Hoops Game Day: Nebraska vs. South Florida
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN
Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-3, 0-0) vs South Florida Bulls (3-3, 0-0)
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019 - 4 p.m. CT
John Gray Gymnasium (George Town, Cayman Islands)
TV: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Internet: FloHoops
| NAME | HT/WT | YEAR | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cam Mack |
6-2/175 |
So. |
Had nine points, four fouls, and four turnovers in the loss to George Mason. |
|
Dachon Burke |
6-4/180 |
Jr. |
Led NU with a team-high 14 points and five steals but also had four turnovers vs. GMU. |
|
Jervay Green |
6-3/210 |
Jr. |
Had five assists and four rebounds but scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field vs. GMU. |
|
Haanif Cheatham |
6-5/195 |
Sr. |
Scored 13 points vs. George Mason, Averaging 16.0 ppg at the Cayman Islands Classic. |
|
Yvan Ouedraogo |
6-9/260 |
Fr. |
Only had two points but added five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals vs. George Mason. |
| NAME | HT/WT | YEAR | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Laquincy Rideau |
6-1/205 |
Sr. |
Scoring 13.4 points along with 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.8 assists per game. |
|
Ezacuras Dawson III |
6-3/200 |
So. |
Oklahoma State transfer who is averaging 6.8 points per game. |
|
David Collins |
6-4/218 |
Jr. |
Leads team with 15.8 ppg along with 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, and 3.2 spg. |
|
Justin Brown |
6-6/218 |
Jr. |
Averaging 9.8 points and ranks second on the team with 4.2 rebounds per game. |
|
Michael Durr |
7-0/250 |
So. |
Leads team with 5.0 rpg but only scores 4.2 ppg and shoots just 26.3% from the field. |
3 KEYS TO VICTORY
1. Just keep the rebounding respectable
Nebraska's not going to win the rebounding margin very often this season, but the goal should still be to keep that area as respectable as possible. It's no coincidence that in the Huskers' two best performances of the season, they either out-rebounded their opponent (South Dakota State) or kept it with a handful of boards (Washington State). When they let teams stockpile rebounds and feast on second-chance opportunities, like George Mason and others have done, they're going to be in serious trouble. South Florida, which ranks 76th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, is going to give NU problems, especially with 7-foot center Michael Durr (5.0 rpg).
2. Create offense through defense
One thing Nebraska did pretty well in the loss to George Mason was force turnovers and create points in transition. The Patriots committed a whopping 19 turnovers that led to 15 NU points, and the Huskers held an 18-2 edge in fastbreak points on the night. Nebraska is always going to be at its best when it can run with a blistering pace, and tonight should provide ample opportunity to do that. The Bulls 344th out of 353 Division I teams in offensive turnover percentage (25.8) and just gave the ball up 16 times in their loss to New Mexico State on Tuesday night.
3. Finish with some fire
The dramatic swings of emotion and effort from this team over just six games have been pretty wild. In some games and stretches, Nebraska looks like a well-oiled machine that could play with just about anyone. In just as many other instances, though, the Huskers have looked downright lost on the court. Head coach Fred Hoiberg warned that this team had the tendency to be a frontrunner, and when times got tough, he was worried about how his guys would respond. Nebraska still has an opportunity to make this trip to the Cayman Islands successful and come out of it with a winning record. That's only going to happen if the Huskers play with fire and emotion, even when things don't go their way.
QUOTABLE
PREDICTION
South Florida 72, Nebraska 69
Robin's 2019-20 record: 3-3
vs. the spread: 1-5