Sheesh what a late for all of the Scarlet Faithful in a rollercoaster of game that had some unexpected twists and turns. Thankfully Rutgers fought off an onslaught of three point shots by Matt Allocco to secure a hard fought 85-84 victory in OT. And as we head toward Thankgiving, Let us just give thanks for having an absolute star in Dylan Harper. Thank the Harper famiy. Thank Coach Pikiell. Lastly thank Dylan for wanting to be part of something special here. I was just a wee kid when RU made its Final 4 run so I never saw any of those players play in person (beside Eddie as a Net) but without question to me, Dylan Harper is the most talented men's basketball player to have ever put on the Rutgers uniform. He came in ready to go from day 1. The sheer poise and maturity and confidence he has show just 6 games into the season is impressive. I did not necessarily think a freshmen especially early could be considered a leader of a team but I think Rutgers found one last night. Dylan has the keys. This is his team. He is the heart of the program right now. We do not quite have the soul yet but its pretty likely there will be a recap in the next month declaring Ace Bailey the soul of this team.
Since his 9-14 fg, 20 point debut vs Wagner, Dylan has almost been taken for granted already. Freshman beyond his years he became the go to go in the following few games at the RAC, average almost 20 ppg and shooting 19-38. He was as advertised. Yet to me I thought he deferred a bit and there were times we wasnt getting the ball as much as he should. That was okay because we knew what he could do, RU needed to find out what others could do and quite frankly even though the games were somewhat close, never got the feel RU was going to lose any of them. Then at Kennessaw, Dylan I believe was just 2-4 fg in the first half. Did not think that was going to cut. Obviously the game was about Ace trying to impress in his home state and too much Ace and not enough Dylan. The offense was going through the wrong players and it needed to be Dylan. Harper would key that 2nd half comeback hitting on 10 of his 14 shots finishing 10-18 fg, 21 points and 9 assists in 35 minutes.
I always felt the greater the competition for this team the more they would show up. The bright lights of Vegas took Dylan's game to even new heights. Dylan was hot early hitting on 3 of his first 4 shots for 9 points but picked up 2 quick fouls so headed to the bench. Credit Pike for trusting in Dylan putting him back in albeit not much choice as RU hit a major offensive funk and fell down by 10. Credit Dylan for not getting frustrated and not picking up his 3rd til deeper in the second half and with him back in the lineup, RU chipped away at the Irish lead. Dylan was already 6-9 fg but he was just getting started. There was a key sequence of events where Dylan's simply stamped himself as heart of the team.
First Dylan hits a layup around the 16 minute mark to cut the ND lead to 41-40. Next up was Dylan showing his smarts by drawing the double team and but having the vision to find J Will in such a sweet spot for a jumper that gave RU the lead. He would then find a wide open J Will to the left of him for a wide open 3 but Dylan wasnt done yet hitting his own 3 and giving RU their biggest lead thus far at 48-44. A less than 2 minute stretch that just personified what an extra player he is. 5 points, 2 assists leading to 5 more points and a rebound. Thats when I said in the game thread that Harper will go off for 35 and needs to shoot 25 times. Well he only shot 22 but he did go for 36.
The last 9 minutes become a slog. The Irish were able to get a 6 point lead but Dylan once again took over. After converting an and one, RU back on top 63-62 and while Dylan did not score the last 4 minutes or so he was the guy taking the shots. It had to be that way. But as good as Dylan is he is not Michael Jordan. Many took offense to Seth Davis comments but Seth was largely right. RU was two freshmen starts and not much else. That was true through much of the first part of this game. Dylan carried the team last night but make no mistake it was his surrounding cast finally stepping up in big moments. My fear this year is the supporting cast just isnt good enough. RU deseperatley need Jeremiah Williams to return to his form from last season. He has been hurt and its obviously effected some shots but Rutgers needs J Will to make better decisions. Last night, J Will brought it on both ends. His defense in the 2nd half was a big reason, the Irish went almost 5 minutes without a point. Credit Pike too for the small ball but more on that later. Jeremiah delivered some really important shots include a gigantic 3 in overtime that put RU back on top by 2. Finally we saw major glimpses of the guy who was suppose to be the main bridge player. If J Will isnt a big contributor as the 3rd best player on the team, there is no way RU reaches their goals this season. That is how important he is to the puzzle.
Yet there were others who played big roles. You know I have to say my comment in the game thread saying Derkack wasnt a Big 10 player was born out frustration at times of him trying to do too much and failing. There is no questioning how hard the kid plays and the effort, my question always sits with whether he is good enough to be a starter and to play major minutes. I didnt like his game vs Kennesaw but in that 2nd half, Jordan showed confidence and moxy. An absolute beaut of a drive for a dunk off seeing the lane and finishing it off. With Notre Dame down 67-66 and 31 seconds, everyone expected RU to run some clock off but not Jordan, he saw the lane to the hoop wide open and drove in. Some might question why but I guess for him, why not. Jordan was fouled and drained both giving RU a 3 point lead before Alloccos well covered 3 went down to tie it. Harper airballed his 3 to win the game Not the best choice by him but we can cut him some slack not sure what play was drawn up there.
In overtime, Jordan again had a nice layin on an assist from Acuff that put RU up 4. Do not discount that guys like Jordan and J Will stepping up when everyone knows that Dylan and Ace (less so last night) are the primary options. The more others convert. The tougher it becomes to hold Dylan and Ace in check. J Will would finish with 10 points on 4-8 fg and 6 boards in 30 minutes. JD went for 16 on 5-12 shooting and 6 boards. His best game overall as a Knight and certainly producing like a Big 10 player.
While Ace did not have a great night for the 2nd game in a row. Seems to be settling for further outside shots and not looking to take contact. Just 10 points on 4-12 shooting, 4 board and got into a bit of foul trouble at times. Yet Ace delivered a big time shot at a big moment late in regulation following a timeout that gave RU a 67-66 lead and Ace was responsible for the board on the Irish miss on the other end. Back to back big time plays by Ace there. He will get it eventually. I know some are frustrated. Lets see these next two games, I wouldnt be surprised if there is a breakout coming.
Last but certainly not least with Tyson Acuff. He had himself a sneaky good game and earned Pike's trust to be play major minutes during crunch time in regulation and overtime. Big big defensive steal and then assist to a streaking Jordan that put RU up 4 and then nailed both his free throws late that put RU up 5. 7 points but RU's leading rebounder with a whopping 7 in just 25 minutes. If Pike is ready to unleash him and he can designate his role, perhaps not as a scorer but as the scrappy athlete around the paint. RU struggled again especially in the first half with rebounding. If Acuff along with Dercack can fill those lunch pail roles that Pike likes to hand out it could go a long way to hiding those rebounding issues from the center spot.
Pike went small with no Lathan, no Ogobole and Martini at the 5. Did open the paint where Dylan was able to do his work but it also eliminated the black hole the center stop has been the majority of the season. I get there were still defensve laps at times where ND got easy layup even late or Martini just was not aware of what was going on but you take that good with the bad. For last night this matchup worked. Other nights Pike will be forced to play Lathan alot and again he needs to define the role for Lathan and that to me should not be looking to put the ball in the hoop. He should be kicking it back out every time. Hayes, Martini, Ogobole, Summerville, and J Mike all had non descript game but Hayes and J Mike have had good games this year. I would not necessarily write them off yet. I think there will be times certain guys do not have it and others get called on. I do think Acuff is going to see more time from here so it will be interesting to see whose minutes get cut. Yet the center position continues to be a flashing red light
As for the team, lets be clear, to me this was a must win because without it the liklihood of 0-3 in Vegas and 4-5 to start the year was looming. I LOVE the fact this was a game they seemingly had to win basically 3 times. Put themselves in control down the stretch in regulation but beat by an incredible 3 by Allocco. Then building a 6 point cushion that looked golden only to see Allocco start draining 3s. RU would have to win the game again by nailing foul shots and doing the one thing they have struggled with all year...making stops. 8 seconds up 1, RU defended a few seconds before Shrewsbury called timeout and once again got the ball to Allocco who this time missed. I bet alot of us thought that this was one of those typical RU athletic events where they left the door open just enough for a dagger in our hearts. But that was not to be. Our hearts belong to Dylan. In Dylan we trust and In Dylan Rutgers trusts. A lot to heap on a freshmen..sure but this is not an ordinary player. A leader is emerging and the team is learning to win games. Next up for them is learning to build that lead when they get a cushion. Still not there for them yet and that is okay. The defense is still a mystery. What can we do but hope that clicks in. Notre Dame wasnt that good without their top guy and give the assist to Ogbole. Rutgers will win games based on sheer talent alone from their top 2 players. Still unknown if that is enough to reach those NCAA aspirations. Yet take some positives that RU played more like a team last night probably than in their first 5 games combined. Progress isnt always linear and progress can be exponential too.
Alabama will be an elephant tonight for RU. IMO, house money. I do think RU competes for a while but runs out of steam. Yes there is a potential the game could get ugly tonight and that is okay. Bama is probably a one or two seed this year. That is how good they are. Much more interested in the third game and a possible meeting with San Diego State, Oregon, Texas A&M or Creighton. That game going to be a real measursing stick game. Not an Alabama but not a Notre Dame. Have a hunch Rutgers will make a good account of themselves there.
Since his 9-14 fg, 20 point debut vs Wagner, Dylan has almost been taken for granted already. Freshman beyond his years he became the go to go in the following few games at the RAC, average almost 20 ppg and shooting 19-38. He was as advertised. Yet to me I thought he deferred a bit and there were times we wasnt getting the ball as much as he should. That was okay because we knew what he could do, RU needed to find out what others could do and quite frankly even though the games were somewhat close, never got the feel RU was going to lose any of them. Then at Kennessaw, Dylan I believe was just 2-4 fg in the first half. Did not think that was going to cut. Obviously the game was about Ace trying to impress in his home state and too much Ace and not enough Dylan. The offense was going through the wrong players and it needed to be Dylan. Harper would key that 2nd half comeback hitting on 10 of his 14 shots finishing 10-18 fg, 21 points and 9 assists in 35 minutes.
I always felt the greater the competition for this team the more they would show up. The bright lights of Vegas took Dylan's game to even new heights. Dylan was hot early hitting on 3 of his first 4 shots for 9 points but picked up 2 quick fouls so headed to the bench. Credit Pike for trusting in Dylan putting him back in albeit not much choice as RU hit a major offensive funk and fell down by 10. Credit Dylan for not getting frustrated and not picking up his 3rd til deeper in the second half and with him back in the lineup, RU chipped away at the Irish lead. Dylan was already 6-9 fg but he was just getting started. There was a key sequence of events where Dylan's simply stamped himself as heart of the team.
First Dylan hits a layup around the 16 minute mark to cut the ND lead to 41-40. Next up was Dylan showing his smarts by drawing the double team and but having the vision to find J Will in such a sweet spot for a jumper that gave RU the lead. He would then find a wide open J Will to the left of him for a wide open 3 but Dylan wasnt done yet hitting his own 3 and giving RU their biggest lead thus far at 48-44. A less than 2 minute stretch that just personified what an extra player he is. 5 points, 2 assists leading to 5 more points and a rebound. Thats when I said in the game thread that Harper will go off for 35 and needs to shoot 25 times. Well he only shot 22 but he did go for 36.
The last 9 minutes become a slog. The Irish were able to get a 6 point lead but Dylan once again took over. After converting an and one, RU back on top 63-62 and while Dylan did not score the last 4 minutes or so he was the guy taking the shots. It had to be that way. But as good as Dylan is he is not Michael Jordan. Many took offense to Seth Davis comments but Seth was largely right. RU was two freshmen starts and not much else. That was true through much of the first part of this game. Dylan carried the team last night but make no mistake it was his surrounding cast finally stepping up in big moments. My fear this year is the supporting cast just isnt good enough. RU deseperatley need Jeremiah Williams to return to his form from last season. He has been hurt and its obviously effected some shots but Rutgers needs J Will to make better decisions. Last night, J Will brought it on both ends. His defense in the 2nd half was a big reason, the Irish went almost 5 minutes without a point. Credit Pike too for the small ball but more on that later. Jeremiah delivered some really important shots include a gigantic 3 in overtime that put RU back on top by 2. Finally we saw major glimpses of the guy who was suppose to be the main bridge player. If J Will isnt a big contributor as the 3rd best player on the team, there is no way RU reaches their goals this season. That is how important he is to the puzzle.
Yet there were others who played big roles. You know I have to say my comment in the game thread saying Derkack wasnt a Big 10 player was born out frustration at times of him trying to do too much and failing. There is no questioning how hard the kid plays and the effort, my question always sits with whether he is good enough to be a starter and to play major minutes. I didnt like his game vs Kennesaw but in that 2nd half, Jordan showed confidence and moxy. An absolute beaut of a drive for a dunk off seeing the lane and finishing it off. With Notre Dame down 67-66 and 31 seconds, everyone expected RU to run some clock off but not Jordan, he saw the lane to the hoop wide open and drove in. Some might question why but I guess for him, why not. Jordan was fouled and drained both giving RU a 3 point lead before Alloccos well covered 3 went down to tie it. Harper airballed his 3 to win the game Not the best choice by him but we can cut him some slack not sure what play was drawn up there.
In overtime, Jordan again had a nice layin on an assist from Acuff that put RU up 4. Do not discount that guys like Jordan and J Will stepping up when everyone knows that Dylan and Ace (less so last night) are the primary options. The more others convert. The tougher it becomes to hold Dylan and Ace in check. J Will would finish with 10 points on 4-8 fg and 6 boards in 30 minutes. JD went for 16 on 5-12 shooting and 6 boards. His best game overall as a Knight and certainly producing like a Big 10 player.
While Ace did not have a great night for the 2nd game in a row. Seems to be settling for further outside shots and not looking to take contact. Just 10 points on 4-12 shooting, 4 board and got into a bit of foul trouble at times. Yet Ace delivered a big time shot at a big moment late in regulation following a timeout that gave RU a 67-66 lead and Ace was responsible for the board on the Irish miss on the other end. Back to back big time plays by Ace there. He will get it eventually. I know some are frustrated. Lets see these next two games, I wouldnt be surprised if there is a breakout coming.
Last but certainly not least with Tyson Acuff. He had himself a sneaky good game and earned Pike's trust to be play major minutes during crunch time in regulation and overtime. Big big defensive steal and then assist to a streaking Jordan that put RU up 4 and then nailed both his free throws late that put RU up 5. 7 points but RU's leading rebounder with a whopping 7 in just 25 minutes. If Pike is ready to unleash him and he can designate his role, perhaps not as a scorer but as the scrappy athlete around the paint. RU struggled again especially in the first half with rebounding. If Acuff along with Dercack can fill those lunch pail roles that Pike likes to hand out it could go a long way to hiding those rebounding issues from the center spot.
Pike went small with no Lathan, no Ogobole and Martini at the 5. Did open the paint where Dylan was able to do his work but it also eliminated the black hole the center stop has been the majority of the season. I get there were still defensve laps at times where ND got easy layup even late or Martini just was not aware of what was going on but you take that good with the bad. For last night this matchup worked. Other nights Pike will be forced to play Lathan alot and again he needs to define the role for Lathan and that to me should not be looking to put the ball in the hoop. He should be kicking it back out every time. Hayes, Martini, Ogobole, Summerville, and J Mike all had non descript game but Hayes and J Mike have had good games this year. I would not necessarily write them off yet. I think there will be times certain guys do not have it and others get called on. I do think Acuff is going to see more time from here so it will be interesting to see whose minutes get cut. Yet the center position continues to be a flashing red light
As for the team, lets be clear, to me this was a must win because without it the liklihood of 0-3 in Vegas and 4-5 to start the year was looming. I LOVE the fact this was a game they seemingly had to win basically 3 times. Put themselves in control down the stretch in regulation but beat by an incredible 3 by Allocco. Then building a 6 point cushion that looked golden only to see Allocco start draining 3s. RU would have to win the game again by nailing foul shots and doing the one thing they have struggled with all year...making stops. 8 seconds up 1, RU defended a few seconds before Shrewsbury called timeout and once again got the ball to Allocco who this time missed. I bet alot of us thought that this was one of those typical RU athletic events where they left the door open just enough for a dagger in our hearts. But that was not to be. Our hearts belong to Dylan. In Dylan we trust and In Dylan Rutgers trusts. A lot to heap on a freshmen..sure but this is not an ordinary player. A leader is emerging and the team is learning to win games. Next up for them is learning to build that lead when they get a cushion. Still not there for them yet and that is okay. The defense is still a mystery. What can we do but hope that clicks in. Notre Dame wasnt that good without their top guy and give the assist to Ogbole. Rutgers will win games based on sheer talent alone from their top 2 players. Still unknown if that is enough to reach those NCAA aspirations. Yet take some positives that RU played more like a team last night probably than in their first 5 games combined. Progress isnt always linear and progress can be exponential too.
Alabama will be an elephant tonight for RU. IMO, house money. I do think RU competes for a while but runs out of steam. Yes there is a potential the game could get ugly tonight and that is okay. Bama is probably a one or two seed this year. That is how good they are. Much more interested in the third game and a possible meeting with San Diego State, Oregon, Texas A&M or Creighton. That game going to be a real measursing stick game. Not an Alabama but not a Notre Dame. Have a hunch Rutgers will make a good account of themselves there.
