Measuring Stick

[bac2therac]

Do not want to use the reality check cliche but how can you not

Where we are: RU was able to feast on 6 bad teams, not shooting all that well but doing the other things like rebounding, hustle and defense that allowed them to overcome the bad shooting. Well a game like tonight proves that right now while RU can repel lesser teams by doing all the little things, it is going to have a tough time being able to keep pace with better teams with better athletes, better shooters and better talent. Its a team that is offensively challenged and does not possess the outside shot that they need to threaten in these games. Now Miami is not a top tier Big 10 team but probably falls in that 5-8 range that makes the NCAA tourney. RU will play better teams than them and will play worse teams than them. We see RU has quite a ways to go to close the gap with teams like Miami...and thats okay. This was a 30 plus point loss today (under EJ..forgot that part) and they never would have mounted a first half comeback. RU has shown vast improvement from last season and we will not even get into the incredible upgrade in coaching that at least makes these games interesting.

Where we are as fans: I was not surprised by this loss and the margin for most of the game. No one should be disappointed by what we saw tonight. If anything it made things a little clearer on where we sit and where we have to go...and much of it is going to be about recruiting for Pikiell the next two years because he is already established that he really knows how to coach. I thought there was a little bit of overexuberance and a dash of pollyanna about the 6-0 start that seemed to not weigh the competition. The start was great. It was wonderful even but this program is still learning to win. Its not the type of team or season where expectations have to creep in. I saw some things in this game that lead me to be optimistic that RU can win up to 6 league games and touch 500 but this is a team that is flawed and is less talented than most Big 10 schools. It has to work for everything they get. I loved that they didnt quit tonight, a true testament to the fight in this team and to this great and promising coaching staff.

Where we are headed: This team will get back to work and focus now that they have loss out of their way. I am particularly interested in how this team responds in games vs Fordham and Stony Brook, these are games that RU will be favorite to win, not sure if they should beat Fordham but to me these two games are big challenges for various reasons and I think they are big for the teams mindset and confidence heading into the Big 10. Team just needs to continue to get better as a team and Pike needs to develop the young guys like Sa, Thiam, Eugene, Doorson because these are the guys that have the highest ceiling going forward and their development could really impact games.

 

[ScarletDave]

I know you had most of this written when we were still down 20 points ... the fight this team showed we let them on a 17-0! run and had a chance to cut it to 8 points with 20 seconds ... if you can't see the FIGHT in this team and enjoy it ... I can't help you. The grit and fight is enjoyable to watch, sorry. I know we should have played better overall but in the past we lose this game by 30-40 points.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Effort was tremendous tonight.....not every shot fell or layup went in, but Miami's athletes are very good.....Miami's skill level will get better as they go forward....RU competed and proved a lot to me and I think themselves as well..

Never can say I've been proud of a defeat, but that's how I feel tonight....

 

[bac2therac]

I know you had most of this written when we were still down 20 points ... the fight this team showed we let them on a 17-0! run and had a chance to cut it to 8 points with 20 seconds ... if you can't see the FIGHT in this team and enjoy it ... I can't help you. The grit and fight is enjoyable to watch, sorry. I know we should have played better overall but in the past we lose this game by 30-40 points.

and you would be wrong

um who said they didnt have fight..what post are you are reading, I commened them in the game thread more than once for not giving up. You cant question the teams fight so not sure why you are going on blast on me

 

[RU MAN]

Do not want to use the reality check cliche but how can you not

Where we are: RU was able to feast on 6 bad teams, not shooting all that well but doing the other things like rebounding, hustle and defense that allowed them to overcome the bad shooting. Well a game like tonight proves that right now while RU can repel lesser teams by doing all the little things, it is going to have a tough time being able to keep pace with better teams with better athletes, better shooters and better talent. Its a team that is offensively challenged and does not possess the outside shot that they need to threaten in these games. Now Miami is not a top tier Big 10 team but probably falls in that 5-8 range that makes the NCAA tourney. RU will play better teams than them and will play worse teams than them. We see RU has quite a ways to go to close the gap with teams like Miami...and thats okay. This was a 30 plus point loss today and they never would have mounted a first half comeback. RU has shown vast improvement from last season and we will not even get into the incredible upgrade in coaching that at least makes these games interesting.

