Game 4 Eastern Michigan: 4

[bac2therac]

What a remarkable first half score....31-4 tying the all time NCAA record for fewest points allowed in half. Just a superlative effort on the defensive end by RU to keep focus defensively despite being up big and the ineptitude of EMU shooting the ball. It would have been easy for RU to get a little lazy but we didnt see that. RU made a concerted effort tonight on the defensive end and I saw it coming. That SJU game was one of the poorest defensive effort we have seen from a Pike coached team at Rutgers. I had a feeling that he would have the players attention tonight. The SJU loss exposed the teams weaknesses on both ends but clearly it was the defense that needed to be shored up the most. RU lacked that toughness mentality against SJU but tonight it was on display. Great test and great way to bounceback from the adversity of the SJU disappointment. I think this team could have lost this game if they beat SJU.

While offensively the team did struggle at times getting into the flow, I do not have much of an issue. I think also Pikiell did a great job preparing RU for the EMU zone. I liked our passing. I liked our shot selection. I realize this wasnt a Syracuse zone but it was important for some younger players to get some experience in being more patient. Yes there were alot of turnovers...which ballooned in the 2nd half to 20 which really is the only negative of the night. I can overlook that in that this team still is so young and green playing together. Liked the balance of going outside and Geo stepping up on the perimeter. Draining 6 of 8. Isnt fun to get 3 ball back at the RAC...Kiss 3-6.....RU 10-24...Third game in double digits. Good thing to see even against lesser competition.

Not worried at all about the 2nd half being played basically even. Tough to expect RU to play at the same level in the 2nd half and they did what they had to do to keep the game out of reach...I think EMU cut it to 40-20 with a 16-9 spurt to start the 2nd half but RU responded and built the lead up to 29 as the 2nd half progressed. How about Doorson with 9 points tonight. Offensively the bench guys didnt get involved as much this game offensively but that is okay too. I still liked what I saw from Johnson and especially Harper. Baker's minutes might have been a little high tonight at 35 but McConnell not ready to be floor general against a zone and Geo was feeling it on the offensive end. Still think Montez is struggling a bit to find his game and looks like Shaq Carter is the last man in right now.

Overall great game that clearly shows the progress going on in the program. EMU was a step up from Drexel/FDU and are picked to contend for the MAC title. Team was not down on their luck after the SJU loss and the coaching staff pushed all the right buttons. Great to have RU make its way into the history books and gives this group something that they can tell their grandchildren about..they made history. Now onto Boston U. Tough sleepy game to play the day after Turkey Day. I dont think RU will be as sharp for this one and expect a more ugly type shooting game but its a game they still should comfortably win

 

[bethlehemfan]

Good post. Would add. Doorson’s defense has come a long way. A lot of unforced errors as noted that are very correctable. EMU pressured the perimeter and it forced the bigs to look to pass nd score. They’ll get better. Emu had some size which presented challenges at time.

 

[RU-ROCS]

The last two games were also a study in polar opposites from our opponents. The Johnnies put on one of the most impressive 3-point shooting displays ever at the RAC. In the first half tonight, It looked like EMU’s players had never shot a basketball before. I know some of the blame and credit for both performances lies with RU’s defensive effort. But, still pretty remarkable nonetheless.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Some other points:

- Found it interesting that Pike stayed with the starting 5 - with the exception of subbing Myles for Shaq - for about first 7 minutes of game as I presume this is because of how well they were playing defensively. Normally he subs at the 16 minute mark. He also did the same late into the game in the 2nd half.

- Liked that he played Shaq Doorson and Myles together as we'll need to do that when we play against big lineups in Conference such as against Mich State or against teams like Miami or SHU possibly.

- Too many alley oop attempts....lol

- Was concerned which RU squad would show up after the SJU debacle but the team came to play as I'm sure Pike ran them hard over the weekend because he was pissed after the SJU game.

- Good minutes from Dourcore as he'll be needed during the season. And no fouls.

