FIRST HALF ANALYSIS:
This one didn’t quite start off as ugly for Nebraska as the 14-1 deficit against Purdue, but it certainly wasn’t pretty in the slightest. Maryland opened up the game 6-0 over the first 5:43 of the game (you read that right). Nebraska would counter with a 7-0 run over a 48 second timespan to take the lead. The Terrapins would go on a field goal drought of 6:15, causing many watching this to wonder where the Big Bad Wolf was due to the number of bricks.
Braden Frager did his best to pull Nebraska along,
being the first individual to double figures. Solomon Washington made sure that the Terrapins were keeping this within arm’s length. No lead got above 6 for either side, but Nebraska would take a 33-27 lead into the locker room.
FIRST HALF STATS:
Maryland shot 9-26 for 35% from the floor. They went 6-18 for 33% from deep and 3-4 for 75% from the free-throw line. The Terrapins collected 18 rebounds, 2 of which were offensive. Maryland had 8 assists to 7 turnovers, with zero bench points.
The Terrapins were led by Solomon Washington, who had 11 points. Elijah Saunders had 9 points. Washington also led the way with 4 rebounds. David “Diggy” Coit had 3 assists.
Nebraska shot 10-24 for 42% from the floor. They went 5-15 for 33% from deep and 8-13 for 62% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 17 rebounds, 2 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 8 assists to 4 turnovers, with 13 bench points.
The Huskers were led by Braden Frager, who had 10 points. Sam Hoiberg led the way with 6 rebounds, while Frager had 5. Jamarques Lawrence paced the Huskers with 3 assists.
SECOND HALF ANALYSIS:
Maryland started out the way better team to begin the second half, taking a three point lead into the under 12 timeout. Saunders was shooting well from beyond the arc for Maryland, as all 15 of his points at the time came from there. Pryce Sandfort eventually got to double figures at the halfway point of the second half, which helped keep Nebraska in it. The Huskers, in a very tight battle, continued their struggles from the free-throw line.
The worry if it remained close was definitely there amongst the Husker faithful. That worry would go away however, as the Huskers would use a 16-3 run over a 5-minute timespan to take the lead back for good. Nebraska would eventually expand the lead to 15 points in the last two minutes, and what started off being a really tense game ended up with a comfortable enough victory.
FINAL STATS AND THOUGHTS:
Maryland shot 21-56 for 38% from the floor. They went 12-36 for 33% from deep and 7-8 for 88% from the free-throw line. The Terrapins collected 34 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive. Maryland had 15 assists to 11 turnovers, and only had 14 points in the paint.
The Terrapins were led by Andre Mills, who had 19 points. 16 of that came in the second half. Solomon Washington led the way with 7 rebounds. Darius Adams had 6 assists.
Nebraska shot 23-53 for 43% from the floor. They went 10-29 for 35% from deep and 18-24 for 75% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 35 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 18 assists to 6 turnovers, while scoring 26 points in the paint.
The Huskers were balanced, as Braden Frager had 21 points and 8 rebounds. Pryce Sandfort had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Sam Hoiberg had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Jamarques Lawrence paced the Huskers with 6 assists.
This one was ugly in many ways, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. I’m happy I can complain about how the Huskers look in a win. Buzz Williams knows how to ugly the hell out of a game, particularly against Nebraska. Maryland will be a tough out next year as they learn his system. The good thing is there is some slight revenge against Buzz for beating Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament 2 years ago.
Nebraska showed its resiliency again. Even if the crowd went flat, or if I happened to be yelling at my TV, Nebraska did what it has done all year, just keep plugging away. The Huskers won this one because they were strong defensively. The offense eventually picked up, but the defense was steady all night. This one felt a lot closer than the final score suggests, but I’ll take it.
Nebraska’s next game will be on Saturday, February 28th, as the California road swing begins. The Huskers will take on the USC Trojans. Tip-off from the Galen Center will be at 3:00 pm Central.
