In the Big Ten?
Does Cliff have ANY NBA buzz? It seems like he couldā¦
Theyāre 17th on KP right now, returning all those dudes + Griffiths could easily jolt them up 10 spots nationally IMO
Rutgers is basically the reverse Iowa to me at this point. They are going to be good enough on defense to win a lot of games but Iām not convinced theyāll be able to score until I see them score.
Are you going to tell me that one more year of Cam Spencer and Paul Mulcahy is suddenly going to result in a good offense?
If they are going to be preseason top ten with the same core they would need to add a real offensive perimeter piece in the portal IMO.
I think they have established they are a top half B1G team. Pikiell has built a solid floor and infrastructure. If they could be improved on offense top 5 in the B1G consistently isnāt unrealistic. Given they are improving the recruiting and talent they are bringing in, I donāt think that is too big of a stretch.
Yeah if Rutgers gets everyone back besides Mcconnell they are exactly like all the overperforming teams this year. Their core would be 2 5th year COVID guys. A legit presence down low in Sr. Omoruyi. Plus a 5th year Hyatt and 4th year Mag. Thatās stupid old.
Dunno if they can get any improvement on O, but possibly 5th year Spencer/Mulcahy do that and maybe Griffiths gives something.
Prob not top 5 cause I have no idea how they get to a top 50 offense but top 15 for sure. Would understand top 10 rankings even though I still donāt enjoy the team and donāt think theyāre a final four threat until the play remotely ok offense
Anyone else think we need a @umhoops and @buckets12 pod where they just yell at each other about various Big Ten takes?
they both already have pods where they do that to someone else
What Virginia did this year is a good example Iād say. Although Rutgers this year is much better than Virginia last year.
But Virginia went from bad offense, good defense, bring everybody back to a top 10 team all season long this year in the polls (KP slightly lower on them theyāre 12 now). Preseason we all would have laughed at Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner, Armaan Franklin, Reece Beekman being a top 10 team cuz no way that offense is good enough.
Cam Spencerās a legitimately great offensive weapon too IMO. I know you hate Mulcahy (will he crack the top 50 B1G players list next year???) but Spencer is a 45/44/93 shooter as a primary option. Thatās absurd!
Dylan would put my brain in a blender faster than I can say āKenpom was wrong about Ohio Stateā
Spencer is a top option? Heās 3rd in %Shots. Gonna have to get that way up for Rutgers to break top 100 on offense lol. But that is there path basically. Have Spencer have a massive 5th year with high usage and still flamethrowing levels of efficiency
He should be taking more shots than Aundre Hyatt though no doubt
Losing Mcconnell will improve their offense immediately. But does it hurt the D? Enough questions there that I think they fit well as a top 15ish preseason team
I have no idea, but I would assume Cliff has some NBA buzz and aspirations. Heās an NBA athlete and his defense & rebounding seem like skills that would get him drafted and on a roster somewhere even if heās not an offensive threat. Why would Diabate be attractive to the NBA but not Cliff? If he leaves, that starts to alter their trajectory.
I think Dylan is right about reverse Iowa. I also think that in the B10 thereās a chance for Rutgers to shine even more based on their style of play (perhaps in ways Iowa sometimes canāt). Next year the conference could be pretty wide open if Edey leaves too. But I think their offense is always going to be a limiting factor.
Cam Spencer is having a career shooting year and Rutgers is ranked 112th in offense. Whatās he going to do? Double that up?
I donāt buy the Virginia thing because Tony Bennett has coached competent offensive teams before.
Rutgers will be very good and is quietly turning into what I think a lot of Big Ten teams want to think they are, but I still think thereās a cap on their upside.
I guess I just see what some other coaches do as scaling up with better players more effectively. Iād be way more excited about Micah Shrewsberry spreading the floor and shooting threes with talented incoming classes than Pikiell teaching five-stars how to pound nails.
Sorry if itās already been discussed but did anyone else notice that Michigan picked up TWO quad one wins last night? Maryland is up to #30 in the NET. Tourney here we come!!!
This is stunning to me. Didnāt think Maryland had it in them.
Of course you already pointed it out and discussed it. Iāll just go sit in the corner now.
Fair. āTop perimeter guyā is more accurate.
I think Pikiell is what he is as those numbers show, so that may cap their upside.
But if your Rutgers its not like your moving on from him. He has done a fantastic job and seems like there is some upside with the talent they are in on.