- Don't know how many noticed but Dourcore took a shot with 4 seconds to go in game when team was supposed to let shot clock expire and Pike was pissed. Shame on Dourcore as he earned goodwill and only lost it due to bad judgment.

- Concerned that Mathis hardly played in 2nd half. Thought 2nd half would have been good experience for him.

- Very concerned about Shaq Carter. Hope I'm wrong and he vastly improves - but I see a kid very raw and not that strong or athletic to bang with big bodies at this level.

- Need for McConnell to elevate his game to rest Baker more during the game and to focus more in on ball distribution; penetrating the lane etc

- Terrific comeback game by Geo as he played excellent. Thought EMU would pressure him more.

-Kudos also to Myles Johnson who played strong at both ends.

- Lastly, kudos to the Squad for tying an NCAA Record. Great to see Rutgers BB on the side of good news which occurs all too infrequently !!!!

 

[goru7]

Bac, totally agree about it being a great bounce back and setting a defensive record in the process. Our length and our defensive intensity really stopped EMU from running any offense.

One area that I am really concerned about is the turnovers. 20 tonight , 17, the other 13 and I think 18. Totally careless and sloppy. Some were acceptable as they were made trying to make the extra pass, but some were just bad unnecessary passes. Issa seems like the only guy who fakes a pass over his head to freeze a defender or to get him out of position. Eugene does not and it is causing 2-3 totally bad turnovers. Myles hardly ever turns it over and his bounce passes are a thing of beauty and a sign of our best IQ player. He was called for a walk tonight getting a nice pass from Shaquille and put it on the floor for a quick dribble and basket that was called off. Kiss and Mathis are also guilty of careless passes.

It didn’t matter tonight, mainly because of the opponent who also turned it over plenty . However, it has to stop before Miami and before Michigan State and Wisconsin if we are to steal any of those games. I know they are young but we have to see improvement like it going from 18, 12, 8 to 6. , not going up like 13 to 17 to 20.

Anthor underated part of Myles game is his offensive rebounding not just to get it but to at least tip it to give his teammates a chance to go get it. His defensive rebounding is strong and solid and he can start a fast break which I am hoping to see a ton more of as the season goes on.

Lastly, Geo’s shooting , especially 6-8 from three was terrific. A few of those came from the wing against the zone as well as our team making the extra pass to get him the open look. That is a sign of a well coached team against the zone as well as an unselfish team which is clearly this team’s identity after 4 games.

 

[RUAEPI]

Everything that St. John's hit, EM missed.

What I was concerned with was our TO's. We had a lot of trouble with the zone, and had some really sloppy TO's. The game was never in question, so they don't get highlighted, but these guys need to keep cleaning this up.

 

[bdodger3]

I think all these assessments are fair. The sloppiness is something that concerns me, however. It can become a dangerous habit and needs to be addressed early in the season. I acknowledge we are incorporating many new players and sloppiness is a by product of that situation. It is something that can be improved and I have confidence in the staff to work on that issue. Personality traits aside, Bobby Knight was fanatical about training all of his teams about the need to treat every offensive possession with discipline. I have always been a big believer in that mindset. It is impossible to achieve perfection, and the game is more wide open today, but the goal of eliminating turnovers through disciplined play still applies and pays huge dividends.

Criticism aside, a lot of good things tonight. Let's build on it.

 

[RU MAN]

What a remarkable first half score....31-4 tying the all time NCAA record for fewest points allowed in half. Just a superlative effort on the defensive end by RU to keep focus defensively despite being up big and the ineptitude of EMU shooting the ball. It would have been easy for RU to get a little lazy but we didnt see that. RU made a concerted effort tonight on the defensive end and I saw it coming. That SJU game was one of the poorest defensive effort we have seen from a Pike coached team at Rutgers. I had a feeling that he would have the players attention tonight. The SJU loss exposed the teams weaknesses on both ends but clearly it was the defense that needed to be shored up the most. RU lacked that toughness mentality against SJU but tonight it was on display. Great test and great way to bounceback from the adversity of the SJU disappointment. I think this team could have lost this game if they beat SJU.

