""Possibly the worst team in the history of the Big Ten Conference.''

[Tango Two]

The Rutgers players were presented some not-so-positive facts and figures about the recent past, reading slides that reflected the team's record since joining the Big Ten(3-33), its standing in the conference statistics (last year's team was last in 8 categories and in the bottom three in 13 others) and then an anonymous quote from a Big Ten official appeared on the screen:

"Possibly the worst team in the history of the Big Ten Conference.''

And then, Pikiell told his players: "You gotta know the past or you'll repeat it.''

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...e_pikiell_on_recalling_rutgers_losing_wa.html

 

[RUMBA-JK]

Wow.... Pikiell basically said " see that rock at the bottom - that's the rock that this team hit last year ... smack your head on it to remember & vow to never see that SOB again!"

 

[RU-ROCS]

I know talk is cheap, but I've got to say I like Pikiell's style!

 

[MusicFreaks]

I really hope he's successful this season. Really says all of the right things!!

 

[eja92]

The product RU put on the court last year (and the year before) was totally unacceptable. It was non-competitive so whether it was "the worst" or not is not particularly relevant. We will not test those waters again with this staff. We have the right leadership now and our players will play to the best of their abilities. It is now about getting players into the program that have higher ceilings and we have already started to do that with this year's class. This is a different era for RU bball than we have seen - the staff knows how to build for the long-term and you already see it in motion. The team has on-court weaknesses but effort on the defensive end and on the boards will no longer be one of them.

 

[MGSA99]

"Here is Maryland. There is Wisconsin. There is Purdue. Then there is everybody else. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us."

 

[RUKeystone]

And then, Pikiell told his players: "You gotta know the past or you'll repeat it.''

 

[rutger80]

Since the University of Chicago left the Big Ten, our friends at Northwestern have compiled the only 2 winless seasons in Big Ten play:
2000-01 Northwestern 5-25, 0-16

• 1991-92 Northwestern 5-23, 0-18

 

[anon_ivydyf0amkzay]

"Here is Maryland. There is Wisconsin. There is Purdue. Then there is everybody else. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us."

This is very funny! Gotta love an RU fans mentality and state of mind!

 

[RUsince52]

"Here is Maryland. There is Wisconsin. There is Purdue. Then there is everybody else. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us."

Then we must be ahead of the rock !

 

[RUChoppin]

"Here is Maryland. There is Wisconsin. There is Purdue. Then there is everybody else. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us."

This is very funny! Gotta love an RU fans mentality and state of mind!

Well, to be fair, that was where we were at last year.... though it's arguable that it was 50 feet of crap, then Minnesota, then us.

That's behind us, though. What's past is prologue. New coach, new players, new season, new outlook. We may still finish at or near the bottom this year, but I don't see us being so woefully bad as we were last year.

 

[zbullek21]

Love this from the new coach. Everything I've read and watched so far has me really excited for what is in store. It'll be really nice to see Defense and rebounding again, improving those aspects will be a huge step towards us becoming more competitive. I'm pumped!

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Is this team going to be horrid this season like the football team?

 

[higgins3]

Is this team going to be horrid this season like the football team?

Depends on how well they pass, and if they keep their word on defense.

If they do both, not a bad team to come watch at the RAC. Any team that plays defense is easy to root for.

 

[Caliknight]

I know one thing. It isn't saying much, but they will definitely be better than last year.

At least they will look like a D1 basketball team. We won't have a roster of chubby guys who look like they eat pizza for a pre game meal. They will also try to rebound with effort. Because we have a coach that actually coaches it.

 

[RUsojo]

Comparing talent and schedule compared to conferencemates they are in better position then football was going into the season. We shall see.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Comparing talent and schedule compared to conferencemates they are in better position then football was going into the season. We shall see.

True. We are under-talented for sure compared to the rest of the Big10, but the difference is not nearly as pronounced as in football. The beauty of hoops is it only takes a couple top-notch players with a supporting cast that buys in to pull off an upset or two, if they are well coached. (Rice's teams showed that). I don't expect miracles, but I'm hoping that the conference games are more competitive and that Piekell can coax a few upsets out of this team.

 

[shields]

Better defense and not 7 schollie players on roster. I used to pray no one got in foul trouble.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

 

[toby83]

Looking at the schedule , it's probably favorable playing MSU early in season . they have a few freshman that will be key players for them by end of year.

Also interesting the potential early season blowouts will all be on road (MSU,Wisc,Iowa,Indiana) , so this should help keep everybody interested with winnable home games vs Penn State, Northwestern, Nebraska early on.

 

[RUnTeX]

"Here is Maryland. There is Wisconsin. There is Purdue. Then there is everybody else. Then there's 50 feet of crap. And then there's us."

Great line from Moneyball. Nice job re-purposing it for Rutgers hoops.