Huskers Host Spartans on Senior Night

The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks for its fifth straight win on Tuesday night as the Huskers play host to Michigan State.  The Huskers have much to play for in the regular-season home finale. NU is 5-1 in the month of February and a win on Tuesday night would give NU six wins in February for the first time since the 1997-98 season. It would also get the Huskers closer to a potential first-round bye in next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. 

Senior Night ceremonies will begin shortly after 7:30 p.m. with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) and at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket Office 90 minutes before tipoff.  Tuesday’s game will be carried on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network and will also be available online on the Fox Sports app.

 

Nebraska (15-14, 8-10 Big Ten) comes into Tuesday riding the conference’s longest active win streak following Saturday’s 78-67 win over Minnesota. Sam Griesel’s 19 points led six Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska shot nearly 50 percent from the field in eclipsing the 70-point mark for the sixth straight game. Nebraska held Minnesota to 41 percent shooting and forced 19 Gopher turnovers that led to 21 Husker points.

Griesel has enjoyed an uptick in recent games, averaging 14.5 points per game on 50 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds per game during Nebraska’s four-game win streak. On the season, the fifth-year senior is averaging 11.7 points, 3.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. 

Senior Derrick Walker has continued to play at an All-Big Ten level this season, as he is averaging 13.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, ranking in the top 10 in the Big Ten in both rebounding and assists. A three-year starter at NU, he will make his 73rd start on Tuesday night. 

Michigan State (17-11, 9-8) looks to rebound from a 112-106 overtime loss to Iowa Saturday afternoon. The Spartans got 31 points from Tyson Walker, but Iowa rallied from a 11-point deficit with 55 seconds left in regulation to send the game to OT.

Worth Noting

• Nebraska enters the final week of the season with a chance to play its way into the postseason. NU’s eight Big Ten wins are the most since winning 13 games in 2017-18 and NU has a chance to finish with double-digit conference wins for the third time since joining the Big Ten (also 2014 and 2018). 

• Nebraska is 5-1 this month, marking the fifth time since 2000 that Nebraska has won five February games (also 2017-18, 2013-14, 2007-08 and 2003-04). The last time Nebraska won six games in February was back in 1997-98, when NU went 6-2 in the month. With a win on Tuesday, the Huskers will finish February with a 6-1 mark, their best Feburary record percentage wise since also going 6-1 in 1935-36.

• With its revamped lineup, Nebraska’s offense has been a spark down the stretch. Over the last nine games dating back to Jan. 25, the Huskers are shooting nearly 49 percent from the field, including 36 percent from 3-point range. Of the nine games in that stretch, six have been against teams that currently rank in the top-30 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency – Rutgers, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Maryland (2x) – as of Feb. 27.

Improved Shooting

 
• Nebraska enters Tuesday’s game with an 11-3 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena this season, while its six Big Ten home wins are the most since going a perfect 9-0 in 2017-18. 

• Keisei Tominaga has been one of the Big Ten’s top scorers this month.  He is averaging 21.5 ppg on 55 percent shooting in six games this month.  Here’s how his numbers this month compare to the top six scorers in the Big Ten entering this week’s games.

Feb. Totals (Keisei + B1G Scoring Leaders)

• Tominaga saw his streak of five consecutive 20-point games end against Minnesota on Saturday, as he finished with 11 points and four steals. It was the longest streak of consecutive 20-point games since Tyronn Lue had seven straight in 1997-98.

• Nebraska has tied a school record with its four overtime games, matching a mark which has been set six other times (also 2019-20, 2007-08, 1996-97, 1986-87, 1979-80 and 1955-66). Nebraska’s three OT wins this season are the most for the program since the 1986-87 team won a school-record four overtime games, including the third-place game of the NIT Tournament.

