Hoops Game Day: Nebraska at Michigan State

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-8, 0-5) vs Michigan State Spartans (8-7, 2-7)

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 – 5:30 p.m. CT

Breslin Center

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: FOX Sports App

1. Knock the rust off

It’s been 28 days since Nebraska last took the court for a game, and the majority of that time off was spent with players doing absolutely nothing basketball-related while in COVID-19 quarantine.

As a result, there’s a likely chance that the Huskers will be extremely rusty when they finally return to action tonight.

Not only with head coach Fred Hoiberg have to manage minutes and workload with players who have held just five practices since Jan. 10, but he’ll also have to find ways to get his team back in some rhythm after a month-long break.

The Huskers will need to pick their spots a bit when it comes to pushing the pace offensively, and they’ll also have to make sure to try and slow down an MSU team that likes to run as much as anyone.

There’s no telling what to expect from Nebraska tonight, but it’s a safe bet that it will take some time to get back to playing Big Ten level ball.

2. Control the defensive glass

While Nebraska wants to be a little more selective about when to play with tempo to save players’ legs, possessions off defensive rebounds will be one situation where Hoiberg wants to run as much as possible.

But the importance of controlling the defensive glass goes well beyond sparking transition offense.

The Huskers did an excellent job in the first half of their first meeting with Michigan State by limiting the Spartans to just one offensive rebound. However, in the second half, MSU changed the games with eight offensive boards and finished with 14 second-chance points in an 84-77 win.

Nebraska needs to end possessions and spark its offense off Michigan State misses. It cannot afford to expend unnecessary energy on defense by spotting the Spartans with multiple shots.

3. Take care of the basketball

As Nebraska works to regain its midseason form, it will be imperative that it limits turnovers caused by being out of sync after its layoff.

Even before they had to put their season on pause, the Huskers turned the ball over 18 times in their loss to Michigan State on Jan. 2. Those resulted in 16 MSU points in a seven-point defeat.

The Spartans are a team that thrives off creating transition offense by creating turnovers, and if NU has any hopes of controlling the game’s tempo, it can’t give away fastbreak points from sloppy ball security.

Michigan State (-12) 73, Nebraska 60

Robin’s season record: 10-2

vs. the spread: 8-4