Huskers Renew Rivalry at Kansas State on Sunday
After a break for finals, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to action this Sunday, Dec. 17, as the Huskers travel to Manhattan, Kan., for a matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats. Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Husker Radio Network.
The Huskers (8-2) came off their best effort of the season, a 77-70 win over Michigan State on Dec. 10. In that game, the Huskers shot 64 percent in the second half to erase a 34-31 halftime deficit, as Juwan Gary's 20-point night led four Huskers in double figures. Nebraska took control of the game late, outscoring the Spartans 15-5 over the final 3:01 to to pick up the program's first win over Michigan State since 2016.
Gary matched a career high with 20 points in his first start of the season. The 20-point effort marked the third time this season he has either tied or set a career high in scoring, as he is averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game on 59 percent shooting, including 35 percent from 3-point range.
In addition to Gary's performance, the Huskers also did much better taking care of the ball with nine turnovers, including three in the second half. NU had a season-high 18 turnovers in the loss to Minnesota, the only time in the last six games where NU committed double-figure turnovers.
With its two December Big Ten games wrapped up, NU faces a familiar foe, as Sunday's meeting will mark the final game of a three-game series between the Huskers and Kansas State.
The Wildcats, coming off an Elite Eight appearance last season, are 8-2 on the season and have been off since a 75-60 win at LSU on Dec. 9. Cam Carter had 21 points and eight rebounds to pace four Wildcats in double figures, while the Wildcats held LSU to 29 percent shooting in the second half and outrebounded the Tigers, 39-36.
Numbers to Know
2 - Number of power conference players averaging at least 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game this season as of Dec. 15 - Nebraska's Rienk Mast and Duke's Kyle Filipowski.
.863 - Nebraska went 13-of-15 from the line against Michigan State, including 8-of-8 in the final 1:44 to seal the win. Over the last five games, Nebraska is shooting 86.3 percent (82-of-95) from the charity stripe.
1.49 - Nebraska's assist-to-turnover ratio this season, which is fourth in the Big Ten as of Dec. 15. NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio in the last decade is 1.32, set in the 2018-19 season. That season, NU had 9.96 turnovers per game, the lowest average since assists were tracked in 1978-79.
8.4 - NU ranks third in the Big Ten with 8.4 3-pointers per game as of Dec. 15. NU has averaged more than 8.0 3-pointers/game just twice in program history (2001-02 and 2020-21).
13.4 - Nebraska leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.4) entering this weekend's action. NU also ranked in the top 20 nationally in that category in 2022-23 (14.1, 16th).
2 - Nebraska matched a school record with two turnovers in the win over Duquesne on Nov. 22, matching a record originally set in 2013. As of Dec. 15, it ties for the lowest total by a power conference team in 2023-24.
About Kansas State
The Wildcats are 8-2 on the season following a 15-point win at LSU on Dec. 9. KSU enters Sunday's game having won eight of its last nine, including overtime wins over Providence and Villanova. KSU has already played four overtime games in its first 10 contests and is a perfect 4-0 in those games.
Jermone Tang is in his second season at Kansas State after spending the last 19 seasons at Baylor, helping the Bears win an NCAA title in 2021. Last year, the Wildcats won 26 games and reached the Elite Eight, as Tang was the Naismith National Coach of the Year.
The 2023-24 Wildcats feature three players averaging at least 16 points per game in Cam Carter and transfers Arthur Kuluma and Tylor Perry. Carter leads the team at 16.9 points per game while also grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. Kaluma, who started at Creighton for two seasons, is at 16.6 ppg and tops KSU with 8.6 rebounds per game, while Perry, who was the 2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Year, is at 16.2 ppg and dishes out a team-best 5.5 assists per contest.
Series History: Kansas State leads the all-time series, 129-93, and has won seven straight dating back to the 2008-09 season. The Huskers will be looking for their first win since a 73-51 win on Jan. 17, 2009. NU's last win in Manhattan came in a 57-42 win on Jan. 11, 2006.
Last season: Wilhelm Breidenbach had a career-high 13 points off the bench while Nebraska’s second-half comeback fell short in a 71-56 loss to Kansas State in Kansas City. Breidenbach hit 5-of-9 shots from the field and grabbed five rebounds, as he and Jamarques Lawrence keyed a strong bench effort that helped the Huskers rally after falling behind 59-40 with just under nine minutes remaining. Nebraska ran off 10 straight points to pull within 59-50 with 3:43 remaining. The Huskers continued to chip away, as Lawrence’s second 3-pointer of the night made it 62-56 with 1:19 remaining, but the Wildcats went 9-of-10 from the line down the stretch to hold off the Husker comeback. Keyontae Johnson's 23 points and 11 rebounds to pace four Wildcats in double figures.
Worth Noting
- C.J. Wilcher is scheduled to graduate this weekend with a degree in child, youth & family studies but will go through graduation ceremonies during the spring. Wilcher, who began his collegiate career at Xavier before transferring to Nebraska before the 2021-22 season, is a three-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Roll member and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2023. He will be the fifth college graduate on the 2023-24 Husker roster, joining Josiah Allick, Jarron Coleman, Rienk Mast and Brice Williams.
- A pair of foes this weekend were teammates this past summer, as Nebraska's Rienk Mast and Kansas State's David N'Guessan were both on the Netherlands National team during the 2023 Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Türkiye.
- Sunday's game also matches a pair of conference rivals who led their team to hardware last season. Nebraska's Brice Wiliams was the MVP of the 2023 CBI after leading Charlotte to a tournament title while Kansas State's Tylor Perry was the most outstanding player of the 2023 NIT while leading North Texas to a tournament title. Charlotte and North Texas split their regular-season meetings in 2022-23.
- Nebraska's trip to Kansas State marks just the Huskers' second road game against a Big 12 opponent since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12 and first since a trip to Kansas on Dec. 10, 2016.
- Nebraska's 8-2 record is NU's best 10-game mark since also going 8-2 in the 2018-19 season. Nebraska opened the season with seven straight wins, marking just the fifth time in program history that Nebraska opened the season with seven straight wins.
- Nebraska has made an effort to get to the foul line, as the Huskers are fifth in the Big Ten in free throw attempts with 225, while opponents have gotten to the line a Big Ten low 146 times. The +79 differential ranks third among Big Ten teams heading into this weekend's action.
- Nebraska's win over Michigan State on Dec. 10 snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Spartans dating back to the 2015-16 season. The 11-game losing streak was NU's longest active streak against a Big Ten opponent.
- The Huskers are 14-5 over the last 18 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2023. A big reason for that is NU's offense, as NU has averaged 75.9 ppg on 47 percent shooting in that stretch. Wednesday's game marked only the fourth time in the last 18 games where NU was held to under 70 points.
- Nebraska is 20-4 under Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points including 15-1 over the last three seasons. The only loss was a 104-100 quadruple overtime game at North Carolina State on Dec. 1, 2021. NU has won its last 13 games when reaching the 80-point plateau.
- Nebraska won its first seven games by 10 or more points. It was just the second time in over 100 years - the other was from Dec. 3-30, 1990 - that the Huskers won seven straight games by double figures.
- Nebraska enters Sunday's game ranked fourth in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 75.1 percent. While it is still early in the season, it is on pace to be one of NU's highest season percentages. NU has not shot over 74 percent from the foul line since the 2011-12 season where NU shot a school-record 76.6 percent.
- Over the last five games, Nebraska is shooting 86.3 percent (82-of-95) from the charity stripe, including the two best totals in Hoiberg's five seasons. NU's 19-of-20 effort against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 26 was its best percentage (min. 20 att.) since going 20-of-21 (.952) against Minnesota on Nov. 26, 1995.
- Nebraska's bench has provided a spark, averaging 23.8 points per game in the first 10 contests. The Huskers' leading scorer has come from the bench three times (Hoiberg-Lindenwood; Wilcher-Rider; Gary-Stony Brook) and NU has had nine double-figure efforts from its bench in 2023-24. Juwan Gary's 20-point effort against Duquesne on Nov. 22 marked the seventh time under Fred Hoiberg that NU had a player score at least 20 points off the bench.
Last Time Out
Juwan Gary’s 20 points led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska rallied for a 77-70 win over Michigan State on Dec. 10. Gary, making his first start of the season, matched his career high with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, as Nebraska shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and rallied from a 34-31 halftime deficit. Nebraska trailed 65-62 after Tyson Walker’s basket with 3:11 remaining before Gary’s jumper and a 3-pointer by Brice Williams with 2:14 left gave NU a 67-65 lead.
The Spartans tied the score at 67 after a pair of Malik Hall free throws with two minutes left, but Nebraska regained the lead on the next possession after a pair of Keisei Tominaga free throws and got a stop before Rienk Mast’s basket gave NU a 71-67 lead with just over a minute remaining. The Huskers then iced the game at the line, going 6-of-6 in the final minute.
Keisei Tominaga finished with 15 while Williams and C.J. Wilcher added 14 and 10 respectively, as Nebraska became the first team to shoot 50 percent against Michigan State all season.
Finding Balance
Nebraska relied on its depth and balance early in the season. While the Huskers have four players averaging double figures, three others are between 5.9 and 6.8 ppg.
- Nebraska has four players averaging double figures, which ties for the most in the Big Ten (also Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Purdue) entering this weekend's action.