• Nebraska’s offensive outburst at Rutgers on Feb. 14 was impressive considering that Rutgers came into the contest second nationally in adjusted defense by KenPom and in the top 10 nationally in both field goal defense and scoring defense. The 82 points were the most Rutgers allowed at home since 2020, while NU became the first team to shoot 50 percent against the Scarlet Knights this season (.491 by Miami). The Huskers’ 69.1 effective field goal percentage was the best against Rutgers since Jan 23, 2010, when the Scarlet Knights were in the Big East. 

• Nebraska overcame a 17-point second-half deficit in the win over Wisconsin on Feb. 11. It marked the Huskers’ largest comeback since 2012-13 and the second-largest comeback in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). The Huskers also overcame a 10-point second-half deficit in last year’s win over No. 10 Wisconsin in Madison. Prior to the loss to Nebraska, Wisconsin had not lost a game when leading at half since the 2021 Big Ten Tournament. 

• According to BTN research, Nebraska’s comeback marked the first time since Dec. 9, 2015, that Wisconsin lost at least a 15-point lead (68-67 vs. UW-Milwaukee). 

• Tominaga became the 10th Husker in the Big Ten era (2011-present) to post a 30-point game with his effort against Penn State on Feb. 5. Tominaga had 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting, as he matched his career high with five 3-pointers. Prior to Feb. 5, no Husker had posted a 25-point game this season. 

• Nebraska has faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2022-23. As of Feb. 27, Nebraska’s NET strength of schedule is 12th nationally.  NU’s final two teams are both well inside the top 50 of the NET. 

• NU’s adjusted strength of schedule is 11th in KenPom as of Feb. 27, which could mark the third time in Fred Hoiberg‘s four seasons that the Huskers have had a SOS in the top 10 (2019-20, 8th; 2020-21, 4th).

• Nebraska now has three Quad 1 wins (at Creighton, at Rutgers and Maryland) as well as four wins over teams in Quad 2 as of Feb. 27.

• Nebraska has nine active scholarship players available following season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary (shoulder), Emmanuel Bandoumel (knee) and Quaran McPherson (knee). In addition, Ramel Lloyd Jr. will redshirt this season.  Nebraska played just 10 games with its full starting lineup this year.  Entering the Michigan State game, NU players have missed a combined 64 games this season: Quaran McPherson (29); Juwan Gary (12); Emmanuel Bandoumel (9); Blaise Keita (7); Derrick Walker (5); and Sam Griesel (2). McPherson had season-ending knee surgery in September, while Keita, who did not play against Minnesota, is day-to-day. 

• Since the season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel, a trio of freshmen have earned significant spots in the Husker rotation. Jamarques Lawrence, Denim Dawson and Sam Hoiberg have all seen their playing time increase dramatically over the last month. 

• Since Jan. 24, Nebraska’s freshmen have accounted for 31.4 percent of the team’s total minutes. It was just 11.8 of the team’s minutes in the first 20 contests. 

• Injuries have forced the Huskers to shuffle during the second half of the year. NU has used nine different lineups this season, as no starter has started all 29 games this season. 

• Nebraska had started multiple freshmen in five consecutive games (Jan. 25-Feb. 8), including Denim Dawson, Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg at Illinois on Jan. 31. That marked the first time NU started three freshmen since the 2015-16 season.

• Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the Huskers have had 21 freshmen (true, redshirt or covid year) start at least one game, and Jarmarques Lawrence became just the second Husker to reach double figures in his first start with 12 points against Northwestern. He joined Bryce McGowens (25 vs. Western Illinois, 2021) as the only two freshmen to score double figures in their first career start since 2011-12. 

• Juwan Gary’s injury against Illinois on Jan. 10 has hampered the Huskers’ rebounding efforts. In Big Ten play, NU is 5-0 when out-rebounding opponents, but 3-10 in conference play when being out-rebounded.  NU had a +2.5 rebounding margin in the 17 games that Gary was in the lineup and the Huskers were on track for their first positive rebounding margin since the 2016-17 season. Since then, NU has been out-rebounded by 5.1 rebounds per game.

