Black Shoe Diaries - Hoops: Penn State at NebraskaDOMINATE THE STATEhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47529/blackshoediaries_fave.png2013-02-10T11:31:26-05:00http://www.blackshoediaries.com/rss/stream/37355012013-02-10T11:31:26-05:002013-02-10T11:31:26-05:00Lions Keep Their Losing Ways at Nebraska
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<figcaption>Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Penn State's futility streak reaches 11 games as their chances for a win become slimmer and slimmer. </p> <p>In recent weeks, Chambers has hinted at switching up the rotation amidst this losing streak. He did last night as walk-on <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145925/alan-wisniewski">Alan Wisniewski</a> received his first real action of the year, playing 17 minutes. Honestly, he was arguably PSU's best player as he finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds (6 offensive). Usually getting an unlikely contribution like that off the bench can put a struggling team over the top with a win.</p>
<p>Not this team, as Penn State fell 53-67 to the not-so-good <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/nebraska-cornhuskers">Nebraska Cornhuskers</a>. The 0-18 watch continues full steam ahead, as KenPom's numbers give PSU a 57% of losing out the rest of the way.</p>
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<a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2143713/KenPom_Win_Probability.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Kenpom_win_probability_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2143713/KenPom_Win_Probability_medium.png"></a> <br>(Source - <a target="_blank" href="http://kenpom.com/">KenPom.com</a>)</center>
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<p>Penn State fans might want to start to brace themselves for the analyses of just how bad this team has been, especially on offense. They once again shot the ball into oblivion and scored at a paltry 0.83 PPP. We haven't focused too much on the tempo-free metrics this year at BSD, but it's probably better we haven't.</p>
<p>Last night was their 6th conference <36% eFG% shooting performance. The worst shooting team in division-1 hoops this year averages 38.9% on the year. Penn State's shooting 38.8% eFG% in Big Ten play and 42.2% on the season (331st). Obviously when you score at such dreadful rates, you are not going to be competitive.</p>
<p>Nebraska played thoroughly unimpressive basketball, shooting a lousy 38.0% eFG% themselves, but they were able to still score over a 1.0 point per possession thanks to PSU's fouling habits. Once again, fouling was a big issue for the Lions who were whistled for 28 fouls. While PSU was actually effective earning chances from the charity stripe (32 FTA), they gave it right back to Nebraska who attempted even more (41 FTA).</p>
<p>DJ Newbill led the way with 17 points, but that came with <30% shooting and 5 turnovers for 78 ORtg. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99913/jermaine-marshall">Jermaine Marshall</a> came off the bench as an apparent motivational tactic and finished over his average with 16 points, but also shot just 30%. Everything else was same old, same old. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145926/ross-travis">Ross Travis</a> grabbed 13 rebounds, but fouled out after 27 minutes. Brandon Taylor went scoreless after being saddled with foul trouble (4 fouls in 13 minutes). </p>
<p>Only 7 regular season games remain for Penn State to try to get that elusive win. However, four of those contests will be on the road, and two of them come against top-5 Michigan. According to KenPom, PSU only has two games remaining where they have at least a >10% chance of winning - the next game at home vs Iowa, and their second to last game on the road at Northwestern.</p>
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https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2013/2/10/3973202/game-23-nebraska-recapejg50682013-02-09T20:40:06-05:002013-02-09T20:40:06-05:00YAY HOOPS: @ Nebraska Live Game Thread
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<p>Let's get to it. </p>
https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2013/2/9/3971490/yay-hoops-nebraska-live-game-threadejg50682013-02-09T15:24:28-05:002013-02-09T15:24:28-05:00Coach Urgo Previews Nebraska
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<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/utTaHkFEVcg" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
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https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2013/2/9/3971472/penn-state-coach-keith-urgo-previews-nebraskaejg50682013-02-08T09:54:42-05:002013-02-08T09:54:42-05:00Hoops Preview - at Nebrasketball
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<figcaption>Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Though the road has not been kind to Penn State under Pat Chambers, the Lions will travel to Lincoln ignorantly hopeful of laying the winless streak to rest.</p> <table border="1" width="350"><tbody>
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<td><b>Who:</b></td>
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<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/nebraska-cornhuskers">Nebraska Cornhuskers</a> (11-12, 2-8)</td>
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<td><b>When:</b></td>
<td>Saturday 9:00pm</td>
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<td><b>Where:</b></td>
<td>Bob Devaney Sports Center</td>
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<td><b>TV:</b></td>
<td>ESPNU</td>
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<p>The last meeting between these two Big Ten bottom feeders resulted in Penn State's most 'close-but-no-cigar' moment of the conference slate thus far. The Nittany Lions <a href="http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2013/1/19/3894582/penn-state-nebraska-basketball-shavon-shields-missed-free-throws" target="_blank">made just one of six crucial free throws</a> in the dying embers of the game and essentially re-gifted the game to Nebraska after a dubious flagrant foul call against the Huskers. Neither team has done particularly well since that affair, either; Nebrasketball managed a win at home against Northwestern, but has otherwise been a pretty tame opponent for the rest of the conference. Penn State, as you well know, hasn't won a game in over a month.</p>
<p>On paper, these teams are clearly the two worst offensive outfits in the conference. Nebraska posts slightly better numbers than Penn State in offensive efficiency rating (89.0 to 85.1) and effective field goal percentage (43.1% to 39.4%). Neither team is particularly great in any other aspect of the game, so expect another B1G slugfest.</p>
<p>Swingman Shavon Shields absolutely torched the Lions at the BJC in January, scoring a career-high 29 points on 10-11 shooting. The freshman hasn't been able to corral that momentum, posting 24 points total in the four games since then, so another matchup against Penn State may be just what the doctor ordered. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99959/ray-gallegos">Ray Gallegos</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99701/dylan-talley">Dylan Talley</a> will be there to pick up any slack in the scoring department--the backcourt pairing is averaging 26 ppg combined. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99958/brandon-ubel">Brandon Ubel</a> (11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) anchors the middle for Nebraska. The senior center put up 12 points and 6 boards with an injured arm that kept him out of the starting lineup in the last meeting against PSU.</p>
<p>Pat Chambers has been searching for a third scorer to complement <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/126257/d-j-newbill">D.J. Newbill</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/99913/jermaine-marshall">Jermaine Marshall</a>, but the latter failed to produce when an average scoring night might've been good enough to get that elusive first conference win against Purdue. Though he certainly wasn't the only player to put forth a subpar performance, Marshall's uncharacteristic 2-14 shooting effort proved costly as the Lions were stifled by the Boilermakers in the second half, winning comfortably by a score of 58-49. Penn State led the game at half but without a true senior leader or a point guard, protecting any surmountable lead in the Big Ten is going to be a challenge, and it was evident on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Ross Travis will need to continue his good form after he bounced back from an 0-7 game against Iowa with eight points and eight rebounds on Tuesday. The sophomore wasn't settling for jumpshots against Purdue, instead attacking the rim and getting higher percentage looks. If he reverts to his old ways, Nebrasketball may very well put Penn State on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BTN_Penn_State/status/298972374659911680">#UpsetAlert</a>.</p>
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https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2013/2/8/3965760/penn-state-basketball-nebraska-previewChad Markulics