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When Mag Comes Back

rutgers1998

Freshman
Gold Member
Aug 12, 2023
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Starting lineup should be:

Noah
Derek
Mag
Hyatt
Cliff

With Wolf, Gavin and J-Mike the first 3 off the bench. Williams and Oskar can play as needed IMO
 
Mag probably won’t start for a while when he gets back. Also, Griffiths will continue to start since he’s our only shooter.
That’s fair. I’m thinking more so when Mag is starting again (likely for Illinois game). I like Gavin off the bench for the scoring punch until he is fully acclimated to the college game. He can come in as quickly as needed though
 
Id go with this…

1. Davis
2. Simpson
3. Gavin
4. Mag
5. Cliff

Wolf and Hyatt off bench.

Fernandes, Oskar and williams no more than 8-14 MPG.
 
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That’s fair. I’m thinking more so when Mag is starting again (likely for Illinois game). I like Gavin off the bench for the scoring punch until he is fully acclimated to the college game. He can come in as quickly as needed though
The problem with Gavin not starting is the potential to be down 8-0 or so to start the game.
 
Id go with this…

1. Davis
2. Simpson
3. Gavin
4. Mag
5. Cliff

Wolf and Hyatt off bench.

Fernandes, Oskar and williams no more than 8-14 MPG.
Fernandes will play a key role this season. Just gotta let him settle in. I also like Williams but not if he’s going to keep turning it over like he has been
 
The problem with Gavin not starting is the potential to be down 8-0 or so to start the game.
The problem with Gavin starting is the potential to be down 16-8 or so to start the game.

Starting to warm to the idea of a fully healthy lineup of

Fernandes
Gavin
Hyatt
Mag
Cliff

1st subs
Derek subbing for Hyatt
Woolfolk subbing for Cliff or Mag

2nd subs
Davis for Fernandes
Williams for Gavin
Cliff or Mag for Mag or Cliff
 
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The problem with Gavin starting is the potential to be down 16-8 or so to start the game.

Starting to warm to the idea of a fully healthy lineup of

Fernandes
Gavin
Hyatt
Mag
Cliff

1st subs
Derek subbing for Hyatt
Woolfolk subbing for Cliff or Mag

2nd subs
Davis for Fernandes
Williams for Gavin
Cliff or Mag for Mag or Cliff
I do like this a lot as well. I think Hyatt is too important to this years team to come off the bench even once Mag is fully back
 
Since Mag hasn't played in a game in 9 months, it's probably going to be awhile to expect him to start. Starting isn't really relevant, this roster has 8 players capable of starting.

A lineup off the bench with Woolfolk at the 5, Mag at the 4 and either Hyatt or Griffiths, mixed with Austin Williams, looks like a lineup that can give RU 25 PPG off the bench.
 
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I do like this a lot as well. I think Hyatt is too important to this years team to come off the bench even once Mag is fully back
Hyatt will play starters minutes regardless if he “starts”. Think having your name announced at tip-off makes little difference. There will be a very clear top 8 by mid season

Cliff
Wolf
Mag
Hyatt
Simpson
Gavin
Noah
J Mike

With Williams and Palm playing inconsistently.
 
The problem with Gavin starting is the potential to be down 16-8 or so to start the game.

Starting to warm to the idea of a fully healthy lineup of

Fernandes
Gavin
Hyatt
Mag
Cliff

1st subs
Derek subbing for Hyatt
Woolfolk subbing for Cliff or Mag

2nd subs
Davis for Fernandes
Williams for Gavin
Cliff or Mag for Mag or Cliff
Our 2 guard spot is a problem with this line up. Gavin is not defending quicker 2 guards in the non conference or Big Ten. That probably means Simpson, Davis and Williams play a lot more.
 
