The Nebraska men's basketball team makes its only home appearance in a three-week span Tuesday night, as the Huskers welcome Michigan to Pinnacle Bank Arena for the Huskers' Big Ten home opener. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and the matchup will be on ESPN2 and on the Huskers Radio Network. A limited number of tickets are available for the contest by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours or at the PBA Box Office beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Huskers (5-4) look to snap a two-game losing streak following a 68-55 loss at Indiana on Saturday. The Huskers got off to a quick start, building an early double-figure lead, but cold shooting from beyond the 3-point line proved costly. NU went 5-of-22 from beyond the arc, including 1-of-16 at one point, but was still within striking distance with 6:00 left before Indiana pulled away. Alonzo Verge Jr. led NU with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, but was the only Husker in double figures, as NU was held to 38 percent shooting.
| Game 10: Michigan at Nebraska Date: Tuesday, Dec. 7 Tipoff: 6:01 p.m. (CT) Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,000) Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets Nebraska Cornhuskers 2021-22 Record: 5-4 (0-1 Big Ten) Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg Record at Nebraska: 19-49 (3rd year) Career Record: 134-105 (8th year) Michigan Wolverines 2021-22 Record: 5-3 (0-0 Big Ten) Head Coach: Juwan Howard Record at Michigan: 47-20 (3rd year) Career Record: Same On the Air Radio: Tuesday's game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington and will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. Huskers Radio Network Play-by-Play: Kent Pavelka Analyst: Jake Muhleisen TV/Online: Tuesday's game will be televised on ESPN2 with Jason Benetti and Robbie Hummel on the call. It is also available on the web, mobile devices and connected TVs via ESPN.com and the ESPN app. ESPN2 Play-by-Play: Jason Benetti Analyst: Robbie Hummel Also available on ESPN.com/ESPN app |
Nebraska stayed in the game with its best defensive performance of the year, holding Indiana to a season-low 40.4 percent shooting, while the 68 points matched the Hoosiers' lowest offensive of the season. The Huskers have been solid defensively in 2021-22, holding eight of its nine opponents to below 45 percent shooting from the field, including five to under 40 percent.
The Huskers will need another strong performance as Michigan (5-3) comes to town following a 72-58 win over San Diego State on Saturday. Hunter Dickinson had 23 points and 14 rebounds to pace three Wolverines in double figures. Michigan shot 47 percent from the field, including 11-of-20 from 3-point range against SDSU.
Tuesday's game features two of the Big Ten's best freshmen in Nebraska's Bryce McGowens and Michigan's Caleb Houstan. McGowens is averaging team-bests in both scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg), as he leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring and is second in rebounding. Houstan, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, is averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and had 17 points in Michigan's win over the Aztecs on Saturday.
About Michigan
Michigan opens defense of its Big Ten regular-season title on Tuesday, as the Wolverines come to Lincoln with a 5-3 mark following a 72-58 win over San Diego State on Saturday. Michigan, which was sixth in the AP preseason poll, retooled its lineup after losing a pair of NBA draft picks from a year ago. Tuesday's game will be Michigan's fifth game away from home in its first nine contests. The Wolverines three losses have come against Seton Hall, Arizona and North Carolina last Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Michigan is led by third-year head coach Juwan Howard, who took over the Michigan program in May of 2019. Howard, who starred at Michigan during the Fab 5 era, spent 19 seasons in the NBA playing for eight franchises and won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2012-13. He worked in the Miami Heat organization for six seasons, the final five as an assistant coach before returning to his alma mater in 2019. Last year, Michigan went 23-5 and reached the Elite Eight before falling to UCLA.
Sophomore Hunter Dickinson anchors the Wolverine attack, as he averages 14.5 points on 60 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Dickinson was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and second-team All-American last season. Fifth-year senior Eli Brooks is chipping in 14.4 points and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range. Michigan boasts a pair of five-star freshmen in Caleb Houstan (9.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Moussa Diabate (7.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg). Diabate, a 6-foot-11 forward, has started the last two games for Michigan.
Series History: Michigan leads the all-time series, 19-3, in a series that goes back to 1949, although the Wolverines' win over the Huskers in the 1992 Rainbow Classic was later vacated. Michigan has won 13 of the 14 meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten with the Huskers' only win coming in a 72-52 win in Lincoln during the 2017-18 campaign. One of Nebraska's three wins in the series was a 74-73 win over No. 1 Michigan at the NU Coliseum on Dec. 12, 1964. In that game, Fred Hare's buzzer beater knocked off the Cazzie Russell-led Wolverines. That win is one of three wins over No. 1 ranked teams in Nebraska's history.
