Hoops Game Day: Nebraska vs. Nevada

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) vs Nevada Wolfpack (0-0)

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2020 – 1 p.m. CT

Pinnacle Bank Arena

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: Fox Sports App

1. Keep up the efficiency

Nebraska’s offense was as good as most anyone could have hoped in the win over McNeese State on Wednesday, scoring 102 points and shooting 50 percent from the field. Not only that, the Huskers scored 1.308 points per possession and got points 59-percent of their chances with the ball. Even better, NU had six players score in double figures and eight finish with at least eight points. The cherry on top was the nearly 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (19-10) for the game. Nevada will be a major upgrade in defensive competition, and the Wolfpack will likely start out by crowding the paint and making Nebraska hit shots from the perimeter. How quickly they can open the floor up and create the spacing and pace they want will be key for the Huskers.

2. All hands on deck in the frontcourt

Only a few hours before Nebraska tipped off on Wednesday, news broke that junior forward Derrick Walker had been suspended for 16 games due to a violation of NCAA rules while he was at Tennessee back in 2018-19. Shortly after the game, it was announced that freshman center Eduardo Andre was held out because of a positive COVID-19 test. With both players out for the foreseeable future, the Huskers now once again have some frontcourt depth issues to figure out. They still have Yvan Ouedraogo, who had nine points and seven rebounds vs. MSU, and Lat Mayen, who had 13 and six with three 3-pointers. But when it comes to defending the paint and rebounding, it’s going to have to be all hands on deck for NU. Nebraska did a good job of getting guys like Dalano Banton (six boards and four blocks) and Teddy Allen (five rebounds, three steals) involved on Wednesday, and that must continue against a much bigger Nevada squad today.

3. Turn the page quickly

Nebraska had every reason to feel pretty good about itself following that performance against McNeese State. But now the task will be moving on from that win and turning its full attention toward Nevada less than 24 hours later. Allen said earlier this week that most of the players were used to quick turnarounds like this going back to their AAU tournament days. But this is a different ball game at the DI level, and Nevada is going to be hungry to get back after a hard-fought win over North Dakota State on Wednesday. The Huskers can’t get caught easing up and feeling good about themselves today, as they’ll learn very quickly the consequences if they do.

Nebraska (-5) 78, Nevada 72

Robin’s season record: 1-0

vs. the spread: 1-0