If we lose this game.....

[RuBird]

Do you still feel like the team this year
1. Exceeded your expectations?
2. Did not meet your expectations?
3. Met your expectations?


Honestly we're playing with house money tonight. Would have love to have seen another win. With that said this team exceeded my expectations. Coach Pike did a wonderful job with many players that would not be in another B1G starting lineup ( some may not even see any minutes). If he is able to recruit I bELieve our future is bright.

 

[chrisru99]

The reality is we finished in last place. Putting lipstick on a pig is what we are doing when talking about Our team in a positive light last place is last place. We need better players and that's it. How coach Pike recruits will dictate his future and ours. Some of us sound silly touting small victories when in this business your judged on wins and losses. Please do not lose sight that we played the easiest non conference schedule in America. Not being negative I think it's better to deal in realities and the reality is that we finished last in a down Big Ten.

 

[bac2therac]

exceeded expectations...I felt anything over 11 wins would be a success and that what was most important was getting better as the year went on and changing the losing culture...all that was accomplished, the past two wins are cherries on the top. To me it was an extremely successful season, tonight is just a reality check on how far we still have to go...we can be competitive with most schools in the Big 10 but can we COMPETE to the point of winning games in bunches..that is the next step the program has to tape

 

[RuBird]

The reality is we finished in last place. Putting lipstick on a pig is what we are doing when talking about Our team in a positive light last place is last place. We need better players and that's it. How coach Pike recruits will dictate his future and ours. Some of us sound silly touting small victories when in this business your judged on wins and losses. Not being negative I think it's better to deal in realities and the reality is that we finished last in a down Big
Reality is we tripled our B1G wins and more then doubled our total wins. We also won our first B1G tourney game. Sorry that is not touting small victories.

 

[shields]

Exceeded, remember this last year Bobby Hurley was hired and in year two he has 15 wins. i think a good season.

 

[SirScarlet]

The reality is we finished in last place. Putting lipstick on a pig is what we are doing when talking about Our team in a positive light last place is last place. We need better players and that's it. How coach Pike recruits will dictate his future and ours. Some of us sound silly touting small victories when in this business your judged on wins and losses. Please do not lose sight that we played the easiest non conference schedule in America. Not being negative I think it's better to deal in realities and the reality is that we finished last in a down Big Ten.

You not being negative?

Please. I laughed out loud.

Your post is an indication that you know nothing about basketball either.

 

[koleszar]

I knew we would be better, but not this much. Going from 7 to 15 wins, not getting blown out very often and in some very winnable games this season was a resounding success in my eyes. I don't think chrisru99 realizes just how bad we were last year. The reality is if you didn't see real progress this year than you didn't watch the games and just looked at the win/loss column. Basketball became fun again.

 

[Rutgers25]

It exceeded expectations, but we won't get much better unless Pike can recruit. Not seeing very good recruiting yet

 

[AshCatchEm]

The reality is we finished in last place. Putting lipstick on a pig is what we are doing when talking about Our team in a positive light last place is last place. We need better players and that's it. How coach Pike recruits will dictate his future and ours. Some of us sound silly touting small victories when in this business your judged on wins and losses. Please do not lose sight that we played the easiest non conference schedule in America. Not being negative I think it's better to deal in realities and the reality is that we finished last in a down Big Ten.

What a bunch of bullshit

 

[Clothier]

Amazing season. Still watching game. Most enjoyable season in a long time. Most heart seen on the court in a long time. Northwestern just better than us tonight.

 

[RUJMM78]

Exceeded expectations but improvement is needed at every position .Without shooters Rutgers will continue to flounder in the B1G because opponents have superior talent .

 

[chrisru99]

Eddie was horrible as a coach but his team was decimated by injuries and they were blown out a lot. Pike had a great year with injuries and his team played tough. The team shot horribly and shot free throws worse. Our schedule was laughable until we got to conference play. In conference we did very bad good enough for last place by a mile. Yet you guys are more than happy with the season. I don't get it

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

Exceeded expectations.

They just posted a stat on tv. collins win totals the first 4 years (14, 15, 20, 21).

Baker and Doucoure are good recruits. Let's see how the 2017 class finishes off

 

[chrisru99]

You not being negative?

Please. I laughed out loud.

Your post is an indication that you know nothing about basketball either.

You right only your opinion counts and you know more than me in everything. Your so cool.

 

[bac2therac]

Eddie was horrible as a coach but his team was decimated by injuries and they were blown out a lot. Pike had a great year with injuries and his team played tough. The team shot horribly and shot free throws worse. Our schedule was laughable until we got to conference play. In conference we did very bad good enough for last place by a mile. Yet you guys are more than happy with the season. I don't get it

7 wins to 14 wins..competitive in maybe all but 4 of 20 league games plus tourney...beating teams with better talent on a team with little talent. Um yeah I think Pike did 100% better than Eddie who didnt bother to have his team rebound or play defense...injuries or no injuries.

 

[shields]

We won all the games out of conference we should have, for example the Johnnies lost to a terrible Delaware State team. Like I wrote Bobby Hurley won 15 games in his second year. We had a pretty good year.

