Mag no PT last night

Greene Rice FIG

Heisman
Dec 30, 2005
40,437
23,613
0
You need a color guy like we had last night to point out how good Paul is at times.
Pike sees it on game film.
Rebounds and doesn’t make mental mistakes.
Pike knows he will get better, will do what is told, is a good teammate, and right now is our 5th best non center.

right now I’d like to see that slot on the floor offer more than what he does. No doubt he makes baskets with his Court awareness, a huge asset.
 
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GoodOl'Rutgers

Heisman
Sep 11, 2006
123,974
19,586
0
Kinda been known here as a Mulcahy fan.. but Mulcahy's stat line last night tells me that at least 5 of PM's 25? minutes could have gone to Mag... assuming he is healthy and not being secretly on probation or something.

If PM is more productive than last night in a game, by all means 20-25 minutes. Otherwise, give him a rest. I didn't really see the game though.. something someone can be quietly productive and the stat line doesn't tell the whole story.

How fun it is to argue that a double-digit victory over Maryland.. AT Maryland.. has uncovered a couple slackers last night.. Mathis and Mulcahy.... rich people problems.. how sweet it is.
 

mikeyoc

All-Conference
Apr 19, 2005
1,250
1,238
113
If there were 2 negatives to the game....

1. attrocious FT shooter
2. Mags, Reiber, or Oscar not ready to play in a B1G game
I think we also have to consider that we're playing
5-6 fewer OOC games this season, so fewer opportunities
to pad the W-L record for tournament consideration. So
that makes every conference game even more vital than usual.
Development for freshman will have to occur during practice, simple
as that
 
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Scangg

Heisman
Mar 19, 2016
25,448
49,369
113
The stars are going to play big minutes but getting 10 min or less between Mag and Palmquist doesn't seem like asking too much.

If Mathis is very off on the offensive end like last night I dont see Mag not being able to handle a few minutes. Tell him to defend rebound and not turn it over.
 

Scarlet Shack

Heisman
Feb 3, 2004
26,298
16,010
73
This is what I would like to see for a rotation

Baker 30
Young 30
Harper 30
Mathis 28
Mulcahy 26
Johnson 25
Omouyri 21
Mag/Palmquist 10

If Caleb comes back then this

Baker 30
Young 30
Harper 28
Mathis 26
Johnson 25
Omouyri 21
Maconnell 20
Mulchay 20

Either way ...8 man rotation
 
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Feb 5, 2003
10,980
9,385
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Mulcahy helps the offense work by keeping the ball moving and getting guys open for clean looks. He is going to continue to get 20 minutes or so per game. I like his development on D this year.

Mathis struggled to finish anything the other night, but I don't think he took many "my turn" shots like I think he has done in prior years. It just wasn't his night. But he busts his butt on defense and that will keep him in the lineup for major minutes.

It is unfortunate that our schedule is so front-loaded this season, as it will slow the development of guys like Mag. I don't see the freshmen playing a lot of minutes in any of our upcoming games except maybe Purdue, as the rest figure to be rock fights. The second half of the season is where they will get more chances to play IMO. Compare our schedule to Illinois' schedule. They have a lot of unranked opponents this first month.
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
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That is not true. Not even close

Whatever word you want to use to label him, his primary role on the floor is as a facilitator. He's #9 in the conference in assists, and #11 in assist/turnover ratio. Young is #1 in assists, and #18 in assist/turnover ratio. We have two guys on the floor who are looking to move the ball and find open shots - and so far, it's been working out well.
 

RUInsanityToo

All-American
May 5, 2006
9,537
9,851
113
OK. He's a point guard/point forward. However you want to label him, he handles the ball more than anyone else when he's on the floor.

That is not true. Not even close

PM it kind of an anomaly. He's essentially a non-ball dominant point forward on this roster. Both Young and a healthy Geo are ball dominant and likely have much higher usage rates, but that should not diminish Paul's value - especially in half court sets and as a high post zone buster. He has a high BB IQ and moves well without the ball. Generally makes great decisions with the ball. Although not generally speedy, he has a craftiness factor to manufacture a shot or get to the rim. The ball does not stick to his hands so it keeps the offense flowing. On the downside is his shot / form are less than spectacular and his footspeed will create some mismatches when he is on D against quicker guys.

