OurDecay

Griesel is nice

Okay, our reserves are where our dynamic athletes are. Some quickness and hops out of our second group. I also do like the clear emphasis on defensive effort. This team will definitely be a defense-to-offense team. I can’t see us scoring consistently in the half court until we get rolling with offensive sets.

We do not look particularly talented or dynamic early. Clearly a work in progress.

3 pages deep into this thread… We are talking about the guy who was the highest-scoring true frosh in D1, right? And the Big Ten Newcomer of the year? As far as I’m concerned, he far exceeded my expectations. Coming in as a true frosh and doing what he did statistically is very rare. I mean he wasn’t even a “high” 5-star. He wasn’t supposed to do this, even with his high expectations. This is beyond that. His legacy will be as a great player, and one that frankly we didn’t deserve. He would have gotten more benefit going somewhere else IMO. The fact that he embraced his opportunity and the community were unexpected bonuses. I’d love to have a ton more like him. Our disappointing season didn’t have a whole lot to do with him.

Jesus, this thread is a mess

This makes me sick to say it…but send a spy into that private college 60 miles north and figure out how they do a so much better job of recruiting to identity, developing players, and demanding effort and consistency. How a guy like Hawkins is thriving there but our highly-touted transfers aren’t is a real issue. There is more to CBB coaching than accumulating raw talent. I never thought I would be here 25 years later missing Nee’s in-game coaching.

Our offense gets folks open looks. We didn’t get many layups today because Indiana has an absolute stud down low and scouted our pick and roll also. This offensive philosophy isn’t nearly as bad as it appears. You could have Phil Jackson running the triangle and it would look like garbage if you can’t make open looks. Wilcher and Tominaga starting up an ice cube factory didn’t help either. Pretty rough first start for Keisei. The best part of the game was our ability to play some defense…when we want to, we can do it. Pretty clear we are a team where defensive effort leads to offensive points. Bryce got a real necessary lesson today. Let’s see what he does with it moving forward.

It’s early - only 7 games in - but I want to spend some time appreciating the year Bryce is having. If he truly is a one-and-done…let’s enjoy the ride this year. We can update this as the year goes on and the competition ramps up. Here are this numbers thru 7 games…against mostly lesser competition: Bryce McGowens - 6-7 (7 G/7 GS): 17.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 TOV, 0.9 STL, 0.6 BLK; 47.4% FG, 25.8% 3PT, 85.7% FT; 32.3 MPG Some notable former Husker wings/G/F as freshmen: Joe McCray - 6-5 (28 G/24 GS): 15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 2.6 TOV, 1.1 STL, 0.1 BLK; 39.7% FG, 35.4% 3PT, 72.0% FT; 29.7 MPG Jake Muhlheisen - 6-4 (28 G/27 GS): 11.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 TOV, 1.0 STL, 0.2 BLK; 41.2% FG, 28.2% 3PT, 70.8% FT; 29.3 MPG Eric Piatkowski* - 6-7 (34 G/1 GS): 10.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 TOV, 0.6 STL, 0.5 BLK; 46.5% FG, 34.6% 3PT, 83.7% FT; 20.0 MPG Ryan Anderson - 6-4 (28 G/25 GS): 10.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 2.0 TOV, 0.9 STL, 0.1 BLK; 47.0% FG, 43.2% 3PT, 74.4% FT; 25.3 MPG Cookie Belcher - 6-4 (33 G/9 GS): 9.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.9 TOV, 2.6 STL, 0.6 BLK; 45.7% FG, 39.5% 3PT, 49.4% FT; 22.0 MPG Jamel White - 6-3 (33 G/13 GS): 8.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 TOV, 0.7 STL, 0.0 BLK; 36.0% FG, 35.5% 3PT, 80.2% FT; 25.7 MPG Shavon Shields - 6-7 (28 G/19 GS): 8.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.7 TOV, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK; 47.1% FG, 35.9% 3PT, 67.6% FT; 28.7 MPG Glynn Watson - 6-0 (34 G/16 GS): 8.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.0 TOV, 1.2 STL, 0.1 BLK; 38.9% FG, 26.7% 3PT, 79.2% FT; 24.3 MPG Tyronn Lue* - 6-0 (35 G/34 GS): 8.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 2.7 TOV, 1.4 STL, 0.1 BLK; 45.3% FG, 32.8% 3PT, 68.8% FT; 29.5 MPG Erick Strickland* - 6-3 (31 G/6 GS): 7.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.0 TOV, 1.5 STL, 0.1 BLK; 45.4% FG, 36.4% 3PT, 72.9% FT; 17.2 MPG Larry Florence - 6-5 (30 G/29 GS): 7.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2.6 TOV, 0.6 STL, 0.6 BLK; 38.3% FG, 14.3% 3PT, 70.7% FT; 22.6 MPG Jaron Boone - 6-6 (31 G/8 GS): 6.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.7 TOV, 0.8 STL, 0.4 BLK; 41.1% FG, 29.8% 3PT, 82.1% FT; 18.8 MPG *Future NBA player

