11/27/2012 - At Wake Forest Report Card

great write up, dave. that was something. this game blew up a few actuarial tables. love it!

Almeida without a doubt was the player of the game. 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks in only 27 minutes. Had to step it up with Ubel in foul trouble. Gallegos was a non factor in the first half while Almeida was a major reason the Huskers had the lead.

Unbelievably awesome game. Gotta love it. People will see the ticker and say to me: damn, look what nebraska did to wake forest. And I will say to them: yeah dude, Nebraska is ridiculous at basketball.

I am happy to win the game ...etc. Color me THRILLED!...Yet, let me nit-pick/wonder at a "growing team" problem...

During the closeout potion of the game, we showed a team that isn't familiar with how to win.

This is not surprising...yet, the Huskers did not realize...as a team we were up by enough that we did not need to score.

We were taking quick shots with 15 to 20 seconds left on the shot clock!

During this game, it did not come back to bite us...but it could/will at some point if not addressed.

When a team is up by 20 or more with less than 5 minutes left...they need to realize...there is no need to score, but rather there is a need to make time disappear. Our quick shot selection of this evening could let some better teams back in the game.

This is a great problem to have. A growing/learning problem... that as a fan I have not seen in quite a while. Thanks, T.M. GATA GBR

Great write up!

But isn't Webster from New Zealand? In what sense is he from Europe?

New Zealand, mate!

I also thought Andre was player of the game.

Congrats on the big road win.

What is the most important to me is that they bounced back from a loss. Nebraska had some good momentum until the Kent State game. The guys could have given up, but they did not. Not only did Nebraska win, but they won decisively on the road.

There may be numerous minuses to the team, but they definitely play with heart and conviction.

I'd also vote for Almeida, especially for the 27 minutes he played. I really think he's going to be the key to whether this team is in the game or not, once we get to BIG play. I give Coach Miles credit for putting him on the bench against Kent, maybe that woke him up.

It was my first chance to watch Nebraska play last night. The fat guy was tremendous. He moved his feet really well on the defensive end and made it difficult for Wake to find any room near the basket in the half court. And offensively he displayed a beautiful touch around the rim.

Miles has dusted Bzdelik by double digits the last two times they met. The last was a 77-60 stomping of Colorado.

Agree with those that think Andre was player of game. Pretty easily in my view.

However, Nebraska did allow Wake to get to the rim a lot more in the second half, too, so maybe my analysis is more because I was having so much fun in the second half, that I didn't care.

I agree with this. Nebraska was so agressive in getting in their faces, it seemed like they gave them some easy lanes to the hoop. Also, I didn't think that they played transition defense very well at times. Wake was atrocious at finishing though. All in all, a very good win last night.

Fear the Beard.

I vote Almeida doesn't shave.

There may be numerous minuses to the team, but they definitely play with heart and conviction.

I'm with this. I don't think we could ever question the heart our guys played with under Sadler. I think you can question the conviction; or the know how. It's like everybody's basketball IQ has just 500 points.

Wow, I didn't think I'd be the only one who thought Ray was Player of the Game.

My view was, up to the point where he took the game over, we were still hanging on to 4-8 point leads, and once he got going, he single handedly carried us to a comfortable lead, based on his little scoring explosion in the second half.

I agree with the sentiment that Almeida played lights out, however. Maybe I should have done Co Players of the Game.

Wow, I didn't think I'd be the only one who thought Ray was Player of the Game.

My view was, up to the point where he took the game over, we were still hanging on to 4-8 point leads, and once he got going, he single handedly carried us to a comfortable lead, based on his little scoring explosion in the second half.

I agree with the sentiment that Almeida played lights out, however. Maybe I should have done Co Players of the Game.

I mean you can make an argument for either, because both played lights out.

Also does anyone else love this problem that we can't decide who is player of the game... hopefully this continues!

Per ESPN:

Breakout Performance of the Night – Andre Almeida

At 6-11, 314 pounds, it’s tough to imagine Almeida staying under the radar. After Tuesday’s performance, the Brazilian will be noticed for more than just his size.

Almeida finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in Nebraska’s 79-63 win at Wake Forest. The last Big Ten player with a 20-10 game in which he shot 90 percent from the field was Iowa’s Cyrus Tate in 2009. Before that it was Raymar Morgan and Greg Oden.

I'm saying either way. Both played very well. They just need to keep it up.

Put me in the torn between Rey and Andre camp for player of the game, or at least I was for most of the second half.

What tipped it in Andre's favor, for me at least, was the double-double. Well, that and the fact that I honestly believe Rey was just finally living up to his potential. That kind of performance should be the rule for him, not the exception. Andre, however, (and this is again JMO) played way over his expected abilities and was a very disruptive factor especially on defense last night. For that, I believe he should be rewarded with POTG honors.

Love the fact that when we got up, we kept puttin' the boots to 'em. Very encourging. This was across the board, best case scenario as far as production and minutes from our key players. Now lets win another one before the dreaded Bluebirds come to town.

This is a ball game if both guys don't have big nights, or if both just have 12 point nights, but I think the shots Ray hit were game changers

Ray also played great, great defense taking their stud completely out of his game...don't discount that effort. I also liked Andre on defense. He makes a difference on both ends of the court when he is motivated to play. I was kind of torked at his initial effort. But after his first rest, he came back and played the best game of his career at Nebraska.

It's tough when you put up a career high 20 pts and grab 11 boards and don't get player of the game because someone else put up a career high 20 points on 4 of 8 shooting from downtown in the crucial stretch that put the game away.

I think Ubel had a similar experience the other night when he went like 17 pts and 13 bds on the same night that Dylan Talley went off for 27. You have maybe the best game of your career but don't get player of the game because someone else went crazy on the court.

But it happens. I could see either pick being justified. They both had great games.

I think Peltz does a lot for the team that won't show up in the stats. He's not a scoring threat but he's the type of player that will set the screens, get loose balls and even rebound. Great win tempered by the fact that I'm not sure Wake is really very good.

I think Peltz does a lot for the team that won't show up in the stats. He's not a scoring threat but he's the type of player that will set the screens, get loose balls and even rebound. Great win tempered by the fact that I'm not sure Wake is really very good.

Agreed. Peltz really reminds me of a non-shooting version of Beranek. Not the typical "athlete" we think of, but his efforts are often behind-the-scenes and overlooked. We don't have a 5-star roster. We don't have a top offense or defense. We have hard-nosed guys on the roster and without them, our stars on the team would struggle by themselves.