The Harsh Reality About Tonight

[hhcdave]

No report cards this year, but I'll chime in from time to time with some thoughts.

 

Yes, its probably convenient my first at length post game post comes after a bitter loss.

 

No, it won't always be this way. I'll post after plenty of good moments to come, too.

 

Where do we start with tonight?

 

First of all, the prevailing talk with the coaches, players and fans of Husker Nation is that "in the grand scheme, this doesn't really matter. It's like our 19th or 20th most important game."

 

Touche - you can make that argument. Certainly this game does NOT rank in the most important of the year.

 

HOWEVER, if we lose the technical stuff and look at the big picture, this one stings very badly. And its disturbing.

 

First of all, I don't believe I have really ever said anything bad about Coach Miles. Here and there, I may have given him bad grades on report cards the last two years but overall, I would say I have a man crush on him. I love the guy.

 

With that said, he STUNK tonight. Was COMPLETELY out classed by Greg McDermott, who I DON'T (or at least DIDN'T) consider to be a very good coach.

 

Boy, was I wrong (at least tonight)... Nebraska did whatever they wanted the first ten minutes and its true that had the players made a few more shots, this one could have been different. Give Miles credit for taking Creighton out of their game the first ten minutes.

 

However, from that point forward, Creighton outscored us by approximately 20 points, as they made adjustments (especially on offense) and we didn't. We remained stagnant. Had no answers or different strategies. It was sink or swim with what we had done the first ten minutes.

 

Now, let's give McDermott a lot of credit. It's not ALL on MIles, certainly. Greg coached a hell of a game. And his players hit shots that maybe some nights, they don't normally hit.

 

They took away driving lanes and packed it in, making Webster, Smith, Parker and Rivers beat them. They didn't and couldn't.

 

Defensively, the screens drove us nuts, as did the double teams, and we were unable to keep with CU guys in the last 25 minutes. It was sad.

 

As much as I hate Creighton (as much as anyone)- they are our daddy and that isn't changing anytime soon. McDermott's bunch will be better next year and we will be without (most likely) Petteway, on the road. I don't see this series changing much in the next couple of years.

 

Simply put, if you can't beat (what I would call a) rag tag CU team (yes, I'm aware they beat OU at home), AT the PBA, in "your year," where you have the TWO BEST PLAYERS ON THE COURT... and you lose by double figures... at home... you ain't beating them anytime soon. Its pathetic. We are their step sons. Let's quit the tough talk and finally admit it.

 

Other notes that WEREN'T Miles fault (and there's plenty - it really was out coached and out classed).

 

1. Can't make free throws.

 

2. Forced some jump shots, especially in the second half. They were calling touch fouls all of a sudden the last 12 minutes. So what do we mainly do? Shoot jumpers.

 

3. Parker needs to stop stepping out of bounds.

 

4. Webster has been a complete bust. The "he's young" talk can stop pretty soon, as he's 1/3 of the way through is eligibility at Nebraska and marginally better than he was at 0%.

 

5. Pitchford will decide if we go to the NCAA or NIT. If he can't shoot the rock (and fall away 20 footers after starting 1-5 aint gonna get it done), and if he can't get more than 2.5 rebounds per game, we are going nowhere.

 

6. This loss, coupled with two more non conference, almost assures us an NIT berth barring a Top 5 Big 10 finish. And if we can't beat 2 of the 3 of Cincy, Hawaii and Wichita, we probably don't deserve to go. Then again, Purdue lost to UNF at home, Michigan at home to NJIT, Indiana to EWU, so who knows.

 

7. I have attended 14 of the last 16 CU/NU games. 6 of them I flew home from Florida and NC just for the games. Tonight I dropped $500 on primo seats and took time off tomorrow. No more.

 

They. Are. Our. Daddies.

 

Pathetic.

 

And one last thing - if our coach is going to openly mock their fanbase before the game, you better win the damn thing. This one is embarrassing and hurts more than most of the last 15 years.

[hhcdave]

One other thing. Has anyone ever seen Benny Parker get blown away on drive after drive before? Chatman was quite impressive. Parker couldn't handle him down the stretch.

[huskerbaseball13]

Where is Petteway going? But everything else I agree on. At this point...I just don't see Petteway getting drafted.

[hhcdave]

Petteway will get drafted. Its just a matter of whether he wants to roll the dice on dropping to the early 2nd round. His game plays well to the NBA and plays like the blocked shot tonight show you that he can really play and do more than just score.

[hhcdave]

Also needs to improve his left hand a bit, obviously.

[huskerbaseball13]

Maybe. I'm just not seeing it right now. I hope he sticks around though as if he doesn't Miles may have to give Tai even more minutes. No thanks.

[hhcdave]

At some point, do we start considering that perhaps Ray Gallegos (whom we didn't think would be much of a loss at the time) was a bigger loss than we ever thought?

 

He was disappointing offensively and from the field in his senior season.

 

However, he played terrific (and at times) lockdown defense, and had a sense of calm about him.

 

To this point, last year's team ( at least at the end of the year) is MUCH better than this one. Yes, its early in the season - HOWEVER, its almost the exact same team so in theory, they have more experience and shouldn't take until B1G play to "turn it up."

 

So yes, we're without Leslee Smith... but one thing nobody has discussed... are we missing Rey Gallegos?

[Norm Peterson]

They. Are. NOT. Our. Daddies.

 

They are the annoying little bastard child of the neighbor lady who got knocked up by the milk man.

 

The bottom line is the team played worse tonight than any other game in the Miles era.  Just horrible shooting performance.  Bottom line.  We didn't defend particularly well but well enough to win if we could just shoot the damn ball.  Tonight was probably the low water mark for shooting in the Miles era.

 

We desparately need a guy who is willing and able to bury semi-open looks from the corner when they try to collapse on the driving lanes.  We don't have that guy.  Tai either needs to step up or go play pro ball in New Zealand.  Quit passing up the open looks and start burying them instead.  And, if you can't do that, then go start making a paycheck playing down under.

 

Walt, quit being a frickin' pussy.  There's more to the game of basketball than shooting threes.  Especially when you're 6'10" and have a 40+ inch vertical.  Get the hell inside and learn how to bang a little bit.

 

We're a better team than the one that showed up tonight.  But we might have dug ourselves and RPI hole that will be difficult to climb out of because I expect Creighton to not have a very solid RPI by season's end and it'll hurt having a home loss to a team outside the RPI top 100. 

 

This was a very bad loss.  But we lost because we played like crap; not because Creighton is our daddy.

[hhcmatt]

One other thing. Has anyone ever seen Benny Parker get blown away on drive after drive before? Chatman was quite impressive. Parker couldn't handle him down the stretch.

 

 

Someone noticed it during pregame and mentioned on twitter - I forget who

[HuskerCager]

 

One other thing. Has anyone ever seen Benny Parker get blown away on drive after drive before? Chatman was quite impressive. Parker couldn't handle him down the stretch.

 

 

Someone noticed it during pregame and mentioned on twitter - I forget who

 

I thought Benny had a OK game for someone who had a hamstring injury, but he wasn't his usual disruptive self on the defensive end.

[HuskerBB]

They. Are. NOT. Our. Daddies.

 

They are the annoying little bastard child of the neighbor lady who got knocked up by the milk man.

 

The bottom line is the team played worse tonight than any other game in the Miles era.  Just horrible shooting performance.  Bottom line.  We didn't defend particularly well but well enough to win if we could just shoot the damn ball.  Tonight was probably the low water mark for shooting in the Miles era.

 

We desparately need a guy who is willing and able to bury semi-open looks from the corner when they try to collapse on the driving lanes.  We don't have that guy.  Tai either needs to step up or go play pro ball in New Zealand.  Quit passing up the open looks and start burying them instead.  And, if you can't do that, then go start making a paycheck playing down under.

 

Walt, quit being a frickin' pussy.  There's more to the game of basketball than shooting threes.  Especially when you're 6'10" and have a 40+ inch vertical.  Get the hell inside and learn how to bang a little bit.

 

We're a better team than the one that showed up tonight.  But we might have dug ourselves and RPI hole that will be difficult to climb out of because I expect Creighton to not have a very solid RPI by season's end and it'll hurt having a home loss to a team outside the RPI top 100. 

 

This was a very bad loss.  But we lost because we played like crap; not because Creighton is our daddy.

 

Nailed it Norm - analysis is right on point..

[Norm Peterson]

 

One other thing. Has anyone ever seen Benny Parker get blown away on drive after drive before? Chatman was quite impressive. Parker couldn't handle him down the stretch.

 

 

Someone noticed it during pregame and mentioned on twitter - I forget who

 

I noticed that hamstring.  It was causing him to step back when he caught passes in the corner three times tonight. 

[throwback]

One other thing. Has anyone ever seen Benny Parker get blown away on drive after drive before? Chatman was quite impressive. Parker couldn't handle him down the stretch.

Not sure if this was what was going on late, but Benny apparently tweaked his hamstring (not sure, but sounded like it occurred at FSU) and missed basically the entire week of practice. Maybe he retweaked it during the game or just ran out of gas late.

[dochay]

I doubt Petteway gets drafted.  He was a hot commodity last year when he was ballin'.  His weaknesses are being exposed this year and he is not adjusting but simply firing away.  I doubt most NBA teams want to draft a 21 year old volume shooter with a weak off hand and inability to get to the rim.  Heck even his ability to draw fouls is down because of his quick shots early in the shot clock.  

 

He will have to not just be as good as last year but better and I don't see it happening.  If he stays and works on smoothing out his game this year and the next he could latch on with a good summer league.

 

Good news for us because he is a scorer and  can be very good defensively when he's dialed in.  

[HuskerCager]

 

 

 

Nailed it Norm - analysis is right on point..

 

You pick on odd time, HuskerBB, for showing back up.  Where have you been?  Hope to see you posting more often as the season progresses.

 

[Huskerone]

Great take hhcdave.  Can't argue with any of your points.  Our big brothers from Omaha put another one on us tonight.

[Silverbacked1]

I doubt Petteway gets drafted.  He was a hot commodity last year when he was ballin'.  His weaknesses are being exposed this year and he is not adjusting but simply firing away.  I doubt most NBA teams want to draft a 21 year old volume shooter with a weak off hand and inability to get to the rim.  Heck even his ability to draw fouls is down because of his quick shots early in the shot clock.  

 

He will have to not just be as good as last year but better and I don't see it happening.  If he stays and works on smoothing out his game this year and the next he could latch on with a good summer league.

 

Good news for us because he is a scorer and  can be very good defensively when he's dialed in.

Actually the league is full of guys like him, that is why I can't watch the NBA.

[HuskerBB]

 

 

 

 

Nailed it Norm - analysis is right on point..

 

You pick on odd time, HuskerBB, for showing back up.  Where have you been?  Hope to see you posting more often as the season progresses.

 

 

 

Have not gone anywhere - been lurking just not positing much so far this year.  Season was pretty uneventful until tonight - unfortunately this one was significant in a bad way.

[dochay]

 

I doubt Petteway gets drafted.  He was a hot commodity last year when he was ballin'.  His weaknesses are being exposed this year and he is not adjusting but simply firing away.  I doubt most NBA teams want to draft a 21 year old volume shooter with a weak off hand and inability to get to the rim.  Heck even his ability to draw fouls is down because of his quick shots early in the shot clock.  

 

He will have to not just be as good as last year but better and I don't see it happening.  If he stays and works on smoothing out his game this year and the next he could latch on with a good summer league.

 

Good news for us because he is a scorer and  can be very good defensively when he's dialed in.

Actually the league is full of guys like him, that is why I can't watch the NBA.

 

I don't disagree with you.  The guys that get drafted that are like Petteway have the advantage of being young  with "potential".   I'm not saying that Petteway can't make it in the NBA, just don't see him being drafted.  The NBA is all about potential...

[bleujay]

 

I doubt Petteway gets drafted.  He was a hot commodity last year when he was ballin'.  His weaknesses are being exposed this year and he is not adjusting but simply firing away.  I doubt most NBA teams want to draft a 21 year old volume shooter with a weak off hand and inability to get to the rim.  Heck even his ability to draw fouls is down because of his quick shots early in the shot clock.  

 

He will have to not just be as good as last year but better and I don't see it happening.  If he stays and works on smoothing out his game this year and the next he could latch on with a good summer league.

 

Good news for us because he is a scorer and  can be very good defensively when he's dialed in.

Actually the league is full of guys like him, that is why I can't watch the NBA.

 

 

Often times players that bomb away in college with decent efficiency get to the league and realize the average defender has 3x the skill they're used to from college ball....I would say shot jacking is more a product of great defense

[HB]

One other thing. Has anyone ever seen Benny Parker get blown away on drive after drive before? Chatman was quite impressive. Parker couldn't handle him down the stretch.

Accurate observation.  We needed a stop down the stretch and Dingman just blew him up.  Hope it was the hammy. 

[hskr4life]

Some of what you say is true Dave, but I think everyone needs to take a step back... Breathe, and then post. A lot of people writing off this season already, which I expected at the first sign of adversity. Rhode Island was a game we should of won as well, but I didn't see the implode as much there. I am used to it on this board though. Shoot, we have done it every year since I can remember. I don't know how many times that I saw this kind of stuff after losses last year, and look how it turned out.

Dave some of what you said seemed to be a little bit of a pissed off post rather than one that is very thoughtful. We have one hell of a class coming in next year, and add Andrew White. And this is not a knock on you as I respect what you, and everyone has to say, but it is more of an observation of the way it was written if that makes sense.

I said it multiple times last year (Georgia, UAB, Penn State) let's see how the team responds. The same goes for tonight. We SHOULD get things figured out. I think that we will be fine. Now if things keep going like this for a long stretch than that should could be something to worry about. It was one game... it was a clunker... it certainly didnt, wont, and better not define the overall season.

Get back in the gym, get back at it, work harder, and use it as a learning experience.

[royalfan]

Norm nailed it.  Frustrating obviously.  We are better than they are and we played like crap and they played well.  At the end of the season we will be in much better shape than Creighton.  But the fact of the matter is we now have to win a game somewhere we aren't supposed to.  This is a bad loss.  It happens when shooting is involved.  Especially when we are in a shooting slump.  Lets not overreact though.  We will eat crow from the non Jaysker fans for another year.  It is part of the deal.  Once again, they took the game far more seriously than we did.  We got outplayed which is surprising, and we got outcoached which is also surprising.  We gotta buckle up and turn it around quickly, or the dance will not be in the cards. 

[PAhusker]

OP was money. I see your Gallegos and add senior year Brandon Ubel. An inside presence who can give you give you double figures and rack up the fouls for the other side

[golfer3]

It's a bad loss.  And we will probably lose next season.  The tables should turn the following season.  T Smith, two years and the newly-signed recruits will have a year under thier belts.

 

NU could have a better overall season than CU.  Pet and Pitch have to get it though.  The sooner the better.

 

For now, hats off to CU and the other McD and all the best to UN-O.