Huge win

[bac2therac]

What a rollcoaster 8 days.....play great D against Wisky but blow 9 point lead and lose in OT, then team couldn't recover and mailed in an embarrassing 20 point loss to Iowa, then we go on the road to Penn State a team who beat RU easily at the RAC and RU dominates for 35 minutes and lets the last 5 minutes get interesting but still pulls out the road win.

Program was resilient today after the Iowa debacle. Players were resilient at the end of game finally pulling one out and learning to win with a lead. Coaching staff was resilient today getting the kids to pick themselves off the floor and then to calm them down in the last minute to put them in position to secure the victory. Sure it wasnt pretty and sure it made the fans nervous but the fact is winning like this was a great test, much better than winning by double digits. RU got challenged and passed the test. Thats a huge step in learning how to win games

Monumental and historic win....first Big 10 road win EVER. This team seems to play better on the road. Only FIFTH Big 10 win ever....and second over Penn State. Time to celebrate...two conference wins on the season and reasonable chance for more with some winnable games ahead. Fans needed this win too because I could see alot of us were frustrated after the last two outings and getting down on the team. Winning matter even if we know we have a long slog ahead to get to any postseason. I gave this team and staff a pass for not being able to get up for the Iowa game because I thought it was a one shot deal.

And lost in all this was that RU dominated Penn State today all up and down the stat sheet. RU shot 46%...wow....7-16 from 3....yup its about shooting and scoring and RU finally had a day where they went in. What is stunning is they did it with only 6 players attempting shots. The loss of Nigel at least for today was a help offensively and defensively. Have to credit the players and staff for everyone buying into the game play today. Freeman, Sanders, Getty and Williams all were on the same page for the first time this year against a team with a pulse. Defensively PSU was largely shut down until they got hot at the end. First half they shut everyone down except for Garner. On the boards they cleaned up 39-27. Going to be a big confidence boost for this team going into a hot and cold Ohio State team that is young but vulnerable. Its a winnable game for sure if RU brings forth today's effort and strategy

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Mike Williams went 6 straight games without a 3.....was 0-12 prior to Wisconsin...but keeps rebounding, making defensive plays and in his last 3 games, he's 5-11 from 3 point land....more important than the 3's and defense, Mike had FIVE offensive rebounds today vs PSU....those are extra possessions....that's an insane number for a guard, but that's the difference in the last 3 games for him, he keeps playing, even when the shot isn't or hasn't been falling.

Sanders was 6-21 from 3 over first 10 B1G games.....went 4-5 today with all threes taken, with the defense playing the drive and playing him by going underneath the screens....he took what the defense gave him and knocked down 3's.....as long as the screener doesn't move and create offensive fouls, I expect to see a lot more of that against zone defenses.

I think Nigel has lost his starting spot for the rest of the year....Mike is the better two way player on both ends of the court and it showed today....Nigel can contribute as the first guard off the bench to give Corey a break at the point, but Mike needs to start and compliment the play of Sanders at the start of each half.

Game should have been extended to a larger lead, but the Ohio State test is now with nothing to lose....another team that isn't explosive, but surely capable of beating RU handily if they play well..... What will RU do with a dose of confidence and pressure off??? Today was a big win, with a special assist to Indiana....that triple OT game took a LOT out of PSU today.

 

[rubaseball78_rivals]

Mike Williams went 6 straight games without a 3.....was 0-12 prior to Wisconsin...but keeps rebounding, making defensive plays and in his last 3 games, he's 5-11 from 3 point land....more important than the 3's and defense, Mike had FIVE offensive rebounds today vs PSU....those are extra possessions....that's an insane number for a guard, but that's the difference in the last 3 games for him, he keeps playing, even when the shot isn't or hasn't been falling.

Sanders was 6-21 from 3 over first 10 B1G games.....went 4-5 today with all threes taken, with the defense playing the drive and playing him by going underneath the screens....he took what the defense gave him and knocked down 3's.....as long as the screener doesn't move and create offensive fouls, I expect to see a lot more of that against zone defenses.

I think Nigel has lost his starting spot for the rest of the year....Mike is the better two way player on both ends of the court and it showed today....Nigel can contribute as the first guard off the bench to give Corey a break at the point, but Mike needs to start and compliment the play of Sanders at the start of each half.

Game should have been extended to a larger lead, but the Ohio State test is now with nothing to lose....another team that isn't explosive, but surely capable of beating RU handily if they play well..... What will RU do with a dose of confidence and pressure off??? Today was a big win, with a special assist to Indiana....that triple OT game took a LOT out of PSU today.

Agree with Hawk on Williams starting over Johnson.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Mike Williams needs to play 30+ minutes a game. No excuse why not. Guy does everything well.

