Carino Article

[MCKnight]

Worrisome quote from Coach for those of us who wish to play a tougher non conf schedule….

In reference to this season

In retrospect, Pikiell said, the upheaval combined with an upgraded non-conference schedule was unfortunate timing.

"I know people think that’s a great thing, but if we scheduled differently, we may have 15 wins right now and people would be talking about us being bubble team," he said.



15 wins would mean elimination of Miss St and Princeton neutral games and instead more Stonehill types…. Don’t think he understands that those 2 or 3 extra wins wouldn’t move the needle to a bubble team at all

 

[RUChoppin]

I think this was more an indication that Princeton will not be on future schedules.

 

[NBKnight]

Worrisome quote from Coach for those of us who wish to play a tougher non conf schedule….

In reference to this season

In retrospect, Pikiell said, the upheaval combined with an upgraded non-conference schedule was unfortunate timing.

"I know people think that’s a great thing, but if we scheduled differently, we may have 15 wins right now and people would be talking about us being bubble team," he said.



15 wins would mean elimination of Miss St and Princeton neutral games and instead more Stonehill types…. Don’t think he understands that those 2 or 3 extra wins wouldn’t move the needle to a bubble team at all

There are a lot of options other than Stonehill types. Wins are good, last season with a weak OOC, our NET was in the 20’s before stumbling after the Mag injury.

 

[RUtrumpet92_rivals498139]

Uhhh... if we replaced Princeton, Wake Forest, and Mississippi State with three cupcakes and were 15-7, but our only respected nonconference opponent was Seton Hall, I don't think that would have done much for bubble talk. Someone would still see us at 4-7 in conference and figure that we just hadn't played anyone outside the B1G.

This year's schedule was fine. The problem was our team was not ready for the moment, particularly without Jeremiah cleared to play and Mag missing the first month. If both played against Princeton, we win that game and we are 13-9. Add in a Penn State home win to be 14-8 (5-6) and that's bubble territory.

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas - or a happy Selection Sunday.

 

[MCKnight]

Agree this years schedule was fine. But worry that he values quantity of wins over quality of wins. Think he prefers improving/manipulating the net with the potential home blow out scores against q3 q4 teams like they did last year.

End of season records of 21-10 and 18-13 are not created equal. 18-13 can def get the bid over 21-10 if they have the quality of wins

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

What is the current probability of making the NCAAs now?
1%

What would our probabilities be with 3 cupcakes and a 15-7 record?
20+%

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We have fans certain we will have a good team and at same time say we need a better schedule so the commitee doesn't screw us.

If we are that good next year we will be 10-1 12-8 with cupcakes and be 22-9 and not have any post season concerns

 

[Local Shill]

I like the coach as much as the next guy but trying to present a non-conference schedule now ranked 284th as super rigorous is more spin.

Wake is pretty good but Mississippi State is mediocre and Steve wants to make it sound like he scheduled Kansas and North Carolina.

 

[wheezer]

I think this was more an indication that Princeton will not be on future schedules.

RU should be able to beat Princeton pretty much every time we play
The fact that we lost was an indication that we were just bad right then, not that Princeton was good

Since playing them, Princeton has lost to Yale, Cornell
St Joes, and beat Furman by one PT

We have lost a number of early season games that we should have won, U mass etc over recent years
Stone hill was an absurd close call this year

So the indication is that we are not good early year after year, but that should change

 

[BillyC80]

From what I’ve read on these boards, beating a cupcake by a big margin can be (Stonehill be damned) fruitful for your NET.

So maybe Pike, in looking ahead, is just thinking about gaming the system, while building a winning record and his team’s confidence, which I have no problem with.

Besides, there’s no escaping the BIG slate of 20 games every year, so it’s never a cakewalk.

 

[bac2therac]

Worrisome quote from Coach for those of us who wish to play a tougher non conf schedule….

In reference to this season

In retrospect, Pikiell said, the upheaval combined with an upgraded non-conference schedule was unfortunate timing.

"I know people think that’s a great thing, but if we scheduled differently, we may have 15 wins right now and people would be talking about us being bubble team," he said.



15 wins would mean elimination of Miss St and Princeton neutral games and instead more Stonehill types…. Don’t think he understands that those 2 or 3 extra wins wouldn’t move the needle to a bubble team at all

its complete bs from Pike. Had RU scheduled St Francis and Quinnipiac instead of Mississippi State and Princeton, it would be 14-8 with a NET not much better than it is now..maybe 88. Meanwhile the non conference sos which is 158ish right now which is solid enough would be 250-300.

Ru would still be a woeful 1-7 in Q1 and 8 of its wins would be coming from Q4 so now RU would not really be a bubble team

 

[ru66]

Try reading the article-- it makes perfect sense and gives Pike's analysis of the team's problems this year. By the way he does say that both Cam and Paul said they were returning and then reneged. He didn't run anyone off.

 

[bac2therac]

I like the coach as much as the next guy but trying to present a non-conference schedule now ranked 284th as super rigorous is more spin.

Wake is pretty good but Mississippi State is mediocre and Steve wants to make it sound like he scheduled Kansas and North Carolina.

I believe its 158 according to the net but I agree with your point anyhow

to actually say we shouldnt have played Miss St/Princeton is comical by Steve

 

[bitnez]

I’d rather avoid the cupcakes and the mid-level P5 teams. Just go ahead and play schools like Houston, Duke and Kansas OOC. Even if you lose all 3 it won’t hurt your NET. And if you win any of them it’s a huge bump on resume.

Mich St does this every year and haven’t been winning too many marquee games OOC. The last 3 years they won 9, 11 and 11 league games and still got in every year. Point: play a tough schedule and go .500 in league and you’re in even if you lose big OOC games.

 

[bac2therac]

NEWSFLASH...THIS TEAM BEAT STONEHILL BY ONE POINT A TEAM RANKED 357

THEY ALSO STRUGGLED TO PUT AWAY LONG ISLAND RANKED 353

PIKE SCHEDULED TWO OF THE TEN WORST SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY

SCHEDULING AND STRUGGLING WITH THEM IS THE REASON WHY THE NET IS 99.....NOT SCHEDULING PRINCETON AND MISSISSIPPI STATE

 

[bac2therac]

We have fans certain we will have a good team and at same time say we need a better schedule so the commitee doesn't screw us.

If we are that good next year we will be 10-1 12-8 with cupcakes and be 22-9 and not have any post season concerns

good then we will be a 10 seed with 2 nba lottery picks..way to shoot high

 

[RUsojo]

He wanted to go into this season with Paul starting after what happened last year? No preference for an alternative plan or proactively upgrading?

 

[bac2therac]

Are people forgetting that Rutgers lost to Penn State at home by 16

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

good then we will be a 10 seed with 2 nba lottery picks..way to shoot high

1. It is doubtful we will have 2 lottery picks
2. A 10 seed is fine
3. Making the NCAAs with a bunch of freshman, iregardless of talent, would be impressive

EDIT Didn't realize there were 14 lottery picks...50/50 at best though

 

[bac2therac]

What is the current probability of making the NCAAs now?
1%

What would our probabilities be with 3 cupcakes and a 15-7 record?
20+%

yeah such a ncaa resume

take away Princeton, Mississippi State, Wake for 3 Quad 4 games (no guarantee that all are wins actually so there is your first fallacy)

15-7

Quad 1: 1-6
Quad 2: 3-0
Quad 3: 2-1
Quad 4: 9-0

NET likely still to be plus 80
non conference sos probably 300 plus which is a non starter

a resume consisting over 2 win over bubbles Nebraska and Seton Hall...thats it folks

 

[bac2therac]