• Derrick Walker is averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game to rank 10th in the Big Ten in rebounding as of Feb. 27. Since 2000, only five Huskers – Ed Morrow Jr. (2016-17), Aleks Maric (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08), Andrew Drevo (2002-03), Kimani Ffriend (1999-2000, 2000-01) – have averaged at least seven rebounds per game.  

• Nebraska’s 63-53 win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4 marked the program’s fourth-ever road win over a top-10 team and marked the Huskers’ first win at Creighton since the 2004 NIT. The No. 7 Bluejays were the highest ranked opponent that NU beat on the road since 1997.

• Nebraska has been the one team to keep Zach Edey in check in 2022-23, holding the national player of the year frontrunner to just 11.5 points per game in two contests. Edey’s two lowest scoring percentages came in the two games against Nebraska. 

Numbers to Know 

12 – Nebraska had 12 basketball players make the NU Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll for fall GPAs above a 3.00. The group included Wilhelm Breidenbach, Henry Burt, Denim Dawson, Jeffrey Grace III, Sam Griesel, Sam Hoiberg, Cale Jacobsen, Blaise Keita, Oleg Kojenets, Jamarques Lawrence, Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher. 

74.5– Nebraska is averaging 74.5 points per game during its six games this month. In January, NU averaged 61.3 ppg in nine contests and topped 70 points just once.

.923 – Nebraska is 12-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points. The only loss was at Michigan on Feb. 8. NU has scored 70+ points in each of its last six contests.

13.8 – Nebraska ranks ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten with 13.8 fouls per game as of Feb. 22. Minnesota shot just 11 free throws, but were a perfect 11-of-11 from the line, as the Gophers entered the contest 14th in the Big Ten in free throw percentage.

2,186 – Combined points for Fred (1,993), Jack (125) and Sam (70) Hoiberg during their college careers. Sam went for double figures for the second time this season with 11 points in the win over Minnesota. 

About Michigan State

Under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans have been the flagship program in the Big Ten over the last two-plus decades. Izzo is in his 28th season running the Spartan program and has taken the Spartans to eight Final Fours and 24 straight NCAA Tournaments. This season, MSU is 17-11 overall and 9-8 in the Big Ten heading into the final week of the season. The Spartans have played one of the nation’s top schedules despite missing Jaden Akins and Malik Hall for significant amounts of time. MSU had won three of its last four before Saturday’s overtime loss at Iowa, a game where Iowa rallied from 13 points down in the last two minutes. MSU shot nearly 60 percent from the field and 11-of-15 from 3-point range in Iowa’s comeback. 

Michigan State is a balanced team with three double-figure scorers and two others averaging at least nine points per game. The backcourt of Tyson Walker (14.6 ppg, 2.8 apg) and A.J. Hoggard (12.3 ppg, 5.8 apg) is one of the Big Ten’s best, while Joey Hauser (13.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is one of the most versatitle scoring threats in the conference. Michigan State shoots 45 percent from the floor, including nearly 39 percent from 3-point range. MSU also holds opponents to 41 percent shooting and out-rebounds foes by 3.0 per contest. 

Series History: Michigan State leads the all-time series, 22-9, in a series that dates back to February of 1920. The Huskers are 3-14 against Michigan State since joining the Big Ten, while the Spartans have won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2016. Since joining the Big Ten, NU has faced a ranked Spartan team in 11 of the 17 previous meetings. Nebraska’s last win over Michigan State in Lincoln came in a 79-77 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 24, 2015.

Last meeting: Michigan State used a strong first-half finish to pull away from Nebraska en route to a 74-56 victory at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Jan. 3. 

The game was tied at 11 before Michigan State outscored Nebraska 28-6 over the final 12 minutes of the first half. The Spartans turned a three-point lead into a 13-point advantage with a 10-0 run. Michigan State then closed the half on a 13-0 run, stretching a nine-point lead into a 22-point halftime advantage.

