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Meanwhile, I just stumbled across this little gem. It may just have been the tweet of the night:

Good news everyone! Last night's game didn't hurt us in the Pomeroy rankings! Hooray!!!

any whiteboards in the Nebraska locker room will soon meet their untimely demise

Here was BigP's post from last night: There is a guy that does this for Illinois on a different message board, so I thought I would do this so people who didn't watch the game could get some insight, and as a way for me to just voice my opinion. 1. Tai Webster was the Player of the Game. Sure, it was just an exhibition game, but he came out and absolutely showed improvement, and how much that summer with Terran helped him. When he had the ball, he wouldn't think about shooting, he would just shoot, and that is what makes shooters great, like Steph Curry in Golden State. 2. Terran was frustrated. After a few earlier misses to start the game, Terran clearly was starting to force some shots. Obviously a slow start will be frustrating for a great scorer, but if Terran can take the game one possession at a time, he will be just fine. 3. Where was Moses. Moses didn't play a whole lot, but the time he was in, he looked a little nervous out there. Even though he played 4 years at Georgetown, coming into a new situation must be tough, and I am sure he didn't want to feel like he was stepping on anybody's toes. 4. Benny being Benny. This game was just another example that benny Parker will be able to guard any of the top PG's in the country. Point Guard's look very flustered when he puts the pressure on, and that defense will be huge when the Huskers begin Big Ten play. 5. Walt P for....0? Walter only took a few shots, but the ones he did take, they couldn't find the bottom of the net. I really would've liked to see Walt show off some of his new post moves against a smaller front line. 6. Shavon consistent as usual. What an excellent performance by an excellent player. Shavon is not afraid to attack, and attack even when he has missed a few shots. He isn't an above the rim type player, but he knows which holes to hit which allows him to get to the basket effectively. I would expect his PPG average to rise this season with more teams focusing on Terran. 7. Fouls. Husker defense really needs to focus in on not putting two hands on the ball handler when at the top of the key. Obviously a hard rule to adjust to, but one that must be adjusted to. Way to many on the ball fouls. 8. Composure. After scoring about 5 points in the first 10 minutes, I never sensed a nervousness by the Huskers. They did commit some fouls and turn the ball over, but the shot selection was good, and unfortunately they just weren't going down. The two dunks by Terran were clearly a momentum boost.

Really? Please. Tell that guy he can kiss my fat white ass.

a0t0w0's first in game thread post game analysis- 1) First half was embarrassing. I totes did not like it 2) Second half was better. I think. I spaced off for a large section. 3) Tai has a better shot 4) Shavon shouldn't let other guys land on his knee 5) Terran still loves to try for the dagger shot...even if it's 7 minutes into the first half and we're down by 10 6) Where was Walt? 7) I called Smith John Wall. tehehe. I have no real knowledge of the game of basketball. Nut feeling says he'll play some. 8) Jury is out on Fuller 9) Hammond SERIOUSLY looks like JBD with most camera angles 10) How many turnovers can we have in a first half? I would hope it can't get worse than this game 11) Hapster did HORRIBLE on the play by play. I'm sorry, but it's true. Snow did pretty well on the color except he called shavon "Shaveels" at one point, which I kind of liked in a weird way Parting notes- It's SMSU. It shouldn't have been a tight game at any point.

It's ridiculous how much Hammond and Jorge Brian Diaz look a like in a grainy feed

Tarin is John Wall Just saying.

Pavelka and Davison have officially given up on calling this game.

He went all Grant Gibbs on 'em. No? Ok.

Keep Benny in, he seems to bring the energy that is needed.

Not terrible to have a half like this. All summer they have been reading how great they are. This will teach them they need to show with energy every game.

I'm not even worried. If anything it will be a wake up call for all the press clippings they may have read that they haven't achieved anything yet.

anybody else ready for some NyQuil shots?

Doc is gonna be pissed. No, wait. Whew. I think I just had a bad flashback. Sorry.

