RU vs SHU - Comparison

[lion1983]

SHU is a very strange team this season.

RU ought to beat them, but you never know, of course, as a rivalry game, and with RU's rather Jekyl and Hyde performances (Hyde's vs Kennesaw St and OSU, Jekyl's vs Alabama, Texas A&M and now PSU).

As I said RU OUGHT to win, because SHU is just not a very good team, having already lost to Fordham, Hofstra and Monmouth (2 at home, 1 at neutral) - teams that may be worse than Kennesaw St, FYI.

So, why is SHU so strange?

1) They are a truly awful offensive team so far (though still with a better FG% and 3-point FG% than RU had last season, FYI). They have only averaged 60 ppg, versus the weakest part of their schedule. They are shooting 40% FG overall, just 60% from the FT line - though they are shooting 36%+ from 3-point range. Their TWO-point FG% is 42%, worse than RU's was last year.

2) Still, they DO shoot 36% from 3 - a pretty good number.

3) Two of their top 2 scorers have a better 3-point FG% than overall FG% - which I think is really unusual. And even their #2 scorer has a 41%+ 3-point FG% versus 44% overall - pretty close. A very strong 3-point shooting team does scare me as an RU fan ... yet despite that rather good 3-point FG%, SHU only takes 33% of its shots from 3-point range

4) They are an excellent defensive team, which includes outrebounding their opponents by more than 3 rpg. They hold their opponents to 40% FG and to 31% 3-point FG ... yet they allow the. We are extremely disappointed with RU's defense, which is worse than SHU's - but RU allows 50% from 2-point range, not that much worse than SHU.

5) Weirdly, though SHU's opposition opponents to shoot 48% from 2-point range, and just 31% from 3-point range, those opposing teams take 48% of their shots against SHU from 3-point range - less efficient. I'd have to speculate, therefore, that SHU shuts off the 2-point area well, limiting shots that CAN be taken, and yet still is able to contest the 3-point shits ... very good defense, it appears. Yet SHU's blocks no shots (just 3.2 per game) - so it must be with denial of dribble penetration and passing into the lane.

6) SHU does a good job limiting their opponents' offensive rebounding to just 28% of misses, while rebounding 36% of their own missed shots.


SHU has balanced scoring, for whatever that is worth - but no world beaters. Their top 2 average 11.8 or 11.7 ppg, their 3rd top scorer averages 8.2, and they have 3 players at 5.7 ppg each.

But its not like RU has any balance: 2 double-digit scorers with lost of inconsistent scorers after them (3 averaging 7.5 ppg to 8 ppg) ... But RU has Harper and Bailey (who average 41 ppg between the 2 of them,, or by themselves 2/3 of what SHU's entire team averages)., and play at a totally different pace than does SHU - much better offense, but worse defense also.

RU takes care of the ball better, despite playing at a much quicker pace (RU averages 10.4 TO per game, while SHU averages 13.5 TO per game), but does not cause as many turnovers either, as does SHU. RU has a 1.3 A/TO ratio, SHU is a subpar 0.9 A/TO ratio.

Wirth RU's unpredictable game to game performance I could not even begin to tell you whether RU will win or not ... RU SHOULD, especially at home ... but who knows, eh? I can repeat: SHU is a very strange team, statistically ... with 3 bad losses and zero good wins (unless VCU in OT on a neutral court is a good win).

 

[Degaz-RU]

Let's face it, SHU is god-awful this year. "Strange"? Yes. But a TERRIBLE team, especially on offense.

If we lose -- at home, no less -- we don't deserve NCAA consideration.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We were a strange team last year and definitely capable of beating a 2024-25 Rutgers although I don't know what ogbole,Jmike and Jwill would do.

 

[lion1983]

Let's face it, SHU is god-awful this year. "Strange"? Yes. But a TERRIBLE team, especially on offense.

If we lose -- at home, no less -- we don't deserve NCAA consideration.

I do agree with both your statements.

But also with Greene's following statement.

RU itself is unpredictable this year, and not consistent either within games or from game to game - though not strange (2 different things).

 

[Eagleton96]

SHU is a very strange team this season.

RU ought to beat them, but you never know, of course, as a rivalry game, and with RU's rather Jekyl and Hyde performances (Hyde's vs Kennesaw St and OSU, Jekyl's vs Alabama, Texas A&M and now PSU).

As I said RU OUGHT to win, because SHU is just not a very good team, having already lost to Fordham, Hofstra and Monmouth (2 at home, 1 at neutral) - teams that may be worse than Kennesaw St, FYI.

So, why is SHU so strange?

1) They are a truly awful offensive team so far (though still with a better FG% and 3-point FG% than RU had last season, FYI). They have only averaged 60 ppg, versus the weakest part of their schedule. They are shooting 40% FG overall, just 60% from the FT line - though they are shooting 36%+ from 3-point range. Their TWO-point FG% is 42%, worse than RU's was last year.

2) Still, they DO shoot 36% from 3 - a pretty good number.

3) Two of their top 2 scorers have a better 3-point FG% than overall FG% - which I think is really unusual. And even their #2 scorer has a 41%+ 3-point FG% versus 44% overall - pretty close. A very strong 3-point shooting team does scare me as an RU fan ... yet despite that rather good 3-point FG%, SHU only takes 33% of its shots from 3-point range

4) They are an excellent defensive team, which includes outrebounding their opponents by more than 3 rpg. They hold their opponents to 40% FG and to 31% 3-point FG ... yet they allow the. We are extremely disappointed with RU's defense, which is worse than SHU's - but RU allows 50% from 2-point range, not that much worse than SHU.

