Rutgers as NCAA bubble team

[PiscatawayMike]

I just want to calm the nerves of fans already worried about being on the wrong side of the bubble for the big dance.

If we are on the bubble, we'll be the first of the bubble teams the committee puts in. They'll find a suitable seed and start comparing the other bubble clubs.

There is no way it's keeping Ace and Dylan out of the tournament. Two high NBA lottery picks provide too much interest.

The only way we don't get in is if we the bed big-time during the course of the season. I don't see that happening.

 

[Mholinko]

Thank you for the encouraging thinking but this season should not be about the bubble

This is supposed to be the year we talk about second weekend and take a step forward

Squeaking in and losing the 7-10 game or first four in Dayton again would be a colossal failure

 

[NY AGENTMAN]

I don’t think any team in the top half of the BIG would lose to this team

 

[PiscatawayMike]

I don’t think any team in the top half of the BIG would lose to this team

Now? You may be right.

It's not about now, though. It's about how we play during the B1G season. I'm certain this team will look and play much differently when 2025 rolls around.

 

[SBP]

No one knows what Rutgers is now it’s a work in progress. If they grow, mature and gel they could be a sweet 16, some I’m not buying ANYTHING yet

 

[zappaa]

Teams with no center, can’t rebound and give up uncontested 3s with alarming regularity don’t make the tournament, never mind sweet 16

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

Thank you for the encouraging thinking but this season should not be about the bubble

This is supposed to be the year we talk about second weekend and take a step forward

Squeaking in and losing the 7-10 game or first four in Dayton again would be a colossal failure

We (Pike) blew the second weekend when we didn’t retain Cliff or get a serviceable big man. We have played 5 terrible teams and the void is glaring even against them. We were outrebounded today by 20 to a team that was picked for 9th in Conference USA. Ogbole, Martini, and Sommerville had 6 total rebounds between them. Bailey had 1.

 

[dark_check]

Now? You may be right.

It's not about now, though. It's about how we play during the B1G season. I'm certain this team will look and play much differently when 2025 rolls around.

Based on?

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Based on?

Improving by playing together, gaining knowledge vs. unique opponents in different settings, and players learning their roles.

 

[zappaa]

Improving by playing together, gaining knowledge vs. unique opponents in different settings, and players learning their roles.

No center, no rebounding, no defense.
I don’t care how well they know their roles.
Kinnesaw guard had more rebounds than our centers and Bailey

 

[AshCatchEm]

I just want to calm the nerves of fans already worried about being on the wrong side of the bubble for the big dance.

If we are on the bubble, we'll be the first of the bubble teams the committee puts in. They'll find a suitable seed and start comparing the other bubble clubs.

There is no way it's keeping Ace and Dylan out of the tournament. Two high NBA lottery picks provide too much interest.

The only way we don't get in is if we the bed big-time during the course of the season. I don't see that happening.

What a weak take. Bubble teams are pathetic. What team with two consensus top 3 players had even been a bubble team? Absolutely pathetic.

 

[RUJMM78]

Corrective action is required ASAP because the season has started and the really tough competition starts on Tuesday. What has happened during practices and games hasn't inspired confidence that improvement will occur. Looking at the video tape should have told the coaching staff and players that the same mistakes are still being made.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

No center, no rebounding, no defense.
I don’t care how well they know their roles.
Kinnesaw guard had more rebounds than our centers and Bailey

To add insult to injury, the Kinnesaw guard who had 10 rebounds while our three big men had 6 combined, was a bench player. Rebounding is at least 50% desire.

 

[Shelby65]

Now? You may be right.

It's not about now, though. It's about how we play during the B1G season. I'm certain this team will look and play much differently when 2025 rolls around.

Not sure about that. Two top talents, JWill and not much else including defense and rebounding spells bubble of conference bottom third. Even Bailey and Dylan will be inconsistent.

Derkack and Martini starting because there’s nobody better tells you all you need to know about the overall talent on the team.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We have plenty of time to get better and I know we will.

Right now we are in the 120s through 5 games.

