Where has this been all year?

[RAC93]

Effort, rebounding, rim protection, good passes, good defense…..tonight was a pleasant surprise. Showed these guys are capable of playing good basketball. Thought Cliff finally looked like the Cliff we all thought he could be this year. Excellent hustle tonight on the defensive boards and 50/50 balls. Let’s hope this is what we see going forward and this team may have a season ahead of them after all.

 

[knight82]

Mag being on the floor brings energy to the whole team. And sources say Pike really ripped them a new one after the Wake Forest game and let's just say practices werent boring the past few days

 

[Jerseylegends]

Effort, rebounding, rim protection, good passes, good defense…..tonight was a pleasant surprise. Showed these guys are capable of playing good basketball. Thought Cliff finally like the Cliff we all though he could be this year. Excellent hustle tonight on the defensive boards and 50/50 balls. Let’s hope this is what we see going forward and this team may have a season ahead of them after all.

Coaches got into them after last 2 games and Mag helps a lot with effort rebounding and overall energy. Cliff had 13 rebounds, woolfolk had 5 reb off the bench. Starting jamichael Davis really helped the offense because of his quickness, penetration and ball distribution. Simpson is good to have as a bucket getter off the bench..

 

[JudgeSmails56]

Good win! Needed that..

 

[Jerseylegends]

Also, like Georgetown idk how good Seton hall is right now but this was a good bounce back game.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Definitely just a whole different feel on the floor today.

 

[RAC93]

Definitely just a whole different feel on the floor today.

Intensity and effort were much higher in this game. Mag returning was huge, but others really stepped up as well. JMike and Noah were excellent. Looks like they have found a starting guard combo, at least for now.

 

[Kbee3]

Mag being on the floor brings energy to the whole team. And sources say Pike really ripped them a new one after the Wake Forest game and let's just say practices werent boring the past few days

Mags D and rebounding damn good.

 

[RUTrack94]

Nice win … SHU really had a dud looking at the 3PG and FT percentage … always great to win this one!!!!

 

[BigEastPhil]

It’s all about Mag. By having him control the boards , it settles Cliff down and by extension the rest of the team!

 

[RUisB1Gtime]

Mags literal presence, 6'7 athletic and good wingspan is what we were sorely lacking. Also we needed Gavin to be aggressive. He was out of control and clumsy at times, but that's better then passive. Also cliff on the high pick and roll is more effective then Cliff in the post. Cliffs post touches should be limited until proven otherwise..

 

[RU-ROCS]

Mag…the straw that stirs the Knights.

 

[OldManRiver1]

Absent a great, great player that demands the ball and carries a team…I always believe that a coach tweaks his lineup constantly until he hits the formula that produces…and Pike did that yesterday. Like he says…the season is journey to get where you need to be by the end of the season.
Mags and JMike (I’m excited to see how he ends his career here) were catalysts that ignited GG, Noah and Cliff…let’s hope they react well for the remainder of year

 

[80RU]

JMike averages only 1.5 turnovers to 5.2 assists per40 minutes. In a relatively small sampling, he has hit 40% of his three-point shots. If he starts to finish around the rim when he gets in the lane and hits his free throws, he could be a star. It seems that his free-throw misses are consistently off the back rim while others who have trouble at the free-throw line seem to be all over the place. This tells me that the issue can be fixed. I was also happy to see that he did not get eaten alive covering Richmond most of the time he was on the court — being able to guard a bigger guard is a huge factor.

 

[RUBlackout]

JMike averages only 1.5 turnovers to 5.2 assists per40 minutes. In a relatively small sampling, he has hit 40% of his three-point shots. If he starts to finish around the rim when he gets in the lane and hits his free throws, he could be a star. It seems that his free-throw misses are consistently off the back rim while others who have trouble at the free-throw line seem to be all over the place. This tells me that the issue can be fixed. I was also happy to see that he did not get eaten alive covering Richmond most of the time he was on the court — being able to guard a bigger guard is a huge factor.

