Fullbacksympathy

TAI! Just keep playing hard fellas.. we got a chance to break through.

Really impressed with Michigan's half court offense. I like our pressure D as well. I think we have to press against teams that live and die by the 3. It's a good formula moving forward at least.

Great D by Benny on several possessions there to claw back into it.

2 presses. 2 turnovers. PRESS AGAIN?!

Absolutely GREAT job weathering that absolute onslaught opening. Watson goes clutch again at the end of the half. Ed friggin Morrow, ladies and gents. Really great energy so far despite being down 3. I like our chances here. A lot of those misses are going to drop in the second half.

I was gonna say @ Indiana stuck out to me as well. That game was clutch and had big stakes for both teams.

I wouldn't pick Jack. That Australian academy really coached him well. He had good ball skills, defense, and toughness before he got here. He's going to get stronger and more explosive, and he'll be a great one regardless, but if you can already shoot, pass, have good footwork, and are crafty around the basket, then you already have a lot of the tools you need. I think he'll average low double-digits and be a Shields-type of stat stuffer (rebounds, assists) before he's out of here. I wouldn't pick Glenn. He's already very good. He'll just contribute more and more. If he focuses on becoming a lock down defender down the road, I might take this back, but I don't see much that needs to be improved offensively. The kid is a stud. He'll average just under 20 a game at some point, and he'll get some double doubles because he's that efficient of a passer. It's going to be his team in the future, and that's exciting. Michael is another one that's been extremely well coached before he got here. He has good footwork and fundamentals already. Athletically, I think he's the one with the most challenges ahead of him. I don't see a ton of upside there, but I see an 8pt, 8rb average down the road as he builds strength on an already good frame. He even looks like the next Chubbick/Reid. Great get. This leaves me to my choice, Ed. I've been high on him since he committed, and I'm not wavering there. If he ever gets to play the 4, he's going to dominate some games. As his coaching and practice reps catch up to his length and raw athleticism, he's going to figure out how to use his gifts under control. I thought the Illinois game was indicative of what we're going to see regularly down the road. There's just too much athleticism, toughness, and will for this kid to not break through. It's only a matter of time. The cool thing with Ed is, I don't know if he'll ever be a stat stuffer, but he'll be a game changer if he can learn to stay on the damned court. The dark horse would be Evelyn. I think this kid's future is bright as a 6'3" true point guard. He has great handles and passing instincts, and he has the body to be a pesky defender. I think he'll develop into a legitimate 3-point threat as well. I'm pretty excited about his future from what I've seen. If we didn't have Glenn, I think he'd be getting minutes, and I think he'll play a lot next year off the bench.

Amazing! Blatt was truly awful.. hopefully TL can get them some rings.

I'd call Pike the best ever. 1st round pick, 13-year NBA career as a .400 3pt shooter.

Agreed on Watson. Not only is he a threat at all times offensively, but he doesn't make freshman mistakes. The kid is just a really good player. I credit the coaching staff for getting his defense up to par. It's no longer a liability. Really, if you look at the minutes distribution during this win streak, it's pretty ideal. The best players are playing and the other freshmen are being trusted in minimal roles. We are also pushing the tempo whenever we can, which is a stark contrast to the beginning of the year. The x-factor though: Tai. So happy that he's found an offensive game. He's a great testament to hard work.

We're going to be tied for 6th in the conference with at least one other team heading into Saturday's game.

Lue, PIke, Strick, and B12 POTY Hamilton!

75-71 good guys, 6

Glynn needs the rock in his hands.

That was a crap call on Michael. Straight up. Dude jumped right into him.

Whole lotta heart so far tonight.

Individuals: AWIII is an NBA player. I think he's a 3 and D guy, especially with his strength, toughness, attitude, and willingness to rebound. He's better than Petteway (not a dig--I love TP)--more efficient, better attitude, better rebounder. Shields was clutch today helping to end a couple of Illinois runs. He's playing much more under control and being super intelligent when he drives. He's so crafty when he's in the flow of the game. Morrow is a stud. I knew he'd find his way. He has way too much talent and work ethic not to be out there. The confidence of our team is high when he's on the court being a difference maker. HUGE block in transition. Watson is phenomenal. His physical gifts are obvious, but what stands out to me is how many plays he makes while taking care of the ball. He has a great assist:turnover, and the kid is clutch. Tai deserves to be a great player. He's worked his ass off for this school. He's the most improved defender I think I've ever seen at UNL. I'm thrilled for the kid. Benny, Jacobson, and McVeigh all did some good things in reserve roles, where they should be. Other thoughts: We were looking to push the whole game after every defensive rebound. With our lack of size and great speed, I'm truly surprised we didn't do this earlier in the season. We're 3-0 with this mentality. I liked the switch up in defensive pressure. Those subtleties help keep the other team's offense out of rhythm. Hopefully we keep doing this. We had pretty solid transition defense, which is one area where Miles should take a note or two from Doc. I thought they were really intent on getting back and matching up tonight, which was huge. Molinari has gotten a bad rap, in my opinion. Last season, we didn't have a single three point shooter on the roster. Think about how much of a difference AWIII makes just in that area alone. That has nothing to do with Molinari. If you want to critique Molinari, look no further than the individual defensive improvements of Tai, Watson, Morrow, McVeigh, and Jacobson. The on-ball defense of these guys is light years from where they started. That's technique and coaching. I see much less of a need to land a traditional 6'10" 250lb center if we're going to continue pushing the tempo like this. I would still love to have one, but I'm certainly not panicking as much if we continue to play fast and attack. With our lineup of Watson, Tai, White, Shields, and Morrow, we were easily more athletic than any lineup Illinois could put on the court. That's a testament to Miles' recruiting. Great win. Welcome back to the bubble outskirts, kids. I don't think we need to think of any game moving forward as a "miracle win" scenario. We're a decent team, minimum. We just need to continue playing well and we'll get some wins.

75-70 bad guys but I say that with very little confidence.

Yes please. This kid is doing a lot of high difficulty things with ease. Good build too. Looks strong and confident.

Agree. We're currently at 105.

Yep. This kid is a very talented passer, and has good enough handles to be a true point guard to go along with great PG length. I'm really intrigued by his future. I think he and GW are going to be excellent compliments to one another moving forward. I like the way this staff is grooming him as a true freshman. Watson/Evelyn Gill/Webster White/Roby McVeigh/Morrow/Horne Jacobson/Hammond That's a pretty mean looking squad next season. He better dramatically improve his outside shot if he's ever going to be a factor. Not much of a sample size. I'd look at his hs film for evidence of catching fire outside. I see this kid getting a lot of minutes down the road.

Yep. This kid is a very talented passer, and has good enough handles to be a true point guard to go along with great PG length. I'm really intrigued by his future. I think he and GW are going to be excellent compliments to one another moving forward. I like the way this staff is grooming him as a true freshman. Watson/Evelyn Gill/Webster White/Roby McVeigh/Morrow/Horne Jacobson/Hammond That's a pretty mean looking squad next season.

75-72 good guys

You'd have to be insane to not be impressed with the young developing talent. The upperclassmen and coaches need to learn to trust these freshmen offensively. I thought Shields had a really solid game. He was unselfish, played great defense, and played within himself. When he does that, we get a lot more open looks and contributions from other players. That's how he played in the first half against IU and we were the better team that half. Our young guys (Mcveigh, Watson, Morrow at the rim) are capable of scoring the ball. They need to start thinking of themselves as weapons and stop playing like sidekicks. Shields is a much better utility guy within the offense than straight up scorer. AW3 is a phenomenal scorer within the offense because he's such an incredible shooter. He's going to be much more efficient if we're all sharing the ball and moving because he's nothing special off the dribble. I'm really encouraged with what I saw. It was good to see multiple contributions for the duration of the game instead of just one half.

72-66 good guys