Rapid Reaction - Ohio State

[goru7]

If only Hyatt could have hit a wide open 3 or only if Gavin could have hit a wide open 3 or Noah could have hit a wide open 3 , we likely complete the comeback and get the win. All 3 second half misses could have shifted momentum that had slightly swung to RU totally to RU to carry us home.
We also could have gotten a better whistle as the bailout of Thornton , the shiver to Cliff’s throat not being called a flagrant even after review and the blatant push of Cliff on the entry pass by Derek late were 3 horrendous calls and non calls that screwed us.

Overall , the first time all year the old Rutgers defense showed up in he second half. It was stifling which we had not seen all year. Great second half adjustment by Pike putting in Austin Williams so our guards could not be bullied and MAG all over Battle for last 10-12 minutes. First time we corrected our rebounding as we finally got a group effort on the glass with some crashing and toughness for the first time in forever.
Derek was terrific and Noah was really good scoring 40 tonight. But they still have to pass the ball much much better . Stop the excessive dribbling , make quick passes and swing the ball , then a better entry pass to Cliff or Mag. Mag was posting up late as well.
We fixed some things tonight , rebounding with team rebounding and hustle ; toughness with aggressive lock down defense in second half, first time we have seen it all year , better foul shooting , 12-14 but not enough of them .
Hopefully we can carry that second half defense , team rebounding and toughness the rest of the way and if we can make 1 more open 3 maybe more wins.

 

[bac2therac]

“3. Good move by Pike inserting Williams in during the second half. He really provided a defensive spark. Pike probably waiting too long though. OSU’s strong guards were eating in the paint, but Austin (and some strong help defense) slowed the Buckeye offense.”

And an incredibly bad move benching him for the entire first half. You know you are playing a team with a physical guard like Thornton and you leave your most physical, defensive guard on the bench and watch as your team gets destroyed the entire first half on the defensive end? WTF?

i get what you are saying but Austin has struggled most of the year...cannot fault Pike for limiting him. Instead Pike deserves kudos for recognizing he had to try something different and Austin for answering the bell

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Uptempo? We got back in the game when the pace slowed.

Ill say it until i am blue in thr face. If we are foing to win it will be with defense.

We took the 1st or 2nd available shots, early in the shot clock....that is up tempo....we didn't overpass and have turnovers....we actually turn the ball more, trying to make extra passes, instead of the shot presented to them or available.

I have ZERO concern about the defense with a Pike staff. It only takes a couple of tweaks on the roster on a game to game basis.

We don't have a Bryce Dortch wing defender at 6'9, with long arms until next year.....we don't have the more complete PF, like Dylan Grant at 6'7", who is springy and athletic, until next year. We have to show recruits beyond this year, that we are committed to playing good fundamentals on defense and are going to allow kids the freedom to take shots on offense.

We don't have the footspeed or leaping ability in the front court to really be good defensively....we get by on defense, because we scout and prepare very well, which shows up MUCH more in B1G play or with a familiar opponent (like Seton Hall).....your notion of playing defense is hidden by scouting, staff and familiar opponents.
Player to player, RU isn't going to shut down every opponent, there are some offensive players, who if they're on their game shooting wise, we need to sometimes match, basket for basket on the other end for 25 to 30 minutes.....a normal offensive game by RU and this is a 10 to 12 point loss, even with better defense....we stayed afloat by scoring 34 in the 1st half.

 

[bac2therac]

Uptempo? We got back in the game when the pace slowed.

Ill say it until i am blue in thr face. If we are foing to win it will be with defense.

i am right with you. If you look at our offense, beside Noah and Derek our offense wasnt getting it done. Very very concerned about both Gavin and Wolf and J Mike didnt have a good game

 

[bac2therac]

Gavin is not portaling, please stop with anything like that. I tried to explain he would benefit by getting guards who push the tempo and Simpson aggressively pushing and letting Gavin float behind him, was what you want to see....it was his only make.

