Explaining The Grades:
Near Flawless  |
Poor |
Good  |
Awful |
Average |
OFFENSE:
Obviously, these report cards consider “offense” and “ball handling” different categories, so that’s why this is a “B” instead of a “C”.
Nebraska DID look quite good on offense today for about thirty minutes, outside of the first six minutes or so of each half. In fact, NU had a couple of big runs of their own, including a 9-0 one in the first half that put the Huskers up by 5, and a time in the middle stages of the second half where Nebraska rattled off 9 of 10 from the field.
However, as we’ll discuss later, it was A. turnovers and B. free throw shooting that ultimately did the Huskers in.
From the line, Nebraska connected on just 67%, leaving 6 points at the line and more after front end misses on one and one’s. Imagine if NU had made 3 or 4 more foul shots as they have the rest of this year. More than likely, they would have won.
Nebraska shot 50% from the field, including 53% in the second half, and you can certainly live with 36% and 5-14 from downtown. That’s not good, but that’s not bad, either.
Having Jorge Brian Diaz back certainly made a difference, as I knew it would. I still fail to see much upside with Dylan Talley, as I’ve been saying all year, but there’s no doubt having him and decreasing the minutes of guys like David Rivers, Josiah Moore and Corey Hilliard is obviously an improvement. However, that’s also a problem, since we’ll be relying on all three for 25 minutes a game next season. But that’s another topic for another day.
DEFENSE:
Nebraska was pitiful in the last ten minutes of this game, as Illinois scored almost at will every time down the floor. How many times have we seen that this year in close games? A lot. See Forest, Wake; Oregon; etc.
Nebraska had no answer for Joseph Bertrand, who scored a career high 25 points and connected on his first eight shots (11-12 for the game).
The Huskers played awful help defense, rarely fouled on wide open layups and could not stop penetration. As Beau Reid used to tell me, “We have to knock them on their butts and let them know they shouldn’t drive like that again. Make them think about it. Not play soft serve, Mickey Mouse defense.”
I continue to say it, this has been Doc’s worst defensive team at Nebraska.
REBOUNDING:
Nebraska won the rebounding battle 24 to 20 and limited Illinois to just three offensive boards. That is GREAT.
However, I downgrade the Huskers to a “B” in this category because two of those three offensive boards grabbed by Illinois were back breakers.
The first came around the 18:30 mark of the second half, when Caleb Walker gave up an EASY offensive board by sitting their and watching and not even attempting to box out. This was right before he turned the ball over in the same play. That was a four point swing, as Illinois scored after the two mistakes.
The other deadly one came when Jorge Brian Diaz failed to box out after a missed free throw.
In these kind of games, those types of plays kill you.
All in all, though, its tough to get upset at Nebraska today on the boards. You out rebound a good team on the road and hold them to three offensive boards, you DO take that. However, in a loss, its easy to nitpick key moments, which is what I did, and why I gave them a “B” instead of an “A.”
BALL HANDLING:
Nebraska turned the ball over TWENTY FREAKING TIMES today!!! And really, you could add a couple more to that for missed free throws.
What’s even worse is, NU didn’t even attempt a shot until the 16:45 mark of the first half, after four turnovers in their first four possessions. They came right out in the second half and turned it over again.
Illinois DID play some of the best defense we’ve seen this year, and that’s why our overall offensive effort was “B” level.
However, I’d guess 10 of the 20 turnovers were unforced and mental mistakes by Nebraska. Not going to get it done.
COACHING:
Doc did a really nice job today in most areas. Of couse, as touched on earlier, having Diaz back made a huge difference and to a degree, so did Talley, but not so much because he’s a difference maker, but because he keeps some guys off of the floor and out of the substitution pattern.
Doc used his timeouts well and having those two timeouts in his back pocket in the last three minutes enabled him to milk Bo Spencer to the end without him fouling out. That was nicely done, subbing offense for defense. We haven’t seen that in ages since we haven’t been in a game in ages, but Doc played it well.
There was an excellent play called out of a timeout in the final 90 seconds of the game, with Bo Spencer streaking to the hoop on a backdoor, but though it was a good call, that’s a low percentage play, because I don’t remember NU running it one single time this entire year in a game, and the pass is about 20 feet.
Interesting move to go with Corey Hilliard 32 minutes into the game for the first time. I am never a fan of coaches who do this when its not out of necessity. Sure, Bo Spencer had three fouls when Hiliard first came in and DID pick up a fourth one about one possession later, but both McCray and Walker were on the bench at this time and could have been used instead. Not that it probaly mattered, because Hilliard didn’t do anything, good or bad.
Doc brought his wounded team into a fairly lame enviornment against another wounded team and really, probably should have won.
However, NU failed to execute down the stretch, which we’ve been seeing for six (or thirteen years) now. So, its tough to be too happy about this game.
I distinctly remember Doc saying something on a post game show with Kent and Matt his first season, as I sat outside the Devaney Center after a tough loss to one of the Texas teams. We had played well and nearly won. There was a train going by and I had to wait to leave. It was freezing.
He said, “There will be moral victories at the University of Nebraska. That’s not what we’re about here.”
That was five years ago, and I’m holding him to it.
OVERALL GRADE:
Nebraska played well this afternoon in a number of areas, but at the end of the day, its tough to get too excited about losing a winnable game against a team that was just as banged up as Nebraska.
Still, we did see improvements and it was good to see the guys playing as hard as they could despite the tough three weeks (and season) NU has endured.
At the end of the day, though, the things NU had mainly corrected this year and had the chance to WIN us games we lost in the past, reverted back to old form – turnovers and free throw shooting. Its so frustrating – its like you think you’re improved and have certain things locked down and into a strength, and then when you need them both and have virtually no room for error, they both disappear and you go back to old times, fumbling away (literally) winnable games and coming up just short.
Such is Nebrasketball, and these problems continue to be “tolerated” since there is virtually no serious consideration placed on this program, from the administration on down.
Got to beat Penn State on Wednesday or things get real, real ugly.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brandon Richardson
SEASON TOTALS:
Bo Spencer – 4
Toney McCray – 4
Brandon Richardson - 4
Jorge Brian Diaz – 2
Brandon Ubel – 1
