Nebraska Basketball: 3 keys for home matchup with Duquesne Dukes

Stay Aggressive

This is going to be a key to every Huskers game from now until the end of the season. Nebraska needs to stay hungry and stay aggressive the entire year. There have been too many times over the last 20 years where the Huskers have been complacent and lost a game they should have won. Duquesne is good enough to blow Nebraska out if that is the mentality they have heading into this game. The Huskers may be 5-0 and just crushed a power five team but they have accomplished nothing and have a lot in front of them this year. It was good to hear Coach Hoiberg say that the Huskers had a great practice the last two days and were focused and practicing hard.

Nebraska has been the aggressor in all five games and has forced teams to adapt to their style of play. The coaching staff of the Huskers has praised how physical they are and how they have learned to play physical without fouling. In the same token, as the aggressor Nebraska has done a great job of getting to the free throw line. They have taken 26 free throws a night over the first five games and they are not shooting at a great clip from the free throw line, but they are getting there a lot and the makes will start to come.

Another way to gauge aggressiveness, at least for me, is to have a sense of when to put the pedal down and bury teams. Nebraska has been able to gauge when there is blood in the water and has been able to take complete advantage of that and go on game-breaking runs. It has happened in every game they have played and outside of the game against Oregon State the Huskers have left their foot on the pedal and have not allowed a team to crawl back into the game. I can promise you that Duquesne is going to have a moment in the game that Nebraska will be able to take advantage of.

Can the Huskers take that advantage by being aggressive and hunting their shots?  Will they get to the foul line, rebound well, and play smothering defense?  We will find out tomorrow night.