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Garbage: Martinelli named second team All-B1G

Kind of feels like this season was/is NU against the word. The basketball gods (injuries and late game shenanigans), refs, and the media all had an anti NU bias/agenda. Great season for Mart despite all that. He earned that B1G leading scorer title and this just adds another chip on the shoulder, not that he needed one.
 
The tough one for me was that Brice Williams was named to 1st Team All-B1G. I'd argue Nick was way more important to his team that Wiliams was. Along with:

  • When they played each other, Nick outdueled him 23 pts to 21, despite Williams getting to the line 10 times and Nick only twice. Nick also grabbed 9 rebs to Williams 4, and they both had 3 steals apiece that game. Sure, NEB got the win...
  • But in a "knockout" game (final regular season tilt), Williams scored only 7 points against Iowa at home, while Nick closed with 28 on the road at MD (involved in 38 %Poss).

Ooof, just rough.
 
He was an exceptional rebounder (IIRC he led the conference) and was a pretty capable scorer. That said, I thought Ace Bailey was a better player.
Ace Bailey was the best college player I have ever seen in person. That night in Evanston he was insane.
 
Ace Bailey was the best college player I have ever seen in person. That night in Evanston he was insane.
Bailey had a 13 of 15 night against Penn State with 4 of 5 from the arc, but no free throws.
Followed that up with a 4 of 17 against Michigan State.
Then a 13 of 20 (5 of 8 from 3) against NU, with 6 of 6 from the line.
Then a 3 of 15 (0 for 7 from 3) against Michigan.

After the NU game he said something along the lines of "My teammates know where I like to shoot from - and they were getting me the ball in my favorite spots."
 
When our coach doesn’t complain about this stuff including the reffing, doesn’t it just make our program look docile? I like collins, but I’d like to see him channel his inner Doug and get angry.
 
When our coach doesn’t complain about this stuff including the reffing, doesn’t it just make our program look docile? I like collins, but I’d like to see him channel his inner Doug and get angry.
CCC blows his lid all the time.

Martinelli should use this as motivation in the BTT.

Nobody believes in the Cats. Just win.
 
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There are conflicting thoughts about Ace Bailey from the pro scouts. (Interesting, I thought he was a lock for Nr. 2 behind Cooper Flagg).


No one denies Ace Bailey’s raw talent, but the big question among most observers is whether he can make the most of it. And even in Piscataway — where Bailey’s NIL valuation was estimated last month to be a hefty $1.6 million by On3 — he’s still learning the subtleties of the game.

“Hyper athletic, low processor. He needs much more structure than [there is at the Nets],” one Eastern Conference scout told The Post. “I know the Nets organization well, and I’d say he would not be a good fit for the Nets.

“I think Ace could be a bust potentially, just a scorer. He cannot remember plays, and that’s why they’re not running anything. Oviously, there’s tons of talent there. It’s just [he’s got to go to] the right place.”
 
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And in any event, how the heck does the Rutgets coach keep his job after this? 8-12 conf, 15-16 overall and he has the number two and three NBA picks on his team.
 
And in any event, how the heck does the Rutgets coach keep his job after this? 8-12 conf, 15-16 overall and he has the number two and three NBA picks on his team.
Rutgers' Offensive Efficiency/ Ranking Defensive Efficiency / ranking during his term:

YearOffEffNat'l RankDefEffNat'l Rank
2017101.523199.370
201899.227096.228
2019105.615296.846
2020107.97290.26
2021108.18290.616
2022106.99696.153
2023106.315190.86
202499.429891.85
2025115.953104.8123

Coach Pikiell has always been able to coach a defense. However, with Bailey and Harper this year, the ScarKnights had their best offensive efficiency ever in his tenure. However, that doesn't mean they have the mental commitment and maturity to defend at an elite level (as Collins would say, "the want to"). Perhaps it's his job to make it work, but I certainly empathize that it can be difficult to get these particular young fellas to buy into a collective system.

Overall, I'd keep him just because I know he can put together top tier defenses. I just wonder if the fluidity of the portal will make it difficult moving forward because elite defense depends on collective execution of scheme.
 
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