RAPID REACTION - Penn State

[RU848789]

You guys don’t know that refs are cognizant of the team fouls and will even them out ? Calls were lopsided in both halves in RU’s favor and while it was a bad block call on Derkack, the foul differential required the call going the other way at that point. Refs don’t want to decide games and will always try to balance calls. The next few were always going to go against us. Obvious for knowledgeable fans.

We played with greater intensity and energy most of the game, which often gets a team a better whistle as the other team fouls to keep up, like we did in the TA&M when we fouled more. And yes, foul calls often even up a bit when there's a disparity, like when PSU got called for the first 6 in the 2nd half. So I get the first foul on Derkack at 11:55 when I think it was 8-2 fouls in our favor, as it was a borderline call, but the one with 3:59 left was just a terrible, terrible call and no, the foul differential didn't "require" that call to go against us, especially when 4 of the previous 7 fouls were on RU, evening things up a bit.

And your snide "knowledgeable fans" comment is childish, especially for someone who thinks RU's rebounding edge had nothing to do with RU's play in the game. A big part of rebounding is intensity and effort and to not give RU credit for that betrays your anti-RU bias and shows that maybe you're not as knowledgeable as you think.

 

[Scangg]

1. Winter fest is a great idea. All the RAC renovation talk is silly. Should have had a brand new entrance rotunda years ago on this same space and RU can do this every single game.
Having said that RU did a nice job.

2. We keep seeing Dylan making plays. He may not only be the best freshman in the country, he may be the best player period.

3. And how incredible is it that in a quiet game Ace has a 15 point, 15 rebound double double. Mind boggling. Like him going to the hoop, rebounding and getting easy put backs.

4. It was an actually J Williams and Dercack who brought the intensity and defense that made the difference. Each was also a good playmaker and some timely rebounding. Cant overlook Dylan’s steal near the end which was big. His defense also frustrated Baldwin.

5. Threes in the first were the reason we looked so good. Nice to see PJ and Acuff hitting some shots. Funny we missed three wide open three’s at the end of the half and the lead could have been 26 instead of 17. Having said that JWill’s buzzer beater was big.

6. Pike has to change whatever they are doing with free throws. Every year it’s an issue and we have not improved. It was supposed to be a strength. It’s the reason we could have lost today and one of the reasons we lost to Kennesaw. Get a free throw guru in here, get a psychologist, study visualization. Change whatever you are doing. No excuse to shoot this poorly year after year.

7. We only had two steals. PSU had nine. That’s a problem. Turnovers were basically identical. Sloppy on both sides but also good D and teams that like to run it up.

8. Having said that we won the game because of rebounding.

9. Sommerville didn’t turn over the ball and had four assists. A very nice game. Thought O did enough. Both seem to be improving.

10. PSU coach seems like a great coach and a good guy. Some humorous interactions with the fans. They have a good team and will be a hand up at their place or on a neutral court. Look like a tourney team to me.

11. Having just complimented him, I thought some bush league back screens in the back court like Willard and Seton Hall did all the time. If teams are going to do that to us, I’m setting up O in the backcourt to do the same.

12. Thought RAC was pretty pretty good.

13. The RU v PSU stuff on the scoreboard is amusing and gets the crowd going. Cheerleader on surfboard was creative.

14. This was a must win we had to have and we got it. It was a gritty win. We withstood their comeback.

15. I know we got the benefit of the calls but there were still some awful calls that could have been the difference in a close game. Officiating has to be better.

Hope JWill is okay, he looked explosive and was blowing by PSU in the first half.
Hope Dylan okay too. Fighting a cold or flu?

16. Any time you beat PSU it’s a good day. Very nice win. Now let’s beat the SHU!

We are shooting 74% on the season at 18 FTs a game. It was one game. FT shooting has been much better this season

 

[Shelby65]

We played with greater intensity and energy most of the game, which often gets a team a better whistle as the other team fouls to keep up, like we did in the TA&M when we fouled more. And yes, foul calls often even up a bit when there's a disparity, like when PSU got called for the first 6 in the 2nd half. So I get the first foul on Derkack at 11:55 when I think it was 8-2 fouls in our favor, as it was a borderline call, but the one with 3:59 left was just a terrible, terrible call and no, the foul differential didn't "require" that call to go against us, especially when 4 of the previous 7 fouls were on RU, evening things up a bit.