Where we are as fans: I was not surprised by this loss and the margin for most of the game. No one should be disappointed by what we saw tonight. If anything it made things a little clearer on where we sit and where we have to go...and much of it is going to be about recruiting for Pikiell the next two years because he is already established that he really knows how to coach. I thought there was a little bit of overexuberance and a dash of pollyanna about the 6-0 start that seemed to not weigh the competition. The start was great. It was wonderful even but this program is still learning to win. Its not the type of team or season where expectations have to creep in. I saw some things in this game that lead me to be optimistic that RU can win up to 6 league games and touch 500 but this is a team that is flawed and is less talented than most Big 10 schools. It has to work for everything they get. I loved that they didnt quit tonight, a true testament to the fight in this team and to this great and promising coaching staff.

Where we are headed: This team will get back to work and focus now that they have loss out of their way. I am particularly interested in how this team responds in games vs Fordham and Stony Brook, these are games that RU will be favorite to win, not sure if they should beat Fordham but to me these two games are big challenges for various reasons and I think they are big for the teams mindset and confidence heading into the Big 10. Team just needs to continue to get better as a team and Pike needs to develop the young guys like Sa, Thiam, Eugene, Doorson because these are the guys that have the highest ceiling going forward and their development could really impact games.

All good points BAC. But the way Pikiell coaches and his staff is light years better than what we've seen here in a generation. This is a well coached team. And Pikiell knows what he needs here. We are another top notch shooter away from being an NCAA team and that is NOT pollyana. We are so much better than I can ever recall. Now we need to win the games we're supposed to win and then surprise in the B1G especially at home with a raucous crowd. That is because the wins are there for us, and the students and the ticket paying crowd will be out there supporting this team and the RAC will be rocking once again.

 

[bac2therac]

All good points BAC. But the way Pikiell coaches and his staff is light years better than what we've seen here in a generation. This is a well coached team. And Pikiell knows what he needs here. We are another top notch shooter away from being an NCAA team and that is NOT pollyana. We are so much better than I can ever recall. Now we need to win the games we're supposed to win and then surprise in the B1G especially at home with a raucous crowd. That is because the wins are there for us, and the students and the ticket paying crowd will be out there supporting this team and the RAC will be rocking once again.

it is too bad that we do not have a Douby or Shields on this team, its crying out for sharpshooter from 3 that could open up clog on the inside when they are struggling

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

We must do 2 things.

1) learn how to defend the 3 ball and stop giving so many open looks. Alot of this has to do with proper hedges.

2) in our half court offense we have to drive and penetrate the d more often. We cant just continue to pass around the perimeter when we have limited range.

 

[RutgersFbFan]

it is too bad that we do not have a Douby or Shields on this team, its crying out for sharpshooter from 3 that could open up clog on the inside when they are struggling

praying that somethings clicked this year for williams and he can be that 3 guy that also does all the little gritty things

 

[RU MAN]

it is too bad that we do not have a Douby or Shields on this team, its crying out for sharpshooter from 3 that could open up clog on the inside when they are struggling

Exactly. Can you imagine a Douby on this team? We would be a shoe-in for an NCAA bid. Pikiell and company are the real deal. I am really exciting about RU BB in what seems like ten years.

 

[4theknights]

Major fight in this team... feel bad for them... they just need a couple of shooters that would open up the paint too. Coach knows we need deep threats and hopefully he gets his share going forward.

 

[shields]

Mike shot the ball too late in this game and made two straight threes.

 

[NJDOVES]

We must do 2 things.

1) learn how to defend the 3 ball and stop giving so many open looks. Alot of this has to do with proper hedges.

2) in our half court offense we have to drive and penetrate the d more often. We cant just continue to pass around the perimeter when we have limited range.

We must do 2 things:

1. Be patient ( we have the staff)

2. Recruit ( we need a little more talent)

Until then; Enjoy a better level of team work and effort!

 

[G- RUnit]

We played an NCAA tourney team on the road tight for a half, fell behind big and still cut the lead in half. We beat the spread. Much better showing than the last three years of B ball and the football team. Not a bad Knight at all.