All fans have to realize is when you add Jeremiah Williams, Dylan Harper and Simpson/Davis to the equation and they can all push the tempo, Gavin will get looks like Jamison Battle saw tonight for Ohio State.

When you watch Gavin in HS, he did a lot of things well, but the staff needs to reverse roles om offense with him. Gavin is able to post up a guard, turnaround jumper over that defensive player. He's also able to use his length to score if you run a post up for him. Once he gets the 2s, then let him roam and find room for 3. We ran an occasional post up for Hyatt and Mag, both are still hit or miss in that role.

In terms of Simpson and Fernandes, clearly they stepped up and played aggressively and looked for their own offense, which is what RU needs to get into the 70s. Obviously you don't want to give up 45 in the 1st half or 9 3s, but all in all, they defended without fouling, which allowed them to get back into the game.....normally when you get down by 12 to 15 or so, the foul line keeps the opponent ahead and you have to play perfectly on defense.

Very enjoyable watch of basketball, a good indicator of what we should look like, pushing the tempo and showing an ability to rally.

Going to get very confident if Austin Williams can become reliable off the bench. I would bring Austin in very early vs Iowa on Saturday and make Tony Perkins work for his offense and let Fernandes and Simpson, run wild and push the ball on offense to make him work.

This is a NCAA roster if Jeremiah Williams gets cleared (I know, I know, he's potentially not ever getting cleared by the criminals in the NCAA offices), but he launches this backcourt on offense and defense once he's on the floor. No way would Thornton or Battle cook like that if Jeremiah is on the court. Probably worth 3 to 5 game swing in the B1G, if he's on the floor and able to play.

its not a ncaa roster without Jeremiah but you all of a sudden are proclaiming it one without him ever playing a minute..okay.

 

[richthedentist]

“3. Good move by Pike inserting Williams in during the second half. He really provided a defensive spark. Pike probably waiting too long though. OSU’s strong guards were eating in the paint, but Austin (and some strong help defense) slowed the Buckeye offense.”

And an incredibly bad move benching him for the entire first half. You know you are playing a team with a physical guard like Thornton and you leave your most physical, defensive guard on the bench and watch as your team gets destroyed the entire first half on the defensive end? WTF?

And a terrible job not adjusting on defense and giving them open look after open looks from 3

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

How can you say this is an NCAA roster with Jeremiah Williams (without ever having seen him step on the court in an RU uniform)….

But you refuse to believe that if we didn’t lose Mag last year we probably would have been NCAA bound.

Keep in mind our roster this year isn’t as good or deep as last years (without Caleb, Cam and Paul).

No way anyone can say we are an NCAA team this year if we have had Jeremiah.

Because it takes about 15 minutes of watching basketball and understanding roles and responsibilities on the court. It's not overly complicated. The roster needs a guard who can slow down a Thornton, Battle from Ohio State.....a Perkins from Iowa....or the countless guards throughout the B1G.

On the offensive end, you also need a guard that can get downhill and score at the basket. Right now, Simpson is attempting to add that to his game, Williams already provides that on tape.

You want to be able to have a guard defend on 1 end and draw fouls from the opponent on the offensive end. Williams is a complete guard, who isn't elite at any one thing, but is definitely our best guard on the roster today.

 

[S_Janowski]

Because it takes about 15 minutes of watching basketball and understanding roles and responsibilities on the court. It's not overly complicated. The roster needs a guard who can slow down a Thornton, Battle from Ohio State.....a Perkins from Iowa....or the countless guards throughout the B1G.

On the offensive end, you also need a guard that can get downhill and score at the basket. Right now, Simpson is attempting to add that to his game, Williams already provides that on tape.

You want to be able to have a guard defend on 1 end and draw fouls from the opponent on the offensive end. Williams is a complete guard, who isn't elite at any one thing, but is definitely our best guard on the roster today.

Jeremiah hasn’t played a single minute in a Rutgers uniform - stop with this nonsense….

