Expectations are tough to deal with and it’s clear after Nebraska Basketball’s 2013-2014 season they were extremely high. Too high, honestly. But the team’s performance tonight is much closer to what fans were wanting to see out of the 2014-2015 version of the Huskers.
It’s refreshing after the last handful of games to see the team compete for a full 40 minutes. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for this type of effort EVERY time out is it? I’d guess head man Tim Miles would agree with me. Despite the loss, (69-65) there are things to be happy about. How’d it look from the Cheap Seats?
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Feb 19, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Nebraska Huskers forward Shavon Shields (31) is defended by Maryland Terrapins forward Jake Layman (10) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
– Coach Miles went with a new starting lineup with Huskers Tarin Smith and Leslee Smith in from the start in place of Benny Parker and Walter Pitchford. Tarin scored four points and fouled out of the game while Leslee Smith also scored four points before seeing more of the bench after Pitchford got hot. Tarin Smith clearly impressed coach Miles as a starter. He mentioned in the post game that Smith would continue to start.
– 22 bench points at the half, 11 of those from Walter Pitchford. NU added 14 more bench points in the second half to total 36. This is new and exciting territory for NU. Walter P (for 3) scored 19 with five three pointers. Well done, Pitchford. Keep it up.
– Speaking of three pointers, Nebraska totaled nine of them against Maryland. The previous three games? Just nine combined.
– After Petteway got his forth foul, Shavon Shields really went to work on the offensive side of the ball for the next two minutes. His drives to the basket are a thing of beauty. No. 31 finished with 13 points on 50% shooting.
– Tip the cap to the Husker team for spreading the ball around. Eight of the nine players who played scored (David Rivers being the exception).
– Normally I focus on the Huskers when I write these. Melo Trimble is so good he deserves mention. The youngster for the Terps is extremely talented. His 26 points lead all scorers and he hit a couple of amazing three pointers.
Feb 19, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) dribbles past Nebraska Huskers guard Benny Parker (3) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
– Nick Fuller played a career-high 26 minutes and 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He also added five rebounds. The kid has a future, but he’ll need to solidify on the defensive end. I have confidence he will do so. Look for his minutes to continue to go up.
– In his post game press conference Tim Miles said ‘The kids are competing. They’re battling their butts off. They have a lot of pride in being Nebraska basketball players.’ I think you could see that tonight. Look no further than the rebounding numbers. NU had 33 boards including 10 offensive rebounds, compared to Maryland’s 26 with just one offensive board.
Despite the loss, it was a good effort. Play like this on Sunday and NU will win. Game starts at 2:00 at the Vault. GO BIG RED!!!