 

[TMCB]

We are just fine, 6-1 and well coached. 500 is the goal

 

[soundcrib]

it is too bad that we do not have a Douby or Shields on this team, its crying out for sharpshooter from 3 that could open up clog on the inside when they are struggling

I'd take a Jerome Coleman.

 

[seels2662]

Freeman had a terrible game, missed many many chip shots
Sanders is still not 100% there yet
Thiam didn't have a good shooting night
and I felt we weren't used to that step up in talent, too many defensive lapses that we got away with earlier

But we still are a good team, enough to be north of .500 which is the goal

 

[knights1212]

It is nice to see the never say die attitude of this team. I see that some guys who said we would only win 10 or 12 games are changing their minds a little. It is nice to see some of you being a little more positive.

 

[BillyC80]

If Freeman had even a mediocre night this might have been a nail biter. Still love the energy he brings, but he was lacking hands today and touch around rim. I expect him to kick ass in the remaining ooc games, then find his way to contribute in conference play.

 

[rubaseball78]

Do not want to use the reality check cliche but how can you not

Where we are: RU was able to feast on 6 bad teams, not shooting all that well but doing the other things like rebounding, hustle and defense that allowed them to overcome the bad shooting. Well a game like tonight proves that right now while RU can repel lesser teams by doing all the little things, it is going to have a tough time being able to keep pace with better teams with better athletes, better shooters and better talent. Its a team that is offensively challenged and does not possess the outside shot that they need to threaten in these games. Now Miami is not a top tier Big 10 team but probably falls in that 5-8 range that makes the NCAA tourney. RU will play better teams than them and will play worse teams than them. We see RU has quite a ways to go to close the gap with teams like Miami...and thats okay. This was a 30 plus point loss today (under EJ..forgot that part) and they never would have mounted a first half comeback. RU has shown vast improvement from last season and we will not even get into the incredible upgrade in coaching that at least makes these games interesting.

Where we are as fans: I was not surprised by this loss and the margin for most of the game. No one should be disappointed by what we saw tonight. If anything it made things a little clearer on where we sit and where we have to go...and much of it is going to be about recruiting for Pikiell the next two years because he is already established that he really knows how to coach. I thought there was a little bit of overexuberance and a dash of pollyanna about the 6-0 start that seemed to not weigh the competition. The start was great. It was wonderful even but this program is still learning to win. Its not the type of team or season where expectations have to creep in. I saw some things in this game that lead me to be optimistic that RU can win up to 6 league games and touch 500 but this is a team that is flawed and is less talented than most Big 10 schools. It has to work for everything they get. I loved that they didnt quit tonight, a true testament to the fight in this team and to this great and promising coaching staff.

Where we are headed: This team will get back to work and focus now that they have loss out of their way. I am particularly interested in how this team responds in games vs Fordham and Stony Brook, these are games that RU will be favorite to win, not sure if they should beat Fordham but to me these two games are big challenges for various reasons and I think they are big for the teams mindset and confidence heading into the Big 10. Team just needs to continue to get better as a team and Pike needs to develop the young guys like Sa, Thiam, Eugene, Doorson because these are the guys that have the highest ceiling going forward and their development could really impact games.

I do get tired of the reality schtick. RU has been down for so long some of us are just enjoying the success we have had thus far. We know we have been playing weak teams, I don't need a constant reminder. Previous years we most likely would have been 2-4 or 3-3 even with this schedule. For the first time in a number of years, I'm excited to go to games or to turn on the TV to watch. Today I made a point of being home to watch. Previous years I wouldn't have and would have just followed the progress on my phone. I'm sure there are others like me. We were the weaker team by far tonight but I was pleased with the comebacks at the end of both halves. There will be a couple Big 10 team surprised at the RAC this year with losses.

 

[goru7]

We must do 2 things.

1) learn how to defend the 3 ball and stop giving so many open looks. Alot of this has to do with proper hedges.

2) in our half court offense we have to drive and penetrate the d more often. We cant just continue to pass around the perimeter when we have limited range.

