Postgame Notes & Quotes: Nebraska vs. Iowa

Postgame Notes

• Tonight’s win was Nebraska’s fourth-straight home victory over Iowa, as the Huskers moved to 4-1 against the Hawkeyes at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
• With the win, Nebraska has posted back-to-back wins over Iowa for just the third time in series history and for the first time since defeating Iowa in December of 1956 and winning the next meeting 14 years later in December of 1970.
• Fred Hoiberg improved to 5-1 in his head coaching career against Iowa, including his 4-1 record against the Hawkeyes as Iowa State’s head coach.
• Nebraska held Iowa to a season-worst 12.1 percent from the 3-point line. The Hawkeyes hit just 4-of-33 from beyond the arc, including missing 12 consecutive 3-pointers in the first half.
• Five Huskers scored in double-figures for Nebraska, marking the third time this season five players had reached double figures in the same game.
• Cam Mack had 15 points and 10 assists to post his fourth double-double of the season, all of which have been points-assists double-doubles. Mack, the only Husker in the last 30 years to have multiple points-assists double-doubles in the same season, has now accounted for four of Nebraska’s nine points-assists double-doubles in the last 30 seasons.
• Mack has posted a points-assist double-double in three of his first four career Big Ten Conference games, also recording the feat against Indiana and Purdue.
• Mack finished with 10 assists while committing only one turnover. Seven of Mack’s 10 assists came in the second half.
• Thorir Thorbjarnarson led Nebraska with 17 points and nine rebounds. His 17 points tied his career high set earlier this season at Indiana, while his nine rebounds were a season high and one shy of his career high. Thorbjarnarson, who scored 10 second-half points, was one rebound shy of posting his first career double-double.
• Kevin Cross had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, marking his fifth double-figure scoring game this season and the first time he has reached double figures in a Big Ten Conference game.
• Despite early foul trouble, Dachon Burke was 5-of-8 from the floor and scored 13 points. Burke had scored just nine points on 3-of-22 shooting over his past two games. Eleven of Burke’s 13 points came in the second half, and he is now four points away from 1,000 for his career.
• Haanif Cheatham added 14 points for the Huskers, including 13 in the first half. He has reached double figures 11 times, including each of the last four games.
• Charlie Easley played a career-high 16 minutes in the win and had a career-high two steals while adding one point and one rebound.
• The three Huskers who came off the bench tonight – Kevin Cross, Charlie Easley and Matej Kavas – combined to post a plus-21 scoring margin.

Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg
On the effort and intensity tonight
"It was exactly what we worked on the last few days. The guys bought into the game plan and believed in it. We really tried to pack the paint. We felt our only chance of winning the game was to sit two or three bodies in the paint at all times and then closeout to the shooters, and we did a good job at that. McCaffery hit three of them, but again if Garza got the ball he was going to score. So we wanted to force the kick out which we did not do a very good job of against Rutgers. I thought we guarded the drive much better. Wieskamp got loose to the basket on the second half on some curls. We started going under those to try and limit those paint touches. I am really proud of the guys. We had a great film session I know after Creighton and bounced back with some good efforts, but for the guys to come out and play with that type of intensity and effort after a disappointing last home game says a lot about our guys. Hopefully it is one we can build on." 

On Thorir Thorbjarnarson
"Thorir was unbelievable hitting those shots. Made a great play to Kevin. He was actually the one that ran a little crack back play for him out of the time out and he was the one who told Kevin to slip because the last time we set a flare they switched it. He said ‘Kevin slip to the basket I am going to get you a layup’ and Kevin I think got fouled and made both free throws which I think is the only time we made both free throws tonight. For the most part, the guys went out there and believed in the plan and believed in each other. We knew Iowa would go on a run and talked about that. They made the run in the first half. We responded well to that and finished the half well which we did not do the other night. Rutgers took control of that game the last five minutes of the first half and then they handled the second half run. When Iowa took the lead (tonight), guys went out and made big plays, and Thorir was a huge part of that run."

On Jervay Green not playing
"It was just a decision I made before the game. Went back to the rotation where we played two of our better games of the season against Purdue and against Indiana and had a talk with him before the game that that was the direction I was going to go this one. Again the guys went out there. Everyone that stepped on the floor made a contribution tonight. Charlie Easley made some unbelievable hustle plays. That play where he dove on the floor was the loudest it got in the building all night. But Charlie although he didn't hit his shots I thought had a huge impact on that win and again just made unbelievable hustle plays out there."

On competing in the Big Ten
"Iowa's a heck of a team. They got a guy playing as well as anyone in the country. Not just our league I mean in the country with Garza. And then Wieskamp is a load. He is as versatile as anyone in Big Ten. They got role players that go out there and do exactly what they are supposed to do. For us to bounce back against a really good team and get this one is important. We have two really tough road games coming up. Every time you step on the floor in this conference its a monster. You got to be ready to go out there and again if you don't bring physicality you are probably not going to win."

On Cam Mack and Dachon Burke Jr.
"We really just try to go out there. and I thought the guys played off each other really well.  Cam obviously getting into the paint tonight especially in the last ten minutes and making the right play. but Burke flying down the floor made a great read on the press offense and getting the dunk. He hit the two big ones late. Obviously. we didn't make the free throws when we needed to close out the game, but Burke hitting those two at the end was very important." 

Nebraska Players
Junior guard Dachon Burke Jr.
On bouncing back
“I love my team. The coaches believe in me. My teammates. I have the best teammates in the country. My last two games weren’t really my best so I’ve just been staying in the gym, staying confident, watching film, just doing a little extra. Tonight it showed. My coaches and teammates believed in me. My confidence remained and our team got the win.”

Sophomore guard Cam Mack
On the physicality and setting the tone
“I feel like coach really prepped the whole (week). We had tough practices and had that intensity in preparation.

On the team playing at a high level
“We kind of saw it [at] Indiana, Purdue. We’ve got to pick up the intensity. We got doubted, but we have to work hard. Keep repeating. Just get back to work.”

Junior guard Thorir Thorbjarnarson
On the difference between tonight’s win and the Rutgers loss
“Just close the paint. We didn’t do a good job against Rutgers closing the paint, and I think that was the biggest emphasis for our us because he (Garza) is obviously one of the best big men in the country. We did a great job on him. I think we did a fairly good [job out there].”

On physicality and aggressiveness
“Yeah, I think we did pretty good. It also helped that they went and started 1-15 from three and ended 4-33. That also helped a lot. They weren’t in the rhythm, and we were making shots. I think our emphasis on letting certain guys shoot and packing the paint, closing out the guards, I think the game plan went perfectly. They had one run in the second half where I think they got up one (51-50). I think we led the rest of the way so I think we did a really good job not letting them back in the game.”

Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery
On Iowa’s three-point shooting
“I do think we settled a few times in the second half without working the ball around. But I always tell my guys, ‘If you’re open, shoot the ball.’ I want [the players to have] complete confidence. I thought we had a couple looks in the second half where we shot it as an afterthought, even though we were still open. You don’t shoot those; you move those, especially with time on the clock.” 

On where this game was lost
“We out-rebounded them. We got a great effort from Garza. We didn’t shoot it well. We didn’t have a ton of turnovers--we had a few coming down the stretch. Defensively, we were not as good as we needed to be for forty minutes. We were good at times. We might have gotten worn down a bit, that’s a possibility.” 

On lessons learned from this game
“I think we have to recognize how the game is going, what’s the flow of the game. If the shots aren’t going in, we have to drive it more, screen more, cut more, go in-and-out, attack more. I thought we tried to do that in transition, especially in the second half--we got some good looks there. I think we need a little more attention to detail--we were somewhat connected, but not good enough. [Nebraska] moved the ball, got off to a good start, really competed.” 

Assessment of Nebraska
“I think they’re getting better. We can all see that. They had some tough losses early. One-point losses, two-point losses and that wears on you a little bit. They fought through that. I think they compete, they stay connected defensively, they work hard. They have a lot of different guys who can score, so they’re not easy to defend. Sometimes they’re a little bit inconsistent but the one thing is, they’re always aggressive.”   

NU Athletic Communications