Thought he was our best player yesterday

 

[Scarlet83]

Effort, rebounding, rim protection, good passes, good defense…..tonight was a pleasant surprise. Showed these guys are capable of playing good basketball. Thought Cliff finally like the Cliff we all though he could be this year. Excellent hustle tonight on the defensive boards and 50/50 balls. Let’s hope this is what we see going forward and this team may have a season ahead of them after all.

Two words. Mawot Mag.

 

[Scarlet83]

Mag…the straw that stirs the Knights.

Damn right!

 

[Scarlet Blind_rivals]

 

[ScarletDave]

2-0 against the Big East. Basketball passing by our old foes like football has.

 

[Saint Puppy]

I loved Mag being back and that we didn't get killed on the boards, but make no mistake this win had a lot to do with us shooting 50% from 3 and JMike finally showing signs of life on offense. We obviously can't expect that kind of shooting percentage from 3 every game, and who knows if JMike can keep this up (hope he can). This could have easily gone the wrong way had either of these things not happened yesterday, and certainly an 'L' had both been the norm we've seen over the past 8 games. Happy to get a 'W', but still a long way to go.

 

[Knight Owl]

Helps that Seton Hall isn’t a good three point shooting team to begin with and they lost all confidence in their threes as the game went on (RU perimeter D was good too).Their superstar made some midrange but Cliff was erasing attempts near the rim left and right. Seven blocks from Cliff has to be a career high or close to it.

 

[RAC93]

Two words. Mawot Mag.

I agree Mag return is huge, but the effort put out by other players was totally different. Wolf and Cliff playing tough inside, Noah running leading the offense with good shooting and actually showing some chemistry with Cliff, Gavin doing what he was brought here to do by knocking down threes, JMike stepping up with a great effort, Hyatt knocking down threes, and the entire team playing quality half court defense and showing effort for defensive rebounds and 50/50 balls. Mag return was huge, but a bunch of guys must have been a given a gut check by Pike to stop playing so soft as they were not doing this previously except maybe a few games. Cliff needs to continue the pick and roll with less post play and if my eyes actually saw this happen, Cliff actually kicked back out of the post last night to an open shooter for three for Noah…….I almost fell out of my chair as I yelled “Great pass Cliff!” It’s a basic play for a post player but one that is good to see from Cliff, very encouraging. Cliff really looked like Cliff of last year……Noah step back 3 reminded me of a Geo step back 3…….would love to see a lot more pick and roll game with Noah and Cliff. We need more Cliff rolling to the hoop off a pick than Cliff posting up.

 

[rob kight]

One difference in this game, was Cliff did pass back out a few times. This helps because in prior games, the opponent was collapsing on Cliff knowing he rarely passes the ball back out.

 

[cm_13]

Helps that Seton Hall isn’t a good three point shooting team to begin with and they lost all confidence in their threes as the game went on (RU perimeter D was good too).Their superstar made some midrange but Cliff was erasing attempts near the rim left and right. Seven blocks from Cliff has to be a career high or close to it.

He’s blocked 18 shots over the last 3 games.

 

[RUJMM78]

Mags literal presence, 6'7 athletic and good wingspan is what we were sorely lacking. Also we needed Gavin to be aggressive. He was out of control and clumsy at times, but that's better then passive. Also cliff on the high pick and roll is more effective then Cliff in the post. Cliffs post touches should be limited until proven otherwise..

Cliff had best game of the season but must stop taking 3 point shots from the top of the foul circle.

 

[bitnez]

I loved Mag being back and that we didn't get killed on the boards, but make no mistake this win had a lot to do with us shooting 50% from 3 and JMike finally showing signs of life on offense. We obviously can't expect that kind of shooting percentage from 3 every game, and who knows if JMike can keep this up (hope he can). This could have easily gone the wrong way had either of these things not happened yesterday, and certainly an 'L' had both been the norm we've seen over the past 8 games. Happy to get a 'W', but still a long way to go.