 Nebraska fought back in the second half and had the lead down to 12 with just over eight minutes to play, but Michigan State put the game away with a 10-0 run.

Nebraska dominated the paint on the night, outscoring Michigan State 40-20 inside the lane. But the Spartans made six more 3-pointers than the Huskers, and Michigan State out-rebounded Nebraska by 17, leading to an 18-5 advantage in second-chance points.

Derrick Walker paced Nebraska with 15 points, while Sam Griesel and Wilhelm Breidenbach added 10 points apiece. Walker also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and he and Griesel each dished out three assists. Tyson Walker scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Spartans.

Last Time Out

Sam Griesel’s 19 points led six players in double figures as Nebraska continued its late-season surge with a 78-67 victory over Minnesota in front of a sellout crowd of 15,489 at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 25.

Griesel scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, as Nebraska withstood a number of late Gopher rallies to improve to 15-14 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota cut a 14-point deficit to 58-52 with 7:28 remaining after Jaden Henley’s 3-pointer, but Griesel’s basket and two free throws by C.J. Wilcher pushed the lead back to 10 with less than five minutes remaining.  

Minnesota got to within seven four other times in the final 4:22, only to see Nebraska extend the lead. NU led 68-61with 1:29 left before a Griesel basket started a 6-0 spurt to subdue the visitors one final time.

In addition to Griesel, Wilcher finished with 12 points, while Keisei Tominaga (11), Sam Hoiberg (11), Jamarques Lawrence (11) and Derrick Walker (10) all had at least 10 points.  Nebraska, which never trailed, held Minnesota to 40.7 percent shooting and converted 19 Gopher turnovers into 21 points.  The Huskers had a season-best 13 steals, including four by Tominaga, which was a career high.

Jamison Battle and Ta’Lon Cooper led Minnesota with 12 points apiece, as the Gophers put five players in double figures.

Defensive Improvement

Nebraska has made significant improvement on the defensive end this season, which is a big reason why the Huskers have surpassed their 2021-22 win total. 

• Nebraska has climbed from No. 178 to No. 57 nationally in defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was 35th in defensive efficiency on Jan. 21 when Emmanuel Bandoumel suffered his season-ending injury.
• The jump is more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has played 12 games against teams currently in the top 50 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Feb. 27.
• NU’s 9.5 points per game decrease from last season is fifth nationally and second to Oregon State among power conference programs.
• Nebraska has held 15 opponents to 1.0 point per possession or less. 
• In the overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, Nebraska held the Boilermakers to 0.99 points per possession. Purdue is 10th nationally in offensive efficiency as of Feb. 26.
• Nebraska held Iowa, which is currently fith in offensive efficiency, to 0.76 per possession and just 26 percent shooting on Dec. 29.
• In NU’s win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4, the Huskers limited the Bluejays to 0.73 points per possession, the Huskers’ best performance in a road game in over a decade. 

Hometown Kid Making Good
Sam Griesel has enjoyed quite the homecoming, averaging 11.7 points, 3.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game from his point guard spot. Griesel spent the last four seasons at North Dakota State, earning All-Summit League honors in 2021 and 2022 before returning to Lincoln for his senior year. 

• Griesel comes off a 19-point effort in Saturday’s win over Minnesota.
• He ranks eighth in the Big Ten in assists and in the top 15 in steals, minutes and assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Griesel had his third double-double of 2022-23 at Rutgers on Feb. 14 with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• He has 16 double-figure games this season, including seven straight games from Dec. 20 to Jan. 21.
• Griesel had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes in the Feb. 11 win over Wisconsin.
• Griesel had 21 points at Illinois on Jan. 31, his second 20-point game of 2022-23.
• The senior came up big in the win at Minnesota with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, while going 6-of-6 from the foul line.
• Griesel collected his second double-double in the win over Iowa with 12 points and team highs in rebounds (10) and assists (five).
• The Huskers’ first scholarship recruit from Lincoln since Jake Muhleisen in the early 2000s, Griesel keyed NU’s win at No. 7 Creighton with 18 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and seven assists. 
• Against Maine, Griesel scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while also chipping in 18 points in the win over Omaha. 

