Huskers Return Home for Illinois Tuesday Evening

Following an overtime win at Minnesota on Saturday, the Huskers return to Pinnacle Bank Arena for the first time in 2023 to host Illinois Tuesday evening. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and 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 televised nationally on BTN and carried on the Huskers Radio Network. It will also be available on the Fox Sports app.

Nebraska (9-7, 2-3 Big Ten) comes off an 81-79 win at Minnesota on Jan. 7, marking the Huskers’ first overtime road win in conference play since 2001. Derrick Walker had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, as Nebraska fought back from a seven-point second-half deficit for a crucial road win. Juwan Gary added a season-high 18 points, including a go-ahead tip-in with 55 seconds left in overtime to give NU the lead for good while Sam Griesel had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. NU went 8-of-11 from the charity stripe in overtime to seal the win and went 16-of-21 from the line in picking up its second road win of the year.

Walker has been a focal point of the Huskers attack, as he averaged 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists on the Huskers’ two-game road trip. The 6-9 senior is enjoying career bests in scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg), giving the Huskers a strong inside threat.  A win on Tuesday would allow the Huskers to equal their win total for all of 2021-22.

The Huskers have been tough in Pinnacle Bank Arena, going 6-1 this season with the only loss coming to No. 4 Purdue in overtime on Dec. 10. In the Huskers’ last home game, NU held Iowa to season lows in points (50) and shooting percentage (.260) in a 65-50 Husker victory.

Illinois (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten) comes to Lincoln with a 10-5 mark after knocking off No. 14 Wisconsin, 79-69, on Saturday. The Illini shot 47 percent, including 55 percent in the second half, and put four players in double figures. Terrence Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 24 points and added eight rebounds, while Coleman Hawkins added 20 points, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.

About Illinois

Brad Underwood is in his sixth year at Illinois after previous coaching stops at Oklahoma State and Stephen F. Austin. Illinois went 23-10 and won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title last year, winning on the final day of the season with a win over Iowa and Nebraska’s victory at Wisconsin the same day.

The Illini roster has been retooled from a season ago as Illinois replaced all five starters – including multi-year standouts Kofi Cockburn and Trent Frazier – and six of its top scorers from last season. Illinois won six of its first seven games, including a win over UCLA, before an eight-game stretch where Illinois has alternated wins and losses. Illinois’ resume also includes a neutral-site win over No. 2 Texas as well as Saturday’s 10-point win over No. 14 Wisconsin.

The Illini have a Big 12 feel, as three of its top scorers are all transfers from Big 12 programs. Terrence Shannon leads Illinois in scoring at 17.6 points per game while Baylor transfers Dain Dainja (10.1) and Matthew Meyer (10.0) average double figures. Coleman Hawkins is the fourth player in double figures, as he is at 10.0 points per game following a 20-point effort against Wisconsin.

Series History: Illinois leads the all-time series, 19-8, over Nebraska in a series that dates back to 1921. Nebraska is 6-12 against Illinois since joining the Big Ten, and the Illini have won five straight meetings. Tuesday’s meeting is the first of two matchups this season, as NU will travel to Illinois later this month. NU is 4-3 against Illinois since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena. Prior to Nebraska joining the conference in 2011-12, the Huskers and Illini had played only once since 1976 – a 100-73 Husker victory in the 1990 San Juan Shootout.

Last meeting: Nebraska stood toe-to-toe with No. 25 Illinois, but the Fighting Illini used a 12-2 run in the final four minutes to stave off the Huskers, 81-71, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 11, 2022. In a tightly contested battle, neither team led by more than five in the second half until the final stretch after Nebraska pulled even at 65-all on a pair of Bryce McGowens’ free throws with 3:57 left. Coleman Hawkins’ offensive putback started a decisive 7-0 run, as the Illini took a 72-65 lead on a 3-pointer from Da’Monte Williams with 2:20 left. NU pulled to within 72-67 on a pair of Alonzo Verge Jr. free throws, but Illinois ran off five straight, including a 3-pointer from Trent Frazier, who led all scorers with 29 points.

Frazier’s 29 led three Illini in double figures, while Kofi Cockburn (16) and Jacob Grandison (12) also finished in double figures. McGowens paced three Huskers (6-11, 0-6) with 19 points and six rebounds. Verge and Derrick Walker each added 14 points.

Numbers to Know

7 – Derrick Walker is the only Big Ten player and one of seven players nationally averaging at least 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game as of Jan. 8. Walker is first or second on the team 

in scoring, rebounding and assists. 

18 – Nebraska dished out 18 assists in the win over Minnesota, the most by the Huskers since dishing out 21 assists against Boston College on Nov. 30. 

2 – Nebraska’s Sam Griesel is one of only two Big Ten players – and 20 players across all of Division I – averaging at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, joining Penn State’s Jalen Pickett as of Jan. 8.