I get we still need to improve, but I disagree this game could’ve gone the other way. The game actually wasn’t very close. We shut them down on offense — 3 shot clock violations and 2 other shots at the horn in the first half alone. That doesn’t have anything to do with our offense. SHU had no answers. Dawes was lost. And while I’ll grant you that JMike played well, and we’re not shooting 50% from 3 very often, watching that game it was obvious we were clearly the better team. SHU cut 5-6 pts off the lead in the last minute to make it a little more respectable on their end.

 

[Scarlet83]

I agree Mag return is huge, but the effort put out by other players was totally different. Wolf and Cliff playing tough inside, Noah running leading the offense with good shooting and actually showing some chemistry with Cliff, Gavin doing what he was brought here to do by knocking down threes, JMike stepping up with a great effort, Hyatt knocking down threes, and the entire team playing quality half court defense and showing effort for defensive rebounds and 50/50 balls. Mag return was huge, but a bunch of guys must have been a given a gut check by Pike to stop playing so soft as they were not doing this previously except maybe a few games. Cliff needs to continue the pick and roll with less post play and if my eyes actually saw this happen, Cliff actually kicked back out of the post last night to an open shooter for three for Noah…….I almost fell out of my chair as I yelled “Great pass Cliff!” It’s a basic play for a post player but one that is good to see from Cliff, very encouraging. Cliff really looked like Cliff of last year……Noah step back 3 reminded me of a Geo step back 3…….would love to see a lot more pick and roll game with Noah and Cliff. We need more Cliff rolling to the hoop off a pick than Cliff posting up.

Agreed.

Mag’s intensity, effort and production permeated throughout the team. It was noticeable from the jump.

For the first time this year we didn’t get way behind vs Princeton/P6 opponent in the first 5 minutes. It was Mag, as well as Pike. We played confidently, and aggressive. And JMike, giving up at least 4 inches, stood up aggressively to Richmond and stepped up his game offensively big time.

 

[RUDivision]

The game is very misleading and we got a solid important win but have yet to turn the corner. Pike needs to get an offense coach on his staff and quickly. We reverted back to last years sets and as we move into Big ten play it will be a problem with Noah and Jmike .( let’s be clear they played very well night) We shot 50 percent from 3 clearly not sustainable. Seton hall a good 3 point shooting team shot 15 % and it was a 5 point game with less than a minute. Mag rebounding thank god. Shout out to Scang representing in the Seton Hall student section. Miss st will be a solid test to see where we stand.

 

[Saint Puppy]

I get we still need to improve, but I disagree this game could’ve gone the other way. The game actually wasn’t very close. We shut them down on offense — 3 shot clock violations and 2 other shots at the horn in the first half alone. That doesn’t have anything to do with our offense. SHU had no answers. Dawes was lost. And while I’ll grant you that JMike played well, and we’re not shooting 50% from 3 very often, watching that game it was obvious we were clearly the better team. SHU cut 5-6 pts off the lead in the last minute to make it a little more respectable on their end.

Fair enough, but we were never able to put them away. Also when you are making 3's at a 50% clip they tend to be momentum/psychological killers to the other team - it can change the trajectory of the game.

 

[RAC93]

I loved Mag being back and that we didn't get killed on the boards, but make no mistake this win had a lot to do with us shooting 50% from 3 and JMike finally showing signs of life on offense. We obviously can't expect that kind of shooting percentage from 3 every game, and who knows if JMike can keep this up (hope he can). This could have easily gone the wrong way had either of these things not happened yesterday, and certainly an 'L' had both been the norm we've seen over the past 8 games. Happy to get a 'W', but still a long way to go.

Agreed, they still have a ways to go but the best part was the capability they displayed. Cliff CAN still play like the Cliff we know, Noah CAN lead the offense and score, Gavin CAN hit big threes and be aggressive, Wolf CAN help on the boards, JMike CAN step in as a freshman and contribute, Hyatt CAN play with a little more control with better shot selection and less turnovers, and the team CAN defend, rebound and show overall toughness on the court. We don’t know if they can consistently do this every game, but they did show that they’re capable of doing it. Very encouraging.

 

[Knight Owl]

He’s blocked 18 shots over the last 3 games.

Didn’t realize he had 8 vs Illinois. Illinois seemed in control of all phases. 8 is his career high.

 

[Scangg]

Cliff had best game of the season but must stop taking 3 point shots from the top of the foul circle.

Cliff hasn't attempted a 3 since the Georgetown game

 

[Scangg]

JMike averages only 1.5 turnovers to 5.2 assists per40 minutes. In a relatively small sampling, he has hit 40% of his three-point shots. If he starts to finish around the rim when he gets in the lane and hits his free throws, he could be a star. It seems that his free-throw misses are consistently off the back rim while others who have trouble at the free-throw line seem to be all over the place. This tells me that the issue can be fixed. I was also happy to see that he did not get eaten alive covering Richmond most of the time he was on the court — being able to guard a bigger guard is a huge factor.

Davis was impressive the way he played defensively. He gave up size to Richmond but he has a ton of heart toughness and grit

We also did see Mag guard Richmond as well which I thought we would see for stretches and got pushback on it. Mag is so versatile as a defender

 

[80RU]

Davis was impressive the way he played defensively. He gave up size to Richmond but he has a ton of heart toughness and grit

We also did see Mag guard Richmond as well which I thought we would see for stretches and got pushback on it. Mag is so versatile as a defender

It appeared that the basic design was for Davis to cover him most of the time, and that they would communicate with each other about when to switch up. You could see Davis calling to Mag and pointing on occasion for the switches.

 

[Scarlet83]

I loved Mag being back and that we didn't get killed on the boards, but make no mistake this win had a lot to do with us shooting 50% from 3 and JMike finally showing signs of life on offense. We obviously can't expect that kind of shooting percentage from 3 every game, and who knows if JMike can keep this up (hope he can). This could have easily gone the wrong way had either of these things not happened yesterday, and certainly an 'L' had both been the norm we've seen over the past 8 games. Happy to get a 'W', but still a long way to go.

Keep in mind that the lopsided officiating cost us points and gave SHU points. More than a few points…probably about 10-12.

 

[RAC93]

Keep in mind that the lopsided officiating cost us points and gave SHU points. More than a few points…probably about 10-12.

The officiating was so bad……I am typically not one to gripe about the refs as they usually make bad calls on both sides and it always feels like a convenient excuse, HOWEVER this was so egregious and poorly officiated that it was nearly comical. Fouls called on end of the court were not called on the other end. Noah fouled under the hoop when he pump faked to draw contact which should have been an and one, Noah being bounced sideways and backwards by SH defenders several times he dribbled, and when RU made slightest contact with SH player a foul was called. It was as if when SH had the ball they were reffing a tight game with a quick whistle and when RU had the ball it was letting more stuff go for the defense and not blowing the whistle much.

 

[Westcoast]

Great game no doubt. But we won because we hit 12 three pointers on 50% shooting. Our inside game is still terrible. I just don't think we can expect to shoot like that again this year.

 

[FerrisBuellerrrrr]

Great step but two-point % (34%) and allowing offensive rebounds (16) were continuing issues for us in the SH game. A 50% vs 15% 3P% differential is not sustainable, need the bread and butter of 2P% and RBs for consistency and an ncaa bid run.

 

[RedTeamUpstream94]

The officiating was so bad……I am typically not one to gripe about the refs as they usually make bad calls on both sides and it always feels like a convenient excuse, HOWEVER this was so egregious and poorly officiated that it was nearly comical. Fouls called on end of the court were not called on the other end. Noah fouled under the hoop when he pump faked to draw contact which should have been an and one, Noah being bounced sideways and backwards by SH defenders several times he dribbled, and when RU made slightest contact with SH player a foul was called. It was as if when SH had the ball they were reffing a tight game with a quick whistle and when RU had the ball it was letting more stuff go for the defense and not blowing the whistle much.

That’s what I saw