Especially after you completely disregarded Mags value to our team last year (the Mag who actually played for us and was playing some of his best basketball before he got hurt!)

 

[bac2therac]

Because it takes about 15 minutes of watching basketball and understanding roles and responsibilities on the court. It's not overly complicated. The roster needs a guard who can slow down a Thornton, Battle from Ohio State.....a Perkins from Iowa....or the countless guards throughout the B1G.

On the offensive end, you also need a guard that can get downhill and score at the basket. Right now, Simpson is attempting to add that to his game, Williams already provides that on tape.

You want to be able to have a guard defend on 1 end and draw fouls from the opponent on the offensive end. Williams is a complete guard, who isn't elite at any one thing, but is definitely our best guard on the roster today.

if Jeremiah sitting on the bench is our best guard that boy what does that say about Pikiell recruiting and roster managment

 

[Scangg]

Because it takes about 15 minutes of watching basketball and understanding roles and responsibilities on the court. It's not overly complicated. The roster needs a guard who can slow down a Thornton, Battle from Ohio State.....a Perkins from Iowa....or the countless guards throughout the B1G.

On the offensive end, you also need a guard that can get downhill and score at the basket. Right now, Simpson is attempting to add that to his game, Williams already provides that on tape.

You want to be able to have a guard defend on 1 end and draw fouls from the opponent on the offensive end. Williams is a complete guard, who isn't elite at any one thing, but is definitely our best guard on the roster today.

I'm with you on this one. I think J Williams fills a pretty obvious hole on the roster

Look at what happened today before A Will came in to our smaller guards. J Will is a better version of A Will

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I know he likes to eat. He pantomimes eating all the time.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

My starting lineup
PG Nigel Johnson
SG Jeremiah Williams
SF Peter Kiss
PF Wally judge
C. ??????????

Nees some help. Could move Wally to C and play small.

Courtney Nelson?????!

 

[Westcoast]

He's a perfect compliment as a 3rd scorer with Dylan and Ace who can both dribble shoot and pass and will draw constant doubles

Gavin needs to hit the weights and we better hope he gets something going or he could portal if he gets stuck on the end of the bench

Yeah, suggesting GG's struggles portend similar issues with Bailey and Harper is probably a stretch. Those guys are in a different stratosphere. Granted, assuming we automatically win the league next year (as one poster said) is also silly. Both guys will struggle at times. Hopefully we'll have enough around them to save us when they are both off at the same time.

 

[cm_13]

I think we played well and yet couldn't ever make it a game. Be happy it was a close loss. That's where I'm at for this year.

If our guards play well, we have a chance. If they don't its a 20 point blowout most nights.

Idk that I agree that we couldn’t ever make it a game. It was a 1 point game with 3:20 left in the second half.

 

[RutgersChow]

1. After getting blitzkrieg’d in the first half with OSU hitting 9-11 on threes and not missing many twos either, you have to give this team a ton of credit for not giving up and making this a game.

2. And it was done through tough defense in the 2nd half and (finally!) a game where Simpson was hitting that mid range shot.

3. Good move by Pike inserting Williams in during the second half. He really provided a defensive spark. Pike probably waiting too long though. OSU’s strong guards were eating in the paint, but Austin (and some strong help defense) slowed the Buckeye offense.

4. Why does Jamison Battle always murder us. Took Pike too long to put Mag on him.

5. We cut the lead to 69-66 and had several chances to pull closer, but the next few possessions were sloppy, and then Gayle hits that long three from straight away to make it 72-66. Nice answer by Noah with a three right back, but end game after it was 72-69 was not very good.

6. Refs had several poor calls and non calls in crunch time. No call on forearm shiv that almost crushed Cliff’s windpipe. No call on Gavin getting hacked on the missed dunk. Phantom foul on Thornton drive late in the shot clock.

7. I marvel at the job Holtmann does on offense. The Buckeyes almost ALWAYS get open looks. The ball movement is incredible, and their guys just do what we usually can’t do — hit shots. And bonus points to Holtmann for the way his team easily broke our full court press.