And your snide "knowledgeable fans" comment is childish, especially for someone who thinks RU's rebounding edge had nothing to do with RU's play in the game. A big part of rebounding is intensity and effort and to not give RU credit for that betrays your anti-RU bias and shows that maybe you're not as knowledgeable as you think.

Maybe we’re talking about different calls. But the point stands, refereeing is an art and evening out team fouls is a certainty whether it’s Derkack or even Shane Battier being hosed by it.

Sure, RU rebounded well. But not all opponents are the same and I attribute the rebounding edge more to the PSU personnel and perimeter offense much more than from improved effort. Look at the FT numbers. PSU doesn’t have interior offense, much less even than us. Often no one there to rebound many times.

 

[zebnatto]

Was away for the weekend, so wasn’t able to post after the Ohio State game, but Rapid Reaction is back tonight after a nail biting 80-76 win over Penn State.

1. We almost lost this game at the foul line. We were 8-10 in the first half but just 6-15 in the second half. If we hit 4 of those to go a below average 10-15, we’re not sweating this game out in the final minutes. I’ve said this before, but I am convinced that we shoot FTs poorly at home because we don’t practice in the RAC.

2. We were 8-18 on threes in the first half, and missed about four wiiiiiiiiiiiiddddeee open ones. We were then 0-4 on threes in the second half. I don’t mind Pike telling the team at half to not fall in love with the three in the second half, but there’s gotta be a happy medium here.

3. Part of the reason for the poor second half on offense is that Pike seemed to take the wind out of the offense about midway through the second half. Instead of running offense, our guards were just dribbling the ball out on the perimeter and chewing clock. You CANNOT go into a shell that early.

4. Brilliant decision by Pike to start JMike tonight against Ace Baldwin. JMike only played 19 minutes, but he was a huge reason PSU never got comfortable on offense in the first half, because he was disrupting Baldwin’s dribble penetration off of high screens.

5. Ace Bailey really played a gritty game and finished with a 15-15 double double. He really mixed it up in the paint and fought for rebounds and got a couple of blocks. He didn’t hit a single jump shot tonight but helped in every other facet of the game. I just wish he wouldn’t be so hesitant to take threes.

6. Separate paragraph for Ace just making a “winning” play in crunch time when he grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and got a layup to put us up by 4 points. That’s the kind of play stars are supposed to make on good teams. A winning play by a star on the winning team.

7. Dylan with another superb all-around game, with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. He was rolling with three early 3s, and that helped the team gain confidence in the early going. After he missed a few jumpers, he then focused on getting down hill and getting to the foul line. Unfortunately he was just 5-9 from the line.

8. Ogbole played incredible defense in the first half, walling up on dribble drives and stuffing shots, ending up with 3 blocks.

9. Rebounding was much better tonight. We outrebounded PSU 46-32, and, more importantly, only gave up 6 offensive rebounds.

10. The stat of the night is Lathan Sommerville with 4 assists. Lathan grew up tonight, as there wasn’t a single time I thought he hogged the ball in the post. Instead, he passed from the high post and he passed out for kickout threes on offensive rebounds. He also picked his spots for attacking the basket in finishing with 6 points.

11. I’VE NEVER SEEN A WORSE BLOCKING CALL IN MY LIFE WHEN DERKACK GOT PLOWED INTO WITH BOTH FEET SET IN THE PAINT. THAT WAS THE MOST OBVIOUS CHARGE I’VE EVER SEEN.

12 Why can’t anything ever be “easy” with this team? We have a 17 point lead early in the second half and then let Penn State keep chipping away. I’m glad we won, and I guess we “learned how to win,” but being outscored 15-8 in the final 8:18 just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But at least it’s a bad taste in a win.

13. Penn State is a good team, easily a top half team in the Big Ten. We were lucky we got Baldwin and their big man Neiderhauser in foul trouble.

There were TWO similar calls against JD.

 

[satnom]

Also agree that fatigue played a role in missed FTs in second half by Dylan and Derkack.

Ace did a great job on rbs and getting putbacks. Feel sometimes he takes NBA level shots with high degree of difficulty [which he can make] but the moment just necessitates taking it to the basket or pull-up jumper. One time he got ball outside three shot line, shot faked and defender went flying bye then he stopped dribble in front of line and then jump stopped backwards behind three pt line to take 3 pt shot. He missed on an extremely difficult sequenced shot when he could have driven to basket for a dunk or taken an uncovered midrange shot. Unbelievable natural talent but once he takes the simpler options he’ll be averaging 20/10.

Liked that Lathan played within himself and passed back out. Hayes had some really good looks that didn’t go in. No reason he can’t avg 3-4 made 3 shots per game, especially if he continues to move around. Really want to see Acuff build off his offensive contributions to date. Believe he can be that consistent third scorer who can lift team when the young guys are not clicking.

Derkack needs to continue doing DerKack things: high motor, bringing ball up, getting drilled on charges to hopefully get a consistent call, make an outside shot or two and then taking it to the basket for flush when defender falls asleep. This kid is athletic. Just limit TOs and make your FTs young man.

Kudos to Pike on starting JMike. I was in the group of burying him on the bench since he’s not an offensive threat and can not guard outside shooters taller than him; but it all goes back to matchups and he was able to pester smaller PG into missed shots and fouls.

OG had uneven game with balls going through hands and poor decision to dribble across court but the guy is a legitimate presence in the paint to get some blocks, stop attack to the rim and grab some rbs. 15-20 mins per game is right where he needs to be especially if stays out of foul trouble, and the center mins get split between him, Lathan and Ace if Martini can’t up his game.

Disappointed in the missed FTs and TOs in second half but happy team was able to figure things out and pullout a victory.

GO RU

 

[RUGiddy777]

One scary thing is that it seems like this team needs Dylan to play like an All American Every. Single. Game.

How many bad games will Dylan have this year? How many ok games will Dylan have this year? How many of those games can we get wins in?

I’m eager to see Ace truly take over a game on the offensive end. I’m sure it’ll happen, but I’m impatient waiting for him to drop 40.

 

[RUGiddy777]

Also agree that fatigue played a role in missed FTs in second half by Dylan and Derkack.

Ace did a great job on rbs and getting putbacks. Feel sometimes he takes NBA level shots with high degree of difficulty [which he can make] but the moment just necessitates taking it to the basket or pull-up jumper. One time he got ball outside three shot line, shot faked and defender went flying bye then he stopped dribble in front of line and then jump stopped backwards behind three pt line to take 3 pt shot. He missed on an extremely difficult sequenced shot when he could have driven to basket for a dunk or taken an uncovered midrange shot. Unbelievable natural talent but once he takes the simpler options he’ll be averaging 20/10.

Liked that Lathan played within himself and passed back out. Hayes had some really good looks that didn’t go in. No reason he can’t avg 3-4 made 3 shots per game, especially if he continues to move around. Really want to see Acuff build off his offensive contributions to date. Believe he can be that consistent third scorer who can lift team when the young guys are not clicking.

Derkack needs to continue doing DerKack things: high motor, bringing ball up, getting drilled on charges to hopefully get a consistent call, make an outside shot or two and then taking it to the basket for flush when defender falls asleep. This kid is athletic. Just limit TOs and make your FTs young man.

Kudos to Pike on starting JMike. I was in the group of burying him on the bench since he’s not an offensive threat and can not guard outside shooters taller than him; but it all goes back to matchups and he was able to pester smaller PG into missed shots and fouls.

OG had uneven game with balls going through hands and poor decision to dribble across court but the guy is a legitimate presence in the paint to get some blocks, stop attack to the rim and grab some rbs. 15-20 mins per game is right where he needs to be especially if stays out of foul trouble, and the center mins get split between him, Lathan and Ace if Martini can’t up his game.

Disappointed in the missed FTs and TOs in second half but happy team was able to figure things out and pullout a victory.

GO RU

Feel like Dylan knows when it’s time for someone else to eat….and when it’s time for him to do a 720 into a -360 to distribute. My god.

 

[satnom]

Feel like Dylan knows when it’s time for someone else to eat….and when it’s time for him to do a 720 into a -360 to distribute. My god.

Dylan at a young age doesn’t let the moment get to big and avoids getting sped up.

He’s a confident player who can distribute ball knowing that eventually the ball will be back in his hands.

GO RU

 

[RU848789]

One scary thing is that it seems like this team needs Dylan to play like an All American Every. Single. Game.

How many bad games will Dylan have this year? How many ok games will Dylan have this year? How many of those games can we get wins in?

Our reliance on one superb player scares the crap out of me, especially when Harper is so physical inside, such that the risk of an injury is probably higher than for others (especially something like a rolled ankle). But it's damn fun to watch the best player in college hoops and if Ace can continue to grow and the rest of the supporting cast can play like last night, it'll be damn fun to watch this team.

 

[PaKnight]

1. Winter fest is a great idea. All the RAC renovation talk is silly. Should have had a brand new entrance rotunda years ago on this same space and RU can do this every single game.
Having said that RU did a nice job.

