For starters.....I had not planned on going to the game but got tickets this week. I just do not like giving up a home game at the RAC which is the greatest home court in college basketball and has the best atmosphere in college basketball. For me I have a giant blind spot and will admit it, I just do not see the appeal of Madison Square Garden. I think the excitement lies in people who normally do not attend games at the RAC so going out and getting hammered and playing in a big arena seems more meaningful. For me its not my thing and would rather have this game at the RAC. And yes I realize that a game like this helps with exposure from alot of the college hoops press that have been sleeping on this program.
That being said, glad I pulled the trigger on going. RU fans showed up in droves. Train upon train filled with throngs of Rutgers fans hoping that Rutgers would have a big day proving themselves on the big stage. They would disperse into Penn Station in a sea of red that would envelope the Garden seats by tipoff. would say perhaps 11K of them and in the last 10 minutes of the game really made their presence known. The game was painfully ugly in the first half and the crowd was basically negated as RU could not hit a shot to save their lives. The little spurt by Michigan State to go up 6 wasnt a good sign. Not only did Mag go out with an injury never to return but we were in danger of losing pace totally stymied by the MSU D. This was the big stage and while RU was playing their usual solid. defense, the offense was putting up a rancid like performance shooting some ugly number in the 20% range. RU chipped away little by little and finally on a Caleb 3 took its first lead of the 2nd half with 6:44 left, a lead that they would never relinquish. What happened in those last 9 minutes was basically all you need to see of this game.
Throw out the first 31 minutes where Michigan State set tempo of an ugly game where both teams could not hit the broad side of the barn and both teams were brutal from three. The scarlet faithtful were kept at bay with the offensive futility. Yet in those final 9 minutes, RU gathered themselves and to me took a vital step for that was necessary for this program. Rutgers is in the NYC, in the Garden, on the big stage, on Fox nationally playing a blue blood coached by a Hall of Famer. Rutgers has been good the past few years and emerged as a relevant program under Pikiell. Rutgers has gained respect. Yet seemingly over the past couple of years, RU would be good enough to pull off the quality wins yet fall short in consistently winning in big spots. The next step for Rutgers was to win when the stakes are raised a bit higher. Game not at home....a lot at stake, a loss while not damaging just keeps Rutgers in the land of good Big 10, NCAA team. If you are Rutgers and want to be a contender and want to be take seriously as a legit sweet 16 type program, you win today. You take that next step. People can throw all the accolades at Rutgers but until you prove it with the pressure on to deliver, it doesnt matter. Rutgers as a program MATURED today. This team is simply better than previous incarnations of Rutgers. They are better because they are winning games that the previous teams were not capable of winning.
They overcame a damaging loss of arguably their best defender. They rode their bread and butter defense. They leaned on their 3 pronged senior leadership to grit out and deliver this wonderful program affirming win that stamps Rutgers as legitimate in the college basketball. The victory puts Rutgers in play to grab a double bye in the Big 10 tourney and a possible 5 or even 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. 9 minutes where RU wrested control and utterly dominated. Before that it seemed like this was heading Sparty's way. Rutgers decided they wanted it. Rutgers deserved it. 9 minutes of Pikiell. 9 minutes of defense, leadership, maturity, ice in the veins, confidence, grittiness. The kind of win a NCAA team wins in a tough spot.