Actually I thought that we did not try to take 3's or Coach did not set up opportunities to create 3 point looks. Mike did not shoot until 6 minutes to go in the game and Issa never was in position to shoot whether it was a 2 or a 3. He only shot 2 times tonight. I would have liked to play more inside out tonight with a diagonal pass for the 3. We did not try to score or be aggressive to score. We did not make 1 shot outside of 5 feet until Mike hit a 3 with 6 minutes left . He hit 3 in 6 minutes and no one else hit any the whole game. That hurt. Yes we are not a good shooting team but did not even try to shoot from outside.

It is a shame Deshawn did not have it tonight. Yeah length and height made it more difficult but he missed 4 layups on his own and got 3 others blocked at the rim. He scored 11 but if he scores 21 it is a different game.

Also thought the athletes Miami had and length in the front court hurt us. Coach went to the zone in the first half and that really neutralized Miami and they could hardly score the last 8 minutes of the first half. I thought Coach went to the zone in the second half too late and then to the press out of desperation but when they went on that 17-0 run we allowed a lot of easy dunks and drives that the zone would have prevented.

Absolutely love the hustle and never say die effort of this team . Our length bothers teams when we press and will be an asset all year.

 

[RU848789]

Do not want to use the reality check cliche but how can you not

Where we are: RU was able to feast on 6 bad teams, not shooting all that well but doing the other things like rebounding, hustle and defense that allowed them to overcome the bad shooting. Well a game like tonight proves that right now while RU can repel lesser teams by doing all the little things, it is going to have a tough time being able to keep pace with better teams with better athletes, better shooters and better talent. Its a team that is offensively challenged and does not possess the outside shot that they need to threaten in these games. Now Miami is not a top tier Big 10 team but probably falls in that 5-8 range that makes the NCAA tourney. RU will play better teams than them and will play worse teams than them. We see RU has quite a ways to go to close the gap with teams like Miami...and thats okay. This was a 30 plus point loss today (under EJ..forgot that part) and they never would have mounted a first half comeback. RU has shown vast improvement from last season and we will not even get into the incredible upgrade in coaching that at least makes these games interesting.

Where we are as fans: I was not surprised by this loss and the margin for most of the game. No one should be disappointed by what we saw tonight. If anything it made things a little clearer on where we sit and where we have to go...and much of it is going to be about recruiting for Pikiell the next two years because he is already established that he really knows how to coach. I thought there was a little bit of overexuberance and a dash of pollyanna about the 6-0 start that seemed to not weigh the competition. The start was great. It was wonderful even but this program is still learning to win. Its not the type of team or season where expectations have to creep in. I saw some things in this game that lead me to be optimistic that RU can win up to 6 league games and touch 500 but this is a team that is flawed and is less talented than most Big 10 schools. It has to work for everything they get. I loved that they didnt quit tonight, a true testament to the fight in this team and to this great and promising coaching staff.

Where we are headed: This team will get back to work and focus now that they have loss out of their way. I am particularly interested in how this team responds in games vs Fordham and Stony Brook, these are games that RU will be favorite to win, not sure if they should beat Fordham but to me these two games are big challenges for various reasons and I think they are big for the teams mindset and confidence heading into the Big 10. Team just needs to continue to get better as a team and Pike needs to develop the young guys like Sa, Thiam, Eugene, Doorson because these are the guys that have the highest ceiling going forward and their development could really impact games.

Good post. Just finished watching on DVR. For the first few minutes, I was worried we were going to get blown out, as the shots weren't dropping (especially Freeman, who missed a bushel of chippies tonight), and Miami's athleticism was dominating us. But I loved seeing us claw back from down 25-10 to within 4 at the half.

Similarly, when they went on that huge run in the 2nd half, it was great to see us cut it back down under 10 a couple of times and loved seeing us unveil some serious pressure in the last 5-10 minutes - that's going to be really fun to see at a rocking RAC.

As others have said, if we just had a serious long range threat, I think this would be a bubble team. However, we don't, so we're going to have to win by out-hustling and defending teams and scoring just enough to win. Still think we're a 15-16 win team, which would be a huge improvement over 7-25 last year.

Liked Doorson's brief, but effective minutes tonight with two dunk/putbacks, which is important as CJ is going to struggle against much more athletic teams than we've been playing and Miami is very athletic. Thought Sanders played very well and Williams shot really well in the 2nd half in our mini-comeback. Johnson had a nice first half and Sa played well; quiet night, though for Thiam.

