RAPID REACTION - Indiana

[Ridge 22]

We need to really turn the roster over. PERIOD

Uhmmm, I think we have done that a few times already. The problem is Pike isn't capable of bringing in better players. And then you get comments like exist in this thread about how we have too many young players. Like that isn't Pike's fault too. None of this terrible product is forced on him. This is what HE built intentionally. Pike deserves no further grace at this point.

 

[RUDivision]

Maybe I’m saying it wrong at 75%. He woul not be a good fit for a lot of systems because of his style of play, but the point I was trying to make is there are plenty of programs where he would start and have a major role. With the right surrounding cast he can be an excellent college player.

As for his defense, it is no worse than GG or Paul’s or Noah Fernandez and they averaged significant minutes on national top 10 defenses - so he’s not a rate limiting liability on that end either. He needs to play on a team with strong surrounding defenders for sure.

If our team had good offensive rebounders and help defenders to complement him it would be much better. Caleb would make a tremendous difference on this team on both ends. I think some folks lose site of how big of an impact upgrading one single position could make in basketball (One guy is 20% of your offense and defense at any moment). Caleb alone would improve a lot of things about the current team - we’d have at least 3 more wins with him on the roster IMO. I know I’m in the minority in believing this.

Paul and GG both transferred and barely played. Cliff was paid big money to leave and started but his minutes were reduced significantly. The other centers played way more than Cliff. Cliff only started to justify the NIL deal.

Ppl over value RU players. Francis on a food team is a liability. Any good coach would hunt him in pick and roll.

He is a walking bucket on a bad team who allows him to play ISO.

 

[RUDiddy777]

We need to really turn the roster over. PERIOD

We can’t afford that and it will be 24-25 all over again - without the 2 lotto picks. Ideally, we start rotating 1/3 (4-5 guys) of the roster annually while retaining enough of a core that you’re plugging those guys into a system. We’ve basically blown it up the last 3 years - with this year looking more like developing a foundation/core to add pieces to next year.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Thank you, caught everything early, expecting all to be good, fingers crossed.

Good luck with everything man.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Paul and GG both transferred and barely played. Cliff was paid big money to leave and started but his minutes were reduced significantly. The other centers played way more than Cliff. Cliff only started to justify the NIL deal.

Ppl over value RU players. Francis on a food team is a liability. Any good coach would hunt him in pick and roll.

He is a walking bucket on a bad team who allows him to play ISO.

Do good teams shoot on a taller or small basket?

Tariq’s a bucket - a poor man’s AI. He’s our only player on offense and he’s still finding ways to get 30. Give him some consistent complementary scoring and he won’t have to work nearly as hard for points.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Paul and GG both transferred and barely played. Cliff was paid big money to leave and started but his minutes were reduced significantly. The other centers played way more than Cliff. Cliff only started to justify the NIL deal.

Ppl over value RU players. Francis on a food team is a liability. Any good coach would hunt him in pick and roll.

He is a walking bucket on a bad team who allows him to play ISO.

Your comparing his offense to Paul and GG? Come on man. He’s more efficient than Geo or Corey ever were. Not every NCAA team runs pretty pick and roll offenses. Pike had 3 such caliber teams that had ugly looking offenses and strong defenses. Pike needs to fix the D - keep Tariq, bring in a scoring post player, and go all in on bringing in defensive minded players. That should be the blueprint.

This said - succeeding in doing this might involve some tough choices. I’m not sure Grant can be the answer on D. We really need to invest in a Caleb type for that position who is going to eat up 30ish mpg.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

We can’t afford that and it will be 24-25 all over again - without the 2 lotto picks. Ideally, we start rotating 1/3 (4-5 guys) of the roster annually while retaining enough of a core that you’re plugging those guys into a system. We’ve basically blown it up the last 3 years - with this year looking more like developing a foundation/core to add pieces to next year.

I’m beginning to think it’s going to be hard to keep Grant at Rutgers and also get the kind of defensive stopper we need to be a core starter in the rotation at that position. It’s really important to bring that in.

 

[RUDivision]

Your comparing his offense to Paul and GG? Come on man. He’s more efficient than Geo or Corey ever were. Not every NCAA team runs pretty pick and roll offenses. Pike had 3 such caliber teams that had ugly looking offenses and strong defenses. Pike needs to fix the D - keep Tariq, bring in a scoring post player, and go all in on bringing in defensive minded players. That should be the blueprint.

This said - succeeding in doing this might involve some tough choices. I’m not sure Grant can be the answer on D. We really need to invest in a Caleb type for that position who is going to eat up 30ish mpg.

100 % agreed on the offense they are not close.

my point was RU players who transferred

 

[RUDiddy777]

I’m beginning to think it’s going to be hard to keep Grant at Rutgers and also get the kind of defensive stopper we need to be a core starter in the rotation at that position. It’s really important to bring that in.

Im not sure it matters, tbh. He’s kind of disappeared in the last month.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Im not sure it matters, tbh. He’s kind of disappeared in the last month.

I meant, “hard” as in we won’t be able to rationalize paying his salary. As much as we want to retain players, we really need defensive upside at that position in order to move forward.

 

[RAC’emUp]

I am not convinced that Pike can identify quality defensive players via the portal. The stats, for one, dont exist except for blocked shots and maybe rebounds. Get me some basketball players! Indiana has 3 and they destroyed us. Were they great defenders?? I don’t know but they scored 3 points at a time .

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I am not convinced that Pike can identify quality defensive players via the portal. The stats, for one, dont exist except for blocked shots and maybe rebounds. Get me some basketball players! Indiana has 3 and they destroyed us. Were they great defenders?? I don’t know but they scored 3 points at a time .

Identifying guys who have potential to be good defenders is the primary thing that Pike has had success with in his career. Now obviously - most of the time that’s taken more than one year to work for him which is the portal dilemma. Caleb wasn’t a great defensive player as a frosh. Most of Pike’s elite defenders improved each season. But Pike can absolutely study film and watch for the type of defense he needs to fill the hole in his system. That’s really his best chance of turning things around. He’ll never win without at least a slightly above average defense. He has miles to go to even elevate us to average. Offense is different in that it can be generated as a direct result of defense which has always in the past been the way Pike has had the most success.

That’s why I’m leaning towards parting ways with Grant unless he really shows something down the stretch of this season. He’s been a big disappointment on defense this season. I don’t see any development from him year over year. J Mike is a decent (not great defender) but he too has been disappointing in that his defense is similar to what it was when he was a frosh. Hes a good enough defender though where he’d be playable on a good defense as a complementary player (just as he was as a frosh - so I’m not against keeping him). In contrast, Bryce and Ogbole have improved rather noticeably year over year. For this reason if I was Pike I’d probably want to keep both of them. Mark seems like the type of kid who could be molded into a lock down defender. I’d want to keep him.

Pike is not going to win by targeting offense. We didn’t even have a good offense with Dylan and Ace. That strategy os a lost cause. He needs to know he’s going to be able to score and that’s where starting with Francis and Buchanan and building a defense oriented team around them has to be his go to strategy. That and making sure we add a post presence on offense that needs to be accounted for.

 

[Simce91]

I’m beginning to think it’s going to be hard to keep Grant at Rutgers and also get the kind of defensive stopper we need to be a core starter in the rotation at that position. It’s really important to bring that in.

I would let Grant walk, he has/had the opportunity to take "charge" of this team and either wouldn't or couldn't do it.
There are too many minute when he just disappears out there.
$$$ is much better spent on someone else

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

100 % agreed on the offense they are not close.

my point was RU players who transferred

And my point is Tariq is averaging 17.2 ppg right now in BIG play and 15.9 ppg overall in only 26 mpg. Putting Pike and the coaching aside, I think you and others are objectively discounting just how difficult it is to do this on 43.7% efficiency at his volume and a respectable 32.1% from deep.

Look - for reasonable context comparison - did you think of a player like Marcus Carr a BIG caliber starter? Consider the numbers he put up in his apples to apples junior season on a comparably bad Minnesota team. In almost 36 mpg (10 min more PT than Francis is getting), Carr averaged 19.4 ppg on worse efficiency than where Tariq is at now. 38.5% overall and 31.7% from deep. Tariq is also better from the FT line. Carr went on to become a productive starter on a team that was a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I would let Grant walk, he has/had the opportunity to take "charge" of this team and either wouldn't or couldn't do it.
There are too many minute when he just disappears out there.
$$$ is much better spent on someone else

Yeah - if hypothetically only 5 guys - Grant, Zrno, Denis, Fall and Ware - moved on, we would lose less than 15 ppg combined offense in BIG play.