Walker Puts Together Strong Senior Season
Derrick Walker has made the most of his super senior season. The 6-foot-9 forward has been a force, averaging 13.9 points on 59 percent shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 senior forward was NU’s only returning starter entering 2022-23 and has 17 double-figure efforts this season. 

• He is one of just 15 players nationally averaging at least 13 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as of Feb. 26. 
• Walker has a team-high three double-doubles (Memphis, Florida State and No. 4 Purdue) and six for his career.
• He is bidding to join a small list of Big Ten players who averaged at least 14 points,  seven rebounds and three assists per game since 2000.
• Walker is second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.587), a total which ranks 31st nationally as of Feb. 26. 
• His playmaking ability has been evident in recent weeks. He has five or more assists on seven occasions, including a career-high eight assists at Michigan on Feb. 8.
• He picked up his fifth 20-point game of the year in NU’s OT win over Maryland with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots. 
• Walker had a strong performance at No. 3 Purdue with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists, while helping limit Zach Edey to 12 points on seven shots.
• Walker had one of the finest games of his career in NU’s OT win at Minnesota on Jan. 7 with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He set or tied personal bests in both points and assists.
• His most recent double-double was a 14-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10.  He also helped limit Zach Edey to a season-low 11 points.
• He keyed NU’s win over No. 7 Creighton with a career-high 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds against Ryan Kalkbrenner, the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Walker’s efforts helped NU enjoy a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint. 
• Walker posted his first career 20-point game in a win over Florida State on Nov. 27, with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and matched his career high with 13 rebounds. 
• Walker averaged 9.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg in 2022, breaking NU’s single-season field goal percentage mark by shooting 68.3 percent from the field.

Tominaga Sparks Huskers Attack
Whether starting or off the bench, Keisei Tominaga has been a spark for the Huskers’ attack this season.  The 6-foot-2 guard is second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game while averaging 24 minutes per contest. 

• Tominaga leads the Huskers in both 3-pointers (59) and 3-point percentage (.401), as he ranks fifth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game.
• Since moving into the starting lineup on Jan. 18, he is averaging 17.2 points per game on 52 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range. Tominaga has six 20-point games in that span, including a 30-point effort against Penn State on Feb. 5.
• He has a team-high 19 double figure games, including seven 20-point games. 
• Tominaga had 20 points and a season-high four boards in 42 minutes of work in NU’s OT win over Maryland.
• He torched a Rutgers defense which led the Big Ten in scoring defense with 22 points.
• Tominaga scored 17 of his game-high 22 points against Wisconsin after halftime, including 12 points in Nebraska’s 20-2 spurt to erase a 17-point second half deficit.
• Tominaga kept the Huskers in the game at Michigan with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, while hitting 10 of-16 shots from the field. 
• He starred in Nebraska’s win over Penn State on Feb. 5, scoring a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He also matched his career high in 3-pointers with five in the 72-63 win.
• He enjoyed one of his best efforts of the year in NU’s 65-62 loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10 with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. He sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation. 
• Of Tominaga’s 23 career double-figure games at Nebraska, 12 have come off the bench, including 23-point efforts against Boston College on Nov. 29 and against South Dakota last season.
• Over the summer, Tominaga was with the Japanese National Team, making his debut in the FIBA World Cup Asia qualifier in early July and then starred for Japan in the 2022 Asia Cup. In seven games with the Senior National Team, Tominaga averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the 3-point line. His best performance came against Australia in the Asia Cup quarterfinals, when he poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range.