So I could not go to the game yesterday due to other obligations.
And when I returned from my obligations, ESPN on my phone had a Hartford 72, RU 66 FINAL reported, so I thought RU lost - I was disappointed, but not shattered. But when I had a chance to get on my computer and saw this site's headline that RU WON, I was startled, and excited. I then just had to IMMEDIATELY watch the game on replay through ESPN3.
Here are some thoughts on the game:
1) RU played about 10 excellent minutes of basketball, and 30 minutes of mediocre to poor minutes. The 10 minutes? The 1st 5 minutes of the game and the last 5 minutes of the game.
2) Freeman was a monster: Fierce, hungry, determined. Still misses too many in-close shots, even if he rebounds his own misses. And he is going to HAVE to start taking (and making) that 12-15 foot mid-range shot inside the foul line that is going to be open against a zone.
3) Sanders was really excellent, especially defensively and setting up his teammates ... and is helped by having multiple teammates who can hit a shot. Sanders would have averaged at least 1 to 1.5 assists per game more than he did last season had his teammates made shots. RU will be much better, however, when Sanders' full offensive potential becomes more evident and consistent: He has not yet made shots consistently in ANY game this season.
4) Nigel Johnson hit 2 3's early, and then was actually POOR for most of the game ... until the last 5 minutes. While everyone on the team ratcheted up their intensity in the last 5 minutes (especially Freeman, Williams and Sanders), Johnson's play deserves special acknowledgement. In addition to making 2 or 3 really key offensive scores down the stretch, he had a short stretch of THREE consecutive times (or 3 out of 4 times, perhaps) down the court of critical, even brilliant, defensive plays:
6) Sa struggled offensively yesterday, but was a beast on the boards - still a real factor. It would help if he would shoot his FT's better.
7) Williams was not poor - he just missed shots, almost all of which were good shots. He actually was solid defensively, doing a better job on Hartford's star guard than any other RU defender did. And of course, hit a crucial 3 down the stretch.
8) Laurent DID play poorly. He was especially poor defensively, which is why his minutes were curtailed in this game. And he forced some shots as well. But it was the defense that was critical: It is clear Pikiell will permit players to play through missed shots and offensive mistakes, but will pull players when they play poor defense, or lack intensity or effort on defense.
9) Thiam is going to be VERY good. He uses his length on defense so well as a 6'9" GUARD (and he IS a guard). He will have games where he misses his shots ... but will also have games where he carries the team with his shooting. It is clear he has really good basketball IQ: he handles the ball well, and passes well. When he fully develops his offensive game, do not be surprised if he is a 1st team All Big Ten player (okay ... maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I really think he may have that potential).
10) Omoruyi is going to be a nice glue player. Probably not a star, but a Kevin Black/Marquise Webb type player (though maybe not as good as those 2 players - just the type). He is young, still, but shows solid presence, I thought.
General game comment: Though RU did not play with consistent defensive intensity through the entire game (maybe its inexperience, maybe 4 games in 9 days, including around Thanksgiving, maybe inability to fully prep), still, some of those made 3's by Hartford were ridiculous - and well-defended, but went in anyway.
General comment: In my opinion, Nigel Johnson is the best defensive guard RU has right now. Yes, Sanders gets a lot of steals, and yes, Williams is a terrific rebounder. But I like Johnson's defense the best, at the moment.
Final thought: The schedule gets a lot tougher from here ... a lot tougher. But with last year's roster, and last year's staff, RU is NOT 6-0 at this stage THIS year. So a good start - a very good start ... better than any fan surely would have thought.
And when I returned from my obligations, ESPN on my phone had a Hartford 72, RU 66 FINAL reported, so I thought RU lost - I was disappointed, but not shattered. But when I had a chance to get on my computer and saw this site's headline that RU WON, I was startled, and excited. I then just had to IMMEDIATELY watch the game on replay through ESPN3.
Here are some thoughts on the game:
1) RU played about 10 excellent minutes of basketball, and 30 minutes of mediocre to poor minutes. The 10 minutes? The 1st 5 minutes of the game and the last 5 minutes of the game.
2) Freeman was a monster: Fierce, hungry, determined. Still misses too many in-close shots, even if he rebounds his own misses. And he is going to HAVE to start taking (and making) that 12-15 foot mid-range shot inside the foul line that is going to be open against a zone.
3) Sanders was really excellent, especially defensively and setting up his teammates ... and is helped by having multiple teammates who can hit a shot. Sanders would have averaged at least 1 to 1.5 assists per game more than he did last season had his teammates made shots. RU will be much better, however, when Sanders' full offensive potential becomes more evident and consistent: He has not yet made shots consistently in ANY game this season.
4) Nigel Johnson hit 2 3's early, and then was actually POOR for most of the game ... until the last 5 minutes. While everyone on the team ratcheted up their intensity in the last 5 minutes (especially Freeman, Williams and Sanders), Johnson's play deserves special acknowledgement. In addition to making 2 or 3 really key offensive scores down the stretch, he had a short stretch of THREE consecutive times (or 3 out of 4 times, perhaps) down the court of critical, even brilliant, defensive plays:
a) Forcing a turnover in the backcourt (after which RU scored);
b) Forcing a turnover by harassing the Hartford PG into throwing his forearm/elbow, drawing an offensive foul (after which RU scored);
c) Blocking Hartford's last 3-point attempt (the announcers did not comment on that last play - a great defensive recovery off a scramble).
5) Gettys was terrific, especially playing the high post against the zone.b) Forcing a turnover by harassing the Hartford PG into throwing his forearm/elbow, drawing an offensive foul (after which RU scored);
c) Blocking Hartford's last 3-point attempt (the announcers did not comment on that last play - a great defensive recovery off a scramble).
6) Sa struggled offensively yesterday, but was a beast on the boards - still a real factor. It would help if he would shoot his FT's better.
7) Williams was not poor - he just missed shots, almost all of which were good shots. He actually was solid defensively, doing a better job on Hartford's star guard than any other RU defender did. And of course, hit a crucial 3 down the stretch.
8) Laurent DID play poorly. He was especially poor defensively, which is why his minutes were curtailed in this game. And he forced some shots as well. But it was the defense that was critical: It is clear Pikiell will permit players to play through missed shots and offensive mistakes, but will pull players when they play poor defense, or lack intensity or effort on defense.
9) Thiam is going to be VERY good. He uses his length on defense so well as a 6'9" GUARD (and he IS a guard). He will have games where he misses his shots ... but will also have games where he carries the team with his shooting. It is clear he has really good basketball IQ: he handles the ball well, and passes well. When he fully develops his offensive game, do not be surprised if he is a 1st team All Big Ten player (okay ... maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I really think he may have that potential).
10) Omoruyi is going to be a nice glue player. Probably not a star, but a Kevin Black/Marquise Webb type player (though maybe not as good as those 2 players - just the type). He is young, still, but shows solid presence, I thought.
General game comment: Though RU did not play with consistent defensive intensity through the entire game (maybe its inexperience, maybe 4 games in 9 days, including around Thanksgiving, maybe inability to fully prep), still, some of those made 3's by Hartford were ridiculous - and well-defended, but went in anyway.
General comment: In my opinion, Nigel Johnson is the best defensive guard RU has right now. Yes, Sanders gets a lot of steals, and yes, Williams is a terrific rebounder. But I like Johnson's defense the best, at the moment.
Final thought: The schedule gets a lot tougher from here ... a lot tougher. But with last year's roster, and last year's staff, RU is NOT 6-0 at this stage THIS year. So a good start - a very good start ... better than any fan surely would have thought.
