Well my friends…the Spartan ‘Defense’ was running in high gear on Saturday night and that enabled the Spartans to OVERWHELM and dominate the Cornhuskers for a 62-34…28 point victory.
More importantly, there is a statistic that will live in infamy in Nebraska Basketball lore. The Spartans held the Cornhuskers to 15 points in the first half…and didn’t allow the Cornhuskers to crack the 20 point threshold until the 9:48 mark of the second half. That’s unbelievable. The Spartans ‘D’ stifled the Cornhuskers on every possession and kept them from running the floor.
Essentially, the Spartans turned the Huslers into a…one dimensional… ‘jump shooting’ team.
Let’s go to the film. The Spartans kept the Huskers on the perimeter throwing up ‘Jump Shots’ and in that aspect…the Cornhuskers fizzled. The Huskers only converted 14 of 48 (29%) from the field…and a meager 2 of 17 (12%) beyond the Arc.
So, you can add Nebraska to the list of Big Ten teams who have gotten overwhelmed by the Spartans this year including Iowa who was beaten 95-61 (34 point margin) and Purdue who was beaten 83-58 (25 point margin)
It would be fair to say, the Spartans undressed the beleaguered Cornhuskers and everyone except the ‘pop corn vendor’ got into the game. The Spartans deployed 15 players…8 players got double digit minutes…9 players scored…and 12 players got rebounds.
The Spartans shot an impressive 23 of 39 (59%) from the field…9 of 18 (50%) beyond the Arc…70% from the stripe…and amassed 33 rebounds for a +13 rebound margin. About the only statistic the Cornhuskers had an advantage was personal fouls…14 to 12. Oops, I guess that’s not an advantage (said with a smile).
So now, the Spartans are 13-3 and sit atop the Big Ten with a two game advantage and only 2 Big Ten games to play. That means the Spartans are ensured of at least a share of the Big Ten title and are thg only Big Ten team who are in control of their destiny. One more win and the Spartans grab an undisputed title!
But it’s worth remembering, the Spartans were disregarded and curiously unranked by the so called experts prior to the season. Based upon last years dismal season, I can understand the Spartans wouldn't be ranked in the Top 10...or the Top 15...but they assuredly deserved a ranking within the Top 25 didn't they?.
If nothing else, the Spartans deserved a ranking simply based upon Coach Izzo's prodigious resume...but they weren't. Nevertheless, 29 games into this season the Spartans are an impressive 24-5 overall…ranked #6 in the AP poll…and have more victories over RPI Top 50 teams (9) than any team in the country. Not bad for a team that started the season 0-2!
If you’re playing along at home…it’s worth noting that #3 Missouri was beaten by #4 Kansas over the weekend so the Spartans will arguably move up to #5 in the AP poll.
So, now there are only two games remaining and the Spartans travel to Bloomington on Tuesday to take on the Hoosiers. That seemed like a daunting task in mid January but the Hoosiers have cooled dramatically since that time. The Hoosiers are a solid 22-7 overall…9-7 Big Ten but the Hoosiers are only 4-2 in Big Ten since the beginning of February including losses to Michigan and Iowa.
Understandably, the Hoosiers are dangerous at home so the Spartans will need to do what they do best….play with discipline…and play with determination...for a full 40 minutes. But that’s what the Spartans do. They play with a purpose…they play as a Team…and they repeatedly demonstrate they are on a mission. And one more thing, there is a distinguishing characteristic of these Spartans, they are hungry, humble and most importatnly...the Spartans are quiet.
They do their talking on the Basketball floor…and isn’t that the mark of a Champion?
Destiny awaits! Tuesday game time is 7:00 PM at Assembly Hall…and weather is not expected to be a factor (said with a smile)!
Thank you for reading!
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