Guess the rotation

Think you are more likely to see Syndor with minutes at the 5 in a small lineup than you are to see him at the 3, but you have DB with those here, so not much difference. . Almost no way Davis only plays 5 minutes. Have a feeling we won't see guys with over 30 minutes a game and will be more like a few years ago where we had like 9 average 15 per.

RRRRUUUU said:

My best guess (mins at position in parenthesis)

1. Francis (25), Mark (15)
2. Jones (30), Francis (5), Davis (5)
3. Smith (25), Buchanan (8), Sydnor (7)
4. Sydnor (25), Buchanan (15)
5. Gurdak (25), Buca (10), Buchanan (5)

total

1. Sydnor 32
2. Francis 30
3. Jones 30
4. Buchanan 28
5. Smith 25
6. Gurdak 25
7. Mark 15
8. Buca 10
9. Davis 5

Not core rotation unless injuries/ foul trouble
Ware, powers, Duarte, wooten

Click to expand...

A few points of disagreement:

- Francis is not going to be our primary PG.

- Mark did not come back to play 15 minutes a game, and after what we saw out of him the last 10 or 12 games of his freshman year -- when he was finally healthy after being bothered by a nagging back injury -- he will likely be the starting PG playing 25+ mpg.

- I like Sydnor, but I don't think he will lead the team in minutes

Here's how I see it (players in CAPS are in multiple positions)

Guards (80 minutes)
Francis - 28
Mark - 26
JMike - 12
JONES - 14

Wings (40 minutes)
Smith - 22
JONES - 8
BUCHANAN - 10

Forwards (40 minutes)
Sydnor - 25
BUCHANAN - 15

Centers (40 minutes)
Gurdak - 28
Buca - 12

Deep Reserves (no minutes except for foul trouble and garbage time)
Powers
Duarte
Wooten
Ware

TOTAL MINUTES DISTRIBUTION:

Probably non-negotiable, will happen every night:
Francis - 28
Gurdak - 28
Mark - 26

These are pretty interchangeable and will probably differ based on matchups, foul trouble, who's playing well in-game, etc.:
Buchanan - 25
Sydnor - 25
Jones - 22
Smith - 22

Will depend on similar factors, but both at the back of the 9-man rotation:
JMike - 12
Buca - 12

What I would guess based on what Pikiel has done in the past would be to have a lot more players play and to go to players he relied on in the past.

1. Mark (24), Davis (16)
2.Francis (27), Davis (8), Powers (5)
3. Smith (20), Jones (18), Wooten (2)
4. Buchanan (20), Sydnor (20)
5. Gurdak (21), Buca (12), Ware (4), Buchanan (3)

If Duarte is eligible, I would expect him to take away minutes from Davis at the 2. Minutes will change if someone gets injured or under achieves or over achieves. I do expect Mark to step up and be more confident and play much better against OOC games than he did last year.

I’ll be surprised if Powers plays less than 10 minutes, after he showed a lot of promise as a freshman, stayed loyal, and came back.

I also don’t think we need Buchanan to play the 5-spot at all.

RRRRUUUU said:

My best guess (mins at position in parenthesis)

1. Francis (25), Mark (15)
2. Jones (30), Francis (5), Davis (5)
3. Smith (25), Buchanan (8), Sydnor (7)
4. Sydnor (25), Buchanan (15)
5. Gurdak (25), Buca (10), Buchanan (5)

total

1. Sydnor 32
2. Francis 30
3. Jones 30
4. Buchanan 28
5. Smith 25
6. Gurdak 25
7. Mark 15
8. Buca 10
9. Davis 5

Not core rotation unless injuries/ foul trouble
Ware, powers, Duarte, wooten

Click to expand...

I think there is ZERO chance that a 4-year player in Pike's system like Davis plays only 5 min. per game. I also think Mark will get more minutes at the point sometimes with Francis at the 2.

