Here is what I do know and is supported by the eye test. RU has been sloppy with turnovers and ironically, most (to me) are not forced by the opponent....it is JWill slipping or stumbles because of the crappy Adidas shoes (Sorry I had to put that in here, just the facts) and most are player related.
Why did Pike finally pull the plug on starting JMike, JWill and bolt Derkack to the bench?? Because most nights, the turnover trend is consistently tied to sloppy play at guard....
I have also a bunch of turnovers with Ace and Dylan, but most of those are iso-related where Dylan Harper tries a split of a double team or barrels into a defender in the paint (UCLA). I can live with a stopped play turnover (charge or something), but the unfortunate unforced ones, are killers.
Now 9.5 point spread....seems awfully high but we are starting 4 freshman on the road and 2 haven't started a road game in Lathan and Grant. Here are the Nebraska turnover amounts in games of note. With reasonable Pike level defense, we should be able to turn Nebraska over.....get some runout baskets and see what happens.
11 at Sparty
14 at Iowa
13 vs UCLA
14 vs Indiana
12 vs Oregon State
17 at Purdue
RU turnovers on the other hand (to me) are hit or miss......the more we try to run some detailed play with others who don't need to handle the ball a ton (JMike, Derkack and JWill), the turnovers "should not", be a high turnover game.
9 vs Bama
16 vs A&M (4 Ace, 4 JWill, 2 Martini, Derkack).
14 Ohio State (4 Ace, 3 Dylan, 3 JWill, 2 Lathan)
12 Princeton (4 Ace, 3 Dylan, 3 Derkack)
11 Indiana (3 Lathan, 3 JWill)
8 Wisconsin (4 Derkack)
16 Purdue (3 Ace, 3 JMike, 2 JWill, 2 Dylan Harper)
UCLA 10 (4 Dylan Harper).
Now if I take 11, 8 and 10 turnovers in 3 of the last 4 games, that's a trend I can live with. Purdue was a comedy show with JMike in the 1st 4 minutes with 3 by himself).
Now, can Acuff have a 4 turnover game?? Sure, but it's not because of dribbling into traffic (Derkack). A 3 point attempt, is better than a turnover.
To me, the lineup changes were not about matching up....it is about finding a role for Acuff to play alongside Dylan Harper and finding some 3 point shots.... AND....trying to reduce the amount of turnovers by JWill and JMike as starters....no idea how Derkack AND JWILL and JMike playing a combined 60 to 70 minutes, means RU has a lower turnover game.....especially with a built-in amount of turnovers with high wire acts Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
This next comment will drive RU fans crazy.....running ISO ball offense and taking shots, against a team like Nebraska, is your best path to winning.
Nebraska plays a much higher level of defense this year, around top 25 range in all of CBB...let me repeat....Top 25 range in defense (i think before the Purdue game).
So....if you run JWill, JMike and Derkack out there for 60 to 65 or 70 minutes against a higher caliber defense like Nebraska AND you want a high turnover prone backcourt of JWill slipping, JMike making crazy post passes and Derkack driving into traffic, good luck....
Running ISO and making Nebraska make individual defensive plays or sending help on Ace and Dylan, should find Acuff and others open to drive or hit shots......i want to see if Nebraska can defend without fouling...and getting to the FT line, which allows the pace to slow down and RU to set their defense.
If Nebraska turnovers are in the 13 to 15 range and RU is around 9 to 10, I'll take my chances.