Michigans game is...

[bowlgoal]

All about the 3 point shot and it seems almost all of their players can hit it. It's actually incredible that we could have won a game like this without having good 3 point shooters. The reason we played with Michigan was gritty defense and that's what excites me about our future. Defense wins championships and we have the ability to cause turnovers, scrap for rebounds and play with intensity. I'm not saying Michigan doesn't play good defense because their half court defense is intense. But once we get a little faster, set better perimeter screens and recruit some shooters, we are going to compete for a Big 10 title and personally, I don't think it's a long term dream. I think it's a 3-4 year reality. People always talk about a rebuild and in football; we have a real challenge just to get to competitive. We are now competitive in hoops in year one with a major coaching upgrade.

You have to hit the 3 point shot And make the FTs to win these games and I have no doubt that our players are going to be in the physical shape to play the defense needed to win. Add some shooters and this is going to be fun as hell.

 

[Woody522]

You do realize that they are coached by John Belien, who has always coached his teams like that. Remember the WVU days with Pittsnogle, herber, gansey and belien's son.. all they ever do is shoot threes

 

[srru86]

You do realize that they are coached by John Belien, who has always coached his teams like that. Remember the WVU days with Pittsnogle, herber, gansey and belien's son.. all they ever do is shoot threes

They did at Richmond also. Not sure about before that.

 

[ScarletDave]

Michigan hit 9 three, but we hit 6. All we needed was 1 more and we would have played them even.

 

[bac2therac]

Okay slow down, RU is not competing for a Big 10 title in 3-4 years..it is simple not. Our fans put the cart before the horse....RU will be competing for a NCAA bid in 3-4 years..that is the more appropriate term.

 

[ScarletDave]

Okay slow down, RU is not competing for a Big 10 title in 3-4 years..it is simple not. Our fans put the cart before the horse....RU will be competing for a NCAA bid in 3-4 years..that is the more appropriate term.

Other than @MSU and @Purdue, rutgers is about 2-3 baskets or a couple free throws in each game from being in the top 4 in the Big Ten standings THIS year. 3-4 years from now? Heck yea we can compete for the B1G. We always match up well against Wisconsin and Maryland too, who should be the top dogs for a while. Not saying that it's positive odds of it happening, but there are odds.

 

[bac2therac]

Other than @MSU and @Purdue, rutgers is about 2-3 baskets or a couple free throws in each game from being in the top 4 in the Big Ten standings THIS year. 3-4 years from now? Heck yea we can compete for the B1G. We always match up well against Wisconsin and Maryland too, who should be the top dogs for a while. Not saying that it's positive odds of it happening, but there are odds.

lol..it takes more than that...every team has played close games with the top...you can say the same thing about every school but some of them actually have wins. Penn State beat Michigan State, Iowa beat Purdue, Nebraska beat Maryland and Purdue. Illinois beat Northwestern 2x.

RU is 2-14 and you have them competing for the league title just because they played a few close games?...sorry but hate to burst your bubble..it is a long slog up the standings..competing in an individual game and competing for a league title are two very different animals..as is competing for a NCAA bid which we are still 3 years away from.

 

[winfield102]

If he can recruit, we are in good shape. While we aren't getting the wins in conference, he's shown that he can get the kids in position to compete night in and night out.

I'd be curious to see how our average point differential in losses stacks up to the rest of the b1g. I guess that it's somewhere in the middle. Our average loss last was probably 1 of the worst in the country.

 

[Mr_Twister]

Beilein's offensive system relies on deadly shooters.

 

[bowlgoal]

Okay slow down, RU is not competing for a Big 10 title in 3-4 years..it is simple not. Our fans put the cart before the horse....RU will be competing for a NCAA bid in 3-4 years..that is the more appropriate term.

Bac, if we are making the NCAA tournament in 3-4 years it means we are probably a 20 plus win team and I'm not saying we are definitely winning a championship but I also wouldn't be that shocked considering how Piekell coached the team we have now. You realize there's no shooters, we shoot 60% or lower from the charity stripe and yet because of our tenacious defense, rebounding and overall grit and moxie; we had games with some of the best in the big 10 that could have been wins.

I don't carry a crystal ball and like you; I've been to hell and back with our program; but I'm not going to be any less excited than I am right now about the state of Rutgers men's basketball. I believe that our coach is going to be on the recruiting trail landing players we've only dreamed would come here. I think he's going to do some extraordinary things here at Rutgers. I only hope coach ash is able to do the same for our football team.

 

[DocRU]

I'd like to hope that RU can be competitive for an NCAA bid in Sanders' senior season, 2 years away.

 

[RUJMM78]

Okay slow down, RU is not competing for a Big 10 title in 3-4 years..it is simple not. Our fans put the cart before the horse....RU will be competing for a NCAA bid in 3-4 years..that is the more appropriate term.

Competing for a NCAA bid in 3-4 years is totally dependent on recruiting shooters.and how well Rutgers talent compares with league competition.It also means Rutgers would need a minimum of 8-10 league wins.to reach the 20 win total depending on out of conference record.Its been a very long time since Rutgers had such a successful league record.

 

[bac2therac]

I'd like to hope that RU can be competitive for an NCAA bid in Sanders' senior season, 2 years away.

the issue I have with two years is who are the players on that team...not even recruited yet and time is running out. Freeman gone, tenuous center position, Williams gone, Johnson gone. Baker and freshmen Doucore, Thiam and Eugene with Sanders...going to need a whole bunch of freshmen recruits that can come in and play right away that year.

 

[bowlgoal]

The players we bring in will hopefully be better caliber players who are ready to play as freshman. That's the plan when you have a good coach like we finally do. Maryland I think starts 3 freshman and all teams go through it. Iowa has freshman playing and Michigan is very young.

 

[bac2therac]

Bac, if we are making the NCAA tournament in 3-4 years it means we are probably a 20 plus win team and I'm not saying we are definitely winning a championship but I also wouldn't be that shocked considering how Piekell coached the team we have now. You realize there's no shooters, we shoot 60% or lower from the charity stripe and yet because of our tenacious defense, rebounding and overall grit and moxie; we had games with some of the best in the big 10 that could have been wins.

I don't carry a crystal ball and like you; I've been to hell and back with our program; but I'm not going to be any less excited than I am right now about the state of Rutgers men's basketball. I believe that our coach is going to be on the recruiting trail landing players we've only dreamed would come here. I think he's going to do some extraordinary things here at Rutgers. I only hope coach ash is able to do the same for our football team.

I like your optimism, just want to say slow down, we have to crawl in this league before running...RU has only won 5 league games ever in 54 attempts...that 5-49...eye opening...future is brighter but it is going to take time, you do not care go from that mark to competing for championships, not in this league. Pikiell is not Izzo. Hopefully by the Pike's 4th and 5th season RU is competing for the 7-10 slots in this league which is competing for a NCAA bid.

 

[bowlgoal]

I like your optimism, just want to say slow down, we have to crawl in this league before running...RU has only won 5 league games ever in 54 attempts...that 5-49...eye opening...future is brighter but it is going to take time, you do not care go from that mark to competing for championships, not in this league. Pikiell is not Izzo. Hopefully by the Pike's 4th and 5th season RU is competing for the 7-10 slots in this league which is competing for a NCAA bid.

Fair enough

 

[bac2therac]

The players we bring in will hopefully be better caliber players who are ready to play as freshman. That's a be plan when you have a good coach like we finally do. Maryland I think starts 3 freshman and all teams go through it. Iowa has freshman playing and Michigan is very young.

and that is why I caution...Iowa has all those freshmen and are what 7-9 in league and 500 overall and they have a senior star in Jok. Hard to win with freshmen unless you are a top program reloading like Maryland or Michigan State. Penn State has alot of freshmen talent and they are in that 7-9 range as well and only 500. It is very tough to win in this league. RU is bringing in the 14th rated class next year...that is a big concern because a school like Illinois who is going to finish 12 or 13 in this league is bringing in the TOP recruiting class in this league and 11th in the nation

its not how much RU improves as much as it is how much they improve compared to the rest of the league. Half of the teams just reload and then the other half are trying to break into the top 8.

 

[bac2therac]

Pitino's Minnesota team was 2-16 and 8-21 last year...but they lost alot of close games like RU did before that implosion at the end of the year with suspensions...however he had like the 2nd rated class in the Big 10 and top 25 overall, and they basically have flipped the record at 21-7 now...its one of the biggest turnarounds that I have ever seen in any conference but its going to take a top 25 type class to be able to make that turnaround. Minnesota had more talent last year than RU has this year so Pike has a lot of ground to make up if he wants a similar type quick turnaround

 

[jtung230]

I guess we are not talking about rebounding anymore.

 

[DocRU]

Pike needs a big class for sure in 2018. To get to .500 in league is a tall order. By the way RU never had a winning conference record in the old Big East. .500 twice. The last time RU had a winning conference record was in the A10. That was a long time ago.

 

[bowlgoal]

Pike needs a big class for sure in 2018. To get to .500 in league is a tall order. By the way RU never had a winning conference record in the old Big East. .500 twice. The last time RU had a winning conference record was in the A10. That was a long time ago.

