Huskers Host Hoosiers on MLK Day

The Nebraska men’s basketball team returns home Monday afternoon, as the Huskers play host to Indiana. Tipoff from Pinnacle Bank Arena is slated for 5 p.m. and the matchup will be carried on 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. Tickets for the matchup between the Huskers and Hoosiers are available by visiting Huskers.com or Monday at the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The Nebraska and Indiana programs will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during their matchup. As part of festivities, both programs will wear identical special-edition DREAM warm-up shirts. The game will also feature in-game graphics and announcements honoring the contributions and legacy of Dr. King.

 

The Huskers (6-12, 0-7 Big Ten) look to bounce back after a tough 92-65 loss at No. 7 Purdue on Friday. NU, whch has faced four top-25 teams since Jan. 2, got into foul trouble early and committed 17 turnovers which proved to be costly. Purdue was in the bonus by the first media timeout, and Nebraska was forced to play catch up the rest of the night. NU cut an early 19-point deficit to 12 late in the first half, but could not get closer.

Keisei Tominaga led the Huskers with 11 points, while C.J. Wilcher and Alonzo Verge Jr. had 10 points apiece.  Now Nebraska returns to PBA where the Huskers have taken a pair of ranked teams to the wire in the last two home games. In NU’s last home game on Jan. 11, NU was tied with Illinois with under four minutes remaining before the Illini pulled away late.

Indiana (12-4, 3-3 Big Ten) wraps up a two-game road swing following an 83-74 loss at Iowa Thursday evening. The Hoosiers built a 11-point first-half lead, but 23 turnovers proved to be costly, as Iowa converted those into 34 points and outscored the Hoosiers 42-26 in the second half. Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to pace four Indiana players in double figures. Jackson-Davis is one of the Big Ten’s premier big men, as he is averaging 19.3 points on 61 percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.

About Indiana

Indiana comes into Monday’s matchup with a 12-4 mark following a 83-74 loss at Iowa Thursday evening. The Hoosiers led 48-41 at halftime, but was outscored 42-26 after the break. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead four Hoosiers in double figures, but 23 IU turnovers led to 34 Iowa points. Indiana is 11-0 at home, but just 1-4 away from home, including 0-3 in Big Ten road games.

Former Indiana All-American Mike Woodson is in his first season at the helm of the Hoosier program. Woodson returns to his alma mater after coaching in the NBA since 1996. Woodson spent eight-plus seasons as an NBA head coach, guiding the Atlanta (2004-10) and the New York Knicks (2012-2014). He guided his teams to a trio of Eastern Conference semifinal appearances (2009, 2010, 2013) during head coaching tenure. Woodson was the 1980 Big Ten player of the Year before playing 11 seasons in the NBA.

The Hoosiers have been one of the Big Ten’s top defensive clubs, holding opponents to 36 percent shooting, including 29 percent from 3-point range. The Hoosiers also out-rebound opponents by more than seven caroms per game. Jackson-Davis is one of the Big Ten’s premier players, as he leads IU in scoring (19.3 ppg) on 61 percent shooting, rebounding (8.9 rpg) and blocked shots (3.1 bpg). Race Thompson gives the Hoosiers another veteran frontcourt post, as he averages 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. All five Hoosier starters average at least 7.0 ppg.

Nebraska and Indiana meet for the 25th time on Monday and the 16th time since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Indiana leads the all-time series, 17-7, but the Huskers are 6-9 against the Hoosiers since NU joined the Big Ten (6-8 in regular season; 0-1 in Big Ten Tournament). Nebraska looks to snap a five-game losing streak to the Hoosiers dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season.

 

Last Time Out

Keisei Tominaga’s 11 points led three Huskers in double figures, but Nebraska was not able to overcome a slow start in a 92-65 setback at No. 7 Purdue on Jan. 14. Tominaga had a team-high 11 markers, while Alonzo Verge Jr. and CJ Wilcher added 10 each for the Huskers, who shot 45.6 percent from the field, but committed 17 turnovers which led to 28 Purdue points. Kobe Webster matched his Nebraska career-high with five assists while Lat Mayen led NU with a season-high eight rebounds.

Zach Edey led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting to pace four Purdue players in double figures. In all, the Boilermakers shot 49.2 percent from the field and got to the foul line 29 times. Jaden Ivey had 17 points and five assists while Caleb Furst and Trevion Williams chipped in 10 points apiece for the winners.

Nebraska got into foul trouble early in the first half and Purdue took advantage, taking an early 23-4 lead. The Huskers battled back and pulled to within 40-27 after a 3-pointer from Verge, but Purdue ran off six straight points and led 48-33 after Wilcher’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.  Nebraska would get within 16 on two occasions in the second half, the last at 57-41 with just under 15 minutes remaining, but Purdue put the game away with a 15-2 run to stretch the lead.

 

 Worth Noting

• Monday’s matchup will be the second time in Big Ten history that two former NBA coaches will square off in a Big Ten game, as the first time was the Dec. 4 matchup in Bloomington. Indiana’s Mike Woodson and Fred Hoiberg both spent significant time in the NBA, but their head coaching careers did not overlap. Hoiberg and Woodson are just two of nine former NBA coaches on the Division I sidelines this year.

• Nebraska’s Trey McGowens and Indiana’s Xavier Johnson were teammates at Pitt for two seasons (2018-20).  Johnson originally signed with Nebraska in 2017, but decommitted from the Huskers in the spring of 2018 and eventually signed with Pitt. McGowens returned to practice on Jan. 12, and he could make his first appearance since Nov. 16 against the Hoosiers on Monday.

• Derrick Walker Jr. is one of only six players nationally averaging double figures while shooting at least 70 percent from the field as of Jan. 15. Walker is shooting 70.9 percent from the field this season, which is on pace to break NU’s single-season mark. Walker had shot 50 percent in 13 of the last 14 games before being held to 3-of-8 shooting at Purdue on Friday. The last Huskers to shoot at least 60 percent and average double figures were Kimani Ffriend and Steffon Bradford in 2000-01.

• Alonzo Verge Jr. enters the Indiana game with 981 points at the college level and needs only 19 to reach 1,000 for his career. Verge has averaged 14.2 ppg in his two-plus seasons at the college level. When he reaches 1,000 career points, Verge would be the fourth current Husker to reach that plateau, joining Kobe Webster, Trey McGowens and Trevor Lakes.

• 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.

• 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 guard Bryce McGowens ranks third nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 15.5 points per game. McGowens is one of only three true freshmen nationally averaging at least 15 points per game as of Jan. 15. 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).

• Nebraska has produced a total of ten 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-4; Alonzo Verge Jr.-4; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1). Last season, NU had just 12 20-point efforts in 27 contests. McGowens’ four 20-point games this season already ranks fourth all-time among Husker freshmen and is the most by any NU freshman since Joe McCray had a school-record 10 in 2004-05.

• 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 5.6 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 as of Jan. 11, while the rest of the conference has combined for five. Verge’s 5.6 assists per game ranks 24th nationally as of Jan. 15.

• Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, forcing a Big Ten high 15.3 turnovers per game as of Jan. 15. NU ranks second in steals (7.8 spg) and ranks fourth in turnover margin (+2.5 per game). NU has 10-or-more steals five time this season, including

• Second-year freshman C.J. Wilcher has become an effective scoring option off the bench in recent weeks. Over his last eight games, the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 10.1 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range. Wilcher has five double-figure games in that span.

• 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.

“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.  Walker, who is in his third year at NU, has provided the Huskers a much-needed inside threat since becoming eligible last January.

The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying his best year in 2021-22, averaging 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while shooting nearly 71 percent from the field. He is 10th in the Big Ten in blocks per game and 20th in rebounds per game as of Jan. 15.

• Walker has played his best against NU’s ranked opponents, averaging 12.6 points on 67 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game in four contests.

• 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.

• In the Huskers’ loss to No. 25 Illinois, 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.

Super McGowens Brothers

The high-flying duo of Trey and Bryce McGowens looks to be back together, as Trey is close to returning to action for the first time since suffering a broken bone in his right foot against Creighton on Nov. 16. The 2021-22 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 14th in the Big Ten in scoring at 15.5 ppg while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game as of Jan. 15. 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 13 times, including four 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point game was a 24-point, nine-rebound effort in the 4OT loss at NC State on Dec. 1.

• McGowens saw his streak of seven double-figure efforts end at Purdue when he was held to nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field. It was the first time he was held out of double figures since Dec. 7 against Michigan.

• 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. 

• Trey has been a proven performer throughout his career, as 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. He helped limit Sam Houston’s Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting on Nov. 12.

• 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 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.

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 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.6 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. 15.

• He has a 1.55-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• His 5.61 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 seventh 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 collected 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 fourth on the team in scoring at 8.1 points per game while connecting on a team-high 33 3-pointers entering the Indiana game. He has also committed just six turnovers in 380 minutes this season.

Tominaga started slowly as he had just three points in his first three games, but is averaging 9.5 points per game on 42 percent shooting, including 39 percent from 3-point range in NU’s last 14 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.