Norm Peterson

The curse of the kudzu lives.

Yeah, I need to make sure my meaning is clear. I'm not irritated with Mike for saying it; I'm irritated with the fact that it apparently needed to be said. I mean, it's just not fair to the kid. If what you're seeing doesn't match your expectations, then the problem is your expectations and not what you're seeing. What I see is an immensely talented freshman. Part of that is "immensely talented;" the other part is "freshman." Now would be an appropriate time for a reminder that Glynn Watson missed the first 11 consecutive 3-point attempts of his college career. And he was a consensus top 75 recruit who ended up being a pretty good shooter for us. Three plays stand out from yesterday that tell me this is no ordinary freshman talent: 1. Already talked about Lat Mayen's airball. Bryce had the presence of mind to recognize it was a complete miss, go up and grab it out of the air, and wheel and bank it in for a bucket. That's #1. 2. He's driving the baseline, sees Walker cutting down the lane, has the court vision to see the opportunity, the awareness to realize what was developing, and the ability to make an Alonzo Verge-esque pass to the cutting Walker for a layup. That's #2. 3. After missing all 4 3-point attempts against Peru, he gets a kick-out in the 2nd half and calmly, without hesitation, drains a triple from the right wing. He's showing the poise of an upperclassman there -- reacting to the circumstance instead of thinking, which allows muscle memory to happen. And then there's the freshman play: Shot clock running out; he dribbles to his right; and then passes back to Walker at the 3-point line for a miss AND a shot clock violation. But he's going to learn from that and I bet we don't see that mistake again.

The fact anyone thinks it needs to be said is what irritates me. If you (by which I mean the generic "you") thought he was going to be perfect out of the box, then you've not given this any serious thought. He's a freshman. An immensely talented freshman. If you can't see the immense talent through the "getting used to the feel of the college game" then you need to take another look. This kid is the goods. He had a quiet, game-high 15 points today. Without appearing like he was really trying to force things. Once he gets his sea legs, look out.

We were out of the running with this kid a while ago.

Need some time for what? I mean, sure. Bryce is going to need some time just like everyone else on the team. I don't get the point of making this comment. I really don't. And it honestly pisses me off. If you thought Bryce was going to be in mid-season form as of the 2nd exhibition game of his freshman season, then maybe you were a little naive. I mean, are you disappointed with what you've seen? FFS. Shavon Shields was maybe the first Husker freshman to start an opening season basketball game since, like, Tyron Lue. His first 4 games, he scored 0, 2, 5, and 7 points. Isaiah Roby, who now plays in the NBA, averaged 3.1 ppg his freshman season. I don't want to hear/read people acting like they think a guy who just scored 15 points in the 2nd exhibition game of his freshman season is somehow behind schedule. What were you people thinking you were going to see? Did you all see the badly-missed 3-pointer that Lat Mayen shot, that Bryce snagged out of mid-air, turned and effortlessly banked in? Who else on our team is making that play today?

Awesome! Thanks!

Is there any way to re-watch the game on BTN? It's nice to watch it live and in-person, but you can't stop and rewind. I'd like to be able to do that. I want to try to figure out what happened after we got up by 27 and then stalled. My impression at the time was that certain players stopped sharing the ball and started caring about getting theirs. We got out of our system. Guys trying to make the hard play, like one-on-one dribble penetration, instead of the simple play that would involve a pass to someone else. And, as a result, we wind up with getting the ball stripped, or bad shots at the end of the shot clock (or not getting the shot off at all.) And half of that 17-2 run came with all five starters on the floor. It was, I believe, in the midst of that drought a buddy texted me and said "selfish hero ball" to which I responded "ego ball." And we both observed that a couple players seemed not to want to pass the ball to certain other players. And it reminded me of this: Ball got outta there in a hurry, huh?

miller, I was thinking Derrick and Alonzo, actually. But, I mean, I had the same thoughts.

If your last name wasn't Walker or McGowens, you didn't shoot any free-throws for Nebraska today.

That rumor is being pretty widely circulated so either it's true or a lot of people got the same wrong information. I'm leaning toward it being true.

Who?

There's someone we know in there, but he might have missed an even more under-the-radar transfer ... 30 under-the-radar transfers for the 21-22 season - College Hoops Today

Besides, how difficult is it to get a team picture? I wonder if they're ever, like, at the same place at the same time. And I can just imagine the conversation: Should we wear red? How about black? Do these shorts make my butt stick out?

If I had to guess, I think that's why Hoiberg started CJ over Verge. I think that's also why there was talk of starting Wilhelm over Walker (which, as far as I can tell, was just an unsubstantiated rumor started by ... some reporter guy on Rivals.) Trey is not a high volume shooter and he's not going to be one of your most potent offensive weapons. So, who do you put out there with him to maximize the driving lanes for Bryce? Because Trey isn't going to do that. Is the answer Verge? Well, Verge is another slasher whom you would not expect, based on past experience, to be a perimeter shooting specialist. Walker definitely won't be the guy who spreads the floor. Lat can, but you need more than just Lat. So ... CJ? And leave Walker in there? Of course, that didn't work out splendidly. Not that CJ isn't a great shooter. But you need someone with the PG qualities of Verge to get things started. So, now, if Verge starts ... who do you put out there with him? And why?

So, @Nebrasketballer are you STILL thinking Keon Edwards in the starting lineup after that paltry 100% from the floor, 100% from three, 100% from the line for 12 points? I mean, he only had 1 rebound! ONE! In, like, 17 minutes. For a 6'7 guy? I mean, c'mon man. He had more blocks than he had rebounds, for goodness sake. Can't get outworked like that on the glass. Send in Eduardo. j/k

Starter minutes: 97; starter points: 30 Bench minutes: 103; bench points: 67 36 made shots; 25 assists.

I’ll take the overs.

Sucks we didn't get Simeon.

No, seriously. Who was it? It wasn’t me. I like the kid and I thought he would play. But I think it was @Nebrasketballer who called for him to start. I could be wrong.

Colorado starts out at #35, so that should actually be a really good test for us coming up.

So are we. Good early test for how legit we may or may not be. Good barometer.

One of the best defenders. One of the best shooters. Also an explosive dunker. Who was calling for him to start earlier this fall?

I know, right?

In addition to a big ego, Heady also has thin skin. I took a humorous dig at him on Twitter one day and he blocked me. And, I mean, it was just a harmless little poke. Not bombastic or repeated or anything. Just ... blocked. Michael Severe blocked me too, so I've got that going for me.

Diagnose those 20-loss seasons and ask yourself if the reasons for those 20-loss seasons still exist.