Why did it work this year? What's different?

[Handy Johnson]

* Mast has been as Good or BETTER than Advertised.

* NU leads the B1G in 3s made per game.

* A Different Leading Scorer time & again. 

[AuroranHusker]

2 minutes ago, Handy Johnson said:

* Mast has been as Good or BETTER than Advertised.

* NU leads the B1G in 3s made per game.

* A Different Leading Scorer time & again. 

 

He's the clear leader of this ballclub. He's a winner.

 

[Silverbacked1]

MATURITY 

 

we don’t rattle too easy at home some on the road but I feel our age and guys knowing what they need to do helps a lot

[Chuck Taylor]

3 hours ago, AGHANSEN said:

The other big factor is our schedule.

We had a cupcake non con for the most part and avoided playing Purdue, Sparty and Illinois twice. 

 

Plus, recent Big Ten top 25 programs are down, i.e. Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland and Iowa.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Northwestern and Minnesota are also having good years.

 

The non-con boosted players' confidence and added to the buy-in. Success in conference pushed it even further. We're playing great right now, and I'm not sure we would have if we'd taken 4-5 losses in non-con. We'll see how far we can go in the NCAA, but I think we're close to a lock right now and would need a complete collapse to not make it.

[Cazzie22]

Fred wanted to get older and we did.  We have an experienced team that has shown the willingness to play team basketball.  We defend and if we rebound and take care of the rock we are tough to beat.  Nervous about tonight but hopeful that we have the guys to get the job done.

[AuroranHusker]

3 hours ago, jason2486 said:

One name who doesn't get enough attention is Josiah Allick. It's been said before, and I've told my friends as well, that he's our Dennis Rodman. He even wears his shorts short!! He does the dirty work, flies after loose balls, etc. He's okay not scoring. His attitude appears to be that a rebound is as critical as scoring a bucket, just like Rodman did back in the day.

 

Yes, I knew Allick was a big pick-up in the off-season, he had that quality that a guy like Evan Taylor had for Miles' squad. A guy who will do absolutely anything the team needed to win that particular night. Not every dude is built that way, and Josiah is so filled with joy in the process, his teammates have been able to feed off his hustle and heart on the court, especially once he started games again. It's truly a thing of beauty to watch #53 work. He's a gamer.

 

Edited February 29 by AuroranHusker

[Norm Peterson]

We're fortunate to have a few really high motor, unselfish guys. Allick is one. So is Gary and so is Sam Hoiberg.

[cipsucks]

All the responses are 100% correct.  Coaching, players, unselfishness and everything else mentioned has added up to 98% of the reason the Huskers are where they are.  I think the last 2% to get them over the hump was fan reaction this year.  Don't laugh.  At the beginning of this season, many fans thought this would be another 90-91 type of season.  Positive vibes everywhere!  This board, with a few exceptions, (you know who you are),  has said more optimistic words about this team than in any year I can remember since I started posting here.  Good vibrations really help!  That's why we win a fifth conference game in a row by more than 15 points tonight!

[AuroranHusker]

31 minutes ago, cipsucks said:

All the responses are 100% correct.  Coaching, players, unselfishness and everything else mentioned has added up to 98% of the reason the Huskers are where they are.  I think the last 2% to get them over the hump was fan reaction this year.  Don't laugh.  At the beginning of this season, many fans thought this would be another 90-91 type of season.  Positive vibes everywhere!  This board, with a few exceptions, (you know who you are),  has said more optimistic words about this team than in any year I can remember since I started posting here.  Good vibrations really help!  That's why we win a fifth conference game in a row by more than 15 points tonight!

 

 

I'll take that Positive Momentum for $1000, Alex.

 

[aphilso1]

Defensively, we have found a scheme that play to our strengths and minimizes our weaknesses.  It feels like our defense is set up to create the following sequence of events:

1. Opponent's guard is at top of key with ball.  Wing is in or near the corner, with Husker defender shading away from him (similar to in a pack line scheme), which baits the guard into passing into the corner.

2. Husker defender closes out, but at an angle which intentionally gives away the baseline dribble drive (which is completely opposite of a traditional pack line scheme).  Wing is baited into driving baseline.

3. Mast or Gary or Allick (whoever is currently guarding the low post) slides over into a position just outside of the restricted area.

4. The ballhandler is stuck making a split second decision at this point, and at a time where he is surrounded by the baseline, the trailing defender, and the low post help defender.  There's no easy path to the basket. The skip pass to the opposite corner is restricted by the rim/backboard. It's an awkward angle to dish off into the near elbow.  A pass into the low post has to go through Mast/Gary/Allick. The easy and obvious passing lane is to the opposite elbow, and we almost always have a guard crashing into that spot.  

 

The positive of running a defense set up to do this is that it doesn't require lateral quickness.  It requires high basketball IQ/situational awareness among the wings and bigs, and we are loaded with upper classmen in those positions.  It also requires multiple low post defensive options (which we have), so that teams can't simply pull your big out of the low post.  The negative is that you're giving up a lot of open three point looks, similar to traditional pack line.  You're also prone to post lobs if the opponent has a long lean freak of nature like Kel'el Ware. But overall I think this scheme fits our personnel very, very well.

 

Offensively, we finally have the players to run a five out.  Which again minimizes our weaknesses (lack of a JPJ/Petteway/McGowens type of scorer, as well as a traditional PG) and plays to our strengths (shooters, and creating space for Gary and Mast to go to work).