hhcmatt

TBH our entire conference can pound sand this year because it's not like it's going to matter for us.

Almost everyone else on our schedule is considered to be better than UC Riverside

Here is last night's audio for any masochists

Postgame Notes & Quotes: Nebraska vs. UC Riverside NU Athletic Communications Nebraska Post-Game Notes Tonight’s loss snapped Nebraska’s 18-game win streak in season openers. The Huskers last loss in a season opener was an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts to begin the 2000 season, and the Huskers lost a season opener at home for the first time since a 62-59 overtime defeat to Wyoming to open the 1980-81 season. Nebraska lost a non-conference home game for just the eighth time since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013 (39-8). It was Nebraska’s first home non-conference loss since a 73-32 last-second loss to No. 13 Kansas on Dec. 16, 2017. Nebraska outscored UC Riverside 14-3 in points off turnovers. All 47 points in tonight’s game were scored by players making their Husker debut. Ten of the 11 Huskers who saw the court tonight were playing their first game in a Nebraska uniform, with seven players scoring their first point as a Husker. Cam Mack narrowly missed a double-double in his Husker and Division I debut, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds, both of which led Nebraska. Matej Kavas scored 10 points in his Nebraska debut and was the only other Husker in double figures. True freshman Yvan Ouedraogo hit 4-of-6 shots from the field, scoring nine points in his collegiate debut. His four field goals tied for the team lead. Tonight’s attendance was 15,745, marking the 100th crowd of 14,000 since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013. Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg On reactions to the game “I thought early on we had a good burst out of the locker room. I thought our transition was excellent, I thought defensively, we were doing a good job of disrupting them and turning them over. Obviously, that changed, and the momentum shifted. I think we started out six for seven and finished the half off three for twenty. We missed some good looks and I thought that once the ball stopped going in the hoop, defense wasn’t as good. I thought we pressed to try and get that momentum back at once, but the ball movement wasn’t where it needed to be. Second half, obviously they came out hot and were confident. I give them credit for the way they came in here with their mentality. But it’s an opportunity now and we have to bounce back in a big way on Thursday and have two good days of preparation for this game on Saturday and find a way to get this one behind us. It’s a very disappointing loss, but you have to find a way in this business to get over it and put it behind you and get ready for the heck of the team we’re going to play on Saturday.” On overcoming adversity “That is the thing that will ultimately tell you what kind of group you have, is when that adversity hits in a real game setting. You can use the excuse of ‘Well, we have so many new faces and new players.’ We’re not going to do that. We got outplayed today, and we’re going to find a way to bounce back with effort and preparation. We’re going to take every opportunity, whether we win or lose, to learn from it and grow from it. Adversity hit us in a huge way tonight, and you can talk to your guys about it until you get blue in the face. It’s going to hit you every time you step out on the floor. It will be how you handle it and we didn’t handle it well tonight.” On team leadership “That’s what we’ve talked about. It’s going to take situations like this to really figure out who we are and what we are and who’s going to lead through the tough times. I think Haanif [Cheatham] is as good as we have. He’s been through experiences like this, he’s played in the NCAA Tournament. He and Derrick [Walker] I think are the only two that have done that. We need to have that leadership in the huddles when the coaches are meeting and trying to go out there and make the adjustment. Those players need to find a way to stick together through that. Again, I’m confident we’ll do it. I like our group, I like our guys. We’re going to bounce back, I know that. They’re going to come in with a good attitude on Thursday and again, we’re going to need two good days of preparation. Haanif Cheatham, Sr., Guard On the team’s shooting struggles “We all started the game very strong. We had the crowd hyped. It was very energetic. I think they went on their run and I think that their run caught us off guard and that being a new team caught us off guard. A little slap in the face. We just couldn’t pick it up from there.” On Coach Hoiberg’s message after the game “It starts in our practice. We’ve got to have high energy at all times. Just understanding one game [doesn’t] define us. Our season’s not over. We’ve still got practice, still got games and understand that it’s a marathon. We’ve still got 29 more games and we’ll be fine. Just got to work hard in practice and be ready for Saturday.” On learning from tonight This is our first time ever being tested and I think once we recognize what we need to do. Once we got a slap in the face, we got stagnant a little bit. We got a little bit stuck. I know we’re going to get better. We’re [going to] prepare the right way. We’re [going to] be ready for Saturday. We always talk about family in that locker room. We [are] always telling guys keep their head up. Our season’s not over, and we have got a long way to go.” UC Riverside Coach David Patrick On what this victory means for his program: “After last year, we had a huge summer [and] a huge fall where we really took a look at where we could get better and all we talked about was defense and rebounding. For that to show up in Game 1, to out-rebound a Big Ten opponent, to be +20 on the glass, it’s a huge deal for our team. We [also] defended better. To hold [Nebraska] to under 30 percent from the field, that’s what we’ve been working on all summer. Last year, we were awful defensively.” On the Highlanders’ shooting success: “It’s [a product of] good ball movement and good open shots. Last year, we ended up 28th in the country shooting the three [three-point percentage]. We could always shoot, but we couldn’t guard. I think [tonight] we did a better job of sharing the basketball, [and] making the extra pass--when we weren’t stepping out of bounds and turning it over. I think our guys definitely have a better understanding of [a] good shot versus [a] great shot. They really like each other and look for each other [on the court]. On how the Highlanders plan to build on this victory: “[This win] proves we can win anywhere on the road, especially when we get into conference [play] in our league. We’re not going to come into an environment with this many people in the Big West, but this shows we can compete with anybody. We still have work to do. We have four guys sitting at home that aren’t with us that will join us over the next couple of weeks. Their addition with the group we have, I think good things are in store for this group.”