 

[SirScarlet]

You right only your opinion counts and you know more than me in everything. Your so cool.

Try not to be a drag all the time. People might like you more.

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

If you can't see the marked improvement between this year team and the last few years, I don't know what to tell you

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Tonight was irrelevant to me, but giving up a 31-0 run was rough. I thought we'd lose by 18. I'm happy with the coaching schemes I see, the big thing is recruiting from here forward. If we get the ponies, we will be good.

 

[chrisru99]

Try not to be a drag all the time. People might like you more.

Lol I can care less. I call like I see it.

 

[shields]

Chris, must have forgotten to take his medication tonight. What did you expect for the first year? Win 22 games? I think Buzz Williams is a good coach and won 11 games first year at VA Tech.

 

[BoroKnight]

Let's be rational for a moment. Chris is absolutely 100 percent right. We DID have the easiest nonconference schedule of any P5 team. We DID finish in last place -- by three games, no less -- in a conference not having its strongest season. Totally, 100 percent true.

But ...

We were so much more competitive. Rebounding -- which our previous coach did not consider important enough to work on in practice -- became the identity of this team, especially on the offensive boards. (Granted, a LOT of that had to do with a LOT of missed shots, but still ...) Last year we were embarrassed night in and night out. Sure, being more competitive is a baby step and means NOTHING if he can't recruit better talent, but it's such an obvious baby step that it has to be noted at the same time the record gets noted.

Oh, and I don't care what other coaches did. Much like deciding whether a major assistant or mid-major head guy is a better choice, there are plenty of examples of great coaches starting slowly (see Duke) and just as many of bad coaches starting well. So I take nothing from any of it except this: One season doesn't define a career. And 3-15 will not define this coach.

 

[Hondo77]

We certainly exceeded expectations but the bar was pretty low.

 

[ruman]

7 wins to 14 wins..competitive in maybe all but 4 of 20 league games plus tourney...beating teams with better talent on a team with little talent. Um yeah I think Pike did 100% better than Eddie who didnt bother to have his team rebound or play defense...injuries or no injuries.

If Eddie Jordan was coaching the first half tonight, we would have lost that game by 50+. We were a team that was soft, lacked heart, and gave no effort the past 3 years. This team was completely the opposite. Great first season for Pikiell.

 

[RuBird]

The reality is we finished in last place. Putting lipstick on a pig is what we are doing when talking about Our team in a positive light last place is last place. We need better players and that's it. How coach Pike recruits will dictate his future and ours. Some of us sound silly touting small victories when in this business your judged on wins and losses. Please do not lose sight that we played the easiest non conference schedule in America. Not being negative I think it's better to deal in realities and the reality is that we finished last in a down Big Ten.

You never said what was your realistic expectation. You seem to have no problem telling others they are wrong

 

[Rhuarc]

100% exceeded expectations. I felt our ceiling all along was doubling our win total and we exceeded that. Plus, the simple fact that the team restored my totally crushed, cynical view of men's basketball might put it up there with turning water into wine, but that's just me.

 

[MadRU]

Exceeded. Was hopeful the staff assembled would be good, and they have exceeded my expectations coaching wise, now recruit.

For the first time in a few years, it was enjoyable watching the team play. Frustrating at times, as it is with any team, but didn't feel like a chore going to the games, was actually looking forward to them.

Thank you coach Pikiell, staff, and players.

Now get to work....as I am sure they are.

 

[batts]

You guys definitely exceeded expectations. You were competive in all but a handful of games. Pikell has them playing hard and smart, particularly on defense. The next step is for Pikell to upgrade talent in the next few years. Your program certainly appears to be moving in the right direction.

 

[RutgHoops]

Last nights loss would not have been one of our 10 biggest losses last season. Last year we lost 9 games by 25 or more points. I understand how bad we were banged up last season, but in my opinion this year was a step in the right direction.

 

[e5fdny]

Lol I can care less. I call like I see it.

Then in this instance you need glasses.

 

[RickB113]

Can we please stop comparing pike to Eddie? Eddie was not a good coach so how does comparing Pike to him mean anything?And between the injuries and the schedule being so much diffeeent comparisons are irrelevant.

This is VERY VERY simple Pike showed this year that he can coach and be a program builder with how he handled himself off the court. Next step is getting top 150 players. He has one. He needs 6 more over the next two years. If he gets them he has shot to get us to the tourney. If he doesn't he won't. It really is that simple. So let's see if he can get 2 or 3 guys this off season to sign in the fall.

 

[RUJMM78]

Can we please stop comparing pike to Eddie? Eddie was not a good coach so how does comparing Pike to him mean anything?And between the injuries and the schedule being so much diffeeent comparisons are irrelevant.

This is VERY VERY simple Pike showed this year that he can coach and be a program builder with how he handled himself off the court. Next step is getting top 150 players. He has one. He needs 6 more over the next two years. If he gets them he has shot to get us to the tourney. If he doesn't he won't. It really is that simple. So let's see if he can get 2 or 3 guys this off season to sign in the fall.

Like any head coach in a power conference recruiting will determine their success or failure.Rutgers problem has been the lack of a recruiting area where they have a niche with high school and AAU coaches.Look at all the small catholic schools in the Big East that clearly have better talent than Rutgers.Power conference schools have the cache to attract top tier recruits nationwide.In contrast Rutgers must overcome decades of indifference by athletic adminustrators,poor facilities and a dwindling fan base/donors.Hobbs and Pikiell have a lot of catching up to do just to be a middle pact B1G team.
We saw the importance of not being one of the last four ranked teams in the B1G because it requires playing an additional game.Fans blaming tired legs need not look further than 3 league wins as the reason why.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

The only way to know is to evaluate the entire B1G and confirm what most experts believe on who met, exceeded or fell short of expectations......in 90% of the perceptions, the fan bases are in most cases delusional or overly wrong with expectations on their own talent, and ignorant of the talent recruited by our opposition.

RU exceeded expectations and my measurements are not solely based on wins and losses.....based on the talent/athleticism/footspeed/height in comparison to the rest of the B1G, we FAR exceeded expectations.

There is all off-season to say "the staff needs to recruit more talent", but truthfully, the wrong talent recruited will not win in the B1G.....Excessively elite talent keeps you in the Top 10 of the league....a teams ability to player develop during a season and get their February/March production to be better than November/December is what separates the smallest of margins.

The B1G doesn't have a National title contender, but I can easily argue that RU doesn't finish last in probably 90% of the other conferences, not named the ACC.....so while we have posters believing your progress is based on what your record is or that "RU finished last", I'm almost certain that RU had it's best season in about 10 years, given the competition/coaching staffs and overall talent it faced over 20 B1G games.

It takes a sharper eye of watching basketball beyond RU or an occasional game, to know what actually wins at a general level of college basketball not involving Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke or Louisville type of programs.....This is similar to the football argument of how good was RU really, when RU was in the Big East or AAC.....people actually believe RU's talent is significantly lower than years past, when the fact remains is the competition RU played in the B1G is just more balanced, not just at the Top of the league, but the middle or bottom half of the league as well.

 

[bowlgoal]

Personally, I felt that our coaches got everything from these players and more. They started with a group of players who self admitted they were in horrendous physical condition compared to what Pikiell expected. So we began by just installing a conditioning program that never existed. He convinced a group of players including Corey sanders that defense wins games along with rebounding and we became the top rebounding team in the Big 10 and one of the best in the country. He knocked the ball out of the park by beating the non conference teams that we are supposed to beat but never manage to do. And we played the Big 10 very competitively mostly with a team that lacked shooting and unfortunately could not d hit free throws.

We put the big 10 on notice as far as I'm concerned. Rutgers is going to be a very difficult team to beat and the talent pool we will recruit will make it that much more difficult especially when the RAC starts to rock. Pikiell just proved that his coaching ability at Stony Brook translates to a top conference like the Big 10. As Nigel said, he knows what he's doing!

 

[TDIrish27]

Coach P and staff IMO did an excellent job .

He changed the culture of RU basketball which is a good first step.

He needs better players specifically guys who can shoot the ball.

You can't win with defense in the basketball of today-----all you do is hang around.

 

[megadrone]

The team exceeded expectations.

They didn't look lost on the floor, you didn't see as many passes to no one that you did last year. Rebounding and defense actually happened this year. That's all on coaching, which apparently just wasn't happening under Eddie.

Yes we had an extremely soft non-conference schedule, but this year the team needed that to play under a new coach. I'd be ok with fewer wins next year if the non-conference schedule is more difficult.

Free throw shooting at 62% is abysmal. If that was somewhere around 80% we would have won more games.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

I think we meet expectations In record But exceeded expectations on the overall competitiveness

Remember ...I came into this year saying we were a 11-21 team last year with a lot of injuries so getting to .500 wasn't such a reach

What I didn't expect is that we would be so competitive in defeat

Can we turn those 5-6 games we had control of into wins next year . Any of them

That's the difference between 20-13 and 15-18

 

[zebnatto]

I was caring about RU basketball in March.

We exceeded expectations.

 

[ruman]

The team exceeded expectations.

They didn't look lost on the floor, you didn't see as many passes to no one that you did last year. Rebounding and defense actually happened this year. That's all on coaching, which apparently just wasn't happening under Eddie.

Yes we had an extremely soft non-conference schedule, but this year the team needed that to play under a new coach. I'd be ok with fewer wins next year if the non-conference schedule is more difficult.

Free throw shooting at 62% is abysmal. If that was somewhere around 80% we would have won more games.

Nobody shoots 80% - we need to be middle of the pack - we were in the last 20 teams in D-1 in foul shooting

 

[RuBird]

Nobody shoots 80% - we need to be middle of the pack - we were in the last 20 teams in D-1 in foul shooting

Why don't we just ask them to shoot 100% from the free throw line. Then 1976 won't be our only undefeated season