The Huskers complete the wild return in the second half to win the road victory in Northwestern

This is not the first rodeo of Fred Hoiberg.

Nebraska head coach knows the basketball game better than anyone. He therefore understands that it is a funny game where the momentum can return in the blink of an eye. When Hoiberg led the iowa state, he remembers dragging with something like 24 points towards Oklahoma before his cyclones returned to win.

Something as it happened Sunday afternoon against the Northwest Wildcats in Evanson, Illinois, and in a remarkable way.

The Nebraska dragged 20 points at the bar of 19: 15 of the second half and 18 points at 15: 31. It was before an improbable return effort which led to a crazy and crazy victory 68-64 for the Huskers on the road.

According to Nebraska Athletics, Sunday’s victory was the biggest return since he joined the Big Ten (19 twice, more recently against Wisconsin last season). It also corresponds to the biggest return since 1996-97 (20, twice, more recently against the USC in 2010-11).

Does basketball still need to have meaning? No. Does this Nebraska basketball team make sense? No. Do the basketball gods have a sense of strange humor? Of course, it seems.

In the first 20 minutes of basketball, the Nebraska did not seem to belong to the field with the northwest of Chris Collins, who entered the day with only four victories of Big Ten and without two runners lost for the season due of an injury in all the conferences Keep Brooks Barnhizer (foot) and the leader Jalen Leach (ACL).

Some would call it an embarrassing first half of the Huskers, which dragged 36-21 at halftime and were exceeded 29-11 in total and- Protect your eyes for this next part – 14-2 on offensive glass.

“Our first -time defense was actually ok, but they then had all the Miss – fourteen offensive rebounds,” said Hoiberg during her post -match interview on Huskers Radio Network. “Everything we talked about to participate in it was tenacity, and they (north-west) obtained each loose ball, every 50 to 50 years. It is much better than their file indicates.

It was ugly stuff in a ugly game.

In 40 minutes of basketball, the 7-foot and 280 pound Matthew Nicholson seized 12 rebounds and five offensive boards. The 7 -foot Keenan Fitzmorris and 260 pounds lowered six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Nick Martinelli collected nine rebounds, with five offensive boards.

“They separated us, they placed us flat, I thought in the first half,” said Hoiberg.

Northwestern ended up winning the global battle for the 46-27 rebound and The Offensive Glass 23-5. These additional possessions led to the Wildcats to have an advantage of 18-8 in points of the second chance.

But then, the second half occurred, and it was a brand new ball game for the last 15 minutes. Nebraska has ahead of North West 47-28 in the last 20 minutes. After shooting 27.3% and 1 in 10 from the 3 -point range in the first half (6 out of 22), the Huskers were more effective in the second, pulling 60% and 5 out of 3.

The Nebraska used races of 11-0, 8-0 and 6-0 to go up there. Brice Williams scored six points in the first half and 15 in the second, including a performance of 8 out of 10 at the Launarae francs line, to end his day with a summit of 21 points.

Williams, the caretaker and the 6 -inch 6 -inch leader from Nebraska who still fight against the effects of the flu, emptied another solid performance and played 38 minutes. He scored the last five points of the line to seal the victory.

“As I told them, they will kill me first,” joked Hoiberg during his post-match interview on Huskers Radio Network. “But if we can play consistent for 40 minutes as we have done the last 15 (minutes), we will be pretty good. We can beat anyone if we play like that. Otherwise, we will get pricked. “”

The Nebraska improves at 17-9 and 7-8 in Big Ten while Northwestern fell to 13-13, 4-11. It was a victory on the road to the quadruple 1 variety 1, while Northwestern entered the day with a net note of 59. Sunday, the Nebraska has a record of 6-7 against the quad 1 adversaries, that the committee selection of the NCAA tournament should like when Mars strikes.

After the match, Hooberg underlined the winning games made by a handful of players, including Braxton Meah, Connor Essegian and Juwan Gary.

Meah, who saw his role decrease as the season, was huge for his team against Northwestern. In 23 minutes of the bench, the 7 -foot 1 center recorded a top of 10 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. He ended his day with more / less more than 9.

Meah also went 2 out of 3 on the free throw line. During his first 19 games, Meah went 3 out of 13 on the line. In his last three games, he went 7 out of 8.

“The guy I thought I had played his best match as a Husker was Braxton Meah,” said Hoiberg. “I thought he was everywhere, had a few big houses of houses. We ran a little game where Connor put a retrospective screen to make him a lob, he made free throws again.”

Essegian, who, like Williams, fights in an illness, was detained aimlessly in the first half and missed his three attempts by 3 points. In the second half, however, the transfer of Wisconsin scored eight points with four rebounds, two assists and a flight. He struck his two 3s.

Known as a sniper, the 6-4 Essegian helped his team in painting among the trees. He fought for rebounds with big.

“Connor, I thought, stuck his nose in there and became a little dirty and filthy and obtained big cowardly balls,” said Hoiberg.

As for Gary, the player known as the team’s heart and soul played badly in the first half, marking only four free throws. In the second, a switch was overturned – he scored 13 points and went 4 out of 5 on the field, 2 out of 2 of 3 and 3 out of 3 on the line.

Gary finished with 17 points and two interceptions.

“Juwan obviously gave us good minutes at the bottom of the section,” said Hoiberg. “I didn’t think it was very good the first five (minutes) of the second half. Great games for us.”

During the second half, the BTN broadcast noted that there was an envelopment on the right hand of Hoiberg. It was not there in the first half.

After the match, Hoiberg explained what happened.

“Had a small incident with a whiteboard at halftime,” said Hoiberg laughing. “I will never learn. I did it several times, where I injured a foot or broke a toe a year., And this thing will bleed for a long time.”

Hoiberg and Kent Pavelka, the male basketball voice of Nebraska, then joked on the coaches who strike white paintings-including the head coach of Illinois, Brad Underwood.

“Secret little known, Brad Underwood did the same thing in Lincoln,” said Pavelka.

“He broke it (whiteboard),” said Hoiberg laughing. “He must be much more difficult than me, he actually broke the whiteboard.”

For the second consecutive match, the Nebraska was without its starting power, Berke Büyktunél, who seriously walked his left ankle against Ohio State on Sunday, February 9.

Hoiberg has provided an update on the 6-10 transfer of the UCLA, who is the best defender and low-cost team of the team.

“Berke makes great progress. Swelling drops, he feels better every day,” said Hoiberg. “I hope that we can do it a little on the field tomorrow to come back there, make a little sweat, get blows. But he does everything you are supposed to do and we hope to recover it on the field soon. “”

Büyüktunél did not go to the northwest. And with the team that remains on the road and fly away for Penn State tomorrow, it is likely that Büyüktunel will not play against the Nittany Lions either.

After Penn State’s match, the Huskers welcomed Michigan No. 20 in Pinkle Bank Arena for a match on Monday, February 24. If its rehabilitation continues to go well, it could be the game where Büyüktunél is back.

The Nebraska will remain in Chicago before flying to State College, Pennsylvania, to face the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-13, 3-12 B1G). This match will be played on Wednesday with a tip at 5.30 p.m.

On Sunday, this competition will be a quad 2 opportunity for Nebraska, because the Nittany Lions saw their clear rating go from 73 to 78 in the last update.

Mike Rhoad’s Penn State crew is at the bottom of the Big Ten ranking and leading the wrestling bus right now. The Nittany Lions have lost seven games in a row and 11 of their last 12.

Penn State’s last match was a 75-73 defeat at home against Washington.

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