2. We keep seeing Dylan making plays. He may not only be the best freshman in the country, he may be the best player period.

3. And how incredible is it that in a quiet game Ace has a 15 point, 15 rebound double double. Mind boggling. Like him going to the hoop, rebounding and getting easy put backs.

4. It was an actually J Williams and Dercack who brought the intensity and defense that made the difference. Each was also a good playmaker and some timely rebounding. Cant overlook Dylan’s steal near the end which was big. His defense also frustrated Baldwin.

5. Threes in the first were the reason we looked so good. Nice to see PJ and Acuff hitting some shots. Funny we missed three wide open three’s at the end of the half and the lead could have been 26 instead of 17. Having said that JWill’s buzzer beater was big.

6. Pike has to change whatever they are doing with free throws. Every year it’s an issue and we have not improved. It was supposed to be a strength. It’s the reason we could have lost today and one of the reasons we lost to Kennesaw. Get a free throw guru in here, get a psychologist, study visualization. Change whatever you are doing. No excuse to shoot this poorly year after year.

7. We only had two steals. PSU had nine. That’s a problem. Turnovers were basically identical. Sloppy on both sides but also good D and teams that like to run it up.

8. Having said that we won the game because of rebounding.

9. Sommerville didn’t turn over the ball and had four assists. A very nice game. Thought O did enough. Both seem to be improving.

10. PSU coach seems like a great coach and a good guy. Some humorous interactions with the fans. They have a good team and will be a hand up at their place or on a neutral court. Look like a tourney team to me.

11. Having just complimented him, I thought some bush league back screens in the back court like Willard and Seton Hall did all the time. If teams are going to do that to us, I’m setting up O in the backcourt to do the same.

12. Thought RAC was pretty pretty good.

13. The RU v PSU stuff on the scoreboard is amusing and gets the crowd going. Cheerleader on surfboard was creative.

14. This was a must win we had to have and we got it. It was a gritty win. We withstood their comeback.

15. I know we got the benefit of the calls but there were still some awful calls that could have been the difference in a close game. Officiating has to be better.

Hope JWill is okay, he looked explosive and was blowing by PSU in the first half.
Hope Dylan okay too. Fighting a cold or flu?

16. Any time you beat PSU it’s a good day. Very nice win. Now let’s beat the SHU!

#6 We were shooting 76% from the line going into last night’s game. We had a bad game, it happens. The only person I’m concerned about is Derkack from the line, he has been struggling the past couple games after being great at the start of the season.

 

[Arizona Knight]

Was away for the weekend, so wasn’t able to post after the Ohio State game, but Rapid Reaction is back tonight after a nail biting 80-76 win over Penn State.

1. We almost lost this game at the foul line. We were 8-10 in the first half but just 6-15 in the second half. If we hit 4 of those to go a below average 10-15, we’re not sweating this game out in the final minutes. I’ve said this before, but I am convinced that we shoot FTs poorly at home because we don’t practice in the RAC.

2. We were 8-18 on threes in the first half, and missed about four wiiiiiiiiiiiiddddeee open ones. We were then 0-4 on threes in the second half. I don’t mind Pike telling the team at half to not fall in love with the three in the second half, but there’s gotta be a happy medium here.

3. Part of the reason for the poor second half on offense is that Pike seemed to take the wind out of the offense about midway through the second half. Instead of running offense, our guards were just dribbling the ball out on the perimeter and chewing clock. You CANNOT go into a shell that early.

4. Brilliant decision by Pike to start JMike tonight against Ace Baldwin. JMike only played 19 minutes, but he was a huge reason PSU never got comfortable on offense in the first half, because he was disrupting Baldwin’s dribble penetration off of high screens.

5. Ace Bailey really played a gritty game and finished with a 15-15 double double. He really mixed it up in the paint and fought for rebounds and got a couple of blocks. He didn’t hit a single jump shot tonight but helped in every other facet of the game. I just wish he wouldn’t be so hesitant to take threes.

6. Separate paragraph for Ace just making a “winning” play in crunch time when he grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and got a layup to put us up by 4 points. That’s the kind of play stars are supposed to make on good teams. A winning play by a star on the winning team.

7. Dylan with another superb all-around game, with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. He was rolling with three early 3s, and that helped the team gain confidence in the early going. After he missed a few jumpers, he then focused on getting down hill and getting to the foul line. Unfortunately he was just 5-9 from the line.