 

[ScarletDave]

Yes, bad news is we won't beat Kentucky's undefeated record. But this team is still brewing something special .. Miami is a good team

 

[Scarlet Shack]

We are going to be just fine

Smelling 16-15+ this year

 

[armenius]

I'd take a Jerome Coleman.

I'd take a Calvin Wooten

 

[G- RUnit]

I'd take a Robin James.

 

[Randal7]

I loved it. We lost but man there were some things to get excited about

1) the press -- wow. It actually worked.

2) Mike Williams -- that kid was playing like he chugged a red bull. No fear. Need him to keep doing that

3) freeman had a really poor game by his standards. Like -- didn't do anything well and we still only lost by 10.

4) Doorson showing some signs of life. Keep oenetrating and throwing it up to the big man

5) we didn't hit a jumpshot until 10 minutes remaining in the game. Consider that. We literally didn't make a basket that defines the game of basketball. And yet we still only lost by 10

Loved the energy. Loved the fight. Loved the timeouts. Loved Pikiells teaching and the body language. Loved the lob play to start the second half (though it didn't work). There's some stuff we need to work on, yes, but this team is fun. Gonna be a great year

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We are going to be just fine

Smelling 16-15+ this year

Win 4 of next 5 and get to 10-2.

Go 6-13 in B1G (+Seton Hall).

In B1G+SHU.....
toss ups (6)......PSU, NEB, IOWA, MINN, MD, ILL
1 in 3ers (3 )....NW, @PSU, Michigan
1 in 5 ers ( 5)....@SHU, @Iowa, @MD, @NW, WISC @msg
B1G upset (5 )....@WIS, @MSU,@IU, @Purdue, @OSU

I need 3 from aisle 1 and 1 each from aisle 2,3 and 4.

Aisle 5 is winning all of our next 5. Very possible, but unlikely. 18.5%. Throw it in aisle 3 (1 in 5 er)

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I'd take a Calvin Wooten

Stop it. If this was hockey and you can change on the fly maybe.

 

[PhilaPhans]

Jerome and Calvin (and of course Quincy, but that's never a question) are exactly the type of player who we need to take another step (in addition to a dominant, athletic big). We need somebody who can shoot that isn't afraid to shoot.

 

[jellyman]

Actually I thought that we did not try to take 3's or Coach did not set up opportunities to create 3 point looks. Mike did not shoot until 6 minutes to go in the game and Issa never was in position to shoot whether it was a 2 or a 3. He only shot 2 times tonight. I would have liked to play more inside out tonight with a diagonal pass for the 3. We did not try to score or be aggressive to score. We did not make 1 shot outside of 5 feet until Mike hit a 3 with 6 minutes left . He hit 3 in 6 minutes and no one else hit any the whole game. That hurt. Yes we are not a good shooting team but did not even try to shoot from outside.

It is a shame Deshawn did not have it tonight. Yeah length and height made it more difficult but he missed 4 layups on his own and got 3 others blocked at the rim. He scored 11 but if he scores 21 it is a different game.

Also thought the athletes Miami had and length in the front court hurt us. Coach went to the zone in the first half and that really neutralized Miami and they could hardly score the last 8 minutes of the first half. I thought Coach went to the zone in the second half too late and then to the press out of desperation but when they went on that 17-0 run we allowed a lot of easy dunks and drives that the zone would have prevented.

Absolutely love the hustle and never say die effort of this team . Our length bothers teams when we press and will be an asset all year.

I think both Thiam and Williams had trouble getting open most of the game, to Miami's credit - they played very good defense.

With Freeman, I think it was more than "he did not have it." Though listed at 6'7", and though he is athletic, I bet he is shorter than that. Yes, he missed several relatively easy lay-ups. But he has been doing that all season. In prior games, against less athletic competition, he has been grabbing his own missed shots as offensive rebounds and putting them back into the basket. Miami prevented him from doing that. Plus, shots he was able to get to the rim against lesser teams, and lesser athletic and less tall teams, were NOT getting to the rim, as they were getting blocked against Miami.

