Huskers Battle ‘Cats Saturday Afternoon

The Nebraska men’s basketball team returns home on Saturday for an afternoon matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats. Tipoff is set for Noon and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network. A limited number of tickets for Saturday’s game are available at Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours or at the PBA Ticket Office beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. 

The Huskers (6-16, 0-11 Big Ten) were in a battle for 40 minutes at Michigan Tuesday night and nearly earned their first road win of the year. Nebraska used a 19-3 run to take a 73-66 lead with just over six minutes remaining. Michigan responded with a 10-2 spurt to regain the lead before the Huskers tied it up at 79 with 1:20 left after a pair of C.J. Wilcher free throws. Michigan scored the final six points to escape with an 85-79 victory. Nebraska shot 51 percent from the field and got 24 points from Bryce McGowens, while Hunter Dickinson scored 20 of his game-high 26 points for the Wolverines in the second half. 

 

While the Huskers look to snap a nine-game losing streak, the emergence of Bryce McGowens as one of the frontrunners for Big Ten Freshman of the Year has been evident over the last few weeks. The 6-foot-7 freshman is averaging 20.1 points per game over the Huskers’ last seven games, including 45 percent shooting and 38 percent from 3-point range. Last week’s Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he posted his fourth straight 20-point game on Tuesday while also setting team highs in both rebounds (six) and steals (three). 

Northwestern (10-10, 3-8 Big Ten) broke a four-game losing streak with a 79-78 overtime win at Rutgers on Tuesday. The Wildcats built a 24-point second-half lead only to see the Scarlet Knights come back in the final 17 minutes to force overtime. In the extra session, Northwestern got 3-pointers from Chase Audige and Boo Buie highlighted by a 7-0 run after Rutgers took a 72-70 lead and eventually held on, as Ron Harper Jr. missed a potential go-ahead jumper in the final seconds. Buie had 18 points, including six in the overtime session, while Audige added 15 to pace four Wildcats in double figures.

B1G Numbers

.689 – Derrick Walker’s field goal percentage, which is on pace to break NU’s single-season record

4 – Bryce McGowens will look for his fifth straight 20-point game on Saturday against Northwestern. The last Husker to have at least five consecutive 20-point games is Tyronn Lue, who strung together seven straight 20+ point games from Feb. 11-March 6, 1998.

5 – The last three meetings between Nebraska and Northwestern have been decided by five point or less

7.5 – Lat Mayen has increased his production in recent games. Despite playing eight minutes at Michigan because of foul trouble, he is averaging 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game over his last six games and is 9-of-17 from 3-point range in that stretch. Mayen had averaged 4.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg in his first 15 games.

22.3 – Five of Bryce McGowens’ 20-point games this season have come with his brother Trey in the lineup. In the seven games they have played together, Bryce is averaging 22.3 ppg on 46 percent shooting.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN

Northwestern comes into the first of two matchups with the Huskers this month with a 10-10 record after a 79-78 overtime win over Rutgers on Tuesday night. The Wildcats led by 24 in the second half, only to see Rutgers rally and send it to overtime. Boo Buie scored six of his 18 points in the extra session to lift the Wildcats to the win and snap a four-game losing streak. 

Chris Collins is in his ninth season in charge of the Wildcats and his team has been in nearly every game in Big Ten play this season. Nine of the Wildcats’ 11 games in conference play have been decided by six points or less or gone to overtime. Northwestern’s wins include a two-point win at Michigan State in mid-January. 

The Wildcats, who returned four starters and 10 letterwinners from last season, feature a trio of double-figure scorers. Pete Nance leads Northwestern in scoring (15.9 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg) and blocked shots (1.3 bpg), while shooting over 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. Boo Buie averages 14.8 points per game and is second in the Big Ten with 5.1 assists per game. Chase Audige is the third Wildcat in double figures as he averages 11.2 points and 1.8 steals per game. Northwestern commits just 9.7 turnovers per game and is second in the Big Ten with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Series History: Nebraska and Northwestern meet for the 19th time on Saturday, as the series is deadlocked at nine wins apiece. Nebraska is 6-8 against Northwestern since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12 with the Wildcats winning the last three meetings. The last three matchups have been decided by a total of 11 points. 

