Ain't gonna fight it cause it's useless
I can't get this music out of my head
It's like the beat is taking over
Weight off of my shoulders, dancing instead
And something's feeling different in the hallways
Something's looking, looking like it's changed
I've been moving to the rhythm for the whole day
A million lyrics running through my brain
Everybody here we go, this thing is unstoppable
Haven't felt this in a minute, it's incredible
I got the music, back inside of me
Every melody and chord
Can't stop the music
Back inside my soul
And it's stronger than before
Just when I though their time had passed, they go and save the best of last.
Look if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment would you capture it or let it slip. You better lose yourself in the musc. This moment you own it. You better not let it go. You only get one shot. Do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.
Now I believe there comes a time
When everything just falls in line
We live an' learn from our mistakes
The deepest cuts are healed by faith
Now I believe there comes a time
When everything just falls in line
We live an' learn from our mistakes
The deepest cuts are healed by faith
Amazing win today. We all predicted it didn't we? This is March. Things can turn on a dime and when they do, it can be very special. This was about as an impressive show of heart and hunger and carpe diem that you are going to see. This team was virtually declared dead by most of us following not to mention most of the media. RU dropped 3 straight at the RAC with the last two putting forth anemic offensive efforts. If you watched Michigan down the stretch scoring in the 70s and 80s against NCAA teams, it just looked like they were playing at a higher level than Rutgers. Whatever mojo that was lost in the last fews weeks, RU found one a morsel in their pocket. The hunger we saw earlier in the season returned. The toughness, teamwork and focus perhaps made this the best complete game win of the year. Today it was clear Rutgers passed the eye test in every way. Back against the wall yet again, never gave up and fought for it.
Any recap needs to start with Coach Pikiell. For one I know some dismiss this but getting a grasp of the mental state of your team is important. It does not show up in the stats. I have seen teams like RU go out meekly, probably 90% schools back it in when they hit a losing skid like this and it looked like that in the opening minutes. I didnt hear the clip but I heard that Pike smashed his phone...haha. Losing Mag was so difficult. Had to discussion ad nauseum but that never meant this team could not overcome it. Pike managed to push all the right buttons and get them to hang tough. It was ugly early that is for sure. Pike was also willing to make changes and his insertion of Derek into the starting lineup was just what Derek needed to shake things up. If it failed, so be it, at least he tried. Pike also did great work in getting the other bench players especially Oskar and Wolf to keep plugging along. I have never seen them make more difference than today. Pike and company saved the best for last.
Has there been more of a game this year where EVERYONE who played contributed something. From the Jalen part of the triple team on Hunter to Oskar with an enormous defensive effort including a couple of pokeaway and a steal. Woolfolk out of nowhere contributing 6 points including a breakaway transition basket. These 3 key reserves provided their roles and more. Hyatt struggling yet that 3 he hit gave RU its biggest lead at 6. RU needed that bench today and that is why I led with them here. It doesnt add up to many points does it, but they gave the starters the rest they needed while actually maintaining or expanding up the lead when they were in. Huge huge huge. I know Pike had to be biting his nails but he gets much of the credit for getting these guys on the right page. His diminishing of the minutes of Hyatt needed to happen for this team to have a chance at success
What a comeback for Paul. Even as RU struggled early, everyone could tell Paul was bringing it early on and that continued throughout the game. He never tried to do too much. He kept the ball moving in the 2nd half and took his spots. His D way better than its been. It was the Paul we were used to seeing until recently. Paul had 8 points and 5 assists but I was impressed with his rebounding early....5 boards and he had 3 steals. Pike had to be stressing rebounding and boy that was a key today. At half RU had 10 offensive rebounds to just 3 for Michigan. In the 2nd half it was either a turnover or one and out for Michigan. Unbelievably that Michigan went 19 minutes with just one fg. ELITE ELITE ELITE DEFENSE. Michigan finished with just 4 fg in 21 attempts in the 2nd half after going 12-25 in the first half. If you did not know that Pike wins halftimes you know it now. The first game Howard and Martelli knew just how to defend RU. This game they were clueless as Pike threw a new wrinkle in Derek and the relentlessness of the Rutgers defense simply wore out the Wolverines who were not able to gather themselves to even make a run. It was a punishing effort from RU who took advantage of the Michigan misses and turnovers by executing in big spots. RU forced 14 turnovers, have not seen the points off turnovers number but I feel like RU made them pay alot.
