I was pumped for Baylor at MSG and Nova at the RAC in the Big East challenge. And it was going to be Nova. Then when the virus hit,I didn't get why a Marist or St. Peter's wasn't added, or that ND game on a Saturday didn't take place at the RAC. But now they are all unnecessary. The low major might have given the frosh some time,but they wouldn't be in the rotation now anyway. 15-9 and 11-9 give or take is a solid 5 or 6. Next season will undoubtedly bring that covered OOC game,maybe Duke at MSG in December and Nova or UConn to the RAC. All good now.
The schedule in retrospect
- Thread starter RU72
- Start date
Pikell has said numerous times they tried to schedule more OOC games but don't forget many schools had both Covid issues and protocols to follow so at least we are not our women or Michigan's mens team where they have lost 6-8 games on their schedule; It is very unfortunate for the development of the frosh but it is what it is
Pike appears to have his pulse on where the league and his program is.....a lot of times, RU fans are still in a mindset that covers 3 decades of missteps or "RU still has something to prove as a little guy, taking on the bigger named programs.
While the St Peter's or Marist or Rider or whomever (even Notre Dame) could have been scheduled, it was only out of a built in fear that there's somehow never going to be enough for some fans..
Unfortunately, there's still a "well, this team is at the bottom of the league etc.....all of the goalposts have been moved....it was the RAC as the reasons for the wins last year,, they couldn't win on the road, now some fans are setting the bar at having to win at Iowa and Michigan in order to have things become validation.
The larger question (for me) is ultimately can Pike (in a league and sport historically built on recruiting at a high level and against some coaches who will recruit "by any means necessary",......can RU find enough players to sustain the success as a winning program??
The easiest way is to get an accumulated number of 4* and 5* kids like the Michigan, Ohio States, Michigan State and Indiana type programs do....but if that doesn't happen with every recruiting target signed, some fans are going to always complain about the program or refuse to enjoy the winning and turnaround that has occurred.
If I had $100 for every post here in the last decade from fans asking for just one chance to make the NCAA tournament, I would have plenty of money. The league is very difficult and competitive and the question is going to be what ultimately happens if and when that slip up happens.....will there be chaos and absurd comments which are so over the top, that the boards become unreadable???
Can Pike and the staff continue the recruiting process?? Not every recruiting target landed is going to be an impact player....I think fans will need to be more involved and aware that it's much harder to win consistently in basketball than football, where a 6-6 or 7-5 football season results in a bowl game (even if you are 3-6 in the B1G for football, you can get a bowl game.
In basketball you usually have to win 19 to 20 games out of 30-31 to make the NCAAS, which in most years require a team to be .500 in a difficult league schedule. Is the goal to be Iowa, Wisconsin or Purdue?? That seems reasonable as a goal for the next 4 to 5 years in recruiting vs expecting to be Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana and Sparty etc...
While the St Peter's or Marist or Rider or whomever (even Notre Dame) could have been scheduled, it was only out of a built in fear that there's somehow never going to be enough for some fans..
Unfortunately, there's still a "well, this team is at the bottom of the league etc.....all of the goalposts have been moved....it was the RAC as the reasons for the wins last year,, they couldn't win on the road, now some fans are setting the bar at having to win at Iowa and Michigan in order to have things become validation.
The larger question (for me) is ultimately can Pike (in a league and sport historically built on recruiting at a high level and against some coaches who will recruit "by any means necessary",......can RU find enough players to sustain the success as a winning program??
The easiest way is to get an accumulated number of 4* and 5* kids like the Michigan, Ohio States, Michigan State and Indiana type programs do....but if that doesn't happen with every recruiting target signed, some fans are going to always complain about the program or refuse to enjoy the winning and turnaround that has occurred.
If I had $100 for every post here in the last decade from fans asking for just one chance to make the NCAA tournament, I would have plenty of money. The league is very difficult and competitive and the question is going to be what ultimately happens if and when that slip up happens.....will there be chaos and absurd comments which are so over the top, that the boards become unreadable???
Can Pike and the staff continue the recruiting process?? Not every recruiting target landed is going to be an impact player....I think fans will need to be more involved and aware that it's much harder to win consistently in basketball than football, where a 6-6 or 7-5 football season results in a bowl game (even if you are 3-6 in the B1G for football, you can get a bowl game.
In basketball you usually have to win 19 to 20 games out of 30-31 to make the NCAAS, which in most years require a team to be .500 in a difficult league schedule. Is the goal to be Iowa, Wisconsin or Purdue?? That seems reasonable as a goal for the next 4 to 5 years in recruiting vs expecting to be Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana and Sparty etc...
The OOC games could've provided an opportunity for cushion. Just because we put ourselves in position to potentially not need that cushion, doesn't mean it couldn't have helped. We have to finish at .500 or better in the conference to be in.
Look at PSU for example .. if they scratch and claw their way back to .500 or just under .500 they would be on the bubble because of their out of conference + what they would have done in the B1G.
.... but forgetting all of that ....
..this fanbase should not let SHU live down the fact that they completely dodged us this year. For whatever BS reason. SHU looked for other OOC games across the country while RU had free days to play. They didn't want to add another L to the series history.
Look at PSU for example .. if they scratch and claw their way back to .500 or just under .500 they would be on the bubble because of their out of conference + what they would have done in the B1G.
.... but forgetting all of that ....
..this fanbase should not let SHU live down the fact that they completely dodged us this year. For whatever BS reason. SHU looked for other OOC games across the country while RU had free days to play. They didn't want to add another L to the series history.
I would have loved to see this team have the opportunity to play the likes of Nova and Baylor in marquee OOC match ups. If the pandemic made those too risky there is nothing we can do about. My greatest fear down the stretch is a Covid outbreak.
The nice thing about college basketball schedules is that the OOC games are not determined very far in advance. Therefore depending on who comes back and what our team looks like from a national ranking perspective, I hope similar opportunities are available next year..
One thing that is not clear to me is whether a match up with Nova this year would have been due primarily to the desire to limit travel because of Covid considerations? If you were trying match teams up from a ranking perspective for the conference challenge series I don't see why Nova would not have been paired with the likes of the current Top 4 B1G teams.
The nice thing about college basketball schedules is that the OOC games are not determined very far in advance. Therefore depending on who comes back and what our team looks like from a national ranking perspective, I hope similar opportunities are available next year..
One thing that is not clear to me is whether a match up with Nova this year would have been due primarily to the desire to limit travel because of Covid considerations? If you were trying match teams up from a ranking perspective for the conference challenge series I don't see why Nova would not have been paired with the likes of the current Top 4 B1G teams.
looking at the other big ten teams, we have 5 other teams that have played less games than RU overall.....we sit at 17 total, the rest of the teams have between one and three more games, right now, ranging between 18 to 20
it would have been nice to have three easy games that were wins, added to our total....
but, we are not alone in regards to having an almost, league only schedule.....
when the NCAA looks at this year, they will be making decisions on win totals that are lesser in number, less impressive number of wins versus losses, for many teams....it should all balance out.
it would have been nice to have three easy games that were wins, added to our total....
but, we are not alone in regards to having an almost, league only schedule.....
when the NCAA looks at this year, they will be making decisions on win totals that are lesser in number, less impressive number of wins versus losses, for many teams....it should all balance out.
Having SHU (the one in NJ), Nova, and others coming into the RAC next year will be much more fun than they would have been this year because the fans will be there to enjoy and root the team on to victory. As for MSG, bring a "name" team in, yes, but not Duke. I'd rather it be an RU home crowd when we play there next season.