NU Men’s Basketball faces Northwestern, it’s second game in 12 days

A month ago, when Nebraska was routinely facing two ranked opponents each week, a break like the one the Huskers just experienced would have seemed enjoyable.

But now it's here, and coach Doc Sadler just wants to get back on the court. The team has some momentum coming off a win in Iowa on Jan. 26 but hasn't played since then. When the Huskers take on Northwestern tonight, it will be their second game in 12 days.

"I hate it. You can't get in a rhythm," Sadler said. "Right now at this time of year, you'd like to be in a rhythm. Practice is no fun for anybody. You're trying to keep guys fresh, but at the same time you're trying to get guys to execute much better. It's an evil necessity. "

Brandon Ubel has a bit of a different view. When he looks at the schedule, he sees a brutal stretch approaching – starting tonight, the Huskers will play four games in ten days.

Any break offered up this week is welcomed.

"I think it was good to get a couple days of rest there," Ubel said. "We had a really long stretch of games in a short period of time. We're able to get our legs under us and forget about the win (against Iowa) and not get too overconfident."

The Huskers had Friday and Sunday off, a chance to gear up for a stretch that will likely define NU's season. After Northwestern, the Huskers face Minnesota at home Sunday, Michigan at home next Wednesday and play at Penn State three days later.

In other words, the team will have a lot better idea of its postseason positioning ten days from now.

It all starts tonight with the Wildcats, who've been up and down this season. They scored an upset over Michigan State two weeks ago, but have dropped three straight since, including 20-plus point losses at Wisconsin and Minnesota.

With two players in contention for all-conference teams in John Shurna and Drew Crawford, both averaging more than 17 points per game, Northwestern appears to be better than its record on paper. On closer examination, it's the close contests that have hurt them. The Wildcats are 1-3 in conference play in conference games decided by seven points or less.

"They've got some talented players and they've been playing well," Ubel said. "They're a little similar to us in that they haven't been able to close out some games down the stretch."

The Wildcats' attack centers around the duo of Shurna and Crawford, who have combined to score more than 52 percent of Northwestern's points this season. Shurna has been the Wildcats' star for the past three seasons, and while his shooting numbers have dipped slightly in his senior year, he still shoots better than 42 percent from 3-point range and 45.1 percent overall.

"I think he scores a lot in transition so we're going to have to make sure we pick him up," Sadler said. "You're not going to be able to just run back and lose him."

Crawford has been a surprise, jumping from 12.1 points on 42.3 percent shooting last year to 17.2 points and 50.4 percent shooting this season. He's scored 20 or more points in three of Northwestern's last five games.

It's well documented that Northwestern and Nebraska are two of the three Division I schools still searching for their first win in the NCAA tournament, and this game could go a long way in determining whether either school will even get a chance to beat the streak this year.

If the Huskers win, it will likely be because they managed the long break well, getting some much-needed rest while avoiding the rust.

"If we win, we'll look back and say they knew how to handle it," Sadler said. "If we don't and we don't play good, obviously there'll be something we have to change up."

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