Keeping it simple

1. Mark (25), Davis (15)
2. Francis (28), Powers (10), Wooten (min)
3. Jones (25) Smith (16)
4. Sydnor (20) Buchanan (20-22)
5. Gurdak (27), Buca (12), Ware (0-2)

With regards to Buchanan playing center, there will be multiple situations in which Pikiel will want a non traditional center or be forced to go small because of foul trouble. Sydnor may play the 5 if Rutgers is up and the other team is pressing and fouling. Buchanan will probably be the better choice if Rutgers is pressing to catch up or if the other team’s center is really a forward who is killing Rutgers from 3.

25-26 minutes
Francis 27.8 (26-30) 28
Davis 26.2 (16-20) 18
Buchanan 24.1 (16-24) 20 (4 from big)
Mark 15.9 (16-20) 18
Powers 15.8 (14-18) 16
Ware 6.2 ?

Transfers
Gurdak 17.1 (18-22) 20
Buca 12.8 (14-18) 16
Sydnor(24-25) 29.5 (12-16) 14
Smith 32.6 (22-26) 24
Jones 36.2 (24-28) 26
Duarte ?

That's how I see it playing out given what minutes they played last year

RRRRUUUU said:

The biggest problem with the team the last two years has actually been the massive drop in defensive efficiency. He has had top 10 defenses when he’s had length from 2-5 (and sometimes 1-5), that allows for switching easily.

For that reason i don’t think he can play two guys that are 6-1,6-2 at the same time for more than 5 mins a game or so. That’s why I have the minutes the way I do for Mark and Davis. While we have gotten much better this offseason, so have most power 5 teams, as any semblance of talent from the mid majors moves up to p5.

Click to expand...

You may be right if Pikiel goes with Francis as point guard. I just don’t see Pikiel playing Francis as point guard. Mark will likely play the bulk of minutes there because of his energy, speed and how flashy he is. Davis will play because he is someone Pikiel trusts. Francis will play because simply put he is a good player. All three will play because they know what Pikiel wants and play well together. At the end of last season when Mark and Francis played together they played defense pretty darn good together. Moreover, even if you only have one player around 6’ tall the other coach can create mismatches on switches.

I saw an article that predicted a starting lineup of Mark, Francis, Jones, Smith, Gurdak. We will see though..

1. Francis (24), Mark (8), Davis (8)
2. Jones (22), Francis (8), Mark (6), Powers (4)
3. Smith (28), Buchanan (6), Jones (6)
4. Sydnor (26), Buchanan (14)
5. Gurdak (28), Buca (8), Ware/Snydor/Deep foul trouble (4)

I think we get a couple of small ball rotations a game with Mark-Francis-Jones in a 3-person backcourt. Have no idea how Pike is going to handle Powers/Davis.

"The roster is much improved. The transfers really raise the talent level of the team."

"Oh we definitely have to play Mark, Davis and Buchannon big minutes though. Powers needs a role."

I was waiting for this thread and it didnt disappoint.

Mark may not have returned for a small bench role. But that was before Jones who is supposed to be really good?
Francis was our #1 priority to retain so he'll be on the court.

RRRRUUUU said:

would powers or Davis be playing significant minutes on a non bottom quartile big ten team? How much would mark play?

Credit Pike for upgrading the talent more than expected when he retained these guys. as he said when he first got here, you play the best, and be fair to the rest. In this scenario, the only players from last year that continue to play 20+ mins has to be Francis / Buchanan.

Click to expand...

That’s not really far to just assume the frosh stink. Lino is arguably ahead of where JY was after his frosh season at Texas. Let’s see what happens.

RRRRUUUU said:

would powers or Davis be playing significant minutes on a non bottom quartile big ten team? How much would mark play?

Credit Pike for upgrading the talent more than expected when he retained these guys. as he said when he first got here, you play the best, and be fair to the rest. In this scenario, the only players from last year that continue to play 20+ mins has to be Francis / Buchanan.