Norm, I think you are reading too much negativity into my post. In many ways, I see my perspective as just the opposite in many ways. For instance, the reason I think we may have concerns about TP's shot selection is because I have so much confidence in other players like Shavon, Walt, and even others like Tai. I think we have at least a 3-headed monster. I am very high on ALL THREE (with Tai possibly being the small 4th head). That is why I want to see a slightly more balanced offense. UNLIKE those past years under Doc and Collier, we now have multiple talented players. I am not down on this team or the starter at all. I do have some concern about our bench. Even Miles has said that we have "6" and then the rest if up in the air. I agree. Last year, I think we had a solid 8 at the beginning of the year b/c we had Gallegos and Leslee (we also had Biggs, but that took a turn in a different direction). I do think Moses will get minutes b/c he must and he will at least be a body that can bang. I just hope he doesn't foul b/c fouls hurt us last year and we don't need to repeat that. Anyway, I am VERY high on that Shields kid and that Walt kid. And I have always (even at the beginning of last year) been high on Tai's potential--Let's just hope he has the confidence and shooting touch to achieve it. I actually like Tai starting b/c I like his height at the PG position. It opens up a lot of opportunities on the defensive end to switch and do other team defense strategies. No doubt, Benny is a better on-ball (one-on-one) defender, but Tai brings his own strengths and I actually thought he was becoming a decent defender by the end of last year. In years past, I believe I had ample reason to be pessimistic, I am not going there this year or in this post. I am just raising questions that I think may determine whether this team is really good or elite. The conference is loaded again this year. Every team feels it is better than last year. Every team has new guys coming in that they are counting on to do big things. Many of those teams have 4 and 5 star recruits and McDonals All-Americans. NU will have to be on the top of its game to finish in the top third of the league this year. These are some areas I think will be important for our success.

Really? Please. Tell that guy he can kiss my fat white ass.That guy, hell there were probably 30 of them wearing that shirt. How do we expunge the bank of these twits? Nebraskans for Nebraska....and UNO...and UNK...and Weslyan..and Doane..and hell even Josephs College of Hair Design...just not Creighton.

One concern I have is that they don't play with nearly the same energy as they do when Parker is on the floor. I'd be tempted to start him just for that reason. If they can start the game with that energy, I think it could help against slow starts.

We had over 10k show up for the exhibition this year. Last year it was 7.8k. Two years ago it was 6.6k

Sorry for the confusion last night, guys. Never fear, they'll return for the start of the regular season.

We were down at 13 at one point and ended winning by 22. First half was bad. Second half much better. Defense is what's going to win ballgames for us and in the first half we were lethargic and uninterested. On the other hand SMSU was treating the game as if it was for the NCAA tourney. I think Rivers is going to be huge for us this year. His mid range jumper is a thing of beauty. Great to see Tai make some shots. But more importantly his form is much better. Shavon scored 29 and was our main offensive threat but he could have easily scored 40 if he finished better. But it's the first game. Terran was brutal....but I don't expect to see that very often. Would have liked to see Walt get involved more but his teammates also missed him on multiple open shots. Benny was Benny creating havoc with his defense. Was nice to see more confidence on offense from him but he needs realize dribbling into 5 guys on a fast break won't usually work for him. Depth will be an issue all year imo. Hopefully this team can stay out of foul trouble.

It finally made sense to merge this cluster into one thread.

I don't understand why we delete something because it's similar in format to what another poster typically does. This is a message board about a basketball team. Post game takeaways or an analysis isn't something super unique. It's what 90% of the discussion is about after a game. I understand the thought of trying to keep it in one place for organization and being able to find things. I also understand that certain posters have traditionally done certain things and it's kinda their thing and it's what the long time members have come to expect. But deleting BigP's takeaways from the game is a little concerning. BigP hasn't posted often, but has provided some good insight when he has. As the season goes along, and more newcomers arrive, the longtime posters are going to have to get past the fact that something gets posted 'in the wrong place' or that a new poster 'steps on the toes' of a poster-starting a thread that they typically start. In the future I just hope somebody's thoughts don't get deleted but only funneled to the 'appropriate' spot.

I think he reposted it over on Rivals, so it's not gone forever, but, when you have two threads on one topic, just let the mods merge. That's what happens when we have two threads on one topic. Just merge them. Don't have to delete one of them.

