RAPID REACTION (The Return) - Oregon

[Degaz-RU]

1. Rutgers deserved this win like no other after that absurd foul call on Lino Mark at the end of regulation. You have to give the coaches and the team credit for overcoming that travesty of a call. As KK said in the game thread, that call is a fireable offense by that ref.

2. Another 30-point game for Tariq Francis, on 10-16 FG (all twos) and 10-11 FTs. When we needed a bucket, he got a bucket, or got fouled. He’s incredible at pump faking and drawing fouls. The kid is just a baller.

3. Pike gets a lot of very deserved criticism for his rotations, but tonight he pushed all the right buttons. He sat Denis Badalau and started Kaden Powers in his place. He benched Dylan Grant in the 2nd half when DG was having an off night, and played Buchanan instead who had his best game as a Scarlet Knight. He effectively “managed” the Ogbole/Dortch tandem, who were both in foul trouble while guarding Nick Bittle. He rotated Powers, JMike, Francis, Mark, and Zrno just the right amount. Finally, in crunch time, he rode the guys who played well in the second half — Francis, JMike, Mark, Buchanan, and Dortch — and stuck with them in OT. This ended up being a 9-man rotation, plus Nwuli playing 5 minutes. Well done, Pike.

4. Freshman update - terrific game by Lino Mark, with a steady hand at PG, timely dribble drives and finishes, good foul shooting, and pesky defense. The kid is growing up before our eyes, and it’s a shame that awful foul call stole the thunder he would’ve received for basically winning the game in the last minute with that incredible steal from behind and then what should have been an offensive rebound on his own missed FT. He finished with 13 points (3-6 FGs, 7-8 FTs, 1 rebound, and 2 big steals in 26 minutes.

5. Kaden Powers got the start but had an off night shooting, just 1-6 in 17 minutes. Chris Nwuli with a putback in 5 quiet minutes. Harun Zrno finally broke out of his slump, hitting 2 threes and scoring 8 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.

6. Buchanan with his best game since UNLV, with 13 points on 6-7 FG, including three GIGANTIC buckets down the stretch — a short jumper, a humongous three, and then a baseline drive and dunk. He also had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, played solid defense, and, most importantly, had 0 turnovers. Second game in a row he seems to be taking care of the ball and staying within himself.

7. We won this game at the foul line, going 30-34 for 88%. We needed every single one of those FTs.

8. Finally, it would be remiss not to mention Linsanity. Wei Lin was 6-29 from deep before this game, but he shot 6-12 tonight (8-14 overall from the field), matching his season output in threes, and almost single handedly willing Oregon to victory. I wanted to ring the kid’s neck, but at the end of the day, you have to tip your cap to the kid.

9. Still looks like a long year for Rutgers, but this was a fun game and great win.

 

[bac2therac]

Ill jump in here instead of starting and say isnt it great to actually have a game to do a legit recap of.

1. Rutgers more than deserved this one. Everyone knows I dont like to point to individual calls because things usually even out but I mean this one which I didnt see until after the game up close was pretty bad and I believe it was the ponytail ref who called it.

2. I had my doubts about Francis even coming into this game. Great night against similar competion but not so exciting play vs power conference schools. The stretch vs OSU was pretty impressive but then disappeared in the 2nd half and even Pike cut his minutes. Tonight he was the smooth go to play. An emerging leader and a knack for hitting shots at the right time when we needed them. Very willing to eat crow on him. There will be nights he does struggle. But he showed a hefty set of balls tonight and is simply our best player and scorer. I would advocate for him to start or at least play 35 minutes a game if RU intends to win games. He is our best shot because we have little chance to win league games without him scoring 20 or more a game. Sensational drawing fouls and making Oregon pay.

3. Pike coached a helluva game tonight. Anyone thought he was giving up should get gameprep and gametape of this one. He and the staff really did a yeomans job. A big part of the gameplan was Pike seeing a vulnerable Oregon without their point guard and Pike worked wonders in exploiting the Oregon sloppy ball handling. 17 Oregon turnovers...some inflicted by RU, some not. RU took care of the ball with only 7 turnovers and these are the type of areas where RU can cut the gap by excelling in. Have to hand it to the players for buying in and sticking with it. I did think the Power start was a knee jerk reaction. i dont think Powers is capable or best suited to be a starter at this time but it was a good job by Pike to recognize that Powers wasnt going to be a factor tonight and yank him. Pike rode the hot hand as you stated instead of inserting the guys who everyone just assumes should be playing based on experience. Grant stuggling a bit but its a ballsy move to sit him that long. Riding Mark and taking a shot with Buchanan really paid dividends as they showed up.

