We have lost our mojo, our confidence and not sure we can get it back!

[goru7]

Really depressing we did not compete tonite. I do not care how good Purdue is, they are not better than Michigan State, Florida State, or Seton Hall but maybe just as good. This reminded us of Pre- Pike games where we are out of it before we are 10 minutes into the game. I would have preferred
To have Haas beat us with 2's with 15 fouls to give, but we cannot leave their shooters wide open. We gave up 7 three pointers in the first half , 21 points to our 0,zero, and a 45-24 halftime deficit. I could not believe how passive we were and failed to even try to hit the glass. We had only 6 offensive rebounds tonight, with a ton of bricks, but no one except Mike late went after the ball . Our guards never follow their shots( Corey and Geo) and were stuck in mud. We have been out rebounded 3 games in a row and 2 of them to Stony Brook and Hartford. What the hell has happened to our team except a total loss of confidence and desire.
What is really sad is Coach had 6 games after Seton Hall to get the team grounded for Stony Brook and we get the 14 second meltdown, then he has 6 days for Hartford and we play even more listless and a carbon copy. Then Coach has 6 more days to prepare for the restart of conference play and Purdue and they play without any desire and heart . That is plenty of time for Coach to fix things but they did not happen. I had such high hopes for this team, with the competing with the ranked teams early, but they have lost it and I am not convinced Coach can get it back. Eugene has disappeared lost his agressive drives to the hoop, our bigs are fouling without playing defense moving their feet and we are not going to the glass . An absolute disaster of a game tonight that has taken the air out of the fans .

 

[bananabucket]

They absolutely are better than FSU and Seton Hall.

 

[Kbee3]

They absolutely are better than FSU and Seton Hall.

Yeah That was a damn good team that abused Rutgers tonight.
Still a depressing loss and horrible start to 2018.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Purdue is very good. No way there are 10+ teams better than them as their ranking would suggest

 

[newell138]

Really depressing we did not compete tonite. I do not care how good Purdue is, they are not better than Michigan State, Florida State, or Seton Hall but maybe just as good. This reminded us of Pre- Pike games where we are out of it before we are 10 minutes into the game. I would have preferred
To have Haas beat us with 2's with 15 fouls to give, but we cannot leave their shooters wide open. We gave up 7 three pointers in the first half , 21 points to our 0,zero, and a 45-24 halftime deficit. I could not believe how passive we were and failed to even try to hit the glass. We had only 6 offensive rebounds tonight, with a ton of bricks, but no one except Mike late went after the ball . Our guards never follow their shots( Corey and Geo) and were stuck in mud. We have been out rebounded 3 games in a row and 2 of them to Stony Brook and Hartford. What the hell has happened to our team except a total loss of confidence and desire.
What is really sad is Coach had 6 games after Seton Hall to get the team grounded for Stony Brook and we get the 14 second meltdown, then he has 6 days for Hartford and we play even more listless and a carbon copy. Then Coach has 6 more days to prepare for the restart of conference play and Purdue and they play without any desire and heart . That is plenty of time for Coach to fix things but they did not happen. I had such high hopes for this team, with the competing with the ranked teams early, but they have lost it and I am not convinced Coach can get it back. Eugene has disappeared lost his agressive drives to the hoop, our bigs are fouling without playing defense moving their feet and we are not going to the glass . An absolute disaster of a game tonight that has taken the air out of the fans .

This is the life of a Rutgers athletics fan.

 

[TDIrish27]

Long season------we'll see where both teams are at the end of January.

I will say this---------Wisconsin game is critical for the morale and mindset of this team.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

There are instances where a team is 10-12 points better or worse on the road vs home....we are comparing efforts at home to a team on the road....not quite the same thing.

RU would not be the same program on the road vs an energized RAC....Purdue at home rarely loses more than 2 times in the last couple of years and have beaten more complete programs in the B1G by 12-14 points at home.

Should RU lose by this margin....?? Well, if you are looking at RU not playing well, then yes, it's certainly possible that this can happen at the RAC as well.