I read this thread before watching the game for the first time via replay…I saw us up by 23 over a nice opponent with about 4 minutes to go and was wondering which game you all watched. Isn’t this - considering the opponent - our best win of the year? Can’t count exhibitions. You recruit 5 stars to be 5 stars, and you recruit enough depth that somebody can spark you off the bench. It just won’t always be the same guy. Today it was Keisei. Bryce is just a flat out stud - he is coming into his own and we are all witnesses. The situation at PG will sort itself out and it already is. Webster is such a luxury. And also a great example why you don’t just transfer when they recruit over you. He’s been team-first since last year and that never wavered after they brought it Verge late. He’s your glue guy. Coach has to find some pieces to get us by until Trey returns. He was the heart of the team and set the tone with his intensity on both ends of the court. Some of our folks have really stepped up. Others - no reason to name them - have not. Look at the minute distribution tonight…trending. GBR

I thought Verge, Walker, Bryce and Wilcher all played well tonight. We shot over 50% from the field and only had 10 turnovers. The other team didn’t shoot that well overall….and we only won by 6. Some of that is surely their 13 made 3s. And we didn’t have a good night at the line. But it is interesting that this Game felt different than the sum of its parts. For one thing…we have to address a couple elephants: - I was a member of the Goggles fan club, but he has been awful. Completely out of control, bad defensive rotations, horrible decisions, poor rebounder, hasn’t made enough 3 pt shots to justify how often he shoots them. He is real bad on both ends of the floor right now, but all of that pales in comparison to his immaturity. Whining for calls, don’t love his body language either. I know it’s growing pains and I believe he will end up being great one day…but right now he is hurting the team. - Lat Mayen has been a problem for 2 years. If he cannot shoot, he does not give you enough other things. He is the shortest 6-9 player I’ve ever seen. He does not play to his length, and the fact we play him heavy minutes despite the ridiculous dribble circus and his lack of hands or defense makes no sense. - I would really love to know what Andre does to not warrant more playing time. He protects the rim and can finish. He gives you a lot more than Goggles right now IMO - Our inability to get Bryce open looks within the flow of the offense is puzzling and frustrating. Surely we have something other than a clear out 1-on-1 for him…right? He is forcing it because he never sees the ball enough. all that said….it’s a win.

A few takes: - headed into the season, we were all talking about how we had all this talent from our guards and wings. But up to this point I think the trio of Walker, Breidenbach and Andre is good - runs our offense so much better and also benefits us on defense. I agree with the comment above that we need to play 2 bigs. - if you needed a clutch 3 right now, who do you draw up a play for? That hesitation you are feeling is the problem. Right now my answers would be (in order): Wilcher, Tominaga, Webster. The fact that I wouldn’t have any of our starters in the top 3 is an issue. Maybe Bryce. But this offense cannot run when we can’t make outside shots. - we are going to waste our brief time with Bryce if we don’t play better defense. - I like this team, and think they can get a lot better….but they need to

I would also say this…the amount of bricklaying by our team thru two games is contributing to the assist numbers. If our kids - who by all appearances were supposed to be great shooters - regain some semblance of base-level production things will look a lot better. Likewise…while I don’t love Verge these first two games, if the guy could just make layups it would change everything. Him finishing better would lead to better opportunities to kick it out. I still stand by my concern after the first exhibition game - until Trey and Verge learn to coexist, we will be a mess. Eduardo’s emergence as a traditional 5 is going to cause Fred to have to adjust. He has been too effective to not play extended minutes

