Nebraska Basketball: 3 keys to Cornhuskers beat Creighton Bluejays

Ball Movement

Allow me to go back in time and bring back nightmares of these games but there have been so many times over the years that Nebraska has tried to run an isolation offense and take Creighton on 1 on 1 and then on the opposite side of the ball the Huskers have not done enough to stop the action of Creighton have allowed far to many opportunities for Creighton to get wide open baskets which has resulted in some very lopsided games. Last year, as mentioned Nebraska didn’t turn the ball over and utilized a pick and roll offense to get easy looks at the basket. This year the Huskers have the makings of their best offense ever and that is the result of loading the roster with a lot of passers and shooters.

Nebraska enters the game averaging 17 assists per game which is a top 30 number in the country. Its not just dribble hand offs and throwing the ball inside like it seemed to be so many times last year. The Huskers have an offense full of guys who can handle the ball, jump stop, and find a cutter to the basket, or a roller to the basket. The other one is that the big men are great passers and are very keen at finding the open three point shooters on the perimeter. The Huskers do this within the flow of their offense and have rarely been turning the ball over. It has been fun to watch. The opposite is that the Huskers have been good at stopping ball movement on the defensive end.

Even when the defense has been porous over the last two games the Huskers have forced teams to operate out of system a lot. The defense is going to force cross court passes and to make passes through traffic. The key to remember here is that the best offenses move the ball well, the ball rarely gets sticky. Creighton is consistently one of the best offensive teams in the country every year and they have elite ball movement. In the Bluejays loss to Colorado State the Rams were able to shut down the ball movement and stop the actions for Creighton. That forced Creighton to play more isolation basketball, which their offense is not built for, and it didn’t go well.

Colorado State also didn’t turn the ball over and moved the ball on offense which forced Creighton to rotate on offense. That led to easy looks for the Rams. Don’t think for a second that coach Hoiberg didn’t ask his friend Niko Medved for some film of that game. Nebraska has had great ball movement this year and has forced defenses to over rotate leaving easy looks as well. That is going to be something to watch. Who is able to run offense the easiest in this one?

In previous years the Huskers have either been blasted or have won the game there is no in between. Creighton and Nebraska both matchup well this year and this one is going to be a battle.  The Vault is going to be sold out and likely rolling. Nebraska needs to slow the game down, make their shots, and play smothering defense to have a legitimate chance in this game. This game has never been just a game for either team, despite what the coaches and fans will lead you to believe. This game means a lot for both schools and I can’t wait for it to get started and end so each team can get on with their season.