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Nebraska Basketball: Saturday’s loss to North Dakota was a step back

By Danny Jaillet

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - DECEMBER 13: Fred Hoiberg the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers gives instructions to his team against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on December 13, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - DECEMBER 13: Fred Hoiberg the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers gives instructions to his team against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on December 13, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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It was not a good day for Nebraska Basketball.

It was a tough game for Nebraska Basketball Saturday. A missed jumper by Dachon Burke rattled out and they lost to North Dakota by a 75-74 score. In a game that saw them outscored 35-30 in the first half, they actually played better in the second half. They outscored North Dakota 44-40 and that put them in the position to win. Nevertheless, they just could not get the job done.

It was definitely a deflating loss given the fact that they were coming off a solid weekend last weekend. Although they lost to Indiana, they took the Hoosiers to overtime. Beating Purdue was certainly impressive as well, especially since they snapped Purdue’s winning streak. Heading into Saturday’s game against North Dakota, I thought they would be able to handle the Fighting Hawks. However, North Dakota came ready to play.

Four of North Dakota’s starters played extremely efficiently. Filip Rebraca was one of them. In 39 minutes of play, he recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Marlon Stewart also played his part. In 36 minutes of play, he recorded 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists. He was all over the floor on Saturday, and Nebraska Basketball could just not keep up with him.

De’Sean Allen-Ekiens got hot early. In 36 minutes of play, he recorded 15 points and three rebounds. He was a huge reason why North Dakota got out to a first half lead, as he was extremely active offensively. Although Nebraska played better in the second half, that first half lead was huge for North Dakota.

Cam Mack was the leading scorer for Nebraska in this game. He had 19 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field and three-of-five shooting from beyond the arc. In what was a tough day in general, he was a bright spot. He is obviously finding his groove right now. That will only mean good things for Nebraska Basketball once conference play comes around.

Hannif Cheatham played well too. He scored 10 points on four-of-seven shooting and made both of his free throws. Last but not least, I would be remissed if I didn’t mention Burke. Aside from his missed jumper at the end of the game, he managed to make an impact on the score sheet .What was lacking was efficiency. He went five-of-12 from the field. He missed both three-point shots he attempted as well as the lone free-throw he attempted. In what was his first game back in some time, the rust was definitely there.

This was a game Nebraska should’ve won. Maybe the long layoff hurt them, I don’t know exactly. This is certainly a game that Nebraska Basketball should’ve won. Those peaks and valleys I talked about last week reared their ugly head on Saturday. Here’s to hoping next Sunday will be better.

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