Huskers Host Badgers in Saturday Afternoon Matchup

The Nebraska men’s basketball team returns home for an important matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday afternoon.  Tipoff at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 3 p.m. and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) and at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket Office 90 minutes before tipoff.  Saturday’s game will be carried on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network. It will also be available online on the Fox Sports app. 

Nebraska (11-14, 4-10 Big Ten) ran into a hot-shooting Michigan team in Wednesday’s 93-72 loss to the Wolverines. The Huskers got a game-high 24 points from Keisei Tominaga and 15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists from Derrick Walker, but Michigan shot 58 percent from the field and hit 14 3-pointers. NU was within 75-65 with just over six minutes remaining, but the Wolverines used a 15-2 run to seize control. 

 

Despite the loss, there were encouraging signs for the Huskers. NU shot 48 percent from the floor and had 15 assists and just seven turnovers. Over the last two games, NU has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and is averaging 15.5 assists per game. Derrick Walker has been a facilitator for the Husker attack, posting career bests in assists in each of the last two contests. The 6-foot-9 forward is now ninth in the Big Ten with 3.8 assists per game. During his two years at Tennessee, Walker totaled just 16 assists in 64 career games.

Wisconsin (14-9, 6-7) needed overtime to pick up a crucial road win with a 79-74 win at Penn State on Wednesday. The Badgers scored the first four points of the extra session and never trailed in OT to complete the season sweep of Penn State. Chucky Hepburn led Wisconsin with 19 points, while Tyler Wahl had 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds. The Badgers shot 53 percent from the field, including 11-of-24 from 3-point range. 

Diversity and Inclusion Game set for Saturday

As part of the Huskers’ Black History Month recognition, several initiatives will take place during Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.

• The Huskers will wear their special-edition adidas cream jersey which feature multi-color pastels along the sides representing the tearing down of obstacles to create something beautiful, while the goldenrods on the lettering show gratitude and appreciation for the contributions of Black individuals within the program over the years.  The goldenrod is the state flower of Nebraska. 
• There will be a live version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during pregame following the national anthem and a video feature.
• NU will honor Eric Williams (1981-84) during Saturday’s game and highlight his accomplishments in the Lincoln community following his Husker playing career. 
• The Huskers coaching staff will wear an equal sign pin to symbolize equality and inclusion in communities nationwide. It is part of the Rising Coaches DEI Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of a dozen different social justice and minority coaching associations. 

Numbers to Know
4 – Derrick Walker ranks in the top 10 in the Big Ten in both rebounding and assists. As of Feb. 9, only four power conference players rank in the top 10 of their respective conferences in those categories: Walker, Jalen Pickett (Penn State), Justyn Mutts (Virginia Tech) and Drew Peterson USC).

47.7 – Nebraska is shooting 47.7 percent from the field over the last six contests dating back to Jan. 21. NU shot just 43.0 percent from the floor in its previous five contests.

11 -Nebraska has played 11 road games this season, which is tied for the most most by any power conference team in the nation as of Feb. 10 (also DePaul). In January, NU played six road games and traveled over 8,100 miles. 

14 – Nebraska has had at least 14 assists in five of the past six games. Prior to that, NU had 14 or more assists just seven times in the first 19 games this season. 

Worth Noting

• Keisei Tominaga comes off the highest-scoring week of his career, averaging 27.0 points per game over the last two games. Since moving into the lineup on Jan. 18, he is averaging 16.3 ppg on 54 percent shooting, including 40 percent from 3-point range. 
• With 24 points at Michigan on Wednesday, Tominaga posted back-to-back 20-point games for the first time at Nebraska. 
• Tominaga became the 10th Husker in the Big Ten era (2011-present) to post a 30-point game with his effort against Penn State on Sunday afternoon. Tominaga had 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting, as he matched his career high with five 3-pointers. Prior to Sunday, no Husker had posted a 25-point game this season. Tominaga also became the 13th player in the Big Ten to record a 30-point game in 2022-23.
• Since the season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel, a trio of freshmen have earned significant spots in the Husker rotation. Jamarques Lawrence and Denim Dawson moved into the starting lineup while Sam Hoiberg moved into the guard rotation. Here are their numbers heading into the Penn State game where Bandoumel suffered his knee injury and following the injury. 
• Over the last five games, Nebraska’s freshmen have accounted for 35.7 percent of the team’s minutes, including 40 percent at Maryland on Jan. 28.
• Nebraska has improved its 3-point shooting in recent weeks. Over the last five games, NU is shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc, compared to just 30 percent in the first 20 contests. 
• Sunday’s win over Penn State marked the first time this season that NU won a game without Sam Griesel and Derrick Walker scoring in double figures since Walker returned to the lineup on Nov. 25. 
• Nebraska has started multiple freshmen in each of the last five games dating back to Jan. 25. Against Illinois on Jan. 31, the Huskers started a trio of freshmen in Denim Dawson, Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg. It marked the first time since 2015-16 that NU started a trio of freshmen.
• Nebraska has faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2022-23. As of Feb. 8, Nebraska’s NET strength of schedule is fifth nationally.  Michigan State (third), and Wisconsin (ninth) give the Big Ten three teams in the top 10 nationally in strength of schedule in the NET. 
• NU’s adjusted strength of schedule is fourth in KenPom as of Feb. 10, which would mark the third time in Fred Hoiberg‘s four seasons that the Huskers have had a SOS in the top 10 (2019-20, 8th; 2020-21, 4th).
• Nebraska has nine active scholarship players following season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary (shoulder), Emmanuel Bandoumel (knee) and Quaran McPherson (knee). In addition, Ramel Lloyd Jr. will redshirt this season.  Nebraska played just 10 games with its full starting lineup this year.
• Entering the Wisconsin game, NU players have missed a combined 51 games this season:  Quaran McPherson (25); Derrick Walker (5); Blaise Keita (6); Juwan Gary (8), Sam Griesel (2) and Emmanuel Bandoumel (5). McPherson had season-ending knee surgery in September. 
• Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the Huskers have had 21 freshmen (true, redshirt or covid year) start at least one game, and Jarmarques Lawrence became just the second Husker to reach double figures in his first start with 12 points against Northwestern. He joined Bryce McGowens (25 vs. Western Illinois, 2021) as the only two freshmen to score double figures in their first career start since 2011-12. 
• Of the 13 players who have seen action for the Huskers this season, 10 have reached double figures at least once in 2022-23. Sam Hoiberg was the most recent member to reach that mark with his 15-point effort at Maryland on Jan. 28. 
• uwan Gary’s injury against Illinois on Jan. 10 has hampered the Huskers’ rebounding efforts. In Big Ten play, NU is 4-0 when out-rebounding opponents, but winless in conference play when being out-rebounded. 
• NU had a +2.5 rebounding margin in the 17 games that Gary was in the lineup and the Huskers were on track for their first positive rebounding margin since the 2016-17 season. Since then, NU has been out-rebounded by 6.9 rebounds per game.  
• Derrick Walker is averaging a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding as of Feb. 2. It is on pace to be NU’s highest rebounding average since the 2007-08 season. Since 2000, only five Huskers – Ed Morrow Jr. (2016-17), Aleks Maric (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08), Andrew Drevo (2002-03), Kimani Ffriend (1999-2000, 2000-01) – have averaged at least seven rebounds per game.  
• Derrick Walker is one of only two Big Ten players this year to have a game of at least 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he did against Minnesota on Jan. 7.  Jalen Pickett has done it three times (most recently vs Michigan on Jan. 29). Over the last three seasons (2020-21 to 2022-23), it has happened just seven times, including twice by Husker players.
• Nebraska’s 63-53 win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4 marked the program’s fourth-ever road win over a top-10 team and marked the Huskers’ first win at Creighton since the 2004 NIT. The No. 7 Bluejays were the highest ranked opponent that NU beat on the road since 1997. As of Feb. 2, it is Creighton’s only home loss of the season. 
• Nebraska has been the one team to keep Zach Edey in check in 2022-23, holding the national player of the year frontrunner to just 11.5 points per game in two contests. Edey’s two lowest scoring percentages came in the two games against Nebraska. 
• Nebraska’s win over Ohio State on Jan. 18 marked the Huskers’ first win over the Buckeyes in Lincoln since the 2014 campaign and marked the first time NU had beaten the Buckeyes in consecutive games. 
• The Huskers broke a couple of overtime losing streaks in the win at Minnesota on Jan. 7. The win snapped a six-game losing streak in overtime games dating back to the 2019-20 season and marked NU’s first road OT win in conference play since Feb. 17, 2001. 

About Wisconsin
Under eighth-year coach Greg Gard, the Badgers are 14-9 on the year following a 79-74 overtime win at Penn State on Wednesday. The Badgers returned three starters and 10 letterwinners from a team that won 25 games and a share of the Big Ten regular-season title last year. Wisconsin has battled through injuries in conference play with Tyler Wahl and Max Klesmit both missing several games, but both have been in the lineup for the last three games. 

Sophomore Chucky Hepburn leads a balanced attack with 12.9 points per game and 3.1 assists per game. Wahl and Steven Crowl both average 12.0 points per game while freshman Connor Essegian is at 11.3 points per game, including a team-high 53 3-pointers. Wisconsin shoots just 42 percent as a team, but 37 percent from 3-point range and average 8.5 3-pointers per game. 

Series History: Saturday’s matchup is the 37th meeting between the two programs, as Wisconsin has a 21-15 advantage. The Huskers broke a seven-game losing streak in the series with a 74-73 win over the No. 10 Badgers in Madison last March.  The series began in the 1903-04 season, as Nebraska won the first meeting, 25-22 over the Badgers in Lincoln before Wisconsin took five of the next six meetings from 1907 to 1955.  Nebraska then won eight straight games before the Badgers won the next five meetings, including the first four in Big Ten play, before the Huskers topped the No. 9 Badgers in the final regular-season game in 2013-14. The Huskers are 5-15 against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten (4-14 in regular season; 1-1 in Big Ten Tournament).

Last meeting: Alonzo Verge Jr. had nine of his game-high 26 points in an 11-0 run, as Nebraska stunned No. 10 Wisconsin with a 74-73 win on March 6, 2022.

The Huskers trailed 71-62 after Brad Davison’s three-pointer with 5:48 remaining, but NU held Wisconsin without a field goal the remainder of the game.  Trailing 71-65, Verge Jr. took over and scored nine straight points, as his three-pointer with 1:48 left gave the Huskers the lead for good. Wisconsin trailed 74-71 and had a pair of chances to tie in the final 20 seconds. Chucky Hepburn was fouled on a three-point attempt with 19.8 seconds left, but he missed the first one before sinking the next two to make it a one-point game. On the next possession, NU forced Hepburn into another miss, snapping the Badgers streak of 15 games won by two possessions or less. 

Derrick Walker had 15 points and seven rebounds while Wilcher added 10, as Nebraska shot 54 percent from the floor in the win, including 57 percent in the opening 20 minutes, in building a 40-36 halftime lead. Brad Davison led four Badgers in double-figures with 20 points but went 5-of-15 from the floor.

Last Time Out

Keisei Tominaga led Nebraska with 24 points, but Michigan shot 58 percent from the field in posting a 93-72 victory Wednesday night in Ann Arbor.

Tominaga continues his hot shooting as he led NU with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting for his second straight 20-point game to pace Nebraska. Derrick Walker added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists in a losing effort.

Jett Howard led six Wolverines in double figures with 22 points, including six 3-pointers, as Michigan shot 68 percent in the first half and out-rebounded Nebraska 35-23. Hunter Dickenson scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds for Michigan, which won its third straight game.

Nebraska, which trailed by as many as 24 in the first half, fought back to within 48-39 with 18:01 left after a 12-2 run that started in the final two minutes of the second half.  Michigan regained control with a 10-2 spurt to push the lead back to 58-41 and eventually built a 68-47 lead with 11:41 left before Nebraska made one last run.

Sam Griesel and C.J. Wilcher combined for 11 straight points as Nebraska cut the Wolverine advantage to 68-58 with 8:34 remaining. NU trailed 75-65 and had a chance to pull within seven with six minutes remaining, but Wilcher’s wide-open 3-point attempt was off the mark, and Dug McDaniel hit a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 13, starting a 15-2 spurt which put the game out of reach.

Defensive Improvement

Nebraska has made significant improvement on the defensive end this season, which is a big reason why the Huskers have already surpassed their 2021-22 win total. 

• Nebraska has climbed from No. 178 to No. 59 nationally in defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was 35th in defensive efficiency on Jan. 21 when Emmanuel Bandoumel suffered his season-ending injury.
• The jump is more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has played 12 games against teams currently in the top-50 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Feb. 9.
• Even after allowing 93 points at Michigan, NU’s 9.2 points per game decrease is tied for sixth nationally.
• Nebraska has held 12 opponents to 1.0 point per possession or less. 
• The Huskers held Ohio State to a season-low 60 points in NU’s 63-60 win on Jan. 18.
• In the overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, Nebraska held the Boilermakers to 0.99 points per possession. Purdue is No. 2 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Feb. 10.
• Nebraska held Iowa, which is currently third in offensive efficiency, to 0.76 per possession and just 26 percent shooting on Dec. 29.
• In NU’s win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4, the Huskers limited the Bluejays to 0.73 points per possession, the Huskers’ best performance in a road game in over a decade. 

Hometown Kid Making Good
Sam Griesel has enjoyed quite the homecoming, averaging 11.2 points, 3.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game from his point guard spot. Griesel spent the last four seasons at North Dakota State, earning All-Summit League honors in 2021 and 2022 before returning to Lincoln for his senior year. 

• He ranks in the top 10 in both steals and assists and in the top 15 in both assist-to-turnover ratio and minute player. 
• Griesel had 21 points at Illinois on Jan. 31, his second 20-point game of 2022-23.
• He has 12 double-figure games this season, including seven straight games from Dec. 20 to Jan. 21.
• The senior came up big in the win at Minnesota with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, while going 6-of-6 from the foul line.
• Griesel collected his second double-double in the win over Iowa with 12 points and team highs in rebounds (10) and assists (five).
• The Huskers’ first scholarship recruit from Lincoln since Jake Muhleisen in the early 2000s, Griesel keyed NU’s win at No. 7 Creighton with 18 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and seven assists. 
• Against Maine, Griesel scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while also chipping in 18 points in the win over Omaha. 

Walker Puts Together Strong Senior Season
Derrick Walker has made the most of his super senior season. The 6-foot-9 forward has been a force, averaging 13.2 points on 59 percent shooting, 7.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 senior forward was NU’s only returning starter entering 2022-23 and has 14 double-figure efforts. 

• He is one of just 14 players nationally averaging at least 13 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as of Feb. 9.
• Walker is one of just four power conference players nationally who ranks in the top 10 of their respective conferences in both rebounds (ninth) and assists (10th) per game.
• He is second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.589), a total which ranks 30th nationally as of Feb. 6. 
• Walker’s playmaking ability has been evident in recent weeks. He has five or more assists on six occasions, including 15 over the last two games. He dished out a career-high eight assists at Michigan on Feb. 8.
• Walker has a team-high three double-doubles (Memphis, Florida State and No. 4 Purdue) and six for his career.
• He had his fourth career 20-point game at Penn State on Jan. 21 with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and six assists.
• Walker had a strong performance at No. 3 Purdue with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists, while helping limit Zach Edey to 12 points on seven shots.
• Walker had one of the finest games of his career in NU’s OT win at Minnesota on Jan. 7 with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He set or tied personal bests in both points and assists.
• His most recent double-double was a 14-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10.  He also helped limit Zach Edey to a season-low 11 points, snapping his streak of eight straight 20-point games. 
• He keyed NU’s win over No. 7 Creighton with a career-high 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds against Ryan Kalkbrenner, the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Walker’s efforts helped NU enjoy a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint. 
• Walker posted his first career 20-point game in a win over Florida State on Nov. 27, with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and matched his career high with 13 rebounds. 
• He made his 2022-23 debut against Memphis and had 15 points and 12 boards in a loss to the Tigers. 
• Walker averaged 9.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg in 2022, breaking NU’s single-season field goal percentage mark by shooting 68.3 percent from the field.

Tominaga Moves into Starting Role
Whether starting or off the bench, Keisei Tominaga has been a spark for the Huskers’ attack this season.  The 6-foot-2 guard is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game while averaging 22 minutes per contest. 

• Tominaga leads the Huskers in both 3-pointers (47) and 3-point percentage (.398).
• He is one of six Big Ten players averaging double figures while playing less than 25 minutes per game. Among those players, his 11.6 ppg ranks third, while his 22.4 minutes per game is the third-lowest of the group.
• He has been on a tear as of late, averaging 18.0 points per game on 59 percent shooting in the last five contests dating back to Jan. 25. Tominaga has three 20-point games in that span, including a 30-point effort against Penn State.
• Tominaga kept the Huskers in the game at Michigan with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, while hitting 10 of-16 shots from the field. 
• He starred in Nebraska’s win over Penn State on Feb. 5, scoring a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He also matched his career high in 3-pointers with five in the 72-63 win.
• He has a team-high 14 double figure games and was among the Big Ten’s leaders in bench scoring before he was inserted in the lineup on Jan. 18. 
• Tominaga posted his second 20-point game of the year against Northwestern, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He scored NU’s first 12 points and had 15 first-half points against the Wildcats. 
• Tominaga posted a 16-point effort at No. 3 Purdue on Jan. 13, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers. 
• He enjoyed one of his best efforts of the year in NU’s 65-62 loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10 with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. He sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation. 
• Of Tominaga’s 22 career double-figure games at Nebraska, 12 have come off the bench, including 23-point efforts against Boston College on Nov. 29 and against South Dakota last season.
• Tominaga shined in NU’s win over Boston College on Nov. 30. He tied his career high of 23 points on just eight field goal attempts (7-8 FG, 4-5 3PT; 5-5 FT) for his second career 20-point game. He had 17 of his 23 markers in the first half, including 11 straight NU points.
• Tominaga also had a team-high 15 points at St. John’s and a 19-point effort against Maine. In the game against Maine, he connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field in 20 minutes of work.
• Over the summer, Tominaga was with the Japanese National Team, making his debut in the FIBA World Cup Asia qualifier in early July and then starred for Japan in the 2022 Asia Cup. In seven games with the Senior National Team, Tominaga averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the 3-point line. His best performance came against Australia in the Asia Cup quarterfinals, when he poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range.