Click to expand...

I would love it if all the new players were so good that the only returning players that would play 20+ minutes were Francis and Buchanan. Certainly if Jones could play like Dylan Harper and Smith played like Cam Spencer and Sydnor played like Ace Bailey what a team it would be.

The reality is we don’t know if the players we brought in will be like Spencer and Francis or Derkack and Peter Kiss who only consistently excelled against lesser competition.

On paper, Durdak and Buca are a huge improvement over Ogbole, Dortch, and Fall. Center is the position, I’m most confident has improved.

On paper, Smith and Sydnor are better than Grant and Badalau. However, it wouldn’t shock me if both those players put up big numbers against weak competition, much like Peter Kiss and Chol did and likewise I wouldn’t be shocked if Smith and Sydnor struggle against Big Ten level defenders. I think they will do okay, but who knows.

On paper, Jones seems better than Zrno, however, again I don’t know how he will do against Big Ten competition.

As for the point guard position, I don’t see Mark or Davis going to the end of the bench and that position getting immediately handed over to someone who hasn’t done it. I am biased about this position because I appreciate how steady Davis is when pressed and I really enjoy watching the energy, speed and athleticism of Mark, especially in Big Ten play. Although a flashy basket by a speedster doesn’t count any more than any other 2 point shot, his style of play pressures the defense and results in a lot more free throws than an open jumper.

RUfan1977 said:

I would love it if all the new players were so good that the only returning players that would play 20+ minutes were Francis and Buchanan. Certainly if Jones could play like Dylan Harper and Smith played like Cam Spencer and Sydnor played like Ace Bailey what a team it would be.

The reality is we don’t know if the players we brought in will be like Spencer and Francis or Derkack and Peter Kiss who only consistently excelled against lesser competition.

On paper, Durdak and Buca are a huge improvement over Ogbole, Dortch, and Fall. Center is the position, I’m most confident has improved.

On paper, Smith and Sydnor are better than Grant and Badalau. However, it wouldn’t shock me if both those players put up big numbers against weak competition, much like Peter Kiss and Chol did and likewise I wouldn’t be shocked if Smith and Sydnor struggle against Big Ten level defenders. I think they will do okay, but who knows.

On paper, Jones seems better than Zrno, however, again I don’t know how he will do against Big Ten competition.

As for the point guard position, I don’t see Mark or Davis going to the end of the bench and that position getting immediately handed over to someone who hasn’t done it. I am biased about this position because I appreciate how steady Davis is when pressed and I really enjoy watching the energy, speed and athleticism of Mark, especially in Big Ten play. Although a flashy basket by a speedster doesn’t count any more than any other 2 point shot, his style of play pressures the defense and results in a lot more free throws than an open jumper.

Click to expand...

I mean, anything is possible, but the guys we are bringing in (Smith and Sydnor) are efficient scorers per their metrics. Peter Kiss as an incoming transfer was not at all. Dercack was also highly inefficent as a halfcourt player. He’s an excellent zone anticipator on defense and was recruited into a system where his skill set could be maximized. That coach does a great job recruiting kids for the system he runs. This skill almost single-handedly is why Jordan won defensive all conference player. He wasn’t the only one on the team good at it and the backcourt players who play there are trained to expect the steal and leak out for easy transition lay ups (him included). Jordan’s efficiency numbers on both sides were very much camouflaged by being good at these specific things. Props to that coach. His system works well in the NEC. But Jordan was and still is an inefficient halfcourt player. PJ Hayes would be a better comparison but his situation was different. We don’t really know how efficient he would’ve been as he barely
played because of his defense.

PSAL_Hoops said:

I mean, anything is possible, but the guys we are bringing in (Smith and Sydnor) are efficient scorers per their metrics. Peter Kiss as an incoming transfer was not at all. Dercack was also highly inefficent as a halfcourt player. He’s an excellent zone anticipator on defense and was recruiting into a system where his skill set could be maximized. That coach does a great job recruiting kids for the system he runs. This skill almost single-handedly is why Jordan won defensive all conference player. He wasn’t the only one on the team good at it and the backcourt players who play there are trained to expect the steal and leak out for easy transition lay ups (him included). Jordan’s efficiency numbers on both sides were very much camouflaged by being good at these specific things. Props to that coach. His system works well in the NEC. But Jordan was and still is an inefficient halfcourt player. PJ Hayes would be a better comparison but his situation was different. We don’t really know how efficient he would’ve been as he barely
played because of his defense.

Click to expand...

My point with Peter Kiss is that the level of competition you play against can make a difference. At Rutgers, Peter Kiss averaged 5.6 points per game while at Bryant he averaged more than 21 points per game and was a much more efficient player.

Players like Cam Spencer and Tariq Francis who improve so much that they are better playing against better competition are an anomaly, albeit a good one. Hope the players we got can compete against Big Ten players. Not everyone can.

I remember watching Gavin Griffiths play at the RAC when he was still in high school and he looked pretty darn impressive. I did wonder how he would do facing McConnell level defenders and as it turned out, not well.

NickRU714 said:

"The roster is much improved. The transfers really raise the talent level of the team."

"Oh we definitely have to play Mark, Davis and Buchannon big minutes though. Powers needs a role."

I was waiting for this thread and it didnt disappoint.

Mark may not have returned for a small bench role. But that was before Jones who is supposed to be really good?
Francis was our #1 priority to retain so he'll be on the court.

Click to expand...

This. Jones may be the best player on our roster. He played 36 mpg last season, he is not playing 18 minutes off the bench as I saw posted above. I expect Francis, Jones, Gurdak, Sydnor and Smith to lead the way in minutes played. Mark will probably be next, Buchanan will get his minutes and have a role, I know JMike will get some minutes based upon his experience, Pike’s trust in him, and the fact he improved last season, Buca gets minutes in his limited backup role. After that, I don’t see much minutes for anybody else, maybe Powers gets a small role with opportunities to increase based upon injuries and performance. Duarte is a total wildcard, no idea if he can play and will have a role or will just be a down the bench guy.

RUfan1977 said:

My point with Peter Kiss is that the level of competition you play against can make a difference. At Rutgers, Peter Kiss averaged 5.6 points per game while at Bryant he averaged more than 21 points per game and was a much more efficient player.

Players like Cam Spencer and Tariq Francis who improve so much that they are better playing against better competition are an anomaly, albeit a good one. Hope the players we got can compete against Big Ten players. Not everyone can.

I remember watching Gavin Griffiths play at the RAC when he was still in high school and he looked pretty darn impressive. I did wonder how he would do facing McConnell level defenders and as it turned out, not well.

Click to expand...

I get the point your trying to make, but I don’t think the correlation to competition really holds true in the examples you provided. Peter Kiss had one fluke season (like JY) with a good 3 point shooting percentage. He reverted to his poor efficiency as a senior at Bryant. I also think your conclusion that his “improvement” 2 years removed from his 5.6 ppg season at RU was not mostly a matter of development after 2 more years of college training is flawed. At RU, Kiss had what essentially amounted to 2 efficient games against low majors (his first two). In his other OOC games against low majors while playing at RU, Kiss was a horrific 7 for 35 from the field (Columbia, Maine, Fordham, Eastern Michigan, and BU). Even when you factor in his insane 11 for 13 start in the first 2 cupcakes, it’s not like his combined efficiency in all cupcakes while at RU was higher than his output against high majors (it was actually lower and similarly inefficent to his output as a frosh before transferring). GG is another example of someone who stunk at RU against low majors just as much as against high majors. Again, I don’t see how you attribute improvement mostly to change in competition level on this basis (especially when Kiss’ starting point upon arriving at RU was low efficiency).

