RAPID REACTION — Illinois

[Degaz-RU]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss (OSU) was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 17 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

 

[RuSnp]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 16 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

Harper's block counts as 1.5. I felt bad for the ball on that block.

 

[ClassOf02]

9. Robbie Hummel is a tool. The early stretch in the first half that got us to 23-6 was full of negative Rutgers commentary. He wanted to badly to say he was right when the Illini made it a game, but too bad buddy.

 

[rpiseman]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 16 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

I would think 18 wins with an 11-9 conference record and 1-2 wins in the BTT would have us in the NCAA conversation

 

[DirtyRU]

9. Robbie Hummel is a tool. The early stretch in the first half that got us to 23-6 was full of negative Rutgers commentary. He wanted to badly to say he was right when the Illini made it a game, but too bad buddy.

Bad take. Hummel's good. Ex-player who knows his sh#t. Does his homework. Zero problems with him. Just my opinion though. Him and Bardo are the best things goin' in the B1G announcer/analyst-wise.

 

[G- RUnit]

1. Officiating story of the game. If Pike doesn’t go crazy one game he’s not a good coach. Only reason we didn’t win this game by double digits is officiating.

2. Ace and Dylan are amazing. Some will argue/question but Pike has a decent argument what if Dylan and Ace are 100% healthy all year.

3. Love Pike but you have to get Ace more shots in the 2nd half. Please!!!!

4. Back to back threes by Martini and Hayes key moments of game.

5. JWill played some of the dumbest hoops I’ve ever seen by anybody in an RU uniform.
Yet steal and foul shooting and defense helped us win the game.

6. Grant was awful most of the game but start of second half was aa important stretch as any this year.

7. Despite truly awful officating we won the game at the line.

8. We can beat anybody. Pike, Ace and Dylan have to be way more selfish.

9. JMike and Sommerville had moments and getting much better but have to defer more.

Get to B1G tourney and in the words of Bob Wenzel, Dream Big Dreams!

 

[zappaa]

Thought Hummel was great

 

[billgumpper]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 16 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

The fact that we lost the lead and came back to win shows grit. If we can beat MD Sunday I think we can go on a run because the team is playing better D. Also in order to go on a run we will also need to win the bench battle. If Martini is going to play the 5 then we we are on O he is going to need to shoot the 3 better so that the other teams big man has to come out to the 3 point line to guard him, when that happens he needs to take him to the basket or other players have to cut to the rim. Martini is going to have to show up big because Lathan is in foul trouble every game.

 

[Simce91]

6. Grant was awful most of the game but start of second half was aa important stretch as any this year.

He MUST be coached better on his shot selection

He's going to be a very good player as an upperclassman

 

[billgumpper]

1. Officiating story of the game. If Pike doesn’t go crazy one game he’s not a good coach. Only reason we didn’t win this game by double digits is officiating.

2. Ace and Dylan are amazing. Some will argue/question but Pike has a decent argument what if Dylan and Ace are 100% healthy all year.

3. Love Pike but you have to get Ace more shots in the 2nd half. Please!!!!

4. Back to back threes by Martini and Hayes key moments of game.

5. JWill played some of the dumbest hoops I’ve ever seen by anybody in an RU uniform.
Yet steal and foul shooting and defense helped us win the game.

6. Grant was awful most of the game but start of second half was aa important stretch as any this year.

7. Despite truly awful officating we won the game at the line.

8. We can beat anybody. Pike, Ace and Dylan have to be way more selfish.

9. JMike and Sommerville had moments and getting much better but have to defer more.

Get to B1G tourney and in the words of Bob Wenzel, Dream Big Dreams!

J Will does a lot of stupid shit for someone that has played as much ball as he has, he needs to reel it in a bit.

 

[Simce91]

The fact that we lost the lead and came back to win shows grit. If we can beat MD Sunday I think we can go on a run because the team is playing better D. Also in order to go on a run we will also need to win the bench battle. If Martini is going to play the 5 then we we are on O he is going to need to shoot the 3 better so that the other teams big man has to come out to the 3 point line to guard him, when that happens he needs to take him to the basket or other players have to cut to the rim. Martini is going to have to show up big because Lathan is in foul trouble every game.

Happened for a couple of minutes tonight due to foul trouble, but I would like to see Martini and Grant On The floor together more

 

[Shields2]

Our defense was really good. That Illinois didn’t dump it down low and kill us is a sign we are fighting and switching aggressively. I still think if we are healthy and play with this defensive intensity we can beat anyone.

 

[93RUDoc]

3. Love Pike but you have to get Ace more shots in the 2nd half. Please!!!!

I was screaming this to the screen

 

[Salvi's Headband]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss (OSU) was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 17 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

Wachtel thinks 6-2 gets us a good long look. Tall order though.

