Okay I have like a million different thoughts in my head and having been posting alot in the other thread as well first and my thoughts for this thread keep swaying from one side to the other.
For starters I was always against games being played at MSG and that is mainly because the program was a crapfest and lacked juice. However with the program on the upswing and on the cusp of breaking a NCAA drought, today showed how the RU fans will show up and take over the town. Next year with the game it will even more juiced as its Michigan State and its our home game which means we run the whole show. So yeah I have flipped on the idea of playing a home game there and having a game there every other year as a home game as part of this Super Saturday is a great idea.
Now about this game. No better word for it than missing an opportunity. If we embrace being ranked in the top 25 and embrace being a projected 6 or 7 seed, then we need to embrace that expectations are that RU ranked 25 should be beating Michigan on a neutral court. It does not matter if you play close and lose. RU desperately needs a road/neutral win for the resume and this was their best opportunity. RU had take advantage of their home games to get to 7-3 and put themselves in a great spot halfway through the season. But today, RU missed an opportunity to continue to be in the golden spot headed toward securing a NCAA tournament bid. In some ways this was similar to the Iowa game, some really bad defense early, take control and then sort of fall apart and then just when it looks like you are going to get blown out of the building, all of sudden the D responds like mad and its a one possession game with under a minute left.
Going to focus on that last part. The defense in the last 9:17 was tremendous. Michigan had only made fg in that time and that was on a busted 3 where RU gambled on a steal. RU totally shut down Michigan at 60-46 just when it looked like they were going to lose in a blowout. You have to give major credit to the fight and heart of this teams for bouncing back and continuing to pound nails just like they did in the prior 2 wins and the loss at Iowa. RU caused 5 turnovers in that key stretch that put them right in the game and giving them a chance to steal it. Its obvious that RU's success relies on the defense to create their offense. There was a noticable increased effort on defensive intensity in that stretch. Credit the team and credit Pikiell for the adjustments. Michigan was not allowed to run the same pick and roll that basically won them the game because the game was won earlier and Pike did not have his team ready to defend and by the time they adjusted the whole was too big to fight back from.
But you are not going to win when you shoot 36 more shots than your opponent and go 27-83, its just a hideous number to look at. Multitudes of missed bunnies, tap ins, open 3s, you name it. Just as dreadful as a proficient offense that I have ever seen. To see RU winning the offensive rebounding number 43-32 and I think 21-6! on offense and still lose. Its just brutal to look at that. Just disappointing, no way to spin it. When two of your leaders, Geo Baker and Ron Harper have brutal games where they go 2-19 it is hard to win and no it really isnt a good thing to say well they had such a bad game and we still almost won. RU did a lot on defense to get back into the game but the shot selection and mental game by these two down the stretch was disappointing. Harper and Geo missed 5 shots in a stretch, 4 of them I think on 3s. RU down only 5 with over 2 minutes and yet Geo taking back to back 3s that seemed forced. I would like to see RU at that time trying to work a better shot inside, too early for 3s. Geo did hit one finally late, its one that was actually more in the flow. I wonder why Mathis or Young were not the guys try to go inside. Pike went back to two guys who were cold as ice but those werent the guys who got us there and it sucks because Myles is almost a liability in crunch time with the bad foul shooting as an option. In the end, RU battled but and had every chance to win this game but simply could not make enough plays offensively to win.
So what does this mean. RU now 7-4 in league lost an opportunity to move into first place pending the result of the Illinois/Iowa game and will fall out of the top 25 this week...and actually the latter is a good thing in the long run. I think the attention and hype surrounding RU is sort of effecting their focus overall. They still are lovable and play with heart but its 3 games they sort of fall into some really bad funks where they lose focus. If this team is going to make the NCAA tourney, they need to get back to some of those earlier efforts vs Indiana and Minnesota. Unfortunately the next game is at Maryland which offers the same inside outside combo that has killed RU of late. Maryland who at times looked so so has started to look alot better lately. I do not like the matchup and I think there is a potential for an RU clunker where they lose by double digits...and you know what its understandable if it does happen. Teams go through rough patches. You are only as good as your last win or as bad as your last loss. Trick is to fight through the gauntlet and after Maryland, RU gets 3 of 4 at home where they can solidify their resume for a tourney bid. I do think the sooner RU gets the road win the better because its something that is going to dog their resume if they cannot take care of it.
Still let us reflect where we are. If the most disappointing loss of the Big 10 season is a loss to a Big 10 stalwart program by 6 in a game that was one possession with 19 seconds left, that means something good is happening here. Be positive and stay the course. Losses are going to happen and there may be a losing streak, but this team has already shown what they are capable of. As fans we are scared because its been 29 years without a NCAA bid and we are looking over our shoulders for the Grim Reaper to come. I think losses like this makes the players regroup and open their eyes to what an opportunity they have given themselves making them not want to blow it Alot of basketball to be played and RU will have their share of shining moments before season's end
For starters I was always against games being played at MSG and that is mainly because the program was a crapfest and lacked juice. However with the program on the upswing and on the cusp of breaking a NCAA drought, today showed how the RU fans will show up and take over the town. Next year with the game it will even more juiced as its Michigan State and its our home game which means we run the whole show. So yeah I have flipped on the idea of playing a home game there and having a game there every other year as a home game as part of this Super Saturday is a great idea.