I understand the struggles and our conference games are never going to be easy. We never had any momentum in the Big East that lasted long enough to land that class we needed. I felt like Rice was close to turning that corner just before it imploded and then we just went from mediocre to bad and eventually to rock bottom.

But as much as I thought Rice had us there after a few years; I see something different now. It's not far off to see us winning our home games at the very least in the conference and stealing one occasionally on the road which is pretty normal for a good team. And keep in mind that teams are up and down so when you have to reload; you could have a down year. Look at Michigan State and Ohio State. Those coaches didn't become bad coaches. The reason I'm optimistic about bringing in freshman is we haven't had a winning season in forever so for Rutgers, the new team in 2018 could be a step up with better talent even if we win 6-7 conference games. If we recruit like I think we could, it may even be better. And in Geos junior year, which will be 2019 and the opening of the new facility, it could be a special season.

I understand the doubt info g fans out there. I'm just very pumped to watch it happen. When was the last off season like the one we are approaching that any of us were this enthusiastic about the future of our program?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Pike needs a big class for sure in 2018. To get to .500 in league is a tall order. By the way RU never had a winning conference record in the old Big East. .500 twice. The last time RU had a winning conference record was in the A10. That was a long time ago.

Fair or unfair there is no patience. The 4-5 guys he signs in 2018 will most likely determine whether he succeeds or fails here. Another possibility he gets a transfer or 2 that might be juniors in the 2018-19 season (not my cup of tea).

Right now, and that will hopefully change, 2018-19 season is a senior Sanders and a lot of hoping. The current freshman class needs a lot of improvement.

 

[bac2therac]

Fair or unfair there is no patience. The 4-5 guys he signs in 2018 will most likely determine whether he succeeds or fails here. Another possibility he gets a transfer or 2 that might be juniors in the 2018-19 season (not my cup of tea).

Right now, and that will hopefully change, 2018-19 season is a senior Sanders and a lot of hoping. The current freshman class needs a lot of improvement.

I think it may be a situation where you have to set goals of NIT first...and fans may have to accept the NIT for a couple of years as the highlight and lets face it, the NIT for a few years is a major progress, if Pike can get us to a certain level then he could possibly recruit and push past the barrier. I really could see a case where its NIT in year 3 then not in year 4 and NIT in year 5, another NIT in year 6 and maybe even another one...and then in year 8 he makes the NCAA or its year 7. That is a very plausible scenerio and I know this is all speculation anyhow but RU would be in no position to fire any coach just getting us to NITs and then pulling the rug out, they sort of did it with Waters even though it was one good, one bad season alternating. Note Chambers in year 6 is probably missing out on NIT this year.

 

[SirScarlet]

You do realize that they are coached by John Belien, who has always coached his teams like that. Remember the WVU days with Pittsnogle, herber, gansey and belien's son.. all they ever do is shoot threes

Pittsnoggle! Great name.

I actually loved watching that team in the tourney...

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Difference between NIT and NCAA is 1 injury or 3 or 4 FTs

 

[RUJMM78]

Beilein's offensive system relies on deadly shooters.

3 point shooters who also can dribble drive to the basket getting opponent players in foul trouble.I wish Rutgers had such players.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

3 point shooters who also can dribble drive to the basket getting opponent players in foul trouble.I wish Rutgers had such players.

How many times did Michigan guards penetrate to score? If they penetrate they are looking to pass to the perimeter. Michigan's 3,4 and 5s are more apt to score off the dribble.

 

[higgins3]

Fair or unfair there is no patience. The 4-5 guys he signs in 2018 will most likely determine whether he succeeds or fails here. Another possibility he gets a transfer or 2 that might be juniors in the 2018-19 season (not my cup of tea).

Right now, and that will hopefully change, 2018-19 season is a senior Sanders and a lot of hoping. The current freshman class needs a lot of improvement.

You could see Pikiells mindset with the kids he did bring in that our currently freshman and playing. Glue guys, good personalities, versatility. Not a bad start to a rebuilding program.

Add that our most important piece of our rebuild is our staff, and there is more confidence.

Next year add in Baker, and you have a good shooter."We recruited a shooter." Seen on this board many times. Difference with Baker is he is a shooter off the harder shots, not set shots that need space. I am confident there.

Doucoure with the weight program could be a menace on the boards. His freshman year I could see him scoring 4 points a game with 7 rebounds. He is a physical presence.