.649 – Derrick Walker’s career field goal percentage at Nebraska. He is on track to set NU’s career record in that category. Larry Cox (.625, 1974-76) and Dave Hoppen (.600, 1983-86) are the only two Huskers with career field

goal percentages above .600.

11.1 – Nebraska is allowing its opponents only 11.1 free throw attempts per game. The Huskers have held seven opponents to 10 free throws or less, including a combined 24 in the last three games. On the other hand, NU gets to the line an average of 16.2 times per game.

50 – Nebraska allowed 50 points in the Dec. 29 win over Iowa, its lowest total in four seasons under Fred Hoiberg. It was the fewest points allowed by Nebraska since the 2018-19 season.

2 – Fred Hoiberg is the only coach in program history with a pair of top-10 wins on the road, as the Huskers won at No. 10 Wisconsin (3/6/22) and at No. 7 Creighton (12/6/22). 

Worth Noting

•  The Huskers shot 51 percent at Minnesota, its best shooting performance on the road since hitting 54 percent in the 2021-22 regular-season finale at No. 10 Wisconsin. Over the last four games, NU is shooting 47 percent from the field after shooting just 44 percent in its first 12 contests.

• Nebraska has faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2022-23. As of Jan. 9, Nebraska’s NET strength of schedule was 13th nationally. In all, nine of Nebraska’s 16 games have been against Quad 1 (six) and Quad 2 (three) opponents.

• Juwan Gary comes off one of his best performances of the season in Saturday’s win at Minnesota. The 6-foot-6 forward had a season-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and six rebounds. Nebraska is 8-1 this season when Gary reaches double figures.

• The return of Derrick Walker after missing the first five games has been evident on both ends of the court. Nebraska’s leading scorer and rebounder, he has helped Nebraska’s dramatic improvement on the defensive end. According to Bart Torvik’s rankings, Nebraska’s defense is 44th nationally in adjusted efficiency since Walker returned on Nov. 25.

• Derrick Walker is one of only two Big Ten players this year to have a game of at least 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he did against Minnesota on Saturday.  Jalen Pickett has done it twice (vs. Quinnipiac on Dec. 22 and Sunday vs. Purdue). Over the last three seasons (2020-21 to 2022-23), it has happened just six times, including twice by Huskers.

 • Derrick Walker enters the week as one of three players nationally averaging at least 14 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting at least 62 percent from the field. 

 • Nebraska has shared the wealth during the first half of the season. The Huskers have six players averaging at least 9.3 points per game, while seven different players have topped NU in scoring at least once. Since 2000-01, NU has had only four seasons with four players averaging double figures (2019-20, 2018-19, 2013-14, 2005-06). The last time NU had five players finish the season averaging double figures was the 1993-94 season.

• After going 8-of-20 from the foul line at Michigan State, the Huskers bounced back and went 16-of-21 from the charity stripe in the overtime win at Minnesota. Over the last seven games, Nebraska has shot 70 percent or better six times and is shooting .676 as a team in that stretch.

• With more of an emphasis on positional size compared to previous Hoiberg-coached Husker teams, Nebraska has made significant improvement on the defensive end despite breaking in an entirely new starting lineup. The Huskers have held 11 of their 16 opponents to 70 points or less and have climbed over 130 spots in adjusted defense in KenPom compared to last season.

• The biggest strides Nebraska has made has been in rebounding. NU is currently seventh in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +3.1 per game and has been out-rebounded just five times in 16 contests.  NU is 126th nationally in rebounding margin after ranking 344th last year. NU enjoyed a 38-28 advantage at Minnesota. Last month against Iowa, Nebraska grabbed 54 rebounds – its highest total in a conference game since 2000.

• Nebraska has done an excellent job of not fouling. The Huskers are eighth nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.1) as of Jan. 8. Only three opponents – Florida State, No. 4 Purdue and Queens – have gotten to the line more than Nebraska in the first 16 contests.

• Nebraska saw its three-game win streak against ranked opponents snapped in a loss at No. 14 Indiana on Dec. 7. It matched the second-longest streak in school history and what made more impressive that all three games were on the road. It marked the first time in school history that Nebraska had a three-game road win streak vs. ranked teams.

• In the first 16 games, Nebraska has already totaled seven double-doubles (Derrick Walker-3; Sam Griesel-2; Juwan Gary-1; Blaise Keita-1) and all seven have been points/rebounds double-doubles. Last year, NU totaled 10 double-doubles in 32 games (6 pts./reb. and 4 pts./asst.).

• Sophomore Wilhelm Breidenbach has found an increased role in recent weeks as he is now a year out from having season-ending surgery in December of 2021. Over the last five games, he is averaging 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, more than doubling his production from his first 10 appearances in 2022-23. He posted a 10-point effort at Michigan State on Tuesday and had seven points in 13 minutes at Minnesota.

Wilhelm Emerges

Last Time Out

Derrick Walker tied his career high with 22 points, as Nebraska defeated Minnesota, 81-79, in overtime on Jan. 7.

Walker matched his personal best in points and posted his third 20-point game of the year, while dishing out a career-high seven assists and grabbing eight rebounds to help Nebraska improve to 9-7 and pick up a third straight win over Minnesota.

The win was NU’s first OT win since the 2019-20 season and first win in Williams Arena since 2018. The win snapped a six-game streak of OT losses and marked NU’s first overtime road win in conference play since 2001.

Juwan Gary added a season-high 18 points and six boards, including a key putback in OT, while Sam Griesel had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, as the Huskers shot 51 percent from the field and went 16-of-21 from the foul line.

Gary gave the Huskers the lead for good in the extra session, as his putback with 55 seconds left gave NU a 76-74 lead. On the Gophers’ next possession, C.J. Wilcher picked off a Jamison Battle pass and found Griesel, whose two free throws with 21 seconds remaining gave NU a four-point lead. Battle, who led Minnesota with 20 points, missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, ending the Gophers’ last gasp.

NU out-rebounded Minnesota, 38-28, despite a 19-point, 15-rebound effort from Dawson Garcia, who fouled out in overtime for Minnesota.

 Postgame Notes at Minnesota

• Nebraska snapped a six-game losing streak in overtime games dating back to the 2019-20 season. It also marked Nebraska’s OT road win in conference play since an 87-82 win at Colorado on Feb. 17, 2001.
• Nebraska has now won four of its last six Big Ten road games dating back to last season. 
• The win was Nebraska’s first in Williams Arena since 2018.  Prior to Saturday, the home team had won 15 of the last 16 meetings in the series since 2012. 
• Derrick Walker tied a career high with 22 points, matching his total against Creighton on Dec 4. It was his third career 20-point game, all coming in 2022-23.
• Walker also finished with a career high seven assists, topping his previous best of six set on two other occasions.   
• Juwan Gary finished with a season high 18 points (previous high was 17 vs. UAPB). 
• Nebraska shot 50.8 percent from the field, the sixth time Nebraska shot at least 50 percent this season. 
• Nebraska’s 81 points is its highest total since scoring 88 against Boston College on Nov. 30.

Hometown Kid Making Good

Senior Sam Griesel has enjoyed quite the homecoming, averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game from his point guard spot in replacing Alonzo Verge Jr., who led the Big Ten in assists per game last season. 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.

• He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in assists per game and 12th in steals per game as of Jan. 8.
• Griesel has reached double figures in each of the last four games, and he is averaging 13.8 ppg on 45 percent shooting in that span.
• He 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).
• Griesel led NU with 16 points and added three assists and three rebounds in the win over Queens.
• 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.
• Griesel’s 22-point effort against Maine in the season opener was one of the highest-scoring debuts by a Husker in the last 50 seasons. 

Walker Looks to Continue Efficient Shooting

Super senior Derrick Walker has made a significant impact on the Huskers since returning to action on Nov. 25. Walker, who missed NU’s first five games, has been a force, averaging 14.5 points on 62 percent shooting, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 forward was NU’s only returning starter entering 2021-22 and has 10 double-figure efforts in 11 contests.

• Walker is also one of three players nationally averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 64 percent from the field as of Jan. 8.
• He is one of seven players nationally averaging at least 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game.
• Walker has a team-high three double-doubles (Memphis, Florida State and No. 4 Purdue) and six for his career.
• 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.
• He led NU with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists at Michigan State on Jan. 3.
• 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, snapping his streak of eight straight 20-point games.
• 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.
• He made his 2022-23 debut against Memphis and had 15 points and 12 boards in a loss to the Tigers.
• 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. 

Walker vs. the Bigs

Over a three-game stretch in December, Nebraska’s Derrick Walker battled three of the nation’s top centers in Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Purdue’s Zach Edey. Kalkbrenner was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, while Jackson-Davis and Edey are on the short list for National Player of the Year over the first month of the year. In the three-game stretch, Walker matched the trio’s performance as Nebraska squared off against a trio of teams in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll.

Centers of Attention

Bandoumel Provides Steady Production for Big Red

Senior grad transfer Emmanuel Bandoumel has been a steadying force on both ends of the court for the Huskers this season. He enters the Minnesota game averaging 9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while also keying NU’s defensive attack. Before joining the Husker program, the Quebec City, Quebec, native was a three-year starter at SMU, averaging double figures in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.

• Bandoumel, who played off the ball for most of his time at SMU, matched his career best with six assists against Boston College on Nov. 30.
• He has reached double figures eight times, most recently a 10-point effort against Iowa on Dec. 29.
• Bandoumel tallied 18 points and five assists in the loss against Memphis on Nov. 15 and had 13 points and five dimes against Oklahoma on Nov. 24.
• Bandoumel enjoyed his best game against Omaha with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in NU’s game-opening 11-0 run.

Gary is Huskers’ Junkyard Dog
Nebraska’s improvement in defense and rebounding is directly attributable to the arrival of Alabama transfer Juwan Gary. The 6-foot-6 forward is utilized in a number of ways, even playing center when the Huskers go a to a small-ball lineup. On the season, he is averaging 9.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and a team-best 1.5 steals per game, ranking seventh in the Big Ten in that category.

• He has nine double-figure scoring efforts this season, already bettering his 2021-22 total of eight in 29 games at Alabama.
• Gary had a season-high 18 points, including the go-ahead basket to break a 74-all tie in OT, and six boards at Minnesota.
• Gary led NU with 14 points and nine rebounds in the win over Iowa on Dec. 29
• His three double-figure rebound games (Maine, St. John’s and K-State) ties for 10th in the Big Ten.
• Gary nearly posted his second double-double of the year with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and nine rebounds in the win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4.
• He also had 16 points and seven boards against Oklahoma on Nov. 24.
• Gary has more steals (24) than in either of his two seasons at Alabama.
• He posted a double-double in his Husker debut with 14 points and 11 boards against Maine on Nov. 7 

Tominaga Continues Strong Play

After a summer with the Japanese National Team, junior Keisei Tominaga continued his strong play this season.  Tominaga, a 6-foot-2 guard, has been a spark off the bench, ranking fourth on the team in scoring at 9.9 points per game while averaging less than 20 minutes per contest.

• Tominaga is second on the team in 3-pointers (23) and 3-point percentage (.369) and has eight double-figure contests.
• He enjoyed one of his best efforts of the year against No. 4 Purdue with 19 points, including four 3-pointers, Dec. 10. He sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation.
• Of Tominaga’s 15 career double-figure games at Nebraska, 11 have come off the bench, including 23-point efforts against Boston College on Nov. 29 and against South Dakota last season.
• Tominaga shined in NU’s win over Boston College on Nov. 30. He tied his career high of 23 points on just eight field goal attempts (7-8 FG, 4-5 3PT; 5-5 FT) for his second career 20-point game. He had 17 of his 23 markers in the first half, including 11 straight NU points.
• Tominaga also had a team-high 15 points at St. John’s and a 19-point effort against Maine. In that game, he connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers, and added two rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes.
• 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. 

Wilcher Breaks Out

C.J. Wilcher was one of the Big Ten’s top scoring sixth men last year and has moved into the starting lineup in 2022-23. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 9.2 points per game and has a team-leading 26 3-pointers.

• He has six double-figure games, including a 13-point effort in NU’s win over Iowa on Dec. 29.
• Wilcher had a career-high 22-point effort at No. 14 Indiana on Dec. 7, scoring 17 second-half points to keep the Huskers in the game.
• He scored all 14 of his points in the second half in the win over Boston College on Nov. 30, including a quartet of 3-pointers.
• Wilcher was efficient in NU’s win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 15 points and three assists on just nine shots. Wilcher was 3-of-3 from 3-point range, the second time this season he had at least three 3-pointers.
• He posted a then-career-high 21 points against Omaha on 8-of-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers. It marked the first 20-point game of his career.
• Last season, he closed the season playing some of his best basketball, shooting 60 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range, over NU’s final five games. In Big Ten play last season, he shot a team-best 43.0 percent from beyond the arc 

Making Strides On Defense

Nebraska has been much improved on the defensive end this season, jumping over 130 spots in defensive efficiency despite facing seven opponents who rank in the top 50 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Jan. 8.

• Nebraska has held 10 opponents to 1.0 point per possession or less. Michigan State snapped a streak of four straight opponents at 1.0 ppp or less on Tuesday night, averaging 1.17 ppp.
• In the overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, Nebraska held the Boilermakers to a season-low 0.99 points per possession. Purdue came into the contest leading in the nation in offensive efficiency (118.0).
• Nebraska held Iowa, which was 10th nationally 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.

A Change of Pace
One typical trait of a Fred Hoiberg team is to play at a fast pace. The Huskers led the Big Ten in pace in each of the last three seasons according to KenPom, including top-20 rankings in 2019-20 (16th) and 2021-22 (19th). NU has been the only Big Ten team to rank in the top-50 in any of the past three seasons.

• The 2022-23 team has been completely different, as NU is 289th nationally in pace entering this week’s action. NU has had just six games with 70+ possessions in the first 15 contests (St. John’s, Florida State, Creighton, Indiana, Kansas State and Queens), and only one of those opponents finished above 1.0 point per possession.

Playing with Pace (Adjusted Tempo per KenPom)