What some folks don’t seem to understand about targeting proven power 5 defensive specialists is that this doesn’t mean the guys you add provide zero offense. Caleb’s 9+ ppg alone would replace most of the above. When you grab offensive boards and force turnovers scoring efficiently becomes less important. If we added a defensive stopper like Caleb/Mag, a center whose a scoring threat and not a liability on D, and one other proven player whose D focused (could be a PG depending on who moves on or a point forward - someone with height) - the frosh recruit and Jones (if he comes) in place of the 5 guys above, there’d be potential to be a lot better on D with little risk of being worse on offense (likely we’d be better on offense too).

I think we should be aiming to keep around 7 guys - Tariq and Buchanan (to ensure the offense doesn’t get worse) along with the 5 guys Pike thinks will make the most progress in helping fix the D. He should prioritize bringing in 3 quality power conf players (2.5 day one starters basically). We’d only be at 13 spots even if Jones does come so he’d still have 2 openings to grab a few of his usual reach sharp shooters to ride the bench (as they never seem to pan out for us outside of Cam Spencer).

 

[seansherm]

And my point is Tariq is averaging 17.2 ppg right now in BIG play and 15.9 ppg overall in only 26 mpg. Putting Pike and the coaching aside, I think you and others are objectively discounting just how difficult it is to do this on 43.7% efficiency at his volume and a respectable 32.1% from deep.

Look - for reasonable context comparison - did you think of a player like Marcus Carr a BIG caliber starter? Consider the numbers he put up in his apples to apples junior season on a comparably bad Minnesota team. In almost 36 mpg (10 min more PT than Francis is getting), Carr averaged 19.4 ppg on worse efficiency than where Tariq is at now. 38.5% overall and 31.7% from deep. Tariq is also better from the FT line. Carr went on to become a productive starter on a team that was a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Didn't Marcus Carr average double digits on similar efficiency as a true freshman at Pitt though? He def projected as a starter, really cut back on his TO's after that freshman year.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Didn't Marcus Carr average double digits on similar efficiency as a true freshman at Pitt though? He def projected as a starter, really cut back on his TO's after that freshman year.

What’s your point? That was an 8 win Pitt team. They stunk too. Also - I forgot that Carr had a sit out year. So it’s not even apples to apples. Carr had an additional year of experience.

My point is that its ridiculously unfair to Tariq to imply that the only reason he’s putting up the kind of numbers he’s contributing is because the team is so bad as if anyone halfway decent could do what he’s doing. Based on what? He’s never had a chance to play on a team with other offensive weapons around him and/or elite defenders. Why is the default assumption that he can’t be an integral asset?

 

[seansherm]

What’s your point? That was an 8 win Pitt team. They stunk too. Also - I forgot that Carr had a sit out year. So it’s not even apples to apples. Carr had an additional year of experience.

My point is that its ridiculously unfair to Tariq to imply that the only reason he’s putting up the kind of numbers he’s contributing is because the team is so bad as if anyone halfway decent could do what he’s doing. Based on what? He’s never had a chance to play on a team with other offensive weapons around him and/or elite defenders. Why is the default assumption that he can’t be an integral asset?

I think the Carr comp was fair, even sitting a year out as it put him in his third year, which is where Tariq is. Tariq is putting up his numbers because he's a talented offensive player playing in a system tailor made for his ability to get buckets.

Remember the not as efficient numbers Derek Simpson put up his last 6 games or so of his freshman year when he was given the reigns to get his?

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I think the Carr comp was fair, even sitting a year out as it put him in his third year, which is where Tariq is. Tariq is putting up his numbers because he's a talented offensive player playing in a system tailor made for his ability to get buckets.

Remember the not as efficient numbers Derek Simpson put up his last 6 games or so of his freshman year when he was given the reigns to get his?

