Nebraska at Maryland, Pt. 1

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-12, 1-9) vs Maryland Terrapins (11-10, 5-9)

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021 – 6 p.m. CT

XFINITY Center

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: FOX Sports App

1. Keep the flow going

Ever since head coach Fred Hoiberg put his foot down and took a tighter hold on the reins of Nebraska’s offense, the ball movement has been the best it’s looked all season.

Hoiberg would prefer letting his players get out and run as much as possible and to trust them to make the right plays with high pace.

But the Huskers struggled so much with their decision making in transition that the second-year coach put up the “stop sign” and began calling set plays on almost every possession.

As a result, NU racked up 19 assists on 27 made baskets in its win over Penn State on Sunday, which tied for the team’s second-highest total of the season. It also marked Nebraska’s second-most assists under Hoiberg.

Hoiberg has a playbook as big as any coach in the country, and it would serve the Huskers well to continue to utilize it as much as possible.

2. Lock in on defense

One of the main reasons Nebraska has been able to remain competitive after its 28-day COVID-19 layoff has been its exceptional defense effort over the past five games.

The Huskers have dropped their opponent scoring average by 12.2 points per game during that stretch, holding teams to 38 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from 3-point range.

That includes holding Michigan State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all under 40 percent shooting, the first time NU has held three straight Big Ten foes under 40 percent since 2017-18.

Nebraska now boasts the best 3-point defense in the Big Ten at 30.9 percent from the season, and that must continue against a Maryland team that hits 35.4 percent from behind the arc as a team.

3. Eliminate the devastating scoring droughts

It’s one thing for a team’s shooting to go cold for a few minutes throughout a 40-minute game. It’s an entirely different situation when 5-10 scoring droughts are a regular occurrence.

For the first 31 minutes against Penn State, Nebraska’s offense was as good as it had been all season. Then, almost like clockwork, all of the things the Huskers were doing so well flew out the window.

That led to an 8:31 scoring drought that sparked a 12-0 PSU run and erased an 11-point lead.

Nebraska was finally able to overcome one of those extended cold streaks and get a win. Still, that type of offensive feast or famine is not sustainable, even against the Big Ten’s lowest-scoring team in Maryland (69.6 ppg).

Maryland (-9) 73, Nebraska 65

Robin’s season record: 14-3

vs. the spread: 9-8