Staying competitive on road will payoff

[goru7]

Are you still refuting that 1-11 puts us in a good spot. Yes or no. I want make it clearly i am strictly arguing ncaa committee criteria and metrics

Hawk, 1-11 on the road is not a good metric even if we go undefeated at home and gives the NCAA selection committee the power to make us sweat. Let’s beat Michigan at MSG and go get 2 against either Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin or Purdue

 

[goru7]

I'd argue Ron boxes out with 2 minutes left, but we never know.

We did also miss quite a few front rim outside shots, but that might not be out of the ordinary. To me we looked sluggish most of the game....and i think that is a testament to our team only losing by 5 when I thought we really didnt have it. Thought we were playing on fumes.

Ron lost focus for a second , not because he had no legs. He pressed after that point in the game.
We were hitting a ton of outside shots , mostly in the first half, but Ron hit a big 3 to cut it to 76-70 off a steal. I thought our press was very active and effective, so cannot see where you say it looked like we were playing on fumes . Jacob hits that layup and it is tied and my money would be on us not giving them a winning shot and forcing overtime. My money also would have been on us in OT.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Road games left...
Michigan (neutral)
Maryland
Ohio State
Wisconsin
PSU
Purdue

 

[knight82]

Rutgers isn't the best basketball program in the tristate area.Villanova and Seton Hall would strongly disagree.Rutgers has made tremendous improvement with a 13-0 home record and the league losses on the road are by closer margins.There still is improvement required where Rutgers wins road games against league opponents that are deemed equal to or better than Rutgers.

Rutgers 68, Seton Hall 48

 

[Big boy stan]

I find it hard to believe that anyone could have watched last nights game and not believe that there are road wins coming.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

You guys realize that our league losses are all to ranked teams ...Two of which we had the lead with three minutes to go or less, and the other was a 2 point game with 5 1/2
To go

Once we clear Maryland ...the February schedule is still tough away from the RAC ...but not what we expected as their won’t bw any ranked team on the road in our last four (Ohio state, Penn state, Purdue and Wisconsin )

 

[Scangg]

Would a win at MSG help as a neutral court win, or would it be viewed as essentially a home win?

With only 5 more opportunities for a true road win, all tough games at Maryland, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Purdue, I am not so confident that a road win will come. (I guess the good news is that the Bart ratings only give us a 7% chance of losing all 5.)

Why wouldn't you think a road win was coming? We have lost to the top 3 teams on the road and the last 2 could have easily been wins.

Our losses on the road are to teams 1-2-3 in the Big Ten. When we get to play teams 5-14 let’s see how we do

Exactly

I find it hard to believe that anyone could have watched last nights game and not believe that there are road wins coming.

Completely agree. Not sure what people are watching when we have all our guards struggle bigtime and almost win at a ranked opponent

 

[RUnTeX]

Villanova and Seton Hall would strongly disagree.

I'd go with SHU being a wash.

I wouldn't concede Villanova either but it's not located in the tri-state area anyway. Geography is your friend. So is a space at the end of a sentence.

 

[Westcoast]

I agree 95% of what you say normally. You have to be VERY worried about our defense, especially when it is our identity. Defense is not going to be there every day in a 20 game B1G schedule.

If Marcus Carr is watching this game he has to wonder why him. Young and Mathis were not disruptive at all (especially 1st 30 minutes)

2:25 left Rutgers is up by 1. If Ron Harper just boxes out on the FT line we have possession up 1 with 2 minutes left. Not boxing out on the free throw line or seeing Joe Touisaint diving on the floor while Caleb McConnell is bending down picking up the ball doesnt happen at the RAC. Pikiel at the 17 minute mark in 1st half subbing everyone out and keeping Mathis in (with Young) showed Pike was concerned.

The silver lining is we are getting better offensively.

There were spots where we clearly could have played better, no doubt. You pointed out a few. But that doesn't mean there is major concern. These guys are still learning. They're mostly sophs a with 2 juniors. They'll watch film and see the same things you mentioned and hopefully learn and improve.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The team has clearly demonstrated they have the ability and have played fantastic defense, especially at the RAC. We have not been a good offensive team, but not necessarily a bad one. We rely on our D. My concern revolves around staying fresh. As I said before I don’t think we had the same pep in our step. Fortunately the O was very good and our D was good for a stretch at the end of the game.

 

[bac2therac]

Why wouldn't you think a road win was coming? We have lost to the top 3 teams on the road and the last 2 could have easily been wins.

Exactly

Completely agree. Not sure what people are watching when we have all our guards struggle bigtime and almost win at a ranked opponent

I think we all want one so we can get itvout of the way. I am smelling Penn State

 

[Eagleton96]

We are playing the top teams tough, down to the last few shots, on the road. That means eventually we will get one. And it helps the committee see that we are a good road team even if we don’t have many wins to show for it in a tough B1G.

