Okay probably going to shorten this recap because I am stuck with jury duty so I have to calm myself down early.
OMG what a great feeling it is to win....6 conference wins, when the hell was the last time we had this many. The fans have been thirsty for wins for years. We have waited so long. These are not sips anymore, these are victory chugs. RU is winning because RU is a good team. Its only the beginning. This team is taking us to the river and Pike will lead us to the Promised Land...and so it will be done.
Tonight was a game where it seemed like the team blew a chance to take control of the game at 48-45 losing all momentumn and then had to fight back from a 5 point defecit as a 12-4 run over 4 minutes left RU wobbly. Seemed like Minny was able to get inside and RU lost their edge on defense. Conversely on offense RU got caught rushing things with ill advised 3s and not finishing in the paint. At that point I commented in the game thread, it really looked like RU didnt want this game and Minnesota was making the plays to win. But monmentumn in hoops can change in the snap of a finger. Credit this team and Pike for having RU try and draw some fouls and get to the line. Unbelievably foul shooting was a big part of why RU won the game. RU hit 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch led by Geo with 3 and Gene with 2 and Cold Blooded Caleb broke the Gophers hearts by calming draining the final 2 to put the game away. And add in a clutch 3 by Montez to cut the gap to 1 and then Geo with 6 straight points. If there was any doubt whose hands you want the ball to be in during crunch time, Geo emphatically has erased that doubt. That 3...that monster 3 at 61 all. He was so confident on that, he knew he was going to hit it, this wasnt a clunker clanker that dropped like vs Iowa this was a beauty. And not the previous play he blocked the Klascheur shot. Baker made the play there and he was going to make it on the other end. No doubt. To win games, you need players to step up and make plays..simple as that. Geo has shaken off the haters from last month and is stepping up in a big way. It was a team win for sure today but Geo was special tonight. His play on defense in 2nd half stepping into passing lanes and poking the ball away with a couple of steals led to some needed transition buckets. I thought he played ferocious D.
Just some comments on everyone else. Montez Mathis, welcome back we missed you. You know what I think Pike has done a great job this year in trying to mold him and keep him control. He was yanked vs MSU and was very effective today in being aggressive without hurting the team. 18 points, 7-13 shooting, that big 3, yes only 3-7 at line but 3 of his last 4...that is a nice sign and something he can take into the next game. Once again Mathis defense was solid. He remains the best of the freshmen overall and I mean that. Eugene..again what can you say. It seems like he needs a wakeup call sometimes...first half was not good at all from him. frustrating to watch. 2nd half Pike made a concerted effort to make sure they got him the ball and he worked hard to get around Murphy who can be a moose inside. 14 points, 9 boards, 2 clutch free throws, a typical stat line for him and he really shut Murphy down and that was big. Eugene also had a big steal at 45 all and the assist to Mathis for a sweet dunk that put RU up 48-45. I thought Myles Johnson and Caleb McConnell really helped a struggling RU in the first half. With Geo sitting and Eug quiet, I thought both picked the slack up hitting the needed baskets to keep RU in range. Thats fitting their rolls for this game, this wasnt going to be the game where Pike was going to call on them to win it for RU. Its about making a couple of shots and playing strong defense and that they did. Peter Kiss also contributed with a quick flurry of 5 points in the first. Everyone else..well hey Thiam made a basket, Carter got some rebounds, Doorson clogged the middle and ya know that foul he made on Murphy turned out to not be all that bad. I thought Harper struggled this game, too anxious to be the man hitting the big shot but I like Pike recognized this.
If you think foul shooting doesnt win and lose you games..this game will give you an education. RU was 13-19 and It think 12 for its last 14 and Minnesota was 10-20, they left so many points on the court...those two missed by Murphy but an earlier miss on the inexplicable foul on the dunk. As crazy as it sounds, it was RU who won the game at the line.
