Game Day Essentials: Game #8 vs Creighton - 12/6/2012

Probable Starters:

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1)

3-Benny Parker -5-9-Fr.- G

15-Ray Gallegos -6-2-Jr.- G

24-Dylan Talley -6-5-Sr.- G

13-Brandon Ubel -6-10-Sr.- F

32-Andre Almeida-6-11-Sr.- C

Creighton Bluejays

G Jahenns Manigat 6-1 Jr.

G Grant Gibbs 6-5 Sr.

G Austin Chatman 6-0 So.

F Doug McDermott 6-8 Jr.

C Gregory Echenique 6-9 Sr.

Player to Watch: Dylan Talley

Last year against Creighton Bo Spencer put up 29 points. In Creighton's only loss this year Derrick Marks put up 35 points on the Jays. Thus, it's possible for a quick and physical guard to score on Creighton and Dylan Talley fits the bill more than anyone else on the team. While the Huskers suffered their only loss when he went off for 27 against Kent St. it really feels like our performance will mirror that of Talley.

People to watch: The Crowd

It's amazing how winning works. We're going from crowds of 5000 or so this year to a potential sellout for this game. For one of the first times all season you won't have to wonder why the heck a scalper is outside of the BOB. It will be interesting to see how much of the crowd is blue or red tonight and how much of an advantage the Huskers can have with a large crowd. If you're a first time visitor to the BOB, it's BYOB.

Are we facing the best team Creighton has ever assembled?

Do you know why it was so easy to leave the Big 12? The biggest rival we had in college football, Oklahoma, was taken off our yearly schedule. It's our geographical isolation from any other Division I football teams that led to developing a rivalry based on team strength and the reason why we don't have that one school that we absolutely have to beat every year and not hear it from our neighbors.

Thus, it's sort of a weird dynamic that the Jays and Huskers have in basketball as both fans are likely to follow Husker football than not. The point I'm getting to here is that Jays and Husker basketball fans should be thankful that they actually have a rivalry, that they have another local sports team to dislike, a game you can your hat on winning even if the rest of your season didn't pan out.

Statistically speaking, the Bluejays bring in the best shooting team in the NCAA in a couple of categories. Their combination of 3 pt shooters and Doug McDermott have been held to less than 80 points only twice. If you give the Bluejays open looks they'll make you pay all night long.

While the Huskers probably won't win, here is what needs to happen for the perfect storm that will enable them to start building a Tim Miles statue at the BOB.

1. Limit Creighton's posessions. How do you battle a team that's the best in the country at shooting? Don't let them shoot as often. The Huskers need to avoid the sloppy turnover fest of the first half of the USC game and need to be as far under 10 turnovers at the end of the game as possible. They also need to own the boards, limiting the number of second chance points for the Jays. Finally, don't turn this into a track meet. Rocky didn't beat Mr. T by trying to out punch him, he won by slowing down the game to make it close at the end.

2. Crowd noise The Jays were in Vegas for a tournament but this is their first true away game of the season, even if it's only an hour down the road. The Jays will fill up the tops of the BOB but when you're on the floor it's the student section and the A/B levels that you hear yelling at you. If anything is going to get the Jays out of rhythm and into their first shooting funk of the year it's going to be the crowd in their heads.

3. Curve ball Miles and McDermott have coached against each other 9 or 10 times (McDermott has won every time) so there is some familiarity in the style of play. However, Miles dropped hints during the last pregame radio show that he's been game planning for this matchup for a while. He might have a short handed squad to try and pull off the upset, but it's a team that will have a 9 day break afterwards so no need to worry about saving the legs in this game.

This squad has come a long way from a team that had trouble putting away Midland but look for them to put up a fight and have the potential to shock the world tonight. Even if the Huskers lose tonight, the future is already looking bright and regardless we have a super-talented group of 6 players coming in next year. Be sure to bring that up at the tailgate this fall.

Prediction: Bluejays 75 - Huskers 67 with a 58% chance of Runzas