A year ago, just a week before the NCAA Tournament tipped off, the Badgers’ hopes of any sort of Big Ten title were dashed by a Nebraska team that finished the regular season 14-17. UW shot just 30.2 percent in that game and couldn’t slow down the Cornhusker offense.
In the win, Shavon Shields, Andrew White III and Benny Parker combined for 42 points, 18 rebounds and all four of Nebraska’s assists on the night. But when the No. 7 Badgers (9-1 Big Ten, 20-3 overall) travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the Huskers (4-7, 10-13) this Thursday, none of those players will be on the court.
After Shields and Parker graduated, White announced his decision to head east and transfer to Syracuse, where he is now averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game. With the exodus of its three core players, Nebraska has turned to a new big three: Tai Webster, Glynn Watson and Ed Morrow.
For a while, it worked; the Huskers scored big wins, including a neutral-site win over Dayton and two tight road victories over Indiana and Maryland. Webster currently ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring at 18 points per game, Morrow was sixth in the conference in rebounding and Watson has some of the quickest hands in the country defensively.
But in the middle of a heated conference schedule, Morrow went down with a foot injury that sidelined him indefinitely. He has missed the last seven games, of which Nebraska has lost six, and the Huskers are reeling. But the Badgers understand that anything can happen—Nebraska’s lone win during that stretch came over then-No. 20 Purdue.
“You obviously have to understand that this is a team that has had some tough luck with injuries but has battled through everything,” assistant coach Howard Moore said. “But again, those wins against Purdue and Maryland, they stand out, and they show that they’re more than capable.”
Even with Morrow sitting out, the Huskers have found role players to step into a bigger role and handle the pressure of the spotlight.
“[Jack] McVeigh has stepped back up into the lineup and has gotten some minutes. We know he can shoot it, we know he's versatile at 6-foot-8,” Moore added. “[Michael] Jacobson is one of the best rebounding bigs in our league, especially on the offensive end, so they’ve got guys that are capable. They’ve improved over the year, and they’ve added some pieces.”
Sunday against Indiana, UW turned the ball over eight times in the first half alone. An aggressive defensive gameplan from Tom Crean led to numerous transition opportunities, which could prove costly against a quick Nebraska team.
The Huskers rank third in the conference in steals per game, and guards like Webster and Watson are practically magicians in the open court. The Badgers struggle to defend opposing players once they get out and run, and limiting those chances is critical to avoiding an upset on the road.
“We gotta be a lot more mentally tough and not allow that pressure to deter us or get us off kilter, on the road especially,” Moore said. “[We need] more back cuts, more ball fakes, make sure we use that pressure against them to get ourselves in a position to score.”
The game tips off from Pinnacle Bank Arena at 8 p.m. Thursday.