 

[knight82]

If you watched Ohio State tonight, if they don't turn it around soon they might be mailing it in by the time they play us. That might be our best shot for another road win.

 

[NiTeKnight]

We are a week away from being halfway through the conference slate and fans have to be more aware of what's actually being looked at.

In reality, RU despite what many are still reluctant to State today, is the best basketball program it's been in a long time, best in the tristate area and improving each week.

But what about winning on the road, you may ask??

As we move forward and move the proverbial goalposts, the 5 biggest goals this program had to accomplish at the start of this season, have all been solved.

A) Establish the RAC as a tough place to play....this has been and must remain THE focus of the fanbase, players and program. I am not saying this lightly but you cannot become an NCAA caliber program until you clean up your room, so to speak.....that means becoming what the fans have elevated this program to.

B) Becoming more balanced offensively...mission accomplished

C) establish the ability to become a system program, not a player reliant program. We have players that fit and roles that are defined. Winning programs are able to replace players fitting roles, more than individual talent.

D) Ability to defend, road or away.....the concept that "Defense travels", is true. And we lost Jay Young and Eugene, but Coach Knight has done a great job selling his own concepts and Pike has allowed that growth to happen. We don't have elite athletes from guard to center, but we play within our means, by using the length and arms to defend.

E) the final and most important concept is cutting down the margin of defeat on the road, against similar to better competition.

There are going to be comments for 20 seconds on TV that will say "RU is blah blah away from the RAC"....which is a compliment that says we are good enough to beat anyone at home AND you have to play well when we visit as a road team.

The scoring margins last year away

25 at Purdue
18 at Minnesota
11 at MSU
16 at Indiana
14 at Ohio State

Yes there were some home games that were ugly, like 16 points to Maryland, 12 to Michigan.

But folks need to understand we are 10 to 12 points better across the board from last year to this year.

There will be a clunker tossed in somewhere in a 20 game slate, but so far, losing by 3 at Illinois and having a tying layup to make it 81-81 @ Iowa, is far different than where we were last year.

As long as we are able to win at home and stay within range on the road, we will get the road wins we are looking for.

I am not sure where it will be, but the longer you stay in games late, the more likelihood is, you get those to go your way.

We've played close games against ranked teams on the road (Illinois & Iowa) , hopefully we can beat some un-ranked teams on the road like Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn St., Michigan, and Ohio State.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Hawk, 1-11 on the road is not a good metric even if we go undefeated at home and gives the NCAA selection committee the power to make us sweat. Let’s beat Michigan at MSG and go get 2 against either Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin or Purdue

I never said it was a good metric....what I am saying is that losing a home game is more damaging than losing a road game.

What metrics are like, do not apply to this years B1G slate. It is not your typical slate and we are still close to 80% teams winning at home and it's over 90% if you eliminate the 13th and 14th programs.

Instead of using what is the standard every year, fans have to evaluate THIS year and not compare it to what happened to Nebraska 2 or 3 years ago or whatever metrics exist.

If this season was the normal situation of 60% home teams winning and 7 teams realistically having a chance for the NCAAs, then talking road wins would be more meaningful.

I don't feel it's a typical year and if you are Ohio State, you are not in trouble because you haven't won on the road yet in conference.....if you are Ohio State, you are in trouble because you have lost 2 home games in B1G, to teams that are in the same boat with them.

This is a process of elimination and people are looking at it as a process of achieving a goal. Illinois, Michigan, Maryland and Purdue all now have to look at visits to RU as statement games. If RU wants to not just make the NCAAs, but get in comfortably, it needs to 1st and foremost, defend the RAC.

No one is going to convince me that when 90% of the 12 contending teams in the B1G are winning their home games, that defending home court isn't first priority.

Maybe fans are assuming we wont lose at home. I am not making that assumption.

Now, do the road games at Purdue, at Ohio State and MSG vs Michigan look as big as beating Indiana, Penn State and Minnesota at home??

Right now, it appears January is the gauntlet and February is TBD....

 

[bac2therac]

Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota now have road conference wins for their resumes. At the moment, Illinois and Wisconsin have elevated themselves
resume wise over Rutgers.

 

[Big boy stan]

If RU wants to not just make the NCAAs, but get in comfortably, it needs to 1st and foremost, defend the RAC.

No one is going to convince me that when 90% of the 12 contending teams in the B1G are winning their home games, that defending home court isn't first priority.

Agree 100%. I would add that winning big at home and staying close on the road if also important.

 

[Big boy stan]

I'd go with SHU being a wash. I wouldn't concede Villanova either but it's not located in the tri-state area anyway.

Would love to find this out if all three wind up in the same quadrant of the tourney.