But lets also give credit to Pike, His gameplan to shut down Coffey and Murphy worked really well especially in the 2nd half. It was just Klascheur was a sick shooter in the first half, hard to expect that but obviously RU wasnt playing great D on him. Credit Pike for getting him in foul trouble, I think a Montez drive early gave him his third and really changed the Minny offense for a while where RU got back into the game. I thought the intensity of D in the 2nd half particularly from Baker is a testament to what Pike says in the lockerroom, this is a team locked into their coaches head.
Best defensive play of the game...with an assist from the boisterous RAC crowd was the Minnesota shot clock violation at 2:22 following the Mathis 3 that cut the gap to 1....HUGE HUGE stop, I thought the RAC was tremendous on that play, the loudest they have been all year long and Minny really was panicked and that shot clock was really winding down...they finally were able to put up a shot but it was just a nano second too late. A real swing point and then Geo took over. Kudos to the RAC tonight, it was a very generous crowd for a Sunday night and it wasnt propped up by opposing team fans. 7270, best crowd of the season who wanted to give RU a needed lift and RU responded by quenching their thirst with a scintillating finish
oh and quick thought about Little Ricky..he has talent but for some reason after a strong OOC slate this team continues to come up short. I just think he is failing to push the right buttons and dare I say they lack toughness when it comes down to it. Minny needed this win tonight. This loss puts them perilously close to missing out on the NCAA tourney so they will need one big win down the stretch to get them back on track. I dont think there is much difference between they and RU really. Its just that they have a little more experience so they were able to come out of the gate strong in non conference....RU needed time to gel but really these are even teams at this point.
And hoops can be cruel right...Iowa loss last week, victory tonight. The ability of this team to continue fighting and clawing and scrapping even though it does not look pretty a times makes them a team no one really wants to play. We are well passed the point where any win is fluke. RU is now 10th in leading and very close to being in the 8/9 game. We have reached the point where RU is bringing that consistent competitive effort night in and out. Yes they have learned some painful lessons along the way but man who thought with three games left all in March how meaningful and how winnable the final 3 games are. Opportunity abounds.
OMG what a great feeling it is to win....6 conference wins, when the hell was the last time we had this many. The fans have been thirsty for wins for years. We have waited so long. These are not sips anymore, these are victory chugs. RU is winning because RU is a good team. Its only the beginning. This team is taking us to the river and Pike will lead us to the Promised Land...and so it will be done.
Tonight was a game where it seemed like the team blew a chance to take control of the game at 48-45 losing all momentumn and then had to fight back from a 5 point defecit as a 12-4 run over 4 minutes left RU wobbly. Seemed like Minny was able to get inside and RU lost their edge on defense. Conversely on offense RU got caught rushing things with ill advised 3s and not finishing in the paint. At that point I commented in the game thread, it really looked like RU didnt want this game and Minnesota was making the plays to win. But monmentumn in hoops can change in the snap of a finger. Credit this team and Pike for having RU try and draw some fouls and get to the line. Unbelievably foul shooting was a big part of why RU won the game. RU hit 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch led by Geo with 3 and Gene with 2 and Cold Blooded Caleb broke the Gophers hearts by calming draining the final 2 to put the game away. And add in a clutch 3 by Montez to cut the gap to 1 and then Geo with 6 straight points. If there was any doubt whose hands you want the ball to be in during crunch time, Geo emphatically has erased that doubt. That 3...that monster 3 at 61 all. He was so confident on that, he knew he was going to hit it, this wasnt a clunker clanker that dropped like vs Iowa this was a beauty. And not the previous play he blocked the Klascheur shot. Baker made the play there and he was going to make it on the other end. No doubt. To win games, you need players to step up and make plays..simple as that. Geo has shaken off the haters from last month and is stepping up in a big way. It was a team win for sure today but Geo was special tonight. His play on defense in 2nd half stepping into passing lanes and poking the ball away with a couple of steals led to some needed transition buckets. I thought he played ferocious D.