8. Ogbole played incredible defense in the first half, walling up on dribble drives and stuffing shots, ending up with 3 blocks.

9. Rebounding was much better tonight. We outrebounded PSU 46-32, and, more importantly, only gave up 6 offensive rebounds.

10. The stat of the night is Lathan Sommerville with 4 assists. Lathan grew up tonight, as there wasn’t a single time I thought he hogged the ball in the post. Instead, he passed from the high post and he passed out for kickout threes on offensive rebounds. He also picked his spots for attacking the basket in finishing with 6 points.

11. I’VE NEVER SEEN A WORSE BLOCKING CALL IN MY LIFE WHEN DERKACK GOT PLOWED INTO WITH BOTH FEET SET IN THE PAINT. THAT WAS THE MOST OBVIOUS CHARGE I’VE EVER SEEN.

12 Why can’t anything ever be “easy” with this team? We have a 17 point lead early in the second half and then let Penn State keep chipping away. I’m glad we won, and I guess we “learned how to win,” but being outscored 15-8 in the final 8:18 just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But at least it’s a bad taste in a win.

13. Penn State is a good team, easily a top half team in the Big Ten. We were lucky we got Baldwin and their big man Neiderhauser in foul trouble.

This is the first I’ve seen that anyone brought up the Derkack blocking call. That was an enormous call at the time and it was indeed horrible.

 

[Scangg]

This is the first I’ve seen that anyone brought up the Derkack blocking call. That was an enormous call at the time and it was indeed horrible.

It's been discussed, and it was 2 of them!

 

[Arizona Knight]

It's been discussed, and it was 2 of them!

The one in talking about is when he was at the free throw line and was almost knocked through the hoop.

 

[RU848789]

The one in talking about is when he was at the free throw line and was almost knocked through the hoop.

See my post above, where I described both. The first one around 11 minutes left in the 2nd half was borderline (should've been a no-call IMO), but the second, called at 3:59 left, which is the one you're referring to, was egregiously bad.

 

[RUGiddy777]

Our reliance on one superb player scares the crap out of me, especially when Harper is so physical inside, such that the risk of an injury is probably higher than for others (especially something like a rolled ankle). But it's damn fun to watch the best player in college hoops and if Ace can continue to grow and the rest of the supporting cast can play like last night, it'll be damn fun to watch this team.

Ha - I said the same last night. It’s a 5 month season. He’s fearless and invites contact, but he’s gotta think about the wear and tear.

 

[fluoxetine]

For most players, yes. Its a quality shot for Ace who takes much much worse shots and hits them

Ace is 25-58 on 2 pointers that are not at the rim.

Even if he hits 50% of those that is a below average possession. They may be better shots when Ace takes them than when other players take them, but they're still bad.

 

[fluoxetine]

6. Pike has to change whatever they are doing with free throws. Every year it’s an issue and we have not improved. It was supposed to be a strength. It’s the reason we could have lost today and one of the reasons we lost to Kennesaw. Get a free throw guru in here, get a psychologist, study visualization. Change whatever you are doing. No excuse to shoot this poorly year after year.

Are some of you guys not aware that they publish the basketball statistics right here on this very internet?

We have made 73.9% of our free throws which is #119 out of 364 D1 teams.

So (1) it's not an issue and (2) we have obviously improved because last year we made 65.8% of them which was #343.

 

[fluoxetine]

You guys don’t know that refs are cognizant of the team fouls and will even them out ? Calls were lopsided in both halves in RU’s favor and while it was a bad block call on Derkack, the foul differential required the call going the other way at that point. Refs don’t want to decide games and will always try to balance calls. The next few were always going to go against us. Obvious for knowledgeable fans.

Good point, I remember when they did that in the Texas A&M game too.

 

[rudad02]

Was away for the weekend, so wasn’t able to post after the Ohio State game, but Rapid Reaction is back tonight after a nail biting 80-76 win over Penn State.

1. We almost lost this game at the foul line. We were 8-10 in the first half but just 6-15 in the second half. If we hit 4 of those to go a below average 10-15, we’re not sweating this game out in the final minutes. I’ve said this before, but I am convinced that we shoot FTs poorly at home because we don’t practice in the RAC.

2. We were 8-18 on threes in the first half, and missed about four wiiiiiiiiiiiiddddeee open ones. We were then 0-4 on threes in the second half. I don’t mind Pike telling the team at half to not fall in love with the three in the second half, but there’s gotta be a happy medium here.