I’ll add here - it tends to be a lot harder to predict how big men will transition efficiency wise than shooters. Not so much the rebounding, but in terms of finishing in the post and contesting shots. Agee was able to be productive as a scorer at times in the MWC but was completely useless down low at RU against bigger more physical players. 3 point shooting tends to translate better. An open shot is still an open shot. Having said this - our targeting strategy in the portal seems sound on paper. We didn’t go out and spend a bunch of money on a midmajor Big who could turn out like Agee.

The frontcourt defense, is a whole different story and a big concern IMO. Darin Smith is not a good defender. Sydnor was solid on D 2 years ago in the MAAC but how will he stack up against bigger, more physical, players? Gurdack wasn’t a plus defender at VTech - he was average at best. Buca comes in with the best defensive metrics of the bunch by far and he’s not projected to play that much. Last year, frontcourt D was one of our biggest Achilles heels and it’s hard to argue we’ve upgraded it IMO with anyone other than our deep reserve in Buca. Grant and Denis are no loss but Ogbole, Dortch, Nwuli were better defensive players than Gurdack, Sydnor and Smith project to be on paper.

RAC93 said:

This. Jones may be the best player on our roster. He played 36 mpg last season, he is not playing 18 minutes off the bench as I saw posted above. I expect Francis, Jones, Gurdak, Sydnor and Smith to lead the way in minutes played. Mark will probably be next, Buchanan will get his minutes and have a role, I know JMike will get some minutes based upon his experience, Pike’s trust in him, and the fact he improved last season, Buca gets minutes in his limited backup role. After that, I don’t see much minutes for anybody else, maybe Powers gets a small role with opportunities to increase based upon injuries and performance. Duarte is a total wildcard, no idea if he can play and will have a role or will just be a down the bench guy.

Click to expand...

Wish I had your confidence that all the new players could effortlessly move up in the level of competition or into new roles. I’m most confident at the center position, especially with Gurdak who played in the ACC. The others are making a pretty big jump.

Pikiel did Francis no favors when he had him play the point guard position against Seton Hall. I don’t believe after that debacle he played it again all season. If he plays it again, Big Ten coaches will likely test him by pressing the heck out of him until he shows he can handle it and not be so worn out by it that he is ineffective offensively.

As for the transfers, my question is simply how will they do against McConnell level defenders night in and night out in the Big Ten. The next question is will they be able to defend against Big Ten level talent. Smith will need to take defense a lot more seriously because he hasn’t been a good defender. As a freshman, Sydnor looked like he needed to add a lot of muscle to play the 4 at the Big Ten level, but could likely play the 3.

With respect to your comment about Jones, there is a lot to like about Jones including his size at guard, his respectable 3 point shooting and his assists. Hopefully, he can handle the transition to the Big Ten and adapts well to Pikiel’s system and fits well within the team chemistry. None of that is a given.

If the transfers can excel like Francis or Cam Spencer did when they moved up to Big Ten level competition, that would be great and they will deserve all the minutes they get. If they aren’t clearly better in practice, we will likely see minutes go to Buchanan, Francis, Mark and Davis (off the bench) because they are familiar with what Pikiel wants and then as the season goes on other players will play more.

At least, at the beginning of the year, I would expect Pikiel to start Gurdak, Buchanan, Francis, Mark and either Sydnor, Smith or Jones. Might not be what you want, but Pikiel is the coach and with the exception of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, no new player is automatically going to get minutes.

NickRU714 said:

"The roster is much improved. The transfers really raise the talent level of the team."

"Oh we definitely have to play Mark, Davis and Buchannon big minutes though. Powers needs a role."

I was waiting for this thread and it didnt disappoint.

Mark may not have returned for a small bench role. But that was before Jones who is supposed to be really good?
Francis was our #1 priority to retain so he'll be on the court.

Click to expand...