We now have a sample size of two road games against the Minnesota and Purdue on the road....last year on the road at Seton Hall, Miami, Purdue, Michigan State, Maryland were all double digits and in some cases 20 or more point margins.

Teams rarely win conference road games if you are in the range of 9 through 14 in the league....If Purdue plays well, the game was 20....I wasn't sure how interested Purdue would be and that RU could play a good game, but RU will have winnable opportunities at home....winning or being competitive against ranked opponents on the road, isn't where this program is right now and is rarely where most programs are in the B1G.

 

[mikefla]

I barely recognize this team over the past 3 games.

A team like Purdue has guys(we mainly left open all night) pop,pop,pop,pop hitiing shots
from outside while it looks like there is a lid on the hoop when Rutgers shoots

If Omoruyi robbed a bank he could hide out on this team because no one would ever find him...where the heck did he go?????????

Our entire bench Omaoruyi, Sa , Mensah, Doorson & Williams(65min of play) were 4-13 combined

I get that its an away game. I would be semi ok if we closed the gap to 8pts a few times then faded and lost by a disappointing 12-15.....but we lost by 31 points...

I used to joke during the Hill and Jorden years that the team looked like it met for the 1st time in the parking lot & drew straws to see who started.

It looked like the team never saw each other or practiced together last night

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I think more depressing than the overall team play is the realization that the cupboard is bare right now. We have 5 games in kenpom 100.

Issa 5 games 135 minutes 15 points 10 rebounds 6-18 from field 33%
Duke 5 games 71 minutes 20 fouls 17 rebounds
Baker 5 games 6-21 from 3 19-57 33% overall 56 points 160 minutes
Eugene has been good in the 5 games save yesterday, but his last 3 overall have been stinkers

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Baker as a freshman shouldn't be asked to play 30+ minutes and Duocoure should not be a starter. Kiss, Bullock, Mensah, and Johnson are killing us right now. Don't want to be over dramatic here, but Kiss has to be high impact player day 1.

 

[RUinFla]

GRF, you have been a consistent voice over the past few years, pointing with alarm and saying I told you so, when you knew it was going to be a process. Surely you realize that we have found a player in Geo; that Ducore is just starting to come on (he would have benefited from a red shirt year) and that we have reinforcements coming next season. Yet you persist. Were you not steadfast in your insistence that we keep EJ for just one more year? Rebuilds can happen overnight at some schools, but given our reputation over the past decade since we wrongfully fired GW, did you expect 4 and 5 stars to come flocking for the privilege of playing in New Jersey? As noted, the only amenity is proximity to NYC. Life is more fun if you wait two seasons to launch your jeremiads, until some of the new blood matures.
TL

 

[goru7]

Baker as a freshman shouldn't be asked to play 30+ minutes and Duocoure should not be a starter. Kiss, Bullock, Mensah, and Johnson are killing us right now. Don't want to be over dramatic here, but Kiss has to be high impact player day 1.

All true, but how do you explain the lack of Rebounding the last 3 games where we shot our normal lousy %? Where have Geo's assists gone? Where has Eugene gone? Something happened to this team. When we were winning we all knew or at least accepted we were not going to shoot well most nights but would still take it up a notch defensively, crashing the offensive glass, switching defenses, but now we get nothing at all . Pike has not corrected it and 3 games in 18 days is plenty of time to correct but it has not happened.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

The women are playing well. :cry:

 

[willisneverrana43]

There are instances where a team is 10-12 points better or worse on the road vs home....we are comparing efforts at home to a team on the road....not quite the same thing.

RU would not be the same program on the road vs an energized RAC....Purdue at home rarely loses more than 2 times in the last couple of years and have beaten more complete programs in the B1G by 12-14 points at home.

Should RU lose by this margin....?? Well, if you are looking at RU not playing well, then yes, it's certainly possible that this can happen at the RAC as well.

We now have a sample size of two road games against the Minnesota and Purdue on the road....last year on the road at Seton Hall, Miami, Purdue, Michigan State, Maryland were all double digits and in some cases 20 or more point margins.

