Advertisement
basketball Edit

Palmer's 34 not enough to lift NU over No. 13 Buckeyes

Despite a career night from James Palmer Jr., Nebraska fell short in the final minutes to No. 13 Ohio State on Monday night.
Despite a career night from James Palmer Jr., Nebraska fell short in the final minutes to No. 13 Ohio State on Monday night. (USA Today)

James Palmer Jr. did everything he could to carry Nebraska to a potential road upset over No. 13 Ohio State on Monday night, but unfortunately, no one else did much to help him.

While Palmer dropped a career-high 34 points - the most points by a Husker on the road since 2006 - no other Husker scored more than eight in a 64-59 loss to the Buckeyes at Value City Arena.

Palmer’s 34 points came on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, including 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the second half. But the rest of the team went a combined 10-for-36 for 25 points, leaving an impressive individual effort not enough when all was said and done.

“Your margin of error is so slim to beat a very, very good team on the road,” head coach Tim Miles said during his post-game radio show on the Husker Sports Network. “We just had a couple lulls, a couple bad shots … It just doesn’t take much of a mistake."

Offense came at a premium to open the game, as both teams combined to shoot 2-of-11 from the field for a 2-2 tie through the first four minutes.

The Huskers finally struck first and jumped out to a 14-7 lead after a jump hook by Jordy Tshimanga, but their offense quickly went cold again from there.

By going three scoreless minutes and six minutes without making a field goal, NU allowed the Buckeyes to chip away and eventually take their first lead of the night at 17-16 on a dunk by Keita Bates-Diop with 5:21 left in the half.

When the first half finally came to a close, Nebraska had shot just 28.6 percent from the field and made just one of their final eight shots before halftime. Add that to NU only recording one assist on eight made field goals and shooting 2-of-15 from 3-point range.

All of that considered, the Huskers still only trailed 24-22 at halftime, mostly due to some stingy defense that held Ohio State to 9-of-25 shooting (36.0 percent) and 1-of-8 from behind the arc.

“I thought we had some great looks in the first half,” Miles said. “The ball was all over the rim with Anton (Gill), Glynn (Watson), (Isaac) Copeland, even Palmer. It was just like, the ball was going everywhere but in. I didn’t think we took bad shots. They were open looks, and they just didn’t go in.”

The Buckeyes led by as much as five early in the second half, but Palmer almost single-handedly kept Nebraska within reach and eventually tied the game back up at 38-38 on a layup with 11:42 left to play.

That continued over the next five minutes until Palmer completely took over, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers during an 8-0 run to give the Huskers their first lead of the second half at 49-46 with 7:09 remaining.

But the momentum would come to a sudden stop for NU, as Ohio State would answer back with a 7-0 run capped by an And-1 by C.J. Jackson that made it 60-54 with 2:26 to go.

The Huskers still had chances down the stretch, but a killer sequence of a shot clock violation by Copeland followed by a layup by Jae’Sean Tate helped OSU push its run to 11-2 and put the game away.

Ohio State ended up holding a 38-20 advantage in points in the paint, including scoring 26 of its 40 second-half points in the lane.

“Jae’Sean Tate’s an all-league player, and people don’t even talk about him, anymore,” Miles said. “Keita Bates-Diop is an NBA player. I think they have more talent than probably Michigan, and I’m not dismissing Michigan’s talent at all. Their strength is those inside guys, and that’s why they’re 9-0 in the league.”

Copeland had eight points and seven rebounds while Roby added eight boards but only two points. Overall, the Huskers shot 50 percent from the field and 6-of-14 from behind the arc in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the upset.

Bates-Diop led Ohio State with 20 points and six rebounds, while Tate chipped in 17 points and seven boards.

The Huskers will return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Rutgers for a 6 p.m. CT tip on Big Ten Network.

Advertisement

3-POINT PLAY

1. Palmer's career night all for not

There’s not enough that can be said about Palmer’s performance on Monday night, as the junior guard had far and away the best outing of his college career.

He was essentially a one-man show for Nebraska the entire night, as no other Husker managed to contribute much of anything offensively, especially late in the second half.

Palmer’s 34 points are the most by a Husker in a road game since Aleks Maric had 37 at Iowa State on Feb. 15, 2006. It was also the highest total by an NU player since Watson had 34 last season vs. Iowa.

“James Palmer was spectacular tonight,” Miles said. “We really just kind of got out of his way. When you’ve got a guy like that with as much talent as he’s got, he can do that.”

2. Watson's slump again a concern

Speaking of Watson, just when it seemed like he had broken out of his slump, he reverted right back to his recent struggles at Ohio State.

The junior guard ended up with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting in 29 minutes of work. He has now been held under double figures scoring in six of the past eight games.

Take away his 19 points at Northwestern and 21 at Penn State, Watson has averaged just 5.0 points over the other previous six contests.

“I think I’m just going to take some time with him and talk with him and keep reminding him how much I believe in him,” Miles said. “He’s a really good guard, and who he is is good enough. Just keep being who you are.”

3. Huskers' toughness will be put to the test

This was a loss that could end up being as costly as any when it comes to Nebraska’s potential postseason resume, but the most important thing facing the Huskers right now is not letting it turn into two defeats.

With only one day before its next game, NU will travel straight to Piscataway, N.J., to get ready for Wednesday night’s showdown with Rutgers.

Considering the long travel hours, the ridiculously quick turnaround, and the fact that Ohio State is regarded as one of the most physical teams in the Big Ten, the Huskers' toughness and stamina will be put to the test over the next couple days.

Rutgers has struggled at time this year but is more than capable of giving Nebraska all it can handle, especially considering the Huskers are now just 1-7 this season in true road games.

THEY SAID IT

"We just got out of his way. I'm no rocket scientist, but I'll tell you what, when James is going like that, you keep giving him the ball and stay out of his way... James is a special player, and I'm glad he's with us."
— Head coach Tim Miles on the junior guard James Palmer Jr.'s performance at Ohio State.
Advertisement