How do you figure?
Rice coached at RU for 3 years:
2010-2011: 15-17
2011-2012: 14-18
2012-2013: 15-16
Pike’s first 3 years:
2016-2017: 15-18
2017-2018: 15-19
2018-2019: 14-17
If you go back through the games I think you’ll be surprised. Just because Rice was a lunatic doesn’t mean he was a bad coach.
I got news for you, a Mike Rice team would roll into the RAC right now and beat the crap out of us. They would out tough this current RU team.
Just to humor you a little:
Kenpom the year before Rice took over: 149
Kenpom in Rice first 3 years: 159, 78, 120
Kenpom the year before Pike took over: 279
Kenpom in Pike first 3 years: 135, 130, 78
Rice toughest SOS in first 3 years: 7.22 (year 1)
Pike toughest SOS in first 3 years: 9.76 (year 3)
You can say what you want based on your gut, but Pike took over a significantly worse program based on the numbers, and reached the same Kenpom peak with a tougher SOS (which got significantly harder two years later).
Rice kept the program roughly where it was when he took over, save for the year where his SOS was easiest, before he tanked the program (which I would consider part of his coaching resume).
This all completely disregards the apprehension toward bringing in Danny Hurley due to Rice’s meltdowns.