Hyatt will play starters minutes regardless if he “starts”. Think having your name announced at tip-off makes little difference. There will be a very clear top 8 by mid season
I’ve noticed the first two home games this year, there had been much less fan fare on the starting line up. (During introductions). Last year it was like a huge celebration of each starter that was announced. I think it’s smart of Pike to calm it down a bit because of the depth and so many players could actually start. And, it’s going to get worse
( or better)
 
I’ve noticed the first two home games this year, there had been much less fan fare on the starting line up. (During introductions). Last year it was like a huge celebration of each starter that was announced. I think it’s smart of Pike to calm it down a bit because of the depth and so many players could actually start. And, it’s going to get worse
( or better)
Paul and Caleb were big fan favorites. Same with Cam once he started hitting big time shots. That plays into the loud cheering we heard last season.
 
Our 2 guard spot is a problem with this line up. Gavin is not defending quicker 2 guards in the non conference or Big Ten. That probably means Simpson, Davis and Williams play a lot more.
Who says Gavin is guarding the quicker 2 guard.

I am deftly afraid of Gavin being on the court defensively. Getting beat off the dribble isnt the reason.
 
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Who’s matching up with the guards in that line up?
Given that we are switching almost exclusively 1 -5 who knows.

Having length can mask defensive lapses.

Don't get me wrong, I hear where you are coming from.

Looking at it differently, Princeton multiple times got their 3 or matched up against Simpson or Davis and bullied them to the basket. It goes both ways.
 
I haven’t seen shit from these portal players except for Williams defense. Start Gavin, Cliff, wolf, Simpson and Hyatt
 
What I'd like to see (minority view)

Fernandes 26 Davis 14
Gavin 16 Simpson 24
Hyatt 12 Gavin 16 Williams 12
Mag 26 Woolfolk 8 Hyatt 6
Cliff 30 Woolfolk 10
For now agree totally
Noah was a 14 pt a game scorer for 2 years in the A10
There has to be more to his game
If there isnt
Use Davis and DS more
If you have Gavin with 30 plus
I agree
He's the most complete offensive player on the team and I've seen improvement from game 1 to 3 on the defensive side
I think Simpson should get more minutes then you say
He can create for himself and can be effective defensively
Live with his mid range game for now
Mag is the best 4 for this team
Gotta work on some zone d too
Big Ten Guards will isolate our smaller guards if we don't
 
Given that we are switching almost exclusively 1 -5 who knows.

Having length can mask defensive lapses.

Don't get me wrong, I hear where you are coming from.

Looking at it differently, Princeton multiple times got their 3 or matched up against Simpson or Davis and bullied them to the basket. It goes both ways.
No they are not just switching. It’s a problem. That’s why I almost never expect Gavin to guard the 2. It’s a mismatch. Pike is not going to handicap his team like that.
 
Of course he may improve substantially as the rust wears off and he acclimates to a new team, but thus far Fernandes as shown NOTHING to deserve the kind of starters minutes that most are advocating. Most irritating is his total inability to feed (or even look for) Cliff in the low post. I'd much rather see Pike invest in Simpson and have Fernandes play a role off the bench. .
 
Of course he may improve substantially as the rust wears off and he acclimates to a new team, but thus far Fernandes as shown NOTHING to deserve the kind of starters minutes that most are advocating. Most irritating is his total inability to feed (or even look for) Cliff in the low post. I'd much rather see Pike invest in Simpson and have Fernandes play a role off the bench. .
Noah had a good game
 
Half. He was terrible first half
I agree but would say he had a great second half. Ten points, bunch of boards, two assists, and some strong D. One lousy pass trying to feed Cliff and one walk when he shuffled his feet preparing to shoot another 3 that went in. He could still round into form. We will need him to do that before Illinois.
 
Half. He was terrible first half
I actually thought he had a very active first half but his shots didn’t fall. I think he may of been a little too hyped. Either way, he settled down and played great in the second. I’m hopeful that tonight was his breakout game and he turns into that player. I think Noah is the key for this team. JMD and Simpson will have their nights but RU needs a veteran guard to run the show. Hopefully he flipped the switch.
 
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