uneblinstu's postgame chatter: vol 13; ed 11 - vs. Michigan St.

[Keenan9595]

17 minutes ago, huskerbaseball13 said:

That may or may not be true...I have no idea on how the +- looked tonight but I can tell you I’m going to go ahead and say the guy averaging 13/7/5 is having a better year than the guy averaging 3/3/1. 

I checked his game log if you have another source I’d definitely like to compare but it has him going negative 5 of the last 6 games 3 of them in the double digits.  I’m just wanting to have a game where we have all three guards being productive, I can’t think of a game yet where that can be said.  I could be wrong though.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Keenan9595

[millerhusker]

7 hours ago, big red22 said:

9-9 is correct, but that offensive rebound and put back when we were down 75-69 was a big deal.  The timing of their offensive rebounds were clutch

That was huge. Langford jogged right around a straight legged Teddy, who should’ve been blocking out, to grab the ball and put it back in. Some players make winning plays that don’t end up in the box score... we have some players that make too many losing plays that don’t end up in the box score. 

[BannedAccount]

11 hours ago, huskerbaseball13 said:

Look, I’m really not trying to dog Thor because I think he gives 110% but I guess we aren’t seeing the same player. If he has the IQ, cutting/passing ability everybody says he does I don’t see how his stats are all around terrible. 

Thanks, i seem to have got a lot of crap for saying this earlier this year.

[throwback]

Back to the game...

 

I know we had a bad stretch late 1st half/early 2nd half, but I thought we lost the game in the first 10 minutes by not countering MSU's transition/secondary break. They had to have gotten 6-8 great looks off transition in those first 10 minutes, probably scored on all but one of them. That's an MSU staple, and it was disappointing we weren't ready for it, although I'm sure trying to simulate it in practice and trying to defend it in the early part of a game are two different animals, so it took a bit to get used to it.

 

I'm always amazed at how hard Izzo gets his team to play. That's not easy with as many highly rated recruits as they always get. (Although that slapping the floor on defense trick felt a little jr high-ish.)

 

Having said that, I'm not sure how good MSU is. If Henry isn't going, I think they could look like a Wednesday player in the B1G tourney. Unfortunately, he was going last night. We tried almost everyone on him it felt like, but it just didn't matter.

 

I hope we found something last night with McGowens more at the point, moving Banton off the ball more, and playing Webster more. Not sure if that led to more shots going in or if it was just the law of averages that we hit some shots, but hopefully it was the former. If we're going to make this change permanently, can we cut down on the turnovers, though?

 

Here's hoping Walker gives the team a big lift in confidence and emotionally Tuesday. Hope he's ready to face the 7 or 8 7-footers PU seems to collect on its roster every year. Going to be weird not seeing hair flip boy on the Boilers side, though. Have to find someone new to root against. I'm guessing it won't be that hard.

 

[Ron Mexico]

Husker record in the BIG with the added moral victory column.

Win   Loss   Moral

0       3        1

 

I'm having a hard time finding any wins in this conference the rest of the season.

[BjoeHusker]

Thoughts on why we struggle so much the last 5 minutes of the 1st half and first 5 minutes of the second half?

[hskr4life]

1 hour ago, BjoeHusker said:

Thoughts on why we struggle so much the last 5 minutes of the 1st half and first 5 minutes of the second half?

My best guess is that it’s the “here we go again” mentality.  That’s the timeframe in games where we’ve basically lost them this year.  So when other teams make a few shots and we don’t... I’m guessing the same thought that goes through my head goes the through the players too.

[Norm Peterson]

First of all, let me just say there's some macabre humor in reading an argument among several posters about who is the worst player on a bad basketball team.

 

Second, this was a good bounce-back performance after Ohio State. While the fans might be folding up their tents and getting ready to head home, the players haven't. We sucked out loud at Ohio State, and it would have been easy for the players to just phone it in after that. Instead, they gutted out a performance that had them playing Michigan State even in the 2nd half.

 

That's actually encouraging.

[Handy Johnson]

3 hours ago, Ron Mexico said:

Husker record in the BIG with the added moral victory column.

Win   Loss   Moral

0       3        1

 

I'm having a hard time finding any wins in this conference the rest of the season.