How about Geo, Corey, Tez? Our fans will clam over our unicorn Cam Spencer, but his overall efficiency was only 44.4% vs Tariq at 43.7% with nobody like Cliff and no distributor like Paul. So those folks would then say, oh but look at Cam’s 3 point shooting. Okay fine - but then also look at how often each of them get to the line too. How can you not??? Tariq has already taken significantly more FTs than Cam with a third of a season to go. Also - Tariq has a full season less experience than Cam had when he was at RU and went on to be an NBA player. The bar being doubted here is only whether Tariq would start at major conf team besides our crap hole. The remaining hate towards this kid is just unbelievable to me.

And oh yeah - on Marcus - my point was that he was a year older and had an extr year of training experience with a major conference team in his sit out year. Actually - This is the first year Tariq is training with high major players period. Why does everyone seem to default assume he can’t develop in an offseason?

 

[seansherm]

How about Geo, Corey, Tez? Our fans will clam over our unicorn Cam Spencer, but his overall efficiency was only 44.4% vs Tariq at 43.7% with nobody like Cliff and no distributor like Paul. So those folks would then say, oh but look at Cam’s 3 point shooting. Okay fine - but then also look at how often each of them get to the line too. How can you not??? Tariq has already taken significantly more FTs than Cam with a third of a season to go. Also - Tariq has a full season less experience than Cam had when he was at RU and went on to be an NBA player. The bar being doubted here is only whether Tariq would start at major conf team besides our crap hole. The remaining hate towards this kid is just unbelievable to me.

And oh yeah - on Marcus - my point was that he was a year older and had an extr year of training experience with a major conference team in his sit out year. Actually - This is the first year Tariq is training with high major players period. Why does everyone seem to default assume he can’t develop in an offseason?

I wouldn't compare him to Cam, Cam was very efficient in his shot taking because his three point rate was almost 50%. Yes, Tariq is getting to the line well above his career rate this year, but those are extra usage trips. Tariq is playing less minutes and taking more shots per game than Cam, his usage is 50% higher, and efficiency #'s at least 5 points less even with the excellent FT rate. Cam's defense was head and shoulders above too.

I def would compare Riq to Geo and Corey, although I am one who things Corey is very over rated here. TF reminds me a bunch of Corey although a little more in control and efficient.

I think Francis could develop a little further, but not convinced practicing with this team really will elevate him much. Could he be a factor on a good team, yeah, I think he could.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I wouldn't compare him to Cam, Cam was very efficient in his shot taking because his three point rate was almost 50%. Yes, Tariq is getting to the line well above his career rate this year, but those are extra usage trips. Tariq is playing less minutes and taking more shots per game than Cam, his usage is 50% higher, and efficiency #'s at least 5 points less even with the excellent FT rate. Cam's defense was head and shoulders above too.

I def would compare Riq to Geo and Corey, although I am one who things Corey is very over rated here. TF reminds me a bunch of Corey although a little more in control and efficient.

I think Francis could develop a little further, but not convinced practicing with this team really will elevate him much. Could he be a factor on a good team, yeah, I think he could.

First - Cam was 43.4% from 3. Not 50%. Quite a bit different. And it should be noted that if Cam had been asked to take on more usage there likely would’ve been a drop off in efficiency. He didn’t need to take on more because he was surrounded by other scoring threats.

In terms of the FTs being extra usage, that’s not entirely true because some are “and one” opportunities which are functionally the same as hitting 3s instead of 2s. Tariq is averaging 1.3. made threes per game. Cam made an average of 2.1 threes per game. So if hypothetically Tariq is completing an average of 0.8 “and one” opportunities per game more than Cam (who didn’t get many of those at all), that would offset the 3 vs 2 point attempts (I don’t know how many 3 point plays Tariq has executed this season but he gets a good number of them).

On Cam’s defense, yes, he was better, but he was also a full season more experienced than Tariq (which is definitely relevant when comparing defense).

And finally - Cam is averaging 24 mpg in the NBA! Nobody is saying Tariq is going to the league. Most starting guards do not make it to the league.

 

[seansherm]

First - Cam was 43.4% from 3. Not 50%. Quite a bit different. And it should be noted that if Cam had been asked to take on more usage there likely would’ve been a drop off in efficiency. He didn’t need to take on more because he was surrounded by other scoring threats.

In terms of the FTs being extra usage, that’s not entirely true because some are “and one” opportunities which are functionally the same as hitting 3s instead of 2s. Tariq is averaging 1.3. made threes per game. Cam made an average of 2.1 threes per game. So if hypothetically Tariq is completing an average of 0.8 “and one” opportunities per game more than Cam (who didn’t get many of those at all), that would offset the 3 vs 2 point attempts (I don’t know how many 3 point plays Tariq has executed this season but he gets a good number of them).

