‘We wanted it super bad’
Northwestern hangs on vs. Nebraska for its first Big Ten win
Sorry, Fred Hoiberg, but Northwestern needed this win in your return to Chicagoland.
The analytics site KenPom.com had Saturday’s game against Nebraska as the only remaining one (of 16!) the Wildcats had a better than 50% chance to win.
And they did. Northwestern made 10 3-pointers in its 62-57 victory against the Cornhuskers, its first Big Ten win after four losses. The Wildcats improved to 6-9 overall as Miller Kopp scored 15 points and Pat Spencer added 14 points and eight rebounds.
“A lot of times people don’t realize the commitment for these players in between games,” NU coach Chris Collins said. “Lifting weights, getting treatment, eating right, sleep and, oh yeah, they go to Northwestern and we started our quarter. When you put that kind of investment into it and don’t get to taste some success, it can be hard.
“So it was great to see those guys dancing and chest-bumping and throwing water (in the locker room afterward).”
Kopp put it succinctly: “We wanted it super bad.”
Hoiberg’s Huskers have been better than expected this season, entering Saturday 7-8 but 2-2 in Big Ten play with solid home victories over Purdue and Iowa.
They entered the weekend leading the Big Ten in turnover margin at plus 2.9. Not too shabby considering Hoiberg built the team on the fly. Nebraska returned only 50 total points from last season, all from Thorir Thorbjarnarson.
All those newbies force Hoiberg to take the good with the bad.
Two instances of bad Saturday: A brutal possession to end the first half, with Cam Mack dribbling incessantly before taking a long, challenged 3 at the buzzer, and Thorbjarnarson fouling low-scoring Ryan Greer on the perimeter with two on the shot clock.
But the Huskers reflect what Hoiberg tried to accomplish in his three-plus seasons with the Bulls; they entered the game 13th nationally in offensive tempo, with an average possession of 15.2 seconds.
“Our goal this year is to try to establish a style of play we feel can bring sustained success,” Hoiberg said. “That’s how I’ve always wanted to play.”
And then he half-joked to a Chicago reporter: “Quit asking me about the Bulls.”
And after falling behind 60-48 with 3:47 to play, the Huskers made two 3s to give Northwestern a scare.
Ryan Young, Kopp and Spencer all missed the front end of one-on-ones, and Mack banked home a 3. Nebraska’s Dachon Burke Jr. attempted a tying 3, but Spencer got a piece of it and Kopp got fouled and sank both free throws.
Asked how he handled the missed foul shots, Collins shot back: “Outwardly or inwardly?”
With observers chuckling, Collins added: “I want it so bad for the guys and when you’re a young player, you can’t practice that. We can put three minutes on the clock in practice but it’s not the same when you’re tired from playing (big) minutes and there’s game pressure. The only way to get better is by doing it.”