uneblinstu's post game chatter: ed 6, vol 9: Miami

[uneblinstu]

- Things just happen when Smith is on the floor.  They're usually good things for NU.

- Hopefully those free throws for Tai will get him through that mental block.  Seemed to relax after that first one went in.

- It didn't seem like much was happening in the first half, but when you hold a team to 13 points in the first half, you're doing something right.

- Huskers really did play well defensively and let to a lot of opportunities to stretch the lead.  Had more trouble finishing tonight than we've seen so far this year.

- Webster got a little sloppy in the second half, but otherwise, they took care of the ball really well tonight.  

- Miami zone seemed to fluster NU at times.  Neither team shot the ball well at all.  NU had some chances to really blow this game open and couldn't do it.

- Parker in the rotation and Rivers isn't.  Didn't see that coming, did you? In the post game Miles said it was a coaches decision and Parker is a good on defender and they need that tonight, but Parker has a bunch of zeros in the stat book tonight.

- Pitchford's three after Miami cut the lead to 5 was pretty clutch.  He had a solid game all around..

- Shields is really struggling tonight.  Would love to see him break out of it on Sunday.

- Like how Biggs is settling in, though he still fouls too much.

- This was a solid win, all-in-all.  I think Miami will be pretty decent by the end of the season, but they're working through some growing pains right now.

- Student section was solid today.  Still miffed by all the open seats in the end of the upper deck.

 

That's it for me tonight. Let's go beat the Jays!

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[Norm Peterson]

Woo freakin hoo.

This was a good win, fellas. This might have looked ugly at times but I think it was fantastic in a lot of ways.

1. The guys are clearly settling into some roles and doing a better job of letting the game come to them instead of forcing things.

2. A LOT better team ball tonight. We had 12 assists on 18 field goals. You won't hear me complain about that.

3. Leslie Freakin Smith.

4. Other than their one guy getting hot from outside with 10 minutes left in the game and us with a 16 point cushion, this team played some good team defense. Love the fact that we can switch virtually every screen.

5. Did not shoot the ball bad tonight. Give credit to Miami's D. They were long and quick and contested our shots so it wasn't a lot of wide-open looks to exploit but we still managed to find a way to score and attack the rim.

I saw so many more encouraging things tonight than discouraging things. If they continue to play the way they were playing tonight and continue to improve, this team is going to start climbing the ladder.

We might not win the rest of the non-con, but there isn't a team on the non-con schedule that I think we can't beat.

[Norm Peterson]

The guy shooting the Embassy Suites Sweet Shot or whatever they're calling it this season ...

 

GET RID OF IT!

 

That was such a buzz kill.  We had energy and crowd noise and momentum and all that served to do was quiet down the place.  I thought someone out there had discretion to NOT do stuff like that.  Geez Louise, guys.  Ixnay on the Eetshotsway.

 

Good job students.  Props.  You guys kept it up tonight and didn't lay an egg on national TV.

 

Not so good the mass exodus at the 1 minute mark.  At least they didn't bail earlier, but c'mon.  Lock the lower exit until the game is over.  If people want to swarm out the doors, make them climb some steps to do it.  That looked awful.

[hhcmatt]

Miami isn't good offensively and they're trying to fake it until they can make it...good thing we didn't fall into that trap.  Their strategy was to draw fouls and for the most part we played one of our cleaner games.  We missed a ton of bunnies that really could have opened this game up.

 

Box Score

 

[Norm Peterson]

Where is everybody?  I'm so pumped after this win, I'm on fire.  I'm not ready to go to sleep by a long stretch.  This was an ACC opponent.  This was the second team this season we've beaten that went to the Suite 16 a year ago.  OK, so they lost some players.  But they beat Call St Fullerton and Arizona State at the last tournament they played in.  They're not exactly chopped liver.  And their coach is top notch.

[Norm Peterson]

They had some shot blockers keeping us honest on the dribble drive, Dimes.  That had something to do with missing those bunnies.

[hhcmatt]

They had some shot blockers keeping us honest on the dribble drive, Dimes.  That had something to do with missing those bunnies.

 

Definitely...their length creates trouble and it's exactly the reason Biggs only had 2 shots tonight.

[hhcmatt]

Where is everybody? 

 

School night?  

[Jadler]

I had to rush home to finish the assignment that was due at midnight. (Didn't leave early, though)

But I'm on your level, Norm. I'm pumped.

