Postgame Notes & Quotes: Nebraska vs. UC Riverside

Nebraska Post-Game Notes

• Tonight’s loss snapped Nebraska’s 18-game win streak in season openers. The Huskers last loss in a season opener was an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts to begin the 2000 season, and the Huskers lost a season opener at home for the first time since a 62-59 overtime defeat to Wyoming to open the 1980-81 season.  Nebraska lost a non-conference home game for just the eighth time since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013 (39-8). It was Nebraska’s first home non-conference loss since a 73-32 last-second loss to No. 13 Kansas on Dec. 16, 2017.
• Nebraska outscored UC Riverside 14-3 in points off turnovers.
• All 47 points in tonight’s game were scored by players making their Husker debut. Ten of the 11 Huskers who saw the court tonight were playing their first game in a Nebraska uniform, with seven players scoring their first point as a Husker.
• Cam Mack narrowly missed a double-double in his Husker and Division I debut, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds, both of which led Nebraska.
• Matej Kavas scored 10 points in his Nebraska debut and was the only other Husker in double figures.
• True freshman Yvan Ouedraogo hit 4-of-6 shots from the field, scoring nine points in his collegiate debut. His four field goals tied for the team lead.
• Tonight’s attendance was 15,745, marking the 100th crowd of 14,000 since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013.

Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg
On reactions to the game
“I thought early on we had a good burst out of the locker room. I thought our transition was excellent, I thought defensively, we were doing a good job of disrupting them and turning them over. Obviously, that changed, and the momentum shifted. I think we started out six for seven and finished the half off three for twenty. We missed some good looks and I thought that once the ball stopped going in the hoop, defense wasn’t as good. I thought we pressed to try and get that momentum back at once, but the ball movement wasn’t where it needed to be. Second half, obviously they came out hot and were confident. I give them credit for the way they came in here with their mentality. But it’s an opportunity now and we have to bounce back in a big way on Thursday and have two good days of preparation for this game on Saturday and find a way to get this one behind us. It’s a very disappointing loss, but you have to find a way in this business to get over it and put it behind you and get ready for the heck of the team we’re going to play on Saturday.”

On overcoming adversity
 “That is the thing that will ultimately tell you what kind of group you have, is when that adversity hits in a real game setting. You can use the excuse of ‘Well, we have so many new faces and new players.’ We’re not going to do that. We got outplayed today, and we’re going to find a way to bounce back with effort and preparation. We’re going to take every opportunity, whether we win or lose, to learn from it and grow from it. Adversity hit us in a huge way tonight, and you can talk to your guys about it until you get blue in the face. It’s going to hit you every time you step out on the floor. It will be how you handle it and we didn’t handle it well tonight.”

On team leadership
“That’s what we’ve talked about. It’s going to take situations like this to really figure out who we are and what we are and who’s going to lead through the tough times. I think Haanif [Cheatham] is as good as we have. He’s been through experiences like this, he’s played in the NCAA Tournament. He and Derrick [Walker] I think are the only two that have done that. We need to have that leadership in the huddles when the coaches are meeting and trying to go out there and make the adjustment. Those players need to find a way to stick together through that. Again, I’m confident we’ll do it. I like our group, I like our guys. We’re going to bounce back, I know that. They’re going to come in with a good attitude on Thursday and again, we’re going to need two good days of preparation.

Haanif Cheatham, Sr., Guard
On the team’s shooting struggles
“We all started the game very strong. We had the crowd hyped. It was very energetic. I think they went on their run and I think that their run caught us off guard and that being a new team caught us off guard. A little slap in the face. We just couldn’t pick it up from there.”

On Coach Hoiberg’s message after the game
“It starts in our practice. We’ve got to have high energy at all times. Just understanding one game [doesn’t] define us. Our season’s not over. We’ve still got practice, still got games and understand that it’s a marathon. We’ve still got 29 more games and we’ll be fine. Just got to work hard in practice and be ready for Saturday.”

On learning from tonight
This is our first time ever being tested and I think once we recognize what we need to do. Once we got a slap in the face, we got stagnant a little bit. We got a little bit stuck. I know we’re going to get better. We’re [going to] prepare the right way. We’re [going to] be ready for Saturday. We always talk about family in that locker room. We [are] always telling guys keep their head up. Our season’s not over, and we have got a long way to go.”

UC Riverside Coach David Patrick
On what this victory means for his program:
“After last year, we had a huge summer [and] a huge fall where we really took a look at where we could get better and all we talked about was defense and rebounding. For that to show up in Game 1, to out-rebound a Big Ten opponent, to be +20 on the glass, it’s a huge deal for our team. We [also] defended better. To hold [Nebraska] to under 30 percent from the field, that’s what we’ve been working on all summer. Last year, we were awful defensively.” 

On the Highlanders’ shooting success:
“It’s [a product of] good ball movement and good open shots. Last year, we ended up 28th in the country shooting the three [three-point percentage]. We could always shoot, but we couldn’t guard. I think [tonight] we did a better job of sharing the basketball, [and] making the extra pass--when we weren’t stepping out of bounds and turning it over. I think our guys definitely have a better understanding of [a] good shot versus [a] great shot. They really like each other and look for each other [on the court]. 

On how the Highlanders plan to build on this victory:
“[This win] proves we can win anywhere on the road, especially when we get into conference [play] in our league. We’re not going to come into an environment with this many people in the Big West, but this shows we can compete with anybody. We still have work to do. We have four guys sitting at home that aren’t with us that will join us over the next couple of weeks. Their addition with the group we have, I think good things are in store for this group.”

NU Athletic Communications