My first comment at halftime was that Paul Mulcahy was awful. In fact he wasnt alone, Cam and Caleb were no shows. Even Cliff wasn't getting things done. 19 point performance shooting in the 20s. A debacle of a last possession leading to an infuriating turnover and a Spartan bucket as the halftime buzzer sounded. Pikiell usually wins halftime. What was so impressive that he won it against Izzo. Sometimes players just have to step up and hit shots. Derek who had a nightmarish first half found himself open for a jumper. Wide open, its a shot you have to deliver. Derek answered the bell and drained. it. Caleb for all the criticism he gets delivered an incredibly huge 3 that gave RU a lead a 42-40. The crowd erupted, RU finally got over the hump. They would never look back. Then Paul back to back drives where he was fouled, making 3 of 4. Suddenly RU was in the midst of a 9-0 run over a 5 minutes span as the lead ballooned to 6. Rutgers would play elite defense , its bread and butter...team rebounding led by Cliff like nuts, forcing 3 turnovers. MSG was in a frenzy and it became a matter of closing things out. That they did and they leaned on their leader. Paul delivered it big time. Sparty could not stop. 3 decisive offensive possessions, the first on which he was fouled and hit one of 2, the 2nd two beautiful drives where Cliff gave him just enough space to have a lane. Izzo was at a loss, forced to call a timeout, so quickly and stealthly, Rutgers has grabbed control of the wheel and was not going to let go. Izzo in desperation mode turned to fouling RU with 1:47 left. It was a move that failed miserably. RU had shot pretty poorly mainly about 13-23 before that time but was money down the stretch making 9 of 11. Caleb, Derek, Cam, and Paul delivering.
Paul Mulcahy had quite the 2nd half. All 17 points in the 2nd half, providing everything everywhere for RU in the 2nd half. 4-7fg, 8-12 ft, 3 assists, 3 steals, yes the 5 turnovers but who cares. Paul was not alone. Caleb who struggled mightily in the first half played another tremendous defense game....4 steals, 3 assists, stepped up with free throws when it counted and delivered his most important 3 of the season. Cliff man he was good in the 2nd half. His defense at the rim was stifiling, did it without fouling. 12 boards, 3 blocks and he got better as the game wore on. 6-12 fg, 15 points. These 3 led by example. This defense was so much better and more disciplined than the first time vs MSU....sure alot of shots left open still but RU was turning them over, forcing 14 and disrupting any flow that Sparty could get into it. Cam really struggled today. He had some wide open shots that you have to deliver. Will not sugar coat it, its a largely ineffective day when your top option is going 1-8 fg. To his credit, Cam hit some foul shots down the stretch and did haul down 6 rebounds.
Poor Mag. A kid who has suffered through so many injuries over his career went out midway through the first half with a leg injury. No sense in speculating but it could really impact this team going forward. Mag was the only guy doing anything on offense in the first half 3-4 including a 3 for 7 points in just 11 minutes. The teeth of the defense for sure. Send some prayers his way for a speedy recovery and get him back in the lineup hopefully sooner than later. Pike will say next man up and while you would think that would be Hyatt, Hyatt had a pretty bad game. No shot, defense no bueno and just an inability to box out. With him in Rutgers struggled on both ends. Next man up ended up being Oskar Palmquist. What a funny game basketball is, if you told anyone a week ago that Oskar would be seeing significant minutes in both the Minnesota and Michigan State games you would look at them as if they had a third eye. Oskar stepped up. Not perfect but he is there to give minutes. Challenged by Pike who gave him the start in the 2nd half and Oskar held sway with the action. His 10 minutes were as every bit important as anyone elses today and he may be counted on for similar with Mag possibly sidelined. The biggest and brightest development today may have Derek coming a little bit of age. Pike gambled with the smaller lineup and Derek getting some minutes over Hyatt. I know Derek was pretty absymal in the first half, probably a big negative. Yet here Derek was midway through the 2nd half making plays in crunch time where RU was gaining control. Credit Simpson, he nailed an important jumper and then with ice water drained two free throws in a big spot with RU just up 6. 17 minutes today for Derek, take the bad with the good because the good was coming as the game wore on. A big day for his development and expect to see more from him. His best game was Indiana so you know its coming
Pikiell gets his players to get it done again. Its ugly at times but this team knows how it win. He has inspired such confidence in them. Today's win was a win that comes with maturity. The shots may not fall but never waver from your bread and butter. That will keep you in the game. Pike once again gets his players to thread the needle and the needle kept up getting bigger and bigger in those last 9 minutes. To step up without your key cog and rely on some players would not normally be able to fit in is a testament to the core leaders. Rutgers has earned its reputation of being a pretty good team the last few years, now we are seeing the necessary step up that raises the bar higher to be a very good team. This team has been 4-5 years coming for Pikiell. Maturation:
the process of becoming completely developed mentally or emotionally.
