Husker defense faces tough task
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Another postseason game, another defensive challenge for the Nebraska men’s basketball team.
Since the regular season ended March 9, the Huskers have faced teams with season scoring averages of 77.8, 81.5 and 70.2.
Nebraska held those teams — Missouri, Kansas and Charlotte — to 56, 64 and 48 points, respectively.
Which brings us to Monday's second-round game of the National Invitation Tournament between Nebraska and Mississippi. The host Rebels, 22-10 overall, score 79.6 points per game. That jumps to 84.7 at home, where Mississippi is 31-3 over the past two seasons.
“I think that league is more of an offensive league,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said of the Southeastern Conference, where Mississippi finished 7-9 this season.
Will the Rebels have seen a strong defensive effort similar to what Nebraska’s been showing lately?
“I’m sure they have,” Sadler said. “We don’t have a patent on that.”
Freshman guard Chris Warren has provided the biggest spark for the Rebels. He averages 15.5 points and has set school freshman season records for points and made three-pointers. He’s five three-pointers shy of the overall season school record.
“Very good,” Sadler said of Warren. “I would say he’s one of the two main offensive players that they’ve got. Tremendous shooter and exceptionally quick. Very poised, it seems, as a freshman. Just a terrific player.”
Similar accolades were given last week to Charlotte’s Leemire Goldwire, who averaged 19 points a game. Nebraska held him to six points on 2-of-13 shooting in a 67-48 victory.
The 48 points were the fewest by any team in the first round of the NIT, and the fewest ever allowed by Nebraska in a postseason game. Overall, the Huskers have held nine teams to 50 points or fewer this season — the most since 10 teams in 1949-50.
The fewest points the Rebels have scored at home this year came against the only common foe between tonight’s teams. Mississippi defeated Presbyterian 66-55 on Feb. 11. Nebraska defeated the Blue Hose 67-52 in its season opener in November.
Mississippi, under second-year coach Andy Kennedy, is in the second round of the NIT for the second straight season. The Rebels were picked to finish last in the SEC West. Instead, they set a school record with a 13-0 start, finished 14-0 in nonconference play and have set team records for points, rebounds, field goals and made three-pointers in a season.
The Rebels have 11 wins over teams that advanced to postseason play, including NCAA Tournament teams Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Clemson, Mississippi Valley State, South Alabama and Winthrop. They lost by two points at Tennessee.
March 24 is the latest Nebraska has played a game since winning the NIT in a game played March 28, 1996. The Huskers have never played an April game; this year’s NIT Final Four is set for April 1-3.
Should Nebraska win Monday, the Huskers would play Wednesday — at Virginia Tech or home against Alabama-Birmingham. The winner of that quarterfinal game heads to New York.
“I think we’ve played well for the last part of the season,” Sadler said, when asked if he felt his team was primed for a postseason run. “I don’t know that we’re playing any better now than we were playing.”
Nebraska’s biggest motivating factor?
“To keep playing,” Sadler said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I don’t think there’s any one single thing that makes that big of difference.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news