Postgame Notes

• With the win, the Huskers completed non-conference play with a 10-1 mark. It marked the fifth time since World War II that Nebraska finished non-con play with just one loss (10-1, 2018-19; 10-1, 2003-04; 12-1, 1991-92; 11-1, 1977-78) since World War II.
• Nebraska improves to 11-2 on the season, matching its best 13-game start since the 1991-92 team opened with a 12-1 mark after 13 games.
• Nebraska’s 91 points is a season high (previous high 89 vs. Duquesne). It is Nebraska’s highest point total since scoring 93 at Penn state on Feb. 27, 2022. NU also had a season-high 22 assists.
• Nebraska allowed 11 first-half points, its lowest total allowed since giving up nine to Jackson State on Dec. 19, 2009. NU’s previous season low allowed was 12 at Kansas State on Dec. 17
• The 11 first-half points allowed is the fewest Nebraska has allowed at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The previous low was 13, set two other occasions (vs. Mississippi Valley State, 11/6/18; vs Miami, 12/4/13).
• Nebraska opened game on a 12-0 run in the first 5:57 It is the Huskers’ 10th double-figure run of the season. NU later added runs of 11-0 and 10-0 in the first half. The Huskers now had 12 double-figure runs this season
• C.J Wilcher led NU in scoring for the third time this season with a season-high 18 points. His previous best was 16 against North Dakota. Wilcher’s 18 points marked the fifth time a Husker reserve led NU in scoring this season.
• Nebraska’s 16 steals were a season high and the most since also having 16 against McNeese State on Nov. 28, 2020.

Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg
On the team’s defense in the first half
“Yeah, I was really proud of how our guys came out of the gate tonight. I really challenged them after the start that we had last week in the away game against North Dakota. Obviously, they set the tone early. They (North Dakota) had confidence, and we’re fighting uphill for a lot of that game. So for us anytime you make the other team call a timeout before the first media (timeout), you know you’re doing something right, and we just kept the pressure all game long. We were making up for mistakes, guys were blocking shots from behind on a turnover, we made them counter, and we just made a lot of really good plays. I was really proud of how our guys came out. In that first half, you look at our minutes. I mean Keisei (Tominaga) played 16 minutes and Jamarques (Lawrence) played 12 minutes. I don’t think anybody played over 23 minutes. It was a good overall night for us and we have a big opportunity ahead. We got a big week, preparation for Indiana. I saw they had a big win tonight, sounds like (Malik) Reneau for 34 and they won without (Kel’el) Ware. It’s going to be a really week for us to get ourselves ready for 18 tough games. It’s going to be a grind. I think our guys are up for the challenge and we’re certainly ready for it.” 

On Cale Jacobsen and Eli Rice’s performance tonight
“I mean it’s a great opportunity for those guys anytime to get on the floor and get minutes. I thought especially in that first half, really everybody that stepped on the floor that made a positive contribution and for those guys to get extended minutes out there together. The second half obviously didn’t go well. The last seven, eight, nine minutes of that game, but those guys fight everyday. They’re the guys that put in a ton of work. People have no idea when you got out and play in the scout team. How much that helps prepare the guys and they have to learn everybody’s system, and they do a great job of it. There’s not a lot of glory in that role. So, anytime you can get those guys extended minutes like they got tonight, it’s a bonus. We’re going to need those guys this year. I mean there’s going to be opportunity at some point. Matar (Diop) with the Rienk (Mast) situation, we still don’t know exactly when we’ll get him back. He’s going to have to go out there and give us minutes against the size and physicality in this league. Eli (Rice), you see what he can do. He’s a very talented player that can take the lid off the basket. Cale (Jacobsen) is a guy that just knows how to play. He’s a very smart player and I know he can help us as he continues to get opportunities. I’m proud of those guys for what they’ve done for our team. We have one non-conference loss and those guys are responsible for a lot of that, helping prepare our guys for when they go out there, especially those rotations guys.” 

On Jarron Coleman’s performance
“Jarron had a great week of practice. We were prepared to throw him out there, and I thought he gave us a really nice lift. I believe he had six in the first half, both were threes. He was really rock solid and I’m proud of Boogie (Coleman) for hanging in there and being ready for when his name was called. I told him to just be ready, your time is going to come again and the way he practiced, he deserved the opportunity to go out there in the first 10 minutes of that game and he took advantage of it. He’s a veteran guy that knows how to play. They were pressing us all the way to the end and our guys were gassed and they were exhausted. I think Boogie had six turnovers, but those weren’t all his fault. He’s out there with the guys that haven’t had a lot of minutes. He’s going to be an important part of what we do the rest of the way.”

Sophomore Guard Sam Hoiberg
On the team’s energy and momentum to start the game  
“That was the message because in the last game we came out obviously really sluggish and got down 10 in the first half. That was just our goal this game to step on their neck from the beginning, and we did a really good job with that. Now we’re just learning to continue to pound on them once we get that lead and they beat us in the second half. That was a pretty rough end of the game for us, and we know that it wasn’t good, and we are going to learn from it. As far as the start of the game, we’re really happy with what we did.” 

On the team’s mentality
“We are obviously happy with the record and there is a few games that we wish we could get back, but all-in-all I think we would be pretty happy if you said we would be 11-2 going in to the conference slate. I think we just learn from the stuff we didn’t do right and the stuff we did do right.

Junior Guard Brice Williams
On the team’s performance in the first half
“We just suffocated them. Came out and set the tone. We didn’t really do anything special. We didn’t necessarily steal the ball a whole bunch, but we finished every possession with a blockout and a rebound, and we got out on the break a lot. That’s really what set the tone and shows our potential.” 

On the amount of guys who played tonight
“We have a deep rotation of young guys being able to play. It shows that they have what it takes. They got out there and showed that they were a part of the team, and they mean something. With Matar (Diop) getting these minutes now, it’s big for him, big for his confidence. Big for the coaches’ confidence and for our confidence in him. With Cale (Jacobsen), same thing. We know Cale is going to be consistent coming out there and playing. Even with Eli (Rice). He is always going to be aggressive. He has a lot of learning to do, but he also has a lot of potential. There are things we can use right now, and I think that will come out in conference play coming up.”

South Carolina State Head Coach Erik Martin
On what changed in the second half
“I think we just started playing harder. You gotta give Nebraska credit. They came out and made shots. We knew who their shot makers were, and we did a bad job of getting to them. So give them credit for doing a great job, and we need to get ready for Oklahoma State. We play them on Sunday.”

On takeaways from the game
“I was glad that the guys who were in there at the end didn’t quit playing, and they kept competing. But sometimes we are notoriously slow at starting. And I tell them, when you’re on the road in a Big Ten arena, you can’t start slow. You have to at least be within four to six points by the middle of the first half. And once again, they made shots. I’ve watched them on film, and wow, they made shots. You have to give them credit for making shots.”