I get the purpose of a thread like this…but it feels a little nitpicky given that we just blew out a P5 team. I mean…we ARE all NU basketball fans here, right? As in the team that only won 7 games each of the last couple years? Are there tons of things to improve? Of course. Do some of our players need to develop? Clearly. But let’s not miss the forest for the trees, fellas. We are so talented offensively compared to previous years. We’ve made 23 3-pointers in our two exhibition games. Also…our improvement from exhibition game 1 to 2 was…whoa. Makes me really wonder where the ceiling is. As a side bar, I took my 15-yr-old son to his first NUBB game today and he thought the team looked great and the overall experience was fantastic. I didn’t have to try to convince him to like this team…the team did that all by themselves. They made a fan today.

With regards to concerns about folks at the end of our rotations not getting many minutes…it’s worth restating that we are due to lose quite a number of players at the end of this season - so a guy like Andre (whom I am a big fan of) still has plenty of time down the road to have a major role. You lose both your starting 4 & 5 after this year, and even with a guy like Keita coming in there will be plenty of opportunities. Likewise, it might be a challenge to find minutes for all those wings this year, but the roster will look different in 2022. all I know is…this is the deepest NU team I can recall in a very long time and it is a great problem to have p.s. I still cannot get over the hands our bigs have. We have had a list of stone-handed bigs here in recent history from Jordy to Yvan to Duby to others. It’s refreshing

Just got home from the game, a few thoughts: - this is unquestionably Verge’s team. The crowd was sparse enough tonight that you could hear them talking on the court, and Verge is pure alpha. Demands attention of his teammates. Doesn’t berate them, but he is running the show. - Now, the flip side of that is that this was Trey’s team last year. I felt like Trey couldn’t get into his role tonight offensively. He brings great defensive energy, and that leads to good things. But when your leading returning score doesn’t officially attempt a shot, it raises some eyebrows. If he isn’t the point, then I’m not sure he is comfortable in his new role. - the spacing with Verge & Walker was beautiful. When we went 5 wide I expected Bryce and Trey to be able to drive and finish and they didn’t. The guy guarding Trey took away his left and Trey struggled. Bryce couldn’t get around the guy guarding him. - I think when you look closely at pedigree, you could argue that Keon is as big a recruit as Bryce. Keon is big enough to play the 4 and an absolute specimen. He obviously was lights out from outside. I feel like Fred was testing the idea of subbing out Mayen for him, and I think there is some promise there. He is physically different and will be a nightmare on both ends of the court as he matures - Wilhelm is an excellent and skilled player. On the replay, watch how he directs people on the defensive end. He is vocal and almost always gets to the right places on both ends of the court. He will play plenty. - it may not matter, but Andre and Lakes are much improved. We are deep and have lots of options - about Bryce…if you watched the game tonight without knowing anything about our players…he did not strike me as a highly rated guy. Contrast it to the way all the aforementioned guys flashed. I have no doubt he is Uber talented, but to me he needs to start small and figure out a focus…whether it is defense, 3-pt-shooting, driving, passing…whatever. He has the talent to do it all well, but he would be served by finding a niche and excelling, and then expanding his game One last comment. I agree with the point above about the NIL. The season has started, let’s focus now. Some of our players looked unprepared.

Wilhelm’s nickname

Verge is a difference maker for sure. At this stage it feels like a matter of knowing roles. Verge, Walker and Heem know their roles. It feels like the rest of the team is guessing. With our athletes and length, it would suit us to pressure the ball and turn folks over. We will be able to run and score on the break.

Interesting point Norm. Our starting 5 in our final game last year: Walker (returning starter in 21-22) Mayen (returning starter in 21-22) Thor Webster T. McGowens (returning starter in 21-22) backups that played: Andre Banton Lakes Thor graduated, Banton got drafted by the NBA, and Andre/Webster/Lakes return. Webster is relegated to a backup, Andre & Lakes might not even make our rotation. with 3 returning starters…it means we are comparing Thor/Webster last year to B.McGowens/Verge this year - plus you have to assume the 3 returning guys get better or at least stay the same. I would say this years starting lineup looks much better with a 5-star wing and a PG that has scored over 40 in a Pac12 game and turned down an NBA contract to transfer here.