3. Part of the reason for the poor second half on offense is that Pike seemed to take the wind out of the offense about midway through the second half. Instead of running offense, our guards were just dribbling the ball out on the perimeter and chewing clock. You CANNOT go into a shell that early.

4. Brilliant decision by Pike to start JMike tonight against Ace Baldwin. JMike only played 19 minutes, but he was a huge reason PSU never got comfortable on offense in the first half, because he was disrupting Baldwin’s dribble penetration off of high screens.

5. Ace Bailey really played a gritty game and finished with a 15-15 double double. He really mixed it up in the paint and fought for rebounds and got a couple of blocks. He didn’t hit a single jump shot tonight but helped in every other facet of the game. I just wish he wouldn’t be so hesitant to take threes.

6. Separate paragraph for Ace just making a “winning” play in crunch time when he grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and got a layup to put us up by 4 points. That’s the kind of play stars are supposed to make on good teams. A winning play by a star on the winning team.

7. Dylan with another superb all-around game, with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. He was rolling with three early 3s, and that helped the team gain confidence in the early going. After he missed a few jumpers, he then focused on getting down hill and getting to the foul line. Unfortunately he was just 5-9 from the line.

8. Ogbole played incredible defense in the first half, walling up on dribble drives and stuffing shots, ending up with 3 blocks.

9. Rebounding was much better tonight. We outrebounded PSU 46-32, and, more importantly, only gave up 6 offensive rebounds.

10. The stat of the night is Lathan Sommerville with 4 assists. Lathan grew up tonight, as there wasn’t a single time I thought he hogged the ball in the post. Instead, he passed from the high post and he passed out for kickout threes on offensive rebounds. He also picked his spots for attacking the basket in finishing with 6 points.

11. I’VE NEVER SEEN A WORSE BLOCKING CALL IN MY LIFE WHEN DERKACK GOT PLOWED INTO WITH BOTH FEET SET IN THE PAINT. THAT WAS THE MOST OBVIOUS CHARGE I’VE EVER SEEN.

12 Why can’t anything ever be “easy” with this team? We have a 17 point lead early in the second half and then let Penn State keep chipping away. I’m glad we won, and I guess we “learned how to win,” but being outscored 15-8 in the final 8:18 just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But at least it’s a bad taste in a win.

13. Penn State is a good team, easily a top half team in the Big Ten. We were lucky we got Baldwin and their big man Neiderhauser in foul trouble.

Good summary.

 

[G- RUnit]

Are some of you guys not aware that they publish the basketball statistics right here on this very internet?

We have made 73.9% of our free throws which is #119 out of 364 D1 teams.

So (1) it's not an issue and (2) we have obviously improved because last year we made 65.8% of them which was #343.

1. 73% isn’t good.
2. It was supposed to be a strength this year.
It hasn’t been.
3. That’s not NCAA Tourney good.

 

[fluoxetine]

1. 73% isn’t good.
2. It was supposed to be a strength this year.
It hasn’t been.
3. That’s not NCAA Tourney good.

1. 73% is fine for college? You can tell because it’s in the top third of college teams.
2. According to what?
3. You don’t need to be in the top 50 FT shooting teams to make the tournament.

You can just ignore that you said “we haven’t improved” even though we have dramatically improved, I guess.

 

[Shelby65]

Ace is 25-58 on 2 pointers that are not at the rim.

Even if he hits 50% of those that is a below average possession. They may be better shots when Ace takes them than when other players take them, but they're still bad.

Which is what Shelby barked about previously. Good shots are defined by who is taking them, not where they are. JMiss and Derkack can take uncontested open threes until the cows come home and not a one of them would be a good shot. Yet Harper can take a contested, contorted runner in the lane and it could still be a good shot.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

13. Penn State is a good team, easily a top half team in the Big Ten. We were lucky we got Baldwin and their big man Neiderhauser in foul trouble.

Why do we call it luck to get them in foul trouble? That's not luck because they can't defend without fouling. Sometimes, good players will make others play out of character, and that was the case. Harper had 4 fouls in the same game, but he still balled out with no problem.

 

[Scangg]

Ace is 25-58 on 2 pointers that are not at the rim.

Even if he hits 50% of those that is a below average possession. They may be better shots when Ace takes them than when other players take them, but they're still bad.

Not all 2 pointers not at the rim are the same

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

1. 73% isn’t good.
2. It was supposed to be a strength this year.
It hasn’t been.
3. That’s not NCAA Tourney good.

Is 68.2% good?

