unelinstu's postgame chatter: vol 15, ed 19: Ohio State

[uneblinstu]

Winning is fun.

 

Some clutch free throws down the stretch. Was also interesting to see freshmen Oleg, Dawson & Lawrence and sophomore Wilcher the group to make an important push late in the game. 

[HuskerFever]

[MichHusker]

Never really felt we were going to win until the final horn sounded. This team really fights and guys like lawrence and Dawson may be growing up. Can we find a way to get to 15 or 16 wins?

[Handy Johnson]

Denim Dawson 

[Cazzie22]

Trying to watch two games at once taxed my limited concentration.  Saw some nice contributions from some unexpected sources.  We need that to earn wins.  Not sure if we can steal any road wins but hopefully we can win our share of home contests.

[millerhusker]

Ohio State is struggling, but this is still a quad 1 win. At least until tomorrow. Iowa is also making its way towards the top 30 and would be another quad 1 win for us. 

[Huskerpapa]

This was a nice team win.  A lot of good things from the players and coach.  I won't say this often, but Fred needed to get that technical in that situation.   That one ref was horrible and needed to be put on notice.  I sure as hell hope that the conference reviews his calls in this game.  Whew, needed that off my chest.

It was a bit ugly, but we will take the win and move on.  Great job men!

[Huskerpapa]

I think I heard that Ohio State is one the most offensive efficient team in the country.  We sure had something to do with knocking them down a notch or two tonight.

[HuskerBB]

Ugly game - but effort was there again.    Exemplified by Bandoumel - could not hit a shot all night but did not let that impact his effort and he made some big steals late - along with nailing a couple key free throws.

 

If there was anything uglier that the shooting tonight it was the officiating.   Some unbelievable no calls and then a couple of pure phantom calls when nothing happened.     Only time I can remember Hoiberg getting a T - and he probably deserved it but it was ridiculous that the two refs right next to him did not do anything and the third ref comes running from half way across the floor to call a T. 

 

Love how Denim Dawson has stepped up in Gary's absence.   Continue to love the effort on defense and the boards.  But we need to find a way to make some shots if we want to get to 15 wins.

[NUtball]

Great job.  Patchwork lineup for much of the game and finally found a way to close out one of these close games that they always seem to find a way to lose.  Contributions from the young guys are obviously sorely needed and I thought they played pretty well tonight.  Have to love Dawson's circus shots from each side of the rim.

 

I have to admit, when I turned on the game and saw that bald-headed dildo in the zebra outfit, I figured the L would be set in stone.  I can't recall a game that his crew has officiated that Nebraska won.  (Yeah, I know there haven't been a lot of wins, but when Lurch is officiating, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Nebraska will get hosed.)  Although his comrades were much worse tonight than he usually is and made every effort to ensure OSU ended their losing streak, he is still the worst official in the country and I cringe any time I see his f-ing ugly chrome dome.

[REDZONEDAN]

6 minutes ago, NUtball said:

 

I have to admit, when I turned on the game and saw that bald-headed dildo in the zebra outfit, I figured the L would be set in stone.  I can't recall a game that his crew has officiated that Nebraska won.  (Yeah, I know there haven't been a lot of wins, but when Lurch is officiating, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Nebraska will get hosed.)  Although his comrades were much worse tonight than he usually is and made every effort to ensure OSU ended their losing streak, he is still the worst official in the country and I cringe any time I see his f-ing ugly chrome dome.

I find it funny I’m not the only one that refers to that turd as Lurch.

[throwback]

Gritty win - needed a bunch of guys to work hard on the glass without Gary available, and they did. Denim played so hard and well - going to need that from him full time now. I really like Lawrence, even though he is having some growing pains. He needs more minutes.

 

Griesel was terrific as well. He really took control in the 2nd half.

 

Hard to believe we would be able to win that game with Walker in that much foul trouble, with Bandoumel's offense MIA, and without Gary available, and yet we did. That's a result of an impressive level of effort from our guys.

 

Not taking anything away from the win, because conference wins are really hard to come by, but that OSU team was a mess tonight. Why they weren't crashing the offensive glass without Gary in there is beyond me. It's not like they were hustling back to the other end, either. In the 1st half, they just kept dribbling into the teeth of our defense and in the direction we were trying to force them, rather than passing the ball around the perimeter and making us chase. It was like they weren't ready for what we were trying to do. They just looked disinterested and disjointed much of the game.

 

I know the metrics say otherwise, but that was one of the worst B1G teams we've played so far.

 

Their freshman is really good and is going to win some games for them by himself. I know they've won 20 games each of Holtmann's years there, but no Sweet 16s and no conference titles. This team doesn't look like it will get to 20 wins. If they've been playing like they did tonight the past few weeks, I gotta imagine they aren't too happy with where that program is heading.

 

One last thing: As a ref, if you're going to call phantom fouls and be incredibly inconsistent, you're better off just swallowing the whistle like you did most of the first half. At least not calling anything and letting them play is a form of consistency. What they tried to do the second half was a mess almost beyond description.

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by throwback

[hhcmatt]

26 minutes ago, Huskerpapa said:

I think I heard that Ohio State is one the most offensive efficient team in the country.  We sure had something to do with knocking them down a notch or two tonight.

