Game Grades: Nebraska

Story posted January 12, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Matthew McClure

In desperate need of a win, the Penn State men’s basketball team went on the road to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Penn State kept it close and battled all game long, but junior guard Isaiah Roby was a huge weapon for Nebraska as they clinched the victory 70-64. This win set a new school record for the Cornhuskers with 20 straight home game wins. The Nittany Lions, however, find themselves with another Big Ten loss in the books. Let’s take a look at the game grades:

Offense: B

Penn State has struggled on offense all season long, but in this one they made some big shots to keep them in the game. Four Nittany Lions put up points in the double figures, with senior guard Josh Reaves leading the way at 20 points.

Junior center Mike Watkins continues to play well on the offensive end. He racked up his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Nittany Lions dominated the offensive glass with 21 rebounds to Nebraska’s six.

Although Penn State shot 29.2 percent from 3-points land, guards Reaves and Myles Dread stepped up. These two combined for all seven of Penn State’s shots from three and it ultimately kept them within striking distance all game. However, Nebraska locked down star forward Lamar Stevens. Stevens was held to 13 points on 6 of 20 shooting.

Altogether, Penn State didn’t shoot the ball well in this game and if other guys knocked down some key shots late, the Nittany Lions would have been in great position to win.

Defense: C-

Usually a strong suit for this team is defense, but this game wasn’t the case. Nebraska shot 49.1 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three. Penn State had no answer for Roby and senior guard Glynn Watson Jr. Roby scored 22 points on 8 of 9 shooting and Watson Jr. scored 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting.

The Cornhuskers knocked down nine 3-point shots and Watson Jr. hit one late, which would later prove huge for Nebraska when Penn State was cutting into the lead.

Penn State played very hard on defense for the full 40 minutes and rebounded very well. Nebraska, however, hit big shots late that deflated the Nittany Lions. Penn State will have to prepare defensively for similar situations, as they are gearing up to face No. 6 Michigan State on Sunday.

Coaching: B-

After head coach Pat Chambers was suspended for his actions in the Michigan game, Penn State suffered a tough loss against Wisconsin. The team looked ready to play when Chambers returned courtside to face-off against Nebraska.
The Nittany Lions are struggling to get in the win column and it’s definitely frustrating for Chambers, but the effort was there last night. Chambers has to get his guys ready to play when Michigan State comes to the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday because if not, it could be an ugly one.

With this most recent loss, Penn State moves to 7-9 (0-5) and is still seeking their first conference win of the season.

 

 

Matthew McClure is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact, email mcm5964@psu.edu.