Huskers look to roll momentum into daunting three-game stretch, starting with Creighton

Fred Hoiberg knows what his team is about to go up against to open the month of December. At the same time, the Huskers have won back-to-back games and they’re playing with confidence.

“It’s gonna be a heck of a challenge, but I like our group,” Hoiberg said. “I think it’s a team that’s playing with some confidence right now. They’re doing a great job sharing the basketball, they’ve played very unselfishly, they’ve gotten the ball to the right guy when he’s got it going — so it is a team that’s very balanced. Hopefully, we go in there and play well and give ourselves a chance.”

That challenge is a grueling stretch of three games in six days. Three games against top-10 teams — No. 7 Creighton, No. 10 Indiana and No. 5 Purdue.

The first test comes Sunday afternoon against Creighton, a team Hoiberg said has skill “all the way across the board” and the potential to compete for a national championship.

“We’re gonna have to get off to a good start and understand it is one of the toughest places to play in the country,” Hoiberg said. “I know they’re coming off that loss (at Texas), so it’s gonna be a huge energy game to start. But I’ve been really impressed with their group.”

Both Hoiberg and several Nebraska players have echoed over the past week that the Huskers have to take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead.

Nebraska’s roster features several new faces this season, including a trio of transfers — Emmanuel Bandoumel, Juwan Gary and Sam Griesel — that have added veteran leadership. Griesel grew up around the Nebraska-Creighton rivalry as well.

That experience could make a difference, especially when adversity inevitably stares Nebraska in the face Sunday.

“This game has been circled on my mental schedule for a while now,” Griesel said. “But as we’ve gotten closer to it, I think it’s really for me and our team to realize we can’t let the moment get too big for us and it’s just a basketball game at the end of the day. Two teams that really want to win and play at a high level.”

Although the Huskers are yet to put a complete 40-minute effort and still have areas to clean up, there has been a lot to like — especially the second half of the past two games. Nebraska shot an impressive 67.9% (19-for-28) over the final 20 minutes against Boston College and scored 51 points, along with a strong defensive effort that held the Eagles without a field goal for over 12 minutes.

They’ll look to roll that momentum into Sunday’s game in Omaha.

“I thought we did a good job building off the Florida State game,” Hoiberg said after the win over Boston College. “I was really pleased, especially in that the second half, and it was kind of the same thing. We limited our turnovers, we valued possessions, we got really good looks. We didn’t make all of them in the Florida State game, but (Wednesday night) we made them.

“That’s what led to that efficient almost 70% second half. We’ve got a heck of a stretch coming up, starting with Creighton. It’s obviously going to be a heck of a test going in there playing against the seventh-ranked team on the road.”

“It’s just about (showing) what we’re capable of,” Bandoumel added. “That 29-9 run, we can do that against anybody. It’s just about staying the course, keeping … to our principles defensively and being physical. Against Power Five teams, it’s about details at the end of the day.”

And along with that attention to detail, the Huskers are also going into this stretch with a sense of belief.

“I tell the guys it’s about us,” Derrick Walker said. “Believe in us. Because we have the team that can do it. We’re not to worry about what other teams do because we’re so special and we’re just as dangerous as anyone else.”

Nebraska at No. 7 Creighton

Where: CHI Health Center Omaha

TV: FS1. Radio: 1400 AM in Lincoln, 590 AM in Omaha (Huskers Radio Network).

C – Ryan Kalkbrenner Jr. 7-1 16.6

F – Baylor Scheierman Sr. 6-7 12.1

F – Arthur Kaluma Fr. 6-7 12.5

G – Trey Alexander So. 6-4 11.6

G – Ryan Nembhard So. 6-0 13.3

C – Derrick Walker 6-9 Sr. 15.0

F – Juwan Gary 6-6 Sr. 10.1

G – C.J. Wilcher 6-5 So. 11.3

G – Emmanuel Bandoumel 6-4 Sr. 10.1

G – Sam Griesel 6-7 Sr. 10.5

Creighton scouting report: The Huskers will get their toughest test of the season Sunday against Creighton. They’ll see a motivated group as well, as the Bluejays are coming off back-to-back losses, including a 72-67 loss at No. 2 Texas on Thursday.

Creighton went 4-for-27 from behind the arc in the loss to the Longhorns but still made it interesting late — a testament to Creighton’s skill and ability to distribute the ball.

“It’s an incredibly talented team and I think you saw that on display against Texas the other night,” Hoiberg said. “Just high-powered, high-octane, and we’re gonna have to be very smart with our attack.”

Similar to what Nebraska is about to experience, Creighton is coming off a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents. The Bluejays finished the stretch 2-2, beating No. 9 Arkansas and No. 21 Texas Tech at the Maui Invitational.

All five of Creighton’s starters average double figures, including Ryan Kalkbrenner, one of the nation’s top centers. Creighton has dominated Nebraska over the past decade as well. The Bluejays have won 10 of the past 11 games between the two and hold a 29-26 lead in the all-time series.

Nebraska scouting report: The Huskers are coming off arguably their most complete effort of the year, an 88-67 win over Boston College. They come into Sunday’s game winners of two straight, and albeit being a daunting task, the Huskers will look to pull the upset and earn their first win in Omaha since the 2003-04 season.

Nebraska closed out the first half on a 7-0 run Wednesday night and took a three-point point lead into the locker room, 37-34. Then the Huskers exploded over the final 20 minutes. Nebraska opened the second half on a 29-9 run and scored 51 in the half.

Five Huskers finished in double figures, including Keisei Tominaga, who tied a career-high with 23 points. Nebraska shot an impressive 67.9% (19-for-28) in the second half and the Huskers also drilled nine of their 13 second-half shots from behind the arc. NU shot 62% from the field overall in the win, its best showing since the 2014-15 season.

The Huskers have shot 46.7% (211-for-452) from the field and are 88-for-141 (62.4%) through eight games. Nebraska has also outrebounded its opponents this season, 297-252, and the Huskers have won the board battle in their last five games.