Nebraska basketball: Isaiah Roby making his case for early season MVP
While there have been several stars for the Nebraska basketball team in the early going, Isaiah Roby has been the most consistently outstanding.
Two games into the season, the Nebraska basketball team is 2-0. That record is thanks to several Husker players who have had pretty good starts to the year.
The king of that particular hill, the guy who has been the most consistent and the biggest impact player of the bunch is one that few Cornhusker fans expected. Sophomore forward Isaiah Roby is announcing his presence with authority. He’s doing it after spending most of the offseason and exhibition season being overshadowed by guys like Glynn Watson and James Palmer Jr.
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Roby showed flashes of potential a year ago, but being a freshman, also showed maddening flashes of inconsistency. Now, at least in the very early going, it appears the forward is ready to take the next step in his development.
Roby’s performance on Monday night against North Texas was as more of a complimentary player, thanks to the Cornhuskers getting off to a ridiculous start and then coasting to an easy 19 point win.
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Roby only played 20 minutes, but he made the most of that floor time, scoring 11 points, hauling down seven rebounds, dealing out two assists, getting a steal and blocking a shot. He also went 1-2 from behind the 3-point line on a night when the rest of the team was just 4-15.
While it’s safe to say the Huskers would have beaten North Texas without his contributions, it’s equally safe to say they might have dropped their season opener to Eastern Illinois without Roby’s involvement.
Against the Panthers, a low-level OVC team whose claim to fame is beating Illinois in an exhibition game this year, Roby quite simply “went off.” In addition to another 11 point night, he hauled down 13 rebounds, had another steal and drained his only 3-point attempt. Oh, Roby also had six (6!!!) blocks.
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Considering the Nebraska basketball team won by four points, it’s not a stretch to think Roby not being in the frontcourt on Saturday night would mean the Huskers are 1-1 at best right now. In two days, we’ll get to see if Isaiah Roby can continue his solid play against a better class of opponent when the Cornhuskers take on St. Johns.