Gary, Griesel power Nebraska to 87-60 exhibition win over Chadron State
Nebraska basketball unofficially tipped off its fourth season under head coach Fred Hoiberg with a home exhibition against Chadron State on Sunday afternoon.
Behind a balanced offensive attack and aggressive defense, the Huskers worked through a slow start and used an 18-6 run midway through the first half and then a late 21-0 spurt to coast to a comfortable 87-60 victory.
Juwan Gary came off the bench and posted a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds, while Sam Griesel finished with 14 points, seven assists, and four rebounds to lead the way for NU.
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It was hardly a perfect effort for Nebraska, as it shot just 6-of-26 (23.1%) from behind the arc and allowed 17 points off of 12 turnovers.
But the Huskers overcame their cold shooting and occasional sloppy play by dominating the post on both ends. They owned a 48-33 rebounding advantage and scored 24 second-chance points off of 19 offensive boards, and got 48 of their 87 points in the paint.
All 12 of Hoiberg’s healthy scholarship saw the floor in the first half, and all 16 available NU players got in the game before the final buzzer. Thirteen different Huskers scored at least two points despite only two reaching double figures.
Nebraska will play another exhibition next Sunday in a charity game rematch against Colorado in Boulder. That contest will tip at 5 p.m. CT and will be aired on the Huskers Radio Network.
3-point play
The energy was there
While Nebraska was a bit rusty out of the gates offensively, it kept control of the game with an impressive defensive effort and on the glass from start to finish.
The Huskers pestered Chadron State’s ball handlers to the tune of 18 forced turnovers, which resulted in 15 NU points, while holding the Eagles to just 38.1% shooting from the field.
No matter which players were on the floor, Nebraska was crashing the boards, tipping passes, taking charges, diving for loose balls, and finding every way possible to dominate despite an off-shooting day.
“I was really pleased with our overall effort tonight,” Hoiberg said. “I thought the guys came out and played the right way, for the most part, and played extremely hard. That’s what we were looking for out of this game, was to come out and really try to establish ourselves on the defensive end.”
Nebraska’s shooting remains a concern
Nebraska was able to out-work and out-physical a much smaller Division II opponent and control the game throughout, but the dismal shooting beyond transition layups and put-backs was a major red flag.
There were already many questions about where the Huskers’ scoring would come from this season, and Sunday’s 6-for-26 effort from behind the arc didn’t do anything to comfort those concerns.
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It wasn’t just a matter of end-of-the-bench guys bricking a bunch of shots late, either. Nebraska missed 14 of its first 16 3-pointers, and the only reason it got up to 23.1% for the day was that Gary knocked down two midway through the second half.
Hoiberg wasn’t overly concerned with his team’s shooting after the game, saying he purposfully kept the offense “as basic as we possibly can.” Once NU reaches the regular season, Hoiberg said he would dial up more designed actions to create better perimeter looks.
That may be the case, but the Huskers’ top veteran shooters – C.J. Wilcher, Keisei Tominaga, Wilhelm Breidenbach, Emmanuel Bandoumel, and Griesel – shot a combined 3-of-15 from downtown. That must improve against more formidable competition.
“We ran one play on the perimeter and one post-up play, and that’s all we were going to keep it to with the exhibition,” Hoiberg said. “Certainly, we’ll open up the playbook as we get closer to the regular season, which I think will help our shooters.”
Juwan Gary is already a fan favorite
It wasn’t just Gary’s 23 points and nine rebounds that immediately won over Nebraska fans in attendance on Sunday.
Just as he did in his three seasons at Alabama, the junior forward was the hardest-working player on both ends of the floor during his 20 minutes of action. Of NU’s 19 offensive rebounds
For a team that still has plenty of kinks to work out offensively, Gary lit a fire for the Huskers off the bench and helped turned a game that was a little too close for comfort into a lopsided win.
He received a rousing ovation from the fans when he checked out for the day, by far the loudest of any Husker. One fan even yelled, “I love you, Gary!” as he walked to the bench.
“The biggest thing is he just brings that dog mentality,” Griesel said of Gary. “Obviously, that showed tonight just on the offensive boards. He’s a really confident player, and he brings – especially coming off the bench – a certain level of juice with his game, and that is very infectious for the rest of us.”
They said it
“It was emotional. The thing that I thought about before the game was both of my grandparents passed away in the last two years, and they were very involved with the university… Just knowing that they have a front-row seat tonight and for this whole year is a pretty special opportunity just to honor them.”
-Senior point guard Sam Griesel on the emotions of playing his first (unoffcial) game as a Husker.
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