I'm taking my kids to the Gopher game tomorrow. I just now realized that I have no idea who they're playing, that's how checked out I am this year. That's kind of the reason I haven't written a post game post in a while. I watch the games, I take notes like usual, then the Gophers self combust and lose the game in some kind of disheartening way and I really don't want to write. There's a limited amount of times one can write about the number of poor decisions this team makes, although I am starting to think I may need to write a post addressing Pitino's in game coaching because I have some questions. Anyway, it's more fun to write about a team that isn't the Gophers, so hold on a minute while I look up who they play and write the preview for...............Nebraska!
Nebraska, eh? I'm pretty sure the Gophers already played these guys, let me check how they did. Just kidding I already know they lost because they always lose. Looks like I didn't write a preview or a recap of that one, probably because that was when I was still all checked out and angry and stuff. I remember that one though because I was in the car for the end for some reason and was listening and heard "Hollins misses a three. Morris rebounds. He misses a three. Hollins rebounds, over to Mathieu. Mathieu misses a three. Times up." That was fun. I asked my dad when I got to his house if any of them were good looks and he said two of them were. So it was another stupid loss that probably shouldn't have been. God what a horrid year.
Anyway, Nebraska is still basically a two-man squad with the terrible Terran Petteway and bricklayer Shavon Shields. The two combine for 35.6 points per game, which is huge because Nebraska scores like 60 points per game because they can't shoot at all and play at a snail's pace. The two have also combined for 531 field goal attempts which is a terrifying percentage of the team's total of 1,016. If ever a team was screaming to be triangle and two'd it's this one, and it would actually be hilarious to watch Petteway try to deal with that because man is he ever wreckless.
The guy has a higher usage rate than anyone else in the conference and a top 10 mark in the entire country, yet his offensive rating is below every Gopher other than Bakary Konate. Watching him is awesome if you love chuckers (and who doesn't?) because he'll just shoot whenever and wherever with little regard to anything going on around him. He's not a true chucker because he does hit a little bit too many of them and his assist rate is good, but his turnover rate is in Joey King territory and he just forces the action in some hilarious ways. If the Gophers can speed Nebraska up, easier said than done, there should be at least a handful of laugh out loud moments.
Then there's Shields, who loves to shoot long jumpers. He hits 22% on his threes so letting him shoot is probably a good idea. He's much better on 2-pointers at 55%, but just 43% on jump shots so, you know, let the guy shoot and stuff but keep him out of the lane. Also keeping him off the free throw line would be a good idea since he's an 83% free throw shooter. Actually both Shields and Petteway get to the line a lot, so another good strategy would be not fouling.
Nebraska has some other guys too but they're boring and I'm boring myself over here. Looking forward to watching Petteway be crazy in person, and hoping for a Gopher win so maybe we'll get to watch someone fun like Oregon or Tennessee in person in the NIT. Gophers projected for a #1 seed!!
Minnesota something, Nebraska something slightly smaller.
Showing posts with label Shavon Shields. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shavon Shields. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2015
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Big Ten Basketball Preview: #3 Nebraska Cornhuskers
I thought this was going to feel weird and yep, it sure does. Nebraska, third in the Big 10. Wow, crazy. At the same time it makes sense though. The Huskers finished fourth in the conference last season and return nearly everybody from that team. They were 11-7 in conference play and beat Ohio State and Michigan State at home. I mean this is serious, people. Tim Miles is obviously some kind of wizard, and it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon because he's already inked two ESPN Top 100 dudes for 2015 (Ed Morrow, #62, and Glynn Watson, #66). Seriously what a jerk.
The main reason Nebraska is going to be good this year is the return of Terran Petteway, one of only two All-Big Ten first teamers back this season, and his 18.1 points per game. I love this guy's game. At 6-6 he's the perfect size and has the perfect athleticism and ball handling skills to create his own shot whenever he wants, he can rebound (4.8 per game) and distribute a little bit (1.6 assists per game, but assist rate that was second on the team), and he has a perimeter game. Of course, he only shot 33% from three which is acceptable but not great when you're taking nearly five per game on average. If he's figured out the three-pointer this team suddenly has Sweet 16 potential, and sleeper ability to go further. Not joking.
Another guy who could really help out the team by hitting more accurately from deep is Nebraska's other wing Shavon Shields, who hit less than 32% last season. He's got a nice all around game that compliments Petteway (12.8 ppg/5.8 rpg/1.6apg), and the two of them give Nebraska a potential 1-2 punch that's up there with anyone else in the conference, even if neither of them are dead-eye from deep. With Ray Gallegos, who you may remember from when he torched the Gophers two years ago for 30 points and 6 made three-pointers, and his 54 made 3s gone from the team this year somebody needs to give the Huskers a boost from outside, and it's likely Petteway or Shields.
Of course, things aren't all that desperate because Walter Pitchford is back at power forward and he hit at a 41% clip last season. He's not some dandy either, with about a 50/50 two-pointer/three-pointer split and a defensive rebound rate that's up there as one of the top in the conference. That high three-point conversion and a 54% 2-point percentage makes him one of the most efficient players in the B10. The Huskers did get hit by a bit of blow when returning senior PF Leslee Smith went down for the year with a knee tear. He's not much for scoring but he supplied rebounding and defense and they'll have to find a way to replace that production. Senior David Rivers and incoming freshman Jacob Hammond will have to come up big. There's also some grad transfer guy from Georgetown who was terrible there so who knows.
The main question for the Huskers is really at PG, where Tai Webster didn't really live up to expectations last season (4 pts/2 assists per game in 23 minutes). The only other PGs on the roster are undersized Benny Parker (5-9) who is better served as a mini offensive energy explosion off the bench (think Microwave) and freshman Tarin Smith who may not be ready and is just 165 lbs. at 6-2 which won't really cut it right away in the Big Ten. Webster is from New Zealand and I read somewhere last season that somebody said if he had been in the US he'd be a top 50 recruit, but that certainly didn't play out last season. I know I already said Petteway could elevate this team another level, but Webster is probably the most important player for Nebraska this year. Watson should be a stud PG next season and Rivers and G-Town guy are the only seniors, but Petteway could bolt to the NBA so it'd be good for them to make a run this year.
Look I don't know. Even after writing all that it still seems weird to have Nebraska predicted to finish in third place in the conference, but after reading all that it completely makes sense. They have a great coach, a program on the rise, a ton of experience back, and one of the top players in the conference returning. Honestly if it wasn't Nebraska they could even go one place higher, but I'm just not ready to do it yet. I just can't. Hell of a turnaround by Miles though. Gonna suck for them when Pitino and the Gophers dominate the conference every year eventually when that happens. When not if.
OTHER PREVIEWS:
#4 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
#5 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
#6 MICHIGAN
#7 MICHIGAN STATE
#8 IOWA HAWKEYES
#9 MARYLAND TERRAPINS
#10 INDIANA HOOSIERS
#11 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
#12 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
#13 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
#14 RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS
The main reason Nebraska is going to be good this year is the return of Terran Petteway, one of only two All-Big Ten first teamers back this season, and his 18.1 points per game. I love this guy's game. At 6-6 he's the perfect size and has the perfect athleticism and ball handling skills to create his own shot whenever he wants, he can rebound (4.8 per game) and distribute a little bit (1.6 assists per game, but assist rate that was second on the team), and he has a perimeter game. Of course, he only shot 33% from three which is acceptable but not great when you're taking nearly five per game on average. If he's figured out the three-pointer this team suddenly has Sweet 16 potential, and sleeper ability to go further. Not joking.
Another guy who could really help out the team by hitting more accurately from deep is Nebraska's other wing Shavon Shields, who hit less than 32% last season. He's got a nice all around game that compliments Petteway (12.8 ppg/5.8 rpg/1.6apg), and the two of them give Nebraska a potential 1-2 punch that's up there with anyone else in the conference, even if neither of them are dead-eye from deep. With Ray Gallegos, who you may remember from when he torched the Gophers two years ago for 30 points and 6 made three-pointers, and his 54 made 3s gone from the team this year somebody needs to give the Huskers a boost from outside, and it's likely Petteway or Shields.
Of course, things aren't all that desperate because Walter Pitchford is back at power forward and he hit at a 41% clip last season. He's not some dandy either, with about a 50/50 two-pointer/three-pointer split and a defensive rebound rate that's up there as one of the top in the conference. That high three-point conversion and a 54% 2-point percentage makes him one of the most efficient players in the B10. The Huskers did get hit by a bit of blow when returning senior PF Leslee Smith went down for the year with a knee tear. He's not much for scoring but he supplied rebounding and defense and they'll have to find a way to replace that production. Senior David Rivers and incoming freshman Jacob Hammond will have to come up big. There's also some grad transfer guy from Georgetown who was terrible there so who knows.
The main question for the Huskers is really at PG, where Tai Webster didn't really live up to expectations last season (4 pts/2 assists per game in 23 minutes). The only other PGs on the roster are undersized Benny Parker (5-9) who is better served as a mini offensive energy explosion off the bench (think Microwave) and freshman Tarin Smith who may not be ready and is just 165 lbs. at 6-2 which won't really cut it right away in the Big Ten. Webster is from New Zealand and I read somewhere last season that somebody said if he had been in the US he'd be a top 50 recruit, but that certainly didn't play out last season. I know I already said Petteway could elevate this team another level, but Webster is probably the most important player for Nebraska this year. Watson should be a stud PG next season and Rivers and G-Town guy are the only seniors, but Petteway could bolt to the NBA so it'd be good for them to make a run this year.
Look I don't know. Even after writing all that it still seems weird to have Nebraska predicted to finish in third place in the conference, but after reading all that it completely makes sense. They have a great coach, a program on the rise, a ton of experience back, and one of the top players in the conference returning. Honestly if it wasn't Nebraska they could even go one place higher, but I'm just not ready to do it yet. I just can't. Hell of a turnaround by Miles though. Gonna suck for them when Pitino and the Gophers dominate the conference every year eventually when that happens. When not if.
OTHER PREVIEWS:
#4 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
#5 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
#6 MICHIGAN
#7 MICHIGAN STATE
#8 IOWA HAWKEYES
#9 MARYLAND TERRAPINS
#10 INDIANA HOOSIERS
#11 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
#12 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
#13 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
#14 RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS
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