 

[RU MAN]

Yes, a great win, but I thought my head was going to explode as we nearly gave it away in the last 2:00 minutes. I'm really happy for the kids and the coaches. Oh, and we fans. We needed this one.

 

[G- RUnit]

Like Williams over Johnson too. Not shooting but merely to crash the boards.

 

[bac2therac]

Yes, a great win, but I thought my head was going to explode as we nearly gave it away in the last 2:00 minutes. I'm really happy for the kids and the coaches. Oh, and we fans. We needed this one.

I am totally okay with it because as bad as it looks they still hung on a won, thats passing the test. Almost better it happened that way then just winning by 10

 

[bac2therac]

Yeah Hawk, agree about Mike starting. Nigel I think when he comes back may be reigned in somewhat. While he certainly is a key cog for our offense, he also push things too much which ends up hurting us defensively

and your point about OSU I agree with...nothing to lose game there, no pressure at all, all the pressure on OSU, must win for them, not for RU

 

[RU MAN]

I am totally okay with it because as bad as it looks they still hung on a won, thats passing the test. Almost better it happened that way then just winning by 10

Which you would agree, we probably should have because PSU was really bad today until the last 3 minutes of the game.

 

[RURM85]

Really good win today! We are who we are. Good rebounding, defense, hustle, attitude and play hard. Bad free throws, too many turnovers and offensively challenged, especially from 3 points land.

Every win is important and they'll be of the scraping nature. Loved the games today of Sanders, Freeman, Williams and Gettys. Thought that Sa off the bench gave us some good glass action in the 1st half. Kids deserved the win and should provide motivation going into Columbus.

 

[FastMJ]

The elevation of the coaching staff showed today. Played smarter and more in control.

I don't think Thiam is ready for prime time yet, He needs more practice against this level of competition.

 

[goru7]

What a rollcoaster 8 days.....play great D against Wisky but blow 9 point lead and lose in OT, then team couldn't recover and mailed in an embarrassing 20 point loss to Iowa, then we go on the road to Penn State a team who beat RU easily at the RAC and RU dominates for 35 minutes and lets the last 5 minutes get interesting but still pulls out the road win.

Program was resilient today after the Iowa debacle. Players were resilient at the end of game finally pulling one out and learning to win with a lead. Coaching staff was resilient today getting the kids to pick themselves off the floor and then to calm them down in the last minute to put them in position to secure the victory. Sure it wasnt pretty and sure it made the fans nervous but the fact is winning like this was a great test, much better than winning by double digits. RU got challenged and passed the test. Thats a huge step in learning how to win games

Monumental and historic win....first Big 10 road win EVER. This team seems to play better on the road. Only FIFTH Big 10 win ever....and second over Penn State. Time to celebrate...two conference wins on the season and reasonable chance for more with some winnable games ahead. Fans needed this win too because I could see alot of us were frustrated after the last two outings and getting down on the team. Winning matter even if we know we have a long slog ahead to get to any postseason. I gave this team and staff a pass for not being able to get up for the Iowa game because I thought it was a one shot deal.

And lost in all this was that RU dominated Penn State today all up and down the stat sheet. RU shot 46%...wow....7-16 from 3....yup its about shooting and scoring and RU finally had a day where they went in. What is stunning is they did it with only 6 players attempting shots. The loss of Nigel at least for today was a help offensively and defensively. Have to credit the players and staff for everyone buying into the game play today. Freeman, Sanders, Getty and Williams all were on the same page for the first time this year against a team with a pulse. Defensively PSU was largely shut down until they got hot at the end. First half they shut everyone down except for Garner. On the boards they cleaned up 39-27. Going to be a big confidence boost for this team going into a hot and cold Ohio State team that is young but vulnerable. Its a winnable game for sure if RU brings forth today's effort and strategy

Agree with almost your entire post. Getting the win was the only important thing. But I think winning on the road by double digits would give our team more confidence going forward. Winning like this puts more pressure on us to get 9-10 point leads with less than 4 to play because we find a way to blow late leads with 2 of our ,Achilles heels, foul shooting and turnovers. This team lacks confidence and a double digit road win would help.
All in all , great effort by our core guys , Corey, Mike and Deshawn . The turnovers and lack of IQ by CJ and Deshawn on that fast break and and one foul almost domed us. Unlike some of the recent comments about Nigel, we need him especially for his mid range shots that no one else hits. I also agree he should come off the bench as MIKE gets engaged quicker as a starter and deserves it with his being our number 1 hustling player, and to play point to give Corey a rest and be a scoring point.
Finally , we hit at least 6 threes in a game for only the second time other than first Wisconsin game and it resulted in a win and if we did it more we would have had 3 more wins. With our propensity for 15 plus turnovers a game and 50% foul shooting , we can overcome those deficits in our team ,if we hit 6 threes a game. Hope it continues. MIKE , Corey, Issa, and Nigel have to make it happen down the stretch

 

[rutger80]

Definitely a good win. Just have to cut down on the sloppy play. Maybe they turned a corner and will be more confident in closing out close games.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Bac and Hawk- All great points. Also, when Corey is knocking down his shot including from three-point land, we are a much tougher team. Williams needs to start for sure.