[Miles ahead of the rest]

As happy as I was with the unselfishness tonight, as stated in the report card, we were overly passive at times tonight.  Tai especially, along with Dev a couple times.  Love to see us move the ball around, but one play in particular that frustrated me was early in the second half when Tai drove baseline and instead of an easy up and under for two (or what looked like it was gonna be an easy up and under) he tried to drop it off for Walt i think it was, and instead turned it over.

[Norm Peterson]

Let me just also say there are some things about the PBA that are growing on me.  My "comparable" seats are quite a bit further away than where I sat at Devaney but the perspective ain't all that bad and it's growing on me.  I've found a place to park for free that isn't too far away and seems to generally be available.  (Not telling where that is and don't anyone ask.)  Plus, I'm getting out much faster than when we were at Devaney.  And I stay all the way till the end all the time.  Even leaving the arena itself is quicker than Devaney, believe it or not.  So, tonight, Norm is a happy guy. 

[PimpMario]

Miami looked horrible and in the stacked acc I don't seem them finishing above .500.

We had to have this win.

[doc1394]

- Was fun being in the student section tonight

- Pitchford was huge in the big moments.

- After Gallegos hit back to back threes, they didn't even get him a touch the next possession. I would have just let him chuck it up

- Shavon needs to trust his jumper a bit more

- Benny showed up on defense when Biggs just flat out couldn't stay with #20

- Wish Miles would have called his timeout a possession earlier when Miami went on that 11-0 run

- For such a low-scoring game, this game was still pretty exciting

- The Shavon dunk looked way cooler from where I was then on t.v., plus the pass from Tai was top notch.

- Tai's third straight free throw which clanked and then went in was pretty funny, since he couldn't make anything and then started getting a roll. 

- Gallegos had a nice drive in the second half, first time we've seen that from him this year

- #5's second airball was so awesome

 

Awesome win, bring on Creighton!

[hhcmatt]

Boy Miami makes you feel like you're playing well on D. 

 

• With Ray being so streaky it was too bad that the half ended after he'd made two in a row.  He was big on the boards and will need to be on Sunday
• We need Tai to take it to the rim more than he did.  One shot?  Is he unsure about his offense or is he too unselfish?
• Parker did a good job of putting the stop on Lecomte after he took it to the rim a couple of times.
• The fade away to start the game was a new crazy shot for Terran.  I think he just needs a couple of those a game and sometimes the whole team does.  Did you know TP shot under 50% FTs at Texas Tech?  The work he put in on that shows.  He brings a lot of confidence and energy to the team...that goes a long way.
• Shields should have had 20 tonight...just couldn't get those bunnies to fall and you could see him getting frustrated. Hopefully that jam at the end will get that monkey off his back.  He was great on the boards as well.
• It's always a good game when Pitch opens it up with a 3.  He's starting to get a little more comfortable down low and his using that size to pull down rebounds...he's still going to get in foul trouble a lot but tonight he was huge for us.  Did you see the emotion after drawing that charge?  Dude loves helping his team win.
• Leslee Smith with his typical 20+ minutes of double-double type ball after probably working at a soup kitchen, teaching children to read, and changing a tire on his way to the stadium.  I have two more back ordered on Amazon.

[Norm Peterson]

I like this team. 

[royalfan]

I like this team. 

 

We have a chance to be pretty good by the time everyone understands what they are supposed to do to make the sum as good as our parts.  Saw a lot of improvement towards that end goal tonight.  The result doesn't even matter as much as the fact I think we saw a more unified front. 

[Cazzie22]

Viewing the game on TV one can conclude that the Huskers might be very tough to beat at PBA!  I hope that carries over into the conference schedule.  Looking forward to see a game over the holidays while back north in Nebraska.  

[Hooper]

This was a great program win for a young team that's trying to find its way. As others have mentioned, it easily could have been a more decisive win, but the guys had trouble finishing around the rim tonight. I believe we're seeing tangible improvement in many key areas and in individual players as well with each successive game.

 

Miami is a weak team offensively, but they're athletic and very well coached, and it was great to see the guys take care of business and come away with a win to prevent the ACC from winning the Challenge.

[HB]

Where is everybody?  I'm so pumped after this win, I'm on fire.  I'm not ready to go to sleep by a long stretch.  This was an ACC opponent.  This was the second team this season we've beaten that went to the Suite 16 a year ago.  OK, so they lost some players.  But they beat Call St Fullerton and Arizona State at the last tournament they played in.  They're not exactly chopped liver.  And their coach is top notch.