Maybe he's just not a names guy but one thing that struck me during Hoiberg's pregame interview with Kent is that he didn't really know anyone's name except for McRae.

Last night was Iowa-State-is-going-to-erase-Hoiberg-from-their-records bad https://cyclones.com/sports/2015/3/2/GEN_2014010145.aspx

There is a lot of sentiment going around that this happens and things will be fine. You could say the same thing about crapping yourself at work. While this happens and things will be fine, you're still going to be known as the person who crapped themselves at work for a while. We are going to be the team that crapped themselves at work this season.

Is it too late to get Craig Smith back? J/K let's rock the 2nd half

He is not playing tonight

Under-promise and over-deliver

I won't be at the game very early. When UCR is warming up on the floor can someone confirm that Dikymbe Martin is there? #15

No idea. I didn't really look into their game at all

Nebraska 82 - UCR 70 non-con 8 Total 15

Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0) vs UC Riverside Highlanders (0-0) Date: Tuesday Nov 11, 2019 Time: 8:00 pm Arena: PBA Broadcast: BTN UC RIverside Info Head Coach: David Patrick Location: Riverside, CA Conference: Big West Nickname: Highlanders Mascot: Scotty Highlander Last season: 10-23 Line: Nebraska by 15 Tempo: Slow Style: Throw it in to the big man when he's on the court Things to note This is the first matchup between UC Riverside and Nebraska. The Highlanders made the move to Div 1 in 2001 and have had one season where they finished above .500 (2009-10) This is the 2nd year for head coach David Patrick who previously was at TCU under Jamie Dixon. He's most famous though for being Ben Simmons' godfather and was an assistant at LSU where the former #1 overall pick put in his time before the draft. Patrick grew up in Australia and you can see his connections into the that region as the Highlanders have 3 Australians and 2 New Zealanders on the roster. UC Riverside Roster (Crossed out guys are redshirting). Nebraska's Shemiel Stevenson will be redshirting until December unless he receives a waiver from the NCAA Once you get past McRae and eliminate the redshirts, there isn't much girth on this team. 6'9" Daniel Mading clocks in at a thin 200#. Nebraska with Ouedraogo and Cross has two eligible guys who clock in at 240+ Player to watch: Callum McRae The sophomore big man clocks in at 7'1" 275 lbs and last season was one of the focal points of the Highlander offense while on the court, which was about 19 minutes a game. Though young McRae sports a soft touch around the rim and is a dominant rebounder. McRae and his lack of speed doesn't offer much in terms of shot blocking and look for Nebraska to push even on made baskets if the big man isn't back on his own side. Look for Nebraska to try and have Yvan check in and out when McRae does. Player to watch: Dikymbe Martin The 6'1" combo guard and UCR's returning leading scorer was one of the best 3pt shooters in the country last year, knocking down 44.9% of his attempts.. Martin is known for his range and he's a threat to knock down a shot from well behind the 3pt line. He's also known for his lack of defense so the Huskers will be wise to try and exploit him when he's on the court. Hoiberg Presser Cheatham Presser Hoiberg on Sports Nightly These are some good listens if you're trying to catch up with the brand new team but otherwise you've probably know a lot of this stuff. The Skinny: You got sort of a feel of the capabilities of this team during the exhibition when the Huskers put up 91 points despite a sluggish start and a subpar night from the line and from 3. This will be the fastest paced team in Nebraska Men's history as Fred Hoiberg and his undersized roster attempt to run teams off the court. This probably not very good Riverside team will be a nice test as they will attempt to slow down the pace and have a traditional center. UCR also has viable 3pt shooters so simply collapsing into the paint isn't the end-all solution. The Highlanders might not be that good but they should put up more fight than Doane. There are lots of questions to be answered about this basketball team. Here are some key ones I have that I'm looking for answers to in this first game. Who guards Dikymbe Martin, arguably their most dynamic scorer, when we run a strict man to man defense? Do we put our best defender on him or match up with relative height? Who do we consider our best defender? Can Nebraska win the turnover battle and will that make a difference in games this year? Assuming we're going to lose a lot of the rebounding battles, you need to gain those extra possessions taking care of the ball. There were a lot of unforced turnovers vs Doane. Is that a sign of things to come? Are there any elite contact drawers and who are they? From their stats it would seem that Burke and eventually Stevenson can get to the line. Who else on the team has the willingness and ability to draw fouls? Back to the pressing question: who is going to win this game? At some point the amount of speed and talent on this Nebraska team will be too much to handle for UCR and the Huskers should take control of this game. Even if the Highlanders have sped up their game relative to last year, there is no way this team will want to run with the Nebraska. (still seems odd to say) Look for UCR's slow pace and offensive rebounds to keep the overall score a little lower and closer than might be desired. Prediction: Nebraska 82 - UCR 70 with a 73% chance of Runza View full article