Last meeting: Teddy Allen had a game-high 25 points, but No. 19 Michigan shot 58 percent in the second half to post an 80-69 win over Nebraska in a Christmas Day matchup at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Allen had 21 of his 25 points in the first half, as Nebraska trailed 36-34 at the break, but the Wolverines hit their first six shots from the field after halftime and used a 10-0 spurt keyed by Franz Wagner to stretch the lead to 53-41 with 14:39 remaining. Wagner led five Wolverines in double figures with 20 points, as Michigan shot 51 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers in the win.
Last Time Out
The Nebraska men's basketball team held Indiana to a season-low in points, but the Hoosiers overcame an early 10-point deficit and rallied for a 68-55 win at Assembly Hall on Saturday.
The strong defensive effort was not enough to overcome a cold shooting performance for a Husker team playing its second road game in four days following a four-overtime loss at NC State on Wednesday. Nebraska shot 38 percent for the game, its second-lowest total of the season, and the Huskers were just 5-of-22 from the 3-point line.
Nebraska held Indiana to its lowest shooting percentage of the season (40 percent), but the Hoosiers had 10 more points off turnovers than the Huskers, even though Nebraska committed fewer turnovers.
Alonzo Verge Jr. had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, leading Nebraska in all three categories. Verge scored nine of his 15 points in the second half. Bryce McGowens scored eight points and matched Verge with five rebounds, while Derrick Walker also added eight points and Kobe Webster scored seven points.
Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 14 points, eight below his season average. Tamar Bates (13) and Race Thompson (11) also scored in double figures, with Thompson adding a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Worth Noting
• While Juwan Howard (1994-2013) and Fred Hoiberg (1995-2005) met several times during their NBA career, the pair faced off one time as college players, a 94-72 Michigan win at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 1992.
• Nebraska's Bryce McGowens is second nationally in scoring among all true freshmen, averaging 17.3 points per game. He trails only Duke's Paolo Banchero among true freshmen as of Dec. 4. McGowens currently leads all Big Ten true freshmen in both scoring and ranks second in rebounding (6.9 rpg).
McGowens is on pace to shatter single-season freshmen marks for the Huskers in both scoring (15.5, Joe McCray, 2004-05) and rebounding (6.3, Yvan Ouedraogo, 2019-20).
• Nebraska has produced eight 20-point efforts in the first nine games of the season (Bryce McGowens-4; Alonzo Verge Jr.-2; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1). Last season, NU had a total of 12 in 27 contests. McGowens' four 20-point games this season already ranks fourth all-time among Husker freshmen.
• One area where Nebraska has made significant strides from last season is reducing turnovers. The Huskers are currently sixth in the Big Ten at 11.4 turnovers per game as of Dec. 5. Last season, NU was last in the conference with 14.1 turnovers per game.
The Huskers have jumped from 205th to 27th in turnover rate, as Fred Hoiberg's teams have traditionally been among the nation's best in that category. Prior to last season, his last three teams ranked in the top 30 nationally in that category.
• Derrick Walker tied a school record, as he connected on 15 straight field goals from Nov. 21-27. He tied the mark originally set by Ade Dagunduro in 2008-09. Walker is shooting 67 percent from the floor in the 24 games he has played at Nebraska since becoming eligible last January.
• Alonzo Verge Jr. comes into Tuesday's contest as one of five players nationally - and the only Big Ten player - averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He joins Duke's Wendell Moore as the only two power conference players at that plateau.
| Player (School) | GP | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Wendell Moore (Duke) | 8 | 17.8 | 6.5 | 5.6 |
| Alonzo Verge (Nebraska) | 9 | 15.0 | 5.7 | 5.6 |
| Hunter Maldonado (Wyoming) | 7 | 18.9 | 5.7 | 5.4 |
| Sincere Carry (Kent State) | 6 | 15.8 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| Josip Vrankic (Santa Clara) | 3 | 16.3 | 6.7 | 6.0 |
H/T - Sports Reference
• Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, forcing a Big Ten-high 16.6 turnovers per game as of Dec. 5. NU leads the Big Ten with 8.1 steals per game and is second in turnover margin (+5.6), while averaging 20.3 points per game off opponent turnovers this season.
• Nebraska has gotten great production from its bench over the last seven games, as the Husker reserves have averaged 31.9 points per game in that span, compared to just 10.0 ppg in the first two games. NU has received 30-or-more points from its reserves in five of the last seven contests. NU has gotten nine double-figure efforts from its bench this season, including a pair of 20-point efforts (Webster-Creighton; Tominaga-USD).
•-Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He is second in the Big Ten with 5.9 assists per game and has a 2.0-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Both numbers are significantly improved from his time at Arizona State. His 11 assists against NC State are the highest total by a Big Ten player in 2021-22. Verge is 16th nationally in assists per game as of Dec. 5.
