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Nebraska Postgame Notes
- Nebraska shot 47.1 percent tonight against an Indiana defense which was second nationally in field goal percentage entering tonight's game (35.9). It was the highest an Indiana opponent shot against IU this season in Big Ten play (.444 at Iowa). Only two teams - Syracuse and Marshall - had a higher shooting percentage against the Hoosiers than NU tonight.
- Nebraska's 71 points marked only the fifth time this year Indiana allowed at least 70 points.
- Bryce McGowens had his fifth 20-point game of the season, which ties Dave Hoppen for the third-most 20-point games by a freshman in program history.
- Alonzo Verge Jr. netted 19 points, recording his 15th game in double-figures this season. His last basket marked his 1,000th career point, including his two seasons at Arizona State.
- Trey McGowens made his first appearance since Nov. 16, finishing with seven points and two steals in 21 minutes. He had missed NU’s last 15 games with a foot injury.
- The Huskers made 17 free throws (17-of-21), tying the most free throws made in Big Ten play this year since knocking down 17 vs. No. 13 Ohio State. Nebraska shot 81 percent from the charity stripe, the second-highest total on the season.
Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg
On Trey McGowens
“Having Trey out there was a lift. You see how much better we are with his intensity, his leadership and his passion on the defensive end of the floor. I thought Alonzo (Verge Jr.) added great pressure on the ball and getting deflections. I think we had nine steals on the night. Again, Trey just gives us a whole different element out there. Being able to put him on the ball or on the other team’s best offensive player, that’s going to be huge for us moving forward. For Trey, as I talked to him, and having an opportunity in my career to come back from a long layoff, it’s all about going out there and letting the game come to you and making simple plays and I thought Trey did a great job of that tonight and stepping up and knocking down that first three, knocking down all of his free throws, and again, giving us that huge lift. As far as his minute-load, we talked about anywhere from 16 to 22. We have a chip that our guys wear underneath their jerseys. When I met with R.J. (Pietig), our trainer, at halftime, he said that his load was at a perfect spot and we could up his minutes by about three in the second half, so that’s what the decision was, to get him up over 21, right in line with where we wanted his load to be. It’s great to have Trey back out there on the floor.”
On cutting Indiana’s lead but not being able to break through
“We cut it to four on a few occasions, but we just couldn’t get over the hump. We couldn’t get that big stop; we couldn’t get the basket to cut it to a single possession game. I don’t think we ever got there. You have to find a way to buckle down and get that stop and make the right play. We had a couple plays in the lane to get right to the basket, and we tried to kick it out and turned it over. I think we had three of those, where we had opportunities. We missed a couple right there at the rim. You have to capitalize. You have to finish in order to get over the hump and win these games. You have to be able to make those plays when they present themselves.”
On playing on MLK Jr. Day
“It’s an absolute honor to play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I’ve been very fortunate over the course of my career, as a player, playing on this day, as a coach, in the NBA playing on this day and it’s special. It’s an absolute honor to play on this day, understanding what this great man meant to our history and what he means to our history. There’s a lot of work to be done, obviously, for what his vision was and what his message was, but for our players, it’s an honor to be able to go out there and play on this day and honor a great man.”
Nebraska Senior Guard Trey McGowens
On his return tonight
“It was really good to be out there competing with my guys. I know they've been missing me, and I've been missing being out there with them. I’ve been competing on a daily basis. I wish we could have got it done.”
On making his first shot
“All the chair shooting I did. I could not do jump shots for six weeks so I really just focused on my mechanics. Five hundred shots a day, and I'm still doing it. Just making sure that I have a clean shot, and I am paying great attention to detail with my shooting.”
On the crowd welcoming him when he checked in
“It felt good. I definitely missed being out there. Basketball is what I have done my whole life and you can say that my life pretty much revolves around basketball. I'm in the gym 2-3 times a day and once you lose that it makes you appreciate it a little more. They tell me that I am in the gym too much and to stay out, but I have been away from it so long. I could not wait to get back.”
Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson
On what he liked from the team
“Just winning on the road. That’s what was great. We’ve played well enough on the road to win some games, but this was a big win for us.”
On if it was hard to get into a rhythm with the amount of fouls
“Yeah, we fouled a lot. They fouled a lot too, but that’s Big Ten basketball. You just have to play however the officials are calling it that game.”
On if they focused on turning the ball over less
“That’s every game. We tried to keep our turnovers at 12 or less. I just thought our guards did a really good job controlling the tempo. When they made runs, we came down and milked possessions and were able to counter those runs.”
On the bench’s play
“I tell you guys this all the time, but the bench is just as important as the guys that start and our bench had been struggling a little bit. I thought tonight they came in with the right mindset and we got some good production from them. Tonight, I thought they were ready to go and very productive.”
On how important it is to win on the road
“It’s huge. You can’t lose at home and when you’re on the road you’ve got to try and put yourself in the best position to win it. We’ve done that and our defensive has given us opportunities.”
NU Athletic Communications