Steven M. Sipple: Blue-collar Big Red is ready to compete
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OMAHA — It was a couple of minutes into the second half Saturday, and Nebraska’s long workday was just beginning.
Players were entangled in a scrum on Oregon’s end of the basketball court. Nebraska guard Sek Henry somehow emerged with the ball and bolted in a flash toward the opposite basket. He dropped a perfect bounce pass to point guard Cookie Miller streaking toward the hoop. Miller banked in a layup, the crowd erupted, and the home team (sort of) grabbed a 10-point lead.
Time out, Oregon. Nebraska coach Doc Sadler drew a deep breath, like one an ironworker draws as he punches the clock before a hard day at the mill. Even with his team up 10, Sadler understood a win wouldn’t come easily.
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After all, 16th-ranked Oregon features four starters from last year’s NCAA Elite Eight team. The Ducks possess size, speed and athleticism, mostly speed and athleticism. And, oh, yes, a couple of these Ducks can fire in three-pointers as if they were shooting into a kid’s 8-foot basket at Chuck E. Cheese’s.
But this Nebraska team is a tough-minded group. We’re seeing it more and more. There was no questioning the Huskers’ toughness after they staved off Oregon’s repeated second-half uprisings and produced a memorable 88-79 victory in overtime before an emotionally charged crowd of 12,109 at Qwest Center Omaha.
Afterward, Nebraska’s marquee player, 6-foot-11 Aleks Maric (23 points, seven rebounds) talked about Nebraskans’ work ethic.
“They’re blue-collar people, and that’s the mentality of this team,” he said.
True enough. But it typically requires more than moxie to defeat top-20 teams. It also requires desire, intelligence and skillful athleticism, and Nebraska showed plenty of all three in producing a signature win for Sadler, the second-year Husker head coach who preaches tenacious defense and recruits tirelessly.
Those factors — relentless effort and improved athleticism throughout the roster — helped Nebraska improve its record to 8-2 and serve notice that Big Red could be quite a nuisance in the Big 12.
That’s what this game was all about, right? As you watched Nebraska and Oregon exchange punches, you projected how the Huskers might fare against Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M. Can the Huskers go toe-to-toe consistently with the conference’s big boys?
Well, let’s not go overboard. But beating Oregon indicates the Huskers are probably ready to pull a few upsets and for sure hang with middle-of-the-pack teams such as Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. To be sure, Big Red’s triumph shows unequivocally that it has improved since last season, when it finished 17-14 overall and 6-10 in the league — its biggest win coming against 20th-ranked Creighton in Lincoln.
Is projecting Nebraska to finish .500 in the Big 12 this season going overboard?
Hey, go for it. Have some fun. This game was a blast. Snowy conditions might have held down attendance — I was expecting about 15,000 — but those hearty souls who materialized were ready to help push dear old NU. The joint was jumping. Yes, this was easily Sadler’s biggest win at Nebraska, which explains why fans stormed the court afterward.
Perhaps people sense that Sadler is laying groundwork in advance of Nebraska’s rise to unprecedented heights, like maybe winning a game or two in the NCAA Tournament (the Huskers are 0-for-6 all-time in the Big Dance). Imagine that, an NCAA win for Big Red hoops. On this day, it didn’t seem so far-fetched.
Sadler obviously was thinking about the NCAA Tournament when he said Saturday’s win “could be huge” if Nebraska takes care of business in the Big 12.
“If you don’t do that, it’s just another win,” he said.
Said ultra-athletic Nebraska swingman Ade Dagunduro: “If we don’t come ready to play in the Big 12, this win can be just fool’s gold.”
This win didn’t feel like fool’s gold. It felt like the real thing because Nebraska showed toughness in finishing the job. Impostors often come close before falling short in big games. Strong teams close deals.
Nebraska closed this deal in overtime even with sharpshooter Ryan Anderson (21 points, nine rebounds, four steals) limping on a sore right ankle and Dagunduro fouled out. Yes, it was a good character win.
Hey, how about this Dagunduro kid (15 points, seven rebounds), a 6-foot-5 junior college transfer who had the arena buzzing in the second half when he flew toward the rafters to grab a defensive rebound? It was as if he jumped off a trampoline. Talk about an influx of athleticism.
“Ade is becoming the guy we hoped he’d be,” said Sadler, praising Dagunduro’s toughness (there’s that word again). “We needed that.”
Nebraska showed plenty of it. Yes, the Huskers surrendered 14 three-pointers, but they forced 18 turnovers. And get this: NU committed just seven turnovers, as sophomore Jay-R Strowbridge (10 points, five assists, zero turnovers) stabilized the point-guard position in relief of the maturing Miller.
Maybe our winter won’t be so long after all.
“This is a big win,” Maric said. “It will count for a lot in March. But we still have a lot of season to take care of.”
Indeed, roll up your sleeves and take a deep breath.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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