 

[higgins3]

and that is why I caution...Iowa has all those freshmen and are what 7-9 in league and 500 overall and they have a senior star in Jok. Hard to win with freshmen unless you are a top program reloading like Maryland or Michigan State. Penn State has alot of freshmen talent and they are in that 7-9 range as well and only 500. It is very tough to win in this league. RU is bringing in the 14th rated class next year...that is a big concern because a school like Illinois who is going to finish 12 or 13 in this league is bringing in the TOP recruiting class in this league and 11th in the nation

its not how much RU improves as much as it is how much they improve compared to the rest of the league. Half of the teams just reload and then the other half are trying to break into the top 8.

Many teams in this league lose their best, or 2nd best player next year in this league.

I agree though with the reload for the top and bottom half. It is hard to break.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Many teams in this league lose their best, or 2nd best player next year in this league.

I agree though with the reload for the top and bottom half. It is hard to break.

That is wrong unless many players declare


Michigan Illinois and Wisconsin. That's about it

 

[higgins3]

That is wrong unless many players declare


Michigan Illinois and Wisconsin. That's about it

So there you have 3/14 of the teams. Add in Jok with Iowa and you have 4/14(senior year he is gone) Strong potential with Trimble and it's 5/14(25 75 stay or go). Purdue with Caleb Swanigan(50/50 stay or go). Bryant with Indiana(75 25) So there is a strong potential that 7/14, 50% of the teams in the big ten will be at a loss in scoring for next year.

These are all top players, top scorers. They are not easily replaced right off the bat.

 

[higgins3]

8/14- Tai Webster. Senior. Gone. Nebreska.
Zak Irvin,Michigan. Gone.
Derrick Walton, Michigan. Gone.

Saying Rutgers will struggle next year because all teams will have no issues is just false. Rutgers actually has a young team. It it not always seen that five stars come in and make a program changing impact. It is sometimes rare. Most kids need to be developed.

Fake news.

 

[bac2therac]

Rutgers recruiting class is rated 14th in the Big East......all these schools are bringing in highly recruited players..we are not....our team coming back minus Gettys is worse than what we have this year unless we can replace him. We bring in Baker...but every school is bringing in a Baker that is rated higher

the Big 10 will be stronger not weaker next year..its young, there are players that will go but by and large most teams are intact and will be stronger...MSU, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State are some young teams that figure to take a leap. RU still has a 4 game gap to make up with the 13th place, bringing a point guard that no one heard of and a nice shooting guard isnt enough

 

[bac2therac]

people talk about Corey Sanders but virtually every team has a Corey Sanders or more than one of them....the issue is the other schools have more talent around their star players and RU is trying to catch up. RU has two wins for a reason, close or not

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

This was the year. B1G will be very good next year. Expectations should reflect.

We will be #14 in preseason polls assuming Illinois has a good incoming class. Groce is a factor.

 

[richthedentist]

This was the year. B1G will be very good next year. Expectations should reflect.

We will be #14 in preseason polls assuming Illinois has a good incoming class. Groce is a factor.

For everyone's excitement about Michigan 3 point shooting they were 10-31 in the game

 

[higgins3]

Rutgers recruiting class is rated 14th in the Big East......all these schools are bringing in highly recruited players..we are not....our team coming back minus Gettys is worse than what we have this year unless we can replace him. We bring in Baker...but every school is bringing in a Baker that is rated higher

the Big 10 will be stronger not weaker next year..its young, there are players that will go but by and large most teams are intact and will be stronger...MSU, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State are some young teams that figure to take a leap. RU still has a 4 game gap to make up with the 13th place, bringing a point guard that no one heard of and a nice shooting guard isnt enough

We are worse next year than t his year?Why? Gettys has been tremendous, but there is a player on the team or out there that can match his production.

 

[higgins3]

This was the year. B1G will be very good next year. Expectations should reflect.

We will be #14 in preseason polls assuming Illinois has a good incoming class. Groce is a factor.

This was what year?When your key scorers leave, it is not easy to replace and say "Next year the team will be a ton better"

Next year should be the year the program can make a jump to 9-12 spots. Not everyone elses. Why is next year the year for everyone else, who is losing their key cogs, but not for Rutgers Basketball?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The league is very young.

Iowa, minus Jok, will be better than this year
Minnesota everyone is back
PSU everyone is back
Maryland losses only Dodd if Trimble stays
OSU only loses 1
Purdue replaces Swanigan with Haas
Indiana has a ton of talent minus Bryant

Only Michigan Illinois and Wisconsin are senior laden.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Not saying we can't get to 9-12 spots,
but it shouldn't be expected.

Not to get too ahead, but 2018-19 is shaping up to be very strong for a lot of B1G schools.

Scarily good