Nebraska ends MU’s season

By Sam Wilson
March 14, 2008

Junior guard DeMarre Carroll maneuvers around Nebraska senior center Aleks Maric in the first half of Thursday’s Big 12 Championship opening round game in Kansas City, Mo.

(Click graphic to enlarge)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It seemed like a simple jump shot.

Just before the buzzer of the first half Thursday night, Nebraska junior guard Steve Harley hit the shot to put the Huskers up 30-28. The first half had seen six lead changes and five ties, but this basket helped Nebraska’s momentum.

“Going out in the second half, energy was up,” Nebraska senior center Aleks Maric said. “And that transferred into the first five minutes of the second half.”

MU junior guard Matt Lawrence said the Huskers were well prepared at the start of the second half.

“They had a game plan to shut us down, and we let them do it,” Lawrence said.

For the first 4 minutes, 53 seconds of the second half, Missouri failed to convert a field goal. After junior forward DeMarre Carroll completed a 3-point play to break the drought, the Tigers were down 36-32. Nebraska (19-11, 8-9 Big 12) did not relinquish the lead the rest of the game, winning 61-56 and knocking MU out of the Big 12 Championship in front of 18,758 attendees at the Sprint Center.

The Huskers out-rebounded the Tigers 42-31 and also outscored Missouri 17-4 on second-chance points.

“I just didn’t see the energy in our guys,” Carroll said. “Yesterday we were hyped, jumping up and down. But today, I don’t know if it was nervousness or jitters, but I just didn’t see the energy.”

The Tigers (16-16, 6-11) also struggled shooting the ball. The team was 18-for-57 from the field for the game for a 31.6 percent shooting average. Nebraska shot 46.9 percent from the field.

“It seemed like we couldn’t throw it in the ocean today,” coach Mike Anderson said.

Sophomore guard Keon Lawrence said some credit should go to Nebraska’s defensive effort, but MU also had an off night in terms of shooting.

“It could have been their defense and it could have been us,” Lawrence said. “We were missing shots that we normally make.”

Anderson said he looked for more production from the bench as the starters struggled shooting the ball. Junior forward Leo Lyons was 2-for-12 from the field, and sophomore guard J.T. Tiller shot 1-for-6. But Anderson did not get his wish, getting only 10 bench points.

“I think depth was an issue,” Anderson said. “When you don’t have guys that have it going on, you have to have somebody come off that bench to spark you.”

Despite the team’s rebounding and shooting woes, the game was still close until the end. With 2 minutes, 6 seconds to go, Nebraska’s lead was down to 57-56 after a jumper by senior guard Jason Horton. The Tigers got the ball after a five-second call against Nebraska on the ensuing inbounds. But Missouri failed to score a point the rest of the way in the loss.

“I don’t think it was anything Nebraska did,” Carroll said. “I think we just beat ourselves up. Every time we got close, we shot ourselves in the foot, getting a turnover or missing easy layups or looking for the refs to make a certain call.”

With a .500 record, an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational tournament seems to be a possibility. But Anderson wouldn’t say whether his team would accept a bid.

“My expectation every year is to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Anderson said. “That’s how I feel. Right now we just had a tough loss, but my expectation is — there’s no question about it — to be in the NCAA Tournament every year.”

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Nebraska ends MU’s season

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