Huskers Host Minnesota Wednesday at PBA

The Nebraska men’s basketball team wraps up a short two-game homestand on Wednesday night, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers visit Pinnacle Bank Arena.  Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network. A limited number of tickets for Wednesday’s game 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 Wednesday.

The Huskers (6-17, 0-12 Big Ten) look to bounce back following a disappointing 87-63 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. Nebraska, which held its two previous opponents to a combined 5-of-34 from 3-point range, gave up 13 3-pointers to the Wildcats, including 10 in the first half as Northwestern built a 22-point halftime advantage. Boo Buie’s game-high 27 points led three Wildcats in double figures, as Northwestern shot 49 percent and converted 15 Husker turnovers into 22 points. 

 

Freshman C.J. Wilcher provided one of the bright spots with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench, while fellow freshman Bryce McGowens added 10 markers. It marked the first time since Jan. 14 that McGowens was held below 20 points, as he averaged 24.0 points per game over NU’s previous four outings.

Wilcher has been a solid producer off the bench this season, averaging 7.9 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field, including 39 percent from 3-point range. The 6-foot-5 guard leads NU with 37 3-pointers, and needs only a trio of 3-pointers to move into fifth place on the Huskers’ single-season freshmen list. 

Minnesota (11-9, 2-9 Big Ten) comes off a 71-59 loss at Iowa Sunday afternoon. The Golden Gophers led 38-34 at the break and led 47-42 before Iowa used a 26-5 spurt to take control. Minnesota shot 48 percent in the first half, but just 23 percent in the final 20 minutes. Luke Loewe led the Golden Gophers with 19 points, while Payton Willis added 16 points and eight rebounds.  

Wednesday’s game is the only regular-season meeting of the 2021-22 season between the Huskers and Golden Gophers. 

B1G Numbers

1 – According to CBB reference, only 20 players nationally have hit at least 100 free throws at an 80 percent clip in 2021-22. Of those 20, Bryce McGowens is the only freshman to accomplish the mark, as he is currently at 83.3 percent from the line.

15 – Nebraska has gotten 15 double-figure efforts from its bench this season, the most recent being a 15-point effort from C.J. Wilcher against Northwestern on Saturday. Wilcher has been in double figures nine times this season while coming off the bench. 

20.8 – Five of Bryce McGowens’ eight 20-point games this season have come with his brother Trey in the lineup. In the eight games they have played together this season, Bryce is averaging 20.8 ppg on 44 percent shooting.

About Minnesota

Ben Johnson is in his first season in charge of the Golden Gophers. Johnson, who played at both Minnesota and Northwestern during his college career, spent the last 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 feature a revamped roster from a year ago. Jamison Battle, a transfer from George Washington, leads Minnesota in scoring at 16.9 points per game. Payton Willis, who spent the 2019-20 season at Minnesota before returning in the offseason, is at 16.7 ppg while leading the Gophers in assists (4.2 apg), steals (1.7 spg) and 3-pointers (53). He ranks in the top 10 in the Big Ten in all three areas. Battle and Willis have combined for 100 of the Gophers’ 151 3-pointers this season. E.J. Stephens also averages double figures, as he chips in 11.2 points per game.

Series History: Nebraska and Minnesota will meet for the 81st time on Wednesday, 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, 57-23, while the Huskers have won eight of the past 13 meetings. In all, 14 of the last 15 meetings have been won by the home team dating back to March of 2012.  Nebraska is 8-8 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: Nebraska put five players in double figures and withstood a late Minnesota rally in a 78-74 win over the Gophers on Feb. 27, 2021.  Kobe Webster, Thorir Thorbjarnarson and Derrick Walker combined for the Huskers final nine points after Minnesota whittled a 13-point deficit to 69-66 with 2:39 left.  Thorbjarnarson found Walker for a pair of baskets, the second making it 73-68 with 1:38 left. Walker finished with season highs of 12 points and nine rebounds. Minnesota, behind a 41-point effort from Marcus Carr, pulled to with 74-73 with 13.6 seconds left, but Webster and Thorbjarnarson each hit a pair of free throws in the final 10 seconds to preserve the win. Dalano Banton paced the Huskers with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Trey McGowens had 11 points and five assists, as NU shot 55 percent, including 9-of-17 from 3-point range. Thorbjarnarson and Webster finished with 10 points apiece for the Big Red.

McGowens 5X B1g Freshman of Week
Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens was honored on Feb. 7, as he was named Big Ten Freshmen of the Week for the fifth time this season.  McGowens, a 6-foot-7 guard, averaged 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in two games last week. 

In Wednesday’s loss at Michigan, McGowens finished with a team-high 24 points, marking his fourth consecutive 20-point outing while also posting team highs in both rebounds (six) and steals (three). The four consecutive 20-point outings set a school record for a Husker freshman. 

Worth Noting

• Bryce McGowens is averaging 16.5 ppg in conference play entering Wednesday’s game with Minnesota. 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). McGowen’s total is on pace to be the highest since Miles Bridges of Michigan State averaged 16.6 ppg in 2016-17.

• Bryce McGowens saw his string of 20-point games end against Northwestern on Saturday. McGowens became the first Husker freshman to record four straight 20-point games, breaking the freshmen 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 fifth among all conference players. 

• Since changing its offense in late December, the Huskers have improved their offensive numbers. NU is shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range over the last 10 contests dating back to Dec. 22.  As a team, the Huskers have shot 45 percent or better in seven of the last nine games dating back to Jan. 8.

NU’s Improved Shooting

• Trey McGowens’ return to the lineup has helped the Husker defensive efforts. NU has held its last four opponents to a combined 42.5 percent shooting. In the seven games he has completed (only played 10 minutes vs. Creighton before his injury), NU is holding opponents to 42.5 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range. 

• Bryce McGowens ranks second nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 16.7 points per game as of Feb. 3. 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 finished the season averaging double figures, the most recent was Ryan Anderson in 2006-07. 

NCAA True Freshman Scoring Leaders (As of Feb. 7)

 
• Nebraska finished the month of January playing five ranked teams, which tied a single-season school record. NU also played five ranked teams four other times (Feb. 2010, Jan. 2002, Feb. 1995 and Feb. 1992). The Huskers would have played a sixth ranked team in January, but the Jan. 22 game at No. 19 Ohio State on Jan. 22 was postponed because of NU’s pause. 

• Nebraska has a total of 14 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-8; Alonzo Verge Jr.-4; 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 69.2 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 has averaged 14.1 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.

• 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 23rd nationally in assists per game as of Feb. 7. 

Top-25 Nationally in Assists/GM 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

Freshman C.J. Wilcher had 15 off the bench, but Nebraska was unable to slow down Northwestern in an 87-63 loss on Feb. 5.

Wilcher hit 6-of-10 shots from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, but the visitors made nine straight shots during a 25-8 first-half run to overcome an early deficit. Nebraska was within 14-13 after Wilcher’s second 3-pointer, but the Wildcats responded with 12 unanswered points, including five from Ryan Green, to take a 13-point lead and force a Husker timeout.

The Wildcats hit 10 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes and shot 46 percent from the floor in opening up a 49-27 halftime lead. Boo Buie had 16 of his game-high 27 points in the first half, including four 3-pointers before the break.

Chase Audige added 16 while Ryan Young chipped in 12 off the bench for the Wildcats, who shot 49 percent from the field, including 13-of-31 from long distance.

Bryce McGowens was the only other Husker to finish in double figures, as he had 10 points, snapping a streak of four consecutive 20-point outings. In all, the Huskers shot 45 percent, but just 33 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

“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 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting nearly 70 percent from the field. 

• 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.

• He totaled 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting before fouling out against Michigan on Feb. 3. 

• 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 ninth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.0 ppg while grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game as of Feb. 3. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and minutes played.

• A five-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 freshmen averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game. 

• He is the only Husker freshmen 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 18 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 11th nationally in free throws made (115) as of Feb. 7. He is the only freshman nationally to rank in the top 25 of free throws made.

• Bryce enters Wednesday’s game with Minnesota with 385 points, which is third on NU’s all-time freshmen list. He is 15 points away from being the third Husker freshman with 400 points in a season.

 

• 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 against both Sam Houston and Rutgers. 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 98 of 101 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. He has started 34 of the 35 games he has played at Nebraska. He is averaging 6.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in seven contests.

• 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 and eight points against Northwestern.

• 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 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 13.6 points, 4.6 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. 6. 

• 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 5.23 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 10th in the Big Ten with four double-doubles (vs. Western. 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 vs. 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 6.8 points per game while connecting on 34 3-pointers to rank second on the team heading into the Minnesota contest.  He is shooting 35 percent from 3-point range and has also committed just 10 turnovers in 440 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. Lakes, who underwent surgery on his right shoulder last March, managed the injury throughout the year, but 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 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.

Husker Recruiting Class Seeing Stars

The Huskers brought one of the nation’s top recruiting classes to campus this fall. The class is ranked as high as 13th by ESPN as well as 18th by 247Sports and 21st by Rivals and is the third-highest ranked class in the Big Ten. 

 Nebraska’s five signees are headlined by five-star Bryce McGowens and four-star recruit Wilhelm Breidenbach, both of whom were top-100 recruits. McGowens was a consensus top-25 recruit who played in the Iverson Classic and was selected to the

Jordan Brand team. NU rounded out the class with junior college All-American Keisei Tominaga and freshmen Oleg Kojenets and Quaran McPherson.