To me, on a team with more lofty expectations this year - I would not replace Paul's minutes with a frosh like Mag who will mostly sit on the perimeter on offense as the 5th option.
 

Greene Rice FIG

Heisman
Dec 30, 2005
40,437
23,613
0
Whatever word you want to use to label him, his primary role on the floor is as a facilitator. He's #9 in the conference in assists, and #11 in assist/turnover ratio. Young is #1 in assists, and #18 in assist/turnover ratio. We have two guys on the floor who are looking to move the ball and find open shots - and so far, it's been working out well.
Let’s revisit the assist numbers when the number of games we face non zone teams gravitates back to normal.

you don’t see/rarely see players like Paul on major conference rotations. Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be on ours and we can’t win with him getting 20+ minutes. Yes his D is getting better, but heis still a liability and he will be targetedby some B1G teams. Very valuable how the ball flows with him in and he makes baskets with his vision. We need him to become an option on the perimeter for us to get to the next level game in game out offensively.

just my opinion obviously
 
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RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
Let’s revisit the assist numbers when the number of games we face non zone teams gravitates back to normal.

you don’t see/rarely see players like Paul on major conference rotations. Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be on ours and we can’t win with him getting 20+ minutes. Yes his D is getting better, but heis still a liability and he will be targetedby some B1G teams. Very valuable how the ball flows with him in and he makes baskets with his vision. We need him to become an option on the perimeter for us to get to the next level game in game out offensively.

just my opinion obviously

Oh, he definitely needs to become more of an offensive threat to thrive - as soon as defenses stop respecting his ability to score points himself, it will become much more difficult to set up his teammates.

Right now he's a "glue guy" - he rebounds, he facilitates, he moves well without the ball, he knows his defensive assignments and rotations, he protects the ball, he helps both against zone defenses and pressure, etc.... a lot of that doesn't show up in the box score. The only thing missing from his overall game is points, which hopefully comes.

He really is more of a "point forward" on the floor the same time as a "point guard" - maybe an "off point" or "secondary point"? Which can work, as our primary PG is also a scoring threat who benefits from getting assists as much as dishing them out. But Mulcahy also needs to get a few buckets each game to keep defenses honest.

Edit to add one more thought: We have three guys who can handle point responsibilities (Young, Baker, Mulcahy) and usually 2 are on the floor at the same time. That can cause additional pressure on defenses, as it forces them to have two guys who can effectively guard a ball handler/distributor - which can sometimes get favorable matchups.
 

Knights 1212

All-American
Sep 9, 2003
27,560
8,500
113
I believe Paul is so very important to our team. I don't think guys should be criticizing any of our players. He keeps the ball moving, rarely turns it over and rebounds and gets a lot of assists. His defense has improved and he is very intelligent on the floor. Montez always plays outstanding defense, His offense was a little off on Monday but all of our guys are team first players and care most about getting a win. As for Mag not playing against Maryland I would think there is a very good chance his thumb might still be a little bit hurting.
 

Greene Rice FIG

Heisman
Dec 30, 2005
40,437
23,613
0
Oh, he definitely needs to become more of an offensive threat to thrive - as soon as defenses stop respecting his ability to score points himself, it will become much more difficult to set up his teammates.

Right now he's a "glue guy" - he rebounds, he facilitates, he moves well without the ball, he knows his defensive assignments and rotations, he protects the ball, he helps both against zone defenses and pressure, etc.... a lot of that doesn't show up in the box score. The only thing missing from his overall game is points, which hopefully comes.

He really is more of a "point forward" on the floor the same time as a "point guard" - maybe an "off point" or "secondary point"? Which can work, as our primary PG is also a scoring threat who benefits from getting assists as much as dishing them out. But Mulcahy also needs to get a few buckets each game to keep defenses honest.