8. Just an outstanding game by Simpson. Shades of Geo Baker, hitting shot after shot after shot. I’ve been critical of him because of his poor shooting percentage, but tonight he was hitting shots all over the place. I hope this is a breakout rather than an aberration.

9. Gavin is just… lost. No confidence in his shot at all, 1-8 tonight. He will see less and less time if this slump continues. At least he wasn’t completely lost on defense tonight.

10. Glad we showed some fight tonight. I actually feel ten times better with this loss than I did with the Stonehill win. Maybe this fight will carry over to Carver-Hawkeye against a beatable Iowa team.

I blame Pike for Gavin's shooting. For God's sake get the kid some open looks. Run him off some screens, maybe even double screens. Have him set a back screen or two. Back screening is a great way to get open looks. Forcing shots off the dribble and taking 30 foot threes will lessen his confidence not bolster it. If Pike would have done some of these things with Cam Spencer he might still be here.

 

[NiTeKnight]

Good to see RU competitive with the #36 NET team on the road.
If Cliff wasn't injured twice, and if they miss one more 3-pointer and we make 1 more 3-pointer, we could have won this one.

 

[satnom]

Gavin needs to build his confidence and make shots. Take it to the hole, post up, cut to the basket, set a screen, anything except stand around outside the 3 point line and just heave the ball as soon as you get. Once he gets in a grove he can score 15 pts in a blink of an eye but he just needs buckets to get him in a groove. The difference between winning and losing last night is him making a few shots.

Come on young man, make them anyway you can. The hard part is the ability and you are more than capable.

GO RU

 

[kcg88]

Temple won absolutely nothing with Jeremiah Williams and his offensive rating was barely above 100 in the AAC. He's another sub-30% three point shooter.

 

[shields]

Team can't shoot and Gavin has to get in weight room.

 

[RUskoolie]

Idk that I agree that we couldn’t ever make it a game. It was a 1 point game with 3:20 left in the second half.

What I mean is I never felt RU was going to win. I have watched games like that when one team was in control the whole distance.

On a side note - OSUs arena sounded like a church. What an awful crowd.

 

[toby83]

I blame Pike for Gavin's shooting. For God's sake get the kid some open looks. Run him off some screens, maybe even double screens. Have him set a back screen or two. Back screening is a great way to get open looks. Forcing shots off the dribble and taking 30 foot threes will lessen his confidence not bolster it. If Pike would have done some of these things with Cam Spencer he might still be here.

If Gavin is that good of a shooter why aren't we running him around off those screens like Nebraska does with the Japanese shooter? It's a huge part of their offense.

 

[RUJMM78]

The lack of bench scoring also should be cited for losing the game.This has been a ongoing problem in recent years.

 

[Scangg]

Temple won absolutely nothing with Jeremiah Williams and his offensive rating was barely above 100 in the AAC. He's another sub-30% three point shooter.

He definitely doesn't solve 3 point shooting woes but he is a big physical guard who can defend a thorton and get to the rim

He also by almost default is a likely better distributor than Noah or Simpson

 

[RUBOB72]

Wait a minute we are into January already and still nary a word on whether Williams may be cleared . That’s not only troubling for the player but our team and school. They should have at minimum said NO he won’t be able to play in 2023-2024 or he has a 2 month suspension. There have been a number in all sports who live in limbo and yes we realize he bet on his own team which violated the Holy Grail of the NCAA. At least these clowns should give all parties involved a clear picture of when he might play.

 

[rudad02]

The phantom foul on Thornton really hurt. They always do it at a critical time.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

If Gavin is that good of a shooter why aren't we running him around off those screens like Nebraska does with the Japanese shooter? It's a huge part of their offense.

This is EXACTLY the question I have.

Pike does want to win AND there are offensive plays/sets one can find on the internet to get him looks off the screen.

Either Pike is a dope or he has low conviction Gavin will make enough to have him flynoff screens