GAME PREVIEW
The Nebraska men's basketball team looks for a 3-0 start to the season, as the Huskers host Rider in the opening game of the Cornhusker Classic Monday night. Tipoff between the Huskers and Broncs is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or at PBA beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The Cornhusker Classic is a four-team event with Nebraska, Rider, Stony Brook and Duquesne that takes place between Nov. 13-22. All four teams will play each other during that time frame.
Nebraska (2-0) overpowered Florida A&M en route to an 81-54 win on Nov. 9. Rienk Mast led all scorers with 20 points and 16 rebounds, as Nebraska put three players in double figures and out-rebounded the Rattlers, 55-35. Nebraska held FAMU to just 30 percent shooting from the field, including 4-of-20 from 3-point range.
Mast comes into Monday's game leading the Huskers in both scoring (16.5 ppg), and rebounding (11.0 rpg), as Nebraska has six players averaging at least eight points per game. The 6-foot-10 forward from Bradley posted his 19th career double-double in the win over Florida A&M while becoming the first Husker since Aleks Maric in 2008 to post a game with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
Rider (1-1) comes off a 95-65 loss at No. 5 Marquette Friday night. The Broncs were the preseason pick to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) after a runner-up finish last year. The Broncs feature an experienced lineup with a trio of fifth-year players and two other fourth-year performers.
LOOKING AT RIDER
Rider comes to town with a 1-1 record following Friday's loss at fifth-ranked Marquette. In that game, Marquette shot 55 percent and converted 16 Rider turnovers into 24 points. T.J. Weeks Jr. had 14 points and 12 rebounds while Mervin James had 15 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort.
Rider was the preseason pick by the conference coaches to win the league, garnering eight of the 11 first-place votes. The Broncs finished second in the MAAC last season with a 13-7 record, highlighted by a win at Iona. Rider features a veteran lineup with all five starters in at least their fourth year of college, including a trio of fifth-year performers.
Senior forward Mervin James was selected as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 12.9 ppg and 6.8 rpg last season. He comes into Monday's game with nearly 1400 career points and 700 career rebounds. James was joined on the preseason all-conference team by Allen Powell. Another fifth-year senior, Powell averaged 10.4 points, 2.1 assists and nearly a steal per game. The group also features T.J. Weeks Jr., who was a two-year starter at UMass and is a career 36 percent 3-point shooter, and Tariq Ingraham, a 6-foot-9 forward who began his college career at Wake Forest. Last year, he averaged 6.4 ppg on 59 percent shooting.
Kevin Baggett is in his 12th season at the school and is a two-time MAAC Coach of the Year. He was an assistant coach at Rider from 2006-12 and was promoted to head coach in 2012. A former player at St. Joseph's in the late 1980s, he has been coaching in the college ranks since 1995.
Monday's meeting is the first in the series, as NU is 6-1 all-time against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. It is NU's first meeting against a MAAC opponent since a win over Marist in the 2017 Advocare Invitational in Orlando.
LAST TIME OUT: RIENK LEADS HUSKERS PAST FLORIDA A&M
Behind 20 points and 16 rebounds from Rienk Mast, Nebraska downed Florida A&M, 81-54, on Nov. 9. Mast became the first Husker since 2008 to have at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game, as the 6-foot-10 forward collected his 19th career double-double.
Nebraska showed a balanced attack with three players in double figures. Freshman Eli Rice came off the bench for a season-high 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Brice Williams had 15 points and six rebounds.
The Huskers enjoyed a 55-35 edge on the glass against the Rattlers and held Florida A&M to just 30.3 percent shooting, including 4-of-20 from long range. Nebraska shot just 41 percent from the field but hit 10 3-pointers and went 26-of-35 from the foul line.
Nebraska trailed 8-7 before Mast ignited a 12-0 spurt with consecutive 3-pointers, as the Huskers held the Rattlers scoreless for nearly five minutes and pushed the lead to 19-8 after Williams’ 3-point play. A pair of Ja’Derryus Eatmon free throws ended the spurt and FAMU was within 22-12 before Rice and Josiah Allick combined for seven straight points to push the lead to 29-12. Nebraska led by as many as 20 in the first half before taking a 41-25 lead into the locker room.
Nebraska opened the second half with a 19-6 scoring run, capped by three-straight 3-pointers, to build a 60-31 advantage after a Williams’ 3-pointer with 12:39 left and cruised to a 27-point win.