While offensively the team did struggle at times getting into the flow, I do not have much of an issue. I think also Pikiell did a great job preparing RU for the EMU zone. I liked our passing. I liked our shot selection. I realize this wasnt a Syracuse zone but it was important for some younger players to get some experience in being more patient. Yes there were alot of turnovers...which ballooned in the 2nd half to 20 which really is the only negative of the night. I can overlook that in that this team still is so young and green playing together. Liked the balance of going outside and Geo stepping up on the perimeter. Draining 6 of 8. Isnt fun to get 3 ball back at the RAC...Kiss 3-6.....RU 10-24...Third game in double digits. Good thing to see even against lesser competition.

Not worried at all about the 2nd half being played basically even. Tough to expect RU to play at the same level in the 2nd half and they did what they had to do to keep the game out of reach...I think EMU cut it to 40-20 with a 16-9 spurt to start the 2nd half but RU responded and built the lead up to 29 as the 2nd half progressed. How about Doorson with 9 points tonight. Offensively the bench guys didnt get involved as much this game offensively but that is okay too. I still liked what I saw from Johnson and especially Harper. Baker's minutes might have been a little high tonight at 35 but McConnell not ready to be floor general against a zone and Geo was feeling it on the offensive end. Still think Montez is struggling a bit to find his game and looks like Shaq Carter is the last man in right now.

Overall great game that clearly shows the progress going on in the program. EMU was a step up from Drexel/FDU and are picked to contend for the MAC title. Team was not down on their luck after the SJU loss and the coaching staff pushed all the right buttons. Great to have RU make its way into the history books and gives this group something that they can tell their grandchildren about..they made history. Now onto Boston U. Tough sleepy game to play the day after Turkey Day. I dont think RU will be as sharp for this one and expect a more ugly type shooting game but its a game they still should comfortably win

Good post BAC, but I disagree a little with the poor defensive effort put forth by the kids against St. Johns. St. Johns shot out of their mind against us. They will not shoot that well all year. And a lot of that was not bad defense. A lot of those shots were shot from 25 feet out. Tonight St. Johns came back to earth against Cal and in one particular part of the game where St. Johns was up by 2 late in the second half, St. Johns players missed four 3's. They were not even close to being able to imitate what they did against us.

So, in some ways, I'm glad our young team got ambushed. No one wants to get blown out of their own building, but I believe Pike will take that as a learning experience for how we play against B1G competition moving forward.

As to tonight's game, I was hugely impressed by our kids and the coaching staff and the way Pike prepared them. I thought this was going to be a tough battle for our kids in that EMU is a battle tested team and is one of the favorites in the MAC this year. In my predictions, I stated we would win late and by ten points. I didn't think we go in like we did and blow them out.

One last comment: our team is and will be really fun to watch. Yes, I'm sure we will have some head-scratchers along the way, but I won't be surprised if we upset a few good teams along the way.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Imagine going for a long 10 month nap and waking up today and reading a post about too many alley oops.

 

[RUTrack94]

This is how a B1G team should handle EMU

 

[RickB113]

Mathis will be fine. It’s just taking him a minute to catch up to the speed of the college game. He is just a step slow. But the athleticism is there. He will be a good one.

 

[RickB113]

Mathis will be fine. It’s just taking him a minute to catch up to the speed of the college game. He is just a step slow. But the athleticism is there. He will be a good one.

I forgot. Anyone writing off Duke is crazy. I saw someone post last week that he was a transfer candidate. That's crazy. He is a young sophomore. He is big strong and does a lot well. He will clean up his fame as the season progresses and play a nice role in big ten play against bigger teams. Then when Shaq leaves he will play a lot of minutes.

 

[RUTrack94]

I think the SJU loss motivated the team a little ...