PG out of Philly basketball powerhouse Roman Catholic (Penn St offered in 2016)

Daniel visited in 2015

Here is their roster number name position height weight class hometown 1 0 Dragan Elkaz G 6' 5" 205 lbs SO Green Valley, Australia 1 Arinze Chidom F 6' 9" 240 lbs JR Oakland, CA 3 2 Quinton Ford G 6' 3" 185 lbs FR Copperas Cove, TX 4 3 DJ McDonald G 5' 11" 175 lbs SO Sylmar, CA 5 4 Daniel Mading F 6' 9" 200 lbs SO Perth, Australia 6 5 Zyon Pullin G 6' 4" 195 lbs FR Pleasant Hill, CA 7 11 Zac Watson F 6' 7" 210 lbs SO Plano, TX 8 13 Khyber Kabellis G 6' 4" 185 lbs SR Escondido, CA 9 15 Dikymbe Martin G 6' 1" 170 lbs SR Riverside, CA 10 22 Dominick Pickett G 6' 3" 210 lbs JR Moreno Valley, CA 11 23 Angus McWilliam F 6' 10" 240 lbs SO Christchurch, New Zealand 12 24 Jaylen Cross G 6' 4" 185 lbs FR Melbourne, Australia 13 25 Callum McRae C 7' 1" 275 lbs SO Palmerston North, New Zealand 14 35 George Willborn II G 6' 3" 195 lbs JR Chicago, IL You'll notice the 2 players from New Zealand and 3 from Australia. This is due to 2nd year head coach David Patrick. Patrick grew up in Australia and is probably most famous for being an assistant coach at LSU where he got his godson Ben Simmons to hang out for a year.

Radio

Quotes from Doane Head Coach Ian McKeithen On reconnecting with Fred Hoiberg “It's been a crazy process. I stopped by their camp this summer, just to kind of reconnect with Fred (Hoiberg). I haven’t seen him in a long time, and he hasn’t seen me. For us, 12 years ago, when he was an assistant GM, and I was just an intern getting him coffee every day, literally. For us to be on the same floor in any capacity, and he's had an amazing career as a player and as a coach. I'm just a young guy trying to get my feet wet, even though this is my seventh year as a head coach. He’s somebody who was very courteous to me because I was only 23 or 24 at the time. He was the assistant GM of the team and never looked down on me, always was cordial. To reconnect and coach in the same game as him is really cool feeling for me to come full circle. I owe him and other people in that organization that took a chance on me. You never know where life will take you in basketball. Kind of a cool story. I'm appreciative of Coach Hoiberg for giving me a shot then.” On playing in-state game "More importantly, I think this was a good night for our university. For us to be 20 minutes away, I know there were a lot of Doane people in the stands. I know there were tailgate parties and different things. For our university, it is big time, and I hope that Nebraska continues to invite local schools, NAIA and Division II Nebraska schools because I think that there are a lot of alums and people in Lincoln and Omaha that can make this atmosphere on a routine basis, even for an exhibition game. I thought it was great.” On team’s performance. “It’s tough. I really wish Trace Tupper could’ve played in this game. It hurts me that he couldn’t play tonight. For him, he’s a local kid, and a kid that can physically match up with Nebraska at 6-foot-10. I really wish he could’ve played in this game. You just try to rely on your base principles. If we can just do the things we’ve taught them for eight weeks straight, I’m sure [Nebraska] is doing, you just play. If you don’t have that base in it, nothing is going to matter anyway. You can scheme and scout all you want, but if you don’t have core stuff, it is not going to matter. I thought we did a good job of staying with what we do and letting the chips fall.”