•-Alonzo Verge Jr. is tied for third in the Big Ten with three double-doubles. Verge has two points/assist double doubles (25 pts./11 asst. at NC State; 18pts./10 asst. vs. Tennessee State) and a 26-point, 13-rebound effort against Western Illinois. Only Rutgers' Ron Harper Jr. has more double-doubles than Verge in the Big Ten so far in 2021-22.
•-Bryce McGowens joined rare company on Nov. 12 against Sam Houston with his 29-point effort. It tied for the second-highest performance by a freshman in school history and was the most since Shavon Shields also had 29 at Penn State in 2013.
•-The return of fifth-year senior Kobe Webster has stabilized the Husker backcourt, especially following the injury to Trey McGowens on Nov. 16. Webster is averaging 8.3 ppg on 46 percent shooting, including 40 percent from 3-point range, while also dishing out 14 assists with only two turnovers in 151 minutes.
•-The season opener against Western Illinois featured two of the highest-scoring debuts by any Husker in the last 50 years. Alonzo Verge Jr. (26) and Bryce McGowens (25) became just the third and fourth Huskers in the last five decades to score 20+ points in a Husker debut.
•-The season opener against WIU marked only the third time since 2007 that Nebraska had two players score 25-or-more points in a game. It also marked the fourth time that NU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game in Fred
Hoiberg's tenure.
• Nebraska's 2021-22 roster features a trio of college graduates in Derrick Walker, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Kobe Webster. Walker became the first member of his family to get a degree when he graduated in May of 2021, while Webster (2020, Western Illinois) and Verge (2021, Arizona State) came to Nebraska as graduate transfers.
Four OT Thriller
Nebraska's four OT game at NC State on Dec. 1, was one for the record books. The four OT game matched Nebraska's school record set in 1979 and was the longest Big Ten game in at least a decade. It tied for the second-longest Division I game in the past 10 seasons, trailing only a five OT game between Louisville and Notre Dame on Feb. 9. 2013. It was NU's longest game since joining the Big Ten and the longest game by any Big Ten team since at least 2011-12.
- It marked only the eighth time in school history where both teams scored over 100 points.
- The 100 points NU scored marked the 44th 100-point game in school history, but only the fifth time that NU scored 100 points and lost.
- Nebraska had a pair of double-doubles from Alonzo Verge (25 points/11 assists) and Derrick Walker (12 points, 13 rebounds). Verge (assists) and Walker (rebounds) both set personal bests on their way to double-doubles
Twice is Nice for Bryce
Bryce McGowens was honored as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Monday (Nov. 29). The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 20.0 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in helping the Huskers to a perfect 2-0 week. He is the first Husker men's basketball player to earn multiple weekly freshman honors since Shavon Shields in 2012-13.
Super McGowens Brothers
The high-flying duo of Trey and Bryce McGowens will be sidelined for a bit, as Trey recovers from a broken foot suffered on Nov. 16. This season marked the first time the brothers were on the same court together since they were kids and provided a number of early highlights.
- Bryce is seventh in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.8 ppg while grabbing a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game as of Dec. 5. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and minutes played.
- A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he leads all conference rookies in scoring and is second in caroms.
- He is the only Big Ten freshman who leads his team in both scoring and rebounding.
- McGowens has reached double figures in scoring six times, including four of 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point game was a 24-point, nine-rebound effort in the 4OT loss at NC State on Dec. 1.
- He collected his first career double-double on Nov. 21 against Southern with 18 points and 11 rebounds. McGowens also had four assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
- McGowens became the first Husker since 2016 to earn Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week accolades on Nov. 15, as he averaged 27.0 ppg on 52 percent shooting in a pair of contests to open the season.
- He is just the second Husker freshman to ever put up multiple 25-point games, as he had 25 in the opener against Western Illinois and 29 in the win over Sam Houston. He joins Dave Hoppen, who accomplished the feat during the 1982-83 season (27 vs. K-State; 25 vs. Iowa State).
- As a high schooler, he totaled 2,341 points, including 285 3-pointers and was selected for the 2021 Iverson Classic. He was also selected to the Jordan Brand Classic, but the event was not held.
- Last season, he was the Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year, averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest for Legacy Early College and Coach BJ Jackson.
- Trey has been a proven performer throughout his career, as he has started 94 of 96 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points.
- Trey started the first three games and was averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game before suffering his injury midway through the first half against Creighton on Nov. 16. McGowens also drew the opponent's top perimeter defender and shared point guard duties. He helped limit Sam Houston's Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting on Nov. 12.
- Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assist per game, while starting all 27 games. He reached double figures 17 times in 2020-21, including a season-high 20 points against No. 17 Michigan State.
