UNBELIEVABLE! Are you kidding me? What a thunderous turn of events in the last 3 minutes. The 10-0 comeback to end the game plus the crowd noise puts this game into the history books in the top 10 games ever at the RAC and arguably even higher. The resiliency and guts this team showed again. How many times can Rutgers perform necromancy with the all those ghosts of losses past that reside in the bowels of the RAC. It was like an outer body experience for everyone at the RAC. When the conjuring was complete, Rutgers NCAA hopes were alive and kicking. We were a boulder rolling down the court and the Buckeyes had no choice but to be leveled by all of us. Everyone was pounding nails and them chewing them out and spitting them at the Buckeyes. They did not stand a chance Credit the crowd with 8000 assists tonight. This was intense man and we got 7 consecutive stops in the last 3 and half minutes. On the Ohio State possession with about 2 left where RU forced a shot clock violation down 2, it was the loudest I have heard the RAC since the early 90s ala the UNLV game. Beating two blue bloods back to back and doing it in such different by equally impressive ways shows how wild this team is when they are on their game. I still contend if all conference games were played at home, RU would likely win the Big 10 title.
As we approached the end game, RU appeared dead in the water at 64-56 with 3:07 left after being outscored 14-4 in a 7 minute stretch. RU had played so well for about 30 minutes. Both teams did. A really enjoyable game to watch. A slugfest with mini runs where neither team could get a cushion until RU blinked. A battle of wills and it wasn't much of a blink but in a nip and tuck game like this, it was all the Buckeyes needed to wrest control of the game. Ohio State brought their A game, hitting 3s at a ridiculous clip and killing RU on the boards. A two minute run, the Buckeyes scored 10 points and got 2 treys and 4 different guys scoring. RU just was not able to match that for a stretch on the offensive end settling into some old bad habits of getting the ball stuck with the shot clock running down. I got the sense that RU just did not seem to have the energy to be able to pull this one out. Even a loss here you can say hey Ohio State was just better than us today. Tough to play from behind even with the home crowd given that we just were not getting the stops...until we did but it started with a spark from an old shotmaker. I want to point out a key play in this game at the 5:21 that might get lost in the shuffle but a sequence that I think changed the course of the game. Ron just missed an awful looking forced jumper and OSU came down and Liddell ended up with a 18 foot open jumper as it seemed almost as if RU gave him that open shot, I saw 3 RU players bolt to the basket for the board. Liddel missed thank god and Geo boarded and then Geo promptly came down in transition attacking the basket and laying it in. The lead was cut to 4 and it was a big swing and even though OSU would take that lead to 8, it signalled that Geo was activated now. From there on on the offensive end Geo simply took over the game and OSU could only watch him leave them in the dust. Geo had 10 of RU's last 12 points and assisted Big Cliff on a dunk. There was Geo taking it hard to the hoop and getting fouled. There was Geo hitting 9.9 degree of difficulty shots but all shots we have seen him make before. Locked in those shots are going in. Fittingly, with time running down on the shot clock, it was Geo driving to the hoop drawing the foul and nailing what would eventually be the game winning free throws. The wild swings that Geo has shown throughout his career have frustrated many of us. Shotmaker in some games, ghost in others, he was cool as a cucumber tonight and showing ONIONS. 25 points on 9-14 fg shooting, 4-7 from 3 in a whopping 38 minutes. Throw in 6 assists and 2 blocks and 3 boards, and it was a player of the week worthy peformance. Leadership has been questioned at times with this group and there was no doubt that Geo took control of the sword tonight. Willing to risk failure to seek reward....Who's got the touch to calm the storm inside? Don't say goodbye, don't say goodbye....In the final seconds who's gonna save you?
Geo may have made the winning plays but Caleb McConnell probably made the season saving play. On a lapse defensive play after an inbound on a timeout. It appeared Branham was headed for an easy bucket with 2:29 that would have put OSU up 6. Caleb came from nowhere and simply blocked the shot, no foul sending the RAC into a tizzy. It was like bam bam bam things were happening so quick. Geo hit a jumper and the RAC became almost sublime in its uproariousness. 30 seconds of insanity, OSU could do nothing but aimlessly pass the ball around unable to communicate anything as they were swarmed by all the conjured spirits of losses past. The RAC was everything your father told you about. It was UNLV 1991. It was otherworldly. I looked at the rafters and thought for just a minute there I saw Robert Mulcahy may he rest in peace leading the incantations. It worked. Rutgers possession down 2 with less than 90 seconds. Its going to Geo again right, no its going to Cliff and he will convert and dunk just like he did all night in his perfect 6-6 game. Game tied and its us and the players and once again we are wild as all hell and we are forcing Branham to take a tough shot. Ron rebounds and then its time for Geo to do his thing. This is not going to be Lafayette. One stop please and we do stop them, Ron big time block but damn out of bounds giving them one last shot. OSU wasnt going to make that shot and they werent going to call a foul on the 3 because this was our story, our time, our rebirth. A team that had been written off by yours truly among other fools was resuscitating it's season. A resume now injected with new elixir hoping to remove the poison of the odious and rancid Lafayette loss. We need to bring defribrilators to the RAC not masks. Breath everyone, one game at a time. 23 games in and two games into the so called gauntlet, Rutgers is alive and kicking and then some. 4 Quads wins, they certainly are piling up with opportunities for more.
You lift me up
You'll take me home where the magic's from
And I'll be with you
What you gonna do when things go wrong?