Last meeting: Kobe Webster had a season-high 23 points and five assists, as Nebraska rallied back from a 16-point deficit but Ryan Young’s putback with 2.7 seconds left lifted Northwestern to a 79-78 victory on March 7, 2021. Nebraska trailed 65-56 before the Huskers used a 14-2 run to take a 70-67 lead with 3:53 remaining. The Huskers eventually led 75-71 on Derrick Walker’s putback with 2:22 left, but Northwestern scored the next six points to go ahead 77-75. Nebraska would regain the lead at 78-77 after a 3-point play from Trey McGowens with 1:00 remaining, but Northwestern got one last chance with 11.5 seconds left, as NU forced Pete Nance into a tough shot, but Young was there for the game winner.

McGowens joined Webster in double figures with 15 markers and dished out five of the Huskers’ 21 assists. Audige led six Northwestern players in double figures with 14.

RED CROSS DAY SET FOR SATURDAY

Saturday’s game against Northwestern is the annual American Red Cross Day. Volunteers will be on the main concourse of Pinnacle Bank Arena collecting donations from 10:30 a.m. until tipoff at Noon. 

SATURDAY’S GAME IS HUSKER HOOPS REUNION

Saturday’s game against Northwestern is the annual Husker Hoops Reunion, and nearly 30 former players are expected to be back in town for the matchup between the Huskers and Wildcats. The former players will be recognized during halftime ceremonies. 

WORTH NOTING

• Bryce McGowens is averaging 17.1 ppg in conference play entering Saturday’s game. The last conference freshmen to average at least 17.0 ppg in conference play was D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State in 2014-15 (20.3 ppg).

• Bryce McGowens became the first Husker freshmen to ever score 20+ points in four straight games following his 24-point effort at Michigan. Previously, the longest streak of 20+ games by a Husker freshman was by Dave Hoppen, who had three straight games during the 1982-83 season.  McGowens’ seven 20-point games this season leads all Big Ten freshmen and is tied for fourth among all conference players, trailing only Keegan Murray (Iowa), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin) and Kofi Cockburn (Illinois). 

• Trey McGowens’ return to the lineup has helped the Husker defensive efforts. NU has held its last three opponents to a combined 40.4 percent shooting. In the six games he has completed (only played 10 minutes vs. Creighton before his injury), NU is holding opponents to 41.4 percent shooting, including 29 percent from 3-point range. 

• Nebraska finished the month of January playing five ranked teams, which tied a single-season school record. NU also played five ranked teams four other times (Feb. 2010, Jan. 2002, Feb. 1995 and Feb. 1992). The Huskers would have played a sixth ranked team in January, but the Jan. 22 game at No. 19 Ohio State on Jan. 22 was postponed because of NU’s pause. 

• Since changing its offense in late December, the Huskers have improved their offensive numbers. NU is shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range over the last 10 contests dating back to Dec. 22. 

Huskers’ Improved Shooting

 
• Nebraska has a total of 14 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-8; Alonzo Verge Jr.-4; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1) which already exceeds NU’s season total last year (12). Bryce McGowens’ eight 20-point games this season is the second most by a Husker freshman, trailing only Joe McCray, who had a school-record 10 in 2004-05.

20-Pt. Games by NU Freshmen

 
• Bryce McGowens ranks second nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 17.0 points per game as of Feb. 3 following his 24-point game at Michigan. McGowens is one of only four true freshmen nationally averaging at least 15 points per game. McGowens, who leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring and is second in rebounding, is on pace to break NU’s freshman single-season scoring mark (15.5, Joe McCray, 2004-05). Only six freshmen in school history with the most recent being Ryan Anderson in 2006-07. 

NCAA True Freshman Scoring Leaders (As of Feb. 3)

 
• Derrick Walker is shooting 68 percent from the floor and is now one of just 10 players nationally shooting 65 percent from the field and 70 percent from the line while averaging at least five points per game. Walker’s 9.5 points per game ranks fourth in that group of 10.  The last Huskers to shoot at least 60 percent and average double figures were Kimani Ffriend and Steffon Bradford in 2000-01.

• Alonzo Verge Jr. reached the 1,000-point plateau following a 19-point effort against Indiana on Jan. 17. Verge became the fourth current Husker to go over 1,000 career points, joining Kobe Webster, Trey McGowens and Trevor Lakes. 

