Pike will get us back to the Big Dance

[Westcoast]

While people are worried about replacing guys and missed opportunities, just remember; Pike is the reason we were in the tourney. We have no superstars, no NBA players. We win because of Pike, not overwhelming talent. None of our players are irreplaceable. All our guys have "warts" as players. This actually bodes well for us in that its relatively easy to find replacements when guys leave.

How does Illinois replace Dusumnu and Cockburn?? I have no idea. But we don't have that problem.

Pike will get us back and it wont be long.

 

[RURahh]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

 

[RU MAN]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

I hope you're wrong too.

 

[RUKen]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

Cliff, Jones, returning players and a transfer or two we should be fine. You better be wrong

 

[Plum Street]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

He’s got to hit on some recruits for sure.

 

[RURahh]

I kind of see a repeat of Northwestern who was a great story and their coach is excellent but they just could never hit that big home run in recruiting

 

[Plum Street]

I kind of see a repeat of Northwestern who was a great story and their coach is excellent but they just could never hit that big home run in recruiting

I though someone posted here they got a few top 150 kids after their tournament run. Not sure how true that is because they have stunk

 

[RU MAN]

I kind of see a repeat of Northwestern who was a great story and their coach is excellent but they just could never hit that big home run in recruiting

I kind of see us as a team moving forward and being successful. I don't like this self-loathing attitude.

 

[Westcoast]

Its not that we didn't miss an opportunity. Never said that. The point is with Pike as our coach there will be more opportunities. Recruiting has been down the whole time Pike has been at RU. Our low level recruiting got us to the Big Dance BECAUSE OF PIKE. That's the point. His style of play is perfect for making runs in the Big Dance. Defense and high percentage shots - not bombing 3s.
We'll be back.

 

[Knight Ed]

I still think Cliff has a ton of upside. PIkiell has to use him as more that just the tall guy next to the basket. Let him work on his shot and use that athleticism off a dribble.

 

[knight82]

None of the players on this team were knock your socks off recruits either yet Pike got them to the tournament this year and they would have gone last year

 

[RURahh]

I kind of see us as a team moving forward and being successful. I don't like this self-loathing attitude.

Not self loathing. I love Pike and the staff but compare the excitement going forward with football to the excitement you feel about basketball. We just haven't bought in a good class since RHJ, MM and MJ as a redshrt. Hopefully we have better luck in the portal and can find a few Jacobs and Akwasi's but seems like those were one off situations

 

[RU MAN]

Not self loathing. I love Pike and the staff but compare the excitement going forward with football to the excitement you feel about basketball. We just haven't bought in a good class since RHJ, MM and MJ as a redshrt. Hopefully we have better luck in the portal and can find a few Jacobs and Akwasi's but seems like those were one off situations

I see Pike getting a few transfers like Harrar from PSU and Jaden Jones a 4 star player, I believe is going to shine. Paul M., will shoot more and be more productive on the offensive side, and I believe that with work over the summer, Cliff can not only improve on defense but actually create an offensive game for himself. I still think with the right pieces in place we will be an NCAA team next season.

 

[RUsojo]

pike may get us back to the dance (though I’m not expecting it pending transfer haul) but realistically that could be as close as we come to a final four shot in the next 30 years and we blew it

 

[sct1111]

Not self loathing. I love Pike and the staff but compare the excitement going forward with football to the excitement you feel about basketball. We just haven't bought in a good class since RHJ, MM and MJ as a redshrt. Hopefully we have better luck in the portal and can find a few Jacobs and Akwasi's but seems like those were one off situations

I mean I don't think we'll be in the tournament every single year. As a program were going to have periods where we're rebuilding. That's completely fine. Pike took lower regarded recruits and developed them into an NCAA team in 3?, 4? Years. We'll be going back sooner rather than later.

 

[RU MAN]

pike may get us back to the dance (though I’m not expecting it pending transfer haul) but realistically that could be as close as we come to a final four shot in the next 30 years and we blew it

True, and it still bothers me. This year was so "right" for us. We had it all there and just blew it.

