[Husker] Missouri 64, Nebraska 63

[jonlists at cbsol.com]

I would just like to say thank you for this post. Reasonable, thought-out, 
level-headed, and probably reflects about Collier what I've been thinking. 


I guess we'll just have to wait and see.....

Jon Johnston
http://www.huskerjon.com

husker-bounces at tssi.com wrote on 03/05/2006 05:59:08 PM:

> A bad Missouri team outscored Nebraska 16-4 over the last 4:45; and 13-4 
 
> over the last three minutes ? (pause) ? this game ended about three 
> hours ago 
> and it?s still difficult to comprehend this classic case of how to 
> ?give-away? 
> a  basketball game. 
> 
> Nebraska played poorly in the first half, but somehow managed to only be 
 
> down 31-25 at the break (? it had everything to do with the fact 
> that Missouri?s 
>  NOT very good).  Aleks Maric didn?t score in the first twenty minutes, 
> missed his only shots (no more than three in the half) and just got 
> physically 
> abused down low.  The ?zebes? let-?em-play, it got very physical, and 
Aleks 
> and the Huskers didn?t adjust until the break. 
> 
> The first fifteen minutes of the second half saw Nebraska play some very 
 
> good basketball.  They outscored Mizzou 34-17 over the first 15 
> minutes of  the 
> second half.  Maric dominated this stretch of play.  The 6-foot-11 
sophomore 
> center scored 16 points and controlled everything in the paint. 
> Wes Wilkinson?
> s trey put NU up 59-48 with 4:42 to play in the game. 
> 
> No way should Nebraska have let this one get away. 
> 
> At around the 3:00 mark, with NU still up 59-51, the officials blew an 
> obvious double-dribble call on Mizzou; who then eventually kicked it
> out-and-over 
> to Thomas Gardner.  Gardner then started on his personal  Husker 
destruction 
> mission during the game?s waning minutes.
> 
> Nebraska?s defense on Gardner late in the game was poor.  You can?t even 

> let the guy CATCH the ball in that situation.  Gardner getting hot 
> was  Mizzou?s 
> ONLY chance to pull off a miracle (he?s their only REAL, consistent 
threat 
> and he?s a point-a-minute machine when he gets rollin? -- and when 
?given!? 
> the opportunity!).
> 
> This may have been a colossal collapse of seal-your-fate proportions for 
 
> Nebraska?s head coach Barry Collier.  I really DO hate to say that, but 
the 
> results, or lack thereof, are speaking for themselves.
> 
> Around the beginning of February, I had difficulty listening to the 
?Fire 
> The Coach!? faction while the team was in the midst of an 
impressiverecovery 
> from a potentially season-crippling dismissal of their leading 
> returning scorer 
>  and pre-season ?marquee player.?
> 
> My personal hope was that Nebraska would play well enough in league-play 
 and 
> down-the-stretch to save their coach?s job.  As it?s turning out, it 
doesn?
> t look like that?s going to happen.
> 
> Nebraska had gotten hammered at Creighton, at Kansas and at Colorado 
WITH 
> McCray ? then Collier made the decision, and the Huskers started to 
> show signs 
> of making something out of their season.  Collier was having a 
> tough-go-of-it 
> in the papers, on the message boards and on the sports talk  shows.  On 
the 
> court, Nebraska had gone 5 and 3 in the first half of the  conference 
season 
> and I, at least, thought that what was actually happening on  the 
> court should 
> be factored in to Collier?s eventual fate, shouldn?t it?
> 
> But at the same time (and using the same criteria), look at the 
unbelievable 
> 2 and 6 collapse down the stretch.  NU wins three conference  road games 

> total -- today should have been number four -- but lose to Iowa 
> State, Kansas, 
> Texas Tech and Kansas State at home.  The ISU, KU and Texas  Tech 
> games occurred 
> with EVERYTHING still on the line.  A ticket to the Big  Dance was well 
> within grasp and ? thud.  NU had recovered from the  back-to-back 
scheduling 
> challenge of KU and Texas with the ?MaricMonsterGame? in  Ames.  The
> Texas Tech 
> loss was one that just CAN?T happen to a team who?s  coach is "under 
fire."
> 
> It really doesn?t matter what I or any of us on ?The List? think about 
what 
> should happen to Collier.  Pedersen and Boehm know what big time 
basketball 
> is all about.  Without getting in to what I or anyone else thought 
> of the  way 
> the A.D. handled the football coaching situation, I AM interested 
inhearing 
> what these guys have to say about building a basketball program.  The 
> University of Pittsburgh is a perennial collegiate basketball power and 
our 
> guys-in-charge were the one?s behind its construction.
> 
> I will defer to them on Collier?s fate.  Barry?s a great guy, but I want 

> Nebraska basketball to produce.  I can?t even imagine what 
> attendance  would be 
> like next year if Barry returns.  Even though some of the  ?returnees? 
are 
> encouraging (start with Maric, Jamel White and Charles  Richardson; 
other 
> experience as well), I can?t imagine much "returning  enthusiasm" 
> from so-called ?
> Husker Nation.?
> 
> NU gets a re-match against Missouri at 8:20 p.m. on Thursday night in 
> Dallas.  Might as well play Mizzou as opposed to Baylor, who I think
> is  every bit 
> as good as the Tigers are currently.
> 
> This is getting long enough, but one other thing ?
> 
> I listened to Barry?s post-game show and he sounded like a guy about 
ready 
> to resign.  He took full responsibility for today?s collapse.  He 
> was  critical 
> of Jamel White?s shot selection (I?ll still take White in my program any 

> day), but he said that he was the one who has final accountability, and 
he?s 
> right.  Paraphrasing here, but announcers Randy White and Matt Davison 
then 
> more-or-less tried to console him saying ?ultimately, the players 
> make-or-don?
> t-make plays, Coach.?  But then Collier said ?well, I don?t  HAVE toplay 
the 
> players who may-or-may-not make the plays.?  It was sad to  hear, but 
good to 
> hear someone not wanting to pass the buck.
> 
> Jamel White probably DID cast up a couple of ill-advised jumpers today, 
but 
> he also did a lot of good things and has, I think, shown a lot of guts 
and 
> willingness to step-up and take on McCray?s old role, head-on.  He is 
not 
> afraid.  He still makes some freshman mistakes but, hey, ? he?s a 
freshman!
> 
> I care greatly about Nebraska basketball, but I?m ready for this season 
to 
> end.
> 
> Dave Norris
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