Huskers Host Southern in Afternoon Matinee

The Nebraska men’s basketball team continues a busy stretch on Sunday afternoon, as the Huskers welcome Southern to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff between the Huskers and Jaguars is set for 3 p.m.  A limited number of 300 Level tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8BIGRED during business hours or at the PBA Box Office beginning Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

The Huskers (2-2) put together their most complete effort of the season in posting a 78-60 win over Idaho State on Friday night. Nebraska shot a season-high 54 percent from the floor and had 18 assists and just eight turnovers. Derrick Walker Jr. led four Huskers in double figures by matching his career high with 14 points, as he had nine markers in the first half as the Huskers built a 41-31 halftime lead. NU eventually pushed the lead to 26 with 5:14 remaining before cruising for an 18-point victory. Nebraska’s bench played a significant role, combining for 37 points and nine assists and igniting an 11-0 first-half run to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.

Despite the absence of Trey McGowens, who is out until January with a foot injury, the Huskers’ balance was on full display on Friday. NU had four players in double figures and two others with at least eight points. Seniors Kobe Webster and Alonzo Verge Jr. combined for nine assists and just one turnover, while six players dished out at least two assists.

Walker became the fourth different Husker to lead NU in scoring in the first four contests. The Huskers have three players averaging at least 13.0 ppg (Bryce McGowens-16.5; Verge-15.0; Webster-13.5) and five others chipping in at least five points per contest. The Huskers’ depth will be important during this stretch, as Sunday’s game with Southern marks NU’s second game in a five-day stretch.

Southern (1-3) comes off a 71-68 loss at South Dakota on Friday evening. The Jaguars, who already have a win over Tulane, shot 51 percent in the second half to cut a 13-point second-half deficit to one in the minute before South Dakota held on by going 6-of-8 from the line in the final minute. Jayden Saddler had a team-high 19 points and four assists, while P.J. Bryd added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

About Southern

Southern comes into Sunday’s game with a 1-3 record following a 71-68 setback at South Dakota on Friday. In that game, the Jaguars trailed by as much as 13 in the second half before using a 15-3 run to pull within one with 8:38 left and it was a two-possession game down the stretch. Southern was within 65-64 after P.J. Byrd’s basket with 52 seconds left, but USD kept the Jaguars at bay by going 6-of-8 from the line in the last 48 seconds. Jayden Saddler’s 19 points led three Southern players in double figures.

Head Coach Sean Woods is in his fourth year at Southern after previously serving as the head coach at Morehead State (2012-16) and Mississippi Valley State (2008-12). He guided each of those schools to postseason bids, including an NCAA bid at Mississippi Valley State in 2012. After going 7-25 in his first season, Woods guided SU to a 17-15 mark in 2019-20 and an 8-11 record last season. Woods played collegiately at Kentucky, where he started three seasons, including the 1991-92 team that lost to Duke in the Elite Eight, and had his No. 11 retired by the school.

Southern returns a trio of starters among its 10 returning letterwinners and was picked fifth in the conference preseason poll after going 8-11 last season. Saddler is a preseason second-team All-SWAC pick after averaging 11.1 points and 5.3 assists per game last season. Saddler had better than a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last year and has continued his fine play by averaging a team-high 13.5 points and 5.8 assists per game.

After a 12-point loss at Louisville in the opener, the Jaguars knocked off Tulane, 73-70, for its biggest win of the young season as Saddler had 13 points and 11 assists, while Byrd had 12 points and nine assists in the win over the Green Wave. Sunday’s game against NU wraps up a stretch of five road games to open the season for the Jaguars. Southern will also play both Kentucky and Dayton later in the non-conference season.

Nebraska is 3-0 all-time against Southern, posting wins in 2012 (66-55), 2016 (81-76) and 2019 (93-86, OT). In the last meeting, Jervay Green and Yvan Ouedraogo combined for 12 points in overtime as NU outlasted the Jaguars. Green finished with a team-high 22 points to lead four Huskers in double figures. Micah Bradford led all scorers with 31 points, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, in a losing effort. No current Husker played in the 2019 meeting. NU is 23-1 all-time against current members of the SWAC.

Last Time Out

Derrick Walker Jr. tied a career-high with 14 points to lead four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska shot a season-high 54 percent in a 78-60 win over Idaho State.

Walker, who went 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line, matched his career high of 14 set against Rutgers last season, helping Nebraska improve to 2-2 on the season.

Alonzo Verge Jr. and Keisei Tominaga had 11 points apiece, while C.J. Wilcher had 10 for the Huskers as Nebraska got another strong performance from its bench. The reserves keyed an 11-0 first-half run in a span of 1:48, including a pair of 3-pointers from freshman Wilhelm Breidenbach, as the Huskers built a double-figure lead at 24-14. Idaho State was within 35-31 with 2:47 left in the half, but the Huskers closed the half with a 6-0 spurt, capped by Walker’s dunk in the waning seconds. Walker had nine first-half points for the Big Red as NU took a 41-31 lead into the locker room.

