unelinstu's postgame chatter: vol 15, ed 9: Creighton

35 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

Do you think that Fred understands that’s literally the only style we’ll be able to play to win this year? Like that wasn’t just a creighton thing?
 

I sure hope so

The style of this game doesn't seem much different from what we've done all year. Pound and ground.

Man that was a lot of fun. Spent the afternoon out with the family, and then when we stopped for an early dinner and I saw we were up late, I put my back to the TV so I wouldn't jinx it. Walker, Sam and Gary are freaking studs. If we can get our guards shooting warmed up we could really be dangerous. I do wonder what we are getting from breidenbach that we couldn't give some of his minutes to Dawson if it's not a good matchup for keita. He plays hard but he can't shoot or dribble and fouls too much. Hope he can figure it out, I know he is still working back from that injury.

1 hour ago, HuskerBB said:

Just got back from that game. Wasn't going to go this year but had somebody offer me a ticket a couple days ago so went with very low expectations. This team is easy to like - they play hard D and unlike the teams we have had the last few years they actually go after rebounds and block out.

 

It seemed like Creighton did not scout us at all (maybe they didn't because they are just coming off a really hard stretch in their schedule too). We have struggled with teams that pressure the ball - particularly full court. Creighton did not do that at all until it was too late. If teams put a small guard on Griesel and let him and Walker play a two man game we are going to give anyone trouble.

 

Creighton lives and dies by the 3 pt shot - and today they DIED by it!!!!

 

Go Big Reg !!

I thought the same thing. They didn't respect us enough to attack a glaring weakness and we made them pay in a way that Collier, Doc, and Miles couldn't do.

19 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

Do you guys realize we’re 9-4 in our last 13 games, with 3 top 25 road wins?

Yeah.  I don’t get why everyone was so worried before the season started!

(Kidding! Kind of….)

18 minutes ago, RedEyedFanatic said:

I do wonder what we are getting from breidenbach 

His three that he hit was huge and came at a much needed time.

 It is the first time in school history Nebraska has won three straight road games vs ranked opponents 

The win was the fifth time in school history Nebraska has knocked off a top-10 team on the road. Two of those 5 are under Fred Hoiberg. 
 

24 minutes ago, busticket said:

Yeah.  I don’t get why everyone was so worried before the season started!

 

(Kidding! Kind of….)

 

 

I'll eat some crow. Before this season I thought this team was going to be a dumster fire, on top of a tire fire, floating on the great pacific garbage patch. I was wrong.

This team is getting observably better each game. Tip of a cap to Hoiberg. Hes doing a hell of a job so far. We just might mess around and see some post season play this year. 

From UNL

*-The win was Nebraska’s third straight road win over a ranked team dating back to last season (at No. 22 Ohio State, at No. 10 Wisconsin). It is the first time Nebraska has won three straight road games vs. ranked teams.
*-The win was the fifth time in school history Nebraska has knocked off a top-10 team on the road, and second under Fred Hoiberg. Nebraska’s last win against a team ranked as high as No. 7 Creighton came at No. 7 Iowa State on Feb. 22, 1997
*-Derrick Walker led Nebraska with a career-high 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added eight rebounds. Walker’s previous career high was 20 last Sunday against Florida State. He has now been in double figures in six straight games dating back to last season,

*-Nebraska held Creighton to 30.8 percent shooting, the second-lowest shooting percentage by a Husker opponent under Hoiberg (Purdue, .304, 2019-20)
*-Sam Greisel posted his first double-double of the season and fourth of his career with 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
*-Nebraska’s win was its first at Creighton since the 2004 NIT and first regular-season win in Omaha against Creighton since 1995.
*-Nebraska out-rebounded Creighton 42-37, the fifth straight game NU has out-rebounded an opponent. Creighton entered the game with +7.6 rebounding margin
*-Nebraska held Creighton to a season-low 53 points. It was the Huskers’ best defensive effort against Creighton since 2008.

1 hour ago, basketballjones said:

Do you guys realize we’re 9-4 in our last 13 games, with 3 top 25 road wins?

If we go 9-4 over the next 13, we will be dusting off the bubble watch thread and debating seeding in the tournament.  I really hope we can speak that into existence!

19 minutes ago, cornfed24-7 said:

I'll eat some crow. Before this season I thought this team was going to be a dumster fire, on top of a tire fire, floating on the great pacific garbage patch. I was wrong.

This team is getting observably better each game. Tip of a cap to Hoiberg. Hes doing a hell of a job so far. We just might mess around and see some post season play this year. 

I'm with you - I did not think the return of Walker would make much difference. I was wrong on that one.

These guys are settling into their roles nicely as well. Very smart team & very coachable. We didn't see those forced early 3s much today. I counted a couple. (I may have been a little wound up and missed a couple others.  ) The guys seemed to stick to their offensive strengths incredibly well today.

Our defensive effort was simply on another level. Yes, the blue birds missed some open 3s, but we really had them flustered. Our guys had to move and communicate a ton to make that scramble style D work, committing to burn a lot of energy on that end, and they sold out to make it work.

Never in a million years did I see a game like this coming at any point this season against a highly ranked team. Not sure if Fred tweaked something major to get this buy-in from the guys, or if the addition by subtraction by removing a certain assistant who likes to speak on podcasts is the driving factor, but it's really working.