4. Fanta said Lino Mark a star is born..alas that moment got taken away by a bad foul call but nonetheless this was by far Linos most impressive performance. What to me what stuck out was his aggressiveness and that he simply finished tonight where other games those shots would not fall. The biggest upside of any new player and he took an exponential leap tonight. Alot of composure in high stakes pressure situation and his steal of Bittle at 75-73 which put him at the line may have saved the game...Oregon would have had 17 seconds only down 2 and could have won the game with a 3.

5/6. I will add in something here. I love games where the team has to win twice. Seen it in the past where its like the team looks like the game is in the bag and some unforseen disastrous events happen and all of a sudden the game is teetering and that is what happened tonight. RU seemingly had it up 6 and looked golden with the Mark going to the line and even then with the rebound but oh noes they call a foul on him and the rac is apopyletic and it all happens so quick and Oregon ties the game and then goes up 3 in overtime and you get the uncomfortable feeling that this is headed to a loss but somehow RU digs deep and Francis/Buchahan hit giant shots. Buchahan hitting his two biggest shot of his RU career bac2bac and that dunk was awesome to put RU up 3. Overcoming adversity and some bad calls they took matters in their own hands and didnt sulk they just went out and won the game they deserved to win.

7. 30-34 at the line is insane. That will not happen very often but this team needs to go to the line as much as possible because they still are limited offensively and this can neutralize that disadvantage. I think vs OSU RU got to the line alot so I think its a priority. Francis did a great job drawing them and Oregon really shot themselves in the foot early by constantly fouling RU racking up 9 fouls in the first 10 minutes and then they stopped fouling and went up 8 at half. Oregon themselves only got to the line 16 times making 12 but I think not that many in the 2nd half.

8. Lin had a great game for them and you could tell he was feeling it but he could not deliver in ot and I thought on that last 3 attempt by Oregon too much RU D and too much passing for Lin or Biddle to get a clean shot. I know Pike doesnt like to foul but both end of regulation and end of overtime most coaches would.

9. Its great to win period. There simply will not be a lot of league wins. There are only maybe half of the league games where RU has some chance. OSU/Oreg/NW stretch provided 3 opportunties. Couldnt pull of the first but got the 2nd and have a fair shot at the 3rd. After that its a very rough 7 game stretch. Oregon was without a key player and I am not complaining. RU and Pike took advantage of it to secure the win. Big confidence boost to know you can knock off a higher nil and talent level school. May not pay dividends in the next game at Illinois which is usually a house of horrors for Pike but maybe for Northwestern. Seemed like Pike with lineup and this team learned from the mistakes of the blown lead vs osu and then scoring draught near the end of the game.

 

[G- RUnit]

Excellent posts by Degaz and BAC and not much to add. I will say the Powers looks were good. He looks smooth out there and those shoots are going to fall sooner rather than later.

The guard play and pressure of Francis, Mark and JMike was tremendous. All the sudden we have nice guard play.

Pike did indeed out coach Altman with the quickness of our back court.

Hope Pike feels some glee and happiness in beating the program and coach that stole Jacob Young and Omoyuri from RU.

Foul shooting was wonderful.

Buchanan was the unsung hero after Marks’ and Francis heroics.

Credit to Pike as we do seem to be improving with the guard play and Dortch and a stellar performance by Buchanan.

Just will add this isnt high school or middle school officiating. The Officials are well paid professionals. The calls don’t always even out. This could have been a devastating loss from which we might not have recovered.
It wasn’t even a judgement call. It was just an awful call or anticipating a call that just didn’t happen.
This was eerily similar to OSU. RU was once again the victim of atrocious officiating. Ref should be suspended at the very least.

Nice win, exciting win and fun win and why I have kept my season tix all these years.