 

[robjknight]

Remember Myles redshirted his freshman year and even said he wasn’t ready. I think Cliff has more offensive upside than Myles who became a good defensive player, but never became an offensive juggernaut He had a lot of foul trouble because he faced big man scoring threats. We will never be a great team without that inside threat. As far as Pike’s recruiting, how thrilled were we when Cliff selected RU. I predict one or two of the other freshman bigs will be pleasant surprises next year. This year although frustrating at times was a joy. After a win or loss I counted the hours to the next game. To me a 500 record in B1G is better than beating up bottom fishers in AAC

 

[Scangg]

Cliff Harper Paul Young Mathis Doucoure Jones all 4 stars. Get a grip

 

[SkilletHead2]

I find the "we're all set in football, but basketball is a disaster" logic stupefying.

After everybody and their sister said it would take 6-7 years to get to the dance in bball, Pike got us there in 4 years except for COVID, and got us there in reality in year 5, and we won a game to boot.

In football, we won three games last year and still don't have a QB.

I am always the optimist and think we are on the right track in both bball and football, but I just don't see how one can argue that everything is great in one area and awful in the other based on the data.

 

[knights1212]

I believe RU B-Ball is ahead of RU football. Football has to get to at least .500 in BIg 10 games to get to where we have been in basketball the last 2 years. Football is definitely much better than when Ash was our coach but we still need to keep improving.

 

[Pancho1939]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

Do you really think this is the only year a team had what looked to be an easy run to final four? have you looked at past ncaa tournaments? You realize houston is really good and beating houston doesn’t mean we beat Syracuse or Oregon state?

Every game in ncaa tournement is tough. Illinois lost to a great loyola team. Oregon state beat a very average Loyola team.

You guys need perspective. You guys thought we were going to make a final four run in the first year back? We all hope for the best but the e scary part is you are actually pissed it didn’t happen.

 

[ScarletDave]

I’m sorry do we not have 4* Cliff Omoruyi (freshman), 4* Montez Mathis 3* no 5 in NJ Paul Mulcahey 3* no 7 in NJ Ron Harper Jr and no 5 in Texas Jaden Jones (freshman) on our team right now? And people are worrying about Pikes recruiting?? Do you just think of made up ideas in your head and then type them on here ???

 

[S_Janowski]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

Stopped reading after “Cliff didn’t have the year we expected”.

LOL. Don’t speak for everyone.

 

[wicker]

You need some motivational acronyms

Look At You. Unlimited Potential
Buy Old Xylophones Or Use Tambourines
Personnel Others Really Try And Land
Hope Other Universities Stop Taking On Newcomers
Find It Necessary And Lead For Our University Rutgers

 

[RUInsanity]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

Getting beat by Houston when we seemed to have the game in hand was heart-breaking. However if you take a step back, to expect a Final 4 for a program that has not even been in the tourney for 30 years seems kind of wonky. Also, your comments regarding recruiting don't appear to match your fantasy of a Final 4 this year. If the upper-classmen roster was filled with Final 4 caliber players - than how would you expect the recent recruits to crack significant time in the line-up......and since they did not log significant minutes - how would you know how good or bad they are for the long haul? PS.....PM is more than just a role player and it may be that your overall expectations for Cliff don't match everyone else's.

Not self loathing. I love Pike and the staff but compare the excitement going forward with football to the excitement you feel about basketball. We just haven't bought in a good class since RHJ, MM and MJ as a redshrt. Hopefully we have better luck in the portal and can find a few Jacobs and Akwasi's but seems like those were one off situations

Not sure your feelings correspond with the actual facts regarding both recruiting as well as the excitement around RU Basketball.

