#47 R.P.I. Nebraska vs. #117 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Virginia Tech basketball returns for the final game of the Wooden Legacy tourney after a day off to face what is addition via subtraction. As former Big-12 Nebraska is now in the 14 team Big-10 conference, having left the former Big-12 which now courts eight teams, behind. And yes, go fig’ on all of that?!?

The Cornhuskers are a 4 up and 1 down men’s hoops team -same as us- and they were tabbed by most pre-season magazines to be a bottom-4 team in the Big-10. Which is probably code for a potential post-season bid; albeit one south of the big dance. Nebraska is not quite the lumbering muscle bound Corn-husking team of yore, and that makes this one a closer match-up than some will think for this 4pm east-coast 1pm Pacific ESPNU tip-off.

Head Coach: Tim Miles: (age=50). Tim is a sporty looking 350–287 (.549) overall, although a very modest looking three games above .6oo at 71-68 at Nebraska. Tim played point-G at little University of Mary (Catholic school in Bismarck North Dakota) in the mid 1980’s. Tim certainly cut his small-college to lowercase mid-major teeth along the way with Miles tour stops at: Mayville State, South-West Minnesota State, North Dakota State, Colorado State and now Nebraska; thus making Tim a stately guy indeed. Tim’s teams come with a gamey defensive rep’, a fundamentally sound rep’, and Tim is thought of as something of a players coach. Tim’s teams are also known to have taken a trophy case big-name scalp from time-to-time. And Tim might could pass for being Jeff Goldblum, form a distance, at night, in the dark.

Nebraska at a glance:

• 38th best in scoring defense with 62.6 ppg allowed
• 49th in FT percentage (79.8%)
• 72nd in defensive rebounding (28.6 d-rpg)
• 80th in FG percentage defense allowed (39.6%)
• 314th in steals (4.4 spg, playing the man, not the ball)

Cornhusker Returning Starters=2

Nebraska Strengths:

• #0, one Tai Webster is a imported All-Black(s) (rugby), Steinlager (beer), lead-G baller all the way from Auckland New Zealand under the Southern Cross. This  is merely a 7,743 mile roadie to Lincoln Nebraska, if you are keeping score at home. And if you are keeping score at home, that’s good, because scoring is 6’4” 194 lb. smooth looking Tai’s thing. As this 3-time honor roll member leads Big Red at 17.3 ppg on 50% from downtown and 53% from the floor overall. Tai (pronounced Tie), is also fetching you 5 caroms per game and pacing NEB with 3.6 apg. Final year Tai also courts F.I.B.A. or Olympic basketball experience having already represented New Zealand in the same. Tai is good at a lot of things; though his handle had been historically, suspect; as he charted an actually negative assist:turnover ratio last year. This year however he us up to close to 2:1 to the good; nevertheless, there are still times his pocket can be picked.

  

• 6′ 174 lb. jitterbug true-Pt.G. and soph. year Glynn Watson Jr. is second pacing the Cornhuskers in scoring at 15.3 ppg at 53% overall and a team leading 87.8% from the charity-stripe. Glynn just won the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team award and that speaks for itself and says volume about Glynn. Waston was the 71st recruit out of high school from ESPN.com; this after having picked up two straight State’s (championships) to close his scholastic Illinois career. His older brother, Demetri McCamey, was an All-Big Ten performer at Illinois. Watson has a history of playing bigger, better more clutch on the big stage; file that one away if this one is a tight one come ~6pm. That said, the book says that Watson is not a pure shooter, a “Rondo” that you can play off of or sag a bit (27% career on 3’s, a;though 41% from the arc after five games this campaign).
• 6’7” 234 lb. Ed Morrow is a strapping looking S/F who ain’t very small when it comes to leaping and/or just pure three spot strength. The 52nd ranked baller outta high school according to ESPN.com, this Chi-Town flashy hoopster’s scholastic team only won four State Titles in a row; his pops Edward Sr. only played football for Congressman Tom Osborne and was a member of the Huskers’ 1994 national title team, whereas his mum Nafeesah Brown only played three seasons for the Husker women’s basketball program, totaling 1,089 points and 574 rebounds. Yah; I’d have to say Big Red is in his, blood. Ed nets you 10 ppg with a team leading 7.3 rpg on a sizzling 64% thus far. His range is a bit limited, nonetheless, Ed will finish and dunk on you near the rim if he can. Per his staggering 74% shooting overall in Big-10 play last season.

Nebraska Weaknesses:

• Inexperience as Nebraska only courts three total upperclassmen on scholarship on their entire 15 man roster. As a calendar Renaissance or temporal youth movement is underway in Lincoln to put it mildly.
• Mister White and Mister Shields are gone from last year and so is most of their Big-Red explosion; as this is more of a grounded hoops squad at the moment.
• Nebraska is not a bad offensive team, though just a middleocore one that has some shooting limitations from range; as four guys in the ‘Husker 10 man rotation are shooting 0% from 3-ball land and six are shooting <33% from the same.

Nebraska Bench: (depth=5)
Nebraska and coach Tim Miles brings one of the deeper and more versatile benches we will see all year; as the starters only average between 22 and 30 minutes per game and the subs all log between 10 and 17 minutes of P.T. Lottsa combinations and mixing and matching going on here. Leading the way is massive 7-3 inch wingspan true-Center and rookie year Five Jordy Tshimanga. Jordy is 6’11” and 276 lb. Fresh. by way of Montreal. Jordy has 15′ range and he is a true rim protecting stopper in the key. Louisville 6’3” 195 lb. r-soph transfer 2-Guard Anton Gill gets a lot of pine-squad relief looks as he was the 50th ranked baller nationally out of high school who has yet to do much of anything in college. All ‘Husker subs average between 2.2 ppg and 3.3 ppg and between 1.8 rpg and 3.6 rpg. Clearly, theses are utility guys as there is a drop-off here in box score production to this beta version or B-side bench.

Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…  ♫“...you can’t always get what you want, … you just might find, you get what you need.” ♪

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Virginia Tech basketball and coach Buzz did not get what they wanted in game no.2 Friday afternoon on a stuffed day for most of leftover America.

As tired legs and a ~20 hour turn really took their toil late vs. aTm. Now those very same tried O&M legs get what they need; i.e., a full day off. Will that be enough vs a pretty good though probably south of great Nebraska men’s hoops club?

***

Virginia Tech is the more fluent team on offense, what with a virtual 5% edge from the floor overall and from long-distance as well. On defense Nebraska is o.9% better in overall FG percentage allowed and 1.o% better in 3-point percentage allowed –so defense is nearly awash here.

From what I saw late Friday night; the Cornhuskers; although surely not a gimmie, are not world beaters; either. They have some very decent 1-2 or Top-2 scoring punch, and then there is  a drop off after that; at least at the offensive end. Hence, Big Red is a +5 or five point dog in this one and I for one am inclined to agree. Buzz has more overall firepower; and Buzz has a vastly more weaponized bench as well. And a rolling Buzz gathers no moss, so let us hope that the day off gets our sleepy looking Friday offense some much needed R&R in this getaway bronze medal contest.

(64% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=74, Nebraska=65

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**

V.A.D.A. approved