Archive for 'NIT Pre-game'
NIT Pre-game: Nebraska vs. New Mexico
March 16, 2009 by Bret Nellor, under NIT Pre-game, News.
#6 Nebraska Cornhuskers 18-12 (8-8) vs.
#3 New Mexico Lobos 21-11 (12-4)
March 17 – 9 p.m. tipoff
TV: ESPNU
The first round of the NIT tournament has Nebraska traveling to “The Pit” to face New Mexico. The Lobos, led by Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Steve Alford finished as co-champs of the conference. They had high hopes to reach the NCAA tournament but were upset in the first round of the MWC tournament by Wyoming which likely sealed their fate.
New Mexico and Nebraska shared 3 common opponents this season: Creighton, TCU, and Texas Tech. NU finished 3-0 against those teams while NMU finished 2-2. Coach Alford holds a 2-5 career record in the NIT while Doc Sadler holds a 2-2 record.
The Pit has long been one of the toughest places to play in college basketball. The Lobos have a 15-2 record there this season and are averaging over 14,000 in attendance per game. Sadler who coached at UTEP for 2 seasons before coming to Nebraska holds a 0-1 record in The Pit as a head coach and an 0-3 record when including his assistant coaching stints.
NU leading scorers
Ade Dagunduro 13.0 ppg
Steve Harley 10.1 ppg
Sek Henry 7.9 ppg
NMU leading scorers
Tony Danridge 15.2 ppg
Daniel Faris 11.5 ppg
Roman Martinez 10.8 ppg
Nebraska will have some major obstacles to overcome to win this game. First is a quality opponent in New Mexico, second will be the Lobos home crowd and lastly the Huskers’ own offensive struggles. Don’t be surprised if Coach Alford has his team come out in a 2-3 zone similar to what Baylor used in the Big 12 tournament to humiliate the Big Red. NU has had trouble all season when facing the 2-3 zone (see the UMBC loss) and it is quite surprising that more Big 12 teams didn’t use this strategy. To have a chance at winning, Coach Sadler will need to come up with an effective offense plan or hope that the Lobos use man-to-man all night.
The Huskers will also need Steve Harley and Paul Velander break out of their slumps. If the team can shoot the ball well and play their normal tough defense, Nebraska will be right there with a chance to win the game in the final minute. In the end though, I don’t think NU will be able to make enough baskets to continue their season.
The winner of this game will face the winner of Notre Dame/UAB.
My pick: New Mexico