1. It is doubtful we will have 2 lottery picks
2. A 10 seed is fine
3. Making the NCAAs with a bunch of freshman, iregardless of talent, would be impressive

making the ncaa with Ace/Dylan isnt impressive its the baseline

 

[PhillyRU]

1. It is doubtful we will have 2 lottery picks
2. A 10 seed is fine
3. Making the NCAAs with a bunch of freshman, iregardless of talent, would be impressive

EDIT Didn't realize there were 14 lottery picks...50/50 at best though

If Ace or Dylan isn’t a lottery pick RU will never get a five-star recruit ever again

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

yeah such a ncaa resume

take away Princeton, Mississippi State, Wake for 3 Quad 4 games (no guarantee that all are wins actually so there is your first fallacy)

15-7

Quad 1: 1-6
Quad 2: 3-0
Quad 3: 2-1
Quad 4: 9-0

NET likely still to be plus 80
non conference sos probably 300 plus which is a non starter

a resume consisting over 2 win over bubbles Nebraska and Seton Hall...thats it folks

NET would be the same as it is now unless we throttle the cupcakes. the resume would be crap, but we would have the opportunity to be successful with wins in feb. Now if we are successful in Feb it doesnt matter because we are in a huge hole.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

making the ncaa with Ace/Dylan isnt impressive its the baseline

Expectations are way high then

 

[ru66]

I believe its 158 according to the net but

I believe its 158 according to the net but I agree with your point anyhow

to actually say we shouldnt have played Miss St/Princeton is comical by Steve

And you say you don't attack coaches-- what BS. He was simply explaining that, in retrospect , with all that transpired with the late transfers and the injuries ,the reshuffling of the lineups the " timing" of the schedule hurt this team's record. As I said fans should read the article themselves. He wasn't advocating not playing a certain schedule but why this year so far was a struggle.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

If Ace or Dylan isn’t a lottery pick RU will never get a five-star recruit ever again

7 freshman last year were lottery picks.
2nd was #17
6th was #20
8th was #12
10th was #8
11 th was #46
12th was #3
13th was #28

 

[bac2therac]

NET would be the same as it is now unless we throttle the cupcakes. the resume would be crap, but we would have the opportunity to be successful with wins in feb. Now if we are successful in Feb it doesnt matter because we are in a huge hole.

7-2 puts us on the bubble in either scenerio

 

[bac2therac]

Expectations are way high then

making the ncaa in year 9 with #2/3 recruits is not a high expectation

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I know it is early and https://nbadraftroom.com/p/2024-nba-mock-draft/ isn't the end all

1st was #7
6th was #10
7th was #15
11th was #13
13th was #28

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

making the ncaa in year 9 with #2/3 recruits is not a high expectation

OK

 

[bac2therac]

And you say you don't attack coaches-- what BS. He was simply explaining that, in retrospect , with all that transpired with the late transfers and the injuries ,the reshuffling of the lineups the " timing" of the schedule hurt this team's record. As I said fans should read the article themselves. He wasn't advocating not playing a certain schedule but why this year so far was a struggle.

since you want to argue..here is what he said

"I know people think that’s a great thing, but if we scheduled differently, we may have 15 wins right now and people would be talking about us being bubble team," he said.

In reality 15-7/12-10 would not really change the thinking on this team and ive shown you with evidence that it would not substantially change its NCAA chances which pretty much rest with going 7-2 the rest of the way.

 

[RUChoppin]

its complete bs from Pike. Had RU scheduled St Francis and Quinnipiac instead of Mississippi State and Princeton, it would be 14-8 with a NET not much better than it is now..maybe 88. Meanwhile the non conference sos which is 158ish right now which is solid enough would be 250-300.

Ru would still be a woeful 1-7 in Q1 and 8 of its wins would be coming from Q4 so now RU would not really be a bubble team

Not necessarily. NET is weird. We are Princeton's best win, but they have a solid NET of 52.

But it's a matter of winning those lower-tier games convincingly... and I don't know if we would have.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

7-2 puts us on the bubble in either scenerio

21-11 would not have us on the bubble. Our overall SOS would still be good/OK.

 

[bac2therac]

Not necessarily. NET is weird. We are Princeton's best win, but they have a solid NET of 52.

But it's a matter of winning those lower-tier games convincingly... and I don't know if we would have.

considering we struggled with both liu and stonehill I would have said we beat 2 cupcakes pretty good and then have a struggle or maybe a loss with another

 

[bac2therac]

21-11 would not have us on the bubble. Our overall SOS would still be good/OK.

21-11 assuming you are giving a first round big 10 loss since you have 32 games would have RU 10-10 in the Big 10 would be really bubblicious with a lack of major win...at SHU, Nebby both bubbles themselves and Wisky/NW...pretty lean plus non conference 300 plus, 9 wins in Quad 4,,,red flags everywhere

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

NEWSFLASH...THIS TEAM BEAT STONEHILL BY ONE POINT A TEAM RANKED 357

THEY ALSO STRUGGLED TO PUT AWAY LONG ISLAND RANKED 353

PIKE SCHEDULED TWO OF THE TEN WORST SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY

SCHEDULING AND STRUGGLING WITH THEM IS THE REASON WHY THE NET IS 99.....NOT SCHEDULING PRINCETON AND MISSISSIPPI STATE

Exactly. But to be fair, the replacement didn’t need to be LIU or Stonehill. It seems we put very little effort into trying to avoid 300 types which is what bothers me most.

I can’t stand the neutral games against mid majors so if the underlying message here is no more Trenton games vs Princeton I’m ok with that. I don’t want to play any mid major on a neutral floor unless it’s in a tourney - not Temple. Not St Bonnies. Not Fordham. Not anyone. Slightly better that Princeton is a local rival but I have no problem avoiding that game. Heck - I don’t think we’ve won one of those games yet under Pike. By all counts our track record vs. the Stephen F Austin / UMass Lowell types at the RAC much better.

Also - if we beat a team like say Liberty at home instead of losing to Princeton we actually would be in better position even if not much NET movement. Another Q3 win, one less Q2 loss and one less overall loss on the loss count.

 

[RUtrumpet92_rivals498139]

I know it is early and https://nbadraftroom.com/p/2024-nba-mock-draft/ isn't the end all

1st was #7
6th was #10
7th was #15
11th was #13
13th was #28

It is way way early for this, too - but the nba draft room link 2025 has Bailey as the #2 pick (comparison: Tracy McGrady) and #3 pick as Dylan Harper (comparison - James Harden).

If that Harden comp holds, then maybe FIG has a point about Dylan needing to learn how to play defense!

 

[ru66]

since you want to argue..here is what he said

"I know people think that’s a great thing, but if we scheduled differently, we may have 15 wins right now and people would be talking about us being bubble team," he said.

In reality 15-7/12-10 would not really change the thinking on this team and ive shown you with evidence that it would not substantially change its NCAA chances which pretty much rest with going 7-2 the rest of the way.

Conveniently leaving out what he said before that statement-- typical BS from you. Did you learn that tactic from the "fake" media you often speak of?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

21-11 assuming you are giving a first round big 10 loss since you have 32 games would have RU 10-10 in the Big 10 would be really bubblicious with a lack of major win...at SHU, Nebby both bubbles themselves and Wisky/NW...pretty lean plus non conference 300 plus, 9 wins in Quad 4,,,red flags everywhere

I didn't put any thought in to it.

I stick with my general premise.....if you are going to be bad in November, better in December, gelling in January and peaking in February you don't schedule tough games when you are bad

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

It is way way early for this, too - but the nba draft room link 2025 has Bailey as the #2 pick (comparison: Tracy McGrady) and #3 pick as Dylan Harper (comparison - James Harden).

If that Harden comp holds, then maybe FIG has a point about Dylan needing to learn how to play defense!

I'll bet it looked like that at this point last year with the 2023 recruiting class.