Teams rarely win conference road games if you are in the range of 9 through 14 in the league....If Purdue plays well, the game was 20....I wasn't sure how interested Purdue would be and that RU could play a good game, but RU will have winnable opportunities at home....winning or being competitive against ranked opponents on the road, isn't where this program is right now and is rarely where most programs are in the B1G.

What?

 

[bac2therac]

Baker as a freshman shouldn't be asked to play 30+ minutes and Duocoure should not be a starter. Kiss, Bullock, Mensah, and Johnson are killing us right now. Don't want to be over dramatic here, but Kiss has to be high impact player day 1.

There is some credence to what FIG is saying....Bullock was a miss from the start so that was all the more reason that Mensah was a collossal error...I mean big time. To make matters worse you redshirt Johnson and then bring in another transfer who has to sit....Thats 4 spots on a roster that has some marginal players as it is so once you move from your first 5, you do not have much to pull from. Yes it gets better next year with more talent but we are going to need to drop anchor with a few players MUST GET RID OF DEAD WEIGHT, it means that its going to take maybe to year 5 to have the program positioned for a run maybe year 6....I think the fans need to understand that.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

GRF, you have been a consistent voice over the past few years, pointing with alarm and saying I told you so, when you knew it was going to be a process. Surely you realize that we have found a player in Geo; that Ducore is just starting to come on (he would have benefited from a red shirt year) and that we have reinforcements coming next season. Yet you persist. Were you not steadfast in your insistence that we keep EJ for just one more year? Rebuilds can happen overnight at some schools, but given our reputation over the past decade since we wrongfully fired GW, did you expect 4 and 5 stars to come flocking for the privilege of playing in New Jersey? As noted, the only amenity is proximity to NYC. Life is more fun if you wait two seasons to launch your jeremiads, until some of the new blood matures.
TL

I though I made it VERY clear my thoughts on Jordan VERY early. He was a joke of a coach and worse he was a dictator.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

There is some credence to what FIG is saying....Bullock was a miss from the start so that was all the more reason that Mensah was a collossal error...I mean big time. To make matters worse you redshirt Johnson and then bring in another transfer who has to sit....Thats 4 spots on a roster that has some marginal players as it is so once you move from your first 5, you do not have much to pull from. Yes it gets better next year with more talent but we are going to need to drop anchor with a few players MUST GET RID OF DEAD WEIGHT, it means that its going to take maybe to year 5 to have the program positioned for a run maybe year 6....I think the fans need to understand that.

Pikiell will succeed or fail based on Kiss, Harper, Mathis, Johnson, Carter. I don't see a path if you have 3 out of 5 whiffs.

 

[goru7]

There is some credence to what FIG is saying....Bullock was a miss from the start so that was all the more reason that Mensah was a collossal error...I mean big time. To make matters worse you redshirt Johnson and then bring in another transfer who has to sit....Thats 4 spots on a roster that has some marginal players as it is so once you move from your first 5, you do not have much to pull from. Yes it gets better next year with more talent but we are going to need to drop anchor with a few players MUST GET RID OF DEAD WEIGHT, it means that its going to take maybe to year 5 to have the program positioned for a run maybe year 6....I think the fans need to understand that.

I AGREE with both Greene and you BAC, that Baker should not be playing 30-35 per game and Duke also starting is an issue with his fouling. The whiff with Souf is really bad but maybe the way to correct it , is to change the starting lineup. Start MIKE the senior, which he did last year when Nigel was going off the rails, and start Shaquille or Sa. Bring Geo in for Corey to run the point , then play both when MIKE is out. Duke coming off the bench watching our other bigs guard the opponent 's bigs might help him a little foul less. When he comes in he should be looking to score on the block, foul line , 8 feet out. Lots of upperclassmen play 30-35 minutes a night. Corey , Mike and Deshawn have to play that much if the team is going to be successful.