Verge has averaged 14.2 points per game during his collegiate career, which also included two seasons at Arizona State. He also scored over 1,600 points in his two years at Moberly (Ill.) Junior College. 

• Nebraska players have combined for eight double-doubles (Verge-4; Walker-3; B. McGowens-1) this season after just having three in 2020-21. The last time NU had 10 double-doubles as a team in a season was 2007-08 (17). In all, NU has six players who have had at least one double-double in their respective careers (Trevor Lakes-2; Kobe Webster-1; Lat Mayen-1).

• Nebraska’s 15 3-pointers against Kennesaw State on Dec. 22, were not only a season high, but marked just the sixth time since 1990 that Nebraska hit at least 15 3-pointers in a game. It was NU’s highest total since Nov. 6, 2018.

• Over the last four games, the Huskers are 64-of-82 (.780) from the foul line. NU is shooting 72.1 percent as a team this year after shooting just 63.9 percent in 2020-21.

• Alonzo Verge Jr.’s 16-point, 12-assist performance against Kennesaw State on Dec. 22 marked the eighth points-assist double-double by a Husker in Fred Hoiberg‘s two-plus seasons at Nebraska (Cam Mack-4; Dalano Banton-1; Alonzo Verge Jr.-3). Over the previous 30 years (1989-90 to 2018-19), it occurred just five times. Verge is only the second Husker to have multiple points-assists double-doubles in the same season since 1990.

• Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He leads the Big Ten with 5.2 assists per game after averaging 2.9 assists per game during his two-year career at Arizona State. 

Verge has three games with 10+ assists this season and currently ranks 23rd nationally in assists per game as of Feb. 3. Saturday’s game features the top two in assists in the Big Ten in Verge and Northwestern’s Boo Buie.

Top-25 Nationally in Assists/GM Under Hoiberg

 
• Nebraska added a player over the break as Denim Dawson enrolled for the start of the spring semester. Dawson is a 6-foot-6 wing who attended Southern California Academy as a postgrad. He played at Orange Lutheran in 2020-21, averaging 16 points and five rebounds per game as the school reached the California Division 2AA CIF-SS quarterfinals last spring. Dawson, who started practicing on Dec. 29, is expected to redshirt this season.

• 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.

Last Time Out

Nebraska stormed back from a 10-point second-half deficit with a 19-3 run, but Michigan held on for an 85-79 win over the Huskers on Tuesday night.

Bryce McGowens poured in a team-high 24 points to lead Nebraska, becoming the first freshman in program history to score at least 20 points in four consecutive games. Derrick Walker added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting followed by eight points apiece by Alonzo Verge Jr. and C.J. Wilcher.

 Nebraska shot 50.8 percent from the field, including 12-of-15 from the free throw line. NU shot 7-of-18 from three-point range while limiting Michigan to 2-of-15 shooting from long distance.

Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 26 points and eight rebounds while Eli Brooks added 20 for the winners.

“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. 

The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying his best year in 2021-22, averaging 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting nearly 70 percent from the field. 

Walker Making Big Jumps

*-Includes Tennessee (2017-19) and Nebraska (2020-21)

• Walker has played his best against NU’s ranked opponents, averaging 11.6 points on 63 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game in six contests against ranked foes.

• He totaled 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting before fouling out against Michigan on Tuesday night. 

• In the Huskers’ loss to No. 25 Illinois on Jan. 11, he finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while helping to limit Kofi Cockburn to 8-of-18 shooting.

• He turned in a strong performance at No. 10 Michigan State on Jan. 5 with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting to match his career high in points. 

• Walker has been in double figures 11 times in NU’s last 14 games, and he tied or set a career best in scoring in three straight games, including 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting against Tennessee State on Nov. 23. 

• He matched a school record with 15 consecutive made field goals from Nov. 21 to Nov. 27.

• Walker has three double-doubles since Dec. 1 including 12 points and 13 rebounds in a career-high 50 minutes in the four OT loss at NC State. In the loss at No. 18 Auburn, he had 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.

Walker’s most recent double-double came against No. 13 Ohio State on Jan. 2 when he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals against the Buckeyes. 

McGowens Brothers Reunited on Court

After a two-month hiatus, the McGowens brothers were reunited on the court on Jan. 17, and back in the starting lineup for the last two games. Before the first three games of the season, the pair had not played together in a competitive environment since they were kids. 

