Have the freshman hit the wall.....???

[TourneyBound]

Just seem like Jacobson and Watson have struggled especially today

[demone]

The way this team has played the past few games, it seems everyone except Shields hit the wall.

[kldm64]

The way this team has played the past few games, it seems everyone except Shields hit the wall.

 

 

And looked like Shields hit the wall today also

[colhusker]

Just another flat performance in a game that really matter.  There is a trend.

[khoock]

I expressed this opinion after the Penn state game. Everyone except for Shavon just seemed out of it. Felt the same against Purdue. And again today. It's understandable though. These freshmen and White (since he didn't play much at Kansas) were more than likely not prepared mentally and physically for the grind of Big Ten basketball.

[AuroranHusker]

I don't think they've physically hit a wall as these players are used to playing a plethora of ballgames, but mentally that's a different story.... ufftdah.

[Huskerpapa]

That wall collected more than just freshmen!

[Norm Peterson]

Sometimes wall-hitting happens when you've taken a pre-season, overseas trip like we did.

 

These guys have been practicing since either late July or early August, about 2 months before practices would normally start.

 

They played 4 games in Spain.  And even though there were no games in between August and November, that's still an especially long college season.

 

It's possible they've hit a wall.  It's entirely possible.

[BjoeHusker]

I know Watson had the flu.

 

Huskers have been awful to close out the past two seasons

 

2014-2015: Lost final 8 regular season games

2015-2016: Lost final 5 regular season games

 

Nebraska is a combined 3-16 in the past two February's/March's

 

Is it conditioning?

[unl]

I guess I won't name names since we all watched the game anyway. But there were usually 3 players and sometimes 4 on the court who, were not "efforting"-not hustling back on defense, not grabbing rebounds that fell in their hands, not making good passes, hoisting up jumpers...

I'm ok with losing basketball but not sucky effort basketball. That was a really tough game to watch, mostly in the first half.

[HuskerCager]

I'm ok with losing basketball but not sucky effort basketball. That was a really tough game to watch, mostly in the first half.

Sorry, I'm just not buying into the "sucky effort" theory.  And I've seen that bantered about several times today.  If that's what's preventing us from winning more games (oh, yes, that and "poor coaching"), then all the players have to do is try harder and things will magically fall into place, right?  Personally, I find this a little insulting to the players who play, practice and compete year-round. 

 

What we have is a young, lower-division talented B10 team that desperately needs an incremental upgrade with each roster back-fill.  That falls on the coaching staff.  I have no idea if we will be a better team when Isaiah and Jeriah back-fill Shavon and Benny.  I do know that fans have a tendency to over-hype future recruits, only to be disappointed when they arrive on campus.

I love this staff, but I really worry they aren't going to get the roster upgraded enough before time runs out on them.

[khoock]

I don't think they've physically hit a wall as these players are used to playing a plethora of ballgames, but mentally that's a different story.... ufftdah.

That is true but they aren't used to playing against this type of talent. Now every single player on the court is a D1 talent compared to a handful in high school or AAU ball. And in the Big Ten it only intensifies as they play against some of the best teams and players in the country night in and night out.

[khoock]

Sometimes wall-hitting happens when you've taken a pre-season, overseas trip like we did.

These guys have been practicing since either late July or early August, about 2 months before practices would normally start.

They played 4 games in Spain. And even though there were no games in between August and November, that's still an especially long college season.

It's possible they've hit a wall. It's entirely possible.

Agreed. I, along with many others, keep forgetting about the extra practices and trips.

[Norm Peterson]

 

I'm ok with losing basketball but not sucky effort basketball. That was a really tough game to watch, mostly in the first half.

Sorry, I'm just not buying into the "sucky effort" theory.  And I've seen that bantered about several times today.  If that's what's preventing us from winning more games (oh, yes, that and "poor coaching"), then all the players have to do is try harder and things will magically fall into place, right?  Personally, I find this a little insulting to the players who play, practice and compete year-round. 

 

What we have is a young, lower-division talented B10 team that desperately needs an incremental upgrade with each roster back-fill.  That falls on the coaching staff.  I have no idea if we will be a better team when Isaiah and Jeriah back-fill Shavon and Benny.  I do know that fans have a tendency to over-hype future recruits, only to be disappointed when they arrive on campus.

I love this staff, but I really worry they aren't going to get the roster upgraded enough before time runs out on them.

 

I'm not disappointed with our recruits for this year.  They were every bit as good as I hoped they'd be. 

 

The problem was that none of them was a center.

 

Glynn Watson was as good as I expected.  Jack McVeigh was better.  Michael Jacobson was far, far better than I expected.  Ed Morrow as maybe not quite as impactful as I had hoped.  Bakari Evelyn was just about exactly what I anticipated he would be.

 

Andrew Whtie, actually, was better.  His career shooting percentage was much lowever than what he shot this year.  If we'd gone by what he actually did while on the floor at KU, I don't think we could have expected he'd be as good a shooter as he turned out being.  And his rebounding and defense were much, much better than I think anyone had any reason to expect.

 

So, I'm satisfied with the recruits themselves.

 

What we can't be satisfied with is the distribution of recruits.

 

In this year's recruiting class and next year's recruiting class, we have 6 out of 9 guys (including transfers) in the 6'6" to 6'8"  category.  We don't have a soul in the 6'10" category in either of those classes.  That's a problem.  Particularly when that's been a common refrain over the last SEVERAL years.

 

We're stockpiling 3s and 4s, but we're not landing 5s or 2s, really.  We need another solid PG and we need a really good 2 as well as a legit 5.  Otherwise, our roster is KILLER.

[Cazzie22]

A reliable shooter would be nice to have for this team.  There were some open shots today that needed to be knocked down to get the team back in the game.  I'm discouraged for the future.  A performance like today will probably get them beat by Rutgers.  

 

Even with the number of returning players, I don't see us keeping pace in the B1G.  

[HuskerCager]

 

Glynn Watson was as good as I expected.  Jack McVeigh was better.  Michael Jacobson was far, far better than I expected.  Ed Morrow as maybe not quite as impactful as I had hoped.  Bakari Evelyn was just about exactly what I anticipated he would be.

 

Andrew Whtie, actually, was better.  His career shooting percentage was much lowever than what he shot this year.  If we'd gone by what he actually did while on the floor at KU, I don't think we could have expected he'd be as good a shooter as he turned out being.  And his rebounding and defense were much, much better than I think anyone had any reason to expect.

Maybe the way to look at it is this - how would the players above work into the roster of one of this year's upper-division teams?  That would vary, of course, by team, but in general as I see it:

- White - he's there.  He would be playing and contributing to anyone of the Big10's best.  Starting on some, 6th/7th man on others.

- Watson and Morrow - spot time on some of these teams now - maybe working into a starting role on some teams by their Jr/Sr year.  Watson more likely to do that than Morrow.

- Jacobson and McVeigh - could become serviceable 10-15 mpg role players somewhere down the road for some upper D teams like Michigan or Wisconsin, but not definitely not there today.

- Evelyn - doubtful he would ever play meaningful minutes on any of those teams ever.

I think Watson, Morrow, Jacobson and McVeigh can help us crawl closer to #6, 7 or 8 in the conference, but they are going to need help from people we don't have on the roster today.  And I'm beginning to worry that people are expecting too much of Roby.  Honestly, do you think he'll be as good or better than Shavon?  I don't think you and I differ much on opinions here, Norm.

Keep recruiting, Tim.

[Norm Peterson]

Experience matters. I expect Roby to be in the rotation but I'm not expecting him to start. He'd probably start on the team Miles had his first season, though, just like Shavon.

[jimmykc]

This is an illustration of why I never advocated starting freshmen over veterans. The year tends to wear out guys both physically and mentally. Now, if Miles can only get them to buy in about having a fresh start now, we may be ok. That and wearing some duct tape across his mouth.

[khoock]

Glynn Watson was as good as I expected. Jack McVeigh was better. Michael Jacobson was far, far better than I expected. Ed Morrow as maybe not quite as impactful as I had hoped. Bakari Evelyn was just about exactly what I anticipated he would be.

