Postgame Notes
*-Nebraska improved to 16-8 on the season, its best 24-game record since 2010-11 when Nebraska was also 16-8 after 24 games.
*-Nebraska’s seven Big Ten wins is the most conference wins since going 11-7 in 2013-145.
*-Nebraska’s 98 team points are the most points scored this season since Dec. 20 (104 vs. UTSA).
*-Nebraska’s 98 total points against a conference opponent are the most since Feb. 9, 2002 (Kansas State, 99)...It is NU’s highest point total against a Big Ten team since joining the Big Ten (previous high was 93 vs. Iowa last season in Lincoln).
*-Nebraska shot 57.7 percent (30-for-52) as a team – the best since Dec. 22 against Delaware State.
*-Nebraska went 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from three-point land – it’s best percentage this season and the first time the team shot over 50 percent from behind the arc.
*-James Palmer Jr. finished with 28 points after shooting 7-for-12 from the floor, including 3-for-6 for three-point land...It was his sixth 20-point game of the season...Palmer also tied his career high with five assist (also vs. Long Beach Beach).
*-Isaac Copeland had 23 points and 11 rebounds, marking his second double-double this season and third of his career...Copeland now has five 20-point games this season and had consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career...Copeland went 4-for-5 from behind the arc, setting a career-best for three-point shots made.
*-Isaiah Roby went 5-for-10 from the field, including one three-pointer, and added six free-throws to finish with a career-high 17 points.
*-Jordy Tshimanga went 4-for-5 from the field and added four from the foul line to finish with a season-high 11 points.
Nebraska Head Coach Tim Miles
On pregame:
“I was talking in the pregame with some different media guys too, Kent Pavelka one of them, and I said the one thing about Iowa is they can lead you right down the path of shootout. They play quick. If they see an open shot, it’s going up. You can have a lot of quick possessions and I just didn’t know if we could keep up that way really. I didn’t like the matchup with (Tyler) Cook. It felt like that was going to be difficult and I think that proved correct although I thought Jordy Tshimanga came in and did his best job of the year. He got some extended minutes because he earned them and ended up with 11 points, eight rebounds. That was badly needed. Even when I felt like (Isaac) Copeland and (Isaiah) Roby were mis-matched. You look down and the guys have put together 40 points, 19 rebounds, four blocks, three steals. They do so many other things for you too that maybe you can afford to be mis-matched a little bit.”
On James Palmer Jr.
“James can make so many plays. I think the first half he had four assists right away. He’s willing to share the ball. He also knows when to take over. He’s been a very pleasant surprise for me in terms of how bought in he is to the game plan, how bought in he is to focus, concentration and all of those things that go along with it. Then when you put his talent together with his ability to score and take over a game was really good. Roby was just steady all night. Copeland, I thought shot the ball and looked good the last week. He looked as good at shooting all week as I seen him.”
On Glynn Watson Jr.’s defensive play
“Glynn after (Jordan) Bohannon got those first couple threes, really did an excellent job. He just bought in. He changed the game defensively. He allowed us to stretch a lead out. His ability to guard the ball and pressure the ball in areas made it a little harder for them to get inside, took away his threes and when you get ball pressure like that out of a guy that was picking up full court, getting over screens, getting over ball screens, getting over hit man. That’s not easily done and he just did it and he did it with a smile on his face. He was only focused on helping the team. With all of that diatribe, what I mean is I like the demeanor of this team. I like the buy in. They understand if I just do this job tonight, we’re going to be in good shape.”
Nebraska Junior Guard James Palmer Jr.
On scoring more in recent games:
“I think my teammates are doing a good job of finding me.”
On Iowa cutting the lead to two early in the second half:
“It’s obviously a game of runs, we just had to stay poised and make our plays.”
On upcoming road games:
“Defense travels. We just had two tough road games [at Ohio State and Rutgers], so it’s nothing new.”
On choosing not to score on the final possession:
“We just wanted to get the win. The fans wanted to get to 100. We’re grateful and we’re glad to win.”
Nebraska Sophomore Center Jordy Tshimanga
On changing his mindset now coming off the bench:
“My coaches and my teammates just told me to stay positive but I believe in myself and when I have guys around me I believe in myself as well. It makes my job easy.”
Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery
On biggest issue defensively:
"There certainly wasn’t one, it was multiple. I think at some level you have to give credit to the other team. They are a talented group that shares the ball. That’s something that’s impressed me. They’ve got a lot of good individual players, but I don’t see any selfishness there. Yeah Copeland and Palmer, they’re the guys, but they give it up. Some nights it’s Watson, Tshimanga played well tonight, some nights it’s Taylor, they’ve got a lot of guys. Some nights its Gill, other nights not so much. That’s what makes them so hard to guard. You know and they’re going to spread you out, they run a lot of stuff, a lot of ball screen stuff, so you’re constantly trying to wall-off and then rotate, recover, take away penetration? Well, then you might give up a three, they had 11 threes.”
On cutting the deficit to two in the second half and then fading:
"I think it was a little bit of fatigue. I thought they got a couple buckets, sometimes all they needed was a bucket to settle down and then they started making some shots. I thought Copeland and Palmer made some really tough shots. Yeah, could we have been closer, whatever. I thought (Nicholas) Baer was kind of pretty much in Palmer’s face, and he’s got a knack because he can pull right in your face or he can get to the rim, he’s so long. So then you’ve got to put a taller guy on him. But both of those guys were really good tonight."
On his post-game message to his team:
"Well I told them a lot of things. I think what you try to do is you try to challenge guys individually. You try to break down things that were not good, and you try to identify some things that were good, like we shot 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from three and had 20 assists and nine turnovers. I guess the team was up in this. You’re on the road, then you come back, so there’s a lot of good, you know we scored 84 points. We’re on the road scoring 84 points and that should keep you in the game unless you give up 98, that’s not good math."
On sizing up Nebraska’s James Palmer Jr:
"I didn’t really know what to expect. I know their staff really well. I know they really liked him and were really high on him. I know they had high expectations for him. There’s going to be opportunity there for him, which there has been, but I think the thing that has been…and he’s a veteran guy. He’s a veteran guy, but you know he has been a go-to guy in our league, and it’s hard to be that guy when you’re marked. And he is marked, and he’s still doing it. You’ve got to give that kid credit. And let’s face it, he’s a hard cover. He dribbles it, he shoots it, he drives it, he gives it up, he’s not a selfish guy like I’ve said before. He handles it like a guard, he posts like a big, he’s got a three-point-shot, but his length is what makes him so hard, because sometimes you think you’re there but he gets his shot off anyway, whether it be going to the basket or shooting a three. I’m right there, I got him, nope, he still was able to make it."