An evolution from pupa to chrysalis to adult butterfly ascending climbing higher and higher
That being said, glad I pulled the trigger on going. RU fans showed up in droves. Train upon train filled with throngs of Rutgers fans hoping that Rutgers would have a big day proving themselves on the big stage. They would disperse into Penn Station in a sea of red that would envelope the Garden seats by tipoff. would say perhaps 11K of them and in the last 10 minutes of the game really made their presence known. The game was painfully ugly in the first half and the crowd was basically negated as RU could not hit a shot to save their lives. The little spurt by Michigan State to go up 6 wasnt a good sign. Not only did Mag go out with an injury never to return but we were in danger of losing pace totally stymied by the MSU D. This was the big stage and while RU was playing their usual solid. defense, the offense was putting up a rancid like performance shooting some ugly number in the 20% range. RU chipped away little by little and finally on a Caleb 3 took its first lead of the 2nd half with 6:44 left, a lead that they would never relinquish. What happened in those last 9 minutes was basically all you need to see of this game.
Throw out the first 31 minutes where Michigan State set tempo of an ugly game where both teams could not hit the broad side of the barn and both teams were brutal from three. The scarlet faithtful were kept at bay with the offensive futility. Yet in those final 9 minutes, RU gathered themselves and to me took a vital step for that was necessary for this program. Rutgers is in the NYC, in the Garden, on the big stage, on Fox nationally playing a blue blood coached by a Hall of Famer. Rutgers has been good the past few years and emerged as a relevant program under Pikiell. Rutgers has gained respect. Yet seemingly over the past couple of years, RU would be good enough to pull off the quality wins yet fall short in consistently winning in big spots. The next step for Rutgers was to win when the stakes are raised a bit higher. Game not at home....a lot at stake, a loss while not damaging just keeps Rutgers in the land of good Big 10, NCAA team. If you are Rutgers and want to be a contender and want to be take seriously as a legit sweet 16 type program, you win today. You take that next step. People can throw all the accolades at Rutgers but until you prove it with the pressure on to deliver, it doesnt matter. Rutgers as a program MATURED today. This team is simply better than previous incarnations of Rutgers. They are better because they are winning games that the previous teams were not capable of winning.
They overcame a damaging loss of arguably their best defender. They rode their bread and butter defense. They leaned on their 3 pronged senior leadership to grit out and deliver this wonderful program affirming win that stamps Rutgers as legitimate in the college basketball. The victory puts Rutgers in play to grab a double bye in the Big 10 tourney and a possible 5 or even 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. 9 minutes where RU wrested control and utterly dominated. Before that it seemed like this was heading Sparty's way. Rutgers decided they wanted it. Rutgers deserved it. 9 minutes of Pikiell. 9 minutes of defense, leadership, maturity, ice in the veins, confidence, grittiness. The kind of win a NCAA team wins in a tough spot.
My first comment at halftime was that Paul Mulcahy was awful. In fact he wasnt alone, Cam and Caleb were no shows. Even Cliff wasn't getting things done. 19 point performance shooting in the 20s. A debacle of a last possession leading to an infuriating turnover and a Spartan bucket as the halftime buzzer sounded. Pikiell usually wins halftime. What was so impressive that he won it against Izzo. Sometimes players just have to step up and hit shots. Derek who had a nightmarish first half found himself open for a jumper. Wide open, its a shot you have to deliver. Derek answered the bell and drained. it. Caleb for all the criticism he gets delivered an incredibly huge 3 that gave RU a lead a 42-40. The crowd erupted, RU finally got over the hump. They would never look back. Then Paul back to back drives where he was fouled, making 3 of 4. Suddenly RU was in the midst of a 9-0 run over a 5 minutes span as the lead ballooned to 6. Rutgers would play elite defense , its bread and butter...team rebounding led by Cliff like nuts, forcing 3 turnovers. MSG was in a frenzy and it became a matter of closing things out. That they did and they leaned on their leader. Paul delivered it big time. Sparty could not stop. 3 decisive offensive possessions, the first on which he was fouled and hit one of 2, the 2nd two beautiful drives where Cliff gave him just enough space to have a lane. Izzo was at a loss, forced to call a timeout, so quickly and stealthly, Rutgers has grabbed control of the wheel and was not going to let go. Izzo in desperation mode turned to fouling RU with 1:47 left. It was a move that failed miserably. RU had shot pretty poorly mainly about 13-23 before that time but was money down the stretch making 9 of 11. Caleb, Derek, Cam, and Paul delivering.