Think the overall talent level of many of the transfers is being overblown. Off season optimism. The best part about most of the guys is we know they could perform decently, and mostly efficiently at a lower level. All also have questions and the answers to those are never all positive.

seansherm said:

Think the overall talent level of many of the transfers is being overblown. Off season optimism. The best part about most of the guys is we know they could perform decently, and mostly efficiently at a lower level. All also have questions and the answers to those are never all positive.

Click to expand...

As is stands, I could see winning 3 more games. Best case senario: Moving up to the lower middle ( 9th -12th) of the B1G. That would be bubble for the field of 76. We need some surprises and maybe another shoe to drop to do more than that.

BillyC80 said:

I’ll be surprised if Powers plays less than 10 minutes, after he showed a lot of promise as a freshman, stayed loyal, and came back.

I also don’t think we need Buchanan to play the 5-spot at all.

Click to expand...

Before the Jones signing I would have agreed with you, but not after.

RAC93 said:

This. Jones may be the best player on our roster. He played 36 mpg last season, he is not playing 18 minutes off the bench as I saw posted above. I expect Francis, Jones, Gurdak, Sydnor and Smith to lead the way in minutes played. Mark will probably be next, Buchanan will get his minutes and have a role, I know JMike will get some minutes based upon his experience, Pike’s trust in him, and the fact he improved last season, Buca gets minutes in his limited backup role. After that, I don’t see much minutes for anybody else, maybe Powers gets a small role with opportunities to increase based upon injuries and performance. Duarte is a total wildcard, no idea if he can play and will have a role or will just be a down the bench guy.

Click to expand...

Mostly agree, but I would l slide Mark into that first group. As someone mentioned o could see a three guard look with Francis, Mark and Jones on the court together.

NightKnight said:

As is stands, I could see winning 3 more games. Best case senario: Moving up to the lower middle ( 9th -12th) of the B1G. That would be bubble for the field of 76. We need some surprises and maybe another shoe to drop to do more than that.

Click to expand...

I've already forgotten how many they won TY, what were they 14-20? Not sure 17 gets them on a bubble even w 76 teams, would really depend on the make up of the wins.

It will be a much older team than the last two, that's a plus. The center position has been upgraded a bit. Syndor is a little longer than Grant and should be a better defender, but needs to do it at this level. I'm interested to see this comparison. Smith should score double figures but has looked terrible defensively. Don't know what to make of Jones. Hasn't shot 40% overall yet, but at least knocks down three's at an average rate and maybe his defense is a plus over Powers who was bad. I expect Lino to show some improvement. How this translates to wins, I can't say yet.

NBKnight said:

Before the Jones signing I would have agreed with you, but not after.

Click to expand...

Apparently Jones played very well in the only game against a high major team and his stats suggest he was really good at the level he played at. We won’t really know how good he is until we play in the Crown and against Big Ten opponents. Hope you are right.

RRRRUUUU said:

My best guess (mins at position in parenthesis)

1. Francis (25), Mark (15)
2. Jones (30), Francis (5), Davis (5)
3. Smith (25), Buchanan (8), Sydnor (7)
4. Sydnor (25), Buchanan (15)
5. Gurdak (25), Buca (10), Buchanan (5)

total

1. Sydnor 32
2. Francis 30
3. Jones 30
4. Buchanan 28
5. Smith 25
6. Gurdak 25
7. Mark 15
8. Buca 10
9. Davis 5

Not core rotation unless injuries/ foul trouble
Ware, powers, Duarte, wooten

Click to expand...

So the team captain is only going to play 5 mpg? Not a fr765ing chance.

RU Jeep said:

Keeping it simple

1. Mark (25), Davis (15)
2. Francis (28), Powers (10), Wooten (min)
3. Jones (25) Smith (16)
4. Sydnor (20) Buchanan (20-22)
5. Gurdak (27), Buca (12), Ware (0-2)

Click to expand...

