Published Nov 13, 2017
Hoops Gameday: Nebraska vs. North Texas
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Robin Washut  •  InsideNebraska
Senior Writer
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@RobinWashut

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN

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Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) vs. North Texas Mean Green (1-0)

Monday, Nov. 13, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.

Pinnacle Bank Arena

TV: None

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: BTN Plus

Nebraska projected starters
NAMEHT/WTYEARNOTES

Glynn Watson

6-0/174

Jr.

Finished with a game-high 21 points vs. Eastern Illinois, marking his eighth career game with at least 20 points.

Evan Taylor

6-5/206

Sr.

Had 12 points and 4 rebounds vs. EIU but was just 3-7 from the field and 6-11 from the FT line.

James Palmer

6-6/210

Jr.

Also scored 12 points vs. EIU but did so shooting 4-14 FG, 1-5 3PT, and 3-7 FT.

Isaac Copeland

6-9/221

Jr.

Scored eight points with five rebounds in his official Husker debut on Saturday night.

Jordy Tshimanga

6-11/268

So.

Grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, topping his previous best of 10 set against Wisconsin last season.

North Texas projected starters
NAMEHT/WTYEARNOTES

Umoja Gibson

6-1/160

Fr.

Had 19 points on just 7-of-17 shooting along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Roosevelt Smart

6-3/185

So.

Scored game-high 23 points along with four assists vs. Eureka College.

A.J. Lawson

6-5/195

So.

Finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists vs. Eureka.

Ryan Woolridge

6-3/175

So.

Put up 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists in win over Eureka.

Shane Temara

6-9/225

Sr.

Scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting along with 6 rebounds and a block vs. Eureka.

3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1. Make your free throws

A close 72-68 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday night could have been much less nerve-wracking for Nebraska had it actually been able to make its free throws. The Huskers shot just 23-of-39 from the charity stripe in the game, including going 18-of-30 in the second half, leaving 16 potential points off the board. Against pesky teams like EIU and now North Texas, you have to be able to put games away at the line and not let those teams hang around like the Panthers did last time out.

2. Control the boards

In both the exhibition win over Northwood (Mich.) and then vs. Eastern Illinois, Nebraska ended up struggling to rebound against much smaller opponents. Northwood actually out-rebounded the Huskers 50-40, including a 24-9 edge on the offensive glass. Then the Panthers tied NU with 43 boards each and held a 12-6 edge on second-chance points. North Texas is another smaller, athletic lineup that Nebraska needs to bully down low.

3. Be efficient

Between the missed shots, free throws, rebounds and problems with turnovers, Nebraska had had issues with overall sloppiness its last two times out. The Huskers have shot just 43.4 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from behind the arc, and 66.6 percent from the free-throw line during that stretch. They've also turned the ball over 27 times to 25 assists. Every one of those numbers needs to improve going forward.

QUOTABLE

"I thought we were offensive sensitive for a while. I thought we were worried about the wrong things, like if we missed a shot or if we got fouled, and then we tried to do a little too much. But at the end I thought we settled down and played some good basketball. We still didn’t make our foul shots which would have really helped, but like I told our guys, ‘Hey, we missed 16 foul shots and shoot 38 percent and win? That’s not going to happen often and it better not.' But at the same time, what we need to do is go out and find a way to be better on Monday and then a little better than that when we play St. John’s."
Head coach Tim Miles on how NU handled a close game vs. Eastern Illinois

PREDICTION

Nebraska 74-60

Robin’s season record: 1-0