ESPN was happy to give us an “Moral Victory” for this one & I quote: “The Huskers gave a strong effort after losing 90-54 to Ohio St. on Wednesday. They hung around even though they didn’t have Allen for most of the first half.” So chin up little campers, that 21st straight B1G loss wasn’t so bad after all...

[aphilso1]

I'm OK with a moral victory at this point.  Our boys played hard and showed improvement.  After the tOSU abomination, I just wanted to see a bit of fight and they did that.  

[basketballjones]

Does anyone have some inside info on Shamiel? I don’t get what is going on. No, he has not looked good in his limited minutes (no one would). 
 

Thor is terrible. Yvan is terrible. Lat hasn’t hit a shot or guarded well in many games.... where does Shamiel fit in there? 
 

I feel like a line-up like this...

 

Point Guard - Webster

2. McGowens

3. Teddy

Point Forward - Banton

5. Shamiel 

 

is worth looking at. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by basketballjones

[AuroranHusker]

5 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

Does anyone have some inside info on Shamiel? I don’t get what is going on. No, he has not looked good in his limited minutes (no one would). 
 

Thor is terrible. Yvan is terrible. Lat hasn’t hit a shot or guarded well in many games.... where does Shamiel fit in there? 
 

I feel like a line-up like this...

 

Point Guard - Webster

2. McGowens

3. Teddy

Point Forward - Banton

5. Shamiel 

 

is worth looking at. 

 

Put Walker in there in lieu of Shamiel and it's definitely worth looking at going forward, as Lat & Thor off the bench could be a decent option with Yvan alongside. And, I'd be willing to consider that Shamiel is likely performing poorly in practice, and thus, isn't seeing much action when it matters. That seems to be a staple of Hoiberg: if you practice well, you deserve to play & (hopefully) taking that one step further, you'll play well.

 

 

[Handy Johnson]

Without even seeing Walker play I’d start him, Kobe, Delano, Allen & McGowens @ Purdue this week...Let Kobe run the point with Banton/McGowens on the wings with Walker/Allen on the blocks.

[hugh42]

48 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

Does anyone have some inside info on Shamiel? I don’t get what is going on. No, he has not looked good in his limited minutes (no one would). 
 

Thor is terrible. Yvan is terrible. Lat hasn’t hit a shot or guarded well in many games.... where does Shamiel fit in there? 
 

I feel like a line-up like this...

 

Point Guard - Webster

2. McGowens

3. Teddy

Point Forward - Banton

5. Shamiel 

 

is worth looking at. 

 

No inside info on Shamiel, but I would think that he would be playing with his hair on fire in the minutes he does get in order to earn more.

 

Thor is not terrible. Yvan is not terrible. Are they limited at this level? Yes. But they are still valuable contributors to the team and so is Lat.

 

I'm all for constructive criticism when warranted, but none of these guys deserve to be called terrible.

[hskr4life]

2 hours ago, hugh42 said:

 

No inside info on Shamiel, but I would think that he would be playing with his hair on fire in the minutes he does get in order to earn more.

 

Thor is not terrible. Yvan is not terrible. Are they limited at this level? Yes. But they are still valuable contributors to the team and so is Lat.

 

I'm all for constructive criticism when warranted, but none of these guys deserve to be called terrible.

 

Yes.. all of this.

 

I would say that, regarding Shamiel, if the attitude, hustle, and drive is the same in practice as it is in the game... I can see why the limited minutes.  Forget which game it was, but we were making a little comeback and the entire team was standing and cheering... except him.  He sat on the bench and didn't even clap.  

[Crush78]

23 hours ago, Bugeaters1 said:

How do you figure we got killed on the O boards? By my count it was even 9-9

 

I'm talking about that every field goal they missed in the last 5 minutes of the game, they get the offensive board.

[uneblinstu]

1 hour ago, Crush78 said:

I'm talking about that every field goal they missed in the last 5 minutes of the game, they get the offensive board.

8 of their 9 came in the second half, no less. Offensive rebounds were a huge factor. 

[basketballjones]

14 hours ago, hugh42 said:

No inside info on Shamiel, but I would think that he would be playing with his hair on fire in the minutes he does get in order to earn more.

