uneblinstu's postgame chatter: vol 13; ed 8 - @ Wisconsin

Brad Davison walks into a bar...then the bar gets charged for an offensive foul.

Brad Davison walks into a bar...then six years later the bartender says "when are you going to leave?"

Welp, when Thor/Lat/Webster/Lakes go 1-14 from 3, we're done.

Throw in minus-6 at the FT line -- by our own doing -- and we really wasted a beautiful defensive effort.

Only 9 turnovers, which is nice after our recent struggles there, but steals are not really Wiscy's game.

Took Reuvers out of the game mostly, nice job there.

Teddy DQ-ing against this batch of floppers was the surest bet on the planet. 

This game does give me hope for more than 3 wins.  We D'd up pretty well.  If we can bring out that effort every game, eventually were going to have a few games where we actually make shots.  Really, the stats are pretty even outside of their 2 point shooting and free throw shooting.  They were 14 - 29 (48.3 %) from inside the arc.  We were 10 - 27 (37.0 %) inside the arc.  They were 15 - 15 (100 %) from the line.  We were 9 - 17 (52.9 %)  We got outrebounded by 9, but were even on the offensive boards.

Allen has to learn to stay out of foul trouble.  Hard to do against the biggest floppers in the history of basketball.  How they don't even get a flop warning is beyond me.

The game turned on the flop by Trice.  Wisconsin does the same thing on the other end and gets the bucket and the foul.  A 5 point swing.  

Aside from the obvious issues with shooting the basketball by everyone on the team, I need some more educated minds here to help me understand Allen’s value to this team. I’ve been on the fence all season and to be honest, I just can’t see it. 
 

Not trying to hammer the kid at all but I see very little athleticism (especially on defense) & his lack of emotional control on the court leads to foul trouble constantly. Then, when he is on the court, he presses for shots & disrupts any offensive flow.

I’m open to seeing this differently but I can’t get there without some other perspectives. 

We caught Wisconsin on a night that they shot poorly but still could not match them.  I see a limited team offensively.  Like the hard work early on defense but we cannot sustain that for 40 minutes.  Maybe Santa will be good to us and some shots will fall against Michigan. 

- Was proud of our effort tonight. I thought we were locked in for 40 minutes. 

- Yvan looked like he did towards the end of last year. We need this version of him from here on out.

- Lakes passed up two open in-rhythm 3's early in the game. He absolutely has to let those fly. Take the lid off the rim for us. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the first lineup with Lat off the bench. Get Lakes into a rhythm early. He out-rebounded Lat tonight. Lat is now shooting 27% from three and isn't giving us much else.

- We only turned the ball over 9 times against a great defensive team. Great improvement there.

- Free throws, man. 

- I actually thought our half-court offense was much improved tonight. For the most part, we ran our stuff and shared the ball. We had great looks throughout the game. They just didn't go in. If we make a few more of those wide open looks and a few more free throws, this game would've been very interesting. I didn't think they were far superior to us. They made a few more open looks and they made all their free throws, but I thought both teams were executing pretty well on both ends of the court.

- Trey played hard, as always. He's a bulldog.

- Banton is kinda quietly shooting 33% from three and 76% from the line. He should've had a lot more than 4 assists tonight.

- If we play with this effort and intensity every time out, we'll win some games this year.

1.  It’s hard to see progress with results like this.  I see some... some... but I will be honest that I expected a little more out of this year so far.  Laying flat, getting run off in the second half, not even being in it against good teams is frustrating.  We’re going to have to start playing better.  Period.  Or any “progress” this year won’t be much.

2.  Mentioned in the game thread, but I continue to be disappointed in the offense that Hoiberg was supposed to bring.  We look a lot closer to a Tim Miles/Doc Sadler time than something different.  We get open shots, yes... but we did in their offenses as well.  We don’t get a lot going to the hoop and we settle for some bad shots late in the shot clock.  We also pass it around the perimeter a lot.

3.  The Andre comment yesterday and subsequent playing time today didn’t make sense... at all.

4.  Credit Wisconsin.  They dictated who shot for us today.  Unfortunately, that meant Lakes and Kobe didn’t get any shots off.