- The McGowens brothers are one of 15 brother combos on the same college roster this season
"Good things happen when we play through Derrick"
Fred Hoiberg understands the importance of having Derrick Walker on the floor for the Big Red, and Walker's play has been a focal point for the Huskers. Walker, who is in his third year at NU, has provided the Huskers a much-needed inside threat since becoming eligible last January.
The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying a career year in 2021-22, averaging 9.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 78 percent from the field.
Walker is playing the best basketball of his career over the last six games, averaging 13.0 points while connecting on 34 of his last 40 shots from the floor. He tied or set career highs in three straight games from Nov. 19-23, culminating in a 16-point effort on 8-of-8 shooting vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 23. Walker recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at NC State on Dec. 1
Zo Takes the Point
Alonzo Verge took over the point guard duties from 2021 NBA Draft pick Dalano Banton, and Verge has provided an immediate impact, averaging 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago is second in the Big Ten in assists, eighth in steals and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio as of Dec. 5.
- He has a 1.96-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.
- Verge ranks third in the Big Ten with three double-doubles (vs. W. Illinois; vs. Tennessee State; at NC State).
- He is one of five Division I players - and one of two power conference performers - averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as of Dec. 5.
- Verge nearly had a triple-double in the Huskers' epic game at NC State on Dec. 1 with 25 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds before fouling out in the fourth OT.
- He led NU with 18 points and 10 assists in the Huskers' win over Tennessee State on Nov. 23.
- He posted his first collegiate double-double in the opener with 26 points - the most points ever in a Husker debut - a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists.
- Verge was a combo guard during his two seasons at Arizona State, where he teamed with current Kansas guard Remy Martin in one of the highest scoring backcourts in the Pac-12.
- He averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 2020-21, ranking among the Pac-12 leaders in scoring (15th), assists (seventh), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1, sixth), steals (1.2, 13th) and free throw percentage (.809, 13th).
- In his first season at ASU, he was the 2020 Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and an honorable-mention all-conference pick after averaging 14.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
- A two-time NJCAA All-American at Moberly Area (Ill.) CC, he ranked in the top three nationally in both scoring and assists in 2018-19. He tallied 1,086 points (30.9 ppg in 35 games), but also dished out 8.2 assists per game en route to first-team accolades.
NU Graduation Success Rate Hits All-Time High of 95 Percent
Nebraska student-athletes have posted a 95 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR), continuing the Huskers' long tradition of being a national leader in the classroom. The NCAA released its GSR scores on Dec. 2, with Nebraska improving its GSR for the 11th straight year.
• The 95 percent GSR rate for all student-athletes ranks third among 14 Big Ten schools. On the national scale, Nebraska's GSR is tied for 10th out of 130 FBS institutions. The 95 percent GSR rate marks the 11th straight year Nebraska has increased its GSR.
• The Husker men's basketball program achieved a 100 percent GSR for the second straight season and was one of 13 Husker programs to post a 100 GSR in the latest rankings. NU was one of five Big Ten teams with a perfect GSR this year.
• The 95 percent GSR rate is another milestone for a program that has long been a national leader in academic and athletic achievement. Nebraska leads all Division I programs with 347 CoSIDA Academic All- Americans in school history across all sports. Nebraska also leads the nation with 18 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award winners.
Husker Recruiting Class Seeing Stars
The Huskers brought one of the nation's top recruiting classes to campus this fall. The class is ranked as high as 13th by ESPN as well as 18th by 247Sports and 21st by Rivals and is the third-highest ranked class in the Big Ten.
Nebraska's five signees are headlined by five-star Bryce McGowens and four-star recruit Wilheim Breidenbach, both of whom were top-100 recruits. McGowens was a consensus top-25 recruit who played in the Iverson Classic and was selected to the Jordan Brand team. NU rounded out the class with junior college All-American Keisei Tominaga and freshmen Oleg Kojenets and Quaran McPherson.
While McGowens has been one of the Big Ten's top newcomers, Tominaga and Breidenbach have been significant contributors early on. Tominaga has played in all nine games, averaging 7.9 points per game while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range. Breidenbach as been the Huskers' top frontcourt reserve and is chipping in 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.0 steals per game.
Up-Tempo Basketball
One trait of any Fred Hoiberg-coached team is to play at a fast pace. The Huskers have led the Big Ten in pace in each of the last two seasons, ranking 16th nationally by KenPom in 2019-20 and 35th in 2020-21. NU has been the only Big Ten team to rank in the top-50 nationally in each of the past two seasons.
In seven full seasons as a college head coach (five at Iowa State and two at NU), Hoiberg's teams have ranked in the top-50 in tempo five times, including three times in the top-20. Prior to Hoiberg's arrival, the last time a Husker team was in the top-100 nationally in tempo according to KenPom was in 1999-2000 under Danny Nee.