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Gonna skip the preamble. Let’s just get to the thoughts.
They Did It: No matter what happens, you can’t take this moment away from us. After 30 years, countless heartbreaks, and five years of slow and measured progress, the Scarlet Knights are in the dance. I am having trouble explaining this moment and what it means to me in words. Here’s what I know: the moment the Scarlet Knights were announced, my 8 year old son tackled me in happiness. We tweeted. We screamed. We Facetimed with my dad. There’s no reason to rehash anything at this point, we all know what Rutgers and their fans have gone to. But everyone needs to take a deep breath and enjoy this moment. Just like we enjoyed the build, we have to enjoy this. Rutgers did it. They are dancing.
Avoiding the 8/9 game: Rutgers was able to avoid the dreaded 8/9 game and a match-up against Gonzaga or Baylor. They are the 40th ranked team in the country and have a nice path if they can get past Clemson. Rutgers fans, remember, this team was once ranked 11th in the country and they can beat anyone. It’s been a bumpy stretch the last few weeks, but a team like this can get hot. The pressure is off now. Now it’s just time to roll out the ball and play.
Steve Pikiell and Geo Baker: Build the statues now. That’s a bit of hyperbole, of course. But, arguably, this is a bigger job than anything any other Rutgers basketball coaches and players have done. When Pikiell got on board, they were the worst college basketball team in the country. Geo Baker came on board and they made a run at MSG. These guys have done yeoman’s work and it’s not done yet. But what they did was almost unimaginable five years ago. We just wanted fun. Now we dance.
I Know Little About Clemson: Here’s what I know... Nick Honor is a Clemson transfer who played at Fordham and lit up Rutgers back in 2018. Beyond that I haven’t watched them. The time for research is this week. We will learn our match-ups and Aaron will have his keys. This is completely wild. Rutgers is dancing. Win baby. Take down the Tigers. Let’s go.