Matt Painter put it pretty bluntly Sunday when talking about the Nebraska basketball team he saw on film at the start of this season.
"They were awful," the Purdue coach said.
Guess who isn't awful anymore?
Cam Mack had Nebraska's first-ever triple-double, the Huskers started the game with a 12-2 run and led for the last 25 minutes, and about 40 hours after losing an overtime heartbreaker on the road, NU knocked off one of the Big Ten's flagship programs 70-56 Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
In a program-building win, Fred Hoiberg's first Big Ten victory as Nebraska's head coach, the Huskers nearly flawlessly executed a game plan that was put in place about 24 hours before Sunday's 3 p.m. tip.Â
That preparation came after NU arrived back in Lincoln in the middle of the night after Friday's 96-90 overtime loss at Indiana.
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"The one thing I’ve tried not to do, and what we’ve tried to really instill into our group, is you can’t panic. We had a rough start. We had some rough games early on in the season. But what we’ve talked about it continuing to trust the process, and continuing to grow this thing along step by step," Hoiberg said Sunday. "And you can’t cut things out and you can’t shortcut. You have to come in to work every day. I think our guys are buying into that, getting in the gym more as we continue to go on, and it’s paying off for our team."
Purdue came to Lincoln with a reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country in this young season. The Boilermakers own a dominating 29-point win over defending national champion Virginia. They had held their last two opponents to 44 and 40 points, and surrendered just 33 total points in their last two first halves.
Nebraska had 34 points at the break Sunday, with Mack leading the way. The sophomore point guard finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, securing his triple-double with a rebound in the final minute.
Brennon Clemmons had a triple-double in an exhibition game for Nebraska in 2002. But Mack's is the first in a game that counted in 122 years of Nebraska basketball.
"Very surprised. It's been a lot of great people to come through Nebraska," Mack said. "And for me to have the first triple-double, just give glory to God."
The victory broke a three-game losing streak that included last week's humbling loss at Creighton. Combine it with NU's effort in the loss at Indiana, and suddenly a season that started slower than slow suddenly has some spark.
Dachon Burke led Nebraska (5-6, 1-1 Big Ten) with 18 points, hitting four three-pointers and pulling down seven rebounds. He buried a 25-footer at the end of the shot clock to keep momentum going in the second half. And after Purdue had cut a 15-point Nebraska lead down to two with about eight minutes left, Burke's final triple capped an 11-2 Nebraska run that restored the double-digit lead and put the Huskers back in control.
"We've come a long way. I feel like this year, it's been a roller coaster. But we're at a point now where I feel like everybody's just buying in. Buying into the culture," Burke said. "With the team, the coaching staff, that's all we have, and we're going to build on this."
Thorir Thorbjarnarson, making his second straight start in place of the suspended Jervay Green, chipped in 13 points and five boards. He also hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch. Poster players Yvan Ouedraogo and Kevin Cross combined for 13 points and 12 rebounds going against 7-foot-3 Matt Haarms and 6-foot-9 Trevion Williams.
Nebraska hit 11 threes, and its 70 points tied the most Purdue has allowed in a game this season.
The Boilermakers (6-4, 1-1) got 18 points and 16 rebounds from Williams and 10 points off the bench from Isaiah Thompson.
The Huskers now get a week to relax. Sort of. Finals week is here, and NU won't play again until Saturday when it hosts North Dakota.
A rest well-earned.