Just some comments on everyone else. Montez Mathis, welcome back we missed you. You know what I think Pike has done a great job this year in trying to mold him and keep him control. He was yanked vs MSU and was very effective today in being aggressive without hurting the team. 18 points, 7-13 shooting, that big 3, yes only 3-7 at line but 3 of his last 4...that is a nice sign and something he can take into the next game. Once again Mathis defense was solid. He remains the best of the freshmen overall and I mean that. Eugene..again what can you say. It seems like he needs a wakeup call sometimes...first half was not good at all from him. frustrating to watch. 2nd half Pike made a concerted effort to make sure they got him the ball and he worked hard to get around Murphy who can be a moose inside. 14 points, 9 boards, 2 clutch free throws, a typical stat line for him and he really shut Murphy down and that was big. Eugene also had a big steal at 45 all and the assist to Mathis for a sweet dunk that put RU up 48-45. I thought Myles Johnson and Caleb McConnell really helped a struggling RU in the first half. With Geo sitting and Eug quiet, I thought both picked the slack up hitting the needed baskets to keep RU in range. Thats fitting their rolls for this game, this wasnt going to be the game where Pike was going to call on them to win it for RU. Its about making a couple of shots and playing strong defense and that they did. Peter Kiss also contributed with a quick flurry of 5 points in the first. Everyone else..well hey Thiam made a basket, Carter got some rebounds, Doorson clogged the middle and ya know that foul he made on Murphy turned out to not be all that bad. I thought Harper struggled this game, too anxious to be the man hitting the big shot but I like Pike recognized this.
If you think foul shooting doesnt win and lose you games..this game will give you an education. RU was 13-19 and It think 12 for its last 14 and Minnesota was 10-20, they left so many points on the court...those two missed by Murphy but an earlier miss on the inexplicable foul on the dunk. As crazy as it sounds, it was RU who won the game at the line.
But lets also give credit to Pike, His gameplan to shut down Coffey and Murphy worked really well especially in the 2nd half. It was just Klascheur was a sick shooter in the first half, hard to expect that but obviously RU wasnt playing great D on him. Credit Pike for getting him in foul trouble, I think a Montez drive early gave him his third and really changed the Minny offense for a while where RU got back into the game. I thought the intensity of D in the 2nd half particularly from Baker is a testament to what Pike says in the lockerroom, this is a team locked into their coaches head.
Best defensive play of the game...with an assist from the boisterous RAC crowd was the Minnesota shot clock violation at 2:22 following the Mathis 3 that cut the gap to 1....HUGE HUGE stop, I thought the RAC was tremendous on that play, the loudest they have been all year long and Minny really was panicked and that shot clock was really winding down...they finally were able to put up a shot but it was just a nano second too late. A real swing point and then Geo took over. Kudos to the RAC tonight, it was a very generous crowd for a Sunday night and it wasnt propped up by opposing team fans. 7270, best crowd of the season who wanted to give RU a needed lift and RU responded by quenching their thirst with a scintillating finish
oh and quick thought about Little Ricky..he has talent but for some reason after a strong OOC slate this team continues to come up short. I just think he is failing to push the right buttons and dare I say they lack toughness when it comes down to it. Minny needed this win tonight. This loss puts them perilously close to missing out on the NCAA tourney so they will need one big win down the stretch to get them back on track. I dont think there is much difference between they and RU really. Its just that they have a little more experience so they were able to come out of the gate strong in non conference....RU needed time to gel but really these are even teams at this point.
And hoops can be cruel right...Iowa loss last week, victory tonight. The ability of this team to continue fighting and clawing and scrapping even though it does not look pretty a times makes them a team no one really wants to play. We are well passed the point where any win is fluke. RU is now 10th in leading and very close to being in the 8/9 game. We have reached the point where RU is bringing that consistent competitive effort night in and out. Yes they have learned some painful lessons along the way but man who thought with three games left all in March how meaningful and how winnable the final 3 games are. Opportunity abounds.