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I didn't see a defensive effort like that coming. It seemed like we had 6 players. EMU ran a lot of screens and fir the most part we defended it pretty good.

With all the posts saying how we should play zone or press or something non vanilla I think spending that time working on defending screens makes more sense.

 

[RUDead]

Funny, but when I saw Carter and Duke play a little bit, i was thinking "Wow, these are our backup big men?!?!". We are in pretty good shape there. Can't remember have this many big, athletic big men.

 

[zebnatto]

The ceilings for Ron and Myles are extremely high.

MM needs to learn when to be aggressive and when to let the game come to him.

Tough to figure Peter: will he be a 15or 25 mpg guy?

Not sure how good EMUs zone is but we worked the ball well.

The turnovers, both in transition the half court and in transition, are a problem. Gut feeling is that we’ll work our way through that and offense will get better and better.

Nice to see MD on the floor.

And props ro Shaq, Geo, and Eugene.

 

[TDIrish27]

Great bounce back win-----one of the best parts was that you could put that one in the books early and watch Monday Night Football and see maybe the best game ever on a Monday Night.

If someone had told me prior to the game that the Chiefs and the Rams would score more than EMU you would have gotten serious odds.

 

[srru86]

I think the SJU loss motivated the team a little ...

NY Post
Rutgers lets out St. John’s frustrations in historic first half

 

[G- RUnit]

Excellent summary / review!

 

[RUsojo]

What a remarkable first half score....31-4 tying the all time NCAA record for fewest points allowed in half. Just a superlative effort on the defensive end by RU to keep focus defensively despite being up big and the ineptitude of EMU shooting the ball. It would have been easy for RU to get a little lazy but we didnt see that. RU made a concerted effort tonight on the defensive end and I saw it coming. That SJU game was one of the poorest defensive effort we have seen from a Pike coached team at Rutgers. I had a feeling that he would have the players attention tonight. The SJU loss exposed the teams weaknesses on both ends but clearly it was the defense that needed to be shored up the most. RU lacked that toughness mentality against SJU but tonight it was on display. Great test and great way to bounceback from the adversity of the SJU disappointment. I think this team could have lost this game if they beat SJU.

While offensively the team did struggle at times getting into the flow, I do not have much of an issue. I think also Pikiell did a great job preparing RU for the EMU zone. I liked our passing. I liked our shot selection. I realize this wasnt a Syracuse zone but it was important for some younger players to get some experience in being more patient. Yes there were alot of turnovers...which ballooned in the 2nd half to 20 which really is the only negative of the night. I can overlook that in that this team still is so young and green playing together. Liked the balance of going outside and Geo stepping up on the perimeter. Draining 6 of 8. Isnt fun to get 3 ball back at the RAC...Kiss 3-6.....RU 10-24...Third game in double digits. Good thing to see even against lesser competition.

Not worried at all about the 2nd half being played basically even. Tough to expect RU to play at the same level in the 2nd half and they did what they had to do to keep the game out of reach...I think EMU cut it to 40-20 with a 16-9 spurt to start the 2nd half but RU responded and built the lead up to 29 as the 2nd half progressed. How about Doorson with 9 points tonight. Offensively the bench guys didnt get involved as much this game offensively but that is okay too. I still liked what I saw from Johnson and especially Harper. Baker's minutes might have been a little high tonight at 35 but McConnell not ready to be floor general against a zone and Geo was feeling it on the offensive end. Still think Montez is struggling a bit to find his game and looks like Shaq Carter is the last man in right now.

Overall great game that clearly shows the progress going on in the program. EMU was a step up from Drexel/FDU and are picked to contend for the MAC title. Team was not down on their luck after the SJU loss and the coaching staff pushed all the right buttons. Great to have RU make its way into the history books and gives this group something that they can tell their grandchildren about..they made history. Now onto Boston U. Tough sleepy game to play the day after Turkey Day. I dont think RU will be as sharp for this one and expect a more ugly type shooting game but its a game they still should comfortably win

I don’t believe Pikiell was responsible for offensive prep for this game IIRC.

