not have the better players. Their sum is greater than the parts thats for sure. Solid team ball and incredible ball movement. Tonight was the perfect example of team ball and poise of individuals whether that was Ace's offensive prowess or Dylan's futility
People will say Dylan was hurt tonight and the flu the other games and that is why they lost. Yeah part of the reason but deserving teams find ways to win when players are hurting or they have the depth to pull it out. PSU had a 10ppg starter out plus their senior leader trying to come back from back issues. No one feels sorry for you in this league. The 2024-2025 Rutgers basketball team is all out of excuses at least for me and I know there will be others that differ in that opinion. Monster game at MSG lost a ton of luster. Like I said RU can jump and beat better teams and a win at MSG would not surprise me at all but what exactly does that mean. Is going 1-0 even good enough at this point given 11-10 and 1-7 in Quad 1 is as ugly as its going to get for a power 5 school. I woke up to reality and found that the future not so bright.....
Last edited:
