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MCKnight

All-Conference
Oct 25, 2012
2,229
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Will be vs a MAAC team, per Tweet by RU72, earlier today, adding to our non conference schedule.

MAAC (will guess Sacred Heart, so Coach can meet his son who will be a freshman there) but Merrimack St Peter’s or Rider also makes sense
American
Maine
Penn
Lehigh
At Seton Hall
3 in Vegas

2 more home cupcakes to add
 
R

ruhoopshq

All-Conference
Jan 28, 2023
812
1,393
93
Home Openers Under Pikiell

11/11/16 - vs Molloy (D2), W 86-57
11/10/17 - vs CCNY (D3), W 94-38
11/9/18 - vs FDU, W 90-55
11/7/19 - vs Bryant, W 73-71
11/25/20 - vs Sacred Heart, W 86-63
11/10/21 - vs Lehigh, W 73-70 (OT)
11/7/22 - vs Columbia, W 75-35
11/10/23 - vs Boston U, W 69-45
11/6/24 - vs Wagner, W 75-52
11/?/25 - vs MAAC Opponent, ???
 
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R

ruhoopshq

All-Conference
Jan 28, 2023
812
1,393
93
MCKnight2004 said:
Will be vs a MAAC team, per Tweet by RU72, earlier today, adding to our non conference schedule.

MAAC (will guess Sacred Heart, so Coach can meet his son who will be a freshman there) but Merrimack St Peter’s or Rider also makes sense
American
Maine
Penn
Lehigh
At Seton Hall
3 in Vegas

2 more home cupcakes to add
Click to expand...
Likely local or regional from the NEC, Patriot, etc.

Pretty much what we expected when I stated this months ago

Pikiell is going to have to schedule low-level opponents in order to find wins because we're really looking at a 10-11 win season

Wouldn't be surprised if Rutgers goes 0-3 in Vegas, possibly loses to Penn at home and struggles mightily in its home opener like they did in 2019 and 2021
 
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R

rubigtimenow

All-Conference
Mar 4, 2015
2,257
2,915
0
The sky is falling!
If I’ve learned anything from following sports for many decades, it’s that when popular opinion says something will happen, it’s often doesn’t.
Go back to Pike’s 1st and 2nd year, even those teams were fun to watch and easy to cheer on. I believe 2025-2026 version will at least get back to that, and along the way we finish slightly higher than people predict.
 
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R

ruhoopshq

All-Conference
Jan 28, 2023
812
1,393
93
rubigtimenow said:
The sky is falling!
If I’ve learned anything from following sports for many decades, it’s that when popular opinion says something will happen, it’s often doesn’t.
Go back to Pike’s 1st and 2nd year, even those teams were fun to watch and easy to cheer on. I believe 2025-2026 version will at least get back to that, and along the way we finish slightly higher than people predict.
Click to expand...
Sure, easy to cheer for but it's back to missing layups and three-pointers. I'll give those guys credit for hustling their asses off and working hard, but it's maddening how D1 prospects and recruits smoked so many layups and bricked so many three's. Folks tell me that it's back to the defensive meat grinders this year, but let's be honest, if you truly want to watch low scoring ****** games, then just go watch Metuchen or JP Stevens HS basketball.

The rosters he put together in his first two years are probably better than this year's roster. Rutgers also went a combined 6-30 in the Big Ten during Pikiell's first two years. I'm not sure how much fun fans are going to have watching a team that is probably going to finish 3-4 wins total in the Big Ten (maybe 6-7 games in the Big Ten at most).

Too many question marks on this team.

I mean I hope I'm really wrong and this team somehow produces a winning record, but anything short of the NCAA Tournament is another failed season under Pikiell. The goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. All of those consolation postseason tournaments don't matter anymore.
 
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ruhoopshq

All-Conference
Jan 28, 2023
812
1,393
93
$300k prize for the whole team, sure it was probably split all around, are those really hefty checks?

I mean money is better than no money but let's be real, nobody gave a **** about The Crown

It was a cash grab for FOX Sports
 
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R

RutgersClassof2004

All-Conference
Feb 23, 2020
3,407
3,220
113
rubigtimenow said:
The sky is falling!
If I’ve learned anything from following sports for many decades, it’s that when popular opinion says something will happen, it’s often doesn’t.
Go back to Pike’s 1st and 2nd year, even those teams were fun to watch and easy to cheer on. I believe 2025-2026 version will at least get back to that, and along the way we finish slightly higher than people predict.
Click to expand...
Where do you see the points coming from? Backcourt is a mess. We have 3 pint sized PGs, one of whom is freshman, one of whom is coming from NJIT as a family favor, and the other, a guy who most fans wish hit the portal a year or two back.
 
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RAC’emUp

All-Conference
Jul 20, 2011
2,189
2,535
57
RutgersClassof2004 said:
Where do you see the points coming from? Backcourt is a mess. We have 3 pint sized PGs, one of whom is freshman, one of whom is coming from NJIT as a family favor, and the other, a guy who most fans wish hit the portal a year or two back.
Click to expand...
Do we even have a single 2 guard? Supposedly the one European guy but is he quick enough? Who is his backup? I think Pike got smoked by Greg when it came to revenue distribution.
 
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L

Local Shill

All-American
Aug 30, 2001
21,496
7,302
113
rubigtimenow said:
The sky is falling!
If I’ve learned anything from following sports for many decades, it’s that when popular opinion says something will happen, it’s often doesn’t.
Go back to Pike’s 1st and 2nd year, even those teams were fun to watch and easy to cheer on. I believe 2025-2026 version will at least get back to that, and along the way we finish slightly higher than people predict.
Click to expand...
So when we get picked for 16th and finish 14th you'll consider the season a success? Barring a miracle, we're looking at a 4th straight season without an NCAA bid. Not remotely acceptable.
 
R

rubigtimenow

All-Conference
Mar 4, 2015
2,257
2,915
0
Well, it’s entertainment first of all.
Last years team was painful to watch, even when they won.
The year before that, not so much fun to watch, especially the 2nd half.
I will be very excited if the team is easy to root for, fun to watch, and competitive in most games, even if we finish 14th.
Pike’s early teams at least gave us that and I’m hoping for it (but not expecting it) this coming season.

Also, until the University supports the basketball and football teams like the top 40 programs do, I’m not going to call the season a failure when we don’t finish in the top 40 (top 40 is needed to make the Big Dance).
 
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C

coldsprings_rivals

Junior
Nov 29, 2011
384
377
0
rubigtimenow said:
The sky is falling!
If I’ve learned anything from following sports for many decades, it’s that when popular opinion says something will happen, it’s often doesn’t.
Go back to Pike’s 1st and 2nd year, even those teams were fun to watch and easy to cheer on. I believe 2025-2026 version will at least get back to that, and along the way we finish slightly higher than people predict.
Click to expand...
Fun to watch occurs when the team has a culture that drives behavior. Fun to watch is when the team plays at a higher level than the individual parts.

Building a culture is hard when the roster turns over each year and talent is far below the league average.
 
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