 

It is very difficult to be a guy who has probably started and played huge minutes his whole career then playing 3 minutes. If you've ever played, you know it's very difficult to get in a rhythm or figure out your role with inconsistent minutes.

 

14 hours ago, hugh42 said:

Thor is not terrible. Yvan is not terrible. Are they limited at this level? Yes. But they are still valuable contributors to the team and so is Lat.

 

Great. Semantics. Limited at this level? That's a really nice way of saying they're not good. Valuable contributors? How can you be a valuable contributor when you've played huge minutes on teams that are a now 11-32 combined? 

 

14 hours ago, hugh42 said:

I'm all for constructive criticism when warranted, but none of these guys deserve to be called terrible.

 

I am a nobody bitching on an internet message board, man. If our players are one, reading this, and two, upset by my words - then we have some bigger problems than I thought.

I'm tired of the bs from Husker men's athletics. This crap is embarrassing. Constructive criticism is out the window at this point. Do better. Get better players. Work harder. Stop with the excuses. No other programs in the country that spend as much as we do, have the facilities and support that we do, and have the fans that we do struggle as much as us. 

[hhcmatt]

15 hours ago, basketballjones said:

Does anyone have some inside info on Shamiel? I don’t get what is going on. No, he has not looked good in his limited minutes (no one would). 
 

Thor is terrible. Yvan is terrible. Lat hasn’t hit a shot or guarded well in many games.... where does Shamiel fit in there? 
 

I feel like a line-up like this...

 

Point Guard - Webster

2. McGowens

3. Teddy

Point Forward - Banton

5. Shamiel 

 

is worth looking at. 

 

Can Shamiel guard and score on a B1G center? Is the answer to that we don't think so because of practice or we don't know because we haven't tried that out? We've seen him bully Stanley Umude for a half but Umude is no center.  To me he seems more like a guy suited for some TM dribble-drive beat-my-my-guy ball. We already have Teddy Allen so I don't know that a lesser version of TA helps things offensively. He's certainly an elite finisher which is where he's racked up most of his baskets against lesser opponents. Those opportunities are either not there or else not taken against B1G opponents who won't give up transition and have size.

If you look at the above lineup we don't really need offense from Shamiel other than an occasional good shot which is sort of what he does anyway. To me I have to wonder what combination of mental lapses, lack of effort, and lack of IQ on defense is keeping a guy who physically should be able to help us off the court.  On paper it seems he should be able to help. During games you see some of the problems. What is or isn't he showing at practice?

[hugh42]

11 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

 

I'm tired of the bs from Husker men's athletics. This crap is embarrassing. Constructive criticism is out the window at this point. Do better. Get better players. Work harder. Stop with the excuses. No other programs in the country that spend as much as we do, have the facilities and support that we do, and have the fans that we do struggle as much as us. 

 

I get it, you're frustrated just like the rest of us, but we are less than half way through year two of the Hoiberg era. We were all hoping for better results in year two in terms of wins and losses but that hasn't happened yet and it may not this season. Having said this, there is no doubt that this team has more talent than last year and will be adding more talent next season. It's hard to be patient, believe me I know as I've been an avid Husker basketball fan for 40 years. At the moment I'll trust that Fred is going to turn the program into what we all know it can be.

[basketballjones]

14 minutes ago, hhcmatt said:

 

Can Shamiel guard and score on a B1G center? Is the answer to that we don't think so because of practice or we don't know because we haven't tried that out? We've seen him bully Stanley Umude for a half but Umude is no center.  To me he seems more like a guy suited for some TM dribble-drive beat-my-my-guy ball. We already have Teddy Allen so I don't know that a lesser version of TA helps things offensively. He's certainly an elite finisher which is where he's racked up most of his baskets against lesser opponents. Those opportunities are either not there or else not taken against B1G opponents who won't give up transition and have size.

If you look at the above lineup we don't really need offense from Shamiel other than an occasional good shot which is sort of what he does anyway. To me I have to wonder what combination of mental lapses, lack of effort, and lack of IQ on defense is keeping a guy who physically should be able to help us off the court.  On paper it seems he should be able to help. During games you see some of the problems. What is or isn't he showing at practice?

