Game 2 @ Rutgers, 11/29/20, 4 PM on BTN

[Wags]

Brutal first half offensively. They missed 12 straight shots over nearly an eight-minute stretch.

8/35 fg (22.9%)
2/15 from 3.
3/7 at the line even after being one of the best teams in the nation there over the past couple years.

Just non-existent offensively other than Ray.

Ray - 12 pts on 5/8 fg, 2/4 from 3
Everyone else - 9 pts on 3/27 fg , 0/11 from 3

Other Kante, I don't see where consistent offense comes from on this team this year. Coburn and Ray can get hot, but they are both inconsistent. Ray probably will be more consistent merely by default, with the loses from last year. Cramer looks athletic, runs the floor well. But, Burgess, Silverio, Masic? They can't shoot, can't score, it seems. Two of them, we saw that before, more of the same so far today. Masic looked like he was extremely nervous, no confidence in his shot. Maybe that'll change with experience. They miss so much offensively without Eli and Buie. I really don't see who steps up to replace that void this season. It's going to have to somehow be a sum greater than the parts kind of thing, if anything.

[Pride97]

Even worse to start the 2nd. They look like they gave up already.

[Polito]

Ugh and that’s it, blowout - I said it can happen that fast

L is expected but boy this team needs to find some scoring - so far HU is one player in Ray, and he’s not gonna be enough to do it all

First game, and they sure look like it. Need to get busy in practice. Got plenty of open looks but bricking em all. Potential is there though - this will easily be the best team HU plays all year.

[Wags]

Ugh and that’s it, blowout - I said it can happen that fast

L is expected but boy this team needs to find some scoring - so far HU is one player in Ray, and he’s not gonna be enough to do it all

First game, and they sure look like it. Need to get busy in practice. Got plenty of open looks but bricking em all. Potential is there though - this will easily be the best team HU plays all year.

It'll be interesting to see how they respond with the next game already tomorrow night - should be good prep for what it will be like with the unusual Sat/Sun CAA schedule.

[cactus]

I wouldn't be that excited about all the offensive rebounds it's because their misses are so bad

[cactus]

this will easily be the best team HU plays all year.

With them possibly playing their worst game of the year and yet it's no contest to this point

It's only game 1 and hofstra looked terrible game 1 last year too but agreed with what was said before - someone will have to step up as a consistant scorer and not seeing where its coming from yet

[Polito]

But to be fair cactus this is also the worst HU will likely play too - and this isn’t RUs worst, this is their 3rd game - it’s just a without Baker

I see a lot of potential here - rebounding and D has been strong - this is a very good Rutgers team, and it’s HUs first with next to no practice and guys playing together for the first time

The shooting has been awful and I’m really disappointed in Coburn and the PG position - next to no impact - unacceptable from TC as a Sr leader - he needs to wake up and realize he can’t disappear for minutes on end, or games for that matter

Can see the potential in Cramer and Green - these 2 can be studs

But I don’t see the go to, Ray doesn’t look like enough - the shooting is awful and HU has had PLENTY of good open looks - LOT to work on

[Polito]

Ya know even for D 1 players the bricks this team is throwing is really frustrating - I mean make a shot guys - wise open looks

And Kantes body language sucks - I know you’re getting manhandled by RUs talented bigs, that was expected, but he needs some coaching on being an upper class men.

[Wags]

Ya know even for D 1 players the bricks this team is throwing is really frustrating - I mean make a shot guys - wise open looks

We got spoiled by JWF, Buie and Eli. These guys can't shoot. We saw Silverio and Burgess last year. Maybe they improve, but I don't see it based on what I've seen so far.

[Mikey77]

Very disappointed with the new guys. They looked way out of sync. Shooting was terrible. We'll see.

[stuball888]

Its only game 1 Very little practice and only Ray seemed to be into the game Give it a few more games and have faith in this coaching staff

[triplec2195]

I waited to post maybe call it cheating to look at the box score and didn't realize that Kante had 17 rebounds. Now I watched the entire game and know Kante didn't play particularly well was out sized in this game and the frustration shows but 17 rebounds. C'mon give him some credit. He also is a decent free throw shooter which leads me to my next point we missed 7 F.T.S 3 OF THOSE WERE CRAMER misses. WE have no idea what Cramer brings from the FT line but know of all the other things he's going to do for us. HE SHOT 1 OF 5 FROM 3 but a few of his shots were in and outs. The fact that we also missed at least 2 front ends of one and ones gives me the feeling that this could have been a single digit loss and considering it was our first game and we didn't play particularly well both Coburn and Silverio had to leave the game. For those people who constantly say that Silverio can't shoot I'm going to say with some confidence that I believe he will score in double figures this season if given the minutes. You can remind me if he doesn't that I went on the record saying that and I will remind the doubters if he does in fact be a decent scorer for us. Ray is Ray no need to discuss his game he's going to be big for us this year. I can't say one good thing not one about the play of Burgess other then he's quick and plays D but he's supposed to run this team and dish and we also need him to score. From what I saw of Elmo he looks like a much more polished PG and even though he only played 13 minutes IMO he looked like a much more confident player. I don't think its going to be long before he's starting at the point. The only other comment I would like to make is the play of Masic was not very good in 5 minutes he took 4 shots and on every one of his shots he was wide open and not one of his shots were close to going in. That hurt us somewhat in this game clearly as bad as we played and as inept as our offense was this should have been a closer game.