 

[RU848789]

Great posts, Degaz and bac - agree with about all of it. Loved the 3 guard rotation, as all 3 played strong games and Tariq's ability to head fake his defender into leaving his feet and drawing the shooting foul is a real skill. 30-34 FTs - are you kidding me? And digging deep after the refs kind of took the game away at the end, allowing OR to tie, and then going on to win was so sweet. I know this team isn't going to win too many, but they're at least becoming competitive and it's nice to see several players improving, especially Mark, Francis and Buchanan and Dortch, at least defensively, with JMike contributing in so many ways. If only we had a real center. Very happy for the staff, the players and us fans, who have not had much to cheer for this season. Illinois will probably spank us, but NW could be a 2nd win - let's hope so as I'll have all 4 of our group's tix for that one (bringing the wife, our son and his wife - none are big fans, per se, but they enjoy the energy of the RAC and being up close).

 

[goru7]

What a fun game. Great win. Few keys things some good some bad.
initially , props to Francis. I owe the kid an apology since I did not think he could score against BIG 10 teams. Early in the year he seemed like a chunker to me , took a lot of bad shots , never passed to the post or on a pick and roll and his scoring was very inefficient and his defense was bad.
I cannot pin point if it was the embarrassment of the Seton hall game or Pike bringing him off the bench but starting with that Penn game wherehe started shooting much better and hit the game winner. His confidence and shooting has improved tremendously . His microwave role off the bench has energized him . He has proven against Ohio State and Oregon that he can play in the big 10 and be the scorer he is. Hitting more shots . His drawing of fouls is very skilled and he fouled out a guy and got the other players on Oregon in foul trouble. Then he is almost automatic from the line. Kudos and bravo to the kid. He deserves the flowers.

Now , for those that say pike doesn’t run a complete offense with screens and pin downs , what we saw tonight was one play all night. Pike ran high pick and roll exclusively with Francis on like 20-30 possessions. Oregon couldn’t handle him , fouled him , he pumped faked them into more fouls , and he hit his mid range , his drives off the glass and his efficiency at 10-16 and 10-11 from the line for 30 points was unreal off of 1 play. We only had like 7/8 assists all night so still a lot of iso one on one and after shooting poorly in the first half we shot much better in the second and Oregon after shooting 56% on the first half and 50% from 3 , reverted to the mean and ended in the mid 40% range and the threes which hurt , their % went down.

IT will be glossed over but we did a terrible job on the defensive glass. We did not get rebounds and gave up a ton of second chance points which normally would bite us in the ***. Dorsch did a terrible job on the glass and he didn’t do great against Biddle either. Playing him straight thru when he is not an offensive presence and didn’t get any offensive rebounds either was another thing Pike got away with. The entire team including the guards have to rebound. They cannot watch after their player launches a shot or a 3 but must immediately crash the boards. Pike hasn’t gotten that point thru to the players.

Lino and Buchanan got their props which was good to see but I was not on board with sitting Dylan . Pike yanked him in the first half because he didn’t guard Evan’s correctly but then to punish him for almost the entire second half when you were playing 4 on 5 on offense was not called for. With the exception of Buchanan ‘s late 3 , the 3 ball was taken out of the offense in the last 20 minutes. Now I am happy they continued to go to the hole both Francis and mark because we got to the line but not having another offensive weapon put us at a disadvantage.

Finally , some have said Oregon was without Shelstsd which although true , Lin was his backup and scored 23 points . When the backup scores 23 it wouldn’t have been different if he played as Lin replaced his production almost completely.

We look like a different team these last 2 games and probably should have beat Ohio State but definite improvement. As long as we limit turnovers , think we only had 7 and only 1 in second half , then we can be competitive. Especially at home. Wonder if any of this can be brought on the road.

 

[RC80]

All I'm asking for this season is competitive games. Got it last game & certainly today. Mark looked exhausted at the end of the 2nd half - and just like he did against Thornton (not exactly a favorable match-up) he worked his butt off on the D end tonight. Look - I don't know what anyone else wants out of Dortch. He is giving up what (give me a number) 5'' and 50 lbs. against these legit Centers. And who else is on the court with him - Buchanan (had real nice, under control game), and three 6' guards. Dortch worked really hard. Can't expect much more. Will read the rest of the in-game comments tomorrow. Too bad not many students (as expected) - but fun night for (I guess) the 6,000 in attendance.

 

[BillyC80]

Dortch with 5 rebounds and get this…4 steals.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

The recaps are all fine and cover all the angles
.
The long term recap of the season shows the roster lacks a wing, who can drive and shoot or create his own offense or playmaker, which is how Oregon created their offense......the difference between the poster who said "Pike only ran isolation for Francis and didnt run anything else.....it comes down to basic basketball..

There is NO such thing as running an offense unless the roster has a post up option with a center or forward in the high post/3 point line or low post.

The entire difference between Oregon and RU was Nate Biddle is a complete big, who might be 30 years old.....he posts up, under control....takes his time and creates space for shots over smaller defenders ..... AND, once that works, he can also do the "Dortch and Ogbole screening at the top of the key and has the ability to also hit 3s....he is also a good FT shooter..

When you have an offensive post player who can also pass and not turn the ball over AND has a nice shooting touch AND makes FTs, you have an offense that can do more.
.
For RU, a wing not named Badalau is needed....someone physically strong enough to help on defensive double teams, get rebounds and drive and score. It may be a 20, 23 or 25 year old named Kyree Walker, a former 4* 5* player......, so before making the mistake of taking the mods view on Francis this spring as an inefficient player, maybe a 1 semester rental in Walker, means we win half of our remaining home games in the B1G and find a road win in the B1G.

Home games left.... Northwestern, Indiana, Nebraska (Still undefeated Nebraska) Michigan State, Maryland, Washington, and Penn State....any player who can contribute 10 PPG and 4 to 5 REBS and an assist or 2, who can help Francis, is welcome to me. Anyone who wants to lose games to Nate Bittle of Oregon who looks 30 years old and somehow shows he's not, good luck standing on your high horse of ethics. I'd rather win at all costs without cheating like the refs tried to do to RU......!!!

 

[shields]

True Dortch is too small for Oregon center.

 

[RUfan1977]

What a fun game. Great win. Few keys things some good some bad.
initially , props to Francis. I owe the kid an apology since I did not think he could score against BIG 10 teams. Early in the year he seemed like a chunker to me , took a lot of bad shots , never passed to the post or on a pick and roll and his scoring was very inefficient and his defense was bad.
I cannot pin point if it was the embarrassment of the Seton hall game or Pike bringing him off the bench but starting with that Penn game wherehe started shooting much better and hit the game winner. His confidence and shooting has improved tremendously . His microwave role off the bench has energized him . He has proven against Ohio State and Oregon that he can play in the big 10 and be the scorer he is. Hitting more shots . His drawing of fouls is very skilled and he fouled out a guy and got the other players on Oregon in foul trouble. Then he is almost automatic from the line. Kudos and bravo to the kid. He deserves the flowers.

Now , for those that say pike doesn’t run a complete offense with screens and pin downs , what we saw tonight was one play all night. Pike ran high pick and roll exclusively with Francis on like 20-30 possessions. Oregon couldn’t handle him , fouled him , he pumped faked them into more fouls , and he hit his mid range , his drives off the glass and his efficiency at 10-16 and 10-11 from the line for 30 points was unreal off of 1 play. We only had like 7/8 assists all night so still a lot of iso one on one and after shooting poorly in the first half we shot much better in the second and Oregon after shooting 56% on the first half and 50% from 3 , reverted to the mean and ended in the mid 40% range and the threes which hurt , their % went down.

IT will be glossed over but we did a terrible job on the defensive glass. We did not get rebounds and gave up a ton of second chance points which normally would bite us in the ***. Dorsch did a terrible job on the glass and he didn’t do great against Biddle either. Playing him straight thru when he is not an offensive presence and didn’t get any offensive rebounds either was another thing Pike got away with. The entire team including the guards have to rebound. They cannot watch after their player launches a shot or a 3 but must immediately crash the boards. Pike hasn’t gotten that point thru to the players.

Lino and Buchanan got their props which was good to see but I was not on board with sitting Dylan . Pike yanked him in the first half because he didn’t guard Evan’s correctly but then to punish him for almost the entire second half when you were playing 4 on 5 on offense was not called for. With the exception of Buchanan ‘s late 3 , the 3 ball was taken out of the offense in the last 20 minutes. Now I am happy they continued to go to the hole both Francis and mark because we got to the line but not having another offensive weapon put us at a disadvantage.

