Steve Pikiell on Tournament loss to Houston: ‘we’re not very far off from where we want to be’

Rutgers men’s basketball head coach Steve Pikiell talks about the importance of the team’s NCAA Tournament and the big picture significance of their second-round loss.

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Rutgers men’s basketball made the NCAA Tournament this past spring for the first time since 1991. For head coach Steve Pikiell, it was a sign of not just progress but also how close his Scarlet Knights are to their eventual goal.

Rutgers lost to Houston in the second round of the tournament, a hard-fought 63-60 knockout to a team that eventually made it to the Final Four. It was a bittersweet moment but one that head coach Steve Pikiell said underscored the progress and direction of this team.

So much progress has been made over the last three years and the tournament appearance plus the first-round win should be celebrated by the program. But the team was very close to a Sweet 16 appearance and could have beaten Houston with better execution on the offensive end.

“Our focus was more than anything, the one thing the Houston game really taught us, it gave us tremendous confidence. They were to see and [Houston] played in the Final Four. We were able to see, we’re not very far off from where we want to be. We want to play in the Final Four, we want to win the national championships,” Pikiell said last week.

“I think it gave our program as a staff tremendous excitement about the future; tremendous confidence going into this year.”

Pikiell spoke to Jon Newman and Danny Breslauer of the Scarlet Spotlight podcast. Available on Apple Podcasts, the bi-weekly show is an excellent resource for Scarlet Knights fans and focuses on Rutgers sports with an emphasis not just on football and basketball but also the school’s full offering of Olympic sports.

 

While Rutgers has brought in several good pieces via their recruiting as well as the transfer portal, the program’s starting five was rocked with the transfer of Myles Johnson to UCLA this offseason. In addition, guard Jacob Young, a significant piece of the rotation over the past two years, transferred to Oregon.

“Once the season ended it quickly turning to the season that we’re almost at right now. We didn’t spend a lot of time – we knew three of those guys were graduating and leaving, so we were very prepared for that,” Pikiell said on the podcast.

“And then had meetings with everybody and I want everyone to be happy. Just thankful for the time that we had with those guys, they were great people, great teammates, and excited about the opportunity that the freshmen and incoming players have for us.”