WBB Game #30, (L, 75-71), Thu, 3/7, vs #11 seed Purdue, About 7:45pm CT, BTN

[Bugeaters1]

how will Purdue's legs fair tomorrow?

[twister31]

I'm very disappointed in this year. I do not think our returners improved, in fact I think they regressed.

[Red Don]

Proud of this Husker Ladies Team

Despite the loss to Purdue!

[Bugeaters1]

1 minute ago, Cazzie22 said:

Defensive rebounding and live ball turnovers overcame our hot 3 pt shooting.  We need to find a glass eating rebounder.  Basketball season at Nebraska is another disappointment.

A couple would great!!

 

[Red Don]

Final Stats:

[Omahusker]

Purdue was the hungrier team. We waited til the 4th Q to play like the season was on the line.  We got killed by many of the same things that plagued us all year tonight. 

[Red Don]

New

[mwm89]

Now to look forward to the recruiting season to see what happens there.  Purdue was the aggressor in this one, overall.  As been said, we gave up WAY too many off. boards.  In some cases the ball seemed to have eyes for Purdue.  We appeared almost zombie-like for a while in the 1st half.  We would lose our man at times on D.  I'll credit the ladies for scrapping in the fourth, but they fell behind a little too much this time.  GBR!!

Edited March 8, 2019 by mwm89

[Bugeaters1]

Rebounding and turnovers killed us this year. Hope we can get that corrected next year.

[12dozen]

3 minutes ago, Omahusker said:

Purdue was the hungrier team. We waited til the 4th Q to play like the season was on the line.  We got killed by many of the same things that plagued us all year tonight. 

30 games in, and same fatal flaws.  Coaches need to up their game.  They seem to be recruiting OK, but verdict is out in a lot of areas.

 

Hats off to ladies.  No one can say they don't compete.  

 

[mwm89]

14 minutes ago, Bugeaters1 said:

how will Purdue's legs fair tomorrow?

Obviously RU will be fresh and we know they are quick and aggressive.  I'm sure they will press a lot in the backcourt.  Could very well wear on PU by the 2nd half. 

[mwm89]

I should mention now that I look forward to better things from this program next year and beyond.  Of course it's encapsulated in player development and recruiting.    

Edited March 8, 2019 by mwm89

[Cazzie22]

IMO our hot shooting covers up our deficiencies!  We didn’t play all that great in the 4th quarter, we just got hot.  Purdue got too many easy baskets off of our poor play on offense and bad transition defense.  We are mediocre, that’s what our season record tells us.  I think we will get better, but I wouldn’t look to challenge the top of this league.

[12dozen]

11 hours ago, twister31 said:

I'm very disappointed in this year. I do not think our returners improved, in fact I think they regressed.

I would argue, Nicea upped her game.  Taylor is improving.  Hard to argue for the others.  Fingers crossed, that this off season will be more beneficial.   

  

[12dozen]

11 hours ago, mwm89 said:

I should mention now that I look forward to better things from this program next year and beyond.  Of course it's encapsulated in player development and recruiting.    

Player development will be huge.  A serious area of concern with this staff.  Hopefully, the strength and conditioning group steps up.  It's not like the University doesn't have leaders in this field being utilized by other teams (football and volleyball for starters).  Solicit their advice. Not sure how much can be done, but speed, quickness, and the vertical game could use some improvement.  Hate to say it, but we have a couple players, look like they are wearing lead boots.  Too much 'Matador' defense, as the opponent runs by for an easy layup.        

 

On the bright side, this freshmen class has added much needed athleticism to the team.  The class coming in, will add some more.   Good chance our freshmen have more game experience, than any other team in the conference (or nation).  They know what to work on to be more effective.  Roster size will be improved. Will there be competition for minutes?  I hope so.

 

Already looking forward to the next season.  

 

Thanks for the effort Ladies.  GBR

Edited March 8, 2019 by 12dozen

[Bugeaters1]

1 hour ago, 12dozen said:

I would argue, Nicea upped her game.  Taylor is improving.  Hard to argue for the others.  Fingers crossed, that this off season will be more beneficial.   

  

Don't you think that Kayla improved a lot, I mean, before she couldn't hit the broad side of the barn. by the end of the year she could hit some jumpers and freethrows.

[12dozen]

19 minutes ago, Bugeaters1 said:

Don't you think that Kayla improved a lot, I mean, before she couldn't hit the broad side of the barn. by the end of the year she could hit some jumpers and freethrows.

My response was to the comment about returning players, not showing improvement from last year.  I agree, several freshmen seemed to get more comfortable as 

the year unfolded.

[redsteve]

1 hour ago, Bugeaters1 said:

homoresDon't you think that Kayla improved a lot, I mean, before she couldn't hit the broad side of the barn. by the end of the year she could hit some jumpers and freethrows.

 

 

Coaches obviously saw it...Mershon has improved a lot and it showed yesterday. Her defense and apparent comfort zone with what's expected. led to more playing time.  Has lot's to learn and improve on..but she's a freshmen that got lots of playing time, and will benefit hugely next year...(as will EVERYONE on the squad.)

 

There's dozens of things that need lots of attention as mentioned in the other posts above. All deserve some merit.

 

In general overall terms....

 

NEED FIXES...CONSISTENCY for rebounding, full court pressure, boxing out,  turnovers...the list goes on ...as it does to most teams. A constant battle for every team to improve.

 

Coach will continue to recruit and improve the team...she is not working with a full team she has recruited.... for 4 or 5 cycle years. (takes that long to develop a team of the coaches choosing) After that we'll see where we stand, and if we have the team we  want/need.

Connie had years to develop her team (which she did well)...and depending on your perspective....may be a different time in the women's game since Connie started here. Talented players are more in demand than ever with more schools putting more emphasis on women's basketball. I submit it might be more difficult to recruit a full talented squad. Cable TV, ESPN, etc etc have all put the women's game on the map.

 

We're short of talent. (see above)   That alone could be a endless discussion, and debate about what we need. But it's got to be pretty obvious to Coach. We got "out talented" last night. 

 

Debatable why...but we never really seem to  jell completely. . Because of all the influx of new talent? Trying to get it to mesh took many games. 

 

Next year....will have more good new talent. Could have a little of the newbie issues we had this year,  but the team AND staff has gone through it this year.

 

Last night our freshmen looked like freshmen at times.  Get used to freshmen folks, even if they are good players.  Really looking forward to next year as sophomores, and watching their development over the winter.

 

All and all..a tough year.  Looked great at times, not so great at other times, We were close to the sweet spot. Just had issues getting there sometimes. Many things we did great. 

Kids (they are young kids) ... worked hard, and they really seemed to enjoy playing together and pulled for one another. As a biased fan, still enjoyed the bumpy ride.

Edited March 8, 2019 by redsteve

[NUtball]

1.  Poor effort on defense.

2.  Spotty effort going after rebounds and loose balls.  How many times did a single Purdoo player get a rebound in the midst of 2, 3 or 4 Nebraska players?

3.  Total carelessness with the ball, take 426,783.

4.  First women's game I've watched in the past 3-4 years that the refs weren't completely incompetent boobs - case of the blind squirrel and nut, I suppose.

 

 

Until #3 gets cleaned up (i.e., reduce the playing time of the repeat offenders), this program will continue to underachieve.  Some of the passes they THINK they can make are totally incomprehensible.

 

Pretty much get everything back next year, barring transfers.  Hopefully, most of the players can make significant progression for next year.

[Bugeaters1]

2 hours ago, 12dozen said:

My response was to the comment about returning players, not showing improvement from last year.  I agree, several freshmen seemed to get more comfortable as 

the year unfolded.

Ok, we good.

[Bugeaters1]

17 minutes ago, NUtball said:

1.  Poor effort on defense.

2.  Spotty effort going after rebounds and loose balls.  How many times did a single Purdoo player get a rebound in the midst of 2, 3 or 4 Nebraska players?

3.  Total carelessness with the ball, take 426,783.

4.  First women's game I've watched in the past 3-4 years that the refs weren't completely incompetent boobs - case of the blind squirrel and nut, I suppose.

 

 

Until #3 gets cleaned up (i.e., reduce the playing time of the repeat offenders), this program will continue to underachieve.  Some of the passes they THINK they can make are totally incomprehensible.

 

Pretty much get everything back next year, barring transfers.  Hopefully, most of the players can make significant progression for next year.

#2 has been an issue all season. seemed like it would get fixed for a game or two, then opps back to the ole watch em get a rebound.

[caveman]

14 hours ago, 12dozen said:

My response was to the comment about returning players, not showing improvement from last year.  I agree, several freshmen seemed to get more comfortable as 

the year unfolded.

Hannah  scoring  -2.5 shooting% -.03 3PT% -.013 reb -1.1 per contest

    asst.  -22 TO +5 steals -11 season long

Kate  scoring -2.4 shooting% -.041 reb -1.1 per contest

  ast. +2 TO +0 blks. -21 steals -4 season long

 

I know stats don't tell the whole truth, but they don't lie.  Yeah I'd say player developement is and issue.  More of an issue, at the start of the season they really did look out of condition.

NOW FOR THE REAL BOTHERSOME STAT.

our whole focus last season was improving rebounds, so how did we do?

  -2.2 per contest and our opponents are +1.1 

Every player needs to improve.  The coaching staff needs to evaluate the things they are doing and yes they need to improve.

[Merlin]

We really look unathletic compared to a Purdue, Rutgers. As stated many times, rebounding is all about effort and it was hard to find consistently. 

I worry about playing time for some. The split minutes used by Coach Williams might work fine at a lower level, but not sure how this will play out at the Power 5 level. I know you want to keep people fresh, but did it really pay off? Hard to keep some people happy with this concept. 

[Bugeaters1]

 

[Red Don]

Final Box Score: (Despite Purdue's proximity to Indianapolis, we get more attendance @ PBA )
http://www.huskers.com/pdf9/5484521.pdf

Continued at the Link: