Nebraska (5-2) is back home tonight for the first time in ten days as they begin a daunting stretch of both Big Ten and non-conference games.
The Huskers will host Boston College (5-2) at Pinnacle Bank Arena tonight as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 8:15 p.m. Pregame coverage will start at 7 p.m. on KLIN. The game will also be televised on ESPNU.
Nebraska is coming off of an 85-80 win over Long Beach State in the fifth place game of the Advocare Invitational on Sunday. The Huskers went 2-1 during the invitational tournament in Orlando over the weekend. They lost to Central Florida 68-59 on Thanksgiving Day before bouncing back with an 84-59 win over Marist on Black Friday.
Tonight begins a tough stretch of games for the Huskers. They will next play at No. 3 Michigan State on Sunday, host Minnesota on Dec. 5, travel to Creighton on Dec. 9 and host Kansas on Dec. 16.
Nebraska will likely start this stretch without So. F Isaiah Roby, who sprained his ankle in the first half against Long Beach State on Sunday and did not return.
Head coach Tim Miles said Tuesday that Roby is doubtful for Boston College, and will be day-to-day going forward. The injury is not a high ankle sprain or a fracture, but having him out of the lineup will present some challenges.
Roby has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds through the first seven games. Jr. F Jack McVeigh (1.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg) is expected to see more minutes in Roby’s place.
“The injury really hurts us with Isaiah, there’s no doubt,” Miles said. “I said at the beginning of the year that we have to stay injury free to have that big year. Losing him (against Long Beach State), we were able to get by it, because Anton Gill was shooting lights out. I thought Glynn (Watson) was as good as I’ve ever seen Glynn to start the game.”
Watson scored a career-high 26 points against Long Beach State on Sunday, with 16 of those coming in the first half on 7-of-9 shooting. The Jr. guard also had a career-high six steals; four of those came in the first half as well.
Gill was equally as clutch Sunday, scoring 16 points off the bench, sinking 6-of-11 shots from the field.
After missing the first two games of the season with knee and groin injuries, Gill’s been averaging 12.2 points per game off the bench. He currently leads the Huskers with 14 three-pointers made, and has scored in double figures in three of the last four games.
“He’s playing as well as anybody right now,” Taylor said. “For me personally, I’m happy to see him, because I know how much he’s been through, and last year not being able to play, because he was injured. I really felt for him, so just to see him healthy and playing well, it makes me happy, because I know how much he can help our team, and I know he’s going to continue to help us.”
Gill suffered a ruptured right patella tendon during a Christmas Day practice last year, and had to miss the final 19 games of the season. Now that he’s back, Gill is thankful to be playing some of the best minutes of his career, including a career-best 17-point scoring performance against Marist on Friday.
“It is rewarding,” Gill said. “Finally, something’s finally starting to go my way a little bit, but I still have a lot more. I’m still working, and as a team, we still have a lot more, too.”
Boston College at a Glance
The Eagles’ most recent game was an 86-66 loss at Providence on Saturday. Boston College plays three guards in their starting lineup, led by So. G Ky Bowman and Jr. G Jerome Robinson. Those two combine to score 30.3 points per contest this year.
Another player to watch is Sr. F Deontae Hawkins, who’s a grad transfer from Illinois State. He’s been averaging a double-double with 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
“(Boston College’s) offense has been good, especially in the two-point range where we’ve really struggled for awhile,” Miles said, “and that’s been Hawkins in my book. Those guards are good in the mid-range game, too. I think they have a great deal of confidence, because they have a new dynamic like we do. An injection of new talent, and those guys are doing a really good job for them. So, I think they’re a good team. I think this should be a great game.”
The Eagles have made 52.2 percent of their shots from two-point range this year, while the Huskers have made 47.2 percent.
Tonight will be the first ever meeting between Nebraska and Boston College.
You can contact Tommy at 402-840-5226, or you can follow him on Twitter @Tommy_KLIN.
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