Nebraska Coach Happy with Win at Last
February 6, 2018
For Nebraska coach Tim Miles, Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Gophers marked the first time a college team he headed has won at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
His previous teams at North Dakota State, Colorado State, and Nebraska had taken the elevated floor at the arena and met with defeat. Now, finally, a team with Miles at the helm had tasted victory – a 91-85 win over the depleted Gophers.
All that went wrong with the Cornhuskers’ season in 2016-17 is going right for Miles, and all that went right with Richard Pitino’s Minnesota team is going wrong. Barring unforeseen circumstance, Nebraska is headed for the NCAA Tournament, and Minnesota is going nowhere in the postseason.
Things looked bleak for the gentlemanly Miles as this season began. He had lost starters Michael Jacobson, Tai Webster, Jeriah Horne, and Ed Morrow, and the drums were beating in Lincoln for Miles to be dismissed.
So what happens? Miles adds Isaac Copeland, James Palmer, and Thomas Allen to the lineup, and the Cornhuskers are now 9-4 in Big Ten play. Minnesota, meanwhile has fallen to 3-10.
“I was disappointed when we lost those players from last year’s team,” Miles said. “But, you know what? It galvanized those who stayed. They show up every night and try to win every possession.”
Still the win over the Gophers did not come easy. The Gophers were off to a 7-0 lead on a a put back basket by Jordan Murphy which thrilled the 11,193 spectators in attendance, but they soon were brought back to reality when Copeland scored on a layup for a 15-12 Nebraska lead.
A Nate Mason free throw drew Minnesota to within 23-19 near the halfway point of the period, but the Huskers were relentless, eventually leading by as much as 37-22 as the half drained on.
Minnesota’s offense has become the Mason/Murphy and Gang Show with the gang members reluctant or unable to score. Injuries and the Reggie Lynch suspension have caused the Gophers to regress to 2015-16 levels. Injuries to Amir Coffey, Eric Curry, and DuPree McBrayer have handcuffed Minnesota, although McBrayer did play some in the first half (and did not score) before sitting out the second period.
In the team’s latest outings, the Gophers have scored enough points to stay close to the opposition, but not well enough to win.
On Tuesday, the game turned on a single referee call that spelled doom for the Gophers. Michael Hurt’s free throw had tied the score at 62, but a successful Copeland jumper gave the Huskers a two-point advantage. The Gophers could not score, and Mason, in an attempted steal, was whistled for a foul. Coach Pitino, who by this time had shed both coat and tie, went uncharacteristically ballistic. He was given a technical foul. Nebraska’s Anton Gill sank two free throws. The Cornhuskers were given the ball, and Isiah Roby scored on a layup. Evan Taylor added a basket, and a 62-62 tie turned into a 70-62 deficit for the Gophers.
Minnesota did not give up, coming as close as 76-71 on an Isiah Washington free throw, but it was too little, too late. With time running out, the Gophers did creep within four, but Nebraska calmly held serve until the final horn.
Mason scored 34 points in a heroic effort to stem the Husker tide. Murphy had 22 points and 13 rebounds (Miles compared him to Charles Barkley). For Murphy, it was his 22nd double-double, tying him with Mychal Thompson for the school record. Robey led Nebraska with 21 points.
The only other Gopher in double figures was the highly-touted Washington with 10, although he continues to play more like Isiah Rider than Isiah Thomas.