%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
|
GAME 26: AT MINNESOTA NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS BROADCAST INFO |
After its longest break of the season, the Nebraska basketball team returns to action Tuesday evening, as the Huskers face the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Tipoff from Williams Arena is set for 8 p.m. and the tilt between the Huskers and Badgers will be televised nationally on BTN with Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo on the call. The game is available on BTN.com, BTN2Go and the Fox Sports Go app.
Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, on the Huskers app, on TuneIn Radio and on the TuneIn Radio app. The radio broadcast begins one hour prior to tipoff.
Nebraska (17-8, 8-4 Big Ten) has been off since completing a stretch of four games in eight days with a 74-63 win at Wisconsin on Jan. 29. In that game, the Huskers overcame an 11-point deficit in the final 10 minutes by outscoring the Badgers, 30-8, en route to picking up their first win in Madison since 1990.
James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland Jr. combined for 45 points, 13 rebounds and four steals. Palmer had 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half and matched his career high with eight rebounds, while Copeland tallied 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, five boards and two steals. Glynn Watson Jr. added 15 points and five assists, as the trio outscored Wisconsin, 40-31, in the second half.
The win kept the Huskers in contention for a top-four spot in the Big Ten heading into the final three weeks of the season. With an 8-4 mark, NU is tied with Michigan for fourth place with six games to go. Nebraska's conference record is its best after 12 games since 1999.
Since the overtime loss at Penn State, the Huskers have won five of their last six, as Palmer has played at an All-Big Ten level. The 6-foot-6 junior is averaging 25.2 points per game in that span, shooting 51 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line while also chipping in 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
The Huskers will be seeking their first win in Williams Arena in 15 years Tuesday night against the Golden Gophers (14-11, 3-9 Big Ten). Minnesota, which was ranked as high as 12th in the country in December, has struggled of late, losing eight of its last nine games since a 13-3 start. The Golden Gophers pushed No. 24 Michigan to overtime before falling 76-73 in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
OPENING NUMBER
5.3 - Glynn Watson's assist-to-turnover ratio over Nebraska's last five games. He is ninth in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio with a career-best 2.3-to-1 ratio.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
1.21 - Nebraska's assist-to-turnover ratio which is on pace to be its best in nearly 20 years. In fact, the last time Nebraska had more assists than turnovers was in 2009-10.
21.4 - Scoring average for James Palmer Jr. during January, as he scored 18 or more points in nine of 10 games last month.
28 - Points Glynn Watson Jr. needs to become the 29th Husker to reach 1,000 career points.
70 - Nebraska is 13-2 when scoring 70 or more points and 4-6 when held to under 70 points. Nebraska's only two losses when scoring 70+ points was a one-point loss to Kansas and a two-point OT loss at Penn State.
139 - Nebraska's 139 blocked shots ranks ninth in school history and is the most since the 1999-2000 season, when NU also had 141 blocked shots.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Under Richard Pitino, the Gophers are 14-11 on the season and looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The Gophers are a different team than the one that came to Lincoln in December, as Amir Coffey (14.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) has played twice in the last nine games because of a shoulder injury while Reggie Lynch (10.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.1 bpg) was suspended on Jan. 5 and has missed the last nine games. Prior to that, Minnesota was 13-3 and 2-1 in the Big Ten, but has won just once since then.
Junior forward Jordan Murphy is putting together an All-America caliber season, as he is among the Big Ten leaders in both scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (11.7 rpg), while All Big Ten guard Nate Mason is averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 assists per game and has hit a team-high 58 3-pointers. Against Michigan, Mason had 22 points, while freshman Isaiah Washington had 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and six rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska and Minnesota will meet for the 75th time on Tuesday, which is the most between the Huskers and any other Big Ten member. It is NU’s longest-running series in the Big Ten, as it dates back to February of 1902. The Gophers lead the all-time series, 54-20, while the Huskers have won five of the past seven meetings. The home team has won the last nine meetings dating back to 2012. Nebraska is 5-5 against the Golden Gophers as Big Ten members.
Prior to joining the Big Ten, NU and Minnesota met in non-conference action every year from 1995 until 2004 after not playing for 16 years.
LAST MEETING VS. MINNESOTA
Behind a season-high 29 points from Glynn Watson Jr., Nebraska topped No. 14 Minnesota, 78-68, on Dec. 5. Watson hit 9-of-17 shots from the floor and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, to pace three Huskers in double figures. The nine rebounds topped his previous best of six and played a major role in Nebraska out-rebounding the Golden Gophers, 42-38.
Nebraska (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) held Minnesota to season lows in points and field goal percentage (32.4), holding the Big Ten’s highest scoring attack to 20 points below its season average.
Watson scored seven straight points for the Huskers in a 7-1 spurt in the opening four minutes of the second half, stretching what was a 39-31 halftime lead to 14 and force a Minnesota timeout.
Minnesota (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) closed a 17-point deficit to eight on two occasions, the last being 74-55 with 47 seconds left, but Isaac Copeland and Watson went 4-of-6 from the line in the final minute to hold the Gophers at bay.
Copeland finished with 12 points and five rebounds, while James Palmer Jr. added 11 markers and four assists. NU’s biggest work was on the defensive end, where the Huskers blocked nine shots, including three by Duby Okeke and forced 13 Golden Gopher turnovers.
Nate Mason had 20 points to pace Minnesota, but Nebraska limited Jordan Murphy to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting, and 10 boards as he totaled his 10th straight double-double.
