uneblinstu's postgame chatter: vol 11; ed 21 - Wisconsin

[uneblinstu]

#24 Wisconsin 62 - Nebraska 51

Huskers struggle offensively in their first game without Copeland

I'm just sick.

 

This year was supposed to be different. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel right now. They played much better tonight than they did vs. Rutgers and Ohio St. But they just didn't have enough tonight. I don't know what else to say...I'm just sick at how this has all gone down. They don't resemble the team that looked so good just a month ago...

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Edited January 30, 2019 by uneblinstu

[FredsSlacks]

if the coaching staff just stays home, do we score more than 51 points?

 

also, start thor at center next game. he outrebounded brady/tanner combined.

Edited January 30, 2019 by TimSmiles

[royalfan]

It is just sad really.  That is all that really needs to be said.  So many reasons why it is sad.  

[HuskerFever]

[Huskerpapa]

Sick...sad...dumbstruck...and a few other words describe how I feel.

 

You cannot win many/any games shooting as poorly as we have the last two outings.  

[uneblinstu]

1 minute ago, TimSmiles said:

if the coaching staff just stays home, do we score more than 51 points?

I don't really have the energy to hammer anyone right now. Wisconsin is a really good defensive team. I think I'd rather credit them than hammer the coaches or players at the moment.

[unl]

5 minutes ago, uneblinstu said:

I'm just sick.

 

This year was supposed to be different. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel right now. They played much better tonight than they did vs. Rutgers and Ohio St. But they just didn't have enough tonight. I don't know what else to say...I'm just sick at how this has all gone down. They don't resemble the team that looked so good just a month ago...

 

How I feel to a T

[FredsSlacks]

miles officially revealed tonight that he is just doc sadler with slightly better recruiting ability.

[Norm Peterson]

About year 6 or 7 of a coaching tenure, this place just starts to suck the life out of ya.

 

Hit me up if something interesting happens.  See ya.

[thrasher31]

We're cursed. That's all I'm going to say. 

 

Game changed after Brad Davison got called for that flop on Tanner brochardt. 

[demone]

Said in the game thread: this program is simply exhausting. At this point, I’m just a zombie. 

[HuskerFever]

Our biggest problem with Nebrasketball is that we haven't been able to build on successes. We've had some pretty great seasons, but we just regress right back to mediocrity before we can benefit from better recruitment.

 

We've become a cautionary "hold" team. Any time we show signs of success, the pundits and voters are very hesitant to give us the credit until we can over prove it with consistency. I've seen it in delayed rankings and also wishy washy bubble talk over the years.

[Coaches kid]

I usually stay away for a day or two after games like this, but listening to Coach after the game put me over the edge. He said we took too many quick shots with some questionable shot selection. He says that after every loss. The truth is, that is on him. I don't think Wisconsin is a great team. As bad as we played, we were up by three in the second half and if we don't go 9 for 27 from inside the paint, we have a real chance to win the game. Hard to believe, but true. That being said, I was impressed with Wisconsin's discipline and toughness.  It was a story of a team which was dedicated to a game plan and one that did not even have one. Wisconsin doggedly runs their sets with purpose. They had a plan to take advantage of mismatches and they executed it. They understood their roles - Pritzl, Ruevers, Trice and that little pain in the butt Davison. Are they more talented than Glynn, Roby, James or TA? Don't think so, but we don't display that same discipline. And if we had an offensive game plan, I can't tell you what it was and we obviously did not execute it. I just feel so bad for the players and for what has happened to what could have been a truly special year. 

[ladyhusker]

Maybe I'm unfeeling, but I have no sympathy for the players. This habit of missing bunnies has been around for a couple games now. That shouldn't have to be a coached skill at this level. Get your ass in the gym and give the extra 20 minutes to work on your deficiency in that, and then practice your free throws after that when you're tired. They played harder this game than the previous two, and that was nice to see (and yes, I think things VERY much changed on that horrible Davison flop call) but the skills that are killing is right now are things that really shouldn't need to be addressed in practice at this level. That falls on the players and if they want to succeed the way they say, they would be wise to put in the extra effort accordingly and until that happens, I personally think it's entirely appropriate to question their want-to.

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[hhcmatt]

Notes

 

Nebraska Postgame Notes

*- Nebraska recorded a season-high 18 offensive rebounds. The Huskers’ previous high had been 16 offensive boards on Jan. 17 against No. 6 Michigan State.

*-Nebraska out-rebounded Wisconsin, 45-37, on the glass. The Huskers had been 8-0 this season when out-rebounding the opponent.