If improvement doesnt happen soon we will only hope to het near the bubble

 

[bethlehemfan]

Teams with no center, can’t rebound and give up uncontested 3s with alarming regularity don’t make the tournament, never mind sweet 16

We will be lucky to make the nit

 

[jakeknight]

Jeez, just stop bubble team? We’re not sure what kind of team we are, we have some great young individuals talent, but this is their first look at good college teams and good college coach’s. we can play good D but we haven’t play much more than 20 minutes of good “D” in any game yet. We haven’t rebounded as well as we should.
Well know this week where we are as a team, was this a bad loss, we will find out Wednesday in LV.
Oh by the way Notre Dame is 4-1 with a loss to Elon.

 

[IL Lusciato]

We (Pike) blew the second weekend when we didn’t retain Cliff or get a serviceable big man. We have played 5 terrible teams and the void is glaring even against them. We were outrebounded today by 20 to a team that was picked for 9th in Conference USA. Ogbole, Martini, and Sommerville had 6 total rebounds between them. Bailey had 1.

It really is crazy that we didn't bother to get a 5.

Its mind blowing.

 

[fluoxetine]

We have plenty of time to get better and I know we will.

Right now we are in the 120s through 5 games.

If improvement doesnt happen soon we will only hope to het near the bubble

If this team actually ended up being worse than last year's (we finished the year at #100 in Kenpom) then, uh, Pike's seat will actually be hot and rightfully so.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

If this team actually ended up being worse than last year's (we finished the year at #100 in Kenpom) then, uh, Pike's seat will actually be hot and rightfully so.

Shouldnt be. It means he should get back in his lane.

 

[zappaa]

Jeez, just stop bubble team? We’re not sure what kind of team we are, we have some great young individuals talent, but this is their first look at good college teams and good college coach’s. we can play good D but we haven’t play much more than 20 minutes of good “D” in any game yet. We haven’t rebounded as well as we should.
Well know this week where we are as a team, was this a bad loss, we will find out Wednesday in LV.
Oh by the way Notre Dame is 4-1 with a loss to Elon.

Do you expect a metamorphosis from a team that can’t rebound or play D?

 

[fluoxetine]

Shouldnt be. It means he should get back in his lane.

Well, by “hot” I don’t mean like a firing is imminent. But what I do mean is that we would be on a three year run of declining and subpar results and it would be reasonable for people to start asking questions and giving him a little bit of a shorter leash to turn it around.

From 2017-2021 I think he did well as anyone could reasonably have expected. A+ and anyone criticizing (overall, not specific aspects; I’m not saying he was perfect) at that point was way off base.

But since that point things have been less good, and we are at a point now where he no longer gets a pass because he is rebuilding a horrible program. It’s year 9. This is HIS program now and he just brought in a top top top class.

If he is going to take the next step he needs to be able to win with this kind of player. He needs to be able to put together teams that can actually score some points while still playing defense at a high level. Defense is just as important as offense, and you can be pretty good by being elite at one of them, but at some point you hit the wall of diminishing returns and need to become good on the other side of the ball as well.

 

[seels2662]

1) This loss ensured we will be a bubble team. We won't get 20 wins this year.
2)We won't be left out. It has nothing to do with star power its because our OOC is very tough for once.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Well, by “hot” I don’t mean like a firing is imminent. But what I do mean is that we would be on a three year run of declining and subpar results and it would be reasonable for people to start asking questions and giving him a little bit of a shorter leash to turn it around.

From 2017-2021 I think he did well as anyone could reasonably have expected. A+ and anyone criticizing (overall, not specific aspects; I’m not saying he was perfect) at that point was way off base.

But since that point things have been less good, and we are at a point now where he no longer gets a pass because he is rebuilding a horrible program. It’s year 9. This is HIS program now and he just brought in a top top top class.

If he is going to take the next step he needs to be able to win with this kind of player. He needs to be able to put together teams that can actually score some points while still playing defense at a high level. Defense is just as important as offense, and you can be pretty good by being elite at one of them, but at some point you hit the wall of diminishing returns and need to become good on the other side of the ball as well.

We are literally 22 months removed from being a team that could and did beat anyone and belonged in any conversation about getting to a Final 4 and winning a National Championship. That team lacked one extra body and no injuries from potentially being a Top 10 team. It was all defense.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

1) This loss ensured we will be a bubble team. We won't get 20 wins this year.
2)We won't be left out. It has nothing to do with star power its because our OOC is very tough for once.