MACK, BURKE, THORBJARNARSON PRESSER Quotes from UNL Cam Mack, Sophomore, Guard On if he took the atmosphere during warm-ups “Definitely. I am trying to enjoy every moment of it. First time in PBA, so it was kind of crazy. Definitely.” On the reason for the slow start “Nerves. First game, first exhibition. People came to see us play. We just had to get it (nerves) out and once we got did, we started rolling.” Dachon Burke Jr., Junior, Guard On how it felt to play and play well “It was good. For the team first, it was good to go out there with my brothers and compete. We had a scrimmage at Wichita State and learned some things and went into practice. Tonight, we played hard. For me personally, though, I was a little nervous the first couple minutes. It was like wow; I haven’t played basketball in a year and a half. You can’t compare it to PBA, so it felt good to get out there and play.” On what Cam Mack brings to the table “He brings a lot to the table. He is very versatile, and he can push the ball. He can do a little bit of everything. It is fun playing with him and he gets me going. I like playing with him.” Thorir Thorbjarnarson, Junior, Guard On how it felt to get back out there “It felt great. We got off to a slow start, but I think it was just the nerves of not playing in PBA for a long time. Being back out there felt great.” On the key to the transition game “We have to rebound, that is the main thing. Even though the other team scores, we have to get it out quick, and we want to run as fast as we can. Rebound and just putting your head down when you get scored on.”

Hoiberg's presser Notes from UNL Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg On how he felt the game went “For the first time out in front of the fans, I was pleased for the most part with our approach to this game. I thought we had a great shootaround today and a good week of practice coming into this. I thought early on we had some jitters. We dug ourselves into an 8-0 hole, then 10-2. Then we calmed down. I thought Cam [Mack] really took over the game offensively. I thought Thorir [Thorbjarnarson] was a great spark off the bench. I thought he had some great reads and back cuts. I thought they had a good, little chemistry going on. Kevin Cross in the first half had good minutes for us. We ran into some foul trouble early, which had us deviate from our rotation a little bit. I thought after that four-minute stretch in the beginning, those 14 minutes between the first half when we limited them to five points, our defense was really good and active. We got our hands on balls, we rebounded it and that got our transition game going. If we can build off that defensively, to see what we can do and create opportunities on the offensive end is very important for this team.” On if the game was how he envisioned it after the first four minutes “Yeah, I thought we moved it a lot better, both ball movement and player movement. I thought we were standing around a little bit early. Guys were out there looking frozen, except for Dachon [Burke]. He was running a million miles per hour. That’s what I love about him. He’s got unbelievable energy. In that second half, he really got it going for us. The thing I didn’t like in the second half is that we just traded baskets with them. We were scoring, but we were giving it back to them on the other end. Rebounding, I thought we did a solid job. Our goal was to keep them under 10 on the offensive glass after getting hurt in our scrimmage. Overall, for the most part I was pleased. I thought our pace both on misses and makes in that second half was really good.” On if it was a sign of growth for the team to respond after being down early in the first half “Yeah, I thought they were great. They stayed with it. I thought they did a good job. [Doane] had played three games already, so we had a pretty good scouting report on them. I thought they followed it pretty well out there. Again, when you get off to a slow start like you do, you can’t press. You can’t get it all back at once. I thought our guys did a good job of really buckling down on the defensive end. I thought were much more solid. As we went on, we were getting back. We gave up a couple of transition baskets early. We got back to our principles, Once we got those stops, we got out in transition on offense.”