- Nebraska has had nine different players reach double figures and have six different leading scorers through the first 10 games. No player has led NU in scoring more than twice in 2023-24.
- No Husker averages more than 28.6 minutes per game, while nine Huskers are averaging double figures in minutes.
- NU has gotten at least one double-figure effort from its bench in nine of 10 contests (all but the Creighton game). The Huskers have gotten almost 31 percent of their scoring from the bench over the first nine contests.
Tominaga Returns to All-Big Ten Form
Nebraska's lineup has been boosted by the return of fifth-year senior Keisei Tominaga, who missed NU's first two games with an ankle injury. He is second on the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range.
- He posted his fifth double-figure effort with 15 points against Michigan State on Sunday.
- In a five-game stretch from Nov. 21-Dec. 3, he averaged 16.8 ppg on 58 percent shooting, including 44 percent from 3-point range over his previous five contests.
- He posted his 12th career 20-point game against No. 15 Creighton on Dec. 3, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
- Tominaga has a season-high 23 points in NU's win over Duquesne on Nov. 18, including 9-of-10 from the foul line.
- He had a perfect shooting performance against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 26, as he went 5-of-5 from the field, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 from the foul line.
- Prior to Tominaga, the last player to have at least 15 points on a perfect shooting night was David Rivers at Michigan State on Jan. 13, 2013 (8-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT). According to Sports Reference, only five power conference players have totaled at least 15 points on a perfect shooting night this season as of Dec. 15.
Tominaga was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team, becoming just the third Husker to receive the honor since Nebraska joined the conference in the 2011-12 season. Last season, he averaged 13.1 points per game on 53 percent shooting, including 40 percent from 3-point range, while appearing in all 32 contests. Tominaga led the Huskers in 3-pointers with 66 and was one of only six players nationally to average double figures and shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the foul line.
New Faces, New Roles
Nebraska made a big splash in the transfer portal, adding five players to the roster, and their impact is already being felt during the early portion of the season. The group of Josiah Allick (New Mexico), Jarron Coleman (Bradley), Rienk Mast (Bradley), Ahron Ulis (Iowa) and Brice Williams (Charlotte) combined for more than 4,300 points, 2,100 rebounds and 800 assists entering this year.
• Mast is averaging 12.4 points per game while leading the Huskers in rebounding (9.7 rpg) and assists (3.0 apg). Mast currently ranks third in the Big Ten in rebounding and 15th in assists. The 6-foot-10 forward has been in double figures seven times, highlighted by a 20-point, 16-rebound effort against Florida A&M. He leads NU with three double-doubles and has 23 for his career.
• Williams has started all 10 contests and is second in scoring at 14.0 points per game to rank 19th in the Big Ten. Williams, who is third on the team in assists per game (2.3 apg) is shooting 46 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range and nearly 90 percent from the foul line. The 6-foot-7 guard has been in double figures seven times this season, highlighted by a 25-point effort in the win against Oregon State on Nov. 17 and had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists at Minnesota on Dec. 6. Williams is 59 points away from the 1,000-point plateau for his career.
• Allick has been a presence inside, averaging 6.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game, ranking 18th in the Big Ten in rebounding. Allick has three double-figure efforts this season, including 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists vs. Duquesne. He missed the Michigan State game because of an injury.
• Coleman has come off the bench in nine contests and is fourth on the team in assists at 2.2 per game while posting a 1.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Mast's Massive Night
Rienk Mast put together a strong performance in Nebraska's win against Florida A&M on Nov. 9. The 6-foot-10 forward had game highs of 20 points and 16 rebounds for his first double-double as a Husker.
- 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’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.
- Mast and Duke's Kyle Filipowski are the only two power conference players averaging 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as of Dec. 15.
Gary Returns Better than Ever
After his 2022-23 season was cut short with a left shoulder injury that required surgery, Juwan Gary has come back playing some of the best basketball of his career. During his rehab, Gary spent extensive time working on his shooting mechanics and the work has paid off.
- He leads Nebraska in scoring (14.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (.588) since returning to action on Nov. 15. He also tops NU in steals (1.6 spg) and grabs more than five boards per contest.
- Gary already has six double-figure games in his first eight contests after having just nine last year and just 20 in 75 career games entering 2023-24.
- He comes of his second career 20-point game against Michigan State, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the field and adding three rebounds and three steals in NU's win over the Spartans. He moved into the starting lineup for the first time this year as Josiah Allick missed the game with an injury.
- His performance against MSU marked the third time in seven games that he tied or eclipsed his career high in points.
- Gary collected his first double-double off the bench against Oregon State with 12 points and 10 boards in just 21 minutes of work.