 

[JavaDunk18]

We do not need to win out to be in the At Large conversation. The team could afford two (Q1) losses, . In 2023 we still technically had the metrics, even with the Minnesota loss, but the late season slide gave them a reason to keep us out. The opposite could be true here, where 11-9 in league, with a strong finish with the 2 stars healthy, gets us in. Even 10-10 & a run to the Big Ten finals.. UNC has a worse Quad 1 record than Rutgers, yet they were talking before the Duke game that they were the last 4 in..
Not that I am counting on this, or calling it likely, but the selection committee is a funny bunch of squirrels.
Most likely, we get in that 8/9 game in the BTT, maybe get to CBS Saturday , see what happens

 

[RAC93]

J Will does a lot of stupid shit for someone that has played as much ball as he has, he needs to reel it in a bit.

Prime example would be the BRUTAL 10 second violation he got by walking the ball up and having another brain fart. Yet, he also helped make some plays late and hit free throws to help get the win, he’s such a frustrating player.

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

Bad take. Hummel's good. Ex-player who knows his sh#t. Does his homework. Zero problems with him. Just my opinion though. Him and Bardo are the best things goin' in the B1G announcer/analyst-wise.

He may be a good analyst, but he likes to take digs at RU. Over and over again.

 

[T2Kplus20]

I would think 18 wins with an 11-9 conference record and 1-2 wins in the BTT would have us in the NCAA conversation

Need 20 total wins to get in (regular season plus BTT).

 

[Scangg]

J Will does a lot of stupid shit for someone that has played as much ball as he has, he needs to reel it in a bit.

He's like 23 and at times goes on stretches of playing really low IQ freshman type mistakes. Gets too easily frazzled

 

[RutgersDom]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss (OSU) was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 17 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

We do NOT have to win out to make the tourney .

 

[bac2therac]

We do NOT have to win out to make the tourney .

Rutgers must get to 19-12 to feel good

18-13 is less than 50/50..bubble yes...good position no..and conference tourney performance won't matter

 

[RedTeam1994]

Was at game and didn’t follow game thread, so question:

Did the officiating seem as unbelievably brutal on tv as it did in person?

Yes they missed 3 pretty obvious walks on ace (2 in first half and 1 in the second) Atleast one on jwill where he totally walked on a made drive

But the call where their center came down on someone’s foot and it was a foul?!! And that late out of bounds - seemed undeniable obvious that was off of illinois… and NO review WTF?!?!

The call against Harper for pushing on the rebound - seriously WTF was that - how exactly does one push when you are IN THE AIR WITH THE BALL IN YOUR HANDS?!?!

But I think was the plethora of uncalled fouls on Illinois which was the worst thing - There was a reason they were getting tons of rebounds in the second half - they were crashing into our guys really hard, pushing (sometime literally two hand pushes in the back) , at least 3 times we had the ball and they completely hacked the ball out of our guys hands - those repeated no calls were HUGE!! Smart on Illinois - I am sure underwood told them “refs aren’t calling ANYTHING on rebounds so be as aggressive and physical as possible - they aren’t calling it!! Hack away!”

But then we got at least two late ticky calls calls on the perimeter…LOL

In person the officiating seemed really brutal

The African American guy it seemed was the one repeatedly making REALLY BAD CALLS

 

[PhillyRU]

Rutgers must get to 19-12 to feel good

18-13 is less than 50/50..bubble yes...good position no..and conference tourney performance won't matter

I mean 19-12 isn't winning out still, but yea not gonna happen

 

[RU-ROCS]

1. Welcome back, Dylan Harper. What a stat line. 28 points, 7-15 FG overall (3-5 on threes), 11-12 FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He put the team on his back and willed this team to a big top 25 win.

2. Rutgers is now 4-1 when Ace and Dylan are healthy, and the one loss (OSU) was before Ace settled in as a college player.

3. Timely contributions from the supporting cast. Big threes in the second half by Grant, Hayes, and Martini. 13 points (including 7-8 FTs) from JWill. 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists from JMike.

4. Rutgers really battled tonight. We went up 17 points in the first half, and we all knew Illinois was going to make it a game, and they did just that by crashing the boards in the 2nd half and finally hitting shots, taking advantage of their paint dominance and taking a 55-52 lead. But Rutgers fought back in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Illinois 30-18 to close out the game.

5. Rebounding was a struggle after the first quarter of the game. But it ended up 41-40 overall. Illinois did get 18 offensive rebounds, but guess what, we got 16. Ace with an 18-11 double double.

