Nebraska Basketball now has the daunting task of taking on Maryland in the second game of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday.
After Wednesday’s impressive win over Rutgers to open the Big Ten tournament, Nebraska basketball now has a game plan that they should follow not only for their contest against Maryland Thursday, but for the rest of the tournament: feed James Palmer Jr. the ball. He was instrumental in their win on Wednesday and he needs to provide that same spark on Thursday.
Palmer played a great game, scoring 34 points in 40 minutes of play. He went nine-of-19 from the field, two-of-six from behind the arc, and 14-of-22 from the free-throw line. He also chipped in to rebounds and two steals as he played with defensive intensity. It was truly great to see as Nebraska basketball looked like a different team than the one we have seen at times throughout the course of the season. They looked re-energized, focused, and ready to play. Now, they will have to take that mindset to their next game Thursday against Maryland, a team that has given them trouble during the regular season.
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Maryland beat Nebraska in the regular season series by a 2-0 margin. Some of you may remember the close game back on January 2, one that Nebraska was in throughout the course of the game but just could not finish. Maryland beat Minnesota by a 69-60 score to finish their regular season, and now they collide with a Nebraska basketball team that seems to have found new life.
Nebraska basketball will have to deal with the three-headed monster of an offensive attack that Maryland brings. Between Bruno Fernando, Jalen Smith, and Anthony Cowan Jr. , the Terrapins can beat you in a lot of ways. In their last game against Minnesota, Cowan was the leading scorer in the contest with 21 points. Smith finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Fernando chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The bottom line is that Maryland can beat you in many ways. They do not have one particular player that they go to for scoring, which is unfortunate because that would make the lives of Tim Miles and company much easier. They rely on scoring from everybody.
Game Information
Big Ten Tournament- Game 2 : Nebraska vs. Maryland
When: 1:55 PM CST
Where: United Center, Chicago Illinois
TV: BTN
Stream: BTN 2 Go
Don’t Forget About…
Glynn Watson Jr. is also a player that fan should keep an eye on Thursday. He struggled on Wednesday, going four-of-14 from the field and scoring 11 points in total. However, when he can make a couple shots and get into a nice rhythm, he is difficult to stop. He could be a great secondary scorer for Nebraska basketball. Something tells me they may need it as Maryland will probably key in on Palmer.