I think you're being way optimistic regarding RU being "potent". Where does our offense come from? Cam is the only natural scorer we have with your four starters and either Hyatt or Mag. Other teams will put their best defender on Cam. If he's shut down, where do we go? Our best offense will be to rebound and push the ball, and if we don't play great defense every game, we're going to struggle to make the NCAA tourney.
I tend to stay optimistic when it comes to my fandom of teams. I don't remember Rutgers through Wenzel, Bannon, Waters, Hill Jr,, Rice, Jordan, that fits the mold of how Cam plays the game, clośest maybe the Billets, but both were generously 6'0, neither had the ability to score at all 3 levels, rim, mid and 3pt range and automatic at the free throw line like Cam. Cam also uses his frame and weight well at the guard position. Paul showed in 4 game ranked winning streak last year that he has that ability to take over a game, even in that loss vs NW. Cliff we know has that in him. The Caleb vs Notre Dame in the first 4 of the NCAA tournament shows up more consistently in his last year has that ability. Mag and Hyatt can benefit from being that 5th option less focus on them they both have scored in double figures more than once this year. I like what Derek and Woolf brings off the bench as a pretty deep 8 player rotation. Will it come together the way I think it could, maybe, maybe not, but I'm hopeful that it will by January 1, even Bucknell and Coppin St are quality warmups leading to the B1G conference slate. I think the next 4-5 years and beyond are going to be very memorable, because that's when Pikiell hit his stride at Stony Brook going I think 119-48 his last 5 years there.