*-The Huskers made only 17 field goals and shot just 28.3 percent from the field against the Badgers. The 17 field goals tied for the fewest made baskets by a Nebraska team this season (also 17 against Texas Tech), while the 28.3 shooting percentage was the Huskers’ lowest mark of the season. It marked the first time in 45 games that Nebraska shot worse than 30 percent, dating back to Dec. 3, 2017, when Nebraska hit just 27.4 percent of their shots in a loss at No. 3 Michigan State.

*-Glynn Watson Jr. moved into 10th place on the Huskers’ career assist list (345) against the Badgers. He is now one of six players to rank among Nebraska’s all-time top 10 in both assists and steals.

*-Thor Thorbjarnson, who had played only one minute in Big Ten Conference play entering the night, scored three points and corralled a game- and career-high 10 rebounds, doubling his previous career high of five boards against Southwest Minnesota State on Dec. 29.

*-Isaiah Roby narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Roby had 12 second-half points.

*-Nebraska held Ethan Happ to 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Happ did not record a block in the contest. These were all below Happ's average of 18.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 5.2 apg and 1.3 bpg.

*-Six of Nebraska's eight losses have been to teams who have been ranked in the top-15 at some point in the season (Texas Tech, Maryland, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin).

 

Nebraska Head Coach Tim Miles

On if not having Isaac Copeland Jr. changes the complexion of the team

“You can see it. One thing we have to do is get guys like Glynn (Watson Jr.) and James (Palmer Jr.) just to relax a little bit. Not all of the burden is on them. I thought that we took some quick shots trying to do some stuff tonight, trying to do our own thing and we just have to trust everybody. I thought Thorir (Thorbjarnarson) did impacted the game in a really positive manner and earned a spot to play.”

 

On if it feels like the start of another season without Isaac Copeland

“Yeah, it was different, it was really different. Cope has been a starter every game and running lineups without him is like, ‘okay, this will be interesting.’ I thought Brady (Heiman) just has to play his way, and we saw him play against very good competition, Creighton, Seton Hall and he did very good things, and now he’s a little bit of a shadow. You just have to get him back out there, get his feet under him. There are some things he just missed on.”

 

On the struggles Nebraska had in the paint on offense

“Wisconsin is an elite defensive team for a reason. With Bo Ryan and Greg Gard, they know how to walk into you without fouling and body you in a way that really makes it tough to score at the rim. The gliders struggle a little bit more. It doesn’t shock me that we weren’t great at the rim, I had us at 9-27, not good. I really thought that more than anything, we had too many quick shots, quick 1-2 pass possessions.”

 

On how to improve the team’s three-point shooting

“I think share the ball more and not so many quick shots. We have too many quick possessions. It was one of those nights, it’s like we’re either 9-20 or 4-23, so I think when they are quick (shots), it hurts us.”

 

Isaiah Roby

On the slow start tonight and the comeback

“It is kind of like we are starting over. It makes sense after losing a key player like (Isaac) Copeland. I think it was just trying to start the season. You don’t know where you’re going to be and you don’t know where you’re going to find your shots. We started playing a little more free and had some good guys coming off the bench so we started playing more like we should.”

 

On making improvements

“I mean you have to take it day by day. We knew this coming season was going to be tough, even with a full team. We’re young, and we dropped some games early on and we’re going to have to make up for it. Our schedule isn’t going to get any easier so we are going to have to take it day by day and just keep competing.”

 

Thorir Thorbjarnarson

On providing a spark off the bench

“Losing a player like (Isaac) Copeland is very hard. Especially with the kind of guy he is and what he does for the team and I wish him a speedy recovery. I am thinking about him first. But, when is out we have to make some changes to our team and I knew, maybe, my shot was going to come. We have been struggling a little bit defensively on the rebounding, and I just wanted to come in and hustle and give the team everything I’ve got. That is kind of how I feel like I played today.”

 

Wisconsin Coach Greg Gard

On the play of Charles Thomas

“I thought he gave us a boost. At a time when (Nathan) Reuvers was in foul trouble, I thought Ethan (Happ) looked a little fatigued and decision making wasn’t great at times. Charlie was able to extend some possessions with the rebounds, blocked a shot, finished on a rebound and hit a three. At a time when Nebraska was gaining some momentum and the place was starting to fill up with noise a little bit, he was our answer. I thought he gave us a big boost and at the time and it was much needed because we were trying to get to that next media (timeout), buy a couple minutes and he came in and gave us a spark.

 

On inconsistency in smart plays

“Yeah, one thing we talked about is trying to play more intelligently. Talked about that at halftime, talked about that at one of the timeouts at the end of the first half and in the second half. And I’ll look at the tape and have a better idea of decision making in sequence that they took place in. And we’ve gotta be better. But fortunately, defensively I thought we were pretty good again tonight. It’s kind of becoming our identity and our calling card. We’ve gotta clean up and be a little wiser in some areas.”

