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Fred did an excellent job managing our rotation this game. It’s almost like he has figured out who our reliable players are. Lawrence really has taken a big step forward. Sam Hoiberg is such a breath of fresh air…the kid is a very smart player. Walker is still struggling a bit but we need the big guy. I thought Fred did an excellent job of minimizing the negative plays when Wilcher and Breidenbach were in. As soon as the bad plays started happening the core guys came back in. Really one of the best jobs managing the game that Fred had done here.

That's what happens when you carry the team

Yeah, that's spot on but I have seen enough of Gary, Tominaga and Lawrence to know they can compete in the BIG and be building blocks for the future. Plus, Tominaga continues to get better and who would have thought a year ago he would be so crafty and one of our best finishes around the rim? I suspect Lawrence continues to get better as well. Gary is a dude and health willing, he will help. As for Q, Lloyd and potential transfers, most of us wouldn't be Nebraska basketball fans if we weren't irrationally optimistic!

Props to the ref crew for not injecting themselves into this game. The whole thing only took 1:44.

Yes...I will echo the fact that Fred and company coached a mighty fine game.

if you had Keisi and Lawrence as the only players in double figures and we win by 9, please let me know the Powerball numbers tomorrow.

Highway 75, Kansas side of the border

Interesting comments from Rapheal Davis after the game. (I did text to speech) “This is the day that made me realize why they call him the Japanese Steph Curry because it goes beyond His shooting ability from the logo - he’s gonna make shots all over the floor but his ability to move without the basketball is big time, his game play is better live - guys not really seeing him, the cuts-he found ways to affect the game outside of the three-trying to get him looks and to 30 points in this game. And I don’t think Penn State respected him. I’ve been in this league, Ive played against guys in this league. And Tominaga doesn’t pass the look test for some guys and they treated him like a scrub and he made them pay every single play down the court”

What a nice walk to PBA today. Sun was shining, temps feeling like close to 60 degrees. Reminded me of a March Sunday back in 2014 against Wisconsin. Much different stakes and scenario, of course. This was a very fun game to be at. Entertaining, good basketball. Coach Rhule was there. Followed Tominaga on Twitter during the game. My funniest moment, one I can’t believe happened. During a gear grab, a t shirt is launched and smokes a lady who wasn’t paying attention in the face. That was kind of funny. Gal next to her was concerned and tending to her, when all of a sudden, the gal next to her who was providing “care” gets smoked by another t-shirt. She immediately stands up and yells down towards the court. Grabs her friend (the original one who got smoked) and they head out of there, to complain. Sadly, after that, all t shirt gear grabs were just gals throwing them 8 rows up in the 100 section. Will always remember this.

If Fred truly loved the fans, he would've allowed Lundy to get one more trey to erase the previous record holders.

Very good point - have to believe the coaches used the extra couple of days between games to really dive into which rotations were hurting us. They minimized the number of minutes we had bad defensive groups out there together. Granted, it's also easier to do that when we don't have foul trouble. Loved the urgency and pace we played with today on offense - probably another coaching tweak. Rather than burning shot clock with the weave up top that had little purpose, we were cutting and screening with urgency today early in the shot clock, especially the first 10 minutes. Not surprising we couldn't keep up that pace, but that early offensive burst basically won the game. Ultimately, even as good as Keisei and Lawrence were offensively, we won that game on D. Looked far more like what we did defensively with Gary & Bandoumel available earlier in the year. PSU did miss some open 3s, but we have to have that kind of help in most conference games. Only allowed 8 second chance points, 0 fast break points by limiting the live ball turnovers, and kept PSU off the FT line. That's a good recipe for this team, along with the extra offensive urgency. I'm sure PSU took us pretty lightly, but we still had to go out and take advantage of that. Feels good to win in February - haven't done that very much the past few years.

Sorry to those who don't want to revisit this. Feel free to skip this thread if that's the case. For all his faults, and he had plenty, one of them that was somewhat concealed was his bad recruiting. And it isn't that he brought in terrible players. No, in fact some of the players he brought in were very good. The problem was hidden kinda until this year. And now that we have a non-Matt recruit running the point, we can clearly see what this offense was supposed to look like. The *problem* was that the good players Matt was bringing in were players who were terribly ill-suited to this offensive scheme. For this system to be successful, the ball has to keep moving from player to player. It has to move from side to side. Players have to move well without the ball. We're getting that this year. In a thread last year, though, I catalogued some of the possessions that began and ended with the ball basically in one or two player's hands. Two years ago, Teddy Allen was a gifted scorer, but everyone here knows we criticized his "hero ball" approach the whole season when he was here. He could not or would not adapt his game to Hoiberg's system. And when he was basically demoted, he quit. And blame Fred too for failing to hold players accountable. Verge and Bryce should have taken a seat on the bench in game 1 last year when they decided the game was about how many shots they each were going to take. Now, my understanding is that Matt sheltered them and protected them from some of those consequences, and therefore blame Fred for not parting ways with Matt sooner. We might very well have less overall talent now than we did in any other season under Fred. But we're having the best season we've had and it's because of the buy-in and players who are willing to subordinate themselves to the greater success of the team. And for the first time in his coaching tenure at Nebraska, you're getting a sense of what this thing is supposed to look like. And I gotta be honest: I like what I see. This style of basketball is pleasing to watch. If Fred is given more time (not advocating one way or the other in this thread, just saying if it happens) I hope he's successful in finding some pieces in the portal that will complement what we have returning and upgrade our overall talent. Because I can see some potential for success with this.

