Nebraska Cornhuskers: Not Enough Help From Freshmen So Far

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have gotten off to a hot start so far this season by going 4-1. It is no surprise that the team's two leading scorers are Andrew White III and Shavon Shields, but there is a big drop off after both players. There are four freshmen who average the most point per game behind White and Shields, but the freshmen's numbers are not very impressive.

Glynn Watson Jr. averages 9.0 PPG, Jack McVeigh averages 7.6 PPG, Michael Jacobson averages 5.6 PPG, and Ed Morrow Jr. averages 5.2 PPG. Nebraska is only averaging 74.2 PPG as a team, and they have played against some pretty weak competition, so the scoring from the freshmen must improve soon if the Cornhuskers want to turn some heads in the near future.

Their next two game are against Cincinnati and Miami, who are both ranked, and earlier in the season the team was beat pretty badly by another ranked opponent in Villanova. The freshmen did not show up in their game against Villanova; Watson did record 12 points but he shot terribly from the field. Particularly Watson, Morrow, and McVeigh are the freshmen that play the most on the Cornhuskers and if they do not play well on the offensive end, then the team relies too heavily on scoring from Shields and perimeter playmaking and scoring from White.

These next two games are going to be big for the freshmen, they have to prove that can compete against formidable competition, and not just teams like Southeastern Louisiana or Delaware State.

Freshmen Outlook

The freshmen have not been very impressive for the Cornhuskers; Watson has been decent, McVeigh has been decent, but Morrow has been less than stellar. Morrow needs to step up his game the most because the Cornhuskers struggle with frontcourt offense and depth. He is not really known for his offensive prowess, but they need someone like him to step up down low to create more space for Shields and the backcourt.

They should try post up plays with Morrow and the pick and roll, he is really athletic, but he cannot shoot at all, which is why opponents do not pay much attention to him on offense.

Morrow or other freshmen Jacobson need to do a lot more in the frontcourt for the team, Shields can score from anywhere on the court, which is why he is so dangerous, but teams are always prepared for him. If someone like Morrow or Jacobson can start scoring more in the paint, then that will create more room for Shields to score and even Jake Hammond.

Morrow and Jacobson are going to have a lot of say in whether the Cornhuskers can compete with some of the better teams in college basketball.

Overall

The freshmen for Nebraska had high expectations heading into this season, but so far they have not been very impressive; especially their frontcourt players. Coach Tim Miles needs more out of Morrow and Jacobson in the frontcourt, and he needs Watson to score more consistently on offense.

Nebraska has not played against any tough opponents other than Villanova, so it is hard to tell if they are making any strides, but we will find out what Nebraska and their freshmen are made of in their next two games against quality ranked opponents.