What you gonna do when it all cracks up?
What you gonna do when the love burns down?
What you gonna do when the flames go up?
Who is gonna come and turn the tide?
What's it gonna take to make a dream survive?
Who's got the touch to calm the storm inside?
Don't say goodbye, don't say goodbye
In the final seconds who's gonna save you?
Ooh oh, oh oh
Alive and kicking
Oh stay until your love is
Love is
Alive and kicking
Ooh oh, oh oh
Alive and kicking
Oh stay until your love is, love is
Alive and kicking
As we approached the end game, RU appeared dead in the water at 64-56 with 3:07 left after being outscored 14-4 in a 7 minute stretch. RU had played so well for about 30 minutes. Both teams did. A really enjoyable game to watch. A slugfest with mini runs where neither team could get a cushion until RU blinked. A battle of wills and it wasn't much of a blink but in a nip and tuck game like this, it was all the Buckeyes needed to wrest control of the game. Ohio State brought their A game, hitting 3s at a ridiculous clip and killing RU on the boards. A two minute run, the Buckeyes scored 10 points and got 2 treys and 4 different guys scoring. RU just was not able to match that for a stretch on the offensive end settling into some old bad habits of getting the ball stuck with the shot clock running down. I got the sense that RU just did not seem to have the energy to be able to pull this one out. Even a loss here you can say hey Ohio State was just better than us today. Tough to play from behind even with the home crowd given that we just were not getting the stops...until we did but it started with a spark from an old shotmaker. I want to point out a key play in this game at the 5:21 that might get lost in the shuffle but a sequence that I think changed the course of the game. Ron just missed an awful looking forced jumper and OSU came down and Liddell ended up with a 18 foot open jumper as it seemed almost as if RU gave him that open shot, I saw 3 RU players bolt to the basket for the board. Liddel missed thank god and Geo boarded and then Geo promptly came down in transition attacking the basket and laying it in. The lead was cut to 4 and it was a big swing and even though OSU would take that lead to 8, it signalled that Geo was activated now. From there on on the offensive end Geo simply took over the game and OSU could only watch him leave them in the dust. Geo had 10 of RU's last 12 points and assisted Big Cliff on a dunk. There was Geo taking it hard to the hoop and getting fouled. There was Geo hitting 9.9 degree of difficulty shots but all shots we have seen him make before. Locked in those shots are going in. Fittingly, with time running down on the shot clock, it was Geo driving to the hoop drawing the foul and nailing what would eventually be the game winning free throws. The wild swings that Geo has shown throughout his career have frustrated many of us. Shotmaker in some games, ghost in others, he was cool as a cucumber tonight and showing ONIONS. 25 points on 9-14 fg shooting, 4-7 from 3 in a whopping 38 minutes. Throw in 6 assists and 2 blocks and 3 boards, and it was a player of the week worthy peformance. Leadership has been questioned at times with this group and there was no doubt that Geo took control of the sword tonight. Willing to risk failure to seek reward....Who's got the touch to calm the storm inside? Don't say goodbye, don't say goodbye....In the final seconds who's gonna save you?
Geo may have made the winning plays but Caleb McConnell probably made the season saving play. On a lapse defensive play after an inbound on a timeout. It appeared Branham was headed for an easy bucket with 2:29 that would have put OSU up 6. Caleb came from nowhere and simply blocked the shot, no foul sending the RAC into a tizzy. It was like bam bam bam things were happening so quick. Geo hit a jumper and the RAC became almost sublime in its uproariousness. 30 seconds of insanity, OSU could do nothing but aimlessly pass the ball around unable to communicate anything as they were swarmed by all the conjured spirits of losses past. The RAC was everything your father told you about. It was UNLV 1991. It was otherworldly. I looked at the rafters and thought for just a minute there I saw Robert Mulcahy may he rest in peace leading the incantations. It worked. Rutgers possession down 2 with less than 90 seconds. Its going to Geo again right, no its going to Cliff and he will convert and dunk just like he did all night in his perfect 6-6 game. Game tied and its us and the players and once again we are wild as all hell and we are forcing Branham to take a tough shot. Ron rebounds and then its time for Geo to do his thing. This is not going to be Lafayette. One stop please and we do stop them, Ron big time block but damn out of bounds giving them one last shot. OSU wasnt going to make that shot and they werent going to call a foul on the 3 because this was our story, our time, our rebirth. A team that had been written off by yours truly among other fools was resuscitating it's season. A resume now injected with new elixir hoping to remove the poison of the odious and rancid Lafayette loss. We need to bring defribrilators to the RAC not masks. Breath everyone, one game at a time. 23 games in and two games into the so called gauntlet, Rutgers is alive and kicking and then some. 4 Quads wins, they certainly are piling up with opportunities for more.
You lift me up
You'll take me home where the magic's from
And I'll be with you
What you gonna do when things go wrong?
What you gonna do when it all cracks up?
What you gonna do when the love burns down?
What you gonna do when the flames go up?
Who is gonna come and turn the tide?
What's it gonna take to make a dream survive?
Who's got the touch to calm the storm inside?
Don't say goodbye, don't say goodbye
In the final seconds who's gonna save you?
Ooh oh, oh oh
Alive and kicking
Oh stay until your love is
Love is
Alive and kicking
Ooh oh, oh oh
Alive and kicking
Oh stay until your love is, love is
Alive and kicking
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