This loss didn't do any of the above. It showed we have a lot of improvement to do and we need to bring the intensity every game. We have 2 more circle games on the schedule. Seton Hall and Columbia. The rest of the schedule hasnt been looking forward to playing us since schedules came out.

 

[NickRU714]

We are literally 22 months removed from being a team that could and did beat anyone and belonged in any conversation about getting to a Final 4 and winning a National Championship. That team lacked one extra body and no injuries from potentially being a Top 10 team. It was all defense.

And every day we get further and further away from that.
At what point does that moment in time become the outlier and not the norm?

If this season does go bad, what is the "lane" for next season?
Back to an elite defensive based team who gets to be in bubble contention?

That's what we've been more often than the "top 10 potential" moment in time you cite.

Need both offense and defense.

 

[seels2662]

This loss didn't do any of the above. It showed we have a lot of improvement to do and we need to bring the intensity every game. We have 2 more circle games on the schedule. Seton Hall and Columbia. The rest of the schedule hasnt been looking forward to playing us since schedules came out.

So you think either 1) we go 6-0 against the rest of the OOC including Alabama, ND, SHU and lets say an OOC against Oregon or 2)we finsh probably 4th or 5th in the league. That's the only way we get to 20 wins now.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

And every day we get further and further away from that.
At what point does that moment in time become the outlier and not the norm?

If this season does go bad, what is the "lane" for next season?
Back to an elite defensive based team who gets to be in bubble contention?

That's what we've been more often than the "top 10 potential" moment in time you cite.

Need both offense and defense.

We veered from the lane going after Ace and Dylan. It wasn't that long ago. Get back in the lane. Do what you do best. Don't get beat with a hanging curve to the 7th place hitter if you are a fastball pitcher.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

So you think either 1) we go 6-0 against the rest of the OOC including Alabama, ND, SHU and lets say an OOC against Oregon or 2)we finsh probably 4th or 5th in the league. That's the only way we get to 20 wins now.

I give a **** about 2 things

1. Just making the NCAA tournament
2. Peak in March

In 1 game on a Saturday or Sunday in the 3rd week of March a 19 win team can earn a 1 seed.

 

[NickRU714]

We veered from the lane going after Ace and Dylan. It wasn't that long ago. Get back in the lane. Do what you do best. Don't get beat with a hanging curve to the 7th place hitter if you are a fastball pitcher.

Understood.
But if someone can only throw fastballs and can’t throw even a passable curve, they aren’t going to be a starter.

HC Pike could throw a 105mph fastball (defense) but if that’s it - he’s a reliever and not a starter?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Understood.
But if someone can only throw fastballs and can’t throw even a passable curve, they aren’t going to be a starter.

HC Pike could throw a 105mph fastball (defense) but if that’s it - he’s a reliever and not a starter?

neither....crazily you need more than just that

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

To go off the diving board you need to pass the deep end test. If you cant swim 2 laps and tread water for 3 minutes you fail the deep end test.

Paul passed but wasnt a great swimmer
Caleb barely passed the test
Even Montez passed the test

My fear is we have 3 people going off the diving board who cant pass the deep end test.

Dercack, jWill and Jmike can’t take and make wide open 3s at a rate that it makes sense to shoot at.

Offense can be improved by just having players capable of making a uncontested 3. It has to be a given at this level and it shouldnt be hard to field a team that plays D and shoot it at 35+% taking only “Issa 3s”

 

[jakeknight]

Do you expect a metamorphosis from a team that can’t rebound or play D?

