Archive for 'Big 12 Tournament Pre-game'
Big 12 Tournament Pre-Game: Nebraska vs. Texas A&M
March 11, 2010 by Bret Nellor, under Big 12 Tournament Pre-game, News.
#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers 15-17 (2-14) vs.
#4 Texas A&M Aggies 22-8 (11-5)
March 11 – 2:00 p.m. tipoff
TV: Big 12 Network
Nebraska faces off with Texas A&M in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament today. The Huskers enter the game with an upset win over Missouri yesterday. The Aggies come into the game with the benefit of having a first-round bye and winners of 3 straight games leading up to the tournament. The big question today is what team will show up for the Big Red?
A&M Coach Mark Turgeon turned in one of the better performances in the Big 12 this year rallying his team despite the season-ending injury to starter Derrick Roland. The Aggies could have felt sorry for themselves but instead found a new resolve and kept improving throughout the course of the conference schedule and are a solid NCAA tournament team. TAMU won the first matchup 64-53 between these 2 teams in what was the first conference game for both.
NU leading scorers
Ryan Anderson 11.2 ppg
Brandon Richardson 9.1 ppg
Jorge Brian Diaz 8.7 ppg
TAMU leading scorers
Donald Sloan 17.9 ppg
Bryan Davis 10.0 ppg
B.J. Holmes 9.2 ppg
For Nebraska fans, yesterday’s win was very enjoyable. It has been such a difficult season as Doc Sadler and this team just has not put it together on both ends of the court. Now, will NU give an encore performance or will the team that got blown out at home on Senior Day just over a week ago show up?
From what I’ve seen, I think we’ll see the team closer to yesterday’s winners show up. The victory over Missouri gives this team some much needed confidence. Of course, they shot ball extremely well and that will make even the worst of teams tough to beat. I don’t think we’ll see as good of a shooting display again, but I think they’ll defend harder or as hard as they have all season knowing that if they can keep the game close they’ll have a chance to win it.
In my eyes, the Big Red matches up pretty well with A&M. They played them tough in their matchup earlier this season in College Station despite having 8 players playing without Big 12 conference experience.
Here are the 3 keys I’ll be watching for today:
- Nebraska has to defend well. There can be no uncontested shots. And absolutely no open 3-pointers.
- The Huskers need to shoot well. They won’t match yesterday’s 55.8%, but they have to hit 45% or better to keep the game close. The closer they get to the 50% shooting mark, their chances to win dramatically increase.
- How involved will Jorge Brian Diaz be? Yesterday’s offense was effective because he was involved early and often in the offensive sets. That needs to continue. Diaz must also stay out of foul trouble to help out with low post defense and keeping Bryan Davis off the glass. Without a good showing by him, the Huskers chances nosedive.
One other thing to consider: Christian Standhardinger did not play in the Missouri win. If he’s called upon today, he’ll have as much energy as Texas A&M. He could be a key contributor if needed today.
As much as I’d like to pick Nebraska to win today, the odds are just too great. The Huskers have such little margin for error. Nearly everything has to go according to plan for them to win. With that said, that doesn’t mean they can’t win. If yesterday’s game taught us anything, this is why they play the conference tournament games.
My pick: Texas A&M
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Big 12 Tournament Pre-Game: Nebraska vs. Missouri
March 10, 2010 by Bret Nellor, under Big 12 Tournament Pre-game, News.
#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers 14-17 (2-14) vs.
#5 Missouri Tigers 22-9 (10-6)
March 10 – 2:00 p.m. tipoff
TV: ESPN2/Big 12 Network
Nebraska will face Missouri in the second game of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon. The Huskers enter the game as the #12 seed and the Tigers are the #5 seed. Mizzou swept the regular season series with the Big Red winning 70-53 at home and winning 74-59 in Lincoln. Working against NU is the fact that the #12 seed has won only once in the history of the Big 12 Tournament.
Missouri comes into the tournament with what could have been a 3-game losing streak if not for a last second shot by Zaire Taylor to beat Iowa State in OT about a week ago. Mike Anderson’s Tigers may not be playing their best ball right now, but they figure to have huge support from their fans as they’ll be happy to fill the Sprint Center and cheer them on. Missouri is the defending tournament champion.
NU leading scorers
Ryan Anderson 11.0 ppg
Brandon Richardson 8.7 ppg
Jorge Brian Diaz 8.6 ppg
MU leading scorers
Kim English 14.1 ppg
Marcus Denmon 11.0 ppg
Laurence Bowers 10.1 ppg
Nebraska is on a 2-game losing streak that could have been 10-game losing streak if not for an OT win over Texas Tech a few games ago. This has been a miserable conference season for Doc Sadler and his team. Despite the theory that it might be difficult for Missouri to sweep Nebraska, it certainly looks on paper like this will be the final game of the season for NU. But that’s precisely why they play the games!
The Huskers held their own with Missouri in both losses until about the mid-point of the second halves when their typical scoring droughts took hold. If not for those difficulties scoring they may have stolen one of those games. Of course, that doesn’t mean much unless you’re a Nebraska fan looking for some shreds of hope.
