Nebraska Basketball: View from the Cheap Seats – Michigan Edition
Another road test and another road loss for the Nebraska Basketball team, this time to the Michigan Wolverines. Huskers’ offense let them down in a major way losing 58-44 to a short handed Michigan team riddled by injuries. It was a winnable road game that really hurts to lose, not because it’s a “bad loss”, but because the road win means so much at the end of the season, though the NCAA tournament seems a long shot at this point.
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A game like this, especially on offense, will require a long hard look in the mirror for the Big Red. Will Tim Miles makes changes? I wouldn’t bet against it. Before the Huskers take the court against Minnesota on Saturday, though, let’s take a look at my views from the cheap seats for the loss to Michigan.
– 30.6% from the floor, 21.1% from three is really all you need to know about how this game went. The Huskers shot so poorly that there were questions early in the second half as to whether the Huskers could even hit 30 points. As it turned out, their 44 points scored were the lowest of the season, and the lowest since a loss to Wisconsin in 2012 (41 points).
Jan 24, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tim Miles reacts from the sidelines against the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Cornhuskers won 79-77. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
– I hate to just bash on them, but at some point I was wondering if Tim Miles ever coached his team on how to play on the offensive end. They looked disorganized and without any idea on what to do. More times than not, it was like the Huskers would pass the ball around the 3-point line until it ended up in Petteway’s hands and then he missed his shot (he was 1/7 from three).
– Tai Webster started in place of David Rivers and played 16 minutes. Tarin Smith played 30 minutes off the bench. That should tell you all you need to know about the future. Of course, that’s not to say Tai doesn’t have a place, but Smith should be in the starting lineup, either in place of Rivers or Benny Parker. No. 11 scored eight points and nabbed 7 rebounds and most importantly, 0 turnovers. The kid is a player, folks, and he was one of the few bright spots against Michigan.
Jan 15, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Tarin Smith (11) dribbles the ball as Wisconsin Badgers guard Jordan Smith (2) defends at the Kohl Center. The Badgers won 70-55. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
– Maybe we should worry less about the uniforms and more about the players in them? I can’t stress enough how bad a 30.6% shooting effort, especially coming off of their near 50% effort against Michigan State on Saturday. Does playing on the road make that big of a difference? Conference road games are tough, no doubt, but you have to think Tim Miles expects more than thethree road B1G wins he’s had in his tenure.
– Terran Petteway’s double digit scoring streak was snapped, after a 0 point first half, he only scored 7 in the second. If you’re an All-Conference caliber player, you expect more. But Petteway is a roller coaster, and the ride is far from over.
– Just one minute of playing time for Moses Abraham. NU went small to counter Michigan’s smaller lineup, but ended up getting dominated on the boards. The Nebraska Basketball big men have to get tougher. That goes for Abraham, Smith and especially Walter Pitchford. The former Florida transfer only scored four points in 29 minutes to go along with four rebounds. Across the board the Husker “bigs” performance was disappointing. If NU wants success they’ll need much more from the three of them.
– If Nebraska basketball has any hope in making the NCAA tournament (unlikely) they’ll need to win all three of their next games. Away to Minnesota, home to Northwestern, away to Penn State. Anything but 3-0 and things get really, really tough.
Huskers are back in action on Saturday against Minnesota. Catch the game on BTN at 5pm and GO BIG RED!!!