• 2018: One top 150 player: Matthis (4*), Harper (3*), McConnell (3*) and Carter (3* transfer)
• 2019: One top 200 player: Mulcahy (3*), Yeboah (graduate transfer)
• 2020: One top 5 and another top 150 players: Omoruyi (4*), Mag (3*), Reiber (3*), Palmquist (3*), Jones (3*)

It's difficult to express dissapointment or tell what we have in the 2020 recruiting class as the only one who saw significant minutes was Cliff.

 

[LotusAggressor]

Do you really think this is the only year a team had what looked to be an easy run to final four? have you looked at past ncaa tournaments? You realize houston is really good and beating houston doesn’t mean we beat Syracuse or Oregon state?

Every game in ncaa tournement is tough. Illinois lost to a great loyola team. Oregon state beat a very average Loyola team.

You guys need perspective. You guys thought we were going to make a final four run in the first year back? We all hope for the best but the e scary part is you are actually pissed it didn’t happen.

RU has reached the expectation phase among the fanbase. 2 consecutive winning seasons and a tournament appearance with a win and a close loss after 30 years of almost non-stop futility have created expectations. Some of them unrealistic. It's easier to go from bad to respectable than it is to go from respectable to very good, or even elite. The work really starts now.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Couldn't disagree more. If there was ever a year to make a run it was this year and the December version of this team could be in the Final 4. Recruiting has been down for 2 years, Mulcahy is a great role player and Cliff did not have the year we expected, and that is our recruiting for the last 2 years. Barring a great haul of transfers in the next few months, we are likely back to the bottom of the BIG next year and Pike will have missed a huge opportunity to leverage what should have been an excellent team.

Hope I am wrong

1) Exactly what do you expect of Cliff without an extra 6 or 700C games this past season? Not sure where your expectations were at but most of us are incredibly happy with what we saw in him looking towards the future. Most people knew he had a lot to develop before being the expected star he is going to be.

2) Jaden Jones is gonna be a STUD glad you completely ignored that recruit lol

3) we actually recruited a floor general in Jake’s Millee (Likely not ready to step in and lead a team but that’s what you recruit E transfer to do if Baker leaves)

4) we’ve been very successful with transfers and likely will be again this year

 

[cm_13]

1) Exactly what do you expect of Cliff without an extra 6 or 700C games this past season? Not sure where your expectations were at but most of us are incredibly happy with what we saw in him looking towards the future. Most people knew he had a lot to develop before being the expected star he is going to be.

2) Jaden Jones is gonna be a STUD glad you completely ignored that recruit lol

3) we actually recruited a floor general in Jake’s Millee (Likely not ready to step in and lead a team but that’s what you recruit E transfer to do if Baker leaves)

4) we’ve been very successful with transfers and likely will be again this year

Agreed. The assessment that “Recruiting has been down for two years” is downright laughable.

 

[e5fdny]

I kind of see a repeat of Northwestern who was a great story and their coach is excellent but they just could never hit that big home run in recruiting

But if you string enough singles and doubles together...

I kind of see us as a team moving forward and being successful. I don't like this self-loathing attitude.

I mean I don't think we'll be in the tournament every single year. As a program were going to have periods where we're rebuilding. That's completely fine. Pike took lower regarded recruits and developed them into an NCAA team in 3?, 4? Years. We'll be going back sooner rather than later.

 

[MV9000]

Not worried about basketball. Could be a down year coming but kids like Jones, Miller, RHJ, Paul and Cliff are great center pieces. Cliff will only get better for those knocking him. A true frosh center, he looked good before the injury and had no OOC really to speak off.

apparently Miller is under recruiter and Jones will be better than many think out the gate

 

[The RUT]

I know people are going to hate this, but it’s really not hard to make the dance coming out of the B1G.

You legit just need to be .500 in the conference and you make the tournament.

 

[RUBlackout]

every team is losing players..will Iowa be as good without their stars?
Penn state lost their entire team
Iowa loses their stud

we can get over .500 again in BiG next year and make the tourney. We have a strong nucleus of players

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

I still think Cliff has a ton of upside. PIkiell has to use him as more that just the tall guy next to the basket. Let him work on his shot and use that athleticism off a dribble.