5) Weirdly, though SHU's opposition opponents to shoot 48% from 2-point range, and just 31% from 3-point range, those opposing teams take 48% of their shots against SHU from 3-point range - less efficient. I'd have to speculate, therefore, that SHU shuts off the 2-point area well, limiting shots that CAN be taken, and yet still is able to contest the 3-point shits ... very good defense, it appears. Yet SHU's blocks no shots (just 3.2 per game) - so it must be with denial of dribble penetration and passing into the lane.

6) SHU does a good job limiting their opponents' offensive rebounding to just 28% of misses, while rebounding 36% of their own missed shots.


SHU has balanced scoring, for whatever that is worth - but no world beaters. Their top 2 average 11.8 or 11.7 ppg, their 3rd top scorer averages 8.2, and they have 3 players at 5.7 ppg each.

But its not like RU has any balance: 2 double-digit scorers with lost of inconsistent scorers after them (3 averaging 7.5 ppg to 8 ppg) ... But RU has Harper and Bailey (who average 41 ppg between the 2 of them,, or by themselves 2/3 of what SHU's entire team averages)., and play at a totally different pace than does SHU - much better offense, but worse defense also.

RU takes care of the ball better, despite playing at a much quicker pace (RU averages 10.4 TO per game, while SHU averages 13.5 TO per game), but does not cause as many turnovers either, as does SHU. RU has a 1.3 A/TO ratio, SHU is a subpar 0.9 A/TO ratio.

Wirth RU's unpredictable game to game performance I could not even begin to tell you whether RU will win or not ... RU SHOULD, especially at home ... but who knows, eh? I can repeat: SHU is a very strange team, statistically ... with 3 bad losses and zero good wins (unless VCU in OT on a neutral court is a good win).

I think we lose. Just because.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

My initial guess is SHU, RU (any many other teams) are not the teams we will see in mid-January or late February.

From a basketball skill performance, both teams have underperformed, based on talent levels, coaching and consistency. I don't think either coaching staff has forgotten how to coach, so more often than not, the more skilled teams "average game", will defeat the opponents "average game", 4 out of 5 times.

If you are a RU fan, the question is, which game out of the first 10 so far, has been considered a "klunker" or something that happens 3 times a year over 35 or so games?? Was it the awful 1st half vs Kennesaw or was it allowing Monmouths Abdi Bashir to launch and score 38 points (Bashir hit SHU for 28 points in a win)

If RUs worse performance was Merrimack or Monmouth or even Ohio State, that would be a great sign. The logic portion dictates that RU played a very difficult 40 minutes vs Penn State, a clearly much better opponent than Seton Hall, so a letdown performance is probably more likely than not.

A good sign from a good team is playing a C+ game and getting out of dodge with a win, which is where Seton Hall has been in this matchup for most of the last 20+ years. It was the upstart or rebuilding Knights trying to fix things by knocking off SHU.

The roles are reversed and now SHU is struggling and the question is can Pike, Knight and this staff, extend the bench minutes and get more mileage there to compete and give the RAC the juice to play 40 minutes of basketball and not try to do too much on a Nationally Televised game.

Looks like another bench game IMO, where Hayes, Acuff, Somerville and Derkack have to be counted on for quality defensive minutes and letting their offense push RU forward. But I will say that Dylan Harper playing off the ball presents a major problem for a SHU, I don't think they have the wings to stay in front of Ace and Dylan AND keep them off the glass.

Playing Harper on the ball, probably allows SHU the best chance to disrupt what we do best. I would guess SHU probably thinks they have a better chance of winning by crowding Harper and hoping Ace doesn't hit shots or takes and misses tough shots. Letting Derkack and JWill (Or JMike) start the offense probably will work best, against a guard oriented defense that Sha Holloway has to work with.

If this is a front court based matchup, SHU has no chance. The only chance is they get steals and deflections, because we aren't handling pressure in half court offense.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I think the staff know they want no part of using any of Harper's "power meter" bringing the ball over half court against pressure and initiating offense. Leave that to JWill.

I know nothing about SHU....what RU personnel are we more apt to see based on our opponent.

Is this a game where JaMike is needed?
Is this a game where there is a 6'7''+ wing that can give us problems
Will SHU put up offensively challenged lineups that give Hayes and Martini more cover to play?
Does SHU have a shot blocker?
Will RU, if they want, go small and have Ace at the 5

 

[Scangg]

Lay the smack down on a bad SHU team and get some momentum going

Dylan has grown up in NJ and going to Rutgers games. He has one shot to leave his mark on this rivalry. Dylan is coming to play. Ace is due for a monster offensive game

 

[donnie_baseball]

I appreciate the time taken to write this up. Not sure SHU is "strange," but right now they are playing badly, and not ready to go into a hostile environment and somehow come out with a win. I agree with Hawk that both teams will be better as the season progresses, but if SHU can keep tomorrow's game within 10, I'm taking that as a best-case scenario.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Interesting annalysis. But SHU has played a weak schedule so it is hard to know how good they are defensively. In the only 2 games they played against power 5 teams they gave up 76 point (Vanderbilt) and 85 points (Okl. St.). And both of those teams shot ovr 50% against SHU.

 

[seansherm]

Interesting annalysis. But SHU has played a weak schedule so it is hard to know how good they are defensively. In the only 2 games they played against power 5 teams they gave up 76 point (Vanderbilt) and 85 points (Okl. St.). And both of those teams shot ovr 50% against SHU.

Does that tell us anything? We've given up 76 or more to every P5 team we've played too.