This game was just 40-39 with about 10:45 to go. Perhaps the game changer happened when Derek made his first shot, missed the 2nd but as the two Michigan players didnt even go for the board, Simpson simply grab his own board and laid it in. RU goes up 43-39 and that was a start of an eventual 12-0 run over the next 5 and half minutes where RU effectively won the game. To me that play was a signal of where the Michigan mindset was. They were not playing well. Remember they shot 48% to RU 29% and were only 3 at half. I sense the RU players smelled that fear and went in for the kill. The next couple of play were some steals back and forth between Howard and Caleb but the last one where Caleb poked it way and we saw bodies go on the floor to fight for that ball said alot. RU was fighting with that sense of urgency. Cam went right down the middle for layup to push the lead to 45-39 The next couple minutes both teams couldnt convert but the key is RU had that 6 point cushion. RU has been so good this year in high stakes games when they can go to work with their bread and butter defense. Caleb who was 0-6 in the first half, only had 4 points but how big was his steal and layup to push the lead to 8. Was this really happening...yeah it was and after a Cliff block, Cam drains the 3 and Juwan and company are gasping for air forced to call a timeout at 50-39 with just over 6 minutes left. Oskar then boarding the Michigan miss and then assisting Derek up ahead of the field for another layup and its 52-39 and I know everyone remembers what happened at Minnesota yet everyone was tasting victory now. RU kept it relatively aggressive as Cam and Derek hit some nice shots with the final exclamation point after a tv timeout, Paul to Cliff for the dunk. RU up 56-42. Cliff saving the best for as he struggled offensively but his defense was so good in the 2nd half and RU so good at denying Dickinson the ball ad when he did get, Cliff was there with a block. Not the prettiest of endings with Paul getting taken out after getting poked in the eye. Hope he is okay. Also RU had some issues once again inbounding the ball so more work to do there. Great to see the happy faces at the end and the fanbase exhaling a little.
Derek what a fine player you are turning into. Today he looked like an upperclassmen and his post game interview on BTN was as if he has been doing these for years. Just exuding confidence. It has not been easy for him to get here and I am sure Pike can tell you that. Lets be happy it happened, because if this team was ever in need of a jumpstart it was now or never. Derek had 13 points on 6-16 fg (dont mind the percentage at all), 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals in a whopping 36 minutes. How about Cam with 18 points. Coming through time and time again when asked in the 2nd half. With Derek now drawing more attention, that is going to help Cam get some easier shots and he had that breathing room today. Got to mention Caleb because that was a defensive player of the year performance. True his shot wasnt there too much at 2-10 but 9 boards, 2 steals, 3 assists in 36 minutes still fighting back issues is an ironman performance.
Before the game as many others echoed, the keys were rebounding and not turning it over. Value the possessions. Make free throws. Might have to go back to the Maryland or Indiana game to see us do so well in these catagories. 9 turnovers overall but only 3 in the 2nd half to 14 total for Michigan. Ru won the boards 37-30 including 12-7 on the offensive end. Last time vs Michigan, was beat on the boards 37-31 and had 13 turnovers to UM 10. So you could see the flip here. Last time RU was 5-16 at line, today they were 9-12. When you are not the most talented offensive team you have to clean up the other areas, rebounding, taking care of the ball and hitting your free throws can literally win your games. It did today.
I will not even think about tomorrow too much because lets just enjoy this win. I will hesitate to call RU a certain lock simply because in bracketology you have to consider all the moving parts. Right now RU is in the last grouping of 8-10 schools in the field but when there are still 7-8 schools still playing lurking close to the in line, you have to put up caveats. Never know if a bid stealer is coming through somewhere and schools around RUs positioning in the seed line still have a shot to gain better wins. It was a Q2 win and that is big as RU is now 5-6 Q1 and 10-0 in Q1/2. Those are strong numbers. RU has 7 wins vs schools projected in the field including a powerhouse upper level Q1 win on the road at a projected one seed. The good today is RU at least maintains their positioning and one more bubble school is gone in Michigan. RU does not have to worry about them or Wisconsin anymore but there are schools from the Mountain West and Pac 12 that they do need to worry about. Fans should be cautiously optimistic about RU dancing. Maybe 80-85% but not quite ready to give it a lock, let us have more results roll in. I see Mississippi State won in overtime and Pitt would I felt was safe is getting annihilated by Duke and Providence waxed by UConn. I had not really anticipated these teams falling out but that might need reassessing overnight. Bubble is always fluid and next 36 hours are huge.