Of course he does. Ya'll need to relax. Rutgers hoops will be just fine.

 

[RUInsanity]

I know people are going to hate this, but it’s really not hard to make the dance coming out of the B1G.

You legit just need to be .500 in the conference and you make the tournament.

So we go from never having made it to easy peasy. LOL your hot takes are amusing.

More importantly - many of us are still waiting on your inside info on "bad egg" Geo and the entire fanbase turning against Pike.

 

[RUBOB72]

Cliff Harper Paul Young Mathis Doucoure Jones all 4 stars. Get a grip

Doucoure has not come close to a 4* level. Is he coming back ?

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Will be great to go to the NCAAs for the third year in a row next season. First time in our history.

 

[NickKnight 1]

While people are worried about replacing guys and missed opportunities, just remember; Pike is the reason we were in the tourney. We have no superstars, no NBA players. We win because of Pike, not overwhelming talent. None of our players are irreplaceable. All our guys have "warts" as players. This actually bodes well for us in that its relatively easy to find replacements when guys leave.

How does Illinois replace Dusumnu and Cockburn?? I have no idea. But we don't have that problem.

Pike will get us back and it wont be long.

I can dig it.

 

[The RUT]

So we go from never having made it to easy peasy. LOL your hot takes are amusing.

More importantly - many of us are still waiting on your inside info on "bad egg" Geo and the entire fanbase turning against Pike.

I was expecting a response like this, so let’s use logic here.

Just because Rutgers didn’t make it in 30 years, doesn’t mean it’s hard to do. In fact, it’s gotten easier over the years since expanding the field.

Let’s be clear, I hate Hobbs. Can’t stand him. But prior to Hobbs no one at the university gave two shits about Rutgers basketball.

Doesn’t matter if anyone here wants to admit it, the Rutgers admin took you all for suckers prior Hobbs. You kept investing time and money into the program while the school didn’t.

 

[Degaz-RU]

I agree with the OP that Pike will get us back to the Dance. BUT...

...We will likely be in "rebuild" mode for a couple of years. It might not take another 4 years like the first go-round, but it might take 2 or 3 years to build things back up,...

... except this time, the fanbase won't be as patient as the first cycle. The fanbase might accept a "down" year next season after losing Myles, JY, and possibly Baker (and, if Sojo is to be believed, a couple others), but I'm not sure the fanbase will accept TWO straight years of no tourney.

People HOPE for 2 tourney years, then 1 down year, then 2 tourney years, then 1 down year, etc. But it MIGHT be 2 tourney years (2020 and 2021), 2 down years, 1 tourney year, 3 down years, 1 tourney year, 2 down years, etc.

The key for Pike is, if he's not going to land multiple 4-star, top 100 players each cycle, how fast can he "rebuild" after an upperclass-laden team gets us to the tourney?

 

[RUBlackout]

I agree with the OP that Pike will get us back to the Dance. BUT...

...We will likely be in "rebuild" mode for a couple of years. It might not take another 4 years like the first go-round, but it might take 2 or 3 years to build things back up,...

... except this time, the fanbase won't be as patient as the first cycle. The fanbase might accept a "down" year next season after losing Myles, JY, and possibly Baker (and, if Sojo is to be believed, a couple others), but I'm not sure the fanbase will accept TWO straight years of no tourney.

People HOPE for 2 tourney years, then 1 down year, then 2 tourney years, then 1 down year, etc. But it MIGHT be 2 tourney years (2020 and 2021), 2 down years, 1 tourney year, 3 down years, 1 tourney year, 2 down years, etc.

The key for Pike is, if he's not going to land multiple 4-star, top 100 players each cycle, how fast can he "rebuild" after an upperclass-laden team gets us to the tourney?

Let’s be clear Sojo is just directing info from TOS to here regarding BS rumors of others leaving..could it still happen? Sure but that was bad info to start with