for reference purposes:

Death by 1000 back cuts

I think it has more to do with chemistry, roles, and priorities than development. KC was B10 Honorable Mention and all Defensive Team her Jr and Sr years and made it to WNBA camp.....that's not bad, especially with the COVID year being against only B10 teams with no (2 actually) cupcakes too pad the numbers. If you just take the numbers approach, Hannah Whitish peaked as sophomore , dropped off some as a junior, and dropped off even more as a senior. Is that due to lack of development or other things, like who is taking all the shots (LB)? This was supposed to be about, and is about, congratulating Alexis who is a heck of player having a very strong year. Her game is improving whether the numbers say it or not.

KT is one of the more fun players we’ve had the opportunity to watch in some time. His shooting + funny antics really make him a hoot. Love the guy. Can’t believe people wanted him gone. He has completely taken on the role many thought CJ would play this year. Both shooting and cuts to the hoop. Today is what I think a lot of people had in mind when talking about taking advantage of our opportunities down the stretch. There’s some wins out there to be had. Remember all the games we started off slowwww and wondered “what if” later? Imagine had we did what we did to start today in those games. Sam H could be a sneaky good role player in a year or two. One to watch for sure. Today doesn’t do much for me in terms of how I’m feeling about the season or how Fred’s done so far… but… great job and congrats to the coaching staff for picking this one up. Realistically we could sneak in 14-15 wins if things really bounced our way.

I don't want to overdramatize the following, but...CJ is going to cause my death.

We need a big shout out for Sammy H. Making the shots late in the game to keep it out of reach. Great effort all around, but it can come down to those pivotal moments.

One of my favorite moments was when Keisei faked a three pointer and the entire crowd ooohed.

here's a really compelling question: were Matt A. and Al Capone separated at birth? You be the judge. (sorry for the sizes, i've never tried posting an image in this iteration of the system)

Nebraska didn't have a plan with recruiting and Abdelmassih just went out to find "talent." There was no real identity to recruit to. Fred canned him and found an identity. Let's see if he can build off of that.

Regarding Whitish, yes I absolutely think she failed to develop. Great example to further reinforce my concern. Not trying to beat up on AM at all, but even ignoring the numbers (which seems pretty irrational to me) and relying on the eyeball test, I don’t see any improvement in footwork, post moves, finishing at the rim, 3-point shooting, conditioning, defensive positioning, i.e., the sorts of things you’d expect from developmental coaching. But congrats to her on the finalist nomination. If healthy, hope she uses it as motivation to get even better.

Nice (especially in slo-mo)

That was fun. Nice win men!

Markowski Named to Leslie Award Top 10 She was just named to the final top ten Leslie Award for centers in NCAA women's basketball. The only sophomore on list. Major deal ! Markowski is the only player among the Leslie Award Top 10 who is younger than a fourth-year collegiate year. Watch her play every week, and you may not realize just how valuable her contributions are to the team. For example last night, she had a double double and played only a little more than half the game. She made critical end of game free throws, and the final big rebound to seal the deal. Read this: https://huskers.com/news/2023/2/3/womens-basketball-markowski-named-to-leslie-award-midseason-list.aspx

Love what Derrick brings to the table and he is critical to this team. We can be pretty sure his replacement next year won't be able to pass like him, probably won't bring the ball up the court. However, maybe that guy will rebound better or protect the rim better?? I would hope replacement could average close to 10 pts/game and have a lot less turnovers. Maybe we have a pt guard next year so the 5-man won't have to be such a facilitator. Anyway, the team will be way different whomever they get as their new 5. Just need to get 1-2 critical pieces to fill gaps.

2024 SG Jordan Zubich, 5-11, Mtn-Iron HS (MN) - Offered (announcing Sun 2/12) It would be a Coup to get Zubich!! Huskers in her final Six (Seemed to have loved her OV)

Can't comment on Miller because I have not seen her play. The problem with Clark and Brown is their constant whining. Yes, they push the limit because they are very good and they know they will get away with more than the average player. They're the kind of player opponent's fan bases despise (but would love to have on their team) and they know it so they play to that before, during and after the game. They're good enough to back it up most of the time. Their whining, however, is over the top. Watch both of them closely. Every time they lose the ball they're whining for a foul. Every time they miss a shot it's immediate crying to the zebras for a foul. Every time they drive to the basket they're whining for an and-1. Clark, especially, pushes off with her off arm every time she goes to the hoop, but she's very crafty about it. She knows because she is the league's star, she will only get called for it 1 in a 100 times. Yet, she whines and pouts like a 3-year-old when a phantom call isn't made in her favor. Act like you've been there before, which they both have and will continue to be. Accept the preferential treatment you already get and just play the game with the exceptional talent you've been given.