I doubt Ware even plays unless we're up 40, otherwise pretty accurate. I know I'm alone here, but I would reverse Mark and Davis. I still don't see this great improvement everyone sees in Mark. He might have been our worst player on the court at the end vs. Creighton. Davis was clearly our best that night.

Jerseylegends said:

I saw an article that predicted a starting lineup of Mark, Francis, Jones, Smith, Gurdak. We will see though..

Click to expand...

Some dummy wrote that Smith would play the 4 ahead of Sydnor and Buchanan?

Bob Chaewsky_rivals said:

Some dummy wrote that Smith would play the 4 ahead of Sydnor and Buchanan?

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Idk the rules of engagement here but it was on the 24/7 Rutgers site.https://247sports.com/college/rutge...2026-27-breaking-down-the-new-look-286587976/

Jerseylegends said:

Idk the rules of engagement here but it was on the 24/7 Rutgers site.https://247sports.com/college/rutge...2026-27-breaking-down-the-new-look-286587976/

Click to expand...

They lost Lino as the SG ! An obvious accident but hard to take them serious with that mistake

RUDivision said:

They lost Lino as the SG ! An obvious accident but hard to take them serious with that mistake

Click to expand...

Poor editing on one of the headings lists Lino as a SG, but the article describes him as a true point guard.

With 3 guards and Smith and Gurdak, if the other team has a more traditional 4, Smith will likely be overmatched defending while the other team’s 4 might be unable to keep up with Smith. This lineup might be quite good offensively, but defense and rebounding would likely be an issue.

Bob Chaewsky_rivals said:

I doubt Ware even plays unless we're up 40, otherwise pretty accurate. I know I'm alone here, but I would reverse Mark and Davis. I still don't see this great improvement everyone sees in Mark. He might have been our worst player on the court at the end vs. Creighton. Davis was clearly our best that night.

Click to expand...

He was in double figures eight of the last eleven games.

Bob Chaewsky_rivals said:

I doubt Ware even plays unless we're up 40, otherwise pretty accurate. I know I'm alone here, but I would reverse Mark and Davis. I still don't see this great improvement everyone sees in Mark. He might have been our worst player on the court at the end vs. Creighton. Davis was clearly our best that night.

Click to expand...

Tariq was probably worse than Lino in that game. He was definitely impacted by the turned ankle. I actually believe the game would’ve gone a lot differently if not for that. Tariq missed shots he almost always makes. Hes not the world’s greatest defender but he was noticeably slower in that game.

seansherm said:

Think the overall talent level of many of the transfers is being overblown. Off season optimism. The best part about most of the guys is we know they could perform decently, and mostly efficiently at a lower level. All also have questions and the answers to those are never all positive.

Click to expand...

I think your misinterpretting the “hype”. It isn’t that we landed a collection of slam dunk incoming transfers (no star mid major player or competent role player from a high major is ever a guarantee). Everyone knows that.

The pleasant surprise is that we landed so many transfers (5 of them) that fall into one of these 2 categories while also retaining arguably the 5 players Pike saw as having the most potential from our previous roster. Of course all 5 transfers won’t pan out to be superstars, and all 5 returning players won’t take major development steps on the offseason. But we don’t need to go 10 for 10 to have a decent team. And this is takkng it as a given that Ware, Wooten and Duarte are long shots to contribute.

Compare this to where we were last offseason and it’s night and day. We returned Ogbole coming off injury, Grant who everyone propped us as our future star without real data to support it (mostly because of lack of other options), and a 2 year reserve PG in J Mike. 3 players. And none of them more than role player experience. And our portal haul resulted in a grand total of 2 prove players at the midmajor level. Both of them (Buchanan and Tariq) panned out well but we needed more than just a home run from Tariq and a solid Buchanan to be above average. We needed Grant to have panned out as a stud, and some of the true frosh / Euro frosh feelers to shock the world too.

Our situation is not close to what it was last offseason and at this point, that alone is something to be excited about.