What are your biggest concerns about the roster?

[Scangg]

Two biggest concerns about the roster for me...

1. Lack of players who can create one on one and get a shot off

Paul and Hyatt would be two guys who can go one on one. Spencer seems crafty off the dribble and better than some may think, but his speed is definitely questionable to be able to do this in the B1G... although he did it against UNC. Simpson, but he is a true freshman so hard to rely on him this season to be able to consistently do it.

2. Overall speed and athleticism

I was hoping to get faster and more athletic through the portal, but that didn't happen. Would be nice if we had a speedy PG to get out and run with Cliff. B1G Cliff would thrive in a running system where he relentlessly beats the other 5 down the court and gets transition dunks. Outside Cliff being an athletic freak we have Mag and Miller who I would consider advantages in terms of speed. Overall a starting 5 of Paul Spencer Caleb Hyatt Cliff is not a speedy lineup. Team defense and good ball movement on O will be important

Bonus concern... Cliff getting hurt, but if any team losses a stud 5 its very hard to replace.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Ball handling won’t be a problem against everyone, but there were certainly games where we couldn’t afford to take Geo out. Neither Paul nor Caleb is as good of a pure ball handler.

 

[RUby RED]

Agree on both points.

I’d add bench scoring as a major concern. Defense (outside of our backup 5 spot) should remain solid as we hit the bench (Mag/Miller), but I have major concerns about being able to get consistent offensive production from the group. Will guys pop here and there, sure — but if our last two games of the season were any indication (0 bench points in 90 minutes!?), we’re likely to struggle in that regard. Worried about an over-reliance on our starters unit once we hit B1G play

This is where losing out on a guy like Lofton really hurts, as it would’ve in part alleviated both OPs concerns and our questionable bench (Spencer would be a real nice 6th man)

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

5 seconds left on the shot clock on offense...........
Down 1 last possession..............

A lot of unknowns and I'd feel better with 1 more skilled perimeter player.

 

[RUsojo]

Pretty much same as last year. Getting to the rim and 3pt perimeter defense.

 

[MCKnight2004]

Back up big/size, foul trouble or an injury to Cliff will quickly hurt the game/season

Lack of speed at the guard position. An improved Miller on Offense where he’s at least capable of taking a shot, and Simpson, an unknown right now, could ease this concern

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Pretty much same as last year. Getting to the rim and 3pt perimeter defense.

Getting to the rim is for sure a concern.

The 3 point defense one is more about being able to defend the perimeter without compromising too much on offense. Any 3 combo of Caleb, Paul, Mag and Miller can hold it’s own on the defensive end. But will we be able to score?

 

[RUsojo]

Getting to the rim is for sure a concern.

The 3 point defense one is more about being able to defend the perimeter without compromising too much on offense. Any 3 combo of Caleb, Paul, Mag and Miller can hold it’s own on the defensive end. But will we be able to score?

I felt and feel and consistent theme from out team is over helping on defense. We give up a lot of open 3s that way. I need to find a new analytics site that has opponent open 3 percentage though lol

 

[Loyal_2RU]

5 seconds left on the shot clock on offense...........
Down 1 last possession..............

A lot of unknowns and I'd feel better with 1 more skilled perimeter player.

Mulcahy to Cliff. Sky hook for the win

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Mulcahy to Cliff. Sky hook for the win

Think Jabbar

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Same as always. 3 point defense. # point shooting. And creative offense, end game, and in-bound plays. Only those 5 things LOL. Oh, and being abused by the refs when facing higher ranked B1G teams who need the win. 😀

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Think Jabbar

I liked Lew better (wink and grin)

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Mulcahy to Cliff. Sky hook for the win

In all seriousness....teams that rely on inside scoring can be effective early in the shot clock and in the 1st 35 minutes of the game. When the games really start to matter scoring inside become very difficult.

Last year we could have a step back shot whenever we wanted. Now there a are a few steps needed to get Cliff the ball and it can be defended when a team know what's coming.

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

Mulcahy to Cliff. Sky hook for the win

These two guys are going to give major headaches to other teams. They'll be our top two scorers and passers. Caleb, Spencer, and Hyatt will fill in a solid starting five. Hopefully, Dean, Mag, and Miller can provide quality backup minutes and Oskar, and the freshmen develop to provide some more competition for PT. So, the bench is my major concern. And a skyhook? Lol. If Cliff worked on it so that it is as reliable as Kareem's, then I'm all for it, but Cliff's quickness and moves in the post should be a handful as it is.

