uneblinstu's Post Game Chatter: ed 7, vol 5 - Tenn.-Martin

[uneblinstu]

- Nice to have Walter back.

- 8 assists from Petteway was nice.

- Off game from Shavon. Not too worried.

- Maybe the best game from Moses yet. I hope I keep saying that.

- Little defensive energy today. Much, much less than what we saw vs. Omaha.

- Nice to see Rivers take and make some big shots when things got tight.

- Not nice to see Petteway go down again. I hope we don't see that happen off and on all season.

- Another game where we win the rebounding battle. Gonna see a stiffer test there on Monday.

- Thought UTM packed the lane a lot more than anyone else this year. We took a lot of jumpers. We probably shot as well as we have all year, but too many jumpers, not enough driving, but I think the defense UTM played tonight had a lot to do with that.

 

That's all I've got for tonight. Gonna have to be better for FSU.

[HuskerFever]

Not a whole lot of "greats" in the game, but not a whole lot of "awfuls" either. This game was all about the law of averages. Some players performed better than usual while others kind of took a backseat. I have to commend UT-Martin and their effort. I hope they do well the rest of the season, because this was actually a pretty good non-power conference opponent to put on the schedule this early in the season.

[Norm Peterson]

OK, this was more like it.  Other than the turnovers.  They had ten steals, at least, and most of those were just gifts.  Take those away and this was a fairly complete game. 

 

I'm not worried about the three-point defense.  We had hands in their faces on several of those that they just drilled.  Give credit to UT-Martin for that.

 

Also give credit to Martin for the way they scouted and anticipated some of our passing lanes and got hands in there.  We'll make adjustments, so that's not a big worry for down the road.  Just credit Martin for how they played.

 

I thought the balanced scoring was much more like it.  More reminiscent of the kind of team we were last year when we were really good.

 

I liked Tai's aggressiveness going to the basket.  Kid has adjusted well to coming off the bench. 

 

I am so frickin' glad Benny didn't listen to the naysayers who thought he should transfer.  I'm glad we finally have a coach (jeez I hate saying this, you have no idea) who doesn't run guys off.  We could really have used JR Strowbridge as a junior and a senior.  And we can use Benny, too.  And, give the kid a chance and look, he's starting.

 

Same with David Rivers.  Not everyone can be "that guy" who carries the scoring load.  You need some guys who are just willing to get in and do the dirty work.  And give some credit to David Rivers for being a kid who fufills a role that's needed:  Six points and ~ six boards.  And those six points were very timely.

 

Other than the turnovers and some sketchy post defense, I thought this looked pretty close to a top 25 team.  Cut out the turnovers and shore up the post D, and a team like this that spreads the ball around and has a lot of players who can hurt you ...

 

... and I think we'll win against FSU.

[dt14smoke]

Petteway pushed a guy in the back going after a loose ball.

Called it out off guy he pushed.

He turned towards bench and smiled.

I liked that.

[Huskerpapa]

That was a scrappy and athletic team.  They will win some games this year.  Crowd was large, but not unexpected, pretty tame.

* We have to fix the turnover problem.  The next three games will be tough to win if we continue the current turnover trend.

* FT shooting has been a bit of a problem as well.  If there is such a thing, we are in a minor slump.

* Rivers struggled in the first half, but woke up in the second half.  Perhaps he understands that his role includes knocking down wide open shots.

* Glad to see Walter breaking out.  We need him and his shot looked much better this evening.  His rebounding is still awol, but he is who he is  when it comes to pounding the board.

* Shavon struggled a bit tonight.  The quickness of this team seemed to bug him.  He will be fine.

* Tai did a lot of really good things tonight, but also had some brain farts.  He is certainly more comfortable at the 2 than at PG.

* Benny did a fine job...nothing spectacular, but he did well.  Tennesee had a lot of quickness...a lot.

* Smith did some good as well.  Didn't play major minutes, but he continues with his education;

* Moses played his best game.  He looks to be getting used to his role and tonight, played it well.

* Petteway scared the crap out of me when he went down, but I think he will be fine.  Take a couple of turnovers away and he played a well rounded game...he was much more patient on offense...had some nice assists...rebounded well...and hit some timely shots.

 

We are a better team than we were a week ago, but the next three games will tell us a lot...a whole lot.

[royalfan]

OK, this was more like it.  Other than the turnovers.  They had ten steals, at least, and most of those were just gifts.  Take those away and this was a fairly complete game. 

 

I'm not worried about the three-point defense.  We had hands in their faces on several of those that they just drilled.  Give credit to UT-Martin for that.

 

Also give credit to Martin for the way they scouted and anticipated some of our passing lanes and got hands in there.  We'll make adjustments, so that's not a big worry for down the road.  Just credit Martin for how they played.

 

I thought the balanced scoring was much more like it.  More reminiscent of the kind of team we were last year when we were really good.

 

I liked Tai's aggressiveness going to the basket.  Kid has adjusted well to coming off the bench. 

 

I am so frickin' glad Benny didn't listen to the naysayers who thought he should transfer.  I'm glad we finally have a coach (jeez I hate saying this, you have no idea) who doesn't run guys off.  We could really have used JR Strowbridge as a junior and a senior.  And we can use Benny, too.  And, give the kid a chance and look, he's starting.

 

Same with David Rivers.  Not everyone can be "that guy" who carries the scoring load.  You need some guys who are just willing to get in and do the dirty work.  And give some credit to David Rivers for being a kid who fufills a role that's needed:  Six points and ~ six boards.  And those six points were very timely.

 

Other than the turnovers and some sketchy post defense, I thought this looked pretty close to a top 25 team.  Cut out the turnovers and shore up the post D, and a team like this that spreads the ball around and has a lot of players who can hurt you ...

 

... and I think we'll win against FSU.

Good call on Benny.  I was one that wouldn't have minded if he transferred.  I am sure glad I was wrong.  Tough minded kid.  I don't think we danced last year without him.

[Norm Peterson]

CWG, I'm glad you mentioned Tarin Smith.  We'd be remiss if we didn't mention him.

 

The conventional wisdom is that any kid who's basically flown so far under the radar that no one really knows about him and he's still available in the spring singing period, well, the conventional wisdom is that kid's probably not going to be very good.  Plenty of experience tells us that.

 

And this time the conventional wisdom appears to be waaaaay wrong.

 

How about this kid, huh? 

 

I love his athleticism.

 

I love the composure he shows as a true freshman.  That bucket he scored at the end of the first half?  Onions.

 

Like to see him work on his stroke a bit, but love this kid.

 

Tarin, thanks for coming half way across the country to a big state with a small population forever and a day from the last place you probably expected to wind up.  So damn glad you became a Husker. 

 

And, one last thing:  rlgyank, I see you at the bottom of my screen among members viewing this topic.  I always see  you at the games, and I'm always tempted to say hello, but I'm just not sure you'd remember who I was from when we met back before this board was first formed.  But I still remember who you are and you still have the same jacket, which you wore tonight.  So, greetings from Norm.  Now that I've broken the ice somewhat, next time I see you I promise I'll say hello.

[Norm Peterson]

Oh yeah, one more last thing.

 

Moses.  My boi, Moses Abraham.  What can you say?  Best game as a Husker.  Seven points, 5 boards, and a little muscle underneath tonight.  Those were strong rebounds and 4 of them were on the offensive glass.  He earned his scholarship tonight.  Nice work, young man.

[HuskerFever]

Oh yeah, one more last thing.

 

Moses.  My boi, Moses Abraham.  What can you say?  Best game as a Husker.  Seven points, 5 boards, and a little muscle underneath tonight.  Those were strong rebounds and 4 of them were on the offensive glass.  He earned his scholarship tonight.  Nice work, young man.

 

Moses is one of those guys who adds more value to the team than stats can capture. He'll be an even bigger asset to us come conference play.

[TomEadesSucks]

Oh yeah, one more last thing.

 

Moses.  My boi, Moses Abraham.  What can you say?  Best game as a Husker.  Seven points, 5 boards, and a little muscle underneath tonight.  Those were strong rebounds and 4 of them were on the offensive glass.  He earned his scholarship tonight.  Nice work, young man.

 

I wonder what we're going to do when Leslee is back and healthy. I can see a lot of interesting lineup possibilities. Wonder how Miles will handle it.

[Fullbacksympathy]

I really like the idea of Tai as a 2 off the bench for Terran.  I think giving him a scorer's mentality will take the pressure off him.  He's not a point guard.  He's looking more and more like a serviceable 2, which is a relief.  That was a pretty jumper on the baseline (good elevation, too), a nice looking corner 3, and he's made some great finishes in transition this year.  

 

Hell of a defensive job overall this year so far in every game.  I think we're going to love the new coach more and more.  Even when we have trouble with intensity, we are doing a nice job with help defense and perimeter position.  The ability to switch on the perimeter with our personnel is huge.  Offense will come.  See Walt.  

 

Not sure how the next two games will go, but I'm excited to see notable improvement from the beginning of the year already.  We'll be in every game if we continue to play defense this well.  

[Silverbacked1]

Good steady effort tonight. Also I think that Terran hit knees with another player. I remember that hurting like hell, but the pain goes away fairly quickly.

[Norm Peterson]

If I could wish for one thing, one sort of do-over in recruiting this past spring, I wish we'd have landed a big man transfer for next year who would be sitting out this year with Andrew White as a redshirt.  And, by big man, I mean a stout, muscular athlete with some game to him.  Someone who can give you 25-30 minutes with maybe 8-10 rebounds and 10-12 points.

 

Next year, we'll have splendid talent at the wing with Shields, White and Petteway, if he stays.

 

We'll have a solid defensive point in Benny Parker, and an athletic distributor in Tarin Smith and perhaps an all-around point in Glyn Watson.

 

We'll have decent depth. 

 

And we'll have some guys who are just plain threats to score who open up the floor from distance and those would include Andrew White and Walter Pitchford.

 

But what we won't have, at least as things stand now, is a quality post.  And that's the only element we'll be lacking next year that would make this team a threat to go very, very deep in the tournament.

[Norm Peterson]

Good steady effort tonight. Also I think that Terran hit knees with another player. I remember that hurting like hell, but the pain goes away fairly quickly.

Didn't with Dave Hoppen.  Just sayin'.

[Norm Peterson]

BTW, from the looks of things, this was a pretty solid team we faced tonight.  They've only lost to us and Marquette, and they beat some team by a final of 115-29.  Granted, it wasn't a D1 school, but neither was the Southwest Minnesota State team we beat by 22 pts in our exhibition game.

[hhcmatt]

[Norm Peterson]

Ooops, Dimes, wrong box score.  That's Northern Kentucky, not Middle Tennessee. 

[TheKamdyMan]

For the most part Terran did tonight what I feel Miles as well as NBA scouts what to see out of him. Everyone knows he can score and take over a game. What we haven't seen is Terran being able to slow down, set up the offense, and become a solid facilitator. I think that was the biggest difference from Tues to Last night. Tues he had a lot of turnovers from trying to push things when they weren't there. Tonight he played more under control and he got more assists. If he continues to grow that side of the game it will only help the team as well as himself as the more he becomes a more well rounded guard the more options he will have to score.

[hhcmatt]

Ooops, Dimes, wrong box score.  That's Northern Kentucky, not Middle Tennessee. 

 

Ah nuts!

[hhcmatt]

Notes and Quotes from UNL

 

Notes: 
*-Tonight’s attendance of 15,987 is the second-largest crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena
*-Walter Pitchford set career bests in points (19) and 3-pointer (6). His previous career high in points was 18 at Michigan State on Feb. 16, 2014.
*-Terran Petteway’s eight assists is a career high (previous high was four at Northwestern on Feb. 8, 2014) and the most by a Husker since Bo Spencer had nine against Central Michigan on Dec. 20, 2011.
*-Nebraska’s 10 3-pointers was a season best and the most since hitting 11 against Minnesota on Jan. 26, 2014
*-Nebraska has now 11 straight at home and is 19-1 since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena.
*-Nebraska’s bench outscored UT Martin, 18-4, including a season high seven points from Moses Abraham.
*-Tarin Smith’s turnover with 10:56 left was his first of the season (73 minutes)
*-Benny Parker also matched his career high with nine points on Friday.
 

 

 

 

Nebraska Coach Tim Miles

On Walter Pitchford

“He’s really worked hard to get his rhythm shooting. I know Kenya Hunter worked with him, I worked with him, and Kenya saw that he was dropping the ball a little bit and got him to tighten up his release and his shooting pocket. Then we ran some stuff for him early too. I thought that was critical and we got him going.”

 

On offensive efficiency

“It makes it hard for opponents, no doubt. We had a lot of good things going for a while offensively. I thought both teams looked a little tired. When you look at it, we got the lead then they just started draining the three’s. I really liked what we were doing for a long time on offense. We just still turn it over a little too much.”

 

On limiting opponents offensive rebounds

“I think that was probably a season low for us. I wasn’t surprised they came back (in the second half), they’ve done that against Arkansas State. They were down 18, came back and won. I thought we did some really good things to build the lead to where it was.”

 

On Moses Abraham

“He’s doing better and better. You can see his numbers have increased. When he comes in, it’s a significant difference with our defense.”

 

On playing Florida State Monday

“They’re a physical team. They’re a really aggressive defensive team so I think it’s about being fresh. I like the matchup because it’s going to test how well we handle the ball and how we do against pressure. They’re really well coached. They have a great program. They’ll be ready to go. We love the Big Ten/ACC challenge.

