Game summary and depressing collapse in last 10-11 games.

[higgins3]

Best strategy is to do exactly what Pikiell is doing.

Bring in good, high character kids who are up for the build. Omoyuri, Baker, Peter Kiss.

They understand the challenge. Watch out for Baker next year, and Omoyuri. Baker is going to be a player who will be ready for 13-14 ppg. Omoyuri will be a 8 and 8 type of player.

Then, try to mix in the special sauce with some 4 stars, etc.

 

[RickB113]

You're saying that every available scholarship among our current sophomores/juniors must be used on a 4*, plus another among next year's sophomores/freshmen....

....and along with Mathis and Doucoure, that'd be 9 four star players on the roster.... just to make it to the post season.

Uh huh.

You know what you are right. We need at least four. That could be enough if we don’t miss on any. As long as the other three are multiple power 5 offer guys. People are SEVERELY underestimating the talent gap between us an post season teams. Geo and Corey are the only two players that would see real playing time on any other post season team. And Geo would be a backup.

 

[RUChoppin]

You know what you are right. We need at least four. That could be enough if we don’t miss on any. As long as the other three are multiple power 5 offer guys. People are SEVERELY underestimating the talent gap between us an post season teams. Geo and Corey are the only two players that would see real playing time on any other post season team. And Geo would be a backup.

Part of that, too, is because our better players are mostly underclassmen. Most postseason starters are upperclassmen or top flight recruits.

ESPN's bracketology has four teams from the B1G in and one in the first four out bubble. Looking at the guys with the most starts by class year:
Michigan St: 4 So, 1 Fr
Purdue: 4 Sr, 1 So
Ohio State: 3 Sr, 1 Jr, 1 Fr
Michigan: 2 Sr, 2 Jr, 1 So
Nebraska: 1 Sr, 3 Jr, 1 So

Across those 25 starters... 10 Sr, 6 Jr, 7 So, 2 Fr. The only team that has fewer than 4 upperclassman starting is MSU (and they're starting 3 five-stars, and 2 four-stars).

A lot of postseason teams (that aren't blue bloods) have guys like Omoruyi... who develop over time behind other starters, earn a starting job as an upperclassman, and become team leaders.

Next year we'll have as many as 3 upperclassmen starting (if Sanders stays and Thiam holds onto his starting spot). We could also have as few as 1 (if Sanders goes, and Thiam moves into a backup role).

In 2019-20, though, we could see a lot more upperclassman talent - provided people stay: Baker, Omoruyi, Thiam, Carter, Kiss, Doucoure.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Part of that, too, is because our better players are mostly underclassmen. Most postseason starters are upperclassmen or top flight recruits.

ESPN's bracketology has four teams from the B1G in and one in the first four out bubble. Looking at the guys with the most starts by class year:
Michigan St: 4 So, 1 Fr
Purdue: 4 Sr, 1 So
Ohio State: 3 Sr, 1 Jr, 1 Fr
Michigan: 2 Sr, 2 Jr, 1 So
Nebraska: 1 Sr, 3 Jr, 1 So

Across those 25 starters... 10 Sr, 6 Jr, 7 So, 2 Fr. The only team that has fewer than 4 upperclassman starting is MSU (and they're starting 3 five-stars, and 2 four-stars).

yeah but in reality MD shouldn't have been starting and either Sa or Shaq should have. So that would have made it 3 Srs. / 1 Jr / 1Frosh for RU.... I don't disagree with needing experience....but just the Class alone isn't the issue... (as I am 100% sure you get :) )

 

[RUChoppin]

yeah but in reality MD shouldn't have been starting and either Sa or Shaq should have. So that would have made it 3 Srs. / 1 Jr / 1Frosh for RU.... I don't disagree with needing experience....but just the Class alone isn't the issue... (as I am 100% sure you get :) )

Agree that Sa should have been starting, but neither he nor Doorson were in the Top 7 in minutes played, either.

Even with him starting, though, it would have been 2 Sr, 1 Jr, 1 So, 1 Fr this year (Freeman, Sa, Sanders, Thiam, Baker).

Can't easily compare guys like Baker, Omoruyi, Thiam, and Doucoure to starters on postseason teams, though - because as Fr/So, they likely would have been vying for minutes behind upperclassmen.