 

[higgins3]

The fan is on a general consensus here with Johnson.

Great player, but Mike has earned it.

Johnson elevates his game when he comes back. By elevating, better shot selection and less turnovers. I think he can do it.

Then he can be that kid he was earlier in the year. Spark plug-BAM.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

The fan is on a general consensus here with Johnson.

Great player, but Mike has earned it.

Johnson elevates his game when he comes back. By elevating, better shot selection and less turnovers. I think he can do it.

Then he can be that kid he was earlier in the year. Spark plug-BAM.

I think Nigel may need another game to get healthy....we will need him for sure....Dadika can probably be hidden for 6 minutes a night, but he refuses to take open looks given to him.....if he did, he can help this offense that is still starved for shooters,

 

[higgins3]

I think Nigel may need another game to get healthy....we will need him for sure....Dadika can probably be hidden for 6 minutes a night, but he refuses to take open looks given to him.....if he did, he can help this offense that is still starved for shooters,

For sure.


We definitely need Johnson. He is a great player. But, things have to clean up.

Dadika has rarely played. I am sure his nerves are on full blast. He still contributes, which is huge. Even when Johnson is back, I would think coach would still use Dadika.

 

[RutgHoops]

Really nice win today for the coaches, PLAYERS and fans.

If anyone is still wondering why we gave a 'ship to a game ready JuCo PG just rewatch that game.

 

[MadRU]

Also, see what happens when Freeman doesn't force things too deep inside. Two nice jump hooks and a fade away jumper. It's important for him to mix it up, go inside when it's there, but don't force it. The more the defense respects him 8-12 feet out, the more things will open going to the basket.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Really nice win today for the coaches, PLAYERS and fans.

If anyone is still wondering why we gave a 'ship to a game ready JuCo PG just rewatch that game.

Yes. 20 minutes in 2nd half for Corey. I don't blame pike either

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Win on National tv @ Pen St, yeah it was a good day.

If they didn't hand the Wisky game away..

 

[RU1-Newtown, Pa]

Historic and proud to have been at Bryce Jordan to see it.

The BJC was awlfully quiet after we beat Penn State.

Makes my drive on I-80 east very pleasasnt.

Go RU!

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Historic and proud to have been at Bryce Jordan to see it.

The BJC was awlfully quiet after we beat Penn State.

Makes my drive on I-80 east very pleasasnt.

Go RU!

Kudos to you for making the effort to support the team at the arena.
Did you wear RU gear?

 

[RU1-Newtown, Pa]

Yes, and both my son and I were shown on the broadcast.

Sitting in 2nd row behind RU bench next to Brian Kelley and his lovely wife Janet.

Coach Pikiell can flat out coach.

Bring on the Buckeyes.

Go RU

 

[RUClassof67]

Yes, a great win, but I thought my head was going to explode as we nearly gave it away in the last 2:00 minutes. I'm really happy for the kids and the coaches. Oh, and we fans. We needed this one.

It shows signs of the team maturing and learning from the loss to Wisconsin. I questioned using the timeout just before the under-4 media timeout since it left us with only one. But it was used to slow things down and remind the team that we were winning and didn't need to play helper skelter basketball but just to get back to what had gotten us the lead. It took a couple minutes to sink in but it did.

 

[RUClassof67]

Yes, and both my son and I were shown on the broadcast.

Sitting in 2nd row behind RU bench next to Brian Kelley and his lovely wife Janet.

Coach Pikiell can flat out coach.

Bring on the Buckeyes.

Go RU

My grandson and daughter-in-law were one row in front of you. They decided to go on Friday and asked me to come. 8 hours in a car made me turn it down. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't go.

 

[RU1-Newtown, Pa]

it was a small and intimate RU crowd yesterday at Bryce Jordan.

We had the first 3 rows behind the RU bench.

It was a beautiful drive home on I-80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Go RU!

 

[RUsojo]

I think Pikiell figured it out. I credit him for coming around. The minutes in the box score tell the picture again.

 

[RUinSC]

What a rollcoaster 8 days.....play great D against Wisky but blow 9 point lead and lose in OT, then team couldn't recover and mailed in an embarrassing 20 point loss to Iowa, then we go on the road to Penn State a team who beat RU easily at the RAC and RU dominates for 35 minutes and lets the last 5 minutes get interesting but still pulls out the road win.