 

[kcg88]

Roughly in order of concern:

1. Offensive production at the 4

2. Offensive production from McConnell and Simpson - need at least one to be a major contributor on that end along with Mulcahy, Cliff, and Spencer (see #4 for a caveat)

3. Defense with Mulcahy and Spencer on the floor together

4. Spencer's offensive adaptation to the Big 10

5. Cliff expanding his game - can he make 20 three points on 55-60 attempts? That'd change how teams have to defend us. Also continued shotblocking and improved rebounding

6. Mag and Reiber being much more consistent off the bench. Both have shown ability and then turned invisible

That's about it. To be totally honest I'm not that concerned about Miller/Palmquist taking a step forward because I'm not expecting much and we can win without that happening. Anything from those two would be a nice bonus. But I think we need positive outcomes from at least 4 of the 6 above to be in the mix for another bid.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

How will the 328 three point shots taken by Geo and RHJ be divided up next year ?

Dean Reiber was 7 for 12 on three pointers last year. What will it translate to with 60 attempts ? 😀

What will Oscar Palmquist's 5 for 11 on three point shots last year translate to with 40 attempts next year in his role as a spot up 3 point shooter off the bench ? 😀

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Roughly in order of concern:

1. Offensive production at the 4

2. Offensive production from McConnell and Simpson - need at least one to be a major contributor on that end along with Mulcahy, Cliff, and Spencer (see #4 for a caveat)

3. Defense with Mulcahy and Spencer on the floor together

4. Spencer's offensive adaptation to the Big 10

5. Cliff expanding his game - can he make 20 three points on 55-60 attempts? That'd change how teams have to defend us. Also continued shotblocking and improved rebounding

6. Mag and Reiber being much more consistent off the bench. Both have shown ability and then turned invisible

That's about it. To be totally honest I'm not that concerned about Miller/Palmquist taking a step forward because I'm not expecting much and we can win without that happening. Anything from those two would be a nice bonus. But I think we need positive outcomes from at least 4 of the 6 above to be in the mix for another bid.

this pretty much are more concerns actually ranked pretty close to my fears/concerns.

Every year I have been concerned about the defense primarily......I'll always be worried about defense, but I have come to accept that Pike's teams play D......#3 is on target and right where I would put it.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

On KCG’s point 2 - there are several reasons to believe Caleb will score more. In his case, it’s not about just hoping he “takes the next step” on offense.

There’s a reason he basically had the same number of FT attempts as a frosh with only 15 minutes of PT as he had last year. We’ve had JY and Paul in addition to Geo. He didn’t need to be a primary ball handler. That’s going to change. He’s going to be handling the ball a lot more this season (like when it was just him and Geo) than he has in years and because of this, he’s going to draw a lot more fouls by default. If just that happens and he doesn’t come down with another pre-season case of the Yips, he’ll already be in double figures even if nothing else changes about his offensive game.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

How will the 328 three point shots taken by Geo and RHJ be divided up next year ?

Dean Reiber was 7 for 12 on three pointers last year. What will it translate to with 60 attempts ? 😀

What will Oscar Palmquist's 5 for 11 on three point shots last year translate to with 40 attempts next year in his role as a spot up 3 point shooter off the bench ? 😀

35-60

 

[kcg88]

this pretty much are more concerns actually ranked pretty close to my fears/concerns.

Every year I have been concerned about the defense primarily......I'll always be worried about defense, but I have come to accept that Pike's teams play D......#3 is on target and right where I would put it.

Without Pikiell or McConnell it'd be #1 with a bullet.

 

[kcg88]

On KCG’s point 2 - there are several reasons to believe Caleb will score more. In his case, it’s not about just hoping he “takes the next step” on offense.

There’s a reason he basically had the same number of FT attempts as a frosh with only 15 minutes of PT as he had last year. We’ve had JY and Paul in addition to Geo. He didn’t need to be a primary ball handler. That’s going to change. He’s going to be handling the ball a lot more this season (like when it was just him and Geo) than he has in years and because of this, he’s going to draw a lot more fouls by default. If just that happens and he doesn’t come down with another pre-season case of the Yips, he’ll already be in double figures even if nothing else changes about his offensive game.

He can score more raw points but I'm wary of expecting a big efficiency jump from a 5th year senior who's been a bad shooter in his career. There are some reasons for optimism but history tells us players improve less later in their career.

If McConnell can be a 33% three point shooter and play his defense I'm thrilled. But he's at 28% for his career.

