Northwestern lost their first game of 2018 70-55 to Nebraska. Without Bryant McIntosh, the team struggled to manufacture efficient offense, shooting just 29 percent from the field. Here’s what Chris Collins, Dererk Pardon and Nebraska head coach Tim Miles had to say after the game.
Chris Collins
On the game: “I thought both teams played very hard. It was an offensive struggle for both teams...I thought they finished the game very well...We were gonna have to defend our tails off. We were gonna have to be smart offensively...It was just one of those nights where we didn’t shoot very well.”
On how Nebraska defended: “I thought they were just playing their normal game...Our main emphasis was to get the ball inside...I think the right guys had the ball.”
On the team’s struggles at the basket: “I think part of it was their length. They have good length...I thought they bothered us...some of them, you gotta finish.”
On the team’s offense: “I thought our ball movement was pretty good...We put in a few wrinkles to try to get Scottie and Vic the ball in areas where they liked it...We just didn’t shoot well.”
Dererk Pardon
On his performance: “[It] wasn’t that good...We lost, so that’s not really what I’m focusing on.”
On what went wrong during the game: “I think we need to better on defense. That’s where we need to lock in.”
On McIntosh’s absence: “Bryant is a big part of our team, but I think we have enough pieces to win...In the last eight minutes of the game, we gotta lock in and defend, but we didn’t do that.”
On what happened down the stretch: “I feel like some of us weren’t locked in mentally.”
Tim Miles
On McIntosh’s absence: “Certainly we understand how much Bryant McIntosh means to Northwestern...You just know you can take some chances you wouldn’t ordinarily take defensively [when he’s playing]...He makes plays and he gets them organized...They probably haven’t shot 29 percent in a long time.”
On Pardon’s performance: “His efficiency wasn’t where it had been...Dererk’s a really good player...I though Tanner [Borchardt] did a really good job on him.”