9 minutes ago, Huskerpapa said:

No disrespect whatsoever; but I do not understand the disdain for Wilhelm.  The dude is a    gamer who is only going to get better.  

As a whole, we are embracing the grinder attitude of this team.  Briedenbach is the ultimate grinder.  I guess I personally understand why the staff plays him and the team embraces him.  But everyone has their right to an opinion.  

He is young in his defense, but I think the frustrating part of his game is his decision making. He seems to make up his mind on what he is going to do before he catches the ball and it leads to ugly plays. He plays hard, that's a fact. Like all of us he will learn with time and hopefully stop with the fouls and the out of control dribbling. When he knows he is going to attack the basket when he catches it, whether its there or not, his ball handling makes Lat look like Curly Neal.

8 minutes ago, throwback said:

I'm with you - I did not think the return of Walker would make much difference. I was wrong on that one

Me neither. But it is obvious now that Walker is the straw that stirs this Husker drink.

3 minutes ago, Dean Smith said:

He is young in his defense, but I think the frustrating part of his game is his decision making. He seems to make up his mind on what he is going to do before he catches the ball and it leads to ugly plays. He plays hard, that's a fact. Like all of us he will learn with time and hopefully stop with the fouls and the out of control dribbling. When he knows he is going to attack the basket when he catches it, whether its there or not, his ball handling makes Lat look like Curly Neal.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. I have no clue why he ever puts it on the floor in the half court. And it's not like his rebounding is making up for the ball handling. So maybe let's give a couple of those minutes to the other young guys

What a great day of basketball in the State of Nebraska.

That is all

32 minutes ago, throwback said:

I'm with you - I did not think the return of Walker would make much difference. I was wrong on that one.

. .  .

Never in a million years did I see a game like this coming at any point this season against a highly ranked team. Not sure if Fred tweaked something major to get this buy-in from the guys, or if the addition by subtraction by removing a certain assistant who likes to speak on podcasts is the driving factor, but it's really working.

 

I think it may be some "addition by subtraction" but not from the coaching staff.   When your most talented player who has to be on the floor plays with very little effort when the ball is not in his hands - particularly disdaining any semblance of defense - then I think that lack of effort can be contagious.    I don't mean to be too hard on Bryce - but after attending the game today and watching it off my DVR right now I am struck by how this group - particularly Juwan Gary plays with very little flash but does the "effort" things like defense and rebounding very well.    Bryce was really fun to watch when showing off his talent but absolutely maddening to watch at other times.   Juwan Gary is not likely to ever be on an NBA floor - but he is fun to watch play all the time.   Walker and Sam were obviously key today - but we don't win this game without the effort Gary put in either. 

Of all the nights to get stuck and not able to post the chatter! Man, what a win! That was sweet! And a huge momentum game for Big Red. I'm going to enjoy this one for a long time! GBR!

I got a kick out of Fred's response in his presser when he was asked if he was trying to take some time off the clock when he had to remove DW from the game.  He sort of said that he was doing that much to his disdain.  Then he said something about how he told Wilhelm earlier that he would hit a big 3 pointer at some point, and then he did and he as really proud of him.

Fred sure seems much more at ease with this year's team.  I guess that is what happens when players play for each other instead of themselves.

Creighton got B1G balled today. It wasn't pretty but it was glorious!

Does anyone know the last time Nebraska has beaten 3 ranked teams in a row? 

5 hours ago, huskerbill85 said:

Does anyone know the last time Nebraska has beaten 3 ranked teams in a row? 

First time it's happened.  

6 hours ago, Faux Mike Peltz said:

Ok. I can’t understate how much this game means to me. I live in Omaha and work with dozens of bluejay alums. I hear crap from them year round. They decorate my office with Bluejay stuff and troll me every chance they can get. All day I hear Kaluma’s a lottery pick, Nembhard is gonna drop 30 on you, got a text right before tipoff “42-7 at the first tv timeout”

Back in 2014, I started a bet with the bluejay alums that the loser buys donuts. So, I did, every single year except 2018. I did not do the bet this year. Our company has grown so much this past year I’d be buying like 12 dozen donuts, and at close to 19$ a dozen, I didn’t really feel like it. Well, I’m buying red donuts tomorrow and bringing them in, courtesy of Fred Hoiberg and the guys who played their butts off.

And I’m not taking the high road. I’ll be trolling them all week, no mercy. 
Bluejay fans are the most unlikeable fans I know. 

 

I started trolling my boss on text during the game and was relentless until I went to bed last night!

8 hours ago, HuskerBB said:

 

I think it may be some "addition by subtraction" but not from the coaching staff.   When your most talented player who has to be on the floor plays with very little effort when the ball is not in his hands - particularly disdaining any semblance of defense - then I think that lack of effort can be contagious.    I don't mean to be too hard on Bryce - but after attending the game today and watching it off my DVR right now I am struck by how this group - particularly Juwan Gary plays with very little flash but does the "effort" things like defense and rebounding very well.    Bryce was really fun to watch when showing off his talent but absolutely maddening to watch at other times.   Juwan Gary is not likely to ever be on an NBA floor - but he is fun to watch play all the time.   Walker and Sam were obviously key today - but we don't win this game without the effort Gary put in either. 

 

 

It took addition by subtraction from the coaching staff to stop putting together bad rosters. I think you'd see a different Bryce on this team of responsible veterans.