 

[higgins3]

Coach isn't going to have a choice when talking to some players at the end of the year. Some will leave based on them fulfilling their academics, and some might be asked to leave with Coach trying to help them make connections. The program has five or six players that are contributing very little to their team. He is going to have issues if he doesn't.

 

[RUJMM78]

Yeah That was a damn good team that abused Rutgers tonight.
Still a depressing loss and horrible start to 2018.

Florida State is a very good team with size and outside shooters who defeated North Carolina and took Duke into overtime on the road.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

There is some credence to what FIG is saying.... Yes it gets better next year with more talent but we are going to need to drop anchor with a few players MUST GET RID OF DEAD WEIGHT, it means that its going to take maybe to year 5 to have the program positioned for a run maybe year 6....I think the fans need to understand that.

If Sanders isn't back from a talent standpoint

Sanders, Williams, Freeman and Sa will be gone. After a 3 game losing streak it doesn't feel like we are missing much. However take almost any win and you realize there is talent and it would be hard to replace.

Without any more than what we are supposed to have coming in, can you imagine what our offense will look like with the opposition putting extreme 40 minute pressure on Baker. Unless he gets a better handle and more speed off the dribble we are going to be starting our offense 35 feet from the basket. What happens when Souf comes in? Is Mathis and/or Harper going to be a back up point guard.

 

[RUsojo]

There is some credence to what FIG is saying....Bullock was a miss from the start so that was all the more reason that Mensah was a collossal error...I mean big time. To make matters worse you redshirt Johnson and then bring in another transfer who has to sit....Thats 4 spots on a roster that has some marginal players as it is so once you move from your first 5, you do not have much to pull from. Yes it gets better next year with more talent but we are going to need to drop anchor with a few players MUST GET RID OF DEAD WEIGHT, it means that its going to take maybe to year 5 to have the program positioned for a run maybe year 6....I think the fans need to understand that.

Doesn’t everyone know that’s the realistic timeline and that success isnt definite even when we get to year 5/6? Yet the both the newbies and longtime posters are up in arms after 2 bad games in December in year 2...

 

[RUJMM78]

Coach isn't going to have a choice when talking to some players at the end of the year. Some will leave based on them fulfilling their academics, and some might be asked to leave with Coach trying to help them make connections. The program has five or six players that are contributing very little to their team. He is going to have issues if he doesn't.

Clearing some scholarships at the end of the season is a must action on the part of Pikiell.Scholarships are precious and at Rutgers they must be used for far better talent than is on the squad right now.Right now Rutgers doesn't have one consistent go to scorer which was seen even in the losses to Stony Brook and Hartford.

Fans have seen with the return of Scaife and some new players the womens team has made a remarkable transformation in one season because the team now scores points along with stellar defense.In contrast the mens team has been stuck in neutral or reverse for far too long.Kicking the can down the road hasn't worked because there simply are too many complementary type players on the squad and not enough go to scorers/shooters.

 

[Russ Wood]

Purdue is No. 4 according to Kenpom. Behind only Virginia, Michigan State and Villanova

 

[shields]

Purdue is very good.

 

[goru7]

Purdue is very good.

And so were Florida State, Michigan State, and Seton Hall. Did we look like the same team against Purdue? I know it was a road game but the difference is startling and troubling. The team's psyche is really fragile right now.

 

[RUich]

Last night's loss is not the real point of this post as nobody reasonably expected a win. The real point is that this team has inexplicably dropped off a cliff after the stirring SHU win! The most important question has to be can this team get back on track and show some life on the court? Otherwise, we are probably looking at a repeat of last season that looked pretty promising when they also had a great start. This is where we see if Pike can somehow solve this.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Purdue is in a different tier than FSU and SHU. On a neutral court Purdue beats those teams 8 out of 10 times. Michigan State and Purdue are equal in my book as of today. My biggest question mark are either of their lead guards good enough to win 4,5 or 6 NCAA games.

