Huskers Host Maryland for First Time since 2019 on Friday

The Nebraska men’s basketball team returns home Friday night, as the Huskers take on the Maryland Terrapins in the only regular-season matchup between the teams. Tipoff from Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 8 p.m. (central) and will be carried on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network. 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 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

Friday’s meeting will mark the first matchup in Lincoln between the schools since the 2018-19 campaign. The teams met only once in College Park in 2019-20, and Maryland was scheduled to visit PBA last season, but NU’s COVID pause and the revised Big Ten schedule nixed those plans. NU eventually played in College Park on consecutive days last February, the first time in a century the Huskers played consecutive days against the same conference foe.

The Huskers (7-18, 1-13 Big Ten) look to rebound from a tough 98-75 loss at Iowa on Sunday. Iowa took control with an extended first-half run and got a game-high 37 points from All-American candidate Keegan Murray. Nebraska committed 15 turnovers which led to 24 Iowa points, including 19 in the first half, as the Hawkeyes built a commanding lead. Derrick Walker Jr. led three Huskers in double figures with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds. In two contests last week, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.5 points per game while hitting 10 of his 12 field goals. For the season, Walker is shooting 69 percent from the floor.

Maryland (11-14, 3-11 Big Ten) comes off a tough 62-61 loss to No. 3 Purdue on Sunday. The Terrapins led by 12 with 11 minutes left, but the Boilermakers charged back down the stretch and took a 62-59 lead on Jaden Ivey’s 3-point play with 13.1 seconds left. Maryland had a chance to tie at the end of regulation, but Donta Scott’s shot was blocked by Trevion Williams, allowing Purdue to hold on. Fatts Russell led Maryland with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Scott finished with 11 markers. Maryland was without Eric Ayala, the Terrapins’ leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, who missed the contest with an injury.

B1G Numbers

7 – Seven of the 12 meetings between Maryland and Nebraska have been decided by five points or less.

122 – Bryce McGowens leads the Big Ten and ranks 17th nationally in free throws made as of Feb. 16. McGowens is one of only two freshmen nationally who have made at least 100 free throws in 2021-22.

16 – Nebraska has gotten 16 double-figure efforts from its bench this season, the most recent being a 10-point effort from Eduardo Andre at Iowa on Feb. 13. Andre’s effort was his first double-figure performance since Nov. 12.

19.3 – Five of Bryce McGowens’ eight 20-point games this season have come with his brother Trey in the lineup. In the 10 games they have played together this season, Bryce is averaging 19.3 ppg on 43 percent shooting.

About Maryland

Maryland comes to Lincoln with an 11-14 record and looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Former Kansas great Danny Manning took over as the interim coach following the exit of Mark Turgeon in December. Manning, who had previously served as head coach at Tulsa (2012-14) and Wake Forest (2014-20), joined the Maryland staff in April of 2021.

The Terps went 5-1 out of the gate before suffering three straight losses in early December, including its Big Ten opener against Northwestern. Two of Maryland’s three conference wins have been on the road, including a double-OT win over Northwestern and at Rutgers. The Terps’ other Big Ten win was against nationally ranked Illinois.

Offensively, Maryland’s attack revolves around its experienced backcourt of Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell. Ayala, a four-year starter, is averaging a team-high 15.1 points per game while averaging 4.6 rebounds per game despite missing the Purdue contest. Ayala leads Maryland with 58 3-pointers.   Russell, who started at Rhode Island for three years, chips in 13.6 points, a team-high 3.9 assists and more than 1.0 steals per game.  Donta Scott is the third Maryland player who averages double figures as he is at 12.6 ppg, including 34 3-pointers, and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game.

Series History: Friday’s meeting is the 13th meeting between the two teams, all since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014-15. Maryland leads the series, 9-3, with seven of the 12 meetings decided by five points or less.  Maryland had won the first five meetings before Nebraska snapped the string with a win in College Park on Jan. 1, 2017. Maryland has been ranked in seven of the previous 12 meetings, including four times in the top-10. Last year, the teams played on consecutive days in College Park with Maryland winning both meetings.

Last meeting: Nebraska battled for 40 minutes Wednesday night, but the Huskers’ late comeback attempt fell short in a 79-71 loss to the Terrapins on Feb. 18, 2021.  Nebraska, playing its third road game in four days, trailed by only three early in the second half at 42-39, before Maryland used a 13-0 run to pull away. The Huskers then fell behind by as many as 21 but made it close down the stretch before falling by eight.

Teddy Allen led the Huskers with 25 points and scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the second half.  Lat Mayen added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Huskers, while Dalano Banton chipped in 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, seven rebounds and four assists. Eric Ayala (career-high 24 points) and Aaron Wiggins (22) combined for 46 points for the winners. Maryland shot 48 percent and hit 13-of-33 from 3-point range.

McGowens’ B1G Freshman Three-Peat
Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens picked up his sixth Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award on Feb. 17. On the week, he averaged 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game helping the Huskers to a 1-1 week. His week was highlighted by a 16-point effort in the win over Minnesota on Feb. 9.

It is the sixth time McGowens has received the honor, as he becomes the eighth Big Ten Freshman to receive at least six honors in a season since the freshman weekly award started in 2010-11.

Worth Noting

• Alonzo Verge enters the week needing only 13 assists to move into NU’s single-season top-10 list, as Cookie Belcher (1998-99, 138) currently holds the No. 10 spot. Verge has 125 assists on the season, which is second among Big Ten players, while he is one of three Big Ten players currently averaging at least five assists per game.

• Bryce McGowens is averaging 16.1 ppg in conference play entering Friday’s game against Maryland. Over the last decade, only six freshmen have averaged at least 16.0 ppg in conference play with the last being Romeo Langford of Indiana in 2018-19 (16.5). McGowens has been in double figures in 11 of the Huskers’ 14 Big Ten games, including each of the last seven dating back to Jan. 17.

• Since changing the offense in late December, the Huskers have improved their offensive numbers. NU is shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and over 37 percent from 3-point range over the last 13 contests dating back to Dec. 22.  As a team, the Huskers have shot 45 percent or better in eight of the last 11 games dating back to Jan. 8.

NU’S Improved Shooting

• Bryce McGowens has eight 20-point games this season and is threatening the school freshman mark of 10 set by Joe McCray in 2004-05. McGowens already holds one NU rookie mark as he became the first Husker freshman to have four straight 20-point games, accomplishing the feat between Jan. 17-Feb. 1. That broke the previous mark of three set by Dave Hoppen during the 1982-83 season.  McGowens’ eight 20-point games this season leads all Big Ten freshmen – Ohio State’s Malaki Branham is second with three – and is seventh among all conference players as of Feb. 16.

• Bryce McGowens ranks second nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 16.5 points per game as of Feb. 16. McGowens is one of only five 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 Husker freshmen in school history finished the season averaging double figures, the most recent was Ryan Anderson in 2006-07.

NCAA True Freshman Scoring Leaders (As of Feb. 16)

• While McGowens is putting up a record-setting season, second-year freshman C.J. Wilcher is quietly putting up a solid campaign as NU’s sixth man. The 6-foot-5 guard is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game, while hitting a team-high 41 3-pointers. Since NU revamped its offense in late December, Wilcher has found his stride, shooting 48 percent from the floor, including 46 percent from 3-point range.

NU Freshman 3-pointers

• Nebraska has a total of 15 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-8; Alonzo Verge Jr.-5; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1) which already exceeds NU’s season total last year (12). Bryce McGowens’ eight 20-point games this season is the

second most by a Husker freshman, trailing only Joe McCray, who had a school-record 10 in 2004-05.

• While Derrick Walker is threatening the single-season school field goal percentage mark, he has also made significant strides from the foul line. A career 38 percent shooter from the foul line entering the season, he has jumped up to 69.6 percent this season.

• 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 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).

• 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 5.2 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 26th nationally in assists per game as of Feb. 16. Hoiberg has coached five other guards who have ranked in the top 40 nationally in assists in his seven previous college seasons.

Top-40 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 played five ranked teams in January, which tied a single-season school record. NU also played five ranked teams four other times, most recently in February of 2010. The Huskers would have played a sixth ranked team in January, but the Jan. 22 game at No. 19 Ohio State was postponed because of NU’s pause.

• Nebraska’s 2021-22 roster features a trio of college graduates in Derrick Walker, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Kobe Webster, and there is a patch on the Husker jersey to recognize that accomplishment. 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

Iowa had a pair of double-digit scoring runs during a first-half performance that powered the Hawkeyes to a 98-75 victory in Iowa City on Feb. 13.

Nebraska led by four six minutes into the game, but Iowa used two huge runs to take a 28-point lead into the locker room. The Hawkeyes had runs of 15-0 and 11-0 while outscoring the Huskers 42-10 over the final 14 minutes of the first half. Iowa led 53-25 at halftime thanks in large part to a defense that forced 12 first-half Husker turnovers, leading to a 19-0 advantage in points off turnovers for the Hawkeyes.

Keegan Murray, the Big Ten scoring leader, scored 24 points in the first half and finished with a career-high 37 points to help Iowa improve to 17-7 on the season and 7-6 in Big Ten play.

Derrick Walker led Nebraska with 14 points and six rebounds, while Bryce McGowens and Eduardo Andre finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“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, especially after adjusting the offensive attack in December.

