Huskers Continue Homestand with Rutgers Saturday Night

The Nebraska men’s basketball team plays its first Saturday home game in two months, as the Huskers host Rutgers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. (central) and will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network. Live video is also available on the Fox Sports app, while the Husker app will feature the Huskers Radio Network call. A limited number of tickets are available at Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours or at the PBA Ticket Office beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The Huskers (6-14, 0-9 Big Ten) held No. 11 Wisconsin to 37 percent shooting, while a late rally fell short in a 73-65 loss to the Badgers on Thursday. The 37 percent was the lowest percentage NU has held an opponent since Dec. 1, while the Huskers – led by Trey McGowens – held National Player of the Year candidate Johnny Davis to a season-low 13 points, including none in the first half.   Davis had been averaging 24.4 ppg in Big Ten play.

Nebraska was done in by a 14-minute stretch spanning both halves where the Huskers went 2-of-21 from the floor, as the Badgers turned a one-point deficit into an 18-point lead. NU closed the game hitting 10 of its final 14 shots to get within seven and had several chances to cut into Wisconsin’s lead further, but the Badgers withstood NU’s comeback bid.

 

Bryce McGowens continued his run with a game-high 23 points against the Badgers, his sixth 20-point game of the season, to lead three Huskers in double figures. Over the last five games, which includes three ranked opponents, the freshman is averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field.

Rutgers looks to bounce back following a 68-60 loss to Maryland Tuesday night. In that game, Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker had 16 points apiece for the Scarlet Knights, but Maryland shot 53 percent in the first half to build a 12-point halftime lead. Rutgers shot just 34 percent from the field, including 8-of-24 from 3-point range, while Maryland shot 45 percent in the win, including 12-of-25 from beyond the arc.

B1G Numbers

.816 – Nebraska is shooting 81.6 percent at the foul line over the last two games. The Huskers are shooting 71.7 percent as a team this year after shooting just 63.9 percent in 2020-21.

4- Four of Bryce McGowens’ six 20-point games this season have come with his brother Trey in the lineup. In the five games they have played together, Bryce is averaging 20.6 ppg on 47 percent shooting.

8.3 – Lat Mayen is starting to get healthy and has increased his production in recent games. He is averaging 8.3 ppg over his last four games and is 7-of-13 from 3-point range in that stretch. Mayen had averaged 4.7 ppg in his first 15 games.

106 – Alonzo Verge’s 106 assists as of Jan. 28 leads all Big Ten players and matches the total by Dalano Banton in 2020-21. Verge is currently second in the Big Ten with 5.3 assists per game, including a trio of games with at least 10 assists. 

About Rutgers

Rutgers comes into Saturday’s game looking to snap a two-game losing streak following a 68-60 loss to Maryland on Tuesday. Rutgers is 11-8 on the season, including 5-4 in Big Ten play.

The Scarlet Knights are coached by Steve Pikiell, who is in his sixth season at the school. Last year, Rutgers went 16-12 and earned the program’s first NCAA bid since 1991 before falling in the final minute to a Houston squad which reached the Final Four. Rutgers returned three starters and 12 letterwinners from last year’s NCAA Tournament team.

The Scarlet Knights got off to a slow start and were 4-4 following a loss at Illinois on Dec. 3. Rutgers stunned No. 1 Purdue, 70-68, behind a 30-point effort from Ron Harper Jr., including a game-winning 3-pointer from halfcourt. Rutgers went 5-1 in its next six games but is just 2-3 since the first meeting with the Huskers earlier this month.

The Scarlet Knights are led by Ron Harper Jr., who averages a team-best 16.3 points per game to pace three Scarlet Knights in double figures. Harper, who also averages 6.5 rebounds per game, leads Rutgers with 42 3-pointers and is shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.  Senior Geo Baker is averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 assists per game, while Clifford Omoruyi chips in 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Series History: Saturday’s matchup will be the 17th all-time meeting with the Scarlet Knights. Nebraska leads the all-time series 9-7 and has won eight of the 13 meetings since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014-15. Rutgers has won three of the last four meetings with NU’s win coming in the only matchup in 2020-21 in Lincoln. Prior to the Scarlet Knights joining the Big Ten, the two teams split a home-and-home series in 2006 and 2007. The only other meeting was a 19-point Rutgers win at the 1999 Hoop and Quill Classic in St. Charles, Mo.

Last Meeting: Bryce McGowens’ 17 points led three Huskers in double figures, but Nebraska was unable to slow down Rutgers in a 93-65 setback on Jan. 8. McGowens had a team-high 17 markers for the Huskers, while Derrick Walker Jr. finished with 12 points and six boards. C.J. Wilcher added 11 points off the bench for Nebraska, which shot 49 percent, but committed 14 turnovers which led to 25 Rutgers points.

Ron Harper Jr. led all scorers with 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting to pace five Rutgers players in double figures. In all, the Scarlet Knights shot 58 percent from the field, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range.