Paul Mulcahy had quite the 2nd half. All 17 points in the 2nd half, providing everything everywhere for RU in the 2nd half. 4-7fg, 8-12 ft, 3 assists, 3 steals, yes the 5 turnovers but who cares. Paul was not alone. Caleb who struggled mightily in the first half played another tremendous defense game....4 steals, 3 assists, stepped up with free throws when it counted and delivered his most important 3 of the season. Cliff man he was good in the 2nd half. His defense at the rim was stifiling, did it without fouling. 12 boards, 3 blocks and he got better as the game wore on. 6-12 fg, 15 points. These 3 led by example. This defense was so much better and more disciplined than the first time vs MSU....sure alot of shots left open still but RU was turning them over, forcing 14 and disrupting any flow that Sparty could get into it. Cam really struggled today. He had some wide open shots that you have to deliver. Will not sugar coat it, its a largely ineffective day when your top option is going 1-8 fg. To his credit, Cam hit some foul shots down the stretch and did haul down 6 rebounds.
Poor Mag. A kid who has suffered through so many injuries over his career went out midway through the first half with a leg injury. No sense in speculating but it could really impact this team going forward. Mag was the only guy doing anything on offense in the first half 3-4 including a 3 for 7 points in just 11 minutes. The teeth of the defense for sure. Send some prayers his way for a speedy recovery and get him back in the lineup hopefully sooner than later. Pike will say next man up and while you would think that would be Hyatt, Hyatt had a pretty bad game. No shot, defense no bueno and just an inability to box out. With him in Rutgers struggled on both ends. Next man up ended up being Oskar Palmquist. What a funny game basketball is, if you told anyone a week ago that Oskar would be seeing significant minutes in both the Minnesota and Michigan State games you would look at them as if they had a third eye. Oskar stepped up. Not perfect but he is there to give minutes. Challenged by Pike who gave him the start in the 2nd half and Oskar held sway with the action. His 10 minutes were as every bit important as anyone elses today and he may be counted on for similar with Mag possibly sidelined. The biggest and brightest development today may have Derek coming a little bit of age. Pike gambled with the smaller lineup and Derek getting some minutes over Hyatt. I know Derek was pretty absymal in the first half, probably a big negative. Yet here Derek was midway through the 2nd half making plays in crunch time where RU was gaining control. Credit Simpson, he nailed an important jumper and then with ice water drained two free throws in a big spot with RU just up 6. 17 minutes today for Derek, take the bad with the good because the good was coming as the game wore on. A big day for his development and expect to see more from him. His best game was Indiana so you know its coming
Pikiell gets his players to get it done again. Its ugly at times but this team knows how it win. He has inspired such confidence in them. Today's win was a win that comes with maturity. The shots may not fall but never waver from your bread and butter. That will keep you in the game. Pike once again gets his players to thread the needle and the needle kept up getting bigger and bigger in those last 9 minutes. To step up without your key cog and rely on some players would not normally be able to fit in is a testament to the core leaders. Rutgers has earned its reputation of being a pretty good team the last few years, now we are seeing the necessary step up that raises the bar higher to be a very good team. This team has been 4-5 years coming for Pikiell. Maturation:
the process of becoming completely developed mentally or emotionally.
An evolution from pupa to chrysalis to adult butterfly ascending climbing higher and higher