The Huskers put the game out of reach midway through the second half, using runs of 10-0 and 8-0 to take a 66-46 lead with just under nine minutes left. Idaho State (1-3) got to within 17 at 67-50, but two Verge jumpers sparked a 9-0 run, as NU extended the lead to 76-50 after Tominaga’s 3-pointer with 5:14 left.

Robert Ford III led three Bengals in double figures with 14 points, as NU held ISU to 39 percent shooting ad turned 15 turnovers into 25 Husker points.

 

Worth Noting

•-Fred Hoiberg and Southern Coach Sean Woods faced off one time as college players, as Kentucky beat Iowa State 106-98 in the second round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Woods had 18 points and nine assists in that game, while Hoiberg, a freshman on that ISU team, had two points, but led the Cyclones with eight rebounds.

•-Sunday’s meeting will be the second time these two coaches have squared off. In addition to the 2019 overtime game in Lincoln, Hoiberg’s Iowa State team played a Woods-coached team at Mississippi Valley State, escaping with a 67-65 win on Dec. 31, 2011, at Hilton Coliseum.

•-Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, ranking third in the Big Ten in both steals (8.0 spg) and turnover margin (+7.0). NU is forcing a Big Ten-high 16.8 turnovers per game and is averaging 22.5 points per game off opponent turnovers.

•-Nebraska has gotten production from its bench over the last three games, averaging 32.0 points per game in that stretch. NU has gotten five double-figure efforts from its bench in the last three contests.

•-Nebraska has produced four 20-point scores in the first four games of the season (Bryce McGowens-2; Alonzo Verge Jr.-1; Kobe Webster-1). Last year, four players combined for a total of 12 20-point efforts.

•-One area where Nebraska has made significant stride is reducing turnovers. The Huskers are currently fourth in the Big Ten at 9.8 turnovers per game through Friday’s games. Last season, NU was last in the conference with 14.1 turnovers per game. The Huskers have jumped from 205th to 13th in turnover ratio this season. Kobe Webster and Alonzo Verge Jr. have combined for better than a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio through the first four games.

Turnover Rate Under Hoiberg

 
•-In his last eight games dating back to the end of the 2020-21 season, Kobe Webster is averaging 13.0 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 2.5 assists per game. He has six double-figure efforts, including a pair of 20-pount outbursts in that stretch.

•-Bryce McGowens leads all Big Ten freshmen at 16.5 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor.  He is the only freshman in the top-10 in the Big Ten in scoring through Friday’s games. McGowens will look to become only the seventh Husker freshman in school history to average double figures and the first since 2007.

•-Alonzo Verge Jr. is one of nine players in the country averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game entering Saturday’s games. The senior is tied for third in the Big Ten in assists and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5-to-1).

•-Bryce McGowens joined rare company on Nov. 12 against Sam Houston with his 29-point effort. It tied for the second-highest performance by a freshman in school history and was the most since Shavon Shields also had 29 at Penn State in 2013. McGowens, whose 25-point effort against WIU set a record for a Husker freshman in his debut, is one of nine Husker freshmen to post multiple 20-point efforts. Only Joe McCray (10, 2004-05), Jerry Fort (6, 1972-73) and Dave Hoppen (5, 1982-83) have posted more 20-point performances than McGowens.

•-The season opener against Western Illinois featured two of the highest-scoring debuts by any Husker in the last 50 years. Alonzo Verge Jr. (26) and Bryce McGowens (25) became just the third and fourth Huskers in the last five decades to score 20+ points in a Husker debut.

•-Alonzo Verge Jr. posted his first career double-double in Nebraska’s opener with 26 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists against Western Illinois. Last year, only two Big Ten players had a game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists – Illinois Ayo Dosunmu (vs. North Carolina A&T) and Purdue’s Trevion Williams (vs. Ohio State).

•-Prior to the Western Illinois game, the last Husker to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game was Lance Jeter (27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) in an overtime loss to Iowa State on Feb. 26, 2011.

•-The season opener against WIU marked only the third time since 2007 that Nebraska had two players score 25-or-more points in a game. It also marked the fourth time that NU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game in Fred Hoiberg‘s tenure.

 

 
Trey McGowens Undergoes Surgery
Nebraska guard Trey McGowens underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon to repair a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The injury occurred during the first half of Nebraska’s game against Creighton on Tuesday. According to Nebraska Men’s Basketball Athletic Trainer R.J. Pietig, the injury will sideline McGowens for between six and eight weeks, and McGowens is expected to have a full recovery.

McGowens, who had started all 30 games since transferring to Nebraska prior to last season, is averaging 6.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.  He ranked second on the team in both scoring (10.7 ppg) and assists (2.3 apg) in 2020-21.

A Look at the Huskers

Head Coach Fred Hoiberg begins his third season at the helm of the Husker program with a strong returning corps back for the first time in his tenure. The Huskers return three starters and seven letterwinners while welcoming a consensus top-20 recruiting class which features five-star recruit Bryce McGowens.

