Nebraska Basketball: Villanova Defeats The Huskers 87-63

This was a game for about 10 minutes.

The Villanova Wildcats started with a 7-0 run before the Huskers started making their shots. Two quick 3's from Benny Parker and Andrew White brought the Huskers within 1 and started a scoring run that ended with the Huskers up 23-16. Things were looking great for the Huskers and momentum was on their side.

Then 'Nova got hot and the Huskers went dead cold. The Wildcats went on a 22-0 run before Nebraska could find the basket again and ended the first half with 'Nova up 38-25.

This followed through the second half.

Nebraska really played smart, touch, and accurate ball at the beginning of the game. Villanova's talent and size didn't seem to phase them. Then, after a Villanova timeout, the Huskers were playing sloppy, undisciplined, and couldn't buy a basket. White's threes went dry and the rest of the team was following suit.

Villanova took over the second half and didn't look back. Josh Hart and Daniel Ochefu lead the Wildcats with 19 and 17 points respectively while the Huskers were lead by Andrew White III with 18. The next closest for the Cornhuskers were Shavon Shields and Glynn Watson Jr. with 12 points  each. After that, the scoring dropped of a bit for Nebraska.

Nova defense came hard and Nebraska offense just couldn't get back off the ground. The Wildcats got comfortable and never looked back.

Brief Notes

• This was a talented and veteran Villanova team. The Huskers came out aggressive in the first half and it took 'Nova a little bit to catch on. But when they did, they took over the game quickly. Their athleticism and drive showed why they are a top 10 team and will probably be the best in the Big East. Nebraska's momentum slowly unraveled and never seemed to come back together. The Huskers will need to keep the momentum going against the top teams of the Big Ten if they want to play in the post season. If not, this could be another long year.
• We still don't really know where the leadership will come from on this season's team. It's something that has hurt Nebraska over the past few seasons and it still seems to constantly hinder their performance. At some point one of the guys, most likely one of the younger ones, will have to step up and bring this team together when adversity hits. When the Nebraska shooting went cold, you could see the team start to slowly break apart and never really got their groove back.
• While one of the more talented groups we've had, this is still a young Cornhusker team. Nebraska's youth started to show when the Wildcasts put on pressure. Veterans like Shavon Shields and Tai Webster bring much needed experience on the court. However, the young guys still have a ways to go. I do believe that these tough early season games can help the team early on. Have your breakdowns now and learn to pick up the pieces.

Next game is Thursday against Delaware State at 7pm in Lincoln.