The Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball team tipped off their season on Monday and for a few brief moments, it looked like there was going to be more pain for fans of the Huskers. In the end, they managed to roll out to a big win over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.
There were times when NU looked like it was ready to take command. And then UTRGV would make a little comeback. But in the final minutes of the game, newcomer Connor Essegian stepped up, and the team got hot when it needed to eventually skating to an 87-67 victory.
Truth: Brice Williams will be key all year for the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Brice Williams and Juwan Gary’s return over the offseason was huge for the Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball team. That was clear immediately, but Williams demonstrated just how big right from the first game of the year.
Williams had a Husker career high and led all scorers on Monday night with 27 points to go with with 5 rebounds. He was also steady at the free throw line, hitting 10-of-11 attempts. While he wasn’t great from long range (1-for-6 from 3-point land) there were times when he was NU’s only offense. With Keisei Tominaga gone, Nebrasketball needs to have a go-to guy. He could be it.
Truth: Sloppy play was more than a little concerning
The Huskers had problems all offseason and at the beginning of this year’s practices with turnovers. Those problems showed up early and often at PBA on Monday. They finished the night with 13 turnovers and that’s not terrible for a full game.
But it’s not great against an opponent at the level of UTRGV. The Vaqueros also turned the ball over 20 times. Had they not reached that insane number, things would have been much scarier.
Lie: Much can be taken from this game
Opening night around the sport is always interesting as all get out. It’s hard to judge much of the rest of the season on a team’s first game. South Carolina lost to North Florida on Monday. No. 13 Texas A&M lost to unranked South Carolina.
For today, take the win. But the Nebraska Cornhuskers need to ramp up because a showdown with Creighton is not far off. And before that a game against St. Mary’s is going to be far from easy.