Definition of gut check
: a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination
So much angst tonight in the game thread and it changed in the blink of an eye. A closing 17-4 run over the final 6 minutes where RU held Cuse without a fg while turning up the defense and making Cuse pay in transition is something that will be celebrated. What RU did tonight in this win, in the way they did it was the epitome of succeeding in their gut check moment. RU had dominated the first half but only had a 4 point lead. Still as they meandered in the 2nd half, they still were able to keep a 4-6 point cushion on Cuse until it looked like this team was ready to pack it in for the night. Down 65-62 and absolutely showing little resolve to play defense, Pikiell seemingly at a lost with some odd lineups all of a sudden we saw this team sparked by Jacob Young all come together.
Young on defense and then in transition was poisonous to Syracuse's chances late. His speed in bringing the ball up kept Cuse out of their defense and allowed RU to spread the ball around. Make no mistake about it everyone contributed in those final minutes...the core of the team..Myles, Mathis and Harper all were fire late on the offensive end. Some beautiful passing and awareness. They finished. They hit foul shots. They defended. They rebounded. They won. More important. This was Rutgers basketball as Pike had envisioned. RU saved the best for last and proved they were men of mettle. RU could have lost this game and with it the cries of overrated and not ready for primetime would certainly be shouted. But they did not win, in a game where everything looked south and without their star and leader. This bunch realized what they needed to do. Its frustrating for us as fans to watch what we saw at times earlier in the 2nd half because we know when this team can get down to business, its quite a thing of beauty to watch. If RU can just bottle these last 6 minutes. Watch this film. Watch how to show them what a success story they are. Its a game like this that makes me a pollyanna. I needed to see the resolve. I like the pluck of this team. Winning an important game with Geo. That means something.
Individually, we are seeing the blossoming of a real star here in Ron Harper Jr. We saw some big games from Ron last year but now its almost expected and he is putting up just sweet numbers....9-13 tonight, 5-8 from 3, 7 boards, 26 points...all Big 10 type numbers. Mathis 19 points, 7 boards, what I like this year is that the thing that has limited his game in the past was cutting back on those unforced errors, I feel like this year, those errors are becoming less and less. I always say when Mathis lets the game come to him he is at his best. JY 18 points and a phenomenal 10 assists. A slow start, yes 5 turnovers but ultimately got better as the game persisted. A total game changer on both ends tonight. Myles...I am hard on Myles because at times I feel he makes a lot of frustration fouls or missed bunnies. I know he can do better. He came to alive later in the game. I think he hit 5 of his last 6 shots including a free throw to finish with 11 and 12 boards . Myles needs to be that extra leader out there. Good to see him bounce back as the game wore on. I thought Cliff was solid...6 minutes, 2 blocks. Its really all we can ask from right now. Now problem with what Ive seen. Paul looked good early but then went south and 4 turnovers, I would have liked to see a better game from him tonight and better decision making with the ball. Palmquist couldnt hit the broad side of the barn but at least made a couple of defensive plays. Mag looked lost and Reiber not ready to be on the court.
Rollercoaster of emotions in the game thread of course. We come in with expectations this year. Our fans do not have to apologize for demanding wins. RU should have beaten Syracuse tonight. RU is better and Cuse is not there yet. Cuse I felt was a little looser in this game than RU and RU seemed to forget that games are not handed to you. You have to make plays to win them. Use the guys that got you there...Ron, Myles, Tez, JY. I think Pike may have learned some stuff tonight, lineup was a bit scary at times. He is in a tough spot with the depth issues but Im always in a believer of you win with your best lineups especially if you are struggling.
Obviously all of this came with our best players in. Unfortunately we are in a spot where there is a big drop off after our top 5 and Cliff....in fact is enormous. Getting Geo back healthy and in the lineup will hide alot of the bench issues. Gives us 7 solid in the rotation and guys like Mag and Palmquist can do spot time in roles they can handle. Right now they were asked to play bigger roles tonight and they floundered and the rest of the team just went of sync. The margin of error for this Rutgers team isnt great past the top 7 but we saw tonight that yes they can gut through. We really are missing Caleb this year. Hopefully Mag can give us a little more but tonight was tough for him. Depth will dog this team all year, not sure how we got in this spot but recruiting was a little thin for this year IMO since most schools do bring in some guys who offensively are ready to contribute right away. Cliff is pretty solid for just getting his feet wet but offensively isnt an option. Somewhere we need a guy to play that role to come in for 8-10 minutes a game and contribute 5-6 points.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that Geo is back for Maryland. This team has the potential for some special moments on the banks and tonight was a crucial and necessary kind of test that RU passed. I like this team's pluck.
: a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination
So much angst tonight in the game thread and it changed in the blink of an eye. A closing 17-4 run over the final 6 minutes where RU held Cuse without a fg while turning up the defense and making Cuse pay in transition is something that will be celebrated. What RU did tonight in this win, in the way they did it was the epitome of succeeding in their gut check moment. RU had dominated the first half but only had a 4 point lead. Still as they meandered in the 2nd half, they still were able to keep a 4-6 point cushion on Cuse until it looked like this team was ready to pack it in for the night. Down 65-62 and absolutely showing little resolve to play defense, Pikiell seemingly at a lost with some odd lineups all of a sudden we saw this team sparked by Jacob Young all come together.
Young on defense and then in transition was poisonous to Syracuse's chances late. His speed in bringing the ball up kept Cuse out of their defense and allowed RU to spread the ball around. Make no mistake about it everyone contributed in those final minutes...the core of the team..Myles, Mathis and Harper all were fire late on the offensive end. Some beautiful passing and awareness. They finished. They hit foul shots. They defended. They rebounded. They won. More important. This was Rutgers basketball as Pike had envisioned. RU saved the best for last and proved they were men of mettle. RU could have lost this game and with it the cries of overrated and not ready for primetime would certainly be shouted. But they did not win, in a game where everything looked south and without their star and leader. This bunch realized what they needed to do. Its frustrating for us as fans to watch what we saw at times earlier in the 2nd half because we know when this team can get down to business, its quite a thing of beauty to watch. If RU can just bottle these last 6 minutes. Watch this film. Watch how to show them what a success story they are. Its a game like this that makes me a pollyanna. I needed to see the resolve. I like the pluck of this team. Winning an important game with Geo. That means something.
Individually, we are seeing the blossoming of a real star here in Ron Harper Jr. We saw some big games from Ron last year but now its almost expected and he is putting up just sweet numbers....9-13 tonight, 5-8 from 3, 7 boards, 26 points...all Big 10 type numbers. Mathis 19 points, 7 boards, what I like this year is that the thing that has limited his game in the past was cutting back on those unforced errors, I feel like this year, those errors are becoming less and less. I always say when Mathis lets the game come to him he is at his best. JY 18 points and a phenomenal 10 assists. A slow start, yes 5 turnovers but ultimately got better as the game persisted. A total game changer on both ends tonight. Myles...I am hard on Myles because at times I feel he makes a lot of frustration fouls or missed bunnies. I know he can do better. He came to alive later in the game. I think he hit 5 of his last 6 shots including a free throw to finish with 11 and 12 boards . Myles needs to be that extra leader out there. Good to see him bounce back as the game wore on. I thought Cliff was solid...6 minutes, 2 blocks. Its really all we can ask from right now. Now problem with what Ive seen. Paul looked good early but then went south and 4 turnovers, I would have liked to see a better game from him tonight and better decision making with the ball. Palmquist couldnt hit the broad side of the barn but at least made a couple of defensive plays. Mag looked lost and Reiber not ready to be on the court.
Rollercoaster of emotions in the game thread of course. We come in with expectations this year. Our fans do not have to apologize for demanding wins. RU should have beaten Syracuse tonight. RU is better and Cuse is not there yet. Cuse I felt was a little looser in this game than RU and RU seemed to forget that games are not handed to you. You have to make plays to win them. Use the guys that got you there...Ron, Myles, Tez, JY. I think Pike may have learned some stuff tonight, lineup was a bit scary at times. He is in a tough spot with the depth issues but Im always in a believer of you win with your best lineups especially if you are struggling.
Obviously all of this came with our best players in. Unfortunately we are in a spot where there is a big drop off after our top 5 and Cliff....in fact is enormous. Getting Geo back healthy and in the lineup will hide alot of the bench issues. Gives us 7 solid in the rotation and guys like Mag and Palmquist can do spot time in roles they can handle. Right now they were asked to play bigger roles tonight and they floundered and the rest of the team just went of sync. The margin of error for this Rutgers team isnt great past the top 7 but we saw tonight that yes they can gut through. We really are missing Caleb this year. Hopefully Mag can give us a little more but tonight was tough for him. Depth will dog this team all year, not sure how we got in this spot but recruiting was a little thin for this year IMO since most schools do bring in some guys who offensively are ready to contribute right away. Cliff is pretty solid for just getting his feet wet but offensively isnt an option. Somewhere we need a guy to play that role to come in for 8-10 minutes a game and contribute 5-6 points.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that Geo is back for Maryland. This team has the potential for some special moments on the banks and tonight was a crucial and necessary kind of test that RU passed. I like this team's pluck.
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