If Nebraska Basketball wants to beat TCU, Glenn Watson will have to show that he can sustain his recent level of success.
It’s no secret that Glynn Watson Jr. is a huge part of the Nebraska Basketball offense. Especially with the injury to Issac Copeland, Nebraska Basketball needed Watson to step up in Copeland’s absence. Although he struggled towards the end of February, he began making a big impact this month. Much like the rest of the Nebraska Basketball team, he caught fire at exactly the right time.
They will need him to be the Glynn Watson that we saw on Wednesday against Butler. In 40 minutes of action, Watson recorded 17 points. Shooting four-of-eight from the field. He also made three three-pointers and made all six free throws he attempted. He also managed to get it done on the defensive end as well. Recording three rebounds and four assists in addition to a steal, he showed that versatility that has been a hallmark of his all season.
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The Butler game was just exemplary of how he has played over the course of these last couple of months. Watson needed a wake-up call towards the end of conference play. He got it on February 19 against Penn State. In a 95-71 loss, he did not perform well at all. He went two-of-10 from the field and two-of-four from behind the arc. He shot extremely poorly and only finished with six points on the evening.
He responded well the following game. Against Purdue, he tallied 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting. He was particularly effective shooting the three-ball, going five-of-nine. Notching four rebounds, he did a little bit of everything and finished with 25 points on the afternoon. Since the Purdue game, he has scored in double figures in every game he has played in since. That is exactly the type of boost that Nebraska basketball has needed.
They need Watson to be at his best again on Sunday. They can’t afford to have him struggle, even though he is human after all and these things happen. Once he gets it going, he can be very effective particularly from three-point range. He was five-of-14 from behind the arc against Wisconsin in the program’s final Big Ten tournament game, and the 14 three-point shots are something that I would like to see. He obviously does not have to shoot 14 shots exactly, but it would be wise for him to be a volume shooter on Sunday.
TCU is going to key in on guys like James Palmer and Isaiah Roby. That leaves a perfect opportunity for Watson to shine. If he can get a couple of shots in early, I see that boding well for him in regards to a strong performance in the game. He will need to be firing on all cylinders in order for Nebraska Basketball to advance. If he can do that, it would be a fun evening on the hardwood.