Nebraska MBB -1 @ Rutgers

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

If our two worst players are low posts and they don't add much, why not just go small most of the time and have Roby or Copeland play post?

Because Roby should not be guarding the 5, honestly. If you watch, our rebounding struggles because either Copeland or Roby constantly have to help on defense. Their guy usually ends up with the offensive board. It's a delicate mix because Jordy and Duby cannot score.
Jordy also has cement mixers for feet on defense, so I am not exactly sure what he is adding. He gets an occasional rebound because the ball happens to bounce to him. I seriously cannot remember the last time he went up in the air to snag a board. Our point guard gets to the ball at a higher point than he does. He has gone backwards so bad this season, I loved what he was doing at the end of last year. That is so far in the rear view now.

 

[Enrozes]

If our two worst players are low posts and they don't add much, why not just go small most of the time and have Roby or Copeland play post?

We do. That's the starting lineup, and the one out there most often. Trouble is it leads to foul trouble for Roby especially, who's kinda foul-prone to begin with.

 

[FeelingFrosty]

Because Roby should not be guarding the 5, honestly. If you watch, our rebounding struggles because either Copeland or Roby constantly have to help on defense. Their guy usually ends up with the offensive board. It's a delicate mix because Jordy and Duby cannot score.
Jordy also has cement mixers for feet on defense, so I am not exactly sure what he is adding. He gets an occasional rebound because the ball happens to bounce to him. I seriously cannot remember the last time he went up in the air to snag a board. Our point guard gets to the ball at a higher point than he does. He has gone backwards so bad this season, I loved what he was doing at the end of last year. That is so far in the rear view now.

I honestly don't watch must college basketball but I've watched a lot of the NBA playoffs and some of the best teams don't have a true post player for long stretches. The Warriors death lineup doesn't have a true center and the Cavs have a PF playing center. Just doesn't seem like Miles has the imagination to go with a nontraditional lineup without a true big. If he has a post player, he's going to use him no matter how bad he plays.

Like you said, if Jordy kept his play up like last year or we kept the post player who transferred (forgot his name), we wouldn't need to have this discussion. We're having a good year, and this team could be special if we had a true post presence. But we don't have that post presence, so I think it's best to cut our losses and go with the small lineup.

 

[chicolby]

I honestly don't watch must college basketball but I've watched a lot of the NBA playoffs and some of the best teams don't have a true post player for long stretches. The Warriors death lineup doesn't have a true center and the Cavs have a PF playing center. Just doesn't seem like Miles has the imagination to go with a nontraditional lineup without a true big. If he has a post player, he's going to use him no matter how bad he plays.

Like you said, if Jordy kept his play up like last year or we kept the post player who transferred (forgot his name), we wouldn't need to have this discussion. We're having a good year, and this team could be special if we had a true post presence. But we don't have that post presence, so I think it's best to cut our losses and go with the small lineup.

If you would watch a little more of Nebraska, you’d see that he does exactly as you suggest. I don’t get the criticism. Everyone blames Miles when the team loses and somehow attributes luck or the talented players when they win. Not very Nebraska Nice.

 

[bigboxes]

If our two worst players are low posts and they don't add much, why not just go small most of the time and have Roby or Copeland play post?

Because Roby and Cope would get in foul trouble.

 

[schuele]

Because Roby and Cope would get in foul trouble.

Yeah, I think Miles has shown he'll go with the smaller lineup as much as the defense and rebounding will allow him to. But if people hate seeing Tshimanga and Okeke in the game in the first half, they'd really hate seeing them on the floor at the end after Roby and Copeland foul out. Plus people always fall in love with the small lineup after NU plays teams that don't really have much of an inside scoring threat, but you're not going to survive 30-35 minutes with that lineup against teams with a true post player. So while I would lean toward playing Okeke a bit more to bolster the rebounding, for the most part I think Miles has struck the right balance.

 

[schuele]

I didn't watch it, but I see Illinois finally got off the schneid last night against Indiana. So if Purdue can beat Michigan tonight at home, that moves the Huskers into 4th place by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Michigan has a fairly easy schedule after tonight, so holding onto the #4 spot will be difficult - but not impossible.

 

[Cornicator]

I didn't watch it, but I see Illinois finally got off the schneid last night against Indiana. So if Purdue can beat Michigan tonight at home, that moves the Huskers into 4th place by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Michigan has a fairly easy schedule after tonight, so holding onto the #4 spot will be difficult - but not impossible.

I still think they lose at least 2 more games. If Nebraska and Michigan finish with the same record, the Huskers will get the tie breaker.

 

[Harry Caray]

Our RPI is still only #62 - 11 spots below Maryland. We pretty much have to win out to make the tournament, because any loss from here on out will be considered a "bad loss" because we don't play any of the good teams anymore.

Maryland is the only team left on our schedule that is even in the Top 100 RPI, and we can't afford to lose to them because we play them at home and they are our main competition for an NCAA bid.

 

[schuele]

I still think they lose at least 2 more games. If Nebraska and Michigan finish with the same record, the Huskers will get the tie breaker.

Yeah I agree that's a realistic scenario. So the Huskers would have to play really well to hold the #4 spot, but they probably don't have to run the table.