That was an ugly end to the first half. But we bounced back in a big way. Early H2 it was back and forth, we started making a couple shots, they made some back... I know many here (including me) have been critical of coach CC, but IMO what really turned the tide was that stretch...
We went zone, 3-2, brought in 3 guards and really pressured them on the perimeter. That changed the momentum of the game. They were unable to adjust. And then on offense I don't know where this has been but all of a sudden we started attacking the offensive boards like absolute animals. Whether it was Roper, Simmons, Nance, Audige, or Young, we hammered the boards. The refs (who had a tough game to call with all the physicality, but overall did pretty well) were letting both sides play, and we in turn made sure that we made Nebraska battle for every defensive rebound. Tacking back to the initial starting point of this paragraph, once the zone had run its course, Collins smartly pivoted and brought back in Young and went to man the rest of the way (he knows that we can't play an effective 3-2 zone with Young as his foot speed on the baseline is way slower for close outs).
I'm not a big Collins fan, as anyone who follows this board should know. But tonight he made in-game adjustments that changed the course of the game, and then kept one step ahead of the opponent the entire way. And over the course of the game tonight we had 3-4 excellent timeout plays that created great looks for our team which they converted (the Nance kick out open 3 from the wing and the Boo screen then down screen for the screener for an open 3 from the top of the key were the most obvious but not the only ones). My only criticism was that he played Chase too much in the middle part of the 2H (like 10 to 4 minute period) where he made some very bad decisions and was actively hurting us. He took a couple bad shots late in the game but those absolutely were not his fault - the offense had a chance and then broke down and a teammate handed him the ball with 5 or less seconds on the clock so he did his best to get an effort toward the rim, that's definitely not on him. As always, on the defensive side he was a positive contributor.
Lastly, just want to say that I and others have criticized Boo for his half hearted defense at various times throughout the year. The first half he was downright horrible today, on both sides of the ball. But in the second half as we gained momentum he started to ride with the team - that 3 from the corner off the Elyjah kick was enormous. And then another 3 from the top of the key. But the biggest play of his game was stepping up to take a charge. A much maligned player on the defensive side of the ball, that stepped up to make a game winning defensive play. It was great.
Great coaching in the second half, and the players stepped up in response to win the game. I don't think "survive and advance" is the right phrase given I don't have much expectation for where we might be advancing to.... but I would say "survive and let's play another day". For me as a fan, and more importantly for the seniors, I am very happy with that outcome. Heck of a game, heck of a win. Go Cats, and let's fight Iowa for 40 minutes. Can't wait to watch tomorrow. Who knows what might happen.
GO CATS
We went zone, 3-2, brought in 3 guards and really pressured them on the perimeter. That changed the momentum of the game. They were unable to adjust. And then on offense I don't know where this has been but all of a sudden we started attacking the offensive boards like absolute animals. Whether it was Roper, Simmons, Nance, Audige, or Young, we hammered the boards. The refs (who had a tough game to call with all the physicality, but overall did pretty well) were letting both sides play, and we in turn made sure that we made Nebraska battle for every defensive rebound. Tacking back to the initial starting point of this paragraph, once the zone had run its course, Collins smartly pivoted and brought back in Young and went to man the rest of the way (he knows that we can't play an effective 3-2 zone with Young as his foot speed on the baseline is way slower for close outs).
I'm not a big Collins fan, as anyone who follows this board should know. But tonight he made in-game adjustments that changed the course of the game, and then kept one step ahead of the opponent the entire way. And over the course of the game tonight we had 3-4 excellent timeout plays that created great looks for our team which they converted (the Nance kick out open 3 from the wing and the Boo screen then down screen for the screener for an open 3 from the top of the key were the most obvious but not the only ones). My only criticism was that he played Chase too much in the middle part of the 2H (like 10 to 4 minute period) where he made some very bad decisions and was actively hurting us. He took a couple bad shots late in the game but those absolutely were not his fault - the offense had a chance and then broke down and a teammate handed him the ball with 5 or less seconds on the clock so he did his best to get an effort toward the rim, that's definitely not on him. As always, on the defensive side he was a positive contributor.
Lastly, just want to say that I and others have criticized Boo for his half hearted defense at various times throughout the year. The first half he was downright horrible today, on both sides of the ball. But in the second half as we gained momentum he started to ride with the team - that 3 from the corner off the Elyjah kick was enormous. And then another 3 from the top of the key. But the biggest play of his game was stepping up to take a charge. A much maligned player on the defensive side of the ball, that stepped up to make a game winning defensive play. It was great.
Great coaching in the second half, and the players stepped up in response to win the game. I don't think "survive and advance" is the right phrase given I don't have much expectation for where we might be advancing to.... but I would say "survive and let's play another day". For me as a fan, and more importantly for the seniors, I am very happy with that outcome. Heck of a game, heck of a win. Go Cats, and let's fight Iowa for 40 minutes. Can't wait to watch tomorrow. Who knows what might happen.
GO CATS