[EvanJ]

We used ten players, nine played at least 13 minutes, and Ray's 31 were the only amount above 27. To show how rare it is for our ninth most minutes to be at least 13, when we beat New York Tech by 42 our ninth most minutes is 12. We might have had dozens of times where we used fewer than nine players more recently than our ninth most minutes being at least 13, but I'm not going to check every box score to find out.

Kante shot 2-10, but he had a whopping 17 rebounds. The rest of our players had 16 rebounds. That excludes 6 team rebounds.

After Ray's 22, we had two players score 8, two players score 7, two players score 2, and three players not score. When a team has four starters combine to shoot 4-28 (.143) with 3 assists and 8 turnovers, they probably lost.

We had more bench points, 20 to 14. Last season we averaged 6.6 bench points, so we had a little more than triple that. We had 12 steals, and seven players had at least 1. Last season our most players with a steal was seven, which we did against New York Tech and Holy Cross. It was the first team we had at least seven players have a steal in an away game was a 93-90 win at W&M on January 10, 2019, but that game went triple overtime, and we had four players with a steal in regulation. It was the first time we had at least seven players with at least one steal away in regulation was a 61-58 loss at Tulane on January 2, 2014. The College Basketball at Sports-Reference Play Index goes back to 2010-2011, and this was our 331st game in that time. We have never had more than eight players have a steal in that time, so today tied for the most. That's for all games, not away games.

Green stunk. Cowart had 2 assists and 2 steals in 13 minutes, but he committed 3 turnovers. Based on today, Cramer should start tomorrow. Big Ten Network said we started Green, and so does our box score at https://gohofstra.com/sports/mens-baske ... core/11069 so I think https://scarletknights.com/sidearmstats ... ;team=away is wrong to say Silverio started.

[triplec2195]

Evan when u say Green stunk what exactly does that mean. I really don’t remember seeing him much on the floor but recall him taking at least one decent three that went in and out. Also didn’t see Trueheart or Bethea??

[Cards]

We haven't seen much of Elmo yet, but like others, I believe he will be starting and getting the bulk of the PG minutes in short order. I see Burgess as this years backup, a guy who can come in and play solid D while giving Elmo a breather. He does not bring an offense to the table - none! It is very clear why the staff went hard after the high school PG from the city -- thank God they did!

I will give the young guys a pass on the poor shooting. First game at D1 level for Green and Masic, and first game in about three years for Cramer. I actually was pleased with Cramer's game. I thought he would have no outside game, but he did not hesitate taking threes. If he can keep working on the long shot, he will open things up for himself and keep a lot of defenders honest.

I will also give IK and TC a pass. Kante had really tough assignments playing bigger and possibly more talented players for every minute he was on the floor. Those were better 5's than he will see in any CAA games. TC was off, no doubt - but we know what he can do. His challenge for the year will to be less streaky. He also took quite a shot to the face. I do agree with Polito, however, that regardless of the games that these two bring on any given day, they both need to stay "up" and be upper class leaders on the floor. That leadership was lacking today.

In the end, after all is said and done, making just a few more shots (still at an overall poor percent) and the game could have been close enough to remain exciting.

[RollPride15]

It's tough to take a lot away from a game like today...Rutgers defense by KenPom is 15th in the country, and you could see our guys were trying to figure it out on the fly. Hell, last year we dropped the opener at home to San Jose St. and put it together as the year went on, hoping for something similar now.

Cramer looks like a guy, and I still think Kante is ready to bully CAA competition, good for him and the team in general to realize what it takes to compete with the big boys.

[Dooku25]

Tough spot to open against a ranked opponent playing their 3rd game but a few observations:

-The point guard play was not encouraging
-Didn't see much from the newcomers
-Surprised to see Masic before Bethea.. could Bethea be a possible redshirt candidate?

Quick turnaround tomorrow, but hoping to see a crisper performance against a lesser opponent who Rutgers put up 96 against the other day..

[The Shadow]

Stafford Trueheart injured?

[Polito]

The good:

-- HU got all kinds of open looks against a very good defensive team. Actually make them and this is a very different game.
-- Kante's 17 boards was awesome and Rokus-like against players he was massively outsized. RU is HUGE in the post.
-- Burgess can handle the rock, and Cowart flashed some ability as well.
-- Ray continued to show he's a really talented guard, will be needed all year. Had some star plays.
-- The team responded really well actually when they nearly got blown out of the building. Kept it respectable.
-- I can see the potential in Cramer and Green. It's there, it just needs time to nurture. Cramer is going to be tough to handle very soon, and Green has loads of ability but WAY too early for him to be depended on to start.
-- Saw some brief flashes of Omar's ability, he can help this team win if he can find his groove this year.
-- Schutte was serviceable, and that's what should be expected.
-- Thrilled to say the D and the rebounding was really strong against a team that can also do both well.

