Palmer is the man of March
Coming into this game, I was wondering what James Palmer Jr. would be able to do for an encore. After all, his 34 points were certainly a masterful display of scoring. Thursday, he did not score 34, but he again proved that he is undoubtedly the engine that makes this offense work.
In 40 minutes of action, Palmer went eight-of-13 from the field including three-of-six from behind the arc. He also proved to be effective at the free-throw line, making five of his eight free throws. He also proved to be an effective weapon on the glass. Recording five rebounds, he truly was all over the court and was the nucleus of the entire team Thursday. He finished the contest with 24 points.
I don’t want to say that Nebraska read my article before the game, but they certainly followed my strategy. Palmer will need to put together another good performance on Friday. You know that this Wisconsin team will be doing everything they can to try to stop him offensively. Other teams have tried to do that before, and failed. He will have to play with the same determination he played with Thursday if he wants to overcome defensive pressure. Nebraska basketball needs him to be firing on all cylinders again. It is a lot to ask out of him, especially given how much energy and effort he has put into his last two games. However, Nebraska basketball needs him to be at the top of his game yet again if they want to beat Wisconsin.