bac - season prediction thread?
- Thread starter Degaz-RU
- Start date
are you afraid that sweet pea is going to eat your prunes
Anything’s possible, but give Pike’s presser a listen. I get the sense he’s feeling cautiously optimistic at least about how we’ll do against the mid-majors on the schedule. Sounded like he was pleased with how the scrimmage went.
Do you prefer a bite in the leg or me lifting my leg on yours?
10.5 over/under on wins
Any other university after last year the head coach would be gone. Instead, we’re hoping to win 3 conference games and be close to a 500 team.,
ppl are still praising Pike w those expectations! lol
Get we get NIL support to buy actual Big Ten fans?
Any other university after last year the head coach would be gone. Instead, we’re hoping to win 3 conference games and be close to a 500 team.,
ppl are still praising Pike w those expectations! lol
Get we get NIL support to buy actual Big Ten fans?
I’d take that bet. Easy over.
They will be around .500 overall. They are behind the BIG in talent but they have enough to beat a lot of mid to bottom feeders in other conference
We win a couple of cupcakes early, get us excited and halfway through the season- everyone Eddie Jordan’s it…
Can’t get into watching after failing with 2 lottery picks.
And before anyone makes excuses- how many teams have ever been as bad as we were last year with 40% of their roster all world?
And before we talk NIL- that falls on Pike too
Can’t get into watching after failing with 2 lottery picks.
And before anyone makes excuses- how many teams have ever been as bad as we were last year with 40% of their roster all world?
And before we talk NIL- that falls on Pike too
Oddly - I have a different (somewhat opposite) forward looking view. I don’t have high expectations for the season either. But I do see a potential of sorts for Pike to quietly restore his defense first branding and maybe even start to build a Moneyball ish sort of reputation for Rutgers Oakland Athletics style in the NIL world with a better season. Outperforming last season with what we’ve got would be eye opening, even if we miss the tournament. I’ve always liked rooting for underdogs so I’m all in. At least for now.
It's funny- I used to be a defense first type of fan- loved those Knick teams with Ewing, Oakley, etc and even our guys as their defense were bringing us to the Tourney. The problem is this- it is also why we couldn't win in the tourney and it does nothing to attract players or to keep them. Defense is not getting any kid into the NBA anymore unless they also have the offense to go with it.
And as you said- defense is Pike's brand. And he isn't going to change that for anyone. It no longer works or attracts the players he needs.
IMO this type of thinking is exactly why we’ve faultered the last few seasons. The big issue with the team two years ago was thinking we’d play a new run and gun style and try and intermix offense first guys like Noah and Gavin into the squad for more balance. Then last year was an obvious departure again, relying on a poor defensive center and not so great defenders elsewhere. I think we saw how effective we can be if we just forget all that and just accept defense and rebounding will be our path, like the 2022-23 team. Possibly not a high ceiling, but it allowed a floor that kept us very competitive, and it’s a style Pike coaches best. Not the prettiest, when it doesn’t work it looks bad and a type imbalance that doesn’t perform incredibly well in the tournament but I think if we really just embrace that as the culture we will be a lot better off than tryna change it all around
That seems a bit unfair to me. Pike’s NIT team with Cam Spencer faultered down the stretch because it lacked the depth to be effective after Mag went down. The reason that team missed the tournament wasn’t because Pike’s general D first philosophy didn’t work. It was working great until we lost one of our most versatile pieces on a team where depth happened to be a weakness.
In the following season, Pike wasn’t prepared to feature a team without Cam and Paul. That’s on him, of course, but the team’s lack of success that season should in no way be used as some kind of macro level empirical support that Pike’s whole D first philosophy doesn’t or can’t ever work. That offense wasn’t just bad. It was historically bad, even by Pike standards. Like 300th ranked in the country or something, yes? It turned out like that in most part because we lost two starting guards that Pike expected to have, not because that’s the norm for Pike offenses.
So look, while a blue collar D first approach may not be the ideal blueprint to routinely play for a Natty, RU BB was still dang exciting when we went neck and neck with Houston for a crack at the Sweet 16. NIL may add some additional challenges with retaining players, but I’m fairly optimistic that won’t turn out to be as big an issue for us as some think. I think for the most part, if Pike were to develop guys and have success with them he’d be able to find a way to keep the ones he really wants. Lathan wasn’t that - he wasn’t a good fit for the type of style Pike wasn’t to play. I bet Pike let him leave and didn’t put effort into keeping him. And I think Cliff probably wanted to move on and possibly didnt want to play his last year in the shadow of Ace and Dylan after being the focus point of RU. Wasn’t only the money.
Last edited:
I wasn’t replying re Pike’s current situation being unfair. He deserves the heat he’s currently facing 100%.
Rather, I’m saying it’s not fair to use the outcomes of the 2 season’s prior to Dylan and Ace to universally conclude that a D first strategy can’t ever again be successful.
Wait, are you related to the dude that talks for his dog?
I don't care if these kids make the NBA, not something I worry about. They are all in school, getting paid to hoop and getting a degree to set them up for their lives. Love watching a defense first team. It's effort. Anyone can jack up and miss a shot.
Agree, there is probably a max output you hit for a D first team, but man, I'd watch Houston play any day of the week.
I also love defense and kids that buy into it but that is not going to attract top players.
True for the most part. Top players that also want to put in that effort are special.
One thing I learned last year, is kids that play hard are more enjoyable to watch than kids that just have talent.
It’s going to attract what we attracted before Dylan and Ace. There’s nothing terribly wrong with that in my book if we can get back there. The program was in a good place. It’s not right now because of the optics from last season.
That eighteen has one T and not two. I did not learn any secret info. I'm putting my faith in Zrno.
Prediction we remain competitive this year thru most games, finish at .500 or just near it, make the BIG tourney but miss out on the field of 64 and end up with an appearance in the NIT. I think we will see this team rebound from last year's poor season without having Ace and Dylan's step to the NBA as a distraction to the team. I think a team that has largely unknowns who are willing to play to Pike's defensive first style will help this team win some more games and keep us as fans coming back. Sure we will have a couple WTF/blow out games but I think Pike will keep this season competitive.