Stop Blaming The Players!

[RUbacker]

Not allowing the ball to be rolled downcourt is manning up

They should have done that , they know better.

 

[Salvi's Headband]

We did not bury them when we had the chance , we kept letting them hang around , we lost our focus and sense of urgency and it showed with the singing and swaying on the bench. Football players would not be doing that especially under Greg. They did not CHOP.

Honestly, stretching the lead to 10 points with a minute left is kind of burying them.

 

[RUfooty]

I don't know? We beat Penn State our biggest rival twice this year. Embarrassed them at home. We came back from 19 points down with recruits mostly that were no names. Try another Coach and see how he would have done with the slim pickings we could get for recruiting.
The fact is Pikiell had the foresight to pick up these players and develop them. And please, he runs a CLEAN program which should not be overlooked.

We were the laughingstock of college basketball with previous coaches. It is one game. How about the fans "show up" Sunday and get behind these awesome Athletes. Best Coach Rutgers has EVER had.

 

[Salvi's Headband]

I don't know? We beat Penn State our biggest rival twice this year. Embarrassed them at home. We came back from 19 points down with recruits mostly that were no names. Try another Coach and see how he would have done with the slim pickings we could get for recruiting.
The fact is Pikiell had the foresight to pick up these players and develop them. And please, he runs a CLEAN program which should not be overlooked.

We were the laughingstock of college basketball with previous coaches. It is one game. How about the fans "show up" Sunday and get behind these awesome Athletes. Best Coach Rutgers has EVER had.

Your post is objectively true but you have to let people feel bad about this one. It was brutal.

 

[newell138]

They should have done that , they know better.

I haven't played organized basketball since 6th grade CYO and I know that

 

[Scangg]

Yup - they did a lot of dumb stuff in the last minute but overall
when your opponent does this: 11-24 from 3
and you do this: 5-12 from 3
You're going to lose most of the time when the other team makes 6 more 3's than you do
Rutgers is 326th in 3PA - we desperately need a guy to come in and take about 10 3's a game
The last minute was a problem, the first 39 were a problem too, should not have been a 10 point game

Well good thing we landed the best shooter in the country with unlimited range who is 6'7

 

[Scangg]

Let's be perfectly clear here...

With a minute left and a ten point lead, they could have put in a lineup of Jalen Miller, Antwon Wolfolk, Aiden Terry, Malick Kone, and the equipment manager, with Norries Wilson coaching, and 99/100 they win the game.

This

 

[Rokodesh]

Battle had already hit two threes in the final minute at that point, he was the only reason they were still in the game. Why you don’t have Caleb glued to him the whole way up the floor is mind boggling.

Why the hell did we not play man the final minute?. Our 3 point defense is ****ing horrible. I've been saying it all year. Never seen so many open shots in my life.

 

[LETSGORU91]

Be careful. Pike is like Jesus around here.

It goes both ways though. If he was Jesus, there are some who wouldnt mind seeing him on the cross (theoretically speaking of course). Especially today.

 

[cm_13]

Why the hell did we not play man the final minute?. Our 3 point defense is ****ing horrible. I've been saying it all year. Never seen so many open shots in my life.

No clue. Helping off of the guy who was 5-12 from three in order to double team Cooper is inexplicable.

Especially when Caleb was guarding Cooper to begin with. He doesn’t need the help.

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Why does Spencer leave a shooter (Battle) open at the 3 point line to reach in on the player being guarded by McConnell ? Then, he leaps in the air and leaves Battle there for a wide open, uncontested 3 ?

View embedded media

Not his typical hi IQ play. Two hurts, Three kills

 

[RutgersChow]

This loss is squarely on Pikiell. You don't let the opposition roll the ball in from the baseline with 5.6 seconds left; inbound plays have to be designed and taught to get the ball to your best foul shooter; zones are only effective if the opposition is not making threes; a team should guard the three point line at the end of a game with a two point lead; when your best shooter is hot, but can't get himself open, set plays have to be used to get him open ( how many shots did Spencer get in the second half? The coach has to put the players in a position to win! His defense certainly did not!
Pikiell will have at BEST a .500 record in the BIG TEN. However, he is not there yet. If one looks at his record at Rutgers it is 116-102. He is 60-24 in out of conference games ( teams like St.Peters and Lafayette ) and 56-79 against Big ten teams! I know compared to the horrible past, his record is considered wonderful.
I also think that he believes his constant compliments and platitudes make him immune to criticism . I say this because of his sarcastic response to Brian Fonseca when asked if he was concerned about where the season was going after losing 4 out of 5 games. His response was " You always bring up all these positives.
I appreciate that."
For me the fact that no assistant has been hired, who excels at teaching set plays on offense, will eventually lead to his failure in the Big Ten.

This is all accurate. I might add how about struggling to get the ball in against the press EVERY YEAR.

 

[Doctorzit]

This is all accurate. I might add how about struggling to get the ball in against the press EVERY YEAR.

With the game at risk, what was the point of Pikiell saving his last time out. He could have taken the time out; possibly broken Minnesota's momentum; calmed the players down; and emphasized what needed to be done to close out the game. To assume any player, seasoned or not, will react properly during the Heat OF THE MOMENT, is naive.

 

[RutgersChow]

The players should have been able to see out this win without any coach at all

Tons of failures by players that had zero to do with the coach

But that's why you have a coach - so the players by themselves don't have to see out the win. Fact is that if you're working on press attacks every day in practice, which I'm pretty sure they aren't, none of this happens.

 

[RUbacker]

But that's why you have a coach - so the players by themselves don't have to see out the win. Fact is that if you're working on press attacks every day in practice, which I'm pretty sure they aren't, none of this happens.

Both are to blame big time

 

[Scangg]

But that's why you have a coach - so the players by themselves don't have to see out the win. Fact is that if you're working on press attacks every day in practice, which I'm pretty sure they aren't, none of this happens.

They broke the press then Hyatt unbroke it. That's just a player making a dumb decision. It happens.

You think Paul throwing that cross court pass is Pike's fault? Paul knows better. He made a dumb decision. Players aren't robots that the coach controls

 

[RutgersChow]

They broke the press then Hyatt unbroke it. That's just a player making a dumb decision. It happens.

You think Paul throwing that cross court pass is Pike's fault? Paul knows better. He made a dumb decision. Players aren't robots that the coach controls

As crazy as this sounds Scangg, I think that when a team is pressing you full court and trapping you in the corners a good press attack almost requires you to be robotic.

 

[Scangg]

As crazy as this sounds Scangg, I think that when a team is pressing you full court and trapping you in the corners a good press attack almost requires you to be robotic.

The problem was Hyatt was robotic. He was thinking he had to get the ball to a guard instead of reacting to what was happening on the court and making the right basketball play

 

[colbert17]

Pike has done an unreal job with what he has built at RU. To be very honest we have a lot of hard working, lunch pail type players. We have GREAT KIDS but we really don't have GREAT PLAYERS. As I've mentioned before we don't have a single player on the team whose offensive skills are keeping opposing coaches up at night. Cam is probably the closest put he's not very good at creating his own shot.
With this in mind our margin for error in most games is very slim. That's why it's troubling to me that we have so much difficulty in end of game situations.
I believe that Pike is too good of a coach to not work this out. If we didn't learn our lesson from the Notre Dame game we never will.

 

[RUfooty]

I don't know? We beat Penn State our biggest rival twice this year. Embarrassed them at home. We came back from 19 points down with recruits mostly that were no names. Try another Coach and see how he would have done with the slim pickings we could get for recruiting.
The fact is Pikiell had the foresight to pick up these players and develop them. And please, he runs a CLEAN program which should not be overlooked.

We were the laughingstock of college basketball with previous coaches. It is one game. How about the fans "show up" Sunday and get behind these awesome Athletes. Best Coach Rutgers has EVER had.

 

[RUfooty]

Love this Coach. What he has done with slim Pickens is a credit to his coaching and Pat for hiring him. Love this University. Still.