A new team with new talent showed the same issues of the past couple seasons.
Nebraska (0-1) struggled on the defensive boards, from deep, and at taking care of the ball. Those flaws added up to a 75-74 loss at the hands of Western Illinois (1-0) to begin the 2021-22 campaign.
The Leathernecks grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, resulting in 22 second chance points. They also scored 16 points off of Nebraska’s 12 turnovers.
Nebraska managed just six assists on the night, five of which came after halftime.
“We got away from what made us successful in the two exhibitions which was moving the basketball and making simple plays,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We got what we deserved tonight.”
The Huskers made just 5-of-20 triples, a stark contrast to the 11-of-22 and 12-of-27 efforts in the two exhibition games.
Also different from the two exhibitions was the offensive mentality. Against Peru State and Colorado, the offense largely drove into space and found open teammates. Tuesday night, multiple players drove into traffic and forced up contested shots.
Driving into traffic and taking a contested shot is also how the game ended, as Alonzo Verge Jr. missed a wild shot in the lane as time expired.
Verge finished with game-highs of 26 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.
Also in double-figures, Bryce McGowens got his Husker debut out of the way with a 25 point effort.
“There’s a ton of disappointment in that locker room right now to let a game like this get away from us,” Hoiberg said. “The message is we gotta find a way to get tough.
“Not enough physicality with our group right now.”
Next up for Nebrasketball is another home non-conference game Friday hosting Sam Houston State.
“Everything is a learning opportunity,” Hoiberg said. “Whether you win, whether you lose, a good game, a bad game—you gotta find a way to learn from it.
“We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”