Huskers Host No. 25 Iowa on Senior Night

The Nebraska men’s basketball team takes the Pinnacle Bank Arena court for the final time in 2021-22 on Friday night as the Huskers host the No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes. Tipoff at PBA is shortly after 8 p.m. and the game will be carried on FS1 and the Huskers Radio Network.  A limited number of tickets for Friday’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 Friday. 

Nebraska will honor seven players in pregame ceremonies and fans are encouraged to be at their seats by 7:40 p.m. for the start of the festivities. The group includes seniors Alonzo Verge Jr., Trevor Lakes and Kobe Webster, as well as Derrick Walker, Lat Mayen, Trey McGowens and Chris McGraw. Walker, Mayen, McGowens and McGraw all could return for the 2022-23 season because of the eligibility freeze last season due to COVID-19. 

 

The Huskers (7-20, 1-15 Big Ten) could not overcome slow starts in both halves in a 77-65 loss at Northwestern on Tuesday night. NU climbed back from a 14-point first-half deficit to pull within 37-33 in the opening minute of the second half, but Northwestern used a 9-0 run to regain a double-figure lead. NU used a 16-4 second-half spurt to get within 72-63 with 1:47 left, but the Wildcats hung on for the win. Alonzo Verge Jr. and Bryce McGowens had 15 points apiece, as McGowens added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. McGowens’ 15-point night also moved him past Dave Hoppen on top of NU’s single-season freshman scoring list. 

Iowa (19-8, 9-7 Big Ten) comes into Friday’s game as winners of five of their last six contests following an 86-60 win over Michigan State on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes, who climbed into the AP poll on Monday, took control from the start and held MSU to 35 percent shooting on the night. Keegan Murray led three Hawkeyes in double figures with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while Jordan Bohannon and Kris Murray added 11 points apiece. Keegan Murray leads the Big Ten in scoring at 23.5 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and pulling down more than eight rebounds per game. 

B1G Numbers

2 – Bryce McGowens and Derrick Walker each had 10 rebounds against Northwestern, the first time NU had mulitple players with double-digit rebounds since Dec. 17, 2020. 

8 – Nebraska had eight players named to the NU Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll for the fall semester this week.

140 – Bryce McGowens leads the Big Ten and ranks 10th nationally in free throws made as of Feb. 23. McGowens is one of only two freshmen in the top 75 nationally in free throws made as of Feb. 23.

18 – Nebraska has gotten 18 double-figure efforts from its bench this season, the most recent being a 13-point effort from Kobe Webster at Northwestern on Feb. 22. Freshman C.J. Wilcher has nine of the Huskers’ 18 double-figure games off the bench this season

About Iowa

Iowa comes into Friday’s game with a 19-8 record following wins at Ohio State and against Michigan State in the last week. The Hawkeyes have won five of their last six since a double-overtime loss at Penn State at the end of January. Despite losing 2021 National Player of the Year Luka Garza and NBA draftee Joe Wieskamp, Fran McCaffery’s squad features one of the Big Ten’s highest scoring attacks. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring (83.6 ppg), turnover margin (+5.6) and steals (7.6 spg) and are second in assists (16.2 apg) and fewest turnovers (8.8 per game).

Sophomore Keegan Murray has been one of the breakout stars in college hoops, as he is averaging 23.5 points per game to lead the Big Ten on 56 percent shooting. The 6-foot-8 forward also ranks among conference leaders in both rebounding (8.1 rpg, sixth) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg, fourth). He is one of four Hawkeyes averaging double figures. Patrick McCaffery chips in 10.8 points per game while Jordan Bohannon is at 10.7 points per game and has hit a team-high 66 3-pointers. Kris Murray is the fourth Hawkeye in double figures, as he averages 10.1 ppg and shoots over 40 percent from 3-point range. 