The bad:

-- TC was highly disappointing, before and after the eye poke, and no he does not get a pass in any game. That's what being a Sr leader means. He MUST perform and help Ray run this team. Can't disappear anymore TC, you have to step up bud.
-- I knew Kante would have a tough time against that size, but I did feel he should've been able to score just a bit more. But I was most frustrated by his poor demeanor, esp late 2nd half. IK you are also a returning leader, can't do that - have to man up even in adversity.
-- The shooting and FT's were absolutely horrific and very deflating to see even in game 1. WIDE open looks nothing but bricks. D1 athletes need to make some shots when they looks are open.
-- I expected a lot more out of Cowart for a JUCO stud Jr. TO machine, poor shooting, bad decisions, etc.
-- Same for Burgress, great handle but slow to develop plays, needs to learn to put his teammates in great position, and make some shots young man.
-- Cramer and Green played poor overall, but certainly not unexpected.
-- Though Omar flashed, he had a HUGE opp to show out in TC's place and remained a bit underwhelming.
-- Ray can't do it all. A stud, but he needs more help than some of the other go-to's in the past.

Bottom Line: Did not expect HU to win, they nearly got run out of the building, BUT they stayed in the fight and had many chances to take advantage but just couldn't. Staff obviously still trying to figure out what they really have when the lights are on. It's game 1. A top 25 opponent. On the road. I saw a group of players still needing to become a team. Comparing this start to last years embarrassing HOME loss to an awful San Jose State and this team showed some serious promise.

Remember, HU has a knack for big development upticks in players (i.e. JWF, Buie, Kante) and the team (nearly every yr lol) over time, so there is a LOT of good to build on here. I see talent, size, athleticism, DEFENSE (!)... what we need to see, shockingly, is OFFENSE!

Get back in the gym, get back to work, and take a thousand damn shots until you can knock down some open looks with a mechanical like consistency. Blinders on, short memory, ON TO THE NEXT!!! GO HU!

[Wags]

It's tough to take a lot away from a game like today...Rutgers defense by KenPom is 15th in the country, and you could see our guys were trying to figure it out on the fly. Hell, last year we dropped the opener at home to San Jose St. and put it together as the year went on, hoping for something similar now.

Cramer looks like a guy, and I still think Kante is ready to bully CAA competition, good for him and the team in general to realize what it takes to compete with the big boys.

Lost to San Jose State and put it together to win the CAA with Buie and Pemberton. Those guys aren't walking through the door this year.

There is no reliable, every game option this year. That trickles down and forces everyone else to play roles that they probably shouldn't be playing:

- Ray could be a nice second option as a senior, but now he has to be the top option. He handled that well today, but we'll see. Today, he got no help.
- Coburn could be a nice third option, but now he has to be a second option, and a consistent one when we've only seen hot and cold from him before today.
- Kante will be fine, and will continue to improve and grow, but it's a guard's game now and there's only so much he can do as a mid-major big to lift a team.
- Green is not a starter but had to start today by default, and was so ineffective, he only played 15 minutes.
- Burgess is really a backup being asked to take over for a great starting PG like Buie. That's placing tremendous pressure on him.
- Silverio and Masic -- can they shoot? Doesn't seem so; Masic gets a pass since it's only one game, but their shooting is relied on more without Eli and Desure.
- This is true even for the staff - Farrelly is a good coach but he too is thrust into the position of head coach when it's supposed to be Joe.
- That has a further trickle-down effect on Speedy on others on the staff, too. Everyone, players and staff, are forced to do more than they should ordinarily be asked.


Otherwise:

- Cramer looks athletic and can run the floor; he looks like he has potential to grow over the season.
- Cowart is a question mark, but hopefully he can contribute good minutes on a regular basis.
- Bethea is a question mark.
- Schutte showed last year he can provide useful minutes, but how many will he be asked to contribute this year? And if more, can he grow from last year?
- Trueheart has always been sort of passive. Will that suddenly change this year? Would be nice, but to count on it? Not sure.

Unless Kante is getting regular double-doubles, Ray and Coburn are both regularly reliable to create a good trio with Kante, and then everyone else just fills in their complementary roles with the staff getting the team to move the ball and move people on a normal basis, and with the staff (like last year, mainly under Farrelly's direction) getting the team to once again play good, consistent D, it's going to be tough for this team to generate enough offense to win a lot of games like last season (which is why I'm surprised they were picked No. 1 in the CAA again, but that may say more about the rest of the league this year). One thing they may have going for them with this roster is conditioning, which will come in handy with those CAA Sat/Sun games.

Problem is, JWF, Pemberton, Buie could create their own shots and Buie could set others up all in ways that I don't see on this roster. Ray can do that at times, but he's better as a catch-and-shoot guy, same with Coburn, though he can attack (just think he doesn't always like to). So that makes it tough and creates that trickle-down effect on everyone else, where everyone else feels the pressure to step to another level and other, more important roles rather than playing at levels and roles which might be better for each of them to contribute effectively.

Also can't overreact to one game, especially against a team that is at a different level than what HU will be facing in CAA play. We'll have a better idea as we get a way into January IF the games go forward at that point.