Husker Coaches to Wear Coaches vs. Cancer Pullovers

Saturday’s game against Rutgers is the annual American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer – Suits and Sneakers Week. Instead of suits, the Husker coaching staff will be wearing special Suits and Sneakers pullovers against the Scarlet Knights. The event unites basketball coaches, players, and communities representing college and high school programs across the country for a common cause – saving lives from cancer. For more information, visit suitsandsneakers.org.

Worth Noting

• Nebraska returned from its COVID pause in time to face No. 11 Wisconsin. The game against the Badgers was NU’s fifth against a ranked opponent in January, matching a school record which was set four previous times (Feb. 2010, Jan. 2002, Feb. 1995 and Feb. 1992). NU would have had six ranked opponents in an eight-game stretch, but the game at No. 19 Ohio State on Jan. 22 was postponed because of NU’s pause.

• Trey McGowens returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 16 against No. 11 Wisconsin on Thursday. It marked only the third time this season NU has started its projected lineup (also vs. Sam Houston and Creighton) in 2021-22.

• Derrick Walker was held to 2-of-6 shooting on Thursday, marking only the third time he has shot under 50 percent in a game since Nov. 16. Walker is now at 69 percent from the field. He is 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. His 9.5 ppg ranks third among those players, trailing only Norchad Omier of Arkansas State (16.7 ppg) and Baylor’s Kendall Brown (10.1 ppg).

The last Huskers to shoot at least 60 percent and average double figures were Kimani Ffriend and Steffon Bradford in 2000-01.

• Since changing its offense in late December, the Huskers have improved their offensive numbers. NU is shooting 47 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from 3-point range over the last eight contests.

Huskers Improved Shooting

 
• Nebraska has produced a total of 12 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-6; Alonzo Verge Jr.-4; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1) which matched NU’s entire total in the 2020-21 season.
Bryce McGowens’ six 20-point games this season is tied for 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 16.1 points per game as of Jan. 28 following his back-to-back 20-point efforts against Indiana and No. 11 Wisconsin. 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 Jan. 28)

• 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 two games, the Huskers are 31-of-38 (.816) from the foul line. NU has shot over 80 percent from the line in each of the last two games. If NU can do it Saturday, it would be the first time that has happened for the Huskers since the 2016-17 season.  NU is shooting 71.7 percent as a team this year after shooting just 63.9 percent in 2020-21.

• Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, forcing a Big Ten high 15.0 turnovers per game as of Jan. 28. NU ranks second in steals (7.8 spg) and ranks fourth in turnover margin (+2.3 per game). NU has 10-or-more steals five times this season.

• 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 is second in the Big Ten with 5.3 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 25th nationally in assists per game.

Top-25 Nationally in Assists/Game 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 fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit, but No. 11 Wisconsin held on to earn a 73-65 win over the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 27.

The Huskers trailed by as many as 18 in the second half, but rallied to get within 63-55 with 3:17 remaining. Wisconsin put the game away by going 6-of-6 from the line in the last three minutes. Freshman Bryce McGowens finished with 23 points and four rebounds in the loss, while Lat Mayen and Alonzo Verge Jr. added 11 points apiece. For Mayen, it was a season-high while he also added five boards.

Brad Davison had 21 points and was 5-of-8 from deep to lead four Wisconsin (16-3, 7-2 Big Ten) players in double-figures. Chucky Hepburn had 13 points and three boards while Johnny Davis also added 13 points – all in the second half – and nine rebounds.

 

“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, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while shooting nearly 70 percent from the field.

Walker Making Big Jumps

*-Includes Tennessee (2017-19) and Nebraska (2020-21)
 
• He joins Iowa’s Keegan Murray as the only two Big Ten players currently averaging more than 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game.

• 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 five contests against ranked foes.

• 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 Thursday’s game with Wisconsin. Before the first three games of the season, the pair had not played together in a competitive environment since they were kids.

• Bryce is 13th in the Big Ten in scoring at 16.1 ppg while grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game as of Jan. 28. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and minutes played.

• A three-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.

• 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 three-time honoree as a freshman.

• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring 15 times, including six 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point game was against No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 23 with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

• Bryce enters Saturday’s game with Rutgers needing just five points to tie Jake Muhleisen (2001-02) for fifth place on NU’s single-season freshman scoring list.

• 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 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. 

 

NU Freshman Points/Game

Trey has been a proven performer throughout his career, as he has started 95 of 98 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. He has started 31 of the 32 games he has played at Nebraska.  He is averaging 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in five contests and has been on a minutes restriction in his first two games back.

• 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. 

• 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 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago ranks among conference leaders in both assists (second) and steals (sixth) as of Jan. 28.

Looking at Alonzo

• He has a 1.51-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• His 5.30 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 in the loss to 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 7.4 points per game while connecting on a team-high 33 3-pointers entering the Rutgers game. He has also committed just eight turnovers in 405 minutes this season.

Tominaga started slowly as he had just three points in his first three games, but is averaging 8.4 points per game on 41 percent shooting, including 39 percent from 3-point range in NU’s last 17 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. Tominaga had a team-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the loss at No. 7 Purdue on Jan. 14.

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.