Huskers Return to Action vs. Hoosiers

The Nebraska men’s basketball team returns to action on Sunday afternoon, as the Huskers welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

Tipoff between the Huskers and Hoosiers is slated for 5 p.m. (central) and will be carried on BTN with Larry Punteney and Shon Morris on the call. The game can also be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the Fox Sports app.

Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers app and TuneIn radio. The pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff.

The Huskers (4-7, 0-4 Big Ten) battled against the No. 17 Spartans in its last game on Jan. 2, cutting a 17-point deficit to five points down the stretch, but could not finish the upset bid. Nebraska put together its best offensive performance in conference play, shooting 49 percent from the floor, including 9-of-19 from 3-point range, and out-rebounded MSU, 31-29. 

While Teddy Allen (23) and Trey McGowens (20) had 20-point games for NU, an encouraging sign was that Kobe Webster and Lat Mayen are breaking out of shooting slumps. Webster, who was 1-of-14 in Big Ten play in NU’s first three games, had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers off the bench, while Mayen added eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, despite playing just 15 minutes because of foul trouble. 

McGowens, who spent two seasons at Pittsburgh, has become more comfortable in recent games. He is averaging 12.3 ppg on 47 percent shooting in his last six games, including five against ranked teams, dating back to Dec. 9. The 6-foot-4 guard is also shooting 64 percent from 3-point range in that span. He is also chipping in 1.5 steals per game in that stretch, after ranking among the ACC leaders in that category in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Indiana (7-5, 2-3 Big Ten) wraps up a two-game road swing following an 80-73 double-overtime loss to No. 8 Wisconsin on Thursday. The Hoosiers had led in the final minute of both regulation and the first overtime before the Badgers rallied for the win.  The Hoosiers feature one of the country’s top big men in Trayce Jackson-Davis, who averages 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game to rank in the top five in the Big Ten in both categories.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Senior guard Kobe Webster posted his sixth double-figure game of the season with 10 points against No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday. An Indianapolis native, Webster is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.2 points per game.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

4.9 – Assists per game for sophomore Dalano Banton, which is fifth in the Big Ten. Banton has six games with at least six assists following his seven-assist performance against Michigan State. 

7 – Nebraska has seven 20-point performances on the season (Teddy Allen-5; Trey McGowens-1; Kobe Webster-1). Saturday’s game against Michigan State marked the first time NU had multiple 20-point scorers since Dec. 13, 2019.

Multiple 20-Point Scorers Under Hoiberg

8.6 – Nebraska’s 3-pointers per game, which is on pace to be the second-highest average per game in school history.

10 – Number of seasons where Nebraska has had multiple 100-point games. The 2020-21 campaign is the first time since 1995-96.

35 – Nebraska is 35th nationally in tempo according to KenPom as of Jan. 7. The Huskers are one of two Big Ten teams currently in the top 50 as of Jan. 7.

SCOUTING INDIANA

Archie Miller is in his fourth season at Indiana after guiding the Dayton program for six years, leading the Flyers to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Miller’s teams have won 16, 19 and 20 games over the previous three seasons and the Hoosiers come to Lincoln with a 7-5 mark this season.

During non-conference play, the Hoosiers went 5-2 including wins over Providence, Stanford and Butler, while the losses were to Texas and in overtime at Florida State. Indiana dropped its first two conference games before picking up home wins over Penn State and Maryland. Indiana nearly picked up a win at No. 8 Wisconsin before falling 80-73 in double overtime. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 23 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots to pace four Hoosiers in double figures. Indiana shot 67 percent in the second half to overcome a 29-24 halftime deficit and had chances to win in the final minute of regulation and the first overtime.

Jackson-Davis is the focal point of the Hoosiers’ attack as he averages team-highs in both scoring (20.5) and rebounding (9.2), while blocking 1.8 shots per game to rank in the top five of the Big Ten in all three categories. He is one of three Indiana players who average double figures, including Armaan Franklin (12.7 ppg) and Aljami Durham (10.5 ppg). Franklin leads Indiana with 20 3-pointers and is shooting .476 from 3-point range this season, but suffered an ankle injury in Monday’s win over Maryland and did not play at Wisconsin. The Hoosiers shoot 26 percent as a team and get to the line an average of 20.9 per contest.

Series History: Nebraska and Indiana meet for the 23rd time on Sunday afternoon and the 14th since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Indiana leads the all-time series, 15-7, but the Huskers are 7-8 against the Hoosiers since NU joined the Big Ten.

Last Meeting: Nebraska held a 33-27 lead with four minutes remaining in the first half, but Indiana responded with a 16-1 run going into halftime and pulled away for an 89-64 victory in the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Kevin Cross scored a career-high 23 points, going 4-of-9 on 3-pointers, and senior guard Haanif Cheatham added 17 for the Huskers, who dressed just seven scholarship players. After their big run to end the first half, the Hoosiers (20-12) opened with a 15-4 run over the first 4:11 of the second half. They pushed the lead to as many as 21 points with 10:20 remaining before the Huskers mounted a rally.