Finally , some have said Oregon was without Shelstsd which although true , Lin was his backup and scored 23 points . When the backup scores 23 it wouldn’t have been different if he played as Lin replaced his production almost completely.

We look like a different team these last 2 games and probably should have beat Ohio State but definite improvement. As long as we limit turnovers , think we only had 7 and only 1 in second half , then we can be competitive. Especially at home. Wonder if any of this can be brought on the road.

Liked your perspective on the game. We certainly could use more assists, but you don’t get an assist unless the shooter makes a basket and given how many two shot foul attempts we made, with 30 free throws made overall, those are also times we scored and didn’t get an assist.

 

[goru7]

Liked your perspective on the game. We certainly could use more assists, but you don’t get an assist unless the shooter makes a basket and given how many two shot foul attempts we made, with 30 free throws made overall, those are also times we scored and didn’t get an assist.

Yes very true as Oregon kept on fouling us. We did the right thing and continued to drive to create contact and they obliged. I would venture to guess there will be few additional games that we shoot 30-34 from the line but more improbably that we shoot 34 free throws which is probably close to a season high. Have to give Rutgers a ton of credit for hitting their foul shots tonight and not just Francis who hit 10 of them but the whole team , especially the guards. This is a new and welcome development.

 

[richthedentist]

Great posts, Degaz and bac - agree with about all of it. Loved the 3 guard rotation, as all 3 played strong games and Tariq's ability to head fake his defender into leaving his feet and drawing the shooting foul is a real skill. 30-34 FTs - are you kidding me? And digging deep after the refs kind of took the game away at the end, allowing OR to tie, and then going on to win was so sweet. I know this team isn't going to win too many, but they're at least becoming competitive and it's nice to see several players improving, especially Mark, Francis and Buchanan and Dortch, at least defensively, with JMike contributing in so many ways. If only we had a real center. Very happy for the staff, the players and us fans, who have not had much to cheer for this season. Illinois will probably spank us, but NW could be a 2nd win - let's hope so as I'll have all 4 of our group's tix for that one (bringing the wife, our son and his wife - none are big fans, per se, but they enjoy the energy of the RAC and being up close).

I liked the 3 guard rotation except we got crushed on the boards as that one posession(I think in (OT) they got like 4 offensive rebounds and another offensive rebound led to a Lin 3; So we had to take the plus with the minus

 

[LeapinLou]

props to Francis. I owe the kid an apology since I did not think he could score against BIG 10 teams. Early in the year he seemed like a chunker to me , took a lot of bad shots , never passed to the post or on a pick and roll and his scoring was very inefficient and his defense was bad.
I cannot pin point if it was the embarrassment of the Seton hall game or Pike bringing him off the bench but starting with that Penn game where he started shooting much better and hit the game winner. His confidence and shooting has improved tremendously. His microwave role off the bench has energized him . He has proven against Ohio State and Oregon that he can play in the big 10 and be the scorer he is. Hitting more shots . His drawing of fouls is very skilled and he fouled out a guy and got the other players on Oregon in foul trouble. Then he is almost automatic from the line. Kudos and bravo to the kid. He deserves the flowers.

Initially, you did double down on your criticism of Francis after you were called out for it. I am glad to see that you now completely agree that we need him to be an integral part of the team. Kudos to you for not tripling down. It would have been an awful look for someone that understands the game so well.

 

[LeapinLou]

Great reviews by everyone here. A few points of emphasis for me:

- Lino Mark is getting better with each game. JMike is a better scorer but man, Lino is such a spark plug. It will be fun to see how he does the rest of this season and how they share the minutes at the point.

- Francis put on a clinic on how to get to the foul line. Effort is the best way to be competitive with inferior talent. But drawing fouls and getting free points is a close second. Francis put on a master class on how to draw fouls and cash in.

- I've seen multiple posts this morning with people saying "if only we had a decent center." I think the timing of these comments is strange because Ogbole had a solid game last night defensively. Give Manny some love, people.

- This is two games in a row where Buchanan has understood and successfully fulfilled his role on this team. If he can keep that up, it may help us steal a game or two before the season ends.

- While Zrno finally hit a few shots, he still missed some wide *** open 3s. He can split time with Francis at the shooting guard position but it has to be a 30-10 split for Francis.