Series History: The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 23-13 in a series that dates back to 1907. It is NU’s third-oldest series against a Big Ten foe, as only NU’s series with Minnesota and Wisconsin have been around longer.  The teams had not met since 1976 before NU joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska is 6-11 against the Hawkeyes since joining the Big Ten and the home team has won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2016. 

Last meeting: 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 scored 24 points in the first half and finished with a career-high 37 points.  Derrick Walker led Nebraska with 14 points and six rebounds, while Bryce McGowens and Eduardo Andre finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Worth Noting

 
• Bryce McGowens enters the final two weeks of the regular season among Big Ten freshman leaders in several categories. The 6-foot-7 guard leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 16.7 points per game and is in the top three in both rebounds (5.4, second) and assists (1.5, third). He is the only Big Ten freshmen averaging at least 10 points and five rebounds per game.

• McGowens 16.7 ppg is on pace to be one of the highest scoring freshmen averages by a Big Ten freshman in recent seasons. His average is the highest since Michigan State’s Miles Bridges in 2016-17. Over the last three decades, only seven Big Ten freshmen have averaged at least 15.5 ppg over the course of a season. McGowens is also averaging 16.7 ppg in Big Ten play which is the highest average by any Big Ten freshman since the 2016-17 campaign.

• With Derrick Walker and Bryce McGowens each grabbing 10 rebounds at Northwestern, it marked the first time that multiple Huskers had 10+ rebounds in the same game since Dalano Banton and Yvan Ouedraogo accomplished the feat against Doane on Dec. 17, 2020.

• Alonzo Verge Jr. enters the Iowa game needing only seven 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 131 assists on the season, which is third among Big Ten players. Verge is one of three Big Ten players currently averaging at least five assists per game.

 

• Since changing the offense in late December, the Huskers have improved their offensive numbers. NU is shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and nearly 36 percent from 3-point range over the last 15 contests dating back to Dec. 22.  The Huskers look to break out of a mini slump, as NU is just shooting 28 percent from 3-point range over the last three games. 

• Bryce McGowens ranks second nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 16.7 points per game as of Feb. 23. McGowens is one of only six 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 track 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. 

• With his 15-point, 10-rebound effort at Northwestern, McGowens became only the sixth Husker freshman to record multiple double-doubles in a season. The school record for a freshman is three, which has been done three previous times, most recently by Yvan Ouedraogo in 2019-20. 

• Nebraska’s game with No. 25 Iowa will mark the Huskers’ seventh game this season against a ranked opponent as the Huskers look for their first win against a ranked team since the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.  The Huskers could have two more games against ranked foes as they travel to No. 22 Ohio State and No. 13 Wisconsin in the final two games of the regular season.

• Bryce McGowens has nine 20-point games this season and is one away from matching Joe McCray’s school freshman mark of 10 set in 2004-05. Earlier this season, McGowens 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’ nine 20-point games this season leads all Big Ten freshmen – Ohio State’s Malaki Branham is second with five – and is seventh among all conference players as of Feb. 23.

• Bryce McGowens will look to become the first Husker freshman to reach double figures in 10 straight games on Friday vs. Iowa. The school record is nine which McGowens now shares with Joe McCray (2004-05). In all, McGowens has reached double figures in 16 of his last 17 games dating back to Dec. 11.

 
• 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 42 3-pointers. Since NU revamped its offense in late December, Wilcher has found his stride, shooting 46 percent from the floor, including 44 percent from 3-point range. 

• Nebraska has a total of 16 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-9; Alonzo Verge Jr.-5; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1) which already exceeds NU’s season total last year (12). 

• 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 70.8 percent this season. 

• Nebraska players have combined for nine double-doubles (Verge-4; Walker-3; B. McGowens-2) in 2021-22 following Bryce McGowens’ effort at Northwestern. As a team, NU combined for just three in 2020-21. The last time NU had 10 double-doubles as a team in a season was 2007-08 (17). 

• 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 third in the Big Ten with 5.0 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 36th nationally in assists per game as of Feb. 23. Hoiberg has coached five other guards who have ranked in the top 40 nationally in assists in his seven previous college seasons. 

