Now that is more like it!
For the first time this season, we really saw the Rutgers we thought we knew. The team we expected coming off of two NCAA tourney seasons*. Honestly the team has been dreadful at the RAC for the home slate thus far sleepwalking and playing purposelessly against lower level schools and the Lafayette defeat was one of the worst losses in RAC history in the 21st century. The impact of the loss of Myles, JY, and Mathis has beaten to death but quite frankly there is more than enough talent remaining to have been 6-0 coming into last night. The disappointment starts of several upperclassmen really impacted the growth of the entire team meaning the newcomers either were not getting minutes or were thrust in situations where they had to perform or get yanked. Not a good situation all around. How could the new guys integrate themselves in a positive way when the example from the upperclassmen is so poor in decision making and effort. Its not too much to ask for leadership and energy against the likes of Lafayette and Lehigh so I think the vitriol toward the players and coaching staff was a bit justified. No one was making up how bad it was, the results spoke for themselves. With three quick bad losses and down a guy in Geo, RU came into last night absolutely sputtering.
Last night felt a little different before tipoff, first big name opponent..ie real school at the RAC. a situation where the RAC thrives. Remember its been since the Maryland game back in early March 2020 where RU was going to be in a juiced environment. Even with the recent struggles, the RAC crowd led by the students were very willing from the get go and immediately you could tell the players had more in their step than we had seen maybe in the previous 3 games combines. The RAC and players were working symbiotically. It started to feel like 2020 in spots. No Clemson isnt Maryland and yes the place was not even full and yes there have been so many crowds that have been louder. But for this place, this night, this game, this situation the program finds itself in, this was just what the fans needed , just what the players needed and just what the fans needed.
What we saw last night was an indication that there is indeed fight left in this team, the staff and the fanbase. Let me tell you last night was an absolute enjoyable and pleasurable experience at the RAC. Two pretty evenly matched schools, both struggling a bit from their NCAA seasons in a rematch where Rutgers really played a very very solid 40 minutes of basketball. Teams win basketball games by making plays. Rutgers lost the last 3 games because their opponents were making more plays than them. RU was never getting the impact stops on defense and on the offensive end sputtered in key stretches. This group of players desperately needed to figure out how to win a game. You wouldnt think a team with NCAA experience would have this issue but they were back at square one. Relearning what it takes to win...effort, energy..playmaking..confidence and they did it with a little help from their friends at the RAC.
Last night was all about playmaking for Rutgers and there was so many key moments that were crucial in this victory last night. No one had time to be upset with Caleb McConnell taking a long jumper 7 seconds into the shot clock because it went in....and the crowd went wild and we were off. Tone setting early, RU was active getting out to a 6-0 lead and you knew things would be different tonight. After that there was a lot of back and forth and a 5 minute sequence where both schools sputtered offensively but both playing pretty good defensively. RU has traditionally not been very efficient at closing out first half especially in a few earlier games at the RAC this year but man did they pick a right time to make some shots. Back to back to back three pointers for Rutgers was pivotal in RU taking charge in this game and they would basically never look back. In the last 2:30, Harper, Hyatt and Caleb drained 3s and suddenly RU found themselves up 8, 33-25 and going into the lockerroom with confidence. For a team that was just 2-9 in the game prior and whose futility in prior games is well documated, I dont know if it was luck or what but big time shots.
2nd half sees Harper with a dunk and foul shot and all over sudden RU up 11 and taking control and Ron would continue to be aggressive the rest of the half. Then Clemson punches back with their own back to back 3s and a layup and all of sudden the lead is down to 1. Critical gut check moment for RU with a ton of time left, in its previous losses, RU seemed to fold when their opponents made their runs. Were we looking at another collapse again. Nope, Ron Harper Jr was not going to let that happen. Of all the returning players Ron has been the least culpable of criticism for this seasons slow start. However Ron did struggle the 2nd half of Lafayette and UMass and those are the kind of spots you look for your senior leader to step up so it was disappointing to see. Ron drained two 3s sandwiched around a rare non dunk fg for Cliff and RU was back up 7. Ron was confident and setting the example for rest of his teammates. Keep your head up and keep working hard. Leading by example because RU would need it as Clemson hung around and hung around cutting the lead to 4 several times. But watching, I felt confident. I thought RU never lost control in this game. They were indeed the better team and when the Clemson center Hall fouled out with 4 minutes there was no looking back.
Players make plays. Ron Harper Jr made plays...made many plays. 23 points on 8-13 shooting, 4-6 from 3, with 9 rebounds just missing on a double double. His teammates followed his lead. Caleb for all the criticism had a very very good game and his shot was back, smooth and much needed a couple of times late. Paul to Cliff for a monster dunk was another key conversion. You have to make plays to win. Rutgers was making them all at critical junctures something they didnt do when they blew a big lead at UMass. But the play of the game was the Harper drive to the hoop to foul out Hall...the and one put RU up 7. Bravo to Ron for realizing he needed to take over as he is quite capable of doing. With Hall gone, we went right to Cliff who on back to back possession and yet another dunk to go up 67-59 basically sealed it. Caleb would make some free throws down the stretch and team collectively played solid D in harrassing Clemson who could not put any kind of desperate comeback together.
I am trying to remember the exact possession where Caleb..I think it was him, just grabbed the ball right from Tyson, think very late in the game. It was that kind of night for Caleb who finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds on 5-7 shooting. Look I have been as tough as anyone on Caleb so really have to give him all the credit in the world for this performance. There were a couple of bad plays he did have in trying to do too much but I felt he was much more focuses and consciously worked on being smarter with his shot selection and seemed extremely confident on defense. Its one game and again does not change my thinking that we cannot rely on Caleb every night as our 2nd or even third offensive option. The trick for Pike is to figure out just how to use him without forcing him to do too much.
Cliff only 23 minutes, I think Hall had the better of him but Cliff still came up big late and did get 9 boards. We all project him as more advanced than he is but we have to be understanding he still is quite young in his development. If we can get him the ball in his sweet spot, its almost an automatic bucket. Cliff in the next two games will be tested beyond belief with Cockburn and the 7ft2 Purdue guy.
I thought Mulcahy deferred offensively to Caleb and Ron and I am okay with that. Long term its not going to be a good thing to have to ride Mulcahy for a last second shot to win a game like we did at Umass. Paul will do what he does best. Be scrappy and see the court. 7 assists and 7 boards a very sneaky good stat line last night.
I thought everyone played well, even those who stats were not all that hot. Experience against a real team matters for the younger players. Hyatt after two disappointing games where his minutes were cut was very productive and active last night. 11 points on 3-6 shooting, 21 minutes really filling his role .Jaden Jones shot from 3 is way off right now but I am still encouraged by his jumpers for 2. I think if we can get him off that 3 point line and try to get him inside he can have very productive nights for RU. Mag didnt have much to his shot last night but he is providing energy and his length defensively can be a strength going forward. Agee still struggling defensively but still giving minutes to rest Cliff and thats all we can ask for right now.
Then we have Jalen Miller. Two theories before the game based on him not playing, he is riding pine because he is that bad and far behind or Pike wanted to redshirt him. Honestly to me redshirting in this day and age seems like a counter productive decision. Vehemently disagree that Pike felt that this was a good plan and with Geo out Jalen certainly should have been brought out for the Umass game. Water under the bridge now. Jalen was unleased and looks like he has some energy. Right away you saw it in the way he defended and he got that nice little drive to the hoop late for his first points. Going to be interesting to watch his development and not sure Pike is going to throw him that many minutes with the wolves of Illinois and Purdue coming up.
Have to give tons of credit to Coach Pike, a few tweaks, less stubborness and probably some good practices sure did help him out after a really rough week and half. I still think the talent is limited a bit so he really is going to pull his hair out figuring out the right combinations and rotations and just who he wants to trust the most especially when Geo comes. This year may end up being about the future rather than the now when all is said and done. I cannot speak to why we looked better without Geo than we did with him. Its a controversial subject here for some reason but its worth for discussion because when Geo comes back, he is going to have to follow Ron's lead for RU to be successful.
Everyone needed this win. We as fans needed to feel good, the players needed to learn that they can win, the coaching staff needed to know they still got it. I do not know what this means going forward. I can say right now, the program really needs to take one game at a time, We will know by the end of the month which direction the season is going. The next 3 games are extremely difficult. I had them losing all 3 of them even in my optimistic 20-11 NCAA season prediction. RU cannot change their 4-3 record, what's done is done, we will find out soon enough whether that stretch of 3 losses is too much to overcome. What the program can take from last night is that when RU brings it they can play a solid 40 minutes that can at least compete with decent programs. Its a step in the right direction because I dont think RU was necessarily competing prior to this game. Rutgers stopped the bleeding, stopped the negativity and finally we felt good about the program that has given us so much joy for the past 2 seasons. For now savor it, the Big 10 is going to be unforgiving.
For the first time this season, we really saw the Rutgers we thought we knew. The team we expected coming off of two NCAA tourney seasons*. Honestly the team has been dreadful at the RAC for the home slate thus far sleepwalking and playing purposelessly against lower level schools and the Lafayette defeat was one of the worst losses in RAC history in the 21st century. The impact of the loss of Myles, JY, and Mathis has beaten to death but quite frankly there is more than enough talent remaining to have been 6-0 coming into last night. The disappointment starts of several upperclassmen really impacted the growth of the entire team meaning the newcomers either were not getting minutes or were thrust in situations where they had to perform or get yanked. Not a good situation all around. How could the new guys integrate themselves in a positive way when the example from the upperclassmen is so poor in decision making and effort. Its not too much to ask for leadership and energy against the likes of Lafayette and Lehigh so I think the vitriol toward the players and coaching staff was a bit justified. No one was making up how bad it was, the results spoke for themselves. With three quick bad losses and down a guy in Geo, RU came into last night absolutely sputtering.
Last night felt a little different before tipoff, first big name opponent..ie real school at the RAC. a situation where the RAC thrives. Remember its been since the Maryland game back in early March 2020 where RU was going to be in a juiced environment. Even with the recent struggles, the RAC crowd led by the students were very willing from the get go and immediately you could tell the players had more in their step than we had seen maybe in the previous 3 games combines. The RAC and players were working symbiotically. It started to feel like 2020 in spots. No Clemson isnt Maryland and yes the place was not even full and yes there have been so many crowds that have been louder. But for this place, this night, this game, this situation the program finds itself in, this was just what the fans needed , just what the players needed and just what the fans needed.
What we saw last night was an indication that there is indeed fight left in this team, the staff and the fanbase. Let me tell you last night was an absolute enjoyable and pleasurable experience at the RAC. Two pretty evenly matched schools, both struggling a bit from their NCAA seasons in a rematch where Rutgers really played a very very solid 40 minutes of basketball. Teams win basketball games by making plays. Rutgers lost the last 3 games because their opponents were making more plays than them. RU was never getting the impact stops on defense and on the offensive end sputtered in key stretches. This group of players desperately needed to figure out how to win a game. You wouldnt think a team with NCAA experience would have this issue but they were back at square one. Relearning what it takes to win...effort, energy..playmaking..confidence and they did it with a little help from their friends at the RAC.
Last night was all about playmaking for Rutgers and there was so many key moments that were crucial in this victory last night. No one had time to be upset with Caleb McConnell taking a long jumper 7 seconds into the shot clock because it went in....and the crowd went wild and we were off. Tone setting early, RU was active getting out to a 6-0 lead and you knew things would be different tonight. After that there was a lot of back and forth and a 5 minute sequence where both schools sputtered offensively but both playing pretty good defensively. RU has traditionally not been very efficient at closing out first half especially in a few earlier games at the RAC this year but man did they pick a right time to make some shots. Back to back to back three pointers for Rutgers was pivotal in RU taking charge in this game and they would basically never look back. In the last 2:30, Harper, Hyatt and Caleb drained 3s and suddenly RU found themselves up 8, 33-25 and going into the lockerroom with confidence. For a team that was just 2-9 in the game prior and whose futility in prior games is well documated, I dont know if it was luck or what but big time shots.
2nd half sees Harper with a dunk and foul shot and all over sudden RU up 11 and taking control and Ron would continue to be aggressive the rest of the half. Then Clemson punches back with their own back to back 3s and a layup and all of sudden the lead is down to 1. Critical gut check moment for RU with a ton of time left, in its previous losses, RU seemed to fold when their opponents made their runs. Were we looking at another collapse again. Nope, Ron Harper Jr was not going to let that happen. Of all the returning players Ron has been the least culpable of criticism for this seasons slow start. However Ron did struggle the 2nd half of Lafayette and UMass and those are the kind of spots you look for your senior leader to step up so it was disappointing to see. Ron drained two 3s sandwiched around a rare non dunk fg for Cliff and RU was back up 7. Ron was confident and setting the example for rest of his teammates. Keep your head up and keep working hard. Leading by example because RU would need it as Clemson hung around and hung around cutting the lead to 4 several times. But watching, I felt confident. I thought RU never lost control in this game. They were indeed the better team and when the Clemson center Hall fouled out with 4 minutes there was no looking back.
Players make plays. Ron Harper Jr made plays...made many plays. 23 points on 8-13 shooting, 4-6 from 3, with 9 rebounds just missing on a double double. His teammates followed his lead. Caleb for all the criticism had a very very good game and his shot was back, smooth and much needed a couple of times late. Paul to Cliff for a monster dunk was another key conversion. You have to make plays to win. Rutgers was making them all at critical junctures something they didnt do when they blew a big lead at UMass. But the play of the game was the Harper drive to the hoop to foul out Hall...the and one put RU up 7. Bravo to Ron for realizing he needed to take over as he is quite capable of doing. With Hall gone, we went right to Cliff who on back to back possession and yet another dunk to go up 67-59 basically sealed it. Caleb would make some free throws down the stretch and team collectively played solid D in harrassing Clemson who could not put any kind of desperate comeback together.
I am trying to remember the exact possession where Caleb..I think it was him, just grabbed the ball right from Tyson, think very late in the game. It was that kind of night for Caleb who finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds on 5-7 shooting. Look I have been as tough as anyone on Caleb so really have to give him all the credit in the world for this performance. There were a couple of bad plays he did have in trying to do too much but I felt he was much more focuses and consciously worked on being smarter with his shot selection and seemed extremely confident on defense. Its one game and again does not change my thinking that we cannot rely on Caleb every night as our 2nd or even third offensive option. The trick for Pike is to figure out just how to use him without forcing him to do too much.
Cliff only 23 minutes, I think Hall had the better of him but Cliff still came up big late and did get 9 boards. We all project him as more advanced than he is but we have to be understanding he still is quite young in his development. If we can get him the ball in his sweet spot, its almost an automatic bucket. Cliff in the next two games will be tested beyond belief with Cockburn and the 7ft2 Purdue guy.
I thought Mulcahy deferred offensively to Caleb and Ron and I am okay with that. Long term its not going to be a good thing to have to ride Mulcahy for a last second shot to win a game like we did at Umass. Paul will do what he does best. Be scrappy and see the court. 7 assists and 7 boards a very sneaky good stat line last night.
I thought everyone played well, even those who stats were not all that hot. Experience against a real team matters for the younger players. Hyatt after two disappointing games where his minutes were cut was very productive and active last night. 11 points on 3-6 shooting, 21 minutes really filling his role .Jaden Jones shot from 3 is way off right now but I am still encouraged by his jumpers for 2. I think if we can get him off that 3 point line and try to get him inside he can have very productive nights for RU. Mag didnt have much to his shot last night but he is providing energy and his length defensively can be a strength going forward. Agee still struggling defensively but still giving minutes to rest Cliff and thats all we can ask for right now.
Then we have Jalen Miller. Two theories before the game based on him not playing, he is riding pine because he is that bad and far behind or Pike wanted to redshirt him. Honestly to me redshirting in this day and age seems like a counter productive decision. Vehemently disagree that Pike felt that this was a good plan and with Geo out Jalen certainly should have been brought out for the Umass game. Water under the bridge now. Jalen was unleased and looks like he has some energy. Right away you saw it in the way he defended and he got that nice little drive to the hoop late for his first points. Going to be interesting to watch his development and not sure Pike is going to throw him that many minutes with the wolves of Illinois and Purdue coming up.
Have to give tons of credit to Coach Pike, a few tweaks, less stubborness and probably some good practices sure did help him out after a really rough week and half. I still think the talent is limited a bit so he really is going to pull his hair out figuring out the right combinations and rotations and just who he wants to trust the most especially when Geo comes. This year may end up being about the future rather than the now when all is said and done. I cannot speak to why we looked better without Geo than we did with him. Its a controversial subject here for some reason but its worth for discussion because when Geo comes back, he is going to have to follow Ron's lead for RU to be successful.
Everyone needed this win. We as fans needed to feel good, the players needed to learn that they can win, the coaching staff needed to know they still got it. I do not know what this means going forward. I can say right now, the program really needs to take one game at a time, We will know by the end of the month which direction the season is going. The next 3 games are extremely difficult. I had them losing all 3 of them even in my optimistic 20-11 NCAA season prediction. RU cannot change their 4-3 record, what's done is done, we will find out soon enough whether that stretch of 3 losses is too much to overcome. What the program can take from last night is that when RU brings it they can play a solid 40 minutes that can at least compete with decent programs. Its a step in the right direction because I dont think RU was necessarily competing prior to this game. Rutgers stopped the bleeding, stopped the negativity and finally we felt good about the program that has given us so much joy for the past 2 seasons. For now savor it, the Big 10 is going to be unforgiving.