Jon Rothstein Tweets
- Thread starter ScarletLongIsland
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I think there have been several "tests" so far.
- Maintaining the lead/Finishing a game.
- Winning on the road.
- Coming back to win .
its the first game against competition like we will be facing in the Big 10. All the rest were quizzes but every game from here on out except Morgan St and CCSU are real
I disagree...."more of the same" went out the window as soon as Pikiell was hired and all anyone has to do is watch 2 minutes of any game played thus far to see that this team has done a 180 in just about every facet of the game. While we might lose and possibly lose big, this is not a "more of the same" program. Progress, progress, progress.
Miami's not that good? Not sure how "that good" is being defined. Miami was picked to finish mid-pack ACC... they're like playing a mid-pack Big Ten school. While not expected to finish ranked, or be a Sweet 16 team, they're definitely in the Top 15-20% of Div-I teams.
I disagree with bac, though.... I wouldn't put Stony Brook or FDU in the same category as the rest of the schedule.
In terms of the level of opponent, we've got Morgan State and Central Connecticut..... then Stony Brook and FDU.... then Fordham.... then Miami and SHU. After we hit the conference slate, all teams are as good or better than Fordham.
I respect your opinion. I just don't agree yet. So far I see a coach with a deeper, healthier and more experienced roster who has won the games he should have won. Which is a credit to him but I think many many coaches could have us where we are right now. i am looking for a difference maker at the coaching position and this game is a big big test IMO. I am certainly not saying it is over if we get blown out but it will be a red flag IMO.
The 2018 recruiting class will make or break us and this staff IMO. NJ is loaded with top 150 players. We need to win somewhat this year vs real teams and get momentum towards that class. Signing day is less than a year away for them.
Miami is not that good.
have you seen them play? Completely disagree.
Agree that "many coaches" could have us where we are right now... there are a lot of good coaches out there in the 350+ Div I schools. We haven't seen those 'round these parts in a while, though.
The team is obviously better just from watching them... fundamentals, ball movement/running sets, hustle/energy, rebounding/positioning, substitution patterns, conditioning, etc.
I've said for a while, though, that this team could be massively improved over last year... and still not end up moving the overall needle much in the W/L column (just based on how bad we were last year). It's like being really happy that you managed to improve your test grade by 30 points... which sounds great on the surface, until you find out that the new grade is just a 64.
Miami's a good litmust test... good-but-not-great team, mid-pack major conference, on the road. Want to see how they compete tonight.
Coaching can only take a team so far .Pikiell obviously has improved rebounding and developed a bench with players contributing.The next step is to have the team overachieve against better competition including some B1G wins at home and away.The third step occurs in 2018 where Rutgers must recruit higher tier talent that includes players that have 3 point shooting prowess.When step 3 is achieved then Rutgers can be taken seriously as a B1G team with post season aspirations.
The thing that coaching can't control is how well the ball goes in the basket. You can draw up plays that get players open, put players in a position to succeed.... but if they can't hit their shots, it's going to be a much harder road.
Pikiell was on the mark after the North Texas game. Sometimes the shots don't fall, and he was happy that they found a way to win by outplaying the other team in the non-scoring aspects of the game like defense, rebounding, hustle, etc. That can't be a recurring story, though - we need to consistently find the bottom of the net to really progress, and we've struggled at times to do that.
Pikiell was on the mark after the North Texas game. Sometimes the shots don't fall, and he was happy that they found a way to win by outplaying the other team in the non-scoring aspects of the game like defense, rebounding, hustle, etc. That can't be a recurring story, though - we need to consistently find the bottom of the net to really progress, and we've struggled at times to do that.
I point out Stony Brook and Fordham because they will better than any schools we have faced at the RAC and they provide challenges because they are not at the RAC either. The former even though they are nowhere near as good as last year presents a problem because their place should be jacked up for the game for more reason than one. Fordham is better than De Paul and facing them in a quiet arena favoring Fordham presents another challenge. RU will be favored to win both..so RU is now the hunted not the hunter when it comes to face at least decent competition. Mental part comes in.
Spot on when it comes to the 2018 recruiting class, much more important than '17 where we already have a very nice player in Baker.
As far as this game is concerned I disagree with your assessment. Plenty of coaches are able to have Rutgers where they are right now, yet no recent hires have been able to start off a season this well and beat the opponents Rutgers are supposed to.
If anything the quality of start has influenced your thought process for this Miami game, which is a credit to the team and the staff. If this past offseason you thought they had a shot against a team of Miami's caliber 7 games into the season than you're the most optimistic person I know.
Win, lose or lose big nothing changes. A big loss and what really matters is how the team responds the following games. Do they keep buying into the system/developing and trusting the staff or does it go sideways as it has in the past.
The B1G schedule is brutal, if the team can maintain its commitment to development game in and out during conference play than the season is a success regardless of wins and losses.
That's fair, given that they'll be away from the RAC - but neither are really on the level of the Big Ten schedule (Fordham's closer, probably). So, we have Morgan State, Central Connecticut, and FDU as lower home games.... Stony Brook and Fordham on the road... then tougher tests in Miami and SHU.
Really excited to see how the team does tonight in all aspects of the game.
I'm charged up about this team, but we won seven games last year. We have improved dramatically. I have no expectations that we will win a game like tonight.
Even at this point, if we win more than 12 games this year, I consider the year to be a success.
Even at this point, if we win more than 12 games this year, I consider the year to be a success.
I agree on both these points. But, I also believe that Jordan's team last year would be at least 5-1 against the schedule this team has played thus far. I say that based on the fact that we did not have any WTF losses against the terrible OOC teams we played last year - beating RU-Newark, Central Ct, Howard, FDU, UMass Lowell and Central Arkansas. We also lost at the buzzer on a bad call on the road at St. John's - a road game comparable to DePaul. So, tonight's game truly is an early litmus test to see how far we've come in less than a year. A loss will by no means determine the success of this team's season, as I think if the team can stay healthy they will slowly improve. But, how we play tonight will be an early indication of how much better than last year we are right now, if at all.
Eddie would have lost 3 games by now. DePaul, Hartford and North Texas
Admittedly, we are both speculating. But, based on last year's results, there is no indication that Eddie's team would have lost to either Hartford (KenPom #332) or N. TX (KenPom #302). We beat teams with similar ratings last year handily. Show me a team he lost to last year as bad as those two teams!
The team that started last season may have gone 4-2 against this schedule (losses to DePaul and probably Hartford). The team as it existed on 1/3/16 (minus Freeman, Diallo, Laurent) may have gone 2-4.
As far as Hartford's kenpom being 332 right now... they also played out of their heads against us and were lights out from outside. Swap Johnson for Grier, Gettys for Lewis, and Thiam for Foreman, Sa for Diallo, this year's rebounding for last year's... and i don't think we win, given the level Hartford was playing during that game.
On any given day, on paper, I'd say both teams beat Hartford comfortably... on that night, the 2016-17 got out by the skin of its teeth, and the 2015-16 team probably would have lost.
Eddie coaching this team is probably 6-0. A lot of the areas we look better in is because we can go ten deep. Johnson Thiam and Big Country are huge pieces Eddie didn't have. Not to mention the rest of the team being a year older. Neither here nor there though and can argued. Where I would like to see the Pikiel difference is tonight. But this is just my opinion.
So, if EJ had done a better job building out his roster, he could have won more games. Seems like a backhanded compliment to me, but okay.
Maybe Jordan would have been 5-1, but all 5 would have been squeakers.
No way Jordan wins by 20 + vs any of the teams we played.
Except would Eddie have gotten these players in the offseason or would we be playing Jake Dadika instead of Sa or Gettys..?