For NU to have a chance today they must handle Missouri’s pressure defense, shoot the ball from 3 well, and play their best game defensively. In both losses, the Tiger bench has scorched the Huskers. They must do a better job limiting open shots and second chance opportunities. In all, it’s too much to ask from this Nebraska team. They may be able to push Mizzou but in the end the Tigers have too much talent and should come away with the win.
My pick: Missouri
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Pre-Game: Nebraska vs. #1 Kansas
February 5, 2010 by Bret Nellor, under Big 12 Tournament Pre-game, News.
Nebraska Cornhuskers 13-9 (1-6) vs.
#1 Kansas Jayhawks 21-1 (7-0)
February 6 – 5 p.m. tipoff
TV: ESPNU
Nebraska heads to Lawrence, KS to play #1 Kansas at possibly the toughest place to play in the Big 12. Huskers are again licking their wounds after a disappointing effort in their loss to #11 Kansas State this past Tuesday. Kansas comes into the game on a roll with a 7-game win streak.
The Jayhawks have had 2 recent overtime scares on the road at Kansas State and Colorado. Despite those close calls, Coach Bill Self has his squad focused and at this point look to me like they’re a step above a very strong Big 12 Conference. If they can keep their focus they have a chance to run the table in conference play which has only been done once (Kansas 16-0, 2001-02).
NU leading scorers
Ryan Anderson 10.7 ppg
Brandon Richardson 8.8 ppg
Jorge Brian Diaz 8.5 ppg
KU leading scorers
Sherron Collins 15.5 ppg
Xavier Henry 13.2 ppg
Marcus Morris 12.7 ppg
Honestly I don’t see Nebraska having much of a chance in this game. In fact, it could be ugly. Since Doc Sadler has taken over the NU program they have lost each year in Lawrence (92-39 in ‘07, 84-49 in ‘08, 70-53 in ‘09). An average margin of defeat of 35 points! The only hope I see the Huskers having is if the Jayhawks happen to be looking past this game in preparation for their matchup at Texas on Monday night. But even that is slim.
So as a Husker fan what can we hope for in this game? I’d like to see this team rebound from their last performance against KSU and give a great effort. If they can play strong defense and keep Kansas’s margin of victory under 15 points, that will be progress. In the first matchup between NU and KU this season, the Big Red had probably their best game offensively. If they can come close to that and look capable on the offensive end, I’ll take that as a I sign that this team is maturing.
I know it’s not much to look forward to, but with a Nebraska team with so many freshman and first-year players playing important roles we have take every little positive as a building block for the future.
My pick: Kansas
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Big 12 Tournament Pre-game: Baylor vs. Nebraska
March 9, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under Big 12 Tournament Pre-game, News.
#9 Baylor Bears 17-13 (5-11) vs.
#8 Nebraska Cornhuskers 18-11 (8-8)
March 11 – 11:30 a.m. tipoff
TV: Big 12 Network
The Big 12 tournament kicks off with Baylor and Nebraska in the 8/9 game in Oklahoma City Wednesday. The game is the rematch of their game this past weekend in Waco which the Huskers won 66-62. Toney McCray and Ade Dagunduro led NU with 18 and 11 points respectively in the victory.
This game marks the 3rd time in the past 4 years that Nebraska will face the same team they played to end the regular season. The Huskers stand at 1-1 in those previous rematches. Doc Sadler holds a 1-2 record in the Big 12 tournament as the Husker head coach. He’ll be looking to improve on that record after leading the Big Red to their first .500 record in the Big 12 since NU last finished at 10-6 in the ‘98-’99 season under then head coach Danny Nee.
BU leading scorers
Curtis Jerrells 16.2 ppg
LaceDarius Dunn 15.1 ppg
Kevin Rogers 12.1 ppg
NU leading scorers
Ade Dagunduro 12.7 ppg
Steve Harley 10.1 ppg
Sek Henry 8.1 ppg
This game represents a tough draw for the Huskers. They did pick up the win last Saturday in Waco against the Bears, but that was a very close game that saw NU pull away thanks in large part to their good free throw shooting in the final minute. Besides that, anyone who has played organized basketball knows how difficulty it is to beat a twice in back to back matchups. Not only that, but head coach Scott Drew and his Baylor team certainly realizes that the Big 12 tournament is their last chance to continue their season and land a berth in a post-season tournament.
Nebraska appears to be a lock for an NIT berth. A win against Baylor could help cement a first-round NIT home game for NU. A win would also give them a shot at #1 seed Kansas. I think the Huskers would relish another chance to play Kansas on a nuetral court. But first things first.
Coach Sadler will need to have his squad put together another good defensive performance against Baylor and contain their guards. He’ll also need to manufacture some offense as it’s unlikely that Toney McCray will have another big scoring game. Someone will need to step up and hit some shots for the Huskers. Perhaps Paul Velander can break out of his shooting slump. I think Nebraska will be able to frustrate a Baylor team that already seems to have lost their spirit this season. If NU gets ahead early, there’s a chance that they could cruise to a first round win. However, if it’s another tight game or Baylor gets up early the Bears will start to believe. And that would be trouble for the Big Red.
My pick: Nebraska