I have read the board. I have listened to the interviews. I went to the scrimmage. Now it is time for the games to begin. Excited about the season, this is what we have all been waiting for. Nebraska in the top 25. A team in the national picture. A program on the rise. I am doing my best to sit back and enjoy the ride. But I can't help but have a few questions and thoughts as this new season begins: 1. Is this year's "bench" better than last years? - 2. Will they maintain that "eye of the tiger" and relentless defensive effort and attitude that got them to the tournament last year when they were the underdogs fighting to reach the top? 3. (And I know this one will be very controversial, but) "will some of us be concerned at various points throughout this season that Petteway is still taking too many ill-advised shots?" My initial thoughts: 1. I keep debating this one in my mind. If Leslee were healthy and playing, there would be no doubt that this year's bench is superior to last year. But without Leslee, I am not so sure and will probably have to wait and see before I can truly believe it. Although Gallegos continued to struggle shooting last year, he was a 5th year senior who knew the league, how to play tough defense, and how to play smart and aggressive. Gallegos started 18 games and played an average of 28 minutes per game. That was 3rd on the entire team for total minutes played. Regarding Leslee, I have mentioned this in another thread, but even though he only played 16.8 minutes per game, his "per 40 minutes" averages for points and rebounds far exceed the production of Moses last year. Losing Leslee is a blow and I don't think Moses is going to replace his leadership or production (although I do hold out a slimmer of hope that he can pull off the miracle and return in January). This means that the combination of Smith and Fuller have to make up for the loss of Gallegos and the drop-off from Leslee to Moses. I don't know yet, will have to wait and see. 2. This team was very poor on defense early last year. To make things worse, they fouled like crazy and put opponents to the line at an alarming rate. Fortunately, after 5 or so games into conference play (when it was absolute do or die time), something clicked and they cranked up the intensity and effort and communication on defense. Can they duplicate that level of intensity right out of the gate this year? I am sure Benny can, but what about the team as a whole? And the freshman, will they "get it" at all this year, let alone early on in the season? These are questions that remain to be seen. 3. And last, I know some on here will think I am somehow bashing or putting down Terran for even asking that question. I assure you I am not. There is no doubt that it was Terran who took the team on his back last year and carried it through much of that winning streak that catapulted NU to the tourney. However, just b/c Terran did and can do great things does not mean he is infallible. And there is no doubt in my mind that Terran and his poor shot selection played at least some part in NU's early struggles last year. As I said above, I have listened to all the interviews of the coaches and players throughout the summer an this preseason. And I have heard on multiple occasions from the coaches and players (and I particularly recall Coach Harriman say it at least twice) that on a good number of days in practice, Shavon Shields is the best player on the floor. Remember, Shavon came out like gang-busters last year, But then he tweaked his knee and he was not the same player until late in the season when he finally fully recovered. It was during the time that Shavon was hurting that Terran carried the team. But by all accounts Shavon is fully healthy now. And by all accounts he is stronger and playing better than ever. So do we still need Terran to be superman and take 15+ shots a game? Or do we need him to be more selective and take what the offense gives him and not force. it. Even last year, when Shavon was not healthy much of the year, Shavon shot 44.3% FG. Terran shot 42.6%. Beyond that, last year Pitchford shot 47.3% FG and a remarkable 41% on 3-Point shots. By all accounts, Walt is shooting the ball better than ever. Both Shavon and Walt were more efficient scorers last year, and they should be much improved this year. Now, I fully understand that Terran had to take a lot of very difficult shots b/c he was the "go to" guy late in the clock. I get that. But Terran also hucked up A LOT of quick 25 ft bombs with 30 seconds left on the clock. Or an off-balance fade away shot that wasn't necessary. And so forth. When Terran drives, he has one thing on his mind--trying to put the ball in the basket. But are there times he should look to the corner for an open 3 for Walt? Or to the elbow for an open pass to Shavon? Terran can get tunnel vision sometimes and we need him to remain team focused for all 40 minutes every game. And again, I do not thing Terran is selfish or anything like that, I just think he is so competitive that he gets in a combat mode and sometimes fails to stay the course with the offense and the system that has been implemented for the best team success

Ummm, Tarrin Smith is much better than Benny as a frosh. His jumper isn't the best but his ability to get to rack and finish above people is huge. Also, when he is in the half court he is a true pg. It's fun to watch him operate. We will miss Leslee, a lot. Need him back. Fuller is what I expected. Not sure how much he plays if we aren't playing zone. Tai looked fantastic. Shavon is Shavon. Terran will be fine, is and will be a volume scorer. These guys need to run, in the half court they look confused. I think a Fuller is a guy who can really help them on offense in half court, but he is such a liability on D. Hammond isn't there and needed a redshirt. His ranking is solely based on potential. I like the pieces we have. We have some interesting line ups to throw at people. We are really about 7-8 deep. Possibly 9 with Leslee. Next year we get an influx to continue to build that depth.