POSTGAME NOTES VS. FLORIDA A&M
- Rienk Mast collected his 19th career double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds. The last Husker to have at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game was Aleks Maric, who had 32 points and 16 rebounds against Missouri on Feb. 13, 2008.
- Mast’s 16 rebounds were the most by a Husker since Yvan Ouedraogo had 19 rebounds against Northwestern on March 1, 2020, and the second-highest rebound total in Hoiberg’s four-plus seasons at Nebraska.
- Nebraska’s 55 rebounds were the most since also collecting 55 against Doane on Dec. 17, 2020. It was the most against a Division I team since having 55 vs. Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 6, 2018.
- Nebraska has had double-figure scoring runs in each of its first two games (10-0 vs. Lindenwood; 12-0 vs. FAMU).
- Nebraska had double-digit 3-pointers for the second straight game, the first time it happened since March 4-7, 2001 (at Iowa, at Northwestern).
- In all, 64 of Nebraska’s 81 points were scored by first-year Huskers, as well as 30 points scored by players coming off the bench. Freshman Eli Rice reached double figures for the first time in his career with 16 points, including 11 in the first half.
MAST'S MASSIVE NIGHT Rienk Mast put together a strong performance in Nebraska's win against Florida A&M. The 6-foot-10 forward had game highs of 20 points and 16 reounds for his first double-double of the season and 19th of his career.
- He became the first Husker in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) to have a game with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds, and the first Husker to do so since All-Big 12 performer Aleks Maric in 2008.
- Since 1990, only six Huskers have had games with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds. That list includes Aleks Maric, Kimani Ffriend, Venson Hamilton, Mikki Moore and Eric Piatkowski.
- Mast now has nine career 20-point efforts after Thursday's performance. His 16 rebounds was one shy of a career high.
- As of Nov. 11, Mast is fourth in the Big Ten in rebounding, 11th in scoring and 17th in field goal percentage (.524)
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Huskers with 20+ Points/15+ Rebounds (Since 1990)
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GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN HUSKERS REACH 80
Nebraska has shown an explosive offense in the first two games, averaging 82.5 points per game. It is the first time since 2018-19 that NU has scored 80+ points in each of its first two contests.
- Nebraska will be looking for third straight game with 80+ to open the season. It would be the first time since the 2018-19 team opened the season with four straight games of 80+ points.
- Nebraska is 16-4 under Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points including 11-1 over the last three seasons. The only loss was a 104-100 quadruple overtime game at North Carolina State in 2021. NU has won its last nine games when reaching the 80-point plateau.
FINDING BALANCE
Nebraska relied on its depth and balance early in the season. While the Huskers have two players averaging double figures, four others are at between 8.0 and 9.5 ppg after two games.
- Nebraska has had six players reach double figures in the first two contests. The Huskers had five players in double figures in the opener and three players in double figures in the win over Florida A&M.
- NU has gotten at least one double-figure effort from its bench in both contests. In the opener, Sam Hoiberg matched his career high with 15 points off the bench to lead NU in scoring. Against Florida A&M, freshman Eli Rice tallied 16 points in 22 mintues of action.
- The Huskers have done this without Keisei Tominaga (13.1 ppg) and Juwan Gary (9.6 ppg), who have yet to play in NU's first two contests.
- Seven of the 12 players who played in Monday's win were making their Husker debut. In fact, C.J. Wilcher was the only player who appeared in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 openers.
HUSKER TRENDS
- Nebraska is tied for second in the Big Ten with 10.5 3-pointers per game after the first week of action. Since Jamarques Lawrence was inserted into the lineup on Jan. 25, 2023, the Huskers are averaging 8.1 3-pointers per game and shooting at 37 percent behind the line in those 14 contests.
- The Huskers enter the week second in rebounding margin at +12 per game (Purdue is +14.0 per game). NU enjoyed a 55-35 advantage on the glass in the win over Florida A&M. The Huskers will be tested against a Rider team that was in the top-50 nationally in rebounding margin last year. The Broncs enter Monday's game at with a +10.5 rebounding margin.
- Sam Hoiberg led NU in scoring for the first time in his career with 15 points against Lindenwood on Nov. 6. Hoiberg became the first walk-on to lead Nebraska in scoring in a game since Paul Velander had 20 points in a 73-51 win over Kansas State on Jan. 17, 2009.