Nebraska Basketball: Bench provides key spark in victory
The play off the bench was key for Nebraska basketball Tuesday night.
Nebraska basketball beat South Dakota by a 76-69 margin on Tuesday night. The bench was a big reason why.
The bench scored a combined 24 points, with 11 apiece coming from Kobe Webster and Shamiel Stevenson. Yvan Ouedraogo scored to to his credit as well.
More from Husker Corner
- Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
- Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
- Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
- Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
- Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims
In particular, the performances of Webster and Stephenson were certainly notable. They provided a spark from the bench, and it gave Nebraska flexibility to rest their starters at certain points in the game.
Webster went four-of-11 from the field and two-of-seven from beyond the arc. It wasn’t necessarily the most efficient performance, but it got the job done and gave Nebraska basketball some key insurance points in difficult spots. In the meantime, Stevenson was a bit more efficient going four-of-seven from the field and three-of-five from the free-throw line. He also chipped in two steals.
Webster was very aggressive on Tuesday night, attacking the rim and trying to make the most of his opportunities. He fit in really well with the play style of the entire program on Tuesday night, and he seems to fit well overall so far this season
In the meantime, Stevenson has begun to find his niche as well. This is the second time this season has scored at least 10 points off the bench, as he scored 12 against McNeese State in the opener last week. There is little question that he is exactly the spark Nebraska basketball needs off the bench. A deep bench will be able to sustain the play style of the starters, without too much drop-off. So far, these two in particular have done exactly that.
I’ll be interested to see how their roles grow moving forward. They definitely played a huge role in the victory on Tuesday night, and they showed that this team has a ton of depth. If I was coach Fred Hoiberg, I would feel very comfortable putting those two out there in particular. They are showing consistently solid play, and that’s what this program needs.
Overall, I have been extremely pleased with the play of the Nebraska basketball program. This team seems extremely deep, and they seem like they want to compete and play hard. We’ll see how this all translates to conference play.
Next. Three players who have impressed so far. dark
As for now however, they are showing that they could potentially be a force to be reckoned with. After a rough season last year, this is exactly how the Nebraska basketball program needed to start off the season.