5.  This is a disappointment in terms of final margin.  Games won’t get much easier in terms of other teams playing bad.  Fred said post game that “we’re close but we just gotta make shots” but unfortunately Wisconsin could have played a lot better too and still beat us by 15 or so.  They were prime for the taking tonight.

6.  Liked our defensive effort, but some of that was Wisconsin just missing shots.  When they started to hit, we were done.

7.  Biggest momentum shift in the game was the missed back to back bunnies by Banton and Yuv who were both widen open and uncontested.  That would have put us up 1 and instead they make a shot to go up 3.

Can’t help but to feel disappointed once again.  Tough one to swallow considering how Wisconsin played.

11 minutes ago, demone said:

Aside from the obvious issues with shooting the basketball by everyone on the team, I need some more educated minds here to help me understand Allen’s value to this team. I’ve been on the fence all season and to be honest, I just can’t see it. 
 

Not trying to hammer the kid at all but I see very little athleticism (especially on defense) & his lack of emotional control on the court leads to foul trouble constantly. Then, when he is on the court, he presses for shots & disrupts any offensive flow.

 

I’m open to seeing this differently but I can’t get there without some other perspectives. 

If Teddy could make his free throws you'd singing a much different tune.

1 minute ago, TomEadesSucks said:

 

If Teddy could make his free throws you'd singing a much different tune.

Possibly.

Just now, demone said:

Possibly.

I think we were all thinking that Teddy could be “the guy” but, the more I watch, I think Teddy needs “the guys” around him to suit his game.  At WVU, he had that.

Yvan and Dalano both seemed to play all right. Both missed bunnies at the rim, even on the same possession. That's tough to take... Nebraska had that quick, early lead but never built on it. And then NU couldn't make FTs while Wisc. made 'em all, as I recall. It wasn't in doubt after Trice did the floppity-flop on T.A. a la Brad "Nuts" Davison.

3 minutes ago, hskr4life said:

1.  It’s hard to see progress with results like this.  I see some... some... but I will be honest that I expected a little more out of this year so far.  Laying flat, getting run off in the second half, not even being in it against good teams is frustrating.  We’re going to have to start playing better.  Period.  Or any “progress” this year won’t be much.

 

2.  Mentioned in the game thread, but I continue to be disappointed in the offense that Hoiberg was supposed to bring.  We look a lot closer to a Tim Miles/Doc Sadler time than something different.  We get open shots, yes... but we did in their offenses as well.  We don’t get a lot going to the hoop and we settle for some bad shots late in the shot clock.  We also pass it around the perimeter a lot.

 

3.  The Andre comment yesterday and subsequent playing time today didn’t make sense... at all.

 

4.  Credit Wisconsin.  They dictated who shot for us today.  Unfortunately, that meant Lakes and Kobe didn’t get any shots off.

 

5.  This is a disappointment in terms of final margin.  Games won’t get much easier in terms of other teams playing bad.  Fred said post game that “we’re close but we just gotta make shots” but unfortunately Wisconsin could have played a lot better too and still beat us by 15 or so.  They were prime for the taking tonight.

 

6.  Liked our defensive effort, but some of that was Wisconsin just missing shots.  When they started to hit, we were done.

 

7.  Biggest momentum shift in the game was the missed back to back bunnies by Banton and Yuv who were both widen open and uncontested.  That would have put us up 1 and instead they make a shot to go up 3.

 

Can’t help but to feel disappointed once again.  Tough one to swallow considering how Wisconsin played.

Disagree on Hoiberg's offense. We did not regularly get open looks under Miles. We relied on Petteway/Palmer/Tai/etc to make plays, often at the end of the shot clock. Our assists per made field goal is astronomical under Hoiberg, compared to under Miles and Doc. You said it yourself - Banton and Yvan missed back to back uncontested bunnies. Thor and Lat also missed layups. We're getting open shots within the flow of the offense. If you want to blame Hoiberg for not getting guys who can knock down open shots, that's fine I guess. But we are getting those shots. 