I can't get this music out of my head
It's like the beat is taking over
Weight off of my shoulders, dancing instead
And something's feeling different in the hallways
Something's looking, looking like it's changed
I've been moving to the rhythm for the whole day
A million lyrics running through my brain
Everybody here we go, this thing is unstoppable
Haven't felt this in a minute, it's incredible
I got the music, back inside of me
Every melody and chord
Can't stop the music
Back inside my soul
And it's stronger than before
Just when I though their time had passed, they go and save the best of last.
Look if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment would you capture it or let it slip. You better lose yourself in the musc. This moment you own it. You better not let it go. You only get one shot. Do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.
Now I believe there comes a time
When everything just falls in line
We live an' learn from our mistakes
The deepest cuts are healed by faith
Now I believe there comes a time
When everything just falls in line
We live an' learn from our mistakes
The deepest cuts are healed by faith
Amazing win today. We all predicted it didn't we? This is March. Things can turn on a dime and when they do, it can be very special. This was about as an impressive show of heart and hunger and carpe diem that you are going to see. This team was virtually declared dead by most of us following not to mention most of the media. RU dropped 3 straight at the RAC with the last two putting forth anemic offensive efforts. If you watched Michigan down the stretch scoring in the 70s and 80s against NCAA teams, it just looked like they were playing at a higher level than Rutgers. Whatever mojo that was lost in the last fews weeks, RU found one a morsel in their pocket. The hunger we saw earlier in the season returned. The toughness, teamwork and focus perhaps made this the best complete game win of the year. Today it was clear Rutgers passed the eye test in every way. Back against the wall yet again, never gave up and fought for it.
Any recap needs to start with Coach Pikiell. For one I know some dismiss this but getting a grasp of the mental state of your team is important. It does not show up in the stats. I have seen teams like RU go out meekly, probably 90% schools back it in when they hit a losing skid like this and it looked like that in the opening minutes. I didnt hear the clip but I heard that Pike smashed his phone...haha. Losing Mag was so difficult. Had to discussion ad nauseum but that never meant this team could not overcome it. Pike managed to push all the right buttons and get them to hang tough. It was ugly early that is for sure. Pike was also willing to make changes and his insertion of Derek into the starting lineup was just what Derek needed to shake things up. If it failed, so be it, at least he tried. Pike also did great work in getting the other bench players especially Oskar and Wolf to keep plugging along. I have never seen them make more difference than today. Pike and company saved the best for last.
Has there been more of a game this year where EVERYONE who played contributed something. From the Jalen part of the triple team on Hunter to Oskar with an enormous defensive effort including a couple of pokeaway and a steal. Woolfolk out of nowhere contributing 6 points including a breakaway transition basket. These 3 key reserves provided their roles and more. Hyatt struggling yet that 3 he hit gave RU its biggest lead at 6. RU needed that bench today and that is why I led with them here. It doesnt add up to many points does it, but they gave the starters the rest they needed while actually maintaining or expanding up the lead when they were in. Huge huge huge. I know Pike had to be biting his nails but he gets much of the credit for getting these guys on the right page. His diminishing of the minutes of Hyatt needed to happen for this team to have a chance at success
What a comeback for Paul. Even as RU struggled early, everyone could tell Paul was bringing it early on and that continued throughout the game. He never tried to do too much. He kept the ball moving in the 2nd half and took his spots. His D way better than its been. It was the Paul we were used to seeing until recently. Paul had 8 points and 5 assists but I was impressed with his rebounding early....5 boards and he had 3 steals. Pike had to be stressing rebounding and boy that was a key today. At half RU had 10 offensive rebounds to just 3 for Michigan. In the 2nd half it was either a turnover or one and out for Michigan. Unbelievably that Michigan went 19 minutes with just one fg. ELITE ELITE ELITE DEFENSE. Michigan finished with just 4 fg in 21 attempts in the 2nd half after going 12-25 in the first half. If you did not know that Pike wins halftimes you know it now. The first game Howard and Martelli knew just how to defend RU. This game they were clueless as Pike threw a new wrinkle in Derek and the relentlessness of the Rutgers defense simply wore out the Wolverines who were not able to gather themselves to even make a run. It was a punishing effort from RU who took advantage of the Michigan misses and turnovers by executing in big spots. RU forced 14 turnovers, have not seen the points off turnovers number but I feel like RU made them pay alot.