Andrew Whtie, actually, was better. His career shooting percentage was much lowever than what he shot this year. If we'd gone by what he actually did while on the floor at KU, I don't think we could have expected he'd be as good a shooter as he turned out being. And his rebounding and defense were much, much better than I think anyone had any reason to expect.

Maybe the way to look at it is this - how would the players above work into the roster of one of this year's upper-division teams? That would vary, of course, by team, but in general as I see it:

- White - he's there. He would be playing and contributing to anyone of the Big10's best. Starting on some, 6th/7th man on others.

- Watson and Morrow - spot time on some of these teams now - maybe working into a starting role on some teams by their Jr/Sr year. Watson more likely to do that than Morrow.

- Jacobson and McVeigh - could become serviceable 10-15 mpg role players somewhere down the road for some upper D teams like Michigan or Wisconsin, but not definitely not there today.

- Evelyn - doubtful he would ever play meaningful minutes on any of those teams ever.

I think Watson, Morrow, Jacobson and McVeigh can help us crawl closer to #6, 7 or 8 in the conference, but they are going to need help from people we don't have on the roster today. And I'm beginning to worry that people are expecting too much of Roby. Honestly, do you think he'll be as good or better than Shavon? I don't think you and I differ much on opinions here, Norm.

Keep recruiting, Tim.

I agree with pretty much everything you said. I do think that Morrow would get a little more playing time than you do however. With a top tier Big Ten team he would probably get to play the 4 which i still can't wait to see him at. But aside from layups, putbacks, and dunks he hasn't shown much offensive game so then again you might be right.

Totally agree with your assessment on the freshmen. They are a solid group and will be great to build on. I think some ppl were expecting too much from them too early.

I am really high on Roby though. Obviously he won't replace senior Shavon but I think he will be better than freshman Shavon. But we will really find out how good he is bc White and McVeigh will get the majority of the 3 minutes and if we get a true big Morrow and Jacobson will take minutes at the four. So there should be alot of good competition for playing time and if Roby gets it he will have definitely earned it.

[hhcmatt]

I know Watson had the flu.

 

Huskers have been awful to close out the past two seasons

 

2014-2015: Lost final 8 regular season games

2015-2016: Lost final 5 regular season games

 

Nebraska is a combined 3-16 in the past two February's/March's

 

Is it conditioning?

 

Two different things IMO.

 

Last year our best player's mother was dying to the point TP was lashing out on the court at the end of a train wreck of a season.

This year we have Shavon literally knocked out and White questionable to shoot for the last 4 games. Are we beating Ohio St and/or Penn State and hugging it out if one of those things doesn't happen at the end?

[nustudent]

Might be sacreligious to say this...but I find it interesting that when Shavon came back and Benny moved back to the starting point (with Webster at the two) is when you saw the downturn at the end of the year.

 

I know we were just 1-3 without Shavon...but were a missed call on Watson's final heave from being 2-2.   And the two losses (@Wisconsin, @Indiana) we seemed, at the very least, more competitive and energized than we did against Purdue and Northwestern.

 

I think the change in the roster ruined some mojo.  Coupled with the fact that we were down and out of the NCAA by that time and it was hard to get some of it back.   Two big pieces, Watson and McVeigh, found their way back to the bench.

 

I appreciate both of their efforts, but I remain convinced, we will be better off next year.  

[AuroranHusker]

It's more mental than physical at this point in the season with these younger players, it seems.

[ShortDust]

Might be sacreligious to say this...but I find it interesting that when Shavon came back and Benny moved back to the starting point (with Webster at the two) is when you saw the downturn at the end of the year.

I know we were just 1-3 without Shavon...but were a missed call on Watson's final heave from being 2-2. And the two losses (@Wisconsin, @Indiana) we seemed, at the very least, more competitive and energized than we did against Purdue and Northwestern.

I think the change in the roster ruined some mojo. Coupled with the fact that we were down and out of the NCAA by that time and it was hard to get some of it back. Two big pieces, Watson and McVeigh, found their way back to the bench.

I appreciate both of their efforts, but I remain convinced, we will be better off next year.

I appreciate you coming back after the long time away. Love your honest insight.