The backcourt returnees are led by fourth-year junior Trey McGowens, who averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2020-21. McGowens suffered a foot injury against Creighton and will be out 6-to-8 weeks. Arizona State transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. has provided an immediate impact in the Husker backcourt, ranking second in the Big Ten in assists (5.0 apg) while adding 15.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. McGowens has lived up to his five-star label early on, as he averages a team-best 16.5 ppg while grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game. Kobe Webster (13.5 ppg, 3.5 apg) has shared ball-handling duties since returning to action on Nov. 16, while newcomers C.J. Wilcher (8.8 ppg) and Keisei Tominaga (3.5 ppg) have providing shooting and scoring punch.

The Huskers’ frontcourt got a boost back against Sam Houston, as Lat Mayen returned to action after missing the opener because of an injury suffered in the Colorado exhibition.  Mayen, who averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg last season, had 17 points in the last two games.  Derrick Walker has been steady inside, leading NU in both rebounding (6.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.5 bpg). DePaul transfer Keon Edwards moved into the lineup on Friday to give NU a bigger and athletic lineup. True freshman Wilhelm Breidenbach, a top-100 recruit, has been NU’s first big off the bench while Eduardo Andre provides another interior threat and had 11 points and seven boards against Sam Houston. Trevor Lakes, who missed the Creighton game with an injury, saw limited action on Friday against Idaho State.

Huskers Look to Take Advantage of Experience

Nebraska’s 2021-22 roster has plenty of college experience, as Derrick Walker, Kobe Webster, Alonzo Verge, Lat Mayen and Trevor Lakes all begin their fifth season of college eligibility. Lakes and Webster are “Super Seniors” who took advantage of their free year of eligibility.  Nebraska returns three players who have scored at least 1,000 points at the college level. Walker, who turned 24 on opening night, and third-year walk-on Jace Piatkowski are the only players remaining from Fred Hoiberg‘s first team at Nebraska.

The Huskers’ starting lineup against Sam Houston on Nov. 12, was older than the lineup the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder started the same evening against Sacramento.

 

Starting Lineups (Nov. 12, 2021)

 
Bryce McGowens Earns Big Ten Honor
Nebraska freshman Bryce McGowens was honored on Nov. 15, as he was chosen Big Ten Freshman of the Week. McGowens averaged a Big Ten best 27.0 points per game on 52 percent shooting along with 5.5 rebounds per game in two games last week. He became the second Husker freshman in school history to post multiple 25-point games, joining Dave Hoppen in 1982-83.

In the season opener against Western Illinois, he totaled 25 points – the most ever by a Husker in a debut – and six rebounds. McGowens keyed the win over Sam Houston with 29 points, one shy of Nebraska’s single-game freshman record, on 9-of-13 shooting in NU’s 74-65 win.  McGowens was the first Husker freshman honored by the Big Ten since Glynn Watson Jr. on Feb. 15, 2016.

 

Super McGowens Brothers

The high-flying duo of Trey and Bryce McGowens will be sidelined for a bit, as Trey recovers from a broken foot suffered on Nov. 16. This season marked the first time the brothers were on the same court together since they were kids, and provided a number of early highlights.

• The McGowens brothers are one of 15 brother combos on the same college roster this season.

• Bryce is 10th in the Big Ten in scoring at 16.5 ppg as of Nov. 20. He is also 10th nationally in freshman scoring while shooting 47 percent from the floor through NU’s first four games.

• He comes off a well-rounded performance against Idaho State where he had just six points on 3-of-6 shooting, but set season bests in rebounds (seven) and assists (three) in 27 minutes. His +16 was the

best of any Husker starter on Friday.

• McGowens became the first Husker since 2016 to earn Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week accolades on Nov. 15, as he averaged 27.0 ppg on 52 percent shooting in a pair of contests.

• 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 25 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, has 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.  In last Friday’s win, he helped limit Sam Houston’s Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting.

• Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assist 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.

McGowens, Verge Among Top Impact Newcomers

Nebraska guards Bryce McGowens and Alonzo Verge Jr. were listed among the top impact newcomers by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. The list featured the top 91 players — and a handful of other notables — whose wearing of new jerseys in the 2021-22 college basketball season will have the most substantive impact on their teams. McGowens, a five-star recruit and consensus top-25 recruit, was ranked No. 25 overall, including 11th among all freshman nationally. Verge, who came to Nebraska after playing two seasons at Arizona State, was No. 33 overall and 21st among all transfers entering 2021-22.

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 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago is third in the Big Ten in assists and ninth in steals as of Nov. 19.

• He has a 2.50-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• Verge has been the only Husker in double figures in each of the four games this season.

• 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.

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 Wilheim 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.

The Huskers three incoming transfers, who do not count in recruiting rankings included a pair of former top-100 recruits in C.J. Wilcher (Xavier) and Keon Edwards (DePaul), while Alonzo Verge spent the last two seasons at Arizona State, where he was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2020.