Preview: Gophers vs. Nebraska

Did you ever think you’d live to see the day when Gopher fans would prefer to play Nebraska in football rather than basketball? Well, for the second year in a row, that’s probably the case. The Cornhusker football team just finished their worst season in memory, while the basketball team actually had one of their better ones. Sure, they were only 6-10 in conference play, but that came after a 1-6 start. They even blew out Kansas and Texas Tech on their way to an 18-13 overall record and two NIT wins. And of course they also beat Minnesota 77-60 at Williams Arena a year ago (and 80-60 two years ago in Lincoln).

The Huskers return 3 starters and 10 letterwinners from that team, so there’s still a little bit of hoops optimism for the football fans to cling to again this season. As for the two starters who aren’t back this year, the Gophers probably weren’t too sad to see them go. Nate Johnson (25) and Brian Conklin (17) combined to score 42 of Nebraska’s 77 points in The Barn last year.

This year’s Nebraska team combines a nice veteran nucleus with a couple of talented newcomers. 6’4″ senior Jake Muhleisen is a stable floor general (although he spent more time at the ‘2’ last year), and 6’6″ junior Jason Dourisseau and 6’0″ senior Marcus Neal, Jr. are athletic scorers on the perimeter. Dourisseau is a slasher who’s more comfortable in the paint, while Neal has three-point range. The trio also combines to average 8 assists per game. 6’5″ senior guard Corey Simms provides a solid contribution off the bench as well.

While that experience is nice, though, it’s a couple of newcomers that real have those former football fans buzzing. 6’5″ freshman guard Joe McCray averaged 19 points (in just 22 minutes) off the bench in the first three games and now finds himself in the starting lineup. And 6’11”, 265-lb freshman Aleks Maric – a standout for Australia in the 19-under World Championships – averaged a double-double in those three games with 10 points and 11 rebounds while shooting an astonishing 83% from the field. Maric plays a physical game for an international player, and McCray isn’t lacking for confidence; he attempted 27 three-pointers in his first 66 minutes of college action.

Nebraska is a tough team to get a handle on this early in the season. Their blowout wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Texas Southern, and Morgan State don’t necessarily mean a whole lot, and their 14-point loss at Alabama-Birmingham probably wasn’t as bad as it sounds (UAB is tough to beat at home).

Plus, the Huskers are a strange team. They’re now starting four guards along with Maric in the middle. 6’9″ senior John Turek is the only other big body who gets serious playing time. He’s a very solid all-around player who has hurt Minnesota in the past, but he’s never proven to be a physical presence. So to me they sound like a team that will shoot a lot of jumpshots, try to get out in transition, and then let their big guys and athletes crash the offensive glass.

Here are my Gopher Keys of the Game:

1. Poise. This is Minnesota’s first and only true road game of the nonconference schedule. For an inexperienced team, that can be tough. Then again, the Gophers played pretty well up in Alaska for the most part. So who knows? Keeping their nerves in check will be the key. Turnovers and extended droughts are two indicators of nerves, although being overly cautious and worried about turnovers isn’t a good thing either. Just play the game and forget about where you are.

2. Guard the Perimeter. While the Gophers have displayed improved defense this season, they’ve still been giving up too many three-pointers. Nebraska has some guys who love to shoot the three, and the Minnesota defenders are going to have to stay in their face. The Gopher big men will hopefully be able to defend without needing any double teams, so the guards will need to stay honest and focus on the shooters rather than helping out inside.

3. Rebound. The Gophers have been giving up too many offensive rebounds. That’s especially been true when Spencer Tollackson and/or J’son Stamper are on the bench. Playing good defense doesn’t mean much if you keep giving the opponent more shot opportunities. The Gopher big men are going to have to focus on putting a body on somebody until the rebound is grabbed, and the guards are going to have to help out (rather than rushing to get out in transition). The Gophers can also help themselves by using their size advantage (when either Maric or Turek is out) to crash the offensive glass.

As nice as it would have been to win another game in Alaska, and as important as I thought it was to beat Florida State and build some momentum, a win at Nebraska might be even bigger. A loss means Minnesota will enter Big Ten season without ever having won on an opponent’s floor. A win will mean the opposite. It could also mean an 8-game winning streak heading into conference play. That would be a big confidence boost for a young team in need of one. I’m feeling like it might happen. My prediction: Minnesota 70 Nebraska 67.

Talk about the game on our Gopher Basketball message board.