6. Great job at the line tonight, 28-34 for 82.4%. Won the game at the line, full stop.

7. Interesting rotation from Pike tonight. He basically didn’t play Acuff or Derkack, presumably thinking that they would not be able to keep up with the athleticism of Illinois. So mainly rotated three guards with Dylan, JWill, and JMike, with Acuff, Derkack, and Hayes getting spot minutes.

8. As I said after the NW game, this win doesn’t change our retooled goal (make the BTT and hope to finish 9th to get a single bye). We’re out of the at-large NCAA conversation (unless we win out), but this win keeps us on schedule for the BTT.

Good stuff. I would add No. 9 - the battle between projected top-4 NBA draft picks between Harper and Jakucionis was a no contest. Jakucionis Is not in the same league as Harper.

 

[Scangg]

This season could end up being really heartbreaking if the team finishes super strong and doesn't make it which seems pretty likely

 

[PhillyRU]

This season could end up being really heartbreaking if the team finishes super strong and doesn't make it which seems pretty likely

Just makes the scheduling element this year all the more infuriating. It’s hard to say with 100 percent certainty, but if you swap KSU/Princeton with a couple games at the RAC, in all likelihood we’re 14-9 (5-7) and in much more serious contention.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

FYI national rankings:

Illinois:

Rebounds per game: #1
Offensive rebounds per game: #21
Defensive rebounds per game: #1
Rebound margin per game: #1

 

[RW90]

Was at game and didn’t follow game thread, so question:

Did the officiating seem as unbelievably brutal on tv as it did in person?

Yes they missed 3 pretty obvious walks on ace yeti in first half and 1 in the second) atleast one on jwill.

But the call where their center came down on someones foot and it was a foul?!! And that lay out of bounds - seemed undeniable obvious that was off of illinois

The call against Harper for pushing on the rebound - seriously WTF was that - how exactly does one push when you are IN THE AIR WITH THE BALL IN YOUR HANDS?!?!

But I think was the plethora of uncalled fouls on Illinois which was the worst thing - There was a reason they were getting tons of rebounds in the second half - they were crashing into our guys really hard, pushing (sometime literally two hand pushes in the back) , at least 3 times we had the ball and they completely hacked the ball out of our guys hands - those repeated no calls were HUGE!! Smart on Illinois - I am sure underwood told them (refs aren’t calling ANYTHING on rebounds so be as aggressive and physical as possible - they aren’t calling it)

But then we got at least two late ticky calls calls on the perimeter…LOL

In person the officiating seemed really brutal

The African American guy it seemed was the one repeatedly making REALLY BAD CALLS

How was it they didn't review that obvious OOB play during the timeout? I thought the rules allow that any time now?

And credit that one slow ref with setting a pick for Ace on that one drive. Never seen that before.

Not to mention, that was the first ten second call I can recall all year.

 

[Scarlet83]

Bad take. Hummel's good. Ex-player who knows his sh#t. Does his homework. Zero problems with him. Just my opinion though. Him and Bardo are the best things goin' in the B1G announcer/analyst-wise.

Hummel likes to throw shade Rutgers’ way...often.

 

[Scarlet83]

Was at game and didn’t follow game thread, so question:

Did the officiating seem as unbelievably brutal on tv as it did in person?

Yes they missed 3 pretty obvious walks on ace in first half and 1 in the second) atleast one on jwill.

But the call where their center came down on someones foot and it was a foul?!! And that late out of bounds - seemed undeniable obvious that was off of illinois… and review WTF?!?!

The call against Harper for pushing on the rebound - seriously WTF was that - how exactly does one push when you are IN THE AIR WITH THE BALL IN YOUR HANDS?!?!

But I think was the plethora of uncalled fouls on Illinois which was the worst thing - There was a reason they were getting tons of rebounds in the second half - they were crashing into our guys really hard, pushing (sometime literally two hand pushes in the back) , at least 3 times we had the ball and they completely hacked the ball out of our guys hands - those repeated no calls were HUGE!! Smart on Illinois - I am sure underwood told them (refs aren’t calling ANYTHING on rebounds so be as aggressive and physical as possible - they aren’t calling it)

But then we got at least two late ticky calls calls on the perimeter…LOL

In person the officiating seemed really brutal

The African American guy it seemed was the one repeatedly making REALLY BAD CALLS

I was at the game in section 105 and what you saw with the officiating is what I saw. Absolutely brutal. Every single one of the calls you mentioned, plus Illinois pushing WITH BOTH HANDS on rebounds and on our cuts to the basket.

If that game was called evenly, we win by 20+.