 

[fluoxetine]

Not all 2 pointers not at the rim are the same

Of course not. I'm not sure what your point is exactly. To be clear I don't remember the exact shot you guys are discussion but you also seemed to be making more general statements and it seems to me like Ace has taken quite a number of bad two-pointers.

 

[Scangg]

Of course not. I'm not sure what your point is exactly. To be clear I don't remember the exact shot you guys are discussion but you also seemed to be making more general statements and it seems to me like Ace has taken quite a number of bad two-pointers.

Why are you arguing about the specific shot that was taken if you dont remember it?

Ace has and will continue to take bad shots all year. He is a good bad shot maker though so not all these bad shots are that bad. His shot selection will never be good. It is likely his biggest weaknesses which I said coming into the year. He just needs to try to eliminate the terrible shots

 

[G- RUnit]

Is 68.2% good?

Neither!!

 

[fluoxetine]

Why are you arguing about the specific shot that was taken if you dont remember it?

Ace has and will continue to take bad shots all year. He is a good bad shot maker though so not all these bad shots are that bad. His shot selection will never be good. It is likely his biggest weaknesses which I said coming into the year. He just needs to try to eliminate the terrible shots

I read your post as being more general than just that one shot. Apparently I misinterpreted it.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Neither!!

Final answer?

 

[fluoxetine]

If we were the #50 FT shooting teams to we would have scored 6.5 more points (yes you can’t score half a point) this season. That’s 6.5 points over 719 possessions, or 0.9 per 100.

That would raise our Kenpom ranking from 69 allllll the way to.. 65

 

[RUInsanity]

1. 73% isn’t good.
2. It was supposed to be a strength this year.
It hasn’t been.
3. That’s not NCAA Tourney good.

Rutgers is currently 73.9% in FT percentage. Top 50 teams are at 76.6% in this stat and are a mixed bag of tourney and non-tourney level teams (perhaps 50/50). That is a differential of 2.7%. Rutgers averages about 18 FT per game so far this year.....so that 2.7% difference in RU becoming a top 50 FT% team represents about 0.15 points per game.

i.e.......your point #1 opinion is stupid.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Rutgers is currently 73.9% in FT percentage. Top 50 teams are at 76.6% in this stat and are a mixed bag of tourney and non-tourney level teams (perhaps 50/50). That is a differential of 2.7%. Rutgers averages about 18 FT per game so far this year.....so that 2.7% difference in RU becoming a top 50 FT% team represents about 0.15 points per game.

i.e.......your point #1 opinion is stupid.

73.9% has to be good, it is better than 68.2%

 

[RCBeta79]

Was away for the weekend, so wasn’t able to post after the Ohio State game, but Rapid Reaction is back tonight after a nail biting 80-76 win over Penn State.

1. We almost lost this game at the foul line. We were 8-10 in the first half but just 6-15 in the second half. If we hit 4 of those to go a below average 10-15, we’re not sweating this game out in the final minutes. I’ve said this before, but I am convinced that we shoot FTs poorly at home because we don’t practice in the RAC.

2. We were 8-18 on threes in the first half, and missed about four wiiiiiiiiiiiiddddeee open ones. We were then 0-4 on threes in the second half. I don’t mind Pike telling the team at half to not fall in love with the three in the second half, but there’s gotta be a happy medium here.

3. Part of the reason for the poor second half on offense is that Pike seemed to take the wind out of the offense about midway through the second half. Instead of running offense, our guards were just dribbling the ball out on the perimeter and chewing clock. You CANNOT go into a shell that early.

4. Brilliant decision by Pike to start JMike tonight against Ace Baldwin. JMike only played 19 minutes, but he was a huge reason PSU never got comfortable on offense in the first half, because he was disrupting Baldwin’s dribble penetration off of high screens.

5. Ace Bailey really played a gritty game and finished with a 15-15 double double. He really mixed it up in the paint and fought for rebounds and got a couple of blocks. He didn’t hit a single jump shot tonight but helped in every other facet of the game. I just wish he wouldn’t be so hesitant to take threes.

6. Separate paragraph for Ace just making a “winning” play in crunch time when he grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and got a layup to put us up by 4 points. That’s the kind of play stars are supposed to make on good teams. A winning play by a star on the winning team.

7. Dylan with another superb all-around game, with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. He was rolling with three early 3s, and that helped the team gain confidence in the early going. After he missed a few jumpers, he then focused on getting down hill and getting to the foul line. Unfortunately he was just 5-9 from the line.