I'm not sure I really care if he can guard a B1G center. Front, double, rotate, and play hard. Do what we have to do. I also didn't know that Walker was eligible tomorrow - that was pleasant news to me. Can a B1G center guard Shamiel if they end up on the perimeter with him? 

Our problem is offensively. Yvan is not a threat, at all, to score off of the roll. He is also not capable of catching the ball in the dunker spot and finishing. That is killing our offense. Shamiel, in limited minutes, has demonstrated to me that he is much more capable underneath the defense in the dunker spot and as a roll man. And I should say, I do not think he has played well in his limited minutes. I just can't watch Yvan play anymore. 

[basketballjones]

1 minute ago, hugh42 said:

 

I get it, you're frustrated just like the rest of us, but we are less than half way through year two of the Hoiberg era. We were all hoping for better results in year two in terms of wins and losses but that hasn't happened yet and it may not this season. Having said this, there is no doubt that this team has more talent than last year and will be adding more talent next season. It's hard to be patient, believe me I know as I've been an avid Husker basketball fan for 40 years. At the moment I'll trust that Fred is going to turn the program into what we all know it can be.

I appreciate you talking me through my crisis, haha. I will step back off the ledge now. 

[hhcmatt]

Post Game Notes from UNL

 

*-Trey McGowens’ 20-point performance was a season high, topping his 19-point effort against North Dakota State on Nov. 18. It marked his eighth career 20-point effort, including his time at Pittsburgh
*-Teddy Allen posted his team-best fifth 20-point game of the season with 23 points, including 19 in the second half. He has reached double figures in all 11 games
*-Nebraska’s two 20-point scorers marked the first time this year NU had multiple 20-point efforts in a game. It marks the first time NU has had multiple 20-point efforts since Dec. 13, 2019 (at Indiana)
*-Kobe Webster had 10 points and went over 1,500 career points tonight, including his time at Western Illinois
*-Nebraska falls to 0-5 against ranked teams and finished a stretch of four straight opponents to begin Big Ten play. It was the first time in program history that Nebraska has had four straight ranked opponents to begin conference action
*-Nebraska out-rebounded MSU, 31-29, the seventh time in 11 games NU out-rebounded its opponent.

[Jacob Padilla]

On 1/2/2021 at 10:14 PM, big red22 said:

McGowens = Our leader and Hoiberg better start taking notice

 

 

I'm guessing Hoiberg has a better feel for what's going on in the inner workings of and interpersonal dynamics within his program than any of us on the outside looking in. What does "Hoiberg better start taking notice" even mean? 

 

More generally, McGowens is shooting 40.6% inside the arc and while he's shooting well from 3, he's taken twice as many 2s and isn't shooting well from the foul line either. He has 15 assists and 22 turnovers in 11 games this season. It's great that he played really well against a bad defensive team in Michigan State; hopefully that carries forward. But due to factors both in and out of his control, he's been as much a part of the offensive struggles as anyone. 

 

They need to get better across the board. I'm going to need to see more evidence before I'm on board with the idea that giving McGowens the ball to run the offense is going to fix things. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Jacob Padilla

[huskerbaseball13]

20 hours ago, Jacob Padilla said:

 

I'm guessing Hoiberg has a better feel for what's going on in the inner workings of and interpersonal dynamics within his program than any of us on the outside looking in. What does "Hoiberg better start taking notice" even mean? 

 

More generally, McGowens is shooting 40.6% inside the arc and while he's shooting well from 3, he's taken twice as many 2s and isn't shooting well from the foul line either. He has 15 assists and 22 turnovers in 11 games this season. It's great that he played really well against a bad defensive team in Michigan State; hopefully that carries forward. But due to factors both in and out of his control, he's been as much a part of the offensive struggles as anyone. 

 

They need to get better across the board. I'm going to see more evidence before I'm on board with the idea that giving McGowens the ball to run the offense is going to fix things. 

Id imagine our ability to finish at the rim would dramatically improve if we even had a semi serviceable big. Right now the passes to Yvan are more of “whoops why did I do that” and then it turns in to a hot potato. 
 

Just look at all the doubling we have to do on defense. Would be nice if teams had to do the same vs us.