 

[satnom]

The recaps are all fine and cover all the angles
.
The long term recap of the season shows the roster lacks a wing, who can drive and shoot or create his own offense or playmaker, which is how Oregon created their offense......the difference between the poster who said "Pike only ran isolation for Francis and didnt run anything else.....it comes down to basic basketball..

There is NO such thing as running an offense unless the roster has a post up option with a center or forward in the high post/3 point line or low post.

The entire difference between Oregon and RU was Nate Biddle is a complete big, who might be 30 years old.....he posts up, under control....takes his time and creates space for shots over smaller defenders ..... AND, once that works, he can also do the "Dortch and Ogbole screening at the top of the key and has the ability to also hit 3s....he is also a good FT shooter..

When you have an offensive post player who can also pass and not turn the ball over AND has a nice shooting touch AND makes FTs, you have an offense that can do more.
.
For RU, a wing not named Badalau is needed....someone physically strong enough to help on defensive double teams, get rebounds and drive and score. It may be a 20, 23 or 25 year old named Kyree Walker, a former 4* 5* player......, so before making the mistake of taking the mods view on Francis this spring as an inefficient player, maybe a 1 semester rental in Walker, means we win half of our remaining home games in the B1G and find a road win in the B1G.

Home games left.... Northwestern, Indiana, Nebraska (Still undefeated Nebraska) Michigan State, Maryland, Washington, and Penn State....any player who can contribute 10 PPG and 4 to 5 REBS and an assist or 2, who can help Francis, is welcome to me. Anyone who wants to lose games to Nate Bittle of Oregon who looks 30 years old and somehow shows he's not, good luck standing on your high horse of ethics. I'd rather win at all costs without cheating like the refs tried to do to RU......!!!

Bittle looks like the oldest guy….on the coaching staff but is actually only 22.

GO RU

 

[goru7]

Great reviews by everyone here. A few points of emphasis for me:

- Lino Mark is getting better with each game. JMike is a better scorer but man, Lino is such a spark plug. It will be fun to see how he does the rest of this season and how they share the minutes at the point.

- Francis put on a clinic on how to get to the foul line. Effort is the best way to be competitive with inferior talent. But drawing fouls and getting free points is a close second. Francis put on a master class on how to draw fouls and cash in.

- I've seen multiple posts this morning with people saying "if only we had a decent center." I think the timing of these comments is strange because Ogbole had a solid game last night defensively. Give Manny some love, people.

- This is two games in a row where Buchanan has understood and successfully fulfilled his role on this team. If he can keep that up, it may help us steal a game or two before the season ends.

- While Zrno finally hit a few shots, he still missed some wide *** open 3s. He can split time with Francis at the shooting guard position but it has to be a 30-10 split for Francis.

Think Pike has to continue totry Zrno and Powers in the starting lineup as well as find some minutes for them after they are subbed out. You have to present offensive threats and 3 point threats to a defense otherwise you make it easy for them. Both f them can play along side Francis as options to get a pass from him . So if you go Lino or Davis with Francis and either Powers or Zrno with either Dylan / Buchanan and Manny / Dorsch on the court you maximize your offensive capability. For teams that play 5 out , I would play Dylan or Buchanan on the only big where Manny or Dorsch are not needed and 3 guards

 

[RCBeta]

I liked last night's scrappy team that played with high intensity.
The Full/Half court Press defense works (play all game w/10 players) and creates offensive energy.
The new players are starting to Gel on the half court trapping defense.
You see the freshman starting to see their role and how other players move on offense.

Still lacking at the 5 position and better off playing with a 3-guard offense and 2 athletic forwards.
Go to the hole and shoot 25-30 foul shots to make up for the lack of a big man offense.

 

[satnom]

Great reviews by everyone here. A few points of emphasis for me:

- Lino Mark is getting better with each game. JMike is a better scorer but man, Lino is such a spark plug. It will be fun to see how he does the rest of this season and how they share the minutes at the point.

- Francis put on a clinic on how to get to the foul line. Effort is the best way to be competitive with inferior talent. But drawing fouls and getting free points is a close second. Francis put on a master class on how to draw fouls and cash in.

- I've seen multiple posts this morning with people saying "if only we had a decent center." I think the timing of these comments is strange because Ogbole had a solid game last night defensively. Give Manny some love, people.

- This is two games in a row where Buchanan has understood and successfully fulfilled his role on this team. If he can keep that up, it may help us steal a game or two before the season ends.

- While Zrno finally hit a few shots, he still missed some wide *** open 3s. He can split time with Francis at the shooting guard position but it has to be a 30-10 split for Francis.

Spot on. Buchanan needs to continue to play within himself and realize his limitations. He’s not a dribble through multiple defenders from top of paint penetrating scorer. He can bulldoze through one defender and should look to kick out, rebound and get put backs. He can hit an open shot as well but when he tries to create with his dribble he gets picked. Showed constraint last night. Glad to see.

Zrno is a streak shooter. Not a knock down shooter. Sub 70% from FT line. Hoping Badalau is ready to prove himself when he gets the chance. Has a nice stroke when he plays with confidence, has length at 6’8” and can be a spot up shooter. Hoping at some point he can have his “Wei Lin” moment.

GO RU

 

[Simce91]

don't know how many stayed with Peacock for the post game interviews, but I was very encouraged by the Francis/JMike interaction/relationship

I was also encouraged by the JMike offering of the fist pump to Lino when Pike complimented him.

Watching the post game interviews of IU players after beating Bama the other night, a common topic by many of them was how much they enjoyed playing as a unit with each other.

I think its safe to say that RU hoops hasn't had that team dynamic for the past couple/3years. Success occurs more frequently when that team dynamic is stronge than the individual dynamic. In the past few games it appears that Buchanon has recognized this and the results are apparent. I also see it with Dortch and his hustle.

The past 2 games have been inspiring to watch, ( I still blame Pike for the end of the 1st half against OSU) and while I hold no delusions about post season this year, I am starting to believe that if 6 or 7 of these guys return next year and a CJ Gettys type of 5 can be portaled post season next year is more than obtainable.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Spot on. Buchanan needs to continue to play within himself and realize his limitations. He’s not a dribble through multiple defenders from top of paint penetrating scorer. He can bulldoze through one defender and should look to kick out, rebound and get put backs. He can hit an open shot as well but when he tries to create with his dribble he gets picked. Showed constraint last night. Glad to see.

Zrno is a streak shooter. Not a knock down shooter. Sub 70% from FT line. Hoping Badalau is ready to prove himself when he gets the chance. Has a nice stroke when he plays with confidence, has length at 6’8” and can be a spot up shooter. Hoping at some point he can have his “Wei Lin” moment.

GO RU

On Buchanan - he’s actually pretty good at finishing with his right. Teams overplay him strong side because that’s what the scouting report says to do. He needs to resist the temptation to take more than one left dribble off a rip into the paint because he’s just not fast enough or strong enough with his left handle right now to stay in control as the help defender approaches on the weak side. I say right now, because it’s not impossible for him to work to improve this in the offseason. But for now, it’s a limitation in his game and he needs to play within the confines of it or things get ugly.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I’ll add that a positive on Buchanan is that his shortcomings appear to be more coachable than some of our other player weaknesses. It does appear Pike and team have him playing more to his strengths over the past few games.

In the halfcourt game - it’s not that he can’t or shouldn’t try to get past a defender left when he’s overplayed the other way. His left rip is fine and so is the momentum off of it into the first dribble. In the last few games rather than continuing forward or trying to cross back right, when he’s gone left he’s instead come to a forceful jump stop after that first dribble and then kicked the ball out to someone else. That works just fine. On the transition breakout - when he can’t close the gap strong side, he can pull the ball out and reset. As long as he doesn’t try to do too much opportunities will come for him to capitalize on straight up coverage and beat a guy or two right like he did on that slam lay up in OT. I’m bullish on what I’m seeing from him right now.

 

[seansherm]

Got a chance to watch the BTN in 60 last night. Tariq on fire there (of course the whole team was as it doesn't show many missed shots). Guess Powers made his first shot then nothing else? More TO's than assists not surprising, but I still like the move. Zrno played a role on the boards is a good sign, he needs to add more than shots taken. If we really bring in the 25 yr old, is that the end of Nwuli run? EO credited w only 3 boards in his limited minutes, but saw at least two other tap outs that enabled us to keep possession. That was more the Buchannon I thought we'd get this year, would like to see it over a whole game, but if he wants to keep doing it down the stretch of close games we live with it.

Nice to actually want to see the team go to the line.