No I don’t expect a metamorphosis, I do expect the team to develop better consistency as the season and practice continue. If you can play good defense for stretches you can play defense for longer stretches. Anybody who thought this was going to be easy as we try to blend 5 freshmen with 4 transfers just doesn’t understand what it takes to create and develop consistency and get the roles and responsibilities straightened out. An additional post player with what was available and affordable wasn’t going to create cohesiveness and consistency. If we don’t see reasonable growth then it is on Pike and the staff, still too early for all the panic, think we will see what and where we are this week.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Rutgers 2021-22

Date		Result/Line	AdjD
Wed 11-10	Lehigh	W, 73-70 OT	81	92.4
Sat 11-13	Merrimack	W, 48-35	58	74.3
Tue 11-16	NJIT	W, 75-61	66	112.3
Thu 11-18	DePaul	L, 73-70	64	106.7
Mon 11-22	Lafayette	L, 53-51	67	84.4
Sat 11-27	Massachusetts	L, 85-83	69	108.7
Tue 11-30	Clemson	W, 74-64	67	91.5
Fri 12-03	Illinois	L, 86-51	70	107.2
Thu 12-09	Purdue	W, 70-68	65	90.2
Sun 12-12	Seton Hall	L, 77-63	71	102.4
Thu 12-30	Maine	W, 80-64	66	107.6
Sat 1-01	Central Connecticut	W, 79-48	70	77
Tue 1-04	Michigan	W, 75-67	67	88
Sat 1-08	Nebraska	W, 93-65	70	96.1
Tue 1-11	Penn St.	L, 66-49	65	96.2
Sat 1-15	Maryland	W, 70-59	67	87.6
Wed 1-19	Iowa	W, 48-46	68	59.3
Sat 1-22	Minnesota	L, 68-65	55	118.4
Tue 1-25	Maryland	L, 68-60	62	109
Sat 1-29	Nebraska	W, 63-61	72	82.1
Tue 2-01	Northwestern	L, 79-78 OT	76	104.3
Sat 2-05	Michigan St.	W, 84-63	62	97.7
Wed 2-09	Ohio St.	W, 66-64	57	102.3
Sat 2-12	Wisconsin	W, 73-65	66	92.3
Wed 2-16	Illinois	W, 70-59	66	80
Sun 2-20	Purdue	L, 84-72	63	111
Wed 2-23	Michigan	L, 71-62	68	92.3
Sat 2-26	Wisconsin	L, 66-61	65	98.8
Wed 3-02	Indiana	W, 66-63	63	96.8
Sun 3-06	Penn St.	W, 59-58	61	88.9
Fri 3-11	Iowa	L, 84-74	68	104.5
Wed 3-16	Notre Dame (11)	L, 89-87 2OT	75	107.2

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Jaden Jones played 27 minutes in the Illinois game. he played 51 minutes the rest of the season.
Ralph Agee played 18 minutes in the Illinois game. He played 35 minutes the rest of the season.
Jalen Miller's redshirt was burned after UMASS
Hyatt played 23,25,23,24 minutes in his 1st 4 games. Didn't reach any of those numbers after and played a lot of 12 minutes games
McConnell basically took Hyatt's and Jones minutes

 

[bac2therac]

i wouldnt write this team off based on yesterdays loss....after all lets just go back to previous years with bad losses. However losing this game definitely puts a wart on the resume and its definitely better to not do that early. Gotta get a quality OOC win and I dont think Notre Dame/SHU/Princeton going to move any needles. Do not get me started on scheduling that ridiculous Princeton game. Also Columbia is another potential landmine that awaits

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Took until 12-15-2018 until he finally reduced Kiss's role after losing 4 staright culminating with the 12/15 loss to SHU

 

[seels2662]

I give a **** about 2 things

1. Just making the NCAA tournament
2. Peak in March

In 1 game on a Saturday or Sunday in the 3rd week of March a 19 win team can earn a 1 seed.

That loss has made it so we have to sweat now for 4 months and be a bubble team at the end. I think we make it in. I think.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

That loss has made it so we have to sweat now for 4 months and be a bubble team at the end. I think we make it in. I think.

Who knows where we will end up...maybe that loss will be an issue or maybe it won't matter (both ends).

Bac knows...if we are any where from 32 to 48 in at large rankings that loss could potentially be an issue as we play games in early March

 

[bac2therac]

Who knows where we will end up...maybe that loss will be an issue or maybe it won't matter (both ends).

Bac knows...if we are any where from 32 to 48 in at large rankings that loss could potentially be an issue as we play games in early March

tell me why we are likely playing a Q3 neutral site game at Pru Center vs Princeton on the weekend before X Mas at noon