This game was just 40-39 with about 10:45 to go. Perhaps the game changer happened when Derek made his first shot, missed the 2nd but as the two Michigan players didnt even go for the board, Simpson simply grab his own board and laid it in. RU goes up 43-39 and that was a start of an eventual 12-0 run over the next 5 and half minutes where RU effectively won the game. To me that play was a signal of where the Michigan mindset was. They were not playing well. Remember they shot 48% to RU 29% and were only 3 at half. I sense the RU players smelled that fear and went in for the kill. The next couple of play were some steals back and forth between Howard and Caleb but the last one where Caleb poked it way and we saw bodies go on the floor to fight for that ball said alot. RU was fighting with that sense of urgency. Cam went right down the middle for layup to push the lead to 45-39 The next couple minutes both teams couldnt convert but the key is RU had that 6 point cushion. RU has been so good this year in high stakes games when they can go to work with their bread and butter defense. Caleb who was 0-6 in the first half, only had 4 points but how big was his steal and layup to push the lead to 8. Was this really happening...yeah it was and after a Cliff block, Cam drains the 3 and Juwan and company are gasping for air forced to call a timeout at 50-39 with just over 6 minutes left. Oskar then boarding the Michigan miss and then assisting Derek up ahead of the field for another layup and its 52-39 and I know everyone remembers what happened at Minnesota yet everyone was tasting victory now. RU kept it relatively aggressive as Cam and Derek hit some nice shots with the final exclamation point after a tv timeout, Paul to Cliff for the dunk. RU up 56-42. Cliff saving the best for as he struggled offensively but his defense was so good in the 2nd half and RU so good at denying Dickinson the ball ad when he did get, Cliff was there with a block. Not the prettiest of endings with Paul getting taken out after getting poked in the eye. Hope he is okay. Also RU had some issues once again inbounding the ball so more work to do there. Great to see the happy faces at the end and the fanbase exhaling a little.
Derek what a fine player you are turning into. Today he looked like an upperclassmen and his post game interview on BTN was as if he has been doing these for years. Just exuding confidence. It has not been easy for him to get here and I am sure Pike can tell you that. Lets be happy it happened, because if this team was ever in need of a jumpstart it was now or never. Derek had 13 points on 6-16 fg (dont mind the percentage at all), 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals in a whopping 36 minutes. How about Cam with 18 points. Coming through time and time again when asked in the 2nd half. With Derek now drawing more attention, that is going to help Cam get some easier shots and he had that breathing room today. Got to mention Caleb because that was a defensive player of the year performance. True his shot wasnt there too much at 2-10 but 9 boards, 2 steals, 3 assists in 36 minutes still fighting back issues is an ironman performance.
Before the game as many others echoed, the keys were rebounding and not turning it over. Value the possessions. Make free throws. Might have to go back to the Maryland or Indiana game to see us do so well in these catagories. 9 turnovers overall but only 3 in the 2nd half to 14 total for Michigan. Ru won the boards 37-30 including 12-7 on the offensive end. Last time vs Michigan, was beat on the boards 37-31 and had 13 turnovers to UM 10. So you could see the flip here. Last time RU was 5-16 at line, today they were 9-12. When you are not the most talented offensive team you have to clean up the other areas, rebounding, taking care of the ball and hitting your free throws can literally win your games. It did today.
I will not even think about tomorrow too much because lets just enjoy this win. I will hesitate to call RU a certain lock simply because in bracketology you have to consider all the moving parts. Right now RU is in the last grouping of 8-10 schools in the field but when there are still 7-8 schools still playing lurking close to the in line, you have to put up caveats. Never know if a bid stealer is coming through somewhere and schools around RUs positioning in the seed line still have a shot to gain better wins. It was a Q2 win and that is big as RU is now 5-6 Q1 and 10-0 in Q1/2. Those are strong numbers. RU has 7 wins vs schools projected in the field including a powerhouse upper level Q1 win on the road at a projected one seed. The good today is RU at least maintains their positioning and one more bubble school is gone in Michigan. RU does not have to worry about them or Wisconsin anymore but there are schools from the Mountain West and Pac 12 that they do need to worry about. Fans should be cautiously optimistic about RU dancing. Maybe 80-85% but not quite ready to give it a lock, let us have more results roll in. I see Mississippi State won in overtime and Pitt would I felt was safe is getting annihilated by Duke and Providence waxed by UConn. I had not really anticipated these teams falling out but that might need reassessing overnight. Bubble is always fluid and next 36 hours are huge.