 

On how Nebraska looked without Isaac Copeland

“Well it’s hard to say because they’ve had so little time to prepare without him. That’s hard. I mean we’ve gone through it last year losing a couple guys and you’re a little bit in a shock to begin with just trying to adjust. It’ll take probably a little bit of time to adjust for them. But we knew they had other pieces: (Isaiah) Roby, (Glynn) Watson (Jr.), (James) Palmer - heck of a player. I thought defensively, for the most part, we didn’t do a great job on (Isaiah) Roby. He really hurt us at times, but that Watson, and for the most part Palmer, we did a pretty good job on.”

[AuroranHusker]

36 minutes ago, thrasher31 said:

We're cursed. That's all I'm going to say. 

 

Game changed after Brad Davison got called for that flop on Tanner brochardt. 

 

That was such a BS call, why do some of these refs fall for Davison's crap?!?

 

 

[hhcmatt]

[Coaches kid]

6 minutes ago, ladyhusker said:

Maybe I'm unfeeling, but I have no sympathy for the players. This habit of missing bunnies has been around for a couple games now. That shouldn't have to be a coached skill at this level. Get your ass in the gym and give the extra 20 minutes to work on your deficiency in that, and then practice your free throws after that when you're tired. They played harder this game than the previous two, and that was nice to see (and yes, I think things VERY much changed on that horrible Davison flop call) but the skills that are killing is right now are things that really shouldn't need to be addressed in practice at this level. That falls on the players and if they want to succeed the way they say, they would be wise to put in the extra effort accordingly and until that happens, I personally think it's entirely appropriate to question their want-to.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

Fair point about the players. I guess I feel bad for the program, the season ticket holders, the students... We had the chance to turn a corner and it will not happen. As for missing the bunnies, I think it's a sign of players pressing and playing without confidence.  

[B-town hoopsfan]

Boys played hard tonight but it’s awful hard to see any more wins this season. Senior guards take 29 shots to give you 19 points? Talk about a laugher. For all Glenn has done for the program there’s points in some games where he either disappears or he’s taking shots that a guy who has played in as many games as he has shouldn’t. It’s gonna be an awful bleak next month and a half on this board

[Faux Mike Peltz]

Actually thought our effort at times was better than it had been in recent games. My son predicted Thorir would see some time and he certainly played his way into the rotation more than Nana and Amir in the second half. I think Thorir brings an X factor that Amir and Nana haven’t shown. Nana is in a big funk. Amir won’t shoot, so he’s a pretty big liability offensively. Brady is just not there yet. Dude needs to spend the offseason at Golden Corral and Tina’s Cafe, like everyday. He’s got the frame to add 25 pounds.

Roby- as much as we all love the guy, and as much as he shows flashes, he also disappears a lot too.

Tanner plays with good effort and is battling.

Glynn and James both had sub par games, so that’s not going to get it done if that happens.

I liked that we fought back, but regretted the number of missed shots at the rim, and hated the bald ref’s calls. He’s been bad at PBA before.

Final thought: I’m one of the few who pay the 5 dollars to park up by the baseball field. Been parking there every game since PBA opened. That was a brutally cold walk back. Why did the cop car block the normal exit up by the baseball field, so we had to merge with the line of traffic? Defeats the purpose of parking up there. Hope everyone who braved the cold made it home safe!  GBR!

 

 

[royalfan]

We probably have to play Thor quite a bit.  He is easily our best passer and we are an awful passing team.  

[AuroranHusker]

2 minutes ago, royalfan said:

We probably have to play Thor quite a bit.  He is easily our best passer and we are an awful passing team.  

 

Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Faux Mike Peltz]

A guy next to me suggested he thought he (Thorir) should be our #2 PG to allow Glynn and Tom run at the off guard, since they look to shoot more, and Thorir did have some pretty nice passes. That first wrap around one handed pass to Tanner down low was pretty nice. 

[FredsSlacks]

3 minutes ago, royalfan said:

We probably have to play Thor quite a bit.  He is easily our best passer and we are an awful passing team.  

and possibly our best rebounder? i really think he should start next game. he earned it.

[royalfan]

1 minute ago, Faux Mike Peltz said:

A guy next to me suggested he thought he (Thorir) should be our #2 PG to allow Glynn and Tom run at the off guard, since they look to shoot more, and Thorir did have some pretty nice passes. That first wrap around one handed pass to Tanner down low was pretty nice. 

 

Pretty good idea IMO.  He isn't a great player but he gives us a creative dimension we sorely need, given our inability to run a solid offense.