14 minutes ago, demone said:

Aside from the obvious issues with shooting the basketball by everyone on the team, I need some more educated minds here to help me understand Allen’s value to this team. I’ve been on the fence all season and to be honest, I just can’t see it. 
 

Not trying to hammer the kid at all but I see very little athleticism (especially on defense) & his lack of emotional control on the court leads to foul trouble constantly. Then, when he is on the court, he presses for shots & disrupts any offensive flow.

 

I’m open to seeing this differently but I can’t get there without some other perspectives. 

I agree with this largely. He has some issues, but he can get a bucket probably like no one else on this roster can. Seems like he could stand to shed a few lbs. 

Lat’s stock will continue to fall if he can’t even hit 33% from 3. He was also getting murdered by Wisconsin down low. 
 

Yvan stepped up his game. Tough kid, despite his finishing. His experience against the B10 bigs last year should pay dividends. 
 

Not to beat a dead horse, but those Shamiel over Thor takes did not age well. 

This game came down to making shots. When the opponent starts 1 of 16 from the field you need to take advantage. Huskers didn't and we all knew Wisky would start making some. As for the ft's, I'm absolutely dumbfounded by poor percentage. 

BTW, I told some buddies in our group text that I would run half block of main street in my underwear here in Shickley if Huskers would make 2 in row. That came shortly after I said I run 1 block in same fashion if Lat made a 3. 

Stay tuned..

Two starters, Lat and Thor, are a combined 12 for 48 from beyond the arc since the first game. They were a combined 1-11 tonight and 1-18 over the last two games.

You just can't have that. That's a black hole in the middle of your starting lineup. At spots where this offense needs shooters.

Yvan started tonight and looked a lot better than he has previously, but he still has a deficit of offensive skills, which you saw on that missed point-blank putback attempt off the Dalano Banton miss.

Trey McGowens does a lot of good things but he's not a great shooter and, while he makes it to the line a lot, he's hitting less than 60% from the charity stripe.

Banton is a great facilitator and is generally good at slashing to the basket off the bounce. Tonight, he was good from beyond the arc, but he generally is no better than mediocre from deep.

And, while Teddy Allen leaves you scratching your head at some of the shots he makes, he also leaving you scratching your head at some of the shots he misses.

If anyone wonders why we suck, that's why. You have a starting lineup that averages about 30% from 3-point range in an offense that is oriented around the 3. And the most potent offensive weapon, Allen, has a game built for hero ball in an offense not built for hero ball.

Right now our three best team metrics, relative to the rest of the country, are:

Adjusted tempo (28th in the country)

3P rate (32nd)

Adj. defensive efficiency (57th)

We're also getting to the line at a decent rate (87th)

Our worst metrics are:

Effective FG% (219th)

2FG% (201st)

3FG% (208th)

FT% (268th)

All other metrics are middle of the pack or better. 

This team has a lot of potential defensively, with our overall length and versatility (and Doc's coaching).

We're in ok shape, and we'll keep getting better. Just have to make some damn shots.

Note: these numbers don't include the Doane game, which would've kept our FT% the same and bumped everything else up a bit. 

1 minute ago, millerhusker said:

Right now our three best team metrics, relative to the rest of the country, are:

Adjusted tempo (28th in the country)

3P rate (32nd)

Adj. defensive efficiency (57th)

We're also getting to the line at a decent rate (87th)

 

Our worst metrics are:

Effective FG% (219th)

2FG% (201st)

3FG% (208th)

FT% (268th)

 

All other metrics are middle of the pack or better. 

This team has a lot of potential defensively, with our overall length and versatility (and Doc's coaching).

We're in ok shape, and we'll keep getting better. Just have to make some damn shots.

 

Yep, see my post right above yours.

1 minute ago, millerhusker said:

Right now our three best team metrics, relative to the rest of the country, are:

Adjusted tempo (28th in the country)

3P rate (32nd)

Adj. defensive efficiency (57th)

We're also getting to the line at a decent rate (87th)

 

Our worst metrics are:

Effective FG% (219th)

2FG% (201st)

3FG% (208th)

FT% (268th)

 

All other metrics are middle of the pack or better. 