Edit to add one more thought: We have three guys who can handle point responsibilities (Young, Baker, Mulcahy) and usually 2 are on the floor at the same time. That can cause additional pressure on defenses, as it forces them to have two guys who can effectively guard a ball handler/distributor - which can sometimes get favorable matchups.
Throw Ron in as the 4 to that mix.

myles please don’t dribble! You catch the ball beating the press, look opposite immediately and pass if open
 

Scangg

Heisman
Mar 19, 2016
25,448
49,369
113
Oh, he definitely needs to become more of an offensive threat to thrive - as soon as defenses stop respecting his ability to score points himself, it will become much more difficult to set up his teammates.

Right now he's a "glue guy" - he rebounds, he facilitates, he moves well without the ball, he knows his defensive assignments and rotations, he protects the ball, he helps both against zone defenses and pressure, etc.... a lot of that doesn't show up in the box score. The only thing missing from his overall game is points, which hopefully comes.

He really is more of a "point forward" on the floor the same time as a "point guard" - maybe an "off point" or "secondary point"? Which can work, as our primary PG is also a scoring threat who benefits from getting assists as much as dishing them out. But Mulcahy also needs to get a few buckets each game to keep defenses honest.

Edit to add one more thought: We have three guys who can handle point responsibilities (Young, Baker, Mulcahy) and usually 2 are on the floor at the same time. That can cause additional pressure on defenses, as it forces them to have two guys who can effectively guard a ball handler/distributor - which can sometimes get favorable matchups.
Another strength of this team is press breaking. Young Geo and Paul are 3 ball handlers and add Ron and its 4 with Myles and Cliff being huge targets to pass to if needed.

Young alone is a 1 man press break. He just runs past double teams and makes them look foolish
 

RutgHoops

Heisman
Aug 14, 2008
9,239
12,411
102
Paul does not think “shot first” which makes him an exceptionally important component on this team. Young has improved greatly in the passing department (example #1,367 as to why this staff is sooooo good) but if you watch our good possessions in a game they usually are ones where Paul gets a touch.
 

connor

All-Conference
Jan 5, 2016
1,065
1,980
0
I like the current rotation, play who best gives you a chance , maybe get reiber or mag in with foul trouble , hope palm can get good enough to give ron a breather here or there but that would be icing
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
Paul does not think “shot first” which makes him an exceptionally important component on this team. Young has improved greatly in the passing department (example #1,367 as to why this staff is sooooo good) but if you watch our good possessions in a game they usually are ones where Paul gets a touch.

Agree - but he'll have to make a few shots to keep defenses honest. He gets some great passing opportunities going to the basket and dishing, but if he doesn't take/make some of those shots the defenses will start to stay home and close off those passing lanes.

Or maybe he's just like an option QB waiting for that to happen, at which point he'll just got to the rim and score more often.
 

GoodOl'Rutgers

Heisman
Sep 11, 2006
123,974
19,586
0
I will admit.. when I looked at his stat line I was happy he fixed teh turnover thing.. assists looked right.. but he had 3 PFs and very few boards.. and his 3 pts were 3/4 on FTs... yeah.. I was disappointed in that line. HOWEVER.. I think his boards were low because Myles gobbled up everything... and maybe if I took a closer look, I'd see PM boxing guys out allowing Myles to board everything in a wider area.

Sometimes Mulcahy turns down a shot and gets a nice feed for a better shot.. sometimes he just turns down the shot for seemingly no reason. Maybe his open look would be the best we'd get that possession. We're very lucky in that we have guys who can make their own openings.. dude has to SHOOT THE BALL. We saw that problem last year. Stop being so shy. Ehhh.. maybe that's just something to look forward to NEXT YEAR. This was the first game back for Geo.. maybe making sure Harper and Geo got a lot of the shots was the best thing.
 
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GoodOl'Rutgers

Heisman
Sep 11, 2006
123,974
19,586
0
OK, so how do they get experience then?
I think Pike did well playing a lot of people in early games. These are not conference games. And while its easy to think you'll want your best on the court late in close games.. perhaps what makes them close is not playing your experienced guys until you get a nice lead.

I mean.. if you work in some Frosh early.. and you don't build up the lead you should.. or could.. maybe you are fighting for your life late in games instead of just protecting a lead.
 

Greene Rice FIG

Heisman
Dec 30, 2005
40,437
23,613
0
Turgeon was furious and called a TO immediately on a possession where Maryland got sucked in and sold out to stopping Paul’s penetration.