Nebraska basketball: Buckeyes rally to beat Huskers

No. 24 Ohio State 71 Nebraska 67

Player of the Game:

Amedeo Delle Valle- The freshman was the difference in this game. When Ohio State struggled in the second half and fell behind by 18 points, Delle Valle sparked a couple runs to spark the comeback. He knocked down a three to put the Buckeyes within two points with 2:50 to play. He also hit a few huge free throws in the final minute after struggling from the line early. He finished with 12 points, but he also had 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Not bad for a youngster in a big stage.

Key Stat:

Field Goal Shooting- Nebraska has been holding teams below 40 percent shooting consistently, but it gave up more than that Friday. The Buckeyes shot 45 percent, including 50 percent in the second half. Nebraska shot poorly throughout, finishing at 37 percent shooting. Ohio State isn’t usually a good shooting team, but it didn’t seem to have too many problems putting the ball in the bucket today.

Play of the Game:

Nebraska trailed by two points with 45 seconds to play and it elected to play defense instead of foul. Aaron Craft dribbled at the top of the key for 30 seconds then drove to the hoop, flicking the ball off the backboard and in. That was the dagger for Nebraska as Ohio State finished the Huskers off with free throw shooting. Craft finished the game with just 6 points, but they all came at big moments.

Quotes Worth Mentioning: 

-Leslie Smith, Nebraska forward

"We let the pressure get to us. We should have kept our calm. We practice against it every day, with more defenders. We didn't handle it the way they should have." 

On how you feel now...

"Not in a good mood at all. I'm disappointed. Upset. All the negative feelings you get. But we can move forward and learn from this." 

-Walter Pitchford, Nebraska forward

"This one is going to burn for a while." 

-Tim Miles, Nebraska coach

On NCAA Tourney...

"You never know. It's out of your control. You just hope that you've done enough. And that your whole body of work is good enough. I think ours is though." 

On team's implosion in second half...

"I was surprised. It was surreal. I was like, 'Are you OK?' That happens though. It's a learning experience." 

Other Notes:

-Nebraska falls to 19-12 on the season and had won eight of its last 10 games heading into the postseason.

-Nebraska falls to 1-3 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament with today’s loss, and two of NU’s Big Ten Tournament losses are to the Buckeyes.

-Prior to today, the largest lead in any game NU had lost was seven points against UAB on Nov. 22

-Terran Petteway had 20 points, his 11th 20-point effort of the season, before fouling out.

-David Rivers’ nine rebound was a career high. His previous best was seven on several occasions, most recently against Michigan State on Feb. 16

-Walter Pitchford finished with 15 points, the seventh time in the last eight games he has been in double figures. Pitchford had just three points in the two regular-season meetings with OSU.

-Shavon Shields tied his career high with four assists, accomplished most recently against Indiana on Jan. 30. Shield also added 12 points and six rebounds. 

Thanks for reading and let me know your reaction from Nebraska’s loss.

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