Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Southern
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE
Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-2) vs Southern Jaguars (1-3)
Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 - 3 p.m. CT
Pinnacle Bank Arena
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Internet: WatchESPN
| NAME | HT/WT | YEAR | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alonzo Verge Jr. |
6-3/164 |
Sr. |
Posted 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 21 minutes vs. Idaho State, |
|
Bryce McGowens |
6-7/179 |
Fr. |
Finished with six points, a team-high seven boards, three assists, a block, and a steal vs. ISU. |
|
Keon Edwards |
6-7/204 |
Fr. |
Made first-career start last time out vs. Idaho State. Had 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting in 15 minutes of action. |
|
Lat Mayen |
6-9/217 |
Jr. |
Had 8 points with two made 3-pointers, three rebounds, and 2 turnovers in 18 minutes vs. ISU. |
|
Derrick Walker |
6-9/239 |
Jr. |
Tied his career high with 14 points vs. Idaho State, going 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the FT line. |
| NAME | HT/WT | YEAR | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
|
P.J. Byrd |
6-1/175 |
Jr. |
Averages 9.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. Had 12 points and 9 assists in a win over Tulane. |
|
Jayden Saddler |
6-1/195 |
Sr. |
Preseason second-team All-SWAC selection averaging a team-high 13.5 points and 5.8 assists per game. |
|
Tyrone Lyons |
6-7/190 |
Jr. |
Second-leading scorer at 11.3 ppg who also averages 5.3 rpg and 1.3 spg. |
|
Terrell Williams |
6-6/200 |
So. |
Averages 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and a team-high 1.8 steals per game. |
|
Damien Sears |
6-7/245 |
Sr. |
Scoring 3.3 ppg while leading the team with 8.0 rpg along with 1.5 spg. |
3 KEYS TO VICTORY
1. Keep the ball moving
Nebraska didn't do anything flashy in its win over Idaho State on Friday night. All the Huskers did was play the way they were supposed to on offense.
It's no coincidence that, after sputtering to start the year, NU made it a point to pass the ball around and ended up with a season-high 18 assists on 31 made baskets.
Nebraska shot 54.4 percent from the field as a team and had nine different players score in the victory. The Huskers have averaged 16.5 assists per game in the last two outings after averaging just 8.0 in the first two games.
The ball must continue to move like that for the Huskers to be the type of offensive team they're capable of this season.
2. Limit the turnovers
Maybe the one area that Southern could cause Nebraska problems is with its aggressive on-ball defense and ability to force turnovers.
The Jaguars rank 40th nationally in defensive turnover percentage (24.5) and 51st in defensive steal percentage (12.7).
The good news for NU has markedly improved its ball security so far this season. The Huskers currently rank fourth in the Big Ten at 9.8 turnovers per game after ranking last in the conference last year at 14.1.
They've gone from 205th to 13th nationally in turnover percentage (13.2) this season.
3. Give Kobe his minutes
Since finally making his season debut midway through the first half against Creighton, Nebraska played some of its best offense when Kobe Webster was on the floor.
In fact, the Huskers are a whopping +33 in his 52 total minutes played this year.
Over his last eight games dating back to the end of last season, Webster has averaged 13.0 points on 46-percent shooting with 2.5 assists per game.
In his two outings this season, he is averaging 13.5 ppg with seven assists and zero turnovers.
Even if he's not going to start, Nebraska needs to get Webster in the game early and often and let him continue to quarterback the offense.
QUOTABLE
PREDICTION
Nebraska (-17) 81, Southern 60
Robin's season record: 2-2
vs. the spread: 3-1