I posted a few days ago that Freeman is going to HAVE to take, and make, some mid-range shots for RU. Those will both add to his ability to score for RU, plus open up his and RU's offense, by allowing more space for him to drive. He took ONE mid-range shot last night - late in the game, and he made it (from the baseline/corner, a 12-14 foot shot). Notice that when Sa forced Miami's tall PF/C to come out to the perimeter and cover him, he was able to drive past him for a lay-up.

 

[RUich]

As a casual BB fan, I thought they did a pretty good job overall. Miami is clearly a much better team right now and RU could have very easily folded their tent early in the first half being down so much so quickly. A lot of grit in our team which can help to overcome talent deficiencies.
My guess is that we will win our share of games including a couple of BIG games. First step in that journey back to being a decent program.

 

[PatrickRU92]

was working and had to DVR it and watch it late.
I was not upset at this loss (although I wish I was --I've been conditioned to lose but thats not this team's fault)

Miami played a very good game. I knew they would be more athletic but I wasn't prepared for how MUCH more athletic they'd be. I know Freeman missed a couple of chippies especially in the 1st few minutes but Miami's defense down low was stellar. They are long and can jump which leads to many blocked shots.

Also our old bugaboo came back to haunt us, again no fault of this year's team or Pike--we can't shoot. Without looking at the stat sheet we had ZERO 3 pointers in the 1st half, and I'm pretty sure we didn't make any until we were pretty far down in the 2nd Williams. This is exactly the formula for losing in college basketball. Even if we aren't the Golden State Warriors we MUST have that threat to open up the offense in the paint. We are so easy to defend, just make us shoot. Ugh I'm so tired of writing that

Have to love how hard we played--that was great to see. our guys were really scrapping at the end, and that is CLEARLY a reflection of coaching that we have not seen around here in years.

Defensively I really liked how we played! I know it seemed like their guards were getting a first step but again I attribute that to athleticism. While Miami's defense in the paint was amazing, ours was far from lacking .

I think we are going to have the season most of us felt we'd have. Beat the cupcakes,lose to the taletnted teams and hopefully pull off a couple of upsets.

I was not mad when I got into bed

 

[Rutgers25]

Some of our players are going to have to come out of their shells offensively. To Jellys point, Freeman needs to start taking mid range shots. Also think Thiam needs to have more of a scorers mentality. Williams needs to get involved offensively earlier. I like Corey's game a lot, but dissapointed that I haven't seen any improvement on outside shooting.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I am going with 6'5'' with Freeman. I walked next to him at a football game PLUS look at the differential between he and Doorson or Gettys. Has to be at least 6-7 inches.

 

[BigLou]

Question: Would last night's result have been different had we played st home?

 

[RU848789]

Question: Would last night's result have been different had we played st home?

I doubt it. Miami is simply better, but not light years better, like they would've been last year and my opinion is that Miami is as athletic as almost any team in the B1G.

We're playing hard, well-coached, fairly long, and reasonably athletic and I'd say the same for Miami, except they're a bit more athletic. The biggest difference though, is in skills, like shooting, which they're better at, at most positions. Even though perhaps we played harder than they did (hard to say, but maybe), it wasn't enough to make up for the athleticism and the skills, in particular.

 

[knight82]

Anybody notice, very subtley, very gradually, Doorson is improving? I think he has had a lot of rust and Pike is bringing him back slowly. I could see him getting some of Gettys minutes especially if CJ struggles against the better teams.

 

[Rutgers Rah]

Anybody notice, very subtley, very gradually, Doorson is improving? I think he has had a lot of rust and Pike is bringing him back slowly. I could see him getting some of Gettys minutes especially if CJ struggles against the better teams.

I thought he looked great yesterday and looked a lot quicker running the floor. My prediction is that he replaces Gettys and becomes the second guy behind Sa, who I feel will eventually start

 

[HeavenUniv.]

I swore every time John Battle shot the ball,I thought it was going be a basket. He is married to singer Regina Belle. John is a minister in Georgia--

 

[RUJMM78]

We must do 2 things.

1) learn how to defend the 3 ball and stop giving so many open looks. Alot of this has to do with proper hedges.

2) in our half court offense we have to drive and penetrate the d more often. We cant just continue to pass around the perimeter when we have limited range.

Rutgers drove to the basket and the shots were blocked or altered because Miami had defenders with height and length.