 

Top 11 in offensive efficiency in the country but in conference play their numbers are much lower in part of due to their 2pt shot percentage of 42.2%.  Them blowing a bunch of bunnies tonight is at this point a persistent problem.

[NUdiehard]

 

First half was brutal by both teams--set basketball back about 50 years.  But, as mentioned by many, NU players never hung their heads or let up on the defensive end, they kept battling and grinding to keep it close at half.  

 

The second half, NU scored 42 points on 54/57/77.  That might be the most efficient half of basketball we will play the rest of the year.  And had some really nice possessions while Walker was on the bench with foul trouble.  

 

Freshmen (Dawson, Lawrence, Wilhelm and Oleg) combined for 70 of the 200 minutes. (I count Wilhelm as a freshen because I believe he will get a medical RS)  Add in Wilcher's (soph) 20 minutes, and that makes almost half the minutes by freshmen and sophomores.  That is a positive.  Walker had a poor offensive game with only 8 points and 4 turnovers, yet they still managed to win.  Keisei had some good looks from 3, just couldn't knock them down today.  But I will take him shooting those shots all day.  He is fun to watch.  Very crafty, he is running and cutting and coming off screens, being creative.  He is the most all-around skilled offensive player on the team, his only limitation being his small size and lack of athleticism.  

 

Bando forgetting how to shoot and Wilcher forgetting how to play basketball makes me sad.  Hopefully they can both come out of their slumps soon.  Wilcher really turned it on in the 2nd half of the B1G last season, can he do it again this year?  Hard to imagine now, but all it takes is a few shots to fall to get the confidence back.

 

Dawson was a really valuable role player this game.  I don't think we can count on him making those circus shots every game, but it is a nice bonus when they go in, and he is always willing to do the dirty work on rebounds and defense.  Not at Gary's level, but as a freshman, he will have to be our poor-mans Gary for the rest of this year.  

 

Griesel had a real nice game and hit two 3s which were huge.  Wish he could hit free throws more consistently, but he two huge ones down the stretch.  

 

It wasn't always pretty, and OSU didn't look great, but they are #24 in the NET, and are supposedly one of the most efficient offensive team in the country, so they can't be too terrible.  A win is a win, and any win in the B1G is a good win. 

 

As for the refs, man, I really, really, really . . . 

Edited January 19, 2023 by NUdiehard

[Cookie Crumbs]

Even though the crowd size was lackluster, I thought the energy the fans had tonight was very respectable. Players clearly fed off that and never let the buckeyes get a massive run/hotstreak. Fun game to be at, but now lets steal a win on the road.

[hhcmatt]

 

Give the game ball to Hoiberg's Technical.

[Tallbaby21]

That five minute referee avalanche was really crazy considering how the game had been called up to that point. 

[OmahaHusker]

1 hour ago, throwback said:

Not taking anything away from the win, because conference wins are really hard to come by, but that OSU team was a mess tonight. Why they weren't crashing the offensive glass without Gary in there is beyond me. It's not like they were hustling back to the other end, either. In the 1st half, they just kept dribbling into the teeth of our defense and in the direction we were trying to force them, rather than passing the ball around the perimeter and making us chase. It was like they weren't ready for what we were trying to do. They just looked disinterested and disjointed much of the game.

 

I know the metrics say otherwise, but that was one of the worst B1G teams we've played so far.

I think those metrics are going to start reverting back to the mean for them as B1G play progresses. If they play like they did tonight they’re not going to win many more games. 
 

In comparison to them, I thought our offense looked like it had more of a plan at the very least despite our shots not falling. Idk what they were doing half the time and idk how Holtmann can watch that and think that’s what it’s supposed to look like. When your 2 best players are freshmen, might just be adversity finally hit, and when you don’t have a strong upperclassmen leader it can cause a spiral downward pretty quickly. On top of OSU fans not being big proponents of Holtmann even before the season. They’re all feeling it

[AuroranHusker]

Nebraska survived the wiliness of Holtmann's squad and his wily band of B1G refs, too.

[hskr4life]

We’re coming up to a very favorable stretch to pick up some wins here.

 

@PSU and @Maryland, but NW at home.  Win 2 and I’m feeling better about where we’re at without Gary.  Win all 3 and we’ll have played ourselves back into post season discussion.

 

Winning 2/3 should be doable in that stretch.

[1HuskerDad]

Check out the responses to this tweet from Husker fans!

 

 

[Serenity Now]

Nitpick or over-analyze all you want. I love watching this team. Out gunned or overmatched, they fight. Great win, great entertainment. I’m with them till the end. 

[Swan88]

 

[jimmykc]

TV analysts were spot on with this play. Fortunately, the referees did not blow the replay either. Not sure I can remember a cannier defensive play at a more critical time. 

[Nebrasketball1979]

10 hours ago, NUdiehard said:

Freshmen (Dawson, Lawrence, Wilhelm and Oleg) combined for 70 of the 200 minutes. (I count Wilhelm as a freshen because I believe he will get a medical RS

 

Out of curiosity, is this still a possibility?  Has NU filed an appeal or some sort of paperwork for this?