• 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, 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. 

• Eight members of the Nebraska men’s basketball program were honored this week, as they earned spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. The group was led by Jace Piatkowski, who earned his fifth spot on the honor roll. He is one of three multiple-time honorees, and is joined by Kobe Webster, who made his second appearance, and Chris McGraw, who is being honored for the third time. Five Huskers – Wilhelm Breidenbach, Sam Hoiberg, Oleg Kojenets, Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher – are all first-time honorees, earning at least a 3.0 GPA for the fall semester.

• Bryce McGowens has been a seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, including each of the past four weeks. He became the eighth Big Ten Freshman to receive at least seven honors in a season since the freshman weekly award started in 2010-11. Prior to this season, no Husker had won the award more than twice (Shavon Shields, 2012-13.)

Last Time Out

Bryce McGowens set Nebraska’s freshman scoring record Tuesday night at Northwestern, but the Wildcats defeated the Huskers 77-65 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

McGowens scored 15 points – including 10 in the second half – to give him 452 points in 27 games this season. His point total is the highest by a Husker freshman in school history, surpassing the 445 points Dave Hoppen scored in 32 games as a freshman during the 1982-83 season. McGowens also grabbed 10 rebounds to post his second double-double of the season.

Chicago native Alonzo Verge Jr. matched McGowens with 15 points, while adding four steals. Verge scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half, helping the Huskers trail by only six at halftime. Kobe Webster added 13 points, while Derrick Walker had 10 rebounds and five assists. Pete Nance scored 20 points to lead Northwestern players in double figures.

Webster Earns Academic All-District

Nebraska senior guard Kobe Webster was honored Feb. 17, as he was named to the 2021-22 Academic All-District® Men’s Basketball Team, selected by CoSIDA. Webster was a first-team honoree as he carries a 3.75 GPA while pursuing a masters degree in educational administration. He graduated with a degree in management from Western Illinois in 2020.  

Webster, a third-team selection in 2021, will look to become only the third Husker basketball player to be a two-time Academic All-American, joining Shavon Shields (2015-16) and Beau Reid (1989-91). Webster was one of three Big Ten players recognized, including Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and Michigan State’s Malik Hall.

 

“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 9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting nearly 68 percent from the field. 

• He has 14 double-figure games, including seven in Big Ten play. His most recent one was a 14-point, seven-rebound effort at Iowa on Feb. 13.
• He 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.
• Walker was a major reason why NU defeated Minnesota on Feb.9, finishing with 11 points along with team highs in both rebounds (seven) and blocked shots (two). 
• 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 since Jan. 29. 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 16.7 ppg while grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game as of Feb. 23. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and minutes played.
• A seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he leads all conference rookies in scoring, is second in rebounding and third in assists. He is the only Big Ten freshman averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game as of Feb. 24.
• He is the only Husker freshman in either the Big 12 (1996-97 to 2010-11) or Big Ten (2011-12 to present) eras with more than two weekly freshman honors (Shavon Shields, 2012-13). 
• McGowens has reached double figures a team-high 22 times, including nine 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 10th nationally in free throws made (140) as of Feb. 24. He is one of only two freshmen in the top-50 nationally in free throws made.
•  He has a pair of double doubles, including a 15-point, 10-rebound effort against Northwestern on Feb. 22, and 18 points and 11 caroms against Southern on Nov. 21. 
• In addition to holding the NU freshman scoring mark, he is now in the top-10 in rebounds (145, seventh), 3-pointers (34, ninth) and field goals (139, fourth).
• 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 102 of 105 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. He has started 38 of the 39 games he has played at Nebraska (all but his return against Indiana on Jan. 17). He is averaging 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

• He 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 13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago ranks among conference leaders in both assists (third) and steals (fifth) as of Feb. 24. 

• He has a 1.46-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.
• His 5.04 assists per game would rank fifth in school history, while only three 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 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 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.

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.