Huskers Host Golden Gophers on Saturday

The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks for its fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers play host to Minnesota.  Tipoff at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 2:30 p.m. and a limited number of 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 and will also be available online on the Fox Sports app.

Nebraska (14-14, 7-10 Big Ten) comes into Saturday riding a three-win streak following a 70-67 overtime win over Maryland on Feb. 19. Derrick Walker had a career-high 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks

while Keisei Tominaga added 20 points as Nebraska rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit.

 

Walker is quietly putting together an All-Big Ten caliber season, as he leads the Huskers in scoring (14.0 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.599) while dishing out 3.7 assists per game. He now has five 20-point games and has tied or established a new career best four times during the season.

Tominaga has been on a tear the last month, averaging 23.6 ppg while shooting 55 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line. He comes into the Minnesota game with five straight 20-point games, the longest stretch since Tyronn Lue back in 1997-98.

With a win on Saturday, the Huskers can post their longest Big Ten winning streak since the 2017-18 season and continue their late-season surge.

Minnesota (7-19, 1-15 Big Ten) completes a stretch of four games in eight days on Saturday following an 88-70 loss at Maryland Wednesday night. The Golden Gophers feature one of the Big Ten’s top frontcourt players in Dawson Garcia, who averages 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

 

Worth Noting

• Nebraska enters the final stretch of the season with a chance to play its way into postseason. NU’s seven Big Ten wins are the most since winning 13 games in 2017-18 and NU has a chance to finish with double-digit conference wins for the third time since joining the Big Ten (also 2014 and 2018).

• Keisei Tominaga has been one of the Big Ten’s top scorers this month.  He is averaging 23.6 ppg on 55 percent shooting in six games this month.  Here’s how his numbers compare to the top six scorers in the Big Ten entering Thursday’s games.

 

Feb. Totals (Keisei + B1G Scoring Leaders)

 
• Tominaga comes into the Minnesota game with five straight 20-point games, including a career high 30-point game against Penn State on Feb. 5. He is the first Husker since Tyronn Lue (7, 1997-98) to have at least five consecutive 20-point games. Tominaga had just three career 20-point games (1 in 2021-22; 2 in 2022-23) before this current stretch.

• Nebraska has tied a school record with its four overtime games, matching a mark which has been set six other times (also 2019-20, 2007-08, 1996-97, 1986-87, 1979-80 and 1955-66). Nebraska’s three OT wins this season are the most for the program since the 1986-87 team won a school-record four overtime games, including the third-place game of the NIT Tournament.

• Nebraska’s offense has been a spark in recent weeks. Over the past eight games, NU is shooting 48 percent from the field, including 37 percent from 3-point range. Of the eight games in that stretch, six have been against teams that currently rank in the top-30 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency – Rutgers, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Maryland (2x).

 

Improved Shooting

 
• Nebraska’s offensive outburst at Rutgers on Jan. 14 was impressive considering that Rutgers came into the contest second nationally in adjusted defense by KenPom and in the top 10 nationally in both field goal defense and scoring defense. The 82 points were the most Rutgers allowed at home since 2020, while NU became the first team to shoot 50 percent against the Scarlet Knights this season (.491 by Miami). The Huskers’ 69.1 effective field goal percentage was the best against Rutgers since Jan 23, 2010, when the Scarlet Knights were in the Big East.

• Nebraska overcame a 17-point second-half deficit in the win over Wisconsin on Feb. 11. It marked the Huskers’ largest comeback since 2012-13 and the second-largest comeback in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). The Huskers also overcame a 10-point second-half deficit in last year’s win over No. 10 Wisconsin in Madison. Prior to the loss to Nebraska, Wisconsin had not lost a game when leading at half since the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.

• According to BTN research, Nebraska’s comeback marked the first time since Dec. 9, 2015, that Wisconsin lost at least a 15-point lead (68-67 vs. UW-Milwaukee).

• 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 Feb. 5. Tominaga had 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting, as he matched his career high with five 3-pointers. Prior to Feb. 5, no Husker had posted a 25-point game this season.

• Nebraska has faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2022-23. As of Feb. 23, Nebraska’s NET strength of schedule is eighth nationally.  Michigan State (fifth) and Ohio State (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 eighth in KenPom as of Feb. 22, 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).

 

NET SOS (Feb. 23)

 
• Nebraska now has three Quad 1 wins (at Creighton, at Rutgers and Maryland) as well as four wins over teams in Quad 2.

• 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 Minnesota game, NU players have missed a combined 60 games this season: Quaran McPherson (28); Juwan Gary (11); Emmanuel Bandoumel (8); Derrick Walker (5); Blaise Keita (6) and Sam Griesel (2). McPherson had season-ending knee surgery in September.

• 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.

• Since Jan. 24, Nebraska’s freshmen have accounted for 31.9 percent of the team’s total minutes.

• Injuries have forced the Huskers to shuffle their lineup for the last month. NU used its ninth different starting lineup – and seventh in the last 11 contests – at Rutgers with C.J. Wilcher moving back into the lineup fro the first time since Jan. 18.

• Nebraska had started multiple freshmen in five consecutive games (Jan. 25-Feb. 8), including Denim Dawson, Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg at Illinois on Jan. 31. That marked the first time NU started three freshmen since the 2015-16 season.

• 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.

• Juwan Gary’s injury against Illinois on Jan. 10 has hampered the Huskers’ rebounding efforts. In Big Ten play, NU is 5-0 when out-rebounding opponents, but 2-10 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 5.2 rebounds per game.

• Derrick Walker is averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding as of Feb. 12. 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. 

• 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.

• 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.

 

Numbers to Know

 

73.8 – Nebraska is averaging 73.8 points per game during its five games this month. In January, NU averaged 61.3 ppg in nine contests and topped 70 points just once.

 

.916 – Nebraska is 11-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points. The only loss was at Michigan on Feb. 8. NU has scored 70+ points in each of its last five contests.

 

13.8 – Nebraska ranks 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 13.8 fouls per game as of Feb. 22. Maryland went to the line 19 times against NU on Sunday, the highest total by a Husker opponent since Jan. 31.

 

7 – Since 2000, only seven Big Ten players have averaged at least 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game. Currently, Derrick Walker, Jalen Pickett (Penn State) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) are at those numbers as of Feb. 22.

 

About Minnesota

Ben Johnson is in his second season in charge of the Golden Gopher program.  Johnson, who played at both Minnesota and Northwestern during his college career, won 13 games in his first season at Minnesota. Before taking the Golden Gophers job, he spent the prior three seasons at Xavier as an assistant. Previously, he had been an assistant with the Golden Gophers from 2013 to 2018. Johnson spent one season at Nebraska as an assistant coach under Tim Miles in 2012-13.

The Gophers have battled injuries, as Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia have both missed significant time this year. Minnesota was 6-6 at New Year’s and resumed Big Ten play with close losses at Wisconsin and against Nebraska before posting a 70-67 win at Ohio State on Jan. 12. Since then, Minnesota has dropped 11 straight and also had games postponed because of a COVID pause and the Michigan State shooting last week. The Gophers are in the midst of playing four games in eight days, culminating with Saturday’s game in Lincoln.

The strength of the Gopher attack is the frontcourt duo of Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia. Battle, who led Minnesota in scoring with 17.5 ppg last season, is averaging 12.9 ppg while shooting 31 percent from 3-point range. Garcia, who played at both Marquette and North Carolina, has been an impact performer in his first season at Minnesota, leading the team in scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). Point guard Ta’lon Cooper chips in 9.8 points per game and 5.9 assists per game to rank among the Big Ten leaders in assists.

Series History: Nebraska and Minnesota will meet for the 83rd time on Saturday, which is the most between the Huskers and any other Big Ten member. It is NU’s longest-running series in the Big Ten, dating back to February of 1902. The Gophers lead the all-time series, 57-25, while the Huskers have won 10 of the past 15 meetings. In all, 14 of the last 16 meetings have been won by the home team dating back to March of 2012.  Nebraska is 10-8 against the Golden Gophers as Big Ten members. Prior to joining the Big Ten in 2011-12, NU and Minnesota met in non-conference action every year from 1995 until 2004 after not playing for 16 years.

Last meeting Derrick Walker tied his career high with 22 points, as Nebraska defeated Minnesota, 81-79, in overtime on Jan. 7. Walker matched his personal best in points and posted his third 20-point game of the year, while dishing out seven assists and grabbing eight rebounds. The win was NU’s first OT win since the 2019-20 season and first win in Williams Arena since 2018. The win snapped a six-game streak of OT losses and marked NU’s first overtime road win in conference play since 2001. Juwan Gary added a season-high 18 points and six boards, including a key putback in OT, while Sam Griesel had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, as the Huskers shot 51 percent from the field and went 16-of-21 from the foul line. Gary gave the Huskers the lead for good in the extra session, as his putback with 55 seconds left gave NU a 76-74 lead. On the Gophers’ next possession, C.J. Wilcher picked off a Jamison Battle pass and found Griesel, whose two free throws with 21 seconds remaining gave NU a four-point lead. Battle, who led Minnesota with 20 points, missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, ending the Gophers’ last gasp. NU out-rebounded Minnesota, 38-28, despite a 19-point, 15-rebound effort from Dawson Garcia, who fouled out in overtime for Minnesota.

Husker Coaches to Support Autism Awareness this weekend

The Husker basketball coaches will be wearing special puzzle pins on Saturday as part of the Autism Speaks Coaches Powering Forward Week. Coaches around the country will be wearing the pin as part of an annual effort to bring the NCAA community together in support of the mission of Autism Speaks.

 

Last Time Out

Derrick Walker scored a career-high 23 points while adding seven rebounds and six assists, powering Nebraska (14-14, 7-10 Big Ten) to a 70-66 overtime win over Maryland on Sunday evening.

Nebraska (14-14, 7-10) overcame an eight-point deficit in the final seven minutes of regulation and used an 8-0 run in overtime after Maryland led 64-61 with under 2:30 left in overtime.

After a pair of Walker free throws made it 64-63, Sam Griesel’s basket with 1:23 remaining in the extra period gave NU a 65-64 lead. Maryland had the ball with 39 seconds left in OT at midcourt, but Sam Hoiberg’s steal and layup off the inbounds pass gave NU a 67-64 lead with 34 seconds. On Maryland’s next possession, Walker blocked Hakim Hart’s shot before Hoiberg was fouled. He hit the two free throws to push the lead to 69-64 as Nebraska won for the fourth time in five games.

Walker’s 23 points was a career best, as he went 9-of-11 from the foul line, setting personal bests in both categories and added three blocked shots.  Keisei Tominaga pitched in 20 points in his fifth-straight game scoring 20 or more, while Sam Griesel, despite being in foul trouble for most of the game, added 12 points.

 

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. 53 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 13 games against teams currently in the top 50 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Feb. 22.
• NU’s 9.4 points per game decrease from last season is fifth nationally and second to Oregon State among power conference programs.
• Nebraska has held 14 opponents to 1.0 point per possession or less.
• In the overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, Nebraska held the Boilermakers to 0.99 points per possession. Purdue is seventh nationally in offensive efficiency as of Feb. 22.
• Nebraska held Iowa, which is currently fith 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.

Biggest Decrease in Opponent PPG (as of Feb. 22)

 
Hometown Kid Making Good
Sam Griesel has enjoyed quite the homecoming, averaging 11.4 points, 4.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 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 has been a solid distributor, posting a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last five games.
• Griesel had his third double-double of 2022-23 at Rutgers on Feb. 14 with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in assists and in the top 15 in steals, minutes and assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Griesel had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes in the Feb. 11 win over Wisconsin.
• He has 15 double-figure games this season, including seven straight games from Dec. 20 to Jan. 21.
• Griesel had 21 points at Illinois on Jan. 31, his second 20-point game of 2022-23.
• 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 14.0 points on 60 percent shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 senior forward was NU’s only returning starter entering 2022-23 and has 16 double-figure efforts following his career-high 23-point effort against Maryland.

•  He is one of just 13 players nationally averaging at least 13 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as of Feb. 22.
• He is bidding to join a small list of Big Ten players who averaged at least 14 points,  seven rebounds and three assists per game since 2000.
• Walker is second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.599), a total which ranks 25th nationally as of Feb. 22.
• His playmaking ability has been evident in recent weeks. He has five or more assists on seven occasions, including 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 picked up his fifth 20-point game of the year in Sunday’s OT win over Maryland with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Sparks Huskers Attack
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 12.7 points per game while averaging 24 minutes per contest.

• Tominaga leads the Huskers in both 3-pointers (58) and 3-point percentage (.403), as he ranks 10th in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game.
• Since moving into the starting lineup on Jan. 18, he is averaging 17.8 points per game on 52 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range. Tominaga has six 20-point games in that span, including a 30-point effort against Penn State on Feb. 5.
• He has a team-high 18 double figure games, including seven 20-point games.
• Tominaga had 20 points and a season-high four boards in 42 minutes of work in NU’s OT win over Maryland.
• He torched a Rutgers defense which led the Big Ten in scoring defense with 22 points.
• Tominaga scored 17 of his game-high 22 points against Wisconsin after halftime, including 12 points in Nebraska’s 20-2 spurt to erase a 17-point second half deficit.
• 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 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 23 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.
• 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.