This team has a lot of potential defensively, with our overall length and versatility (and Doc's coaching).

We're in ok shape, and we'll keep getting better. Just have to make some damn shots.

 

Unfortunately, those numbers came against the easy part of our schedule. I expect our best metrics to take a significant hit now we're in conference play.

Honestly, we shot our best when we were not trying to have an offensive flow and just running and shooting.  Maybe we just run like a bat out of hell and see what happens.  We may lose some games by 20-30, but we shot our best percentages when we were taking contested, run and gun jumpers.  Start Banton, Lakes, McGowens, Teddy, and Eduardo and just run run run.

2 minutes ago, TomEadesSucks said:

 

Unfortunately, those numbers came against the easy part of our schedule. I expect our best metrics to take a significant hit now we're in conference play.

I expect our 3PT rate and tempo to stay up there. Our defensive metrics improved tonight, and we played on the road against a top ten team. I know what you're saying, though.

Good on defense, bad on offense, yada-yada-yada.  Same crap...sort of...sort of not.  I will not bash specific players, but those specific players need to pull their collective heads out of their asses and ball.  

Open looks have to be hit.  Free throws have to be made.  Good lord.

19 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

If anyone wonders why we suck, that's why. You have a starting lineup that averages about 30% from 3-point range in an offense that is oriented around the 3. And the most potent offensive weapon, Allen, has a game built for hero ball in an offense not built for hero ball.

Thanks Norm. This statement clarifies a lot for me and you are absolutely right.

Nebraska rankings vs. NCAA so far this season (out of ~328 teams):

FG%: #193 (43.65%)

FT%: #238 (66.08%)

3P%: #197 (32.51%)

Enough said.

-Lat is going through a rough shooting stretch. If his shot isn't falling, what does he offer?

-Dalano has shot with confidence most of the year. On contested shots at times too. I believe someone said he's up to 33% on the year. If so, that's impressive. 

-Andre not playing really was a question mark, but Yvan played extremely well. So that could've been why. I would've liked to see him instead of Lat at times at the 5, but I understand the logic a bit.

-Shamiel, well, has been rough. I do think Lakes jumped him in the rotation. 

-Speaking of him, he needs to shoot with confidence more often. Also, someone tell him to get rid of the headband please. 

-Teddy has been in foul trouble most of the games we've played in. Trice flopped like crazy on his 4th but it is something to note. 

Wisconsin plays great defense. They stayed in the game with great defense and limiting our looks. 

One thing to note, this is this teams second away game on the year. First out of state. I don't think that was mentioned at all. 

41 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

Two starters, Lat and Thor, are a combined 12 for 48 from beyond the arc since the first game. They were a combined 1-11 tonight and 1-18 over the last two games.

 

You just can't have that. That's a black hole in the middle of your starting lineup. At spots where this offense needs shooters.

 

Yvan started tonight and looked a lot better than he has previously, but he still has a deficit of offensive skills, which you saw on that missed point-blank putback attempt off the Dalano Banton miss.

 

Trey McGowens does a lot of good things but he's not a great shooter and, while he makes it to the line a lot, he's hitting less than 60% from the charity stripe.

 

Banton is a great facilitator and is generally good at slashing to the basket off the bounce. Tonight, he was good from beyond the arc, but he generally is no better than mediocre from deep.

 

And, while Teddy Allen leaves you scratching your head at some of the shots he makes, he also leaving you scratching your head at some of the shots he misses.

 

If anyone wonders why we suck, that's why. You have a starting lineup that averages about 30% from 3-point range in an offense that is oriented around the 3. And the most potent offensive weapon, Allen, has a game built for hero ball in an offense not built for hero ball.

Agreed on all points. 

Teddy's usage rate is higher than Luka Garza's is for Iowa. And he's obviously much less efficient than Garza. Nobody on Wisconsin's team has a usage rate anywhere near Teddy's. For an NBA comparison, his usage rate is greater than Damian Lillard's (a lead guard who had to carry his team) was last year for the Blazers. This isn't ideal for Hoiberg's offense.