Huskers finding selves during daunting stretch

By Brian Rosenthal / Huskers.com

You’d be hard pressed to find a nonconference schedule more daunting in program history than the one coach Tim Miles has assembled for his Nebraska basketball team.

Of course, Miles, in his fifth season, doesn’t have all the parts he expected to have when he signed to play the likes of Kansas.

Doesn’t matter now.

A young, growing, impressionable team, with only one senior, is in the midst of a 16-day stretch where it’s playing six teams currently ranked among the nation’s top 43 according to Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball rankings.

It began with a 70-68 victory over Dayton (No. 43, kenpom.com) in the Wooden Legacy last week in Los Angeles. That was a key victory because it put the Huskers “in the big-boy bracket,” as Miles put it, meaning the Huskers got to face UCLA (18) and Virginia Tech (34).

We say “got to,” because even though Nebraska lost those two games, each by 13-point margins, those opponents figure to be big RPI boosters come postseason resume time.

“We showed we can play with teams they say are top 10 and things like that. We’re still learning, but we’ve still got to make the next big jump,” sophomore point guard Glynn Watson Jr. said.

“That’s the next jump, is winning the game and not just staying in the game, but winning the game.”

Nebraska’s next opportunity is Wednesday at Clemson (32) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off is 8:15 p.m. on ESPNU.

The Huskers (4-2) then return home for a Saturday game against South Dakota, led by former Nebraska assistant and Miles’ longtime friend and colleague, Craig Smith, before hosting Creighton (22) on Dec. 7 and playing at Kansas (6) on Dec. 10.

Buckle up.

“We’ve got a good group of young guys that wanted the challenge of this,” Miles said. “We’ve put them up against one of the more daunting schedules that Nebraska’s ever going to see, and they’re not going to flinch. They’re going to go out there every day.

“I would expect a heck of a game against Clemson. I just want a couple to go their way. We’ll get over the top. We’ll be all right in time. We’ve just got to get everybody on the same page and get more production out of more guys.”

Nebraska is coming off a 66-53 loss to Virginia Tech, marking the Huskers’ lowest-scoring game of the season. Miles was frustrated with his team’s lack of offense affecting its defensive discipline, something Watson agreed can’t happen.

“We’ve just got to stay focused on defense,” said Watson, who followed a career-high 27 points against UCLA with a season-low two points against Virginia Tech. “Offensively, we didn’t play as well as we wanted to and make shots like we wanted to, but defensively we’ve got to stick with what we know. That’s got to be the biggest thing for us.”

Nebraska faces a Clemson team that sticks mostly with a six-man rotation, with all six players averaging in double figures. Leading the Tigers is forward Jaron Blossomgame, who considered entering the NBA Draft but returned for his senior season.

Blossomgame earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2016 and averages 18.4 points per game. The Tigers are an experienced team, with three seniors and two juniors. 

Miles notes Clemson’s overall athleticism, strong guard play and penchant for tight man-to-man defense.

“I would expect we’ll see a variety of things out of them defensively,” Miles said, “but I also expect to see a tough-minded team that executes well.”

That’s the type of team Miles wants his club to learn to become during this challenging stretch.

“I think we’re learning a lot more about ourselves,” he said, “but to get that continuity, and more importantly, to get some of our bench guys with some regular scoring, is really critical.”

For the first time in school history, Nebraska is playing consecutive games against ACC teams. This is also the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Clemson.

“We’re ready to get a W,” Watson said. “We know it’s going to be tough, but we’ve got to come through and get the W.”

Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.