[Husker] Texas A&M 66, Nebraska 55

[nustlnorris at aol.com]

For anyone who may have missed it, #6/#7 ranked Texas A&M withstood a couple of second half charges by Nebraska (NU trimmed the lead to six at about the 8-minute and 3.5-minute marks) to improve to 21-3 on the season (9-1 in league) in front of just over 11,000 fans in the Devaney Center.  The Huskers drop to 14-9, 3-6 in league.
 
NU suffered from some "mental mistakes" according to Coach Doc Sadler.  One of them was, while playing zone, losing track of A&M zone-buster Josh Carter.  Carter nailed a Devaney Center record-tying eight 3s on his way to a game-high 26 points.  A&M point guard Acie Law may have played a bit gimpy (he'd hurt his foot late in the Texas game), but he was the guy who made the clutch plays late when the Huskers made their runs.
 
The first half was kind of strange.  I can't imagine it possible to have more "energy" on a sideline than when you have Gillispie and Sadler squaring off.  They both looked like they were upset with the officials before the game even started.  Sadler was jawing right up to opening tip.  I have no idea what the issue was but it makes you wonder what the heck was up?
 
A&M got off early with Carter hitting from behind the arc and their defense really pressuring NU.  Husker freshman Ryan Anderson came in off the bench within the first minute-and-a-half, and immediately started looking to score.  The crowd rose and roared with approval as Anderson's shot was goal-tended to give NU their only lead at 24-23 with about five minutes to play in the first half.  Unfortunately, the Huskers were done scoring in the first half while A&M scored the last nine to make it 32-24 at the break.  Anderson hit four treys and accounted for 18 of his team's 24 points (Jamel White and Marcus Perry each hit a first-half 3-pointer).
 
A&M is a team that's going to be all over my NCAA bracket.  I don't think they played particularly well last night.  But they do bring the defensive intensity on a regular basis and Carter really went off -- the third game this year where he's hit eight 3s.  Gillispie is a heckuva' coach and what he's done there is mind-boggling.  A very physically and mentally tough team.
 
Center Aleks Maric scored all 15 of his points in the second half.  His disappearing act in the first half of recent games is not a good trend.  He's getting beat up in there but he's got to finish on offense better than he has been. 
 
Sadler was asked on his radio show last night if he takes solace in his under-sized, out-manned team "gutting it out" and playing a team like A&M tough.  He responded with a very pronounced "... that's an excuse.  And we're not about making excuses.  We play with what we have and we expect to win."  
 
He was obviously not happy with the way Jamel White, Sek Henry and Jay-R Strowbridge were playing on D last night.  He played Paul Velander and Mike Smith (that's getting towards the end of the bench) instead of putting these guys in who he was upset with.  It's going to be his way or the highway.  Sadler has a steadfast belief in his way of doing things, he's disciplined and he expects his players to be the same.  And he's not going to tolerate anything that deviates.  I've rambled on in the past about how impressed I am with Sadler, but reinforcements keep on occurring.  
 
Before the season started, the "experts/pundits" were saying that 9 to 11 wins were in store for NU.  If Sadler could get this squad to 17 or 18, I think that would be quite an accomplishment.  But there's a lot of season left ... they might not get there (or they may eclipse it).
 
Tuesday night's game against Kansas State in Lincoln (7 p.m. tip-off carried statewide on Fox Sports Net) is critical in that, it's winnable (but also loseable).  NU has lost three straight at home to arguably the best three teams in the league (Texas, KU and A&M).  Kansas State is arguably the fourth best team in the Big XII right now.  They got drilled by 27 in Lawrence last week, but they've been playing great ball for about the past month under first-year coach Bob Huggins (if Gillispie doesn't win Big XII Coach of the Year honors, Huggins probably will).
 
The K-State game is huge.  Nebraska REALLY needs a win prior to going to Lawrence next Saturday where, well ... 
 
But the Huskers finish after that with a trip to Baylor, then home to face Mizzou and Iowa State, then at Colorado before coming home to play the rescheduled Oklahoma State game.  The Big XII Tourney follows that.
 
Sadler accepts no excuses.  He wants wins.  He doesn't want to talk about the future and he's not impressed with himself or the way an over-matched, under-sized team (NU's tallest starter during two stretches of the second half was 6-foot-4!!) plays with fire and with a passion for what they're doing.  
 
I, however, am.
 
Dave Norris
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