Thanks for the stats...I was looking for this and could not find it anywhere!

OK, this is a segment of an actual dream that I had last night. I'm leaving out some of the stuff that had to do with co-workers and weirdness at work and the part where, for some reason, I was driving all around northern South Dakota at night (can't explain that one at all), to just cut to the part that has me chuckling still this morning: OK, so I'm at someone's house. Kind of a small gathering of people are there and it reminds me of a sort of old farmhouse with a cramped kitchen that has a round kitchen table in the corner and, on the far side of this small table is none other than Darin Erstad. And Erstad reaches out his hand to shake mine and I realize I'm being introduced to him by none other than Tim Miles. So, standing immediately to Erstad's left and to my immediate right is Bo Pelini. (No, this is not a joke. This is a part of my dream from last night.) And Bo is all cool and nods his head to acknowledge me and Erstad is all kind of happy, nice to meet me kind of thing, and it seems like it's just the four of us. And I'm like, wow, what am I doing here with these guys? So apparently I must be all familiar with them, right? So, there's something on my phone that I decide I want to show to Miles, but, when I flip on my phone, somehow someone has changed the background on my phone to a picture of Tim Miles. And he sees it and he's like, "Is that me?" And I'm frantically trying to get it to display whatever it was I wanted to show him, not wanting him to see his picture as the background on my phone and he's all like, "You have a picture of me set as the background on your phone?" And I'm trying to explain that, no, someone must have changed the background on me, and I look around and Bo and Erstad are just looking at me kind of like, dude, WTF? And Miles kind of edges away from me and says "that's really creeping me out to be honest with you." And the next thing I know, it's like dark and I'm driving somewhere in northern South Dakota looking for a sign for Aberdeen ... Anyway, that was my dream last night. Or part of it, anyway. I don't usually remember my dreams but this one just had me chuckling.

I should also mention that Benny and Rivers both appear to have shored up their offensive games in the off-season. Rivers confidently stroked a few shots. That's going to be a big help as the season wears on. Very big deal if he can reliably hit those 15-18 footers. David, listen to me. I always knew you had it in you. Good job, man, and keep it up.

Thanks, Dimes. You were waiting for someone to put the uneblinstu thread up so you could run with your box score. Tradition.

83-61. It's over.

83-61 final

You sure it's not just the NyQuil typing?

Does he pout and not hustle down the floor like Diaz too?

The #1 pick in the draft after his freshman season?

Live stats at Huskers.com suck Just saying.

I am not being hyperbolic, shields is our most important player.

He should be. I mean, he's seriously bald.

Thanks! I was heavily medicated and looking for a good comedy to watch. Glad I watched the first half of this game

FTFY

Looks like Pepperoni is going to win the Val's frisbee challenge. So there's that.

Terran and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Half. Hopefully there's no sequel planned.

Please don't make me fist my couch... This is ugly 6-3 SMSU

Between the white lines

Norm, we call this phenomena the "Peterson/diehard spectrum". I tend to fall somewhere on the diehard side of center on this metric, I would imagine most of the rest of us are somewhere in that region, too.

The only problem with that is only the students are the ones on break. the other 95% of the crowd will be there regardless of when the game is being played. Thats why this will not change. You don't make a change to affect the small minority. You don't think people other than students leave town on the holidays? The Indiana game on New Year's Eve terrifies me. Fans of big-time programs make their plans around games; they don't attend games based on their plans. Nebraska football is this way. Nebraska basketball should, too. We're still talking about the same fanbase that was playing at the Devaney Center 3 years ago, right? Yes, things are better now, but this fanbase is still in infant form.

Okay, I'm done being crabby now. Good job Huskers, coming out after halftime and playing like we expect you to and getting the win comfortably. Positives for me to take away from this one: -Shields. Just like always, he's rock solid. -Tai. Came back with some mojo, good start to the season and now let's build on this -Tarin. Can't say too much without seeing him play but from what I hear on the radio, he's already proving he'll be a contributor this year -Benny. Benny's gonna Benny. And that's a good thing.

Cole Martin is a bitch