• Bryce is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.0 ppg while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game as of Feb. 3. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and minutes played.

• A four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Dec. 20), he leads all conference rookies in scoring and is second in rebounding.

 Bryce at a Glance

   
• He is the only Husker freshmen in either the Big 12 (1996-97 to 2010-11) or Big Ten (2011-12 to present) eras to be a four-time honoree as a freshman. 

• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring 17 times, including eight 20-point efforts. He has been in double figures in each of the last four games, highlighted by a 29-point effort against Rutgers on Jan. 29. 

• McGowens leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally in free throws made (111) as of Feb. 4. He is the only freshmen nationally to rank in the top-20 of free throws made. 

• Bryce enters Saturday’s game with Northwestern with 375 points, which is fourth on NU’s all-time freshmen list. He will tie Jerry Fort (376, third) with his first point against the Wildcats and is 25 points away from being the third Husker freshman with 400 points in a season. 

NU Freshman Points/Game

• 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. 

• 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 against both Sam Houston and Rutgers. 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 97 of 100 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. He has started 33 of the 34 games he has played at Nebraska.  He is averaging 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in seven contests 

• After being on a minute restriction in his first two games, McGowens had 11 points and seven rebounds against Rutgers on Jan. 29.

• Considered NU’s best defender, McGowens usually is assigned to the opponent’s top perimeter scorer.  Against No. 11 Wisconsin, he limited Johnny Davis to a season-low 13 points, including none in the first half and followed up holding Ron Harper Jr. to 1-of-9 shooting on Jan. 29. 

• He helped limit Sam Houston’s Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting on Nov. 12, while McGowens grabbed a season-high nine rebounds. 

• Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while starting all 27 games. He reached double figures 17 times, including a season-high 20 points against No. 17 Michigan State.

• Trey has ranked among the conference leaders in steals in each of his first three seasons in college. He is one of only two active power conference players who ranked in the top five in steals in each of the past three seasons (Jamari Wheeler, PSU/OSU). 

• In his final season at Pittsburgh (2019-20), he averaged 11.5 ppg, while ranking in the top 15 of the ACC in steals (fourth), assists (3.6, 10th), assist-to-turnover ratio (15th) and minutes played.

• The McGowens brothers are one of 15 brother combos on the same college roster this season.

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 13.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago ranks among conference leaders in both assists (first) and steals (sixth) as of Feb. 4. 

Looking at Alonzo

 
Single-Season Assists/Gm

• He has a 1.54-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• His 5.19 assists per game would rank fifth in school history, while only four players in school history have averaged at least 5.00 assists in a season. 

• Verge is ninth in the Big Ten with four double-doubles (vs. W. Illinois, vs. Tennessee State, at NC State and Kennesaw State). 

• He nearly collected his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and nine assists vs. No. 25 Illinois on Jan. 11.

• He posted his fourth double-double of the year with 16 points and a career-high 12 assists in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 22.

• He had his fourth 20-point effort of the season with 21 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals in the loss to Kansas State on Dec. 19. 

• Verge posted his second career 30-point game against Michigan on Dec. 7, as he had 31 points and eight boards. It was his first 30-point game since the 2019-20 season when he was at Arizona State.

• 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.

Keisei for 3

The addition of Keisei Tominaga has helped the Huskers’ 3-point shooting. The 6-foot-2 guard is fifth on the team in scoring at 7.0 points per game while connecting on a team-high 33 3-pointers entering the Michigan game. He has also committed just nine turnovers in 409 minutes this season. 

Tominaga started slowly as he had just three points in his first three games, but is averaging 8.0 points per game on 43 percent shooting, including 38 percent from 3-point range in NU’s last 19 games dating back to Nov. 19. He has seven double-figure games in that stretch, including a career-high 23 points against South Dakota on Nov. 27 and 18 points in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 22. 

Last summer, Tominaga represented Japan in 3×3 basketball in the Tokyo Olympics, helping Japan reach the medal round. He finished third among all players in scoring (6.9 ppg), fourth in 1-point shooting (74 percent) and seventh in 2-point shooting (36 percent).  He was one of only two active NCAA players to play in the Olympics, joining Virginia’s Francisco Caffaro, who played for Argentina in men’s basketball.