This is a great discussion. My only question is if Lat as your starting 4 makes sense. I suppose from an offensive and outside threat perspective it makes sense, but I would love to see them go big on occasion and slide Walker to the 4 with Andre at the 5. If Andre is significantly stronger and progressed (he was on a really nice trajectory at the end of last year), his inside presence, length, defense along with his bounce on the offensive end would be very useful. I also think Walker with a full season will dramatically change our team.

I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around the way that - seemingly independent of coaching and players - NU almost never has good shooters, and certainly not a good shooting team. It has been this way for quite a while. I’ve considered different potential causes: 1. recruiting players with poor mechanics 2. recruiting players that simply have never been good shots 3. our level of competition we face is beyond the talent we possess 4. we are poorly coaching shooting 5. we are not coaching shooting enough 6. something within our program creates players who aren’t “clutch” and cannot replicate practice habits in games 7. our players are not mentally tough and as result their shooting falls apart, or lack of confidence 8. we just simply don’t have good offensive players 9. we cannot identify good shooters in recruiting 10. we do not have a good offensive system to give people good looks 11. the overall recruiting limitations of being the worst P5 basketball program in the county 12. something about our practice facility/PBA doesn’t translate to shooting in away games 13. we do not simulate game situations what do you guys think? I’m not an expert on shooting mechanics or recruiting. What do you think the biggest causes are? Even tonight I watched guys who are adequate career 3-pt shooters (at other programs) airball or clank wide-open 3s. Why?

Late to this discussion but a couple things worth mentioning from that box score: - Wisconsin went 8-26 from 3. We went 8-27. Both teams shot poorly from three but made the same number. Point is, technically not the difference in the game. - Wisconsin went 15-of-15 from the FT line. Hadn’t seen anybody mention that. Gotta just tip the cap on that. - Banton, Allen and McGowens combined to shoot 7-of-12 from 3PT range, and all three scored in double figures. Yvan might have played as good as he ever has. He went 3-4 from the field...which is news. So, 4 of your starters did some good things. Banton, Yvan and McGowens combined for 20 rebounds! - Conversely, our bench combined to score 4 total points on 1-of-12 (!!!) shooting before Andre’s basket in the last minute of the game. You just can’t have Webster score zero points.

Don’t mean this to be a hot take and they were playing against a short NAIA team, but Andre is incredibly active, with more bounce and energy...and vastly superior to Yvan offensively. granted, the bar is being able to make uncontested layups, but here we are.

Gotta be honest...don’t like losing, but I’m sort of stunned by the (over)reaction to this game. NU showed me in the first half that they have the pieces to develop into a competitive team someday. At this point, that’s the goal. The key is some day. It’s not going to turn around this fast. The team in black tonight went 7-25 a year ago and is rolling out an almost entirely new roster that has barely played together. The team in white is a fantastic program and a legit top-10 team. You don’t get to skip steps and suddenly you are beating top-10 teams on the road. There are no shortcuts. We are clearly better than last year, but due to the weirdness of this year and the strength of the conference...we may have the same record. And we need to be prepared for that. This is a process. Have to be patient. Believe in Fred.

With regards to our transfers regressing to their 3-pt shooting numbers at prior schools, I have two words: Matej. Kavas. Track record may not be a great indicator. You have to look at level of comp, style of offense (did it create open looks?), and role (did they run plays for him). by every metric, we were right to expect Kavas to continue to be that 46% 3-pt shooter. The dude averaged that over two years as a starter and was 6-8, so you figured he could get his shot off. What we didn’t know was his mental makeup and how he’d fit. Poor guy struggled hard here.

Banton didn’t even play his best and still quietly fills the stat sheet. Banton, Allen, McGowens, Shamiel, Webster, and Mayen all look like suitable power-5 level players to me. Having Thor and Yvan as effectively your 7th & 8th guys tonight in terms of minutes is quite the luxury. We have massively upgraded from last year. Massively. It may not equate to a great record in conference play, but we are worlds better and we still have some nice reinforcements on their way too.