Program was resilient today after the Iowa debacle. Players were resilient at the end of game finally pulling one out and learning to win with a lead. Coaching staff was resilient today getting the kids to pick themselves off the floor and then to calm them down in the last minute to put them in position to secure the victory. Sure it wasnt pretty and sure it made the fans nervous but the fact is winning like this was a great test, much better than winning by double digits. RU got challenged and passed the test. Thats a huge step in learning how to win games

Monumental and historic win....first Big 10 road win EVER. This team seems to play better on the road. Only FIFTH Big 10 win ever....and second over Penn State. Time to celebrate...two conference wins on the season and reasonable chance for more with some winnable games ahead. Fans needed this win too because I could see alot of us were frustrated after the last two outings and getting down on the team. Winning matter even if we know we have a long slog ahead to get to any postseason. I gave this team and staff a pass for not being able to get up for the Iowa game because I thought it was a one shot deal.

And lost in all this was that RU dominated Penn State today all up and down the stat sheet. RU shot 46%...wow....7-16 from 3....yup its about shooting and scoring and RU finally had a day where they went in. What is stunning is they did it with only 6 players attempting shots. The loss of Nigel at least for today was a help offensively and defensively. Have to credit the players and staff for everyone buying into the game play today. Freeman, Sanders, Getty and Williams all were on the same page for the first time this year against a team with a pulse. Defensively PSU was largely shut down until they got hot at the end. First half they shut everyone down except for Garner. On the boards they cleaned up 39-27. Going to be a big confidence boost for this team going into a hot and cold Ohio State team that is young but vulnerable. Its a winnable game for sure if RU brings forth today's effort and strategy

Bac, you really are bipolar with this team. Maybe you should wait a few hours before posting your recap so you can maintain objectivity.

 

[RUClassof67]

Bac, you really are bipolar with this team. Maybe you should wait a few hours before posting your recap so you can maintain objectivity.

LOL!

 

[bac2therac]

Bac, you really are bipolar with this team. Maybe you should wait a few hours before posting your recap so you can maintain objectivity.

not sure what you are saying....yes each game swings the pendulum somewhat...I have been pretty consistent in saying this team does not have a lot of talent, will not win 6 Big 10 games, needs a 75% roster overhaul and has to have complete effort to win games.....tell me how I have deviated from those thoughts

 

[shields]

Needs a kid like Thiam to get in weight room and work on his game.

 

[RUinSC]

not sure what you are saying....yes each game swings the pendulum somewhat...I have been pretty consistent in saying this team does not have a lot of talent, will not win 6 Big 10 games, needs a 75% roster overhaul and has to have complete effort to win games.....tell me how I have deviated from those thoughts

You have said "complete roster overhaul" and then upped the years it will take the team to make the tournament if we lose. In other words, your long term outlook constantly changes. Look, I'm only half kidding. I get the mood swings. But the one constant factor throughout the season has been our staff. I've never seen a staff do more with less except for Wenzel's first season - and that team had some shooters (Savage, Dadika)

 

[bac2therac]

It will not be until year 4 at earliest we sniff any post season and thats not the ncaa either...been consistant on year 5-6 for ncaa..we have a long slog

 

[G- RUnit]

It's basketball. No need for six year plans.

 

[RUinSC]

It will not be until year 4 at earliest we sniff any post season and thats not the ncaa either...been consistant on year 5-6 for ncaa..we have a long slog

No way we will wait that long. Not with this staff. And I know they are not selling 5-6 years for NCAA.
My prediction is year three...if Sanders stays.

 

[bac2therac]

well lets see....Willaims, Johsnon, Freeman and Laurent will be all gone. What players are you exactly counting on to bring us to the promised land. We have Baker and Mamadou coming in. So you are already counting on NCAA without seeing two guys play and just Sanders as a difference maker since we have seen nothing from Thiam or Doorson or Eugene to indicate they can be big time...but okay....I will say to make it in just two more years we will need 3 more top 100 players signed

 

[bac2therac]

You have said "complete roster overhaul" and then upped the years it will take the team to make the tournament if we lose. In other words, your long term outlook constantly changes. Look, I'm only half kidding. I get the mood swings. But the one constant factor throughout the season has been our staff. I've never seen a staff do more with less except for Wenzel's first season - and that team had some shooters (Savage, Dadika)

Rice's first team that went 15-16 was very similar, in fact one can argue that team had less talent given there was no one as talented as Sanders on the team.

 

[seels2662]

Rice's first team that went 15-16 was very similar, in fact one can argue that team had less talent given there was no one as talented as Sanders on the team.

And there was only like 8 or 9 scholarship players on that team

 

[MadRU]

And there was only like 8 or 9 scholarship players on that team

Team also had upperclassmen and experienced upperclassmen