Cross made a 3-pointer that ended an 11-0 run and pulled Nebraska within 68-58 with 8:22 remaining, and he hit another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to nine points with 7:41 to play. But that’s as close as the Huskers got, as Indiana pushed its lead to its final margin of 25, ending the game on a 12-0 scoring run.

 

LAST TIME OUT

Nebraska nearly rallied back from a 17-point second-half deficit before falling to No. 17 Michigan State, 84-77, on Jan. 2.

The Huskers (4-7, 0-4 Big Ten) trailed 52-35 with 17:34 remaining before making a spirited comeback behind the scoring of Teddy Allen, who had 19 of his team-high 23 points in the second half. Trailing 64-50, the Huskers ran off eight straight points, including a pair of Allen 3-pointers, to make it a six-point game with 9:52 remaining. NU continued to battle back and pulled to within 66-61 with 7:32 left. Nebraska was within 71-64 after a 3-point play from Trey McGowens at the 4:57 mark, but two straight MSU buckets gave the Spartans an 11-point lead after Josh Langford’s basket with 3:35 remaining.

The Huskers continued to battle as a Lat Mayen 3-pointer and a Dalano Banton basket pulled the Huskers within six with 2:55 left. NU would eventually get the margin to five three times in the last 1:12, but the Spartans (7-3, 1-3 Big Ten) kept the Huskers at bay to earn their first conference win.

McGowens added 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting and five rebounds, while Kobe Webster was the third Husker in double figures with 10 points.   McGowens kept the Huskers in the game in the first half, scoring 15 first-half points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as Nebraska trailed 40-33 at the break.

Michigan State’s Aaron Henry led all scorers with a career-high 27 points, including 17 in the first half. He had eight of his points in an 11-5 spurt to close the first half after the Huskers were within 29-28.

STORYLINES

• Sunday’s game gives a pair of Indiana natives a chance to face their homestate team. Kobe Webster (Indianapolis) has played in all 11 games and is averaging 8.2 points and 1.3 assists per game, while Trevor Lakes (Lebanon) has played in all five games since becoming eligible on Dec. 17, and is averaging 4.0 points per game while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range. Webster went over 1,500 career points in last Saturday’s loss to Michigan State, while Lakes’ next point will be the 1,000th of his career. Webster faced Indiana in Bloomington last season with Western Illinois, totaling 18 points in a loss to the Hoosiers.

• Junior Derrick Walker will make his Husker debut on Sunday at Indiana. Walker, a 6-foot-8, 232-pound forward missed Nebraska’s first 11 games because of an NCAA suspension dating back to his tenure at Tennessee. He played 64 games over two seasons for the Volunteers.

• Former Husker assistant coach Kenya Hunter is in his first season on the Indiana staff. He was at NU from 2013 to 2018.

• Teddy Allen is one of only five newcomers among power conference players averaging at least 17.0 points per game this season as of Jan. 7. Allen averages 18.2 points per game, including 19.6 ppg in NU’s five games against ranked opponents.

• The Big Ten has 12 teams in the top 50 of the NET rankings on Jan. 8. It also has seven ranked teams and three others receiving votes. On Dec. 28, a conference record nine teams were ranked, breaking the old mark of eight set on March 2, 2020. It is the most by any conference since the old Big East had nine teams on March 7, 2011.

• Nebraska enters the weekend ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 73rd nationally with 8.6 3-pointers per game, which is on pace to be the second highest per game total in school history. It is not surprising that Nebraska relied on its 3-point shooting in Hoiberg’s tenure, as his Iowa State teams led the Big 12 in 3-pointers in four of his five seasons at the school. The Huskers have struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 31.5 percent from 3-point range. During his five seasons at Iowa State (2010-11 to 2014-14), the Cyclones shot at least 36 percent from the line in each season.

 

Most 3-Pointers/Game in School History

 
• Nebraska has two 100-point games this season following the Dec. 17 win over Doane. It marks the 10th time in school history that Nebraska had multiple 100-point games in a season and the first since 1995-96. Nebraska is now 39-4 all-time when scoring 100+ points.

• NU has shown the ability to get off to fast starts in 2020-21. NU has outscored its nine opponents by a combined score of 88-54 prior to the first media timeout, and has led or tied heading into the first media break in nine of the 11 games. The only two times NU has trailed at the first media timeout were one-point deficits to South Dakota and at Creighton.

 

NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT

Nebraska knew it would be relying on newcomers with only three returnees on the 2020-21 roster. In the offseason, the Huskers added four scholarship players with previous Division I experience, as well as Division II transfer Trevor Lakes.

• The group combined for nearly 4,000 points, 1,300 rebounds and 600 assists in their collegiate careers before joining the Husker program.

• The group included multi-year starters Kobe Webster (Western Illinois), Trey McGowens (Pittsburgh) and Trevor Lakes (Indianapolis). 

• The Huskers also gain the services of three players (Dalano Banton, Shamiel Stevenson and Derrick Walker) who all sat out the 2019-20 campaign after transferring to Nebraska. Walker will make his debut on Sunday against Indiana.

• Nebraska’s top five scorers are all newcomers, including three double-figure scorers. In all, 89 percent of the Huskers’ offense and 77 percent of its rebounds have come from players who did not play at Nebraska in 2019-20.

• Teddy Allen leads all Big Ten newcomers in scoring and steals heading into the Michigan State game, while Dalano Banton is second among all conference newcomers in assists and fourth in both rebounds and steals. 

• In all, 38 of Nebraska’s 39 double-figure efforts this season have been by players in their first season of competition at NU. Yvan Ouedraogo’s double-double vs. Doane is the Huskers’ only double-figure scoring effort by a returnee in 2020-21.

 

A UNIQUE POINT GUARD

It is not often that you see a point guard handling jump ball duties, but Dalano Banton is not your typical point guard, and NU coach Fred Hoiberg is finding ways to incorporate Banton’s unique skills. 

The 6-foot-9 sophomore provides a unique focal point to the Huskers’ attack and is averaging 12.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He comes into the Indiana game ranking among the Big Ten leaders in assists (fifth), steals (seventh), rebounding (11th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (14th).

A former top-100 recruit, Banton has reached double figures in nine of his 11 outings, including a 15-point, eight-rebound four-assist performance against No. 9 Wisconsin on Dec. 22 and a 17-point effort against No. 19 Michigan on Dec. 25.

• He is one of four players nationally and the only power conference player with a triple double this season. Banton posted his first career triple double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Doane on Dec. 17. In addition, he nearly posted another triple double against North Dakota State on Nov. 18 with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

• Banton is one of only eight players nationally – and three from power conferences – averaging at least 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as of Jan. 3. Two of the five are in the Big Ten with Banton and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu.

 

BANTON POSTS TRIPLE-DOUBLE

 Prior to Fred Hoiberg taking over the Nebraska basketball program, Nebraska never had a triple-double in a regular-season game and now have had one in each of the past two seasons following Dalano Banton’s triple-double against Doane on Dec. 17. In fact, the only two triple doubles in the Big Ten have been by Huskers. Hoiberg has had three players on the college level post a triple double, as Royce White of Iowa State had one in 2012 (10 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists).

 

Nebraska Triple-Doubles Under Hoiberg

 
STEALS = BASKETS
Nebraska’s length on the defensive end has been disruptive during the early portion of the campaign. The Huskers enter the Indiana contest ranked third in the Big Ten with 7.8 steals per game.
• Teddy Allen (1.9 spg, second), Dalano Banton (1.4 spg, seventh) and Trey McGowens (1.3 spg, 10th) rank among the Big Ten leaders in steals.

• Nebraska had 10+ steals in each of its first three games, marking the first time since the 2016-17 season and just the second time since 2010.

• Allen is the only power conference player and one of 17 players nationally with multiple five-steal games as of Jan. 3. The only other Husker to have multiple five-steal games in a season in the last decade is Glynn Watson Jr., who had three during the 2016-17 campaign.

• Nebraska will look to finish among the top three teams in the Big Ten in steals for the third straight year (2019-20, 7.0, second; 2018-19, 7.2, third).

 

TEDDY BUCKETS

Junior college transfer Teddy Allen has lived up to his billing as an elite scorer in his first season at Nebraska. The 6-foot-6 junior guard leads Nebraska and ranks sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.2 points per game while also chipping in 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. 

• Allen, who leads all Big Ten newcomers in scoring and steals, is one of only two newcomers listed in the top 10 of the Big Ten in scoring as of Jan 3.

• He is one of seven players nationally – and the only power conference player – averaging at least 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game and has played in at least five games.

• Allen has a team-high five 20-point efforts and is one of six Big Ten players with at least five 20-point games this season.

• He has been in double figures in each of his past 12 games dating back to his NCAA Sweet 16 game at West Virginia in 2018.

Allen, who averaged 31.4 points per game at Western Nebraska Community College last season, comes off a 23-point effort against Michigan State, where he had 19 second-half points. He enjoyed his best performance of the season at No. 8 Creighton on Dec. 11, when he totaled D-1 career highs with 26 points and nine rebounds. He also posted 20-point games against No. 19 Michigan (25), North Dakota State (22) and South Dakