Headed for the stretch, forget adding a past Husker great to the squad

[Norm Peterson]

If you could add a tool or talent within the realm of something a kid could realistically acquire, what do we most need from now till the end of the season?

 

Tai needs to catch fire from deep.  He can get to the rim OK but if he could drill halfway-open threes at 40% or better, we'd be a much stronger offensive team.  Right now, Tai is shooting a chilly 21% from three.  Remember the Olympic Qualifying tourney for New Zealand?  He shot 62.5% from three in those games.  If we could get 40% from beyond the arc from Tai from now through the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney ...

 

[colhusker]

I would be happy if Ray found his stroke.

[Concrete]

edit- nevermind, saw you prefaced it with a "realistic requirement"

[uneblinstu]

Leslee Smith hitting free throws more consistently.

[TomEadesSucks]

I'd love to see Shavon hitting three's at the clip he did last year. He was our best outside shooter percentage-wise. 

[Norm Peterson]

I would be happy if Ray found his stroke.

This is basically his best season shooting since he's been here, though.  Last season, he scored a lot but he was only 30.6% from three.  This year, he's shooting 37.6% from three.  That 7 percent improvement is huge.  Almost 38% from three.  Even if Ray were to "find" his stroke, he's not realistically going to bump it significantly higher than it's ever been before AND he doesn't get the kind of touches he got last year.

 

I think the biggest "bang for the buck" would be to see Tai raise his shooting to a realistic upper 30s.  If he starts drilling distance shots for us, it really opens up the lanes.  And he's the kid who could most likely see significant improvement in his numbers.

[Norm Peterson]

I'd love to see Shavon hitting three's at the clip he did last year. He was our best outside shooter percentage-wise. 

Shavon is not off by as much as you'd think.  If you'd asked me to guess (and I assume a lot of others would say the same) I'd have thought he's 8-10% lower than last year but actually he's only about 3% lower than last year.  What Shavon realistically could improve on is finishing on his drives, hitting that mid-range jumper when he flashes to the high post, and having the confidence to take the open shot when it's there rather than passing it off for a look that's not as good.

[Norm Peterson]

And, actually, Shavon is shooting 43% from beyond the arc in conference games, but in 9 conference games, he's only taken 14 threes.  He is a good shooter for us and the problem I see with him is that he passes up good shots because he seems to be afraid to take them.  Tentative.  Hesitant.  We need him to step up to those with confidence.  43% from three is a number we could really use in greater volume.

[AuroranHusker]

Shavon making free throws at 80+%... in case anyone's forgotten, Shields was 12-12 vs FGCU. Hasn't been so great since then, unfortunately.

[Norm Peterson]

Leslee Smith hitting free throws more consistently.

Leslee is 4 of 11 from the stripe in conference games.  Coming into conference, he was 30 of 41.  So he went from almost 75% before conference to only about 36% during conference.  That has to improve.  Still, in 20 games, he's only shot 52 free throws.  That's about 2.5 per game and upping his percentage nets us like 1 more point per contest, whereas getting Tai on track from long range might generate an extra 2 made three-pointers per game.

[MichHusker]

I would like to see a more consistent post game from leslee

[hhcmatt]

More aggressive Tai

[uneblinstu]

 

Leslee Smith hitting free throws more consistently.

Leslee is 4 of 11 from the stripe in conference games.  Coming into conference, he was 30 of 41.  So he went from almost 75% before conference to only about 36% during conference.  That has to improve.  Still, in 20 games, he's only shot 52 free throws.  That's about 2.5 per game and upping his percentage nets us like 1 more point per contest, whereas getting Tai on track from long range might generate an extra 2 made three-pointers per game.

 

yeah, but you asked for what I wanted to see. That's what I'd like to see. Plus, you'd already taken Tai shooting better from deep. Just trying to diversify...

[PimpMario]

Team Assists.

 

If it has to be one player than Smith's endurance.  

[Cell]

I would like to see Tai find his scoring touch. The player ive seen play at Nebraska is a total different player to the Tai I saw in New Zealand. Would like to see him attack the hoop more often and hit his outside shots.

 

Also you guys probably didn't see it but the draw for the 2014 Basketball World Cup was made today and New Zealand got put in the same pool as the USA. Pretty cool that if Tai makes the NZ team he will get a chance to play some top NBA players.

[49r]

I'd like to see Hawkins start to blossom.  I think maybe we saw glimpses during the Indiana game.

[Norm Peterson]

 

 

Leslee Smith hitting free throws more consistently.

Leslee is 4 of 11 from the stripe in conference games.  Coming into conference, he was 30 of 41.  So he went from almost 75% before conference to only about 36% during conference.  That has to improve.  Still, in 20 games, he's only shot 52 free throws.  That's about 2.5 per game and upping his percentage nets us like 1 more point per contest, whereas getting Tai on track from long range might generate an extra 2 made three-pointers per game.

 

yeah, but you asked for what I wanted to see. That's what I'd like to see. Plus, you'd already taken Tai shooting better from deep. Just trying to diversify...

 

And I totally agree with you.  That's why I pointed out the numbers and how dramatically he's gone down since conference play.  It's something that is more likely to get back to where it was than Tai getting to a number he hasn't reached yet.

[uneblinstu]

 

 

 

Leslee Smith hitting free throws more consistently.

Leslee is 4 of 11 from the stripe in conference games.  Coming into conference, he was 30 of 41.  So he went from almost 75% before conference to only about 36% during conference.  That has to improve.  Still, in 20 games, he's only shot 52 free throws.  That's about 2.5 per game and upping his percentage nets us like 1 more point per contest, whereas getting Tai on track from long range might generate an extra 2 made three-pointers per game.

 

yeah, but you asked for what I wanted to see. That's what I'd like to see. Plus, you'd already taken Tai shooting better from deep. Just trying to diversify...

 

And I totally agree with you.  That's why I pointed out the numbers and how dramatically he's gone down since conference play.  It's something that is more likely to get back to where it was than Tai getting to a number he hasn't reached yet.

 

Totally. But if Cell is right about the player he saw in NZ, it's possible that both could happen and if it does, we'd be in pretty good shape.

[Norm Peterson]

Team Assists.

 

If it has to be one player than Smith's endurance.  

Yeah!  How about this?  How about we reverse our assist and turnover numbers for the remainder of the season?

 

In conference games so far, we have 83 assists (9.2/game) against 103 turnovers (11.4/game).  How about let's get back to being a low-turnover team and start getting high-percentage looks going at the basket by getting guys open and making some passes?  That would be huge.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I don't see a high likelihood that Walt or Leslee suddenly find an inside game between now and the end of the season.  I think they could work hard on that over the summer but right now they pretty much are what they are.  (Hope one or both of them prove me wrong.)

 

However, I think we could really use another shooter.  If things suddenly click for Tai and the flashes we've seen become a more consistent thing -- especially if he finds his range and can start knocking down perimeter looks -- it'll make it that much more difficult for opponents to shut down Petteway.  To shut down Terran, most teams will have to do more than play him straight up and if we have another guy on the floor who can make them pay, we'll be a tough team to beat.

[Norm Peterson]

Add realistic suggestions (something we know the player is presently capable of doing) and I can make a poll out of it. 

 

And I wonder how our eventual list of priorities would compare with what our coach would want/like to see.

[doc1394]

I would say giving Ray more drives into the lane which creates more free throws for him and may open up more threes. If he could curl some of the off ball screens and finish around the rim, that'd be huge

[PimpMario]

I don't see a high likelihood that Walt or Leslee suddenly find an inside game between now and the end of the season.  I think they could work hard on that over the summer but right now they pretty much are what they are.  (Hope one or both of them prove me wrong.)

 

However, I think we could really use another shooter.  If things suddenly click for Tai and the flashes we've seen become a more consistent thing -- especially if he finds his range and can start knocking down perimeter looks -- it'll make it that much more difficult for opponents to shut down Petteway.  To shut down Terran, most teams will have to do more than play him straight up and if we have another guy on the floor who can make them pay, we'll be a tough team to beat.

 

My hope is Fuller is really working on his shot.  I know that doesn't help us this year but without Fuller I am afraid next year we won't have any "shooters" on the team.

[Norm Peterson]

My thread was basically a reaction to talk about what record we'd have to obtain in order to reach the NCAA tourney.  And my concern was whether we realistically have the talent to get the job done.  If we do, we have to elevate our play in some respect.  So where are the most likely opportunities to do that?  For whom would it benefit us the most for things to click between now and the end of the year?  And in what way?  What element might tip the scales for us to move the needle just enough to go from possible NIT bid to leading edge of the NCAA bubble?

 

And, in answering that question, my first reaction was that if Tai can take flight and start shooting the ball and start scoring like he was able to score during the Olympic trials, that would pay immediate dividends.  Just high 30s or low 40s for Tai from three will open things up just a little for everyone else.  Including Tai driving to the basket.

 

In the Army, we called it a "combat multiplier."  Increased perimeter effectiveness from Tai forces defensive pressure adjustments to account for it, freeing up others to be more effective.  I think that's the most realistic difference-making thing we might see to put us over the top.  But it's not necessarily the only thing that could improve.  So, suggestions?

[lanigan123]

In order for this team to make the NCAA tourney we will have to improve in a numbert of areas. The biggest would be Tai scoring more points off the drive more often. We need him to be a threat so we can kick out to shooters and create more lay ups off the drive penetration with passing, etc. Second thing we must do well is get Shavon in a rhythm. He needs consistency in his game at that high post. Go and watch the FGCU game and when he operates efficiently from that spot, we are darn near unstopable. Lastly, we need to defend and rebound extremely well in the post like we did against Indiana.