 

Nebraska Forward Walter Pitchford

On how it felt to get a few to drop tonight
“It really wasn’t any different.  All the games that we have won have felt good so far.  If the shot drops or not it is about the team.  It’s us always. That’s where we are at.”

On whether he changed anything with his shot
“Some nights they go in, some nights they don’t.  I would have to say just putting a little extra time in at the gym and just making sure to concentrate more for the little things here and there just tweaking the little things.  That’s about it though.”

On how big it was to see the first one go down
“It was nice.  Everybody always says you shoot the first three.  I’m proving them right again.  It was a good feeling, obviously.  I don’t know how many shots I missed, I don’t concentrate on that.  I came in to this game today just to contribute for the team and to this victory.  It was great.”

On the three being more open tonight
“We moved the ball really well.  The shots that I got my teammates were wide open and they passed up the shot to pass it to me.  They were just trying to get me going and I appreciate them.  I love those guys.”

On how much better Nebraska is when they’re hitting threes
“It’s another offensive weapon for us.  I feel like I am back and ready to contribute.  It’s hard for teams, you saw it last year.”

On what he is expecting from the Florida State game
“It’s a tough, physical team.  They are going to be ready, and we are going to be ready. 

On the focus put on offensive rebounding
“A great deal.  You have got to love it.  That’s one thing we are working on. You can’t just teach it, it has to be a love inside of you.  That’s the big thing at practices.  We challenge each other just getting after each other’s heads for the boards because that’s the way we are going to get better for games.”

Tennessee-Martin Head Coach Heath Schroyer

Opening Statement
“Nebraska is very good. Tim has done a great job since he has gotten here—I've known Tim for a long time, this team plays to his personality. They are disciplined, very talented, a lot of offensive weapons and they really space the floor well. Obviously when Pitchford is hitting threes, they are impossible to guard.”

 

On shooting, overall

“We have been pretty good offensively so far this season. We have shot 50 percent on the year, and I thought we got pretty good looks tonight, when guys stepped up and made them. Pitchford came out and hit his first three 3's. It makes them really hard to guard when that five-man can start knocking down shots and spreading the floor.”

 

On the play  of Twymond Howard

“Tywmond is a warrior. He has played well all year and just brings a great energy and a great motor to our team and he plays extremely hard. He got into foul trouble in the second half.

 

On Deville Smith

Deville, we have been waiting for him to kind of break out a little bit. He (Smith) really played well, especially down the stretch when we really needed some of our key guys to come through for us. He (Smith) has been in a big shooting slump up to tonight. It was good to see him find his rhythm offensively and make some really big time baskets.”

 

On his expectations for the team, in Ohio Valley Conference

“We have to keep getting better. It is one thing for this team that we have done up to this point is we have continued to get better. There is a resiliency with this group. We played hard. We have to just keep getting better at what we do. We have to defend better and this is the first game we were out rebounded, I didn't think we did a good enough job on the glass tonight. We had only five offensive rebounds, and I think that had to do with Nebraska. They did a great job of being physical. I was really impressed with Rivers, I thought he did a great job on the glass for it---it was not as if he was grabbing all the rebounds, he just kept us off the glass.”  ​

[hhcmatt]

I was unable to watch the game...how did Moses score 7 points?

[HuskerFever]

*-Tonight’s attendance of 15,987 is the second-largest crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena

 

Who knew UT-Martin traveled so well?

 

Jokes aside, I have a strong feeling the Top 5 attendance records are going to be broken over and over again come 2015.

[49r]

 

*-Tonight’s attendance of 15,987 is the second-largest crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena

 

Who knew UT-Martin traveled so well?

 

Jokes aside, I have a strong feeling the Top 5 attendance records are going to be broken over and over again come 2015.

 

 

There's no way in hell there were 15,987 in actual attendance.  I'd say that 12k would be a stretch even.

[Norm Peterson]

 

 

*-Tonight’s attendance of 15,987 is the second-largest crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena

 

Who knew UT-Martin traveled so well?

 

Jokes aside, I have a strong feeling the Top 5 attendance records are going to be broken over and over again come 2015.

 

 

There's no way in hell there were 15,987 in actual attendance.  I'd say that 12k would be a stretch even.

 

I thought it looked pretty full.  Thanksgiving holiday and lots of people in town.  Saw a lot of tweets on the screen saying "first time in PBA."  I don't know about 16,000 bodies in there but I don't think 12,000 would have been a stretch.

[49r]

Okay, I'll give you 12k Norm, but there weren't 16k in there.  If there were, then we had about 18k for Wisconsin last year.