 

[TruJerz]

#FreeBullock

 

[bac2therac]

Last night's loss is not the real point of this post as nobody reasonably expected a win. The real point is that this team has inexplicably dropped off a cliff after the stirring SHU win! The most important question has to be can this team get back on track and show some life on the court? Otherwise, we are probably looking at a repeat of last season that looked pretty promising when they also had a great start. This is where we see if Pike can somehow solve this.

this...its not about Purdue being very good, they are.. Its about RU looking like a train wreck for 3 games right now...they did absolutely nothing right last night and no positives to take from it...thats 3 games in a row..thats extremely concerning with a winnable game at the RAC Friday that will not have the same atmosphere that SHU had.....playing a disciplined team like Wisky with a big guy who can kill you and coming in with low confidence is extremely concerning

 

[bac2therac]

Doesn’t everyone know that’s the realistic timeline and that success isnt definite even when we get to year 5/6? Yet the both the newbies and longtime posters are up in arms after 2 bad games in December in year 2...

I think some of the early success against a bunch of Bumblebee Universities gave a false impression of how good RU is. Thats why I do not like this kind of scheduling., It must get better next year, I dont care if we lose them, this schedule OOC has to toughen up to get the team better and to not get them into bad habits which they got into by playing at home all year. Its a long slog because year 3 was always going to be a slight drop off IMO because of the roster issues. I think some sped up the process of the rebuild...and at times I was guilty of that..the reality is its probably always been about year 5 and maybe even year 6 due to where the program was at when Jordan was rightfully axed

 

[dpwhite]

#FreeBullock

LOL

 

[RUsojo]

I think some of the early success against a bunch of Bumblebee Universities gave a false impression of how good RU is. Thats why I do not like this kind of scheduling., It must get better next year, I dont care if we lose them, this schedule OOC has to toughen up to get the team better and to not get them into bad habits which they got into by playing at home all year. Its a long slog because year 3 was always going to be a slight drop off IMO because of the roster issues. I think some sped up the process of the rebuild...and at times I was guilty of that..the reality is its probably always been about year 5 and maybe even year 6 due to where the program was at when Jordan was rightfully axed

But if we win 10 games every year we will never recruit well enough to improve. Scheduling has paid off tremendously imo. Sign 2019 and the schedule up.

 

[RUJMM78]

Purdue is in a different tier than FSU and SHU. On a neutral court Purdue beats those teams 8 out of 10 times. Michigan State and Purdue are equal in my book as of today. My biggest question mark are either of their lead guards good enough to win 4,5 or 6 NCAA games.

I doubt Purdue would beat Florida State 8 out of 10 times on a neutral court based on their defeating North Carolina and taking Duke into overtime on the road.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I doubt Purdue would beat Florida State 8 out of 10 times on a neutral court based on their defeating North Carolina and taking Duke into overtime on the road.

time for some Monte Carlo simulations using kenpom data

 

[goru7]

Purdue is in a different tier than FSU and SHU. On a neutral court Purdue beats those teams 8 out of 10 times. Michigan State and Purdue are equal in my book as of today. My biggest question mark are either of their lead guards good enough to win 4,5 or 6 NCAA games.

You cannot be serious about Purdue and Florida State. They have just as many three point shooters as Purdue, and two legitimate big guys to handle Haas. They are more athletic at almost every position. Do you think Purdue would have gone into Duke and be up 89-87 with three minutes left? Purdue lost to Western Kentucky ! They also lost to Tennessee , a slightly worse version of Florida State. What is mind boggling we played toe to toe with Florida State and Michigan State, who is clearly the number 1 team in the country,, and cannot get out of our own way right now, and that is less than a month ago. Beyond frustrating.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Very serious. i don't like the FSU guards.

 

[goru7]

Very serious. i don't like the FSU guards.

You didn't watch their game this past weekend at Duke or their win against UNC last night to make hat statement. Their game against us, we shut out their leading scorer Mann but their guards especially their little guard Walkertorched us for 22

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Walker looked great vs us.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Per my "eye" test, it'll be between us and Iowa for the B1G 10 Basement.

All of the other squads that I thought we could surpass such as Nebraska; Illinois; Indiana are much more athletic than us and have improved throughout the season.

Hope I'm proven wrong