Nebrasketball: A Win Against the Gophers Slips From Their Fingertips

This was Nebraska’s game to win.

There was no way they were leaving Williams Arena with a loss. They had the lead, the momentum, and the coaching behind them to take it home.

But they just couldn’t hold on. In the end the Gophers had the momentum, shots, and crowd behind them as they lead a comeback to beat the Huskers 85-78.

Nebraska started out strong and fought off Minnesota’s scoring rally’s early in the game. There were times that it looked like the Gophers would finally take hold and control the night but the Huskers had a response and did not let go.

That was until about ten minutes into the second half. Nebraska went dry. The famous scoring drought came in like a storm and Minnesota took full advantage. From that point it was Minnesota’s hot hand and the rowdy crowd pushing them to their eventual victory over the Huskers.

Nebraska was lead by Issac Copeland who had 17 points and 7 rebounds on the night. He was followed by Isaiah Roby who had 14 points and 4 rebounds in the loss.

Amir Coffey was the main thorn in Nebraska’s side. He ended the night with a whopping 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in the Gopher win. Jordan Murphy did get his double double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Folks, Nebrasketball isn’t for everyone. Especially if you’re expecting Duke or North Carolina level of play. Very few teams have the talent, depth, and coaching to pull that off on a regular basis.

Nebraska basketball, or Nebrasketball as we like to call it doesn’t have that luxury. They are just starting to get top end talent. Most of which is from transferring, not high school recruiting. What we see on a national stage is from years and decades of development. What Nebraska has is still a work in progress. I am not saying this team isn’t good, they are. It is just going to take time.

Nebrasketball is going to have these games. The scoring droughts are not going to disappear. The bench is not going to be deep enough to replace all five starters. They are also going to have to play in the very tough Big Ten venues.

Last night Nebraska went into a very old and very tough environment. They could and should have won, but they didn’t. It’s not the end of the world. There will be more games lie this.

Stay strong fans. The season is just getting started.