 

[goru7]

Just makes the scheduling element this year all the more infuriating. It’s hard to say with 100 percent certainty, but if you swap KSU/Princeton with a couple games at the RAC, in all likelihood we’re 14-9 (5-7) and in much more serious contention.

Bullshit. Just win the games you are supposed to. We beat Kennesaw 9 out of 10 times. Ace was too immature to handle his homecoming.
Princeton played a great game that day but Pike got a brain fart and let Lee to be switched onto Martini multiple times down the stretch. Not a bad bad loss.
How about Penn State away , Michigan at home , Michigan State at the MSG , Alabama and Texas A& M in Vegas. 5 games that down the stretch we let them slip thru our fingers and 2 of them Dylan got injured (Penn State and Michigan State )and 1 he didn’t play (Michigan ) . Those are the games that I will look back on and say damn we could have had a terrific year.

 

[RU_kidding_me]

Just makes the scheduling element this year all the more infuriating. It’s hard to say with 100 percent certainty, but if you swap KSU/Princeton with a couple games at the RAC, in all likelihood we’re 14-9 (5-7) and in much more serious contention.

No telling what would have happened, but based on past history, gotta figure Rutgers still would have found a way to underperform in the non-conference.

 

[PhillyRU]

Bullshit. Just win the games you are supposed to. We beat Kennesaw 9 out of 10 times. Ace was too immature to handle his homecoming.
Princeton played a great game that day but Pike got a brain fart and let Lee to be switched onto Martini multiple times down the stretch. Not a bad bad loss.
How about Penn State away , Michigan at home , Michigan State at the MSG , Alabama and Texas A& M in Vegas. 5 games that down the stretch we let them slip thru our fingers and 2 of them Dylan got injured (Penn State and Michigan State )and 1 he didn’t play (Michigan ) . Those are the games that I will look back on and say damn we could have had a terrific year.

That's the nature of conference play, you lose some tough ones and battle some injury luck. What you don't have to do is take your young team on the road twice in games that have absolutely no upshot and season- ending consequences.

There's a reason no other Power 5 program in the country schedules like we do

 

[PhillyRU]

No telling what would have happened, but based on past history, gotta figure Rutgers still would have found a way to underperform in the non-conference.

Part of that past history is stupid, stupid scheduling though. @UMass, Temple @Mohegan, St. Bonaventure in Toronto, even @Fordham

 

[RedTeam1994]

I was at the game in section 105 and what you saw with the officiating is what I saw. Absolutely brutal. Every single one of the calls you mentioned, plus Illinois pushing WITH BOTH HANDS on rebounds and on our cuts to the basket.

If that game was called evenly, we win by 20+.

Your 20+ comment - I was saying the same thing.

Their fouling on the rebounds was crazy - but again smart by Illinois- why not push, hack, grab, etc if the refs literally never call it once - oh wait actually they did once - on Harper (he miraculously pushed when in the air and with both hands on the ball… lol).

I have been relatively silent this season criticizing the refs - haven’t really complained this season - but today was almost suspiciously bad

 

[RedTeam1994]

Good stuff. I would add No. 9 - the battle between projected top-4 NBA draft picks between Harper and Jakucionis was a no contest. Jakucionis Is not in the same league as Harper.

jakucionis did literally nothing tonight.

 

[winfield102]

He may be a good analyst, but he likes to take digs at RU. Over and over again.

All of those dogs were warranted. He calls out poor decisions on our shots, and he's right.

He was also calling out Illinois being relentless in working for the offensive boards, particularly their guards. Ace was big towards the end, securing a number of defensive rebounds.

 

[RutgersChow]

The committee likes to give an advantage to teams playing well late in the season, same as a disadvantage to teams playing poorly, as we were a few years ago even though we had some big wins early. I think 20 wins including in the Big 10 tournament gets us in.

 

[winfield102]

Great win by the team.

Dylan played a GREAT game.

Ace rebounding towards the end kept us from losing imo. Illinois was relentless attacking the glass.

If we can stop taking ill-advised shots for no reason, they could finish 6-2. No less than 10-12 shots where I wanted to put my foot thru the TV. Davis, Grant, JWill, Lathan. Unfortunately I don't see that happening since we're almost 70% through our season. In what world is it okay for Davis to dribble down the court and then take a pull-up jumper? The players do some good things and then follow them up with mind-blowing stupid things. The 2 stars also had a few questionable shots but they get a pass.

 

[Scangg]

Only 1 less rebound against a team like Illinois where we played Martini at the 5 due to foul trouble is impressive

24 fast break points. I had hopes for a team that could score easy buckets in transition this year. Adding transition easy buckets not in half court sets is huge for our offense

Dylan is incredible. Ace has matured. If we could just get even 1 third scorer per game to step up it would be great