You 100% right about 1st half/2nd half effort. The human element can’t be overlooked and I will never be upset when a team leads by 27 at half and plays the 2nd half even. Hard to play with a lot of emotion in that scenario and even so there was still good effort it’s not like they slept-walked through the half.

 

[RUonBrain]

How many charges did Eugene draw?
3?

Amazing!

 

[littlenis5]

Re: too many alley oops - do you get a free AARP membership with that comment? It also seems as if Pike wanted EMU (and those watching tape) constantly concerned about the back door oops. I noticed at least 4-5 times Pete KISS jumping like the pass was coming as a fake (like in volleyball).

My other chuckle in this is in Shaq Carter. Worried about him based on 2 mins of scrub time in which he touched the ball once? He’s not going to play much. Don’t lose sleep!

 

[RUinOhio]

How many on the year? The one charge was awesome, where he boxed out their bigman, who gave E a little shove in the back. E can really sell it. Doesn't react or complain for a foul, and when he doesn't get the call (there was a play I thought was a clear charge he got whistled for), he doesn't complain.

How many charges did Eugene draw?
3?

Amazing!

 

[LeapinLou]

Bac - This idea that we could have lost this game if we were overconfident after beating St. Johns completely ignores the fact that EMU was worn out after a long road trip. I'm not denigrating our performance. Just saying I never really thought we were in jeopardy of losing this game, despite how good EMU may be on paper. We had a great game but the schedule makers gift wrapped this one for us.

All that said, the loss to St. Johns was a learning experience and clearly had the team refocused yesterday.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

The last two games were also a study in polar opposites from our opponents. The Johnnies put on one of the most impressive 3-point shooting displays ever at the RAC. In the first half tonight, It looked like EMU’s players had never shot a basketball before. I know some of the blame and credit for both performances lies with RU’s defensive effort. But, still pretty remarkable nonetheless.

The contrasts between our last two opponents was remarkable. St John's definitely outplayed us, but the 2nd half 3 point shooting from the Johnnies was lights out. Nobody is coming back from that kind of shooting.

 

[zebnatto]

Given the pounding we took by the Johnnies, I think the team came out with something to prove vs EMU

But BU on Friday afternoon, after beating three similar teams easily and with three Power games coming up: that's a classic trap game setup.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

I forgot. Anyone writing off Duke is crazy. I saw someone post last week that he was a transfer candidate. That's crazy. He is a young sophomore. He is big strong and does a lot well. He will clean up his fame as the season progresses and play a nice role in big ten play against bigger teams. Then when Shaq leaves he will play a lot of minutes.

Please tell me all of the things that Duke does well

 

[RickB113]

Rebound. Pass. Very good stroke for a big man. Athletic. He has plenty of tools.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

Rebound. Pass. Very good stroke for a big man. Athletic. He has plenty of tools.

He appears to be a decent athletes, but he does none of those other things well. Hard to take you seriously.

 

[RickB113]

Whatever you say. It’s potential. If you don’t see it. That’s fine. We will see who is right in a few years. Big men take time to develop.

 

[dpwhite]

Great bounce back win-----one of the best parts was that you could put that one in the books early and watch Monday Night Football and see maybe the best game ever on a Monday Night.

If someone had told me prior to the game that the Chiefs and the Rams would score more than EMU you would have gotten serious odds.

The best part of the game is you didn't have to watch the game!

 

[BigEastPhil]

Imagine going for a long 10 month nap and waking up today and reading a post about too many alley oops.

Lol...Funny. The objective was to have people laugh evidenced that I had a LOL at the end of my comment implying it was meant to be humorous. Guess I failed "Comedy in Journalism One Liners 101" or you all did....:) In all seriousness, it would have been nice to see an alley oop or 2 to Montez to help him get going. Maybe against Boston University.....