 

[Degaz-RU]

There are assumptions that most people are making that Shaq Carter is the starter over Shaq Doorson or Duocore. Is this based on hope? Are we giving up on Shaq Doorson improving in the off season.

One thing I can guarantee, if Shaq D is on the roster next year he will be 7 foot. He seems like a real good dude (he played the role of Sa's male figure on senior night). From an individual standpoint there is no one more i want to succeed more next year than Shaq D.

I agree FIG. I am rooting HARD for Shaq Doorson to take the next step and become a solid guy in the rotation. Next season will be his first season being healthy for two years in a row (yeah, I know that was a mind-bender). Can he make a Kareem Wright-like leap in his 5th year?

Omoruyi has definitely shown a lot of improvement this year, though, and I'd imagine the starting PF spot next year is his until someone takes it from him.

As a sophomore, he's a better defender, shoots a higher percent from the field, and has fewer turnovers... but he's not as good a rebounder, puts up fewer shots, and is worse from the FT line. He has another offseason to improve on his overall game, but it remains to be seen if he can get close to Freeman's 11.2/7.3 line. Omoruyi's at 8.0/5.0 right now... adjusted to match Freeman's minutes, that'd be 9.5/6.0 - can he get to 11/7 for next year?

I wonder what their respective stats are in the B1G games only. Freeman's 11.2 ppg most certainly was puffed up during cupcake season. The way I look at it, I can see Omoruyi increasing his production to Freeman-like next year (11/7, plus 2.2 charges taken per game LOL), and if Carter can give us what Omoruyi did this year, it ends up being a net wash. Plus we subtract a headache from the locker room. So I think the PF spot is in good hands next year, especially if Doucoure ends up seeing a bunch of time there.

The real wild card in the front court is what we will get out of the C spot. Will Johnson be a revelation after a redshirt year? Can Doorson make a big leap in his second "healthy" year in a row? Will Doucoure make a big leap in his second year like Omoruyi did this year? Can Carter provide quality minutes at the C spot?

One thing is for certain - there will certainly be more bodies for Pike to use next year, with the additions of Johnson, Carter, Mathis, Kiss and Harper.

 

[LeapinLou]

Sanders..is still here....you touch on chemistry and the issue of Sanders is not as black and white as some think. Obviously when he is focused and on his game he can bring to the team to great heights against top competition but he can also not show up and the whole team collapses against bad teams. So for one whether he is coming back has to be determined like very soon and RU can recover without him next year, sure they might lose a couple of games but as the point I and some others have been trying to make without him Pike will get a chance to have all his players and have guys on the same page. We take the good and the bad with Corey but it may not necessarily be best for the programs growth. We learned that with Freeman this year. If Corey comes back he has to be on the same page as Pike and he simply has to step it up as senior leader.

I agree about chemistry being so important. Just look at Ohio State this year compared to last year. But Cory is the #1 best player on the team and #2 is pretty far down the ladder. We really need him to come back regardless of the leadership/chemistry perspective.

 

[RUChoppin]

I wonder what their respective stats are in the B1G games only.

Not too much different in conference, slightly lower.

Freeman: 24.5 min, 10.8 pts (37.6% FG), 6.5 rb, 0.6 ast, 1.6 stl, 2.1 tov, 2.9 pf
Omoruyi: 21.8 min, 7.5 pts (46.8% FG), 4.3 rb, 0.9 ast, 1.0 stl, 1.6 tov, 2.4 pf

Adjusting to match Freeman's 24.5 min:
Omoruyi: 24.5 min, 8.4 pts (46.8% FG), 4.9 rb, 1.0 ast, 1.1 stl, 1.8 tov, 2.7 pf

And comparison to last year's conference stats, with adjustment to match 24.5 min:
Omoruyi: 14.0 min, 2.7 pts (.373), 1.9 rb, 0.8 ast, 0.4 stl, 1.1 tov, 1.4 pf
Omoruyi: 24.5 min, 4.7 pts (.373), 3.4 rb, 1.4 ast, 0.7 stl, 1.9 tov, 2.5 pf

Eugene has definitely improved his scoring and rebounding, and he's cut down a bit on turnovers and fouls.... it's possible he can continue those trends and get toward the 10 and 6 mark in conference play as a junior.