Huskers Close Homestand with South Dakota

The Nebraska men’s basketball team wraps up its season-opening homestand Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers play host to South Dakota. Tipoff between the Huskers and Coyotes is set for 1 p.m.  A limited number of 300 Level tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8BIGRED during business hours or at the PBA Box Office beginning Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Saturday’s game is the final game of the multi-team event (MTE) with Southern, Tennessee State and South Dakota. NU and South Dakota are both 2-0 in the event heading into Saturday’s matchup. 

It is also the annual Toys for Tots game, as Marines will be stationed at both Pinnacle Bank Arena entrances (South Lobby and North Entrance) collecting new, unwrapped toys and cash donation to help children in the Lincoln and Omaha area during the holiday season.  

 

The Huskers (4-2) were in a tight battle with Tennessee State before taking control late in a 79-73 victory on Tuesday. Alonzo Verge Jr. and Bryce McGowens had 18 points apiece, as four Huskers finished in double figures as NU won its third straight game. Verge also dished out a career-high 10 assists for his second double-double of the season. NU also got career highs from Derrick Walker (16 points) and C.J. Wilcher (15 points), as the Huskers shot 53 percent from the floor. 

Walker has emerged as a reliable inside presence this season, as the 6-foot-9 senior is averaging a career-high 9.3 points per game and has tied or set career bests in scoring each of the last three games. He is 19-of-20 from the field in that stretch, as his 14 straight field goals is one shy of the school record (15) set by Ade Dagunduro in 2008. Prior to this season, Walker averaged just 2.3 points per game in his collegiate career.

South Dakota (4-1) has won three straight following a 99-58 win over Presentation Tuesday evening. Mason Archambault scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead South Dakota. Xavier Fuller added 17 and Kruz Perrott-Hunt chipped in 16, as the Coyotes shot 61 percent and put six players in double figures.

B1G Number: The Huskers are shooting 53.4 percent from the floor in the last three games. NU has shot over 50 percent from the field in each of the last three games, the first time Nebraska has shot 50 percent or better in three straight contests since a four-game stretch from Jan. 9-20, 2016.

About South Dakota

South Dakota is 4-1 on the season and has won three straight games following a 99-58 victory over Presentation on Tuesday. USD is 2-0 in the multi-team event with wins over Southern (71-68) and Tennessee State (83-66).  The Coyotes’ only loss in 2021-22 came at the hands of NCAA qualifier Drake on Nov. 14.

Coach Todd Lee is in his fourth season and guided USD to a 20-12 record in 2019-20. Prior to taking the Coyotes’ job, Lee spent five seasons as an assistant at Grand Canyon University and eight seasons leading Kentucky Wesleyan, taking the school to five straight NCAA Division II Tournaments.

USD returned four starters from a team that went 14-11 last season, but is without A.J. Plitzuweit, who will miss the season because of a knee injury. He had

24 points, including four 3-pointers, in last year’s loss in Lincoln. In all, six of the top seven scorers were back this season for the Coyotes. Kruz Perrott-Hunt leads a balanced attack with 14.4 points per game, as USD has three players averaging double figures.

South Dakota has a trio of players with Nebraska ties. Brady Heiman began his college career at Nebraska, where he played in 30 games in 2018-19. Kanon Koster is a Kearney, Neb., native who began his career at UNK and has played in four games, while Graham Cassoutt is a freshman from Papillion La Vista South. In addition, graduate assistant Johnny Trueblood played at Nebraska (2015-16, 2017-19), helping the Huskers to consecutive postseason appearances after walking on to the program. 

Nebraska is 33-5 all-time against South Dakota dating back to 1911, including last year’s 76-69 win in Lincoln. In that game, Teddy Allen scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half, while he and Kobe Webster combined for 13 points in a 19-6 run to turn a 48-43 advantage into an 18-point lead.  The Huskers are 83-13 all-time against the current Summit League members following the season-opening loss to Western Illinois.

Last TIme Out

Alonzo Verge Jr. posted his second career double-double while Derrick Walker added a career-high 16 points as Nebraska posted a 79-73 win over Tennessee State on Tuesday. 

Leading 63-61 with 6:23, Verge and Walker combined for all nine points in a decisive 9-1 run for the Nebraska, as the Huskers (4-2) pulled away in the six minutes.  Verge had two baskets and an assist as he found Walker on a basket, as NU scored seven straight points to take a 70-61 lead. NU stretch the lead to 72-62 after a pair of Verge free throws with 2:15 left. NU held on by going 7-of-8 from the foul line in the final 1:10 to earn the victory. 