The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying his best year in 2021-22, averaging 9.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting nearly 70 percent from the field.

• Walker has 14 double-figure games, including seven in Big Ten play, after having just four heading into this season.

• He was a major reason why NU defeated Minnesota, finishing with 11 points along with team highs in both rebounds (seven) and blocked shots (two).

• 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 six 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 tied or set a career best in scoring in three straight games during non-conference action, 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 this season, 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 together in the starting lineup for the last four games. Before the first three games of the season, the pair had not played together in a competitive environment since they were kids.

• Bryce is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring at 16.5 ppg while grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game as of Feb. 16. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and minutes played.

• A six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he leads all conference rookies in scoring and is second in rebounding. He is the only Big Ten freshman averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game as of Feb. 16.

• He is the only Husker freshman in either the Big 12 (1996-97 to 2010-11) or Big Ten (2011-12 to present) eras more than two weekly freshman honors (Shavon Shields, 2012-13).

• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring 20 times, including eight 20-point efforts. He had a season-high 29 points against Sam Houston (Nov. 12) and Rutgers (Jan. 29).

• McGowens leads the Big Ten and ranks 17th nationally in free throws made (122) as of Feb. 16. He is one of only two freshmen in the top-50 nationally.

• Bryce enters Friday’s game with Iowa with 412 points, which is third on NU’s all-time freshmen list. He is 19 points shy of Joe McCray (432, 2004-05) for second and just 33 points behind Dave Hoppen’s school record of 445 set in 1982-83.

• He collected his first career double-double on Nov. 21 against Southern with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

• Bryce joins Dave Hoppen as the only freshmen to post multiple 25-point games in a season.

• 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 100 of 103 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. He has started 36 of the 37 games he has played at Nebraska (all but his return against Indiana on Jan. 17). He is averaging 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 10 games.

• After being on a minute restriction in his first two games, McGowens had a season-high 11 points and seven rebounds against Rutgers on Jan. 29.

• He played his best all-around game against Minnesota on Feb. 9, as he finished with six points, seven rebounds and a season-high five assists in 34 minutes.

• Considered NU’s best defender, McGowens usually is assigned to the opponent’s top perimeter scorer.  Against No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 27, he limited Johnny Davis to a season-low 13 points, including none in the first half and followed up holding Ron

Harper Jr. to 1-of-9 shooting on Jan. 29. He limited Minnesota’s Payton Willis to 3-of-8 shooting on Feb. 9.

• 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 13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.2 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 Feb. 16.

• He has a 1.49-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• His 5.21 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 one of two Big Ten players (also Minnesota’s Payton Willis) with both a points/assist double-double and a points/rebound double-double. Verge is 11th in the Big Ten with four double-doubles (vs. Western Illinois, vs. Tennessee State, at NC State and Kennesaw State) as of Feb. 16.

• Verge posted a 22-point, four-assist, three-steal effort against Minnesota on Feb. 9. He scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half while helping NU shoot 58 percent from the floor after halftime.

• He nearly collected another double-double with 14 points and nine assists vs. No. 25 Illinois on Jan. 11.

• Verge 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 6.6 points per game while connecting on 36 3-pointers to rank second on the team heading into the Maryland contest.  He is shooting 35 percent from 3-point range and has also committed just 10 turnovers in 459 minutes this season. Tominaga has posted seven double-figure games this season, including a career-high 23 points against South Dakota on Nov. 27 and 18 points in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 22.

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.

Husker Injury Update

The Huskers have a pair of scholarship players currently out with injuries. Trevor Lakes is out indefinitely because of a lingering shoulder injury and has not played since Jan. 8.

Wilhelm Breidenbach underwent season-ending leg surgery on Dec. 22 for an injury suffered in Nebraska’s game against Michigan.  Breidenbach, a 6-foot-10, 227-pound freshman forward from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., had played in each of

Nebraska’s first 10 games, averaging 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

NU Graduation Success Rate Hits All-Time High of 95 Percent

Nebraska student-athletes have posted a 95 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR), continuing the Huskers’ long tradition of being a national leader in the classroom. The NCAA released its GSR scores on Dec. 2, with Nebraska improving its GSR for the 11th straight year.

• The 95 percent GSR rate for all student-athletes ranks third among 14 Big Ten schools. On the national scale, Nebraska’s GSR is tied for 10th out of 130 FBS institutions. The 95 percent GSR rate marks the 11th straight year Nebraska has increased its GSR.

• The Husker men’s basketball program achieved a 100 percent GSR for the second straight season and was one of 13 Husker programs to post a 100 GSR in the latest rankings. NU was one of five Big Ten teams with a perfect GSR this year.