 

No kidding on the coaching, Norm.  It seemed like every timeout during a Miami possession resulted in a dunk or wide open shot.  Larranaga was drawing 'em up last night.

 

By the way, Norm, where is your parking spot? 

[jimmykc]

A few quick observations from in front of the warm tv screen. 1. Why is ESPNU not HDTV like almost every other channel? It was like watching the game on a postage stamp or an Ebay. 2. Has an opponent ever thrown up as many air balls against us? It seemed like the "air ball" chant was pretty much part of the background noise throughout the game. 3. Students looked good on tv. I particularly like the Keebler elf and the wiener dog head. Since these seem a bit random and unrelated to basketball, could someone bring a big Bruce Dern head to the next game for me? 4. Announcer Tim McCormick was so amazed with Doc's recruiting efforts and how unBig10like the players were two years ago that he repeated the sentiment twice. Good thing Ubel is in Europe.

[Huskerpapa]

This was a nice win.  It is easy to perhaps shrug off the win as fairly pedestrian, but this is an ACC team that has a bit of glam and has earned name recognition.  They are a team that is still attempting to find itself, but is pretty loaded with length an athletism.  On any given day, they have the ability to explode and win.  That said:

- I was wore out after the game, we were loud and into the game.  I am proud of the crowd, and very proud of the students.  They did a nice job.  I will also add, they are starting to get it.  Their chants and actions (but for the idiot who threw the placard onto the floor) are only going to get better.

- I still get really pissed (sorry but it really bugs me) that "fans" are allowed to leave early by passing directly in front of the students and band.  This is a distraction and must be stopped.  There has to be another exist, perhaps a tad less conveniant that could be leveraged for those compelled to leave early.

- Leslee Smith is SO much better than billed.  He has game, and as long as we manage his minutes, and can stay healthy...

- I thought Walt had a much better game tonight.  He was more of a force inside, and yet he creates major match up problems for opposing post players.  I freaked a bit when I saw him tweak his ankle in the first half.

- Ray is good.  I love it when he feels it.  He even went to the hole a few times.  But he hovers around the perimeter, and the slashers are looking and finding him.  If he can get into a groove...wow.  And oh yes, do not underestimate his defense.  He defended extremely well last night.

- I have said this before, and I will say it again today, Tai is going to be pretty special.  Did he have a couple stupid turnovers last night, sure.  But he is just a baby and will grow and learn with each play that he makes...and yes, that is what he is attempting to do, make plays.  He also defended well with just a few breakdowns.

- Petteway came alive in the second half.  His body language suffered in the first half with a couple of misses, but he picked it up in the second half, big time.  There has been concerns about him, but the dude can play.

- At one point, Maimi looked to be playing a box and one.  They were manned up on Shavon.  That is called respect.  Shavon struggled  with his finishes last night, but he is right on the cusp of being pretty special.  He seems well grounded, he seems to be a great teammate and he does the dirty work along with the glam work.  Good to see.

- Benny is a very good "on ball" defender.  I am glad he is getting minutes.  He seems to fully understand his role.

- Biggs did some good things, he can really break down a defense, but he also struggled a bit with his handles.  He almost got trapped a few times in the press.  That said, he will be okay.  But going back to the press break.  Yikes, we do not look really smooth.  It appears we put in a different way to break a press this year, and it does not look like a well-oiled machine quite yet.

- I understand Coach Miles take on Rivers.  But let's not forget him, he is going to be important as we move through this season.

 

Again, good win against a "name" opponent and a good coach.  They attempted to make a number of in game adjustments and we answered each change.  We were glue on the outside (for the most part) without a lot of ticky-tac fouls that we were being called on.  At the same time our interior defense was much improved, likely due, at least in part, to doubling down when the ball went to the post. 

 

Great win men!

[hhcmatt]

Announcer Tim McCormick was so amazed with Doc's recruiting efforts and how unBig10like the players were two years ago that he repeated the sentiment twice. Good thing Ubel is in Europe.

 

 

Whew!

[hhcmatt]

BTW, not sure how much of a green light he has but tonight marked Shavon's first made 3 pointer

[atskooc]

BTW, not sure how much of a green light he has but tonight marked Shavon's first made 3 pointer

Is he 1-8 on the season now?  Something like that.

[Raidsker]

A few quick observations from in front of the warm tv screen. 1. Why is ESPNU not HDTV like almost every other channel? It was like watching the game on a postage stamp or an Ebay. 

 

Directv was in HD. Sounds like a provider issue.