Verge finished with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists for his second double-double of the year, while also adding five boards and a trio of steals. Bryce McGowens had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists while Walker had 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting and six boards.  C.J. Wilcher rounded out NU’s double-figure quartet with 15 points to match his career high as Nebraska shot 52.8 percent from the field, while holding the Tigers to just 41.3 percent (26-for-63). 

Nebraska took control early on, jumping out to a 13-3 lead in the first five minutes, holding Tennessee State to 1-of-6 shooting in that stretch. The Tigers went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-14 lead after eight minutes of play. Both teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the first half, but Dedric Boyd sank a three pointer at the end of the first half to put the Tigers up 41-38 going into the break.

Boyd had 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half, going 5-of-8 from long range in the opening stanza. As a team, Tennessee State (1-4) went 10-of-19 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes before cooling off in the second half hitting just 3-of-14 after intermission. 

Worth Noting 

•-Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, ranking third in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+5.6) and sixth in steals per game (7.17). NU is second in the conference in forcing 16.0 turnovers per game and is averaging 22.3 points per game off opponent turnovers.

•-Nebraska has gotten production from its bench over the last five games, averaging 29.4 points per game in that stretch. NU has gotten seven double-figure efforts from its bench this season.

•-Nebraska has produced four 20-point scores in the first six games of the season (Bryce McGowens-2; Alonzo Verge Jr.-1; Kobe Webster-1). Last year, four players combined for a total of 12 20-point efforts. 

•-One area where Nebraska has made significant stride is reducing turnovers. The Huskers are currently fourth in the Big Ten at 10.5 turnovers per game as of Nov. 23. Last season, NU was last in the conference with 14.1 turnovers per game. The Huskers have jumped from 205th to 25th in turnover ratio this season. Kobe Webster and Alonzo Verge Jr. have combined for better than a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio entering Saturday.

•-Bryce McGowens leads all Big Ten freshmen at 17.0 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor.  He is the only freshman in the top-10 in the Big Ten in scoring through Wednesday’s games. He is also second among Big Ten freshmen in rebounding at 6.7 per game. McGowens is bidding to become only the seventh freshman in school history to average double figures and the first since 2007.

•-Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He is second in the Big Ten with 5.7 assists per game and has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Both numbers are significantly improved from his time at Arizona State. His 10 assists against Tennessee State were the second-highest total in the Big Ten this season.

•-The return of Kobe Webster has stabilized the Husker backcourt, especially following the injury to Trey McGowens. Webster averaged 8.8 ppg on 58 percent shooting while also dishing out nine assists with only one turnover in 82 minutes.

•-Bryce McGowens joined rare company on Nov. 12 against Sam Houston with his 29-point effort. It tied for the second-highest performance by a freshman in school history and was the most since Shavon Shields also had 29 at Penn State in 2013. 

McGowens, whose 25-point effort against WIU set a record for a Husker freshman in his debut, is one of nine Husker freshmen to post multiple 20-point efforts. Only Joe McCray (10, 2004-05), Jerry Fort (6, 1972-73) and Dave Hoppen (5, 1982-83) have posted more 20-point performances than McGowens. 

•-The season opener against Western Illinois featured two of the highest-scoring debuts by any Husker in the last 50 years. Alonzo Verge Jr. (26) and Bryce McGowens (25) became just the third and fourth Huskers in the last five decades to score 20+ points in a Husker debut.

•-Alonzo Verge Jr. is tied for second in the Big Ten with two double-doubles and is the only Big Ten guard with points-assists double-double as of Nov. 13. Verge had 26 points and 13 rebounds against Western Illinois and 18 points and 10 dimes against Tennessee State. Only Ron Harper Jr. (four) has more double-doubles than Verge in the Big Ten so far in 2021-22.

• Verge Jr. is one of nine players in Division I basketball – and the only Big Ten player – averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as of Nov. 23.

•-The season opener against WIU marked only the third time since 2007 that Nebraska had two players score 25-or-more points in a game. It also marked the fourth time that NU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game in Fred Hoiberg‘s tenure.

A Look at the Huskers

Head Coach Fred Hoiberg begins his third season at the helm of the Husker program with a strong returning corps back for the first time in his tenure. The Huskers return three starters and seven letterwinners while welcoming a consensus top-20 recruiting class which features five-star recruit Bryce McGowens.

The backcourt returnees are led by fourth-year junior Trey McGowens, who averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2020-21. McGowens suffered a foot injury against Creighton and will be out 6-to-8 weeks. Arizona State transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. has provided an immediate impact in the Husker backcourt, ranking second in the Big Ten in assists (5.7 apg) while adding 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. McGowens has lived up to his five-star label early on, as he averages team bests in both scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). Kobe Webster (8.8 ppg, 2.3 apg) has shared ball-handling duties since returning to action on Nov. 16, while newcomers C.J. Wilcher (8.8 ppg) and Keisei Tominaga (4.8 ppg) have providing shooting and scoring punch.

