Nebraska Basketball: Keys to the Game (Iowa Edition)

After dropping the home conference opener Tim Miles and his Nebraska basketball team now take the road against regional rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa enters the game with a 10-4 record while NU enters at 8-5. Iowa is a 10.5 point favorite by most publications.

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Most recently the Hawkeyes upset No. 20 Ohio State on the road with a 71-65 victory. 6’9″ forward Aaron White leads Iowa in points (16.0), rebounds (7.3) and steals (1.7) and will provide a huge test for the Husker round-ballers. Jarrod Uthoff, another 6’9″ forward is averaging 11.1 points, and 6.6 rebounds for the season.

With such a large test in front of the Huskers, what are the KEYS to getting a road upset win?

– If there was any game Nebraska could use their big men it is this one. Along with the aforementioned forwards, White and Uthoff, the Hawks have 7’1″ post Adam Woodbury as well as 6’10” Gabriel Olaseni, both averaging nearly 20 minutes a game and providing big bodies in the paint which will make it hard for the Nebraska basketball posts to contend with.

Dec 31, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Troy Williams (5) drives against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Walter Pitchford (35) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

-Walter Pitchford will have to play big, but also play smart. If No. 35 were to get into foul trouble the Huskers get thin quickly with only David Rivers and potentially freshman Jake Hammond available as subs. Over the last five games, Pitchford hasn’t played less than 28 minutes in any of them and there were two games where he played over 40 minutes.

– Indiana was able to get to the rim at will against the Huskers ending the game shooting 45% from the floor. Preventing the Hawkeyes from getting to the rim and also preventing cheap second chance points (offensive rebounds) will be key. Huskers have been solid in defense this year , but often failed to take possession after a missed shot. It will be tough due to Iowa’s size, but Pitchford and Rivers boxing out will be crucial. Indiana had 12 offensive boards, while NU had six. That’s no way to make a living and that’s certainly no way to win a tough road game.

Dec 31, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward David Rivers (2) defends against the Indiana Hoosiers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Indiana defeated Nebraska 70-65. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

– If Nebraska basketball wants a chance to win they need to keep the scores in the sixties. Iowa has scored less than 70 five times this season going 2-3 in those games. They’ve scored over 70 nine times, collecting an 8-1 record in those games. In the Huskers’ last five games NU has only gone over 70 once and that includes two overtime games (one of them a double OT game where they only scored 56 total points).

If the Huskers can limit Iowa’s offensive chances and keep this game slowed down they will have a chance. Otherwise NU will take another hard loss before Rutgers comes to Lincoln on Thursday. Look for our “From the Cheap Seats article after the game and As always, GO BIG RED!!

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