On Cam’s defense, yes, he was better, but he was also a full season more experienced than Tariq (which is definitely relevant when comparing defense).

And finally - Cam is averaging 24 mpg in the NBA! Nobody is saying Tariq is going to the league. Most starting guards do not make it to the league.

Cam's 3 point attempts rate was 50% not shot 50%.
Exactly, don't comp him to Cam! Efficient in the NBA.

 

[-RUFAN4LIFE-]

pike. must. go. He’ll waste all the NIL money. Watch the press conference. Hes lost the team.

 

[bac2therac]

???? od post, are you taking victory laps for a portal haul that still is in the bottom third of the big 10?

 

[seansherm]

???? od post, are you taking victory laps for a portal haul that still is in the bottom third of the big 10?

Agree, strange flex

 

[bac2therac]

Agree, strange flex

Its just weird and invites pushback and negativity

Look its certainly a solid haul that makes the lineup better and raises the floor but at the end of day not sure it moves any needles in the big 10 standings

 

[seansherm]

Its just weird and invites pushback and negativity

Look its certainly a solid haul that makes the lineup better and raises the floor but at the end of day not sure it moves any needles in the big 10 standings

Its a better put together roster, but not complete, and definitely not so good that one should spend time bringing up posts from long ago.

 

[RUBigFrank]

Need to wait to see how it all plays on the hardwood. Bad habit to negatively prejudge before that- Tarique is a perfect example of this boards over reactions.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Its just weird and invites pushback and negativity

Look its certainly a solid haul that makes the lineup better and raises the floor but at the end of day not sure it moves any needles in the big 10 standings

Low expectations…. If Pike improves the record next year it would be due to coaching then? The roster isn’t complete but this new group clearly has a shot to be much better and probably no worse.

 

[bac2therac]

Low expectations…. If Pike improves the record next year it would be due to coaching then? The roster isn’t complete but this new group clearly has a shot to be much better and probably no worse.

The floor is higher but talent level vs rest of conference indicates it will be tough to break 500

Team needs to beat shu and win a game in vegas with what should be a weak non conference schedule. Pikes usually takes a long time to figure out his team so can they go 9-2 non conference and 8-12 in league..tall task imo

 

[mjjoyce51]

Its just weird and invites pushback and negativity

Look its certainly a solid haul that makes the lineup better and raises the floor but at the end of day not sure it moves any needles in the big 10 standings

I don't necessarily disagree but anyone that paid attention had this team dead last by a mile preseason and they finished 14th. It's so difficult to predict how teams will finish with all the roster turnover.

I would probably put Rutgers at 13th but most teams have to replace a lot of talent. Ohio State is bringing in a top freshman and some decent portal players but they're losing a lot of production including Bruce Thornton who has had the second highest Torvik rating the last two years. Wisconsin also loses their two best players and so far haven't come close to replacing them. Iowa loses Stirtz who was a force this year as well as key starters and I would say their portal and freshman haul is above average but not replacing what they lost. Would it be that surprising if Rutgers finishes ahead of them?

 

[bac2therac]

I don't necessarily disagree but anyone that paid attention had this team dead last by a mile preseason and they finished 14th. It's so difficult to predict how teams will finish with all the roster turnover.

I would probably put Rutgers at 13th but most teams have to replace a lot of talent. Ohio State is bringing in a top freshman and some decent portal players but they're losing a lot of production including Bruce Thornton who has had the second highest Torvik rating the last two years. Wisconsin also loses their two best players and so far haven't come close to replacing them. Iowa loses Stirtz who was a force this year as well as key starters and I would say their portal and freshman haul is above average but not replacing what they lost. Would it be that surprising if Rutgers finishes ahead of them?