The Huskers’ frontcourt got a boost back against Sam Houston, as Lat Mayen returned to action after missing the opener because of an injury suffered in the Colorado exhibition.  Mayen, who averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg last season is regaining his 2020-21 form.  Derrick Walker has been steady inside, averaging 9.3 points on 82 percent shooting along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. DePaul transfer Keon Edwards moved into the lineup the last three games to give NU a bigger and athletic lineup. True freshman Wilhelm Breidenbach, a top-100 recruit, and Eduardo Andre have been NU’s primary bigs off the bench.

 

Huskers Look to Take Advantage of Experience

Nebraska’s 2021-22 roster has plenty of college experience, as Derrick Walker, Kobe Webster, Alonzo Verge, Lat Mayen and Trevor Lakes all begin their fifth season of college eligibility. Lakes and Webster are “Super Seniors” who took advantage of their free year of eligibility.  Nebraska returns three players who have scored at least 1,000 points at the college level. Walker, who turned 24 on opening night, and third-year walk-on Jace Piatkowski are the only players remaining from Fred Hoiberg‘s first team at Nebraska.  The Huskers’ starting lineup against Sam Houston on Nov. 12, was older than the lineup the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder started the same evening against Sacramento.

 

Super McGowens Brothers

The high-flying duo of Trey and Bryce McGowens will be sidelined for a bit, as Trey recovers from a broken foot suffered on Nov. 16. This season marked the first time the brothers were on the same court together since they were kids and provided a number of early highlights.

• Bryce is 10th in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.0 ppg while grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game as of Nov. 21. He is sixth nationally in freshman scoring while shooting 47 percent from the floor. He is eighth in free throw shooting (.872), 13th in field goal shooting and 20th in rebounding.

• He is the only Big Ten freshman who leads his team in both scoring and rebounding

• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring four times, including a pair of 20-point efforts.

• 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. It is the only double-double by a freshman in the Big Ten this season.

• McGowens became the first Husker since 2016 to earn Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week accolades on Nov. 15, as he averaged 27.0 ppg on 52 percent shooting in a pair of contests.

• 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 25 in the win over Sam Houston. 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, has he has started 94 of 96 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points.

• Trey started the first three games and was averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game before suffering his injury midway through the first half against Creighton on Nov. 16. McGowens also drew the opponent’s top perimeter defender and shared point guard duties.  In last Friday’s win, he helped limit Sam Houston’s Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting.

• Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assist per game, while starting all 27 games. He reached double figures 17 times in 2020-21, including a season-high 20 points against No. 17 Michigan State.

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

 

McGowens, Verge Among Top Impact Newcomers

Nebraska guards Bryce McGowens and Alonzo Verge Jr. were listed among the top impact newcomers by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. The list featured the top 91 players — and a handful of other notables — whose wearing of new jerseys in the 2021-22 college basketball season will have the most substantive impact on their teams. McGowens, a five-star recruit and consensus top-25 recruit, was ranked No. 25 overall, including 11th among all freshman nationally. Verge, who came to Nebraska after playing two seasons at Arizona State, was No. 33 overall and 21st among all transfers entering 2021-22.

 

Bryce McGowens Earns BIg Ten Honor

Nebraska freshman Bryce McGowens was honored on Nov. 15, as he was chosen Big Ten Freshman of the Week. McGowens averaged a Big Ten best 27.0 points per game on 52 percent shooting along with 5.5 rebounds per game in two games last week. He became the second Husker freshman in school history to post multiple 25-point games, joining Dave Hoppen in 1982-83.

In the season opener against Western Illinois, he totaled 25 points – the most ever by a Husker in a debut – and six rebounds. McGowens keyed the win over Sam Houston with 29 points, one shy of Nebraska’s single-game freshman record, on 9-of-13 shooting in NU’s 74-65 win.  McGowens was the first Husker freshman honored by the Big Ten since Glynn Watson Jr. on Feb. 15, 2016.

 

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 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago is second in the Big Ten in assists, eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio and 10th in steals as of Nov. 23.

• He has a 2.43-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• Verge has been the only Husker in double figures in each of the six games this season.

• He ranks second in the Big Ten with a pair of double-doubles (vs. Western Illinois; vs. Tennessee State)

• Verge led NU with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists in the Huskers’ 79-73 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.