As Iowa prepares for the Nebraska basketball team on Tuesday night, Hawkeyes coach Ben McCollum had some interesting praise for Fred Hoiberg's defense. In his preview press conference ahead of the two teams' first matchup of the season, McCollum said the Huskers' defense is "really strange."
"They force you down baseline, and they're going to rotate, and they're going to do their thing," McCollum said, expanding on how exactly it's weird. "With Sam [Hoiberg] and some of those bigs and guards and the communication of Rienk, they're good defensively."
However, McCollum thinks the Huskers' offense needs to be respected as well. He also admitted that he didn't realize Nebraska would be as good as it is this season after missing the Big Ten Tournament a year ago.
Iowa coach Ben McCollum praises Nebraska basketball and its defensive approach
NU has been "excellent" this season, McCollum said, with Rienk Mast's return to the lineup "changing everything" about the Huskers' potential. McCollum said Mast and Sam Hoiberg's intangibles make Nebraska "shockingly better."
There is one interesting aspect of the Tuesday night matchup that will allow the Cornhuskers a chance to get their first victory over a winning team since January 10. Both squads have run into a situation where they struggle to start the game. McCollum also talked about that and how frustrated he's been with their struggles to open the game.
"It's probably more of a defensive lineup to start and we do get stops with that lineup, but we just don't score ... So you start the game, first couple possessions I believe maybe even the first possession of the game or second possession of the game we had a point blank layup that we just missed that we normally make."
That unlocks a key for Nebraska on Tuesday night. If the Hawkeyes stick to their pattern, a quick start for the Huskers could allow them to put Iowa away quickly. On the other hand, if NU starts slow again and McCollum figures out a way to get his team off to a solid beginning, the Cornhuskers will have to play catch-up again, something they've done far too much of lately.