LAST TIME OUT
The Nebraska basketball team erased an 11-point second-half deficit, outscoring Wisconsin 30-8 over the final 10 minutes to rally for a 74-63 victory over the Badgers at the Kohl Center on Jan. 29.
The Huskers had trailed for much of the night and faced their largest deficit at 55-44 midway through the second half. Playing a fourth game in eight days, Nebraska dug deep and used a pair of 8-0 spurts to end the game on a 30-8 run and claim their first Big Ten victory at the Kohl Center.
James Palmer Jr. continued his impressive play, finishing with a game-high 28 points, his fourth 20-point effort in the last six games. Palmer scored 21 of his points in the second half, hitting 6-of-11 shots from the field in the final 20 minutes and 8-of-9 from the line. Isaac Copeland added 17 points and Glynn Watson Jr. chipped in 15 points and five assists.
The Huskers shot 41.1 percent from the field on the game and were just 4-of-19 from 3-point range. But Nebraska went 24-of-28 at the free-throw line, including 20-of-23 in the second half and 14-of-16 down the stretch.
Ethan Happ posted a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Badgers, but the Huskers held Happ to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting in the second half after Happ erupted for 18 first-half points.
ABOUT NEBRASKA
*-Tuesday's game is the final game of a five-game stretch where the Huskers have played four of five on the road dating back to Jan. 22. The good news for the Huskers is that four of their final five games are at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
*-Nebraska will be looking for its fourth Big Ten road win, which would mark NU's highest conference win total since going 4-4 in the Big 12 in 1998-99. NU is looking for its third straight Big Ten road win, which would be the first time that happened since 2016 (at Rutgers, at Illinois, at Michigan State).
*-NU comes into Tuesday's game with a 17-8 record, eclipsing its best 24-game start in the Big Ten era. The 17-8 mark matches the Huskers' best 25-game mark in over 20 years, as NU was 17-8 after 25 games on two other occasions (2010-11, 1998-99) in that span. The last time NU had a better 25-game mark came in the 1991-92 season when NU went 18-7 after 25 games.
*-With a win on Tuesday, Nebraska will guarantee at least a .500 conference mark for the second time in the Big Ten era and just the third time since 2000 (2013-14 and 2008-09).
*-Of Nebraska's five losses dating back to Dec. 9, NU lost twice in the last 30 seconds (vs. No. 13 Kansas, at PSU) and had two others where NU was within a point in the last four minutes (at Creighton, at No. 13 OSU).
*-James Palmer Jr. enjoyed one of the most prolific scoring performances in school history at No. 13 Ohio State on Jan. 22 with his 34-point effort against the Buckeyes. It marked the second-highest scoring effort in a road game in school history and the most on the road by a Husker since 2006.
*-Palmer is averaging 20.0 points per game in Big Ten play, and is on track to be the first Husker to average at least 20 points per game in conference play since current Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue averaged 21.8 points per game in 1997-98.
*-Palmer has shown the ability to get to the foul line, as he leads the Big Ten with 168 attempts through Sunday's games. Minnesota's Jordan Murphy is second with 160 attempts.
*-Nebraska's 98 points against Iowa marked the Huskers' highest total in a conference game since scoring 99 against Kansas State on Feb. 9, 2002. The Huskers' previous Big Ten era high was 93 points in a double overtime win over Iowa on Jan. 5, 2017.
*-Nebraska's defense has been its calling card in Big Ten action. The Huskers are third in field goal defense (.399) and held 10 of their last 11 opponents under 45 percent. In 10 games last month, NU held opponents to a combined 40.1 percent shooting.
*-The Huskers are averaging 73.3 points per game and is on track for one of the best offensive seasons in recent years. NU's 73.3 points per game marks only the sixth time in the last 22 years that NU has averaged at least 73.0 points per game through the first 23 games. The Huskers are 12-2 this year when scoring at least 70 points, including seven games of at least 80 points (7-0).
*-Nebraska's biggest offensive strength has been a balanced attack with three players averaging double figures, led by James Palmer Jr., who averages a team-high 17.6 points per game to lead all Big Ten newcomers in scoring. Palmer is currently on track to enjoy one of the top first-year seasons in school history, as the top three first-year scorers have been in Tim Miles' six seasons at Nebraska.
*-Nebraska relies on a pair of transfers in James Palmer Jr. (Miami) and Isaac Copeland (Georgetown), as the duo combines for more than 30 points per game. In all, 48.6 percent of the Huskers' offense this year has been by players in their first year in the program. Palmer has reached double figures 23 times, including a season-high 34 points at No. 13 Ohio State on Jan. 22, and is third in assists (2.6 apg). Copeland leads the Huskers in rebounding at 6.4 per game and is second in both scoring (13.2, second) and blocked shots (30, second). He has a team-high two double-doubles, including a 23-point, 11-rebound effort against Iowa on Jan. 27 and a 20-point, 11-rebound performance at Creighton on Dec. 9.
*-Junior Glynn Watson Jr. is in his third season guiding the Husker offense and is among NU's leaders in both scoring (11.0 ppg, third), assists (3.2, first) and steals (1.5, first). The 6-foot guard will make his team-high 71st career start on Tuesday and has a 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. Watson is just 28 points from 1,000 for his career and is nine steals away from 10th place on Husker career charts.
*-Nebraska's 11-point deficit at Wisconsin was its largest comeback of the season (previous high was seven at Northwestern on Jan. 2) and the seventh time under Tim Miles that Nebraska has overcome a 10-point deficit. Over the past two years, NU has won three road games while overcoming a double-digit deficit, matching NU's total from the previous 20 years.