Now about this game. No better word for it than missing an opportunity. If we embrace being ranked in the top 25 and embrace being a projected 6 or 7 seed, then we need to embrace that expectations are that RU ranked 25 should be beating Michigan on a neutral court. It does not matter if you play close and lose. RU desperately needs a road/neutral win for the resume and this was their best opportunity. RU had take advantage of their home games to get to 7-3 and put themselves in a great spot halfway through the season. But today, RU missed an opportunity to continue to be in the golden spot headed toward securing a NCAA tournament bid. In some ways this was similar to the Iowa game, some really bad defense early, take control and then sort of fall apart and then just when it looks like you are going to get blown out of the building, all of sudden the D responds like mad and its a one possession game with under a minute left.
Going to focus on that last part. The defense in the last 9:17 was tremendous. Michigan had only made fg in that time and that was on a busted 3 where RU gambled on a steal. RU totally shut down Michigan at 60-46 just when it looked like they were going to lose in a blowout. You have to give major credit to the fight and heart of this teams for bouncing back and continuing to pound nails just like they did in the prior 2 wins and the loss at Iowa. RU caused 5 turnovers in that key stretch that put them right in the game and giving them a chance to steal it. Its obvious that RU's success relies on the defense to create their offense. There was a noticable increased effort on defensive intensity in that stretch. Credit the team and credit Pikiell for the adjustments. Michigan was not allowed to run the same pick and roll that basically won them the game because the game was won earlier and Pike did not have his team ready to defend and by the time they adjusted the whole was too big to fight back from.
But you are not going to win when you shoot 36 more shots than your opponent and go 27-83, its just a hideous number to look at. Multitudes of missed bunnies, tap ins, open 3s, you name it. Just as dreadful as a proficient offense that I have ever seen. To see RU winning the offensive rebounding number 43-32 and I think 21-6! on offense and still lose. Its just brutal to look at that. Just disappointing, no way to spin it. When two of your leaders, Geo Baker and Ron Harper have brutal games where they go 2-19 it is hard to win and no it really isnt a good thing to say well they had such a bad game and we still almost won. RU did a lot on defense to get back into the game but the shot selection and mental game by these two down the stretch was disappointing. Harper and Geo missed 5 shots in a stretch, 4 of them I think on 3s. RU down only 5 with over 2 minutes and yet Geo taking back to back 3s that seemed forced. I would like to see RU at that time trying to work a better shot inside, too early for 3s. Geo did hit one finally late, its one that was actually more in the flow. I wonder why Mathis or Young were not the guys try to go inside. Pike went back to two guys who were cold as ice but those werent the guys who got us there and it sucks because Myles is almost a liability in crunch time with the bad foul shooting as an option. In the end, RU battled but and had every chance to win this game but simply could not make enough plays offensively to win.
So what does this mean. RU now 7-4 in league lost an opportunity to move into first place pending the result of the Illinois/Iowa game and will fall out of the top 25 this week...and actually the latter is a good thing in the long run. I think the attention and hype surrounding RU is sort of effecting their focus overall. They still are lovable and play with heart but its 3 games they sort of fall into some really bad funks where they lose focus. If this team is going to make the NCAA tourney, they need to get back to some of those earlier efforts vs Indiana and Minnesota. Unfortunately the next game is at Maryland which offers the same inside outside combo that has killed RU of late. Maryland who at times looked so so has started to look alot better lately. I do not like the matchup and I think there is a potential for an RU clunker where they lose by double digits...and you know what its understandable if it does happen. Teams go through rough patches. You are only as good as your last win or as bad as your last loss. Trick is to fight through the gauntlet and after Maryland, RU gets 3 of 4 at home where they can solidify their resume for a tourney bid. I do think the sooner RU gets the road win the better because its something that is going to dog their resume if they cannot take care of it.
Still let us reflect where we are. If the most disappointing loss of the Big 10 season is a loss to a Big 10 stalwart program by 6 in a game that was one possession with 19 seconds left, that means something good is happening here. Be positive and stay the course. Losses are going to happen and there may be a losing streak, but this team has already shown what they are capable of. As fans we are scared because its been 29 years without a NCAA bid and we are looking over our shoulders for the Grim Reaper to come. I think losses like this makes the players regroup and open their eyes to what an opportunity they have given themselves making them not want to blow it Alot of basketball to be played and RU will have their share of shining moments before season's end
