Nebraska vs. Butler NIT Postgame Notes & Quotes

Nebraska Postgame Notes
*- Tonight was the Huskers' first postseason win since 2008. Before the victory this evening, Nebraska last won 67-48 against Charlotte during the 2007-08 NIT in Lincoln.
*- The Big Red are now 16-1 at home all-time in the NIT and 18-1 in the state of Nebraska.
*- Nebraska overcame a 12-point deficit in the first five minutes of the game, it is the third time NU has overcome a double-digit deficit since Feb. 13
*- Isaiah Roby scored 28 points, a new career-high, topping his previous best of 23 against Iowa. It is Roby’s fifth 20-point game of his career and of 2018-19.
*- Johnny Trueblood recorded new career-highs in points (6) and rebounds (7). He is now +54 over the last five games.
*- Nebraska has 31 20-point games for Husker players in 2018-19. Roby netted 28 points tonight along with James Palmer Jr. (23).
*- NU only had eight turnovers against Butler and now has committed 10 or fewer turnovers in the last 12 of 15 games.
*- The Huskers have scored at least 70 points now in the last 18 games and have poured in nine 80-point games this season. NU is 8-1 when scoring 80 or more points.
*- Butler shot 45.6 percent from the field and Nebraska has held its last 35 opponents at home under 50 percent, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season.
*- James Palmer Jr. pitched in 23 points and now has 689 points in this season. He is only 16 points away from becoming the single-season points scoring leader in NU history. The current record holder is Dave Hoppen (704 in 1985). Palmer moved past Tyronn Lue (678, 1998) for second place on NU’s single-season chart.
*- Glynn Watson Jr. made three triples and is now tied for fourth (80) on the single-season 3-point field goals made list and is fourth for 3-point field goals made in a career (182).

Nebraska Player Quotes (Junior Forward Isaiah Roby and Senior Forward Johnny Trueblood)

On how the team approached tonight’s NIT game differently than last season’s NIT game

Head Coach Tim Miles: “You can be honest”

Isaiah Roby: “Last year, we felt like it was a letdown to be in the NIT because of the season we had, winning 23 games, fourth in the Big Ten, I’m not going to lie the locker room was down about playing in the NIT. This year, we went to Chicago and we feel like we earned our spot in the NIT. This year we are definitely playing to win it all.”

On the importance of getting this first win out of the way

Trueblood: “Like you said, we came out slow and I think that was just because we fought hard in Chicago for three straight days and then had a tough loss against Wisconsin that we thought we should have won. To come out down 14-2 and battle back, we finally got in a groove and to finally shake that rust off from Chicago really helped.”

On how the team is playing different now than they were a couple months ago

Roby: “I would say it’s obvious even on the court. I give credit to guys like Johnny [Trueblood] bringing a spark to the team, they’re doing the dirty stuff. He’s getting offensive rebounds and that’s going to spark our team. We are playing with a different type of edge right now and that’s what’s helping us win these games.”

Nebraska Coach Tim Miles Quotes
Opening Statement
“I want to thank the crowd, what an amazing night. That was so fun and what a great crowd, a lot of energy and you could see it really effected the game. I personally appreciate it and the team appreciates it so much, so thank you.”

On guys getting tired
“I keep looking for a guy to be tired, and Johnny sometime gets his tongue out there a little bit, but the rest of the guys look really good to me. It’s a good problem to have if you’re a college kid that you play too much.”

On his concern after falling behind early
“I think we were behind every game in Chicago. We were behind Rutgers the whole time, I don’t know about Maryland I guess, but I know we were behind Wisconsin the whole time. I just thought, ugh here we go again, now we have to dig out of a hole. If you’re going to get down, get down early.”

On what is working for the team that has allowed them to succeed at the end of the season
“I think the biggest thing is what I said in Chicago. You have your three main guys [Watson, Palmer, Roby] that have accepted these role guys and they work from a position of strength, which is very important. Second of all, fearlessness of the guys on the bench. They are coming into a new role and embracing it and I think that’s really important to do. I thought Johnny for a little while was worried about a couple things and I was like ‘Johnny man you’ve got nothing to worry about, just go.’ Even when Thor gave up the three in the second half after I threatened him pretty good at half time, I’m like ‘Thor you just have to be ready to go back in.’ I asked him [Thor] did you think you covered him? And he said, ‘Coach I was all over him.’ I want those guys to play fearlessly, I think it’s great.”

On the uncertainty of his position
“I love coaching Nebraska, it’s been a blessing to coach here. Barry’s here, he knows what it’s like to coach in this arena, Barry I really appreciate you being here and bringing Butler in. You’re on the (NIT) committee and we thank you for believing in us to be in the tournament. But honestly, these are tough jobs and it’s a big-boy business. Even our guys are making strides, we are never quitting. I’m not evaluating the situation, it’s not fun to be talked about the way they’re doing it, but I’m just going to do my job and that’s what you can do. I believe in our guys, we’re making strides and we’re never quitting, we are staying positive and fighting till the end. I feel like I’m on a campaign trail here and we’re going to keep doing it, no matter what.”

Butler Head Coach LaVall Jordan
On the turning point in the game
"It was basketball. We’ve been in that spot when we’ve been up and a team comes at us, and we haven’t responded well. I thought we came back and had a better response today and got ourselves in position to have a chance. They went 1-3-1, and we missed a couple opportunities against it. We adjusted well and found some good looks, but that was a part of that run that they got on. They were in the 1-3-1 zone and got out in transition, and we put them on the line way too much. That was when it stretched out a bit there. Like I said, the response was better to get back in it and have a shot." 

On opportunity for postseason play
"Any time you get postseason opportunity, NIT, NCAA, obviously the goal is to be in the NCAA. We were still in a position to have more games to play and not everybody in the country has that opportunity. So we were appreciative of that and wanted to come in here and compete. And thought we could come in here and get one. But the other team is in the same spot. They fought and they played well."

Sophomore Guard Aaron Thompson
On how being on the road affected outcome
"I don’t really know if anything affected us on the road. The ball is still the same size, court is still the same size, rim is still the same size. I can’t really put a finger on any specific thing. We just have to be tougher."

On turning the tide for next season
"We just gotta have the mindset through the summer, working on our game. Working to be more well connected. I feel like today we were a lot more connected. We took their runs a lot better, we responded better. Just staying connected through the summer."

Junior Forward Sean McDermott
On takeaways from past few weeks
"I mean, yeah, this wasn’t the way we wanted to go out. We’ll really miss Nate and Paul, but at the same time this whole year is full of learning experiences for all of us. We return everybody but two guys, so we’ll just have to go back and look at this, dive in and learn from each and every opportunity we had. We’ll be better."