Keisei also nailed one from the intersection of Nebraska-Colorado-Wyoming. Wow, even Funk had to be impressed.

PSU's Funk leads the Big Ten in threes per game. I think Kugler might have been referring to him.

speaking of ball movement, was anybody else really impressed with the crisp ball movement from PSU yesterday? WOW! As far as Fred's system, once the players get bought in and figure out what to do it is really a pleasure to watch the movement and passing. I remember seeing some stupidly slick passing from Thor at the end of his last season here. Now we're seeing the same thing from Walker and KT/Sam. It's been fun. Would like to see that become more consistent. I honestly think it's pretty plug-n-play as a system goes. We just desperately need more consistency in the roster and guys willing to stop playing hero ball and pass the dang ball.

the nice thing is that are plenty of opportunities remaining to test the hypothesis that the lights are back on inside Nebrasketball. I'm pretty sure Alberts is doing the same thing. Hoiberg's a guy you can't help but root for. If he's finally figured stuff out, let the bloody chips ride. It's not like we had another hot date waititng in the wings.

I'm going to miss Derrick Walker.

Congrats to Alexis. She has done pretty well with what she has been given. I also do not think she has been at 100% for most of the season. With her getting heat for her lower back while on the bench at the beginning of the season lends me to think she may have recurring back problems. Hence her lack of production at times. Still has turned in a nice year so far. Hope for more.

The one who was very upset definitely looked like a Karen!!

Response to Bozo Boeheim:

Keisei being 7 for 8 on two-point shots, when most were back cuts, sure set NU up for success vs PSU. Add to that, being 5 for 10 on threes, well, that set Tominaga up for a 30-piece in 31 min. Ya love to see it.

Loved what Jamarques Lawrence brings to the table, he is a better-shooting version of a young Manny Bando. He'll get there eventually defensively to Bandoumel's status as an elite defender. Really has been a big sparkplug for NU to have him out there making plays along with Sam Hoiberg, as well, in that role for this squad. Also good to see that C.J. performing poorly has him seated firmly on the pine. Over the prior couple of seasons Fred had to play dudes who were significantly struggling & that affected results in a very negative light. Maybe Hoiberg has figured out how much "heart & hustle" it takes to get dubs in the Big Ten. I hope this team soars toward the finish line in 2023, despite the long odds, and wins a bunch in the final month plus.

I think there is merit to it as recall our game in KC vs Kansas St was a neutral court game which was essentially a home game for KSU. However the reason Shatel brings it up is because he doesn't want to drive to Lincoln to watch a game.

Also great game to have a recruit at. At least I think we had a PG class ‘24 in for this one.

I don’t think they know how to make it up to 320.

If I hadn’t seen it in person I wouldn’t have believed it, just Wow

If I''m going to have to cheer for a losing program, at least I want my coach to be entertaining, and Miles was always that. I'm just happy he's having success and getting his reputation and career back on a successful track and surviving the "coaching graveyard" that is us. At this point, I just want to see some semblance of forward momentum. A couple more wins like today and we just might finally have that. hoiberg may finally be figuring out what it takes to win in our league and the kinds of players you need to do it.

Keisei Tominaga being interviewed post-game on BTN!!! 30 Points for #30 (career high)

I'm going to keep beating the Jamarques Lawrence drum. 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers. Efficient. True freshman starting in the Big Ten. He has a total of 13 turnovers on the season. Shooting 41% from behind the arc.

Lawrence will be a nice player for us.

Let me guess, you wanted Mickey Joseph to be on Rhule's staff?

Just some context for some of the gems you can find in the portal with a little digging and some good fortune: Jalen Pickett was an unranked 3-star on Rivals who committed to Sienna out of HS and played there for 3 seasons before transferring to PSU. He now leads PSU in points, rebounds, assists and steals and is in the running for conference POY. Andrew Funk is averaging over 40% from 3-point range for the Nittany Lions this year. His junior year at Bucknell, he shot just 26.9% from 3-point range. Three of PSU's top 4 scorers are players they picked up through the portal. Two of them just last year. They have 4 more home games and a road contest against Minnesota to get to .500 in the league and a possible NCAA tourney bid. Last year, they finished the regular season with a record of 12-16 with only 7 wins in conference.

As I understand it, this is simply a feature to order from your seats and then you go pick up your food by skipping the line, but would be interested to hear if anyone tried it out yesterday.