 

[runrutgersrun]

Back up big/size, foul trouble or an injury to Cliff will quickly hurt the game/season

Lack of speed at the guard position. An improved Miller on Offense where he’s at least capable of taking a shot, and Simpson, an unknown right now, could ease this concern

I'm hoping that Miller is a wild card here, too. I think he decided he wanted to contribute last year as a freshman, to his credit. He read the room and figured the best way to get to do that was to be a defensive gadfly and run around with his hair on fire for as long as the Coach would leave him in--and not shoot unless told to do so. It did get him some floor time. When we were reading about him as a recruit, he seemed to be a smart fellow, not totally devoid of offensive potential. Here's hoping.... go Jalen...go RU!

 

[Scarlet Beach]

I'm hoping that Miller is a wild card here, too. I think he decided he wanted to contribute last year as a freshman, to his credit. He read the room and figured the best way to get to do that was to be a defensive gadfly and run around with his hair on fire for as long as the Coach would leave him in--and not shoot unless told to do so. It did get him some floor time. When we were reading about him as a recruit, he seemed to be a smart fellow, not totally devoid of offensive potential. Here's hoping.... go Jalen...go RU!

I too believe that Miller has the ability to contribute a lot more on offense this years. He stepped out and earned playing time by being a defensive sub, included being part of defensive/offensive substitutions in the last minute or so of games (meaning that Pike must have really trusted him- always a good sign). His experience last year to get his feet wet in B10 play should help him tremendously in finding a more all-around role this season.

 

[mikeyo]

I too believe that Miller has the ability to contribute a lot more on offense this years. He stepped out and earned playing time by being a defensive sub, included being part of defensive/offensive substitutions in the last minute or so of games (meaning that Pike must have really trusted him- always a good sign). His experience last year to get his feet wet in B10 play should help him tremendously in finding a more all-around role this season.

Reiber is the X-factor. If he steps forward that will be an enormous plus

 

[RUJMM78]

The replacement for Harper has to be at the top of the list because he was the teams leading scorer and the player most responsible for a NCAA bid by making 3 pointers to win games against Purdue and Indiana.

 

[rucoe89]

Agree with OP as the two primary issues of concern going into camp. Perhaps strength and conditioning between now and November along with a summer of skills training may help alleviate concerns heading into the winter.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

He can score more raw points but I'm wary of expecting a big efficiency jump from a 5th year senior who's been a bad shooter in his career. There are some reasons for optimism but history tells us players improve less later in their career.

If McConnell can be a 33% three point shooter and play his defense I'm thrilled. But he's at 28% for his career.

I’m not expecting him to be a more efficient 3 point shooter - all I’m saying is that he can easily be a double digit scorer without chucking up a zillion more bricks to get there. If he takes 3 more shots a game, the law of averages says he’s going to make at least one more basket per game - even with zero improvement. If he makes one more FT a game which seems pretty reasonable then he’s a double digit scorer.

 

[bowlgoal]

Different players step up when they get their chance. I think Hyatt and Mag can really surprise to the upside. My big concern is the replacement for harpers points and rebounds and his clutch points. I think Spencer can make up for Geos points but it’s very unclear how we replace Ron. I can’t believe there’s not an experience transfer candidate who doesn’t see this opportunity?

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Ball handling, athleticism, shooting

 

[ScarletDave]

The top teams in the Big Ten always seem to have height. Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, always 2 tall centers and a tall PF. We have only Cliff really. Going to be hard to score inside

 

[njxchange]

I too believe that Miller has the ability to contribute a lot more on offense this years. He stepped out and earned playing time by being a defensive sub, included being part of defensive/offensive substitutions in the last minute or so of games (meaning that Pike must have really trusted him- always a good sign). His experience last year to get his feet wet in B10 play should help him tremendously in finding a more all-around role this season.

Loved the way he stepped in and played D with intensity. He was not backing down, but actually was one of the guys that was up on his guy's face the whole time. Transfer that confidence on offense side, who knows... maybe he will surprise alot of us on offense side when given added minutes.

 

[Scangg]

Loved the way he stepped in and played D with intensity. He was not backing down, but actually was one of the guys that was up on his guy's face the whole time. Transfer that confidence on offense side, who knows... maybe he will surprise alot of us on offense side when given added minutes.

Miller needs to be able to drive and finish or drive and dish effectively if he still isn't going to be a willing shooter. That would be a dynamic this team needs anyway