8. Ogbole played incredible defense in the first half, walling up on dribble drives and stuffing shots, ending up with 3 blocks.

9. Rebounding was much better tonight. We outrebounded PSU 46-32, and, more importantly, only gave up 6 offensive rebounds.

10. The stat of the night is Lathan Sommerville with 4 assists. Lathan grew up tonight, as there wasn’t a single time I thought he hogged the ball in the post. Instead, he passed from the high post and he passed out for kickout threes on offensive rebounds. He also picked his spots for attacking the basket in finishing with 6 points.

11. I’VE NEVER SEEN A WORSE BLOCKING CALL IN MY LIFE WHEN DERKACK GOT PLOWED INTO WITH BOTH FEET SET IN THE PAINT. THAT WAS THE MOST OBVIOUS CHARGE I’VE EVER SEEN.

12 Why can’t anything ever be “easy” with this team? We have a 17 point lead early in the second half and then let Penn State keep chipping away. I’m glad we won, and I guess we “learned how to win,” but being outscored 15-8 in the final 8:18 just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But at least it’s a bad taste in a win.

13. Penn State is a good team, easily a top half team in the Big Ten. We were lucky we got Baldwin and their big man Neiderhauser in foul trouble.

Very complete analysis of the Penn State game!

 

[G- RUnit]

118 out of 364 foul shooting is barely top third.

That’s “not good” by any stretch and foul shooting was supposed to be an RU strength.

It almost cost us the PSU game.

My point #1. Opinion is stupid like a fox. SMH

 

[RUInsanity]

118 out of 364 foul shooting is barely top third.

That’s “not good” by any stretch and foul shooting was supposed to be an RU strength.

It almost cost us the PSU game.

My point #1. Opinion is stupid like a fox. SMH

Context does not appear to be your strong suit. FT% rankings are meaningless without understanding what the % differences actually mean.

We beat PSU despite sub-par FT shooting. We lost to Alabama, TaM and OSU despite shooting Free Throws close to 90% combined in those games. So regarding game to game variances, not sure what your point is.

 

[G- RUnit]

Or making interpretations or extrapolations way too complicated.
Borrowing from Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are”

Or maybe context is just your point of view.
73% isn’t good enough.
Stats are skewered because Dylan went 15-16 in one game that we lost?
When we needed to make foul shots against Kennesaw we didn’t.
PSU was in the game because we went 14-25 from the line.
I would like to see better than 12-21 against Wagner.

If you are content with barely being a top third team in the country at 73 percent…

In proper nation wide context, I think we have to better. Going into the season in all the previews, foul shooting was supposed to be a strength?

I think in proper context we have to be a better foul shooting team. But that’s just me. In context.

 

[fluoxetine]

Stats are skewered because Dylan went 15-16 in one game that we lost?

Ah the old "if you take out the good stuff we look pretty bad" routine. A classic. (The converse also being very popular.)

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

If there was a list of 15 things I was worried about (no doubt i could draw such a list) FT shooting wouldn't even be considered on the list.

 

[RUInsanity]

Or making interpretations or extrapolations way too complicated.
Borrowing from Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are”

Or maybe context is just your point of view.
73% isn’t good enough.
Stats are skewered because Dylan went 15-16 in one game that we lost?
When we needed to make foul shots against Kennesaw we didn’t.
PSU was in the game because we went 14-25 from the line.
I would like to see better than 12-21 against Wagner.

If you are content with barely being a top third team in the country at 73 percent…

In proper nation wide context, I think we have to better. Going into the season in all the previews, foul shooting was supposed to be a strength?

I think in proper context we have to be a better foul shooting team. But that’s just me. In context.

1. First of all what you would like to see or what your opinion is means nothing regarding what the stats are saying.
2. You are misleading in the stats. We are currently averaging 73.9% which is close to 74% ....not 73%.
3. In the Pike era, 73.9% represents the highest FT% his team has ever had. His teams at RU have mostly been below 64.5%....with a single year averaging 70%. This year (so far) represent a significant improvement in FT shooting and jump from Last Season (65.8%) and all other previous Pike seasons at RU.
4. You lied in a previous post....Rutgers is not ranked 118....they are currently tied for 113 in the rankings.
5. Here's what context means.......if Rutgers made just one more foul shot across the entire team per 100 attempts....that would essentially mean making one single extra foul shot at the current attempt rate over the course of more than 5+ games combined.......it would put RU in the Top 70 of FT% rankings. So essentially the % differential in the rankings render them meaningless without context.