Yes it will be very very surprising for Rutgers to finish ahead of Iowa and Wisconsin given their additions which are still better than Rutgers additions. Sharpshooter Elmer for Wisc and 7ft2 285 center for Iowa along with touted guard. Ben MacCallum is one of the top coaches in the league

Rutgers is running it back with the same small 4 guards and only one is oroven while one shows flashes but nothing proven consistently

The defense for RU was terrible last year and not sure that was fixed



Taking an optimustic view Rutgers should be ahead of NW, PSU, and Washington..that gets them to 15..minny, oregon, rutgers battle for 13-15. Tough to get higher given what Maryland and USC have on paper

 

[mjjoyce51]

Yes it will be very very surprising for Rutgers to finish ahead of Iowa and Wisconsin given their additions which are still better than Rutgers additions. Sharpshooter Elmer for Wisc and 7ft2 285 center for Iowa along with touted guard. Ben MacCallum is one of the top coaches in the league

Rutgers is running it back with the same small 4 guards and only one is oroven while one shows flashes but nothing proven consistently

The defense for RU was terrible last year and not sure that was fixed



Taking an optimustic view Rutgers should be ahead of NW, PSU, and Washington..that gets them to 15..minny, oregon, rutgers battle for 13-15. Tough to get higher given what Maryland and USC have on paper

I'm not much different in how I have them in the pecking order. But I think Minnesota and Oregon lost a lot more talent then they're bringing in so I have Rutgers ahead. My hope is the PG/CG they bring in is a good defender with some height but we'll see.

I think USC and Maryland will be better this year. Getting back their top players from injury is big and they had a good portal haul to replace what they lost.

My point for those other three teams is they lost more than they brought in and in some cases a lot more. I'd argue UCLA is going to be worse too but I think their portal/recruiting hall is better than Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin so I would be surprised if we see a big drop from them.

I don't think McKeever is that good. His height allows him to pull down rebounds effectively but his numbers were atrocious against good competition. In the 7 games he played against top 50 Torvik teams, he shot 35.0% from the field and his block rate went from 4.0% to 1.3%.

 

[RUfan1977]

I'm not much different in how I have them in the pecking order. But I think Minnesota and Oregon lost a lot more talent then they're bringing in so I have Rutgers ahead. My hope is the PG/CG they bring in is a good defender with some height but we'll see.

I think USC and Maryland will be better this year. Getting back their top players from injury is big and they had a good portal haul to replace what they lost.

My point for those other three teams is they lost more than they brought in and in some cases a lot more. I'd argue UCLA is going to be worse too but I think their portal/recruiting hall is better than Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin so I would be surprised if we see a big drop from them.

I don't think McKeever is that good. His height allows him to pull down rebounds effectively but his numbers were atrocious against good competition. In the 7 games he played against top 50 Torvik teams, he shot 35.0% from the field and his block rate went from 4.0% to 1.3%.

We need another competent big for me to be comfortable saying what we are bringing in far exceeds what we lost. Assuming we get another big, we will be one of the most improved teams in the Big Ten.

Based on scoring in Big Ten games only, we kept 5 of our top scorers after which there is significant drop off. Arguably Sydnor is a huge improvement over Grant and Smith is a huge improvement over Zrno.

With Ogbole and Dortch combining for 5.5 points per game Gurdak and backup center TBD will likely easily surpass those numbers. It will be harder for Gurdsk and backup center TBD to exceed the 8 rebounds per game of Ogbole and Dortch.

As of now, we are better than last year and with a couple of additional pieces we should pick up a couple of Big Ten wins and OOC wins to put us around 17 regular wins and 8-12 in the Big Ten. We could do worse if the team doesn’t jell or we have injuries, or we could do much better if a player has a breakout year and we stay healthy.

 

[mjjoyce51]

We need another competent big for me to be comfortable saying what we are bringing in far exceeds what we lost. Assuming we get another big, we will be one of the most improved teams in the Big Ten.

Based on scoring in Big Ten games only, we kept 5 of our top scorers after which there is significant drop off. Arguably Sydnor is a huge improvement over Grant and Smith is a huge improvement over Zrno.

With Ogbole and Dortch combining for 5.5 points per game Gurdak and backup center TBD will likely easily surpass those numbers. It will be harder for Gurdsk and backup center TBD to exceed the 8 rebounds per game of Ogbole and Dortch.

As of now, we are better than last year and with a couple of additional pieces we should pick up a couple of Big Ten wins and OOC wins to put us around 17 regular wins and 8-12 in the Big Ten. We could do worse if the team doesn’t jell or we have injuries, or we could do much better if a player has a breakout year and we stay healthy.

