Huskers hoping to get over the hump at Ohio State

Head coach Fred Hoiberg, junior guard Teddy Allen, and sophomore forward Yvan Ouedraogo met with reporters on Tuesday to discuss Nebraska’s upcoming road game at No. 25 Ohio State.

Here’s a full recap of what they had to say…

***Hoiberg said maybe the most critical hurdle Nebraska needed to clear at this point was finding a way to finish off a close game and get a victory. He pointed to Northwestern’s 3-0 start in league play this season: “That’s a confidence thing.”

***Ohio State comes in with the lowest 3-point shooting percentage in the Big Ten. However, Hoiberg said the Buckeyes were still an extremely efficient offense with players that were more than capable of better perimeter shooting.

***Hoiberg said OSU plays through its bigs offensively, getting post touches on nearly every possession and either attacking the rim or kicking out for 3-pointers. He also said, “the game really starts when the (shot) goes up in the air,” noting Ohio State’s 13 offensive rebounds per game.

***Hoiberg said he’s emphasized improved ball movement since the loss to Michigan. “You can’t walk out of a game with six assists and expect to win.” He liked the ball security with only eight turnovers and giving up just eight offensive rebounds, but the flow offensively was not where it needed to be.

***Hoiberg said the Huskers met collectively as a team and then had individual meetings with Hoiberg and each player over the past few days.

“I thought that was a very important thing to do after that Michigan loss,” Hoiberg said. “Some of the things that I saw, some of the things I talked to the team about things that I needed to do better and listened to each of them. To be honest with you, they were more talkative than I thought they were going to be…

“We learned a lot.”

***Hoiberg said the next step was carrying over what they gained from those meetings and applying it to a real game. He said NU needed better energy from everyone, both on the court and on the bench.

“It can’t just be lip service,” Hoiberg said. “You have to go out and act on what you talked about and carry that over when the game begins. It can’t just be a practice thing.”

***Hoiberg said Ohio State would be “the most physical team that we’ve played against all year.” He said the Buckeyes were very aggressive defensively and on the glass, and “they battle you” from start to finish.

“We have to handle that. That will be a new experience as far as being on the floor against this type of physicality.”

***Hoiberg said Ouedraogo still has a long way to go in his offensive development but noted the sophomore’s overall footwork and body control were much improved from where he was last season.

As a result, Ouedraogo has done a better job finishing at the rim this year, especially over the last three games where he’s shot nearly 70 percent from the field.

***Hoiberg said Lat Mayen is making about 80 percent of his shots in practice, but that needs to translate into games. He thinks just seeing some shots fall in games could be what Mayen needs to flip the switch. He said the game was all about confidence, and when you see shots go in, “it’s funny how that works.”

***Hoiberg said part of Mayen’s shooting struggles was that he worked too hard on his shot outside of practice and wasn’t saving enough juice for games. He said Mayen was in the gym shooting for two hours before practice the day after the Michigan loss.

***Allen said he’d noticed how good this team could be during stretches, but the key was to get over the hump and find ways to close out games. “I feel like if we can get over that hump, we can play with anybody.”

***Allen said energy was a big issue late in games. It wasn’t about selfishness, but it was more about coming together and picking each other up when times got tough.

***Allen said he liked playing on Christmas Day. “I think I’m quoted as saying, ‘I’m a hooper.’ I’ll play on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, whatever.”

***Ouedraogo said he was looking forward to the challenge of facing a team as physical as Ohio State.

The Huskers know they have to be the aggressors on the glass and make sure to initiate the first contact when shots go up.

***Ouedraogo said one topic that came up during the team meetings were continuing to share the ball in the second half the way they did in the first half.

He said the ball movement had dropped late in games, which has played a big part in their struggles.

***Ouedraogo said Nebraska has the talent this season, and they need to experience that feeling of winning a tough game.

“We’ve just got to get a couple wins, get some confidence, and then we’ll be good.”