I guess it depends on your definition of competent big but I'm not anticipating them getting anyone that moves the needle much but I would expect someone better than EO and definitely Ware. I'm more interested in what PG/CG they bring in.

 

[RAC93]

Yes it will be very very surprising for Rutgers to finish ahead of Iowa and Wisconsin given their additions which are still better than Rutgers additions. Sharpshooter Elmer for Wisc and 7ft2 285 center for Iowa along with touted guard. Ben MacCallum is one of the top coaches in the league

Rutgers is running it back with the same small 4 guards and only one is oroven while one shows flashes but nothing proven consistently

The defense for RU was terrible last year and not sure that was fixed



Taking an optimustic view Rutgers should be ahead of NW, PSU, and Washington..that gets them to 15..minny, oregon, rutgers battle for 13-15. Tough to get higher given what Maryland and USC have on paper

I am thinking we may have bumped up a tier if we add a starting PG (hopefully with some size) and a competent backup big to go with the other additions. Last year we were in the cellar dweller tier and beat the bad teams to finish 14. I think we may creep into the 11-14 range, last year we were more 15-18 tier and just beat out the other bottom feeders. So far I would say Pike and Sullivan have hit some doubles on paper with players added in the portal, doubles are good, but they’re not home runs. We need the portal players to be home runs on the floor next year to even think about any higher conference finish and bubble talk. Plus, we need returning players to have developed and be better than last year. I like what they have done, pleasantly surprised by Pike and Sullivan, but we had a long uphill climb from last year and the Big 10 is never easy.

 

[RUfan1977]

I guess it depends on your definition of competent big but I'm not anticipating them getting anyone that moves the needle much but I would expect someone better than EO and definitely Ware. I'm more interested in what PG/CG they bring in.

I see another center as a must have and the PG/CG a nice to have. Just getting a center who is better than Ogbole will likely cost more than a few shekels and there probably won’t be enough money left to get a PG/CG better than who we already have. Could be that they go for the PG/CG first, but that will likely be a mistake as we need some depth in the front court and we already have a plethora of guards.

 

[mjjoyce51]

I see another center as a must have and the PG/CG a nice to have. Just getting a center who is better than Ogbole will likely cost more than a few shekels and there probably won’t be enough money left to get a PG/CG better than who we already have. Could be that they go for the PG/CG first, but that will likely be a mistake as we need some depth in the front court and we already have a plethora of guards.

Mods said they thinks they have $2M left and sounds like Zinn can get more for the right guard prospect. It was confirmed that they offered $800K for the kid that went to Pitt so assuming that's the backup C budget that leaves $1.2M+ for a starting guard.

 

[bac2therac]

I'm not much different in how I have them in the pecking order. But I think Minnesota and Oregon lost a lot more talent then they're bringing in so I have Rutgers ahead. My hope is the PG/CG they bring in is a good defender with some height but we'll see.

I think USC and Maryland will be better this year. Getting back their top players from injury is big and they had a good portal haul to replace what they lost.

My point for those other three teams is they lost more than they brought in and in some cases a lot more. I'd argue UCLA is going to be worse too but I think their portal/recruiting hall is better than Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin so I would be surprised if we see a big drop from them.

I don't think McKeever is that good. His height allows him to pull down rebounds effectively but his numbers were atrocious against good competition. In the 7 games he played against top 50 Torvik teams, he shot 35.0% from the field and his block rate went from 4.0% to 1.3%.

Minnesota has 2 touted Michigan guards coming in

 

[bac2therac]

I am thinking we may have bumped up a tier if we add a starting PG (hopefully with some size) and a competent backup big to go with the other additions. Last year we were in the cellar dweller tier and beat the bad teams to finish 14. I think we may creep into the 11-14 range, last year we were more 15-18 tier and just beat out the other bottom feeders. So far I would say Pike and Sullivan have hit some doubles on paper with players added in the portal, doubles are good, but they’re not home runs. We need the portal players to be home runs on the floor next year to even think about any higher conference finish and bubble talk. Plus, we need returning players to have developed and be better than last year. I like what they have done, pleasantly surprised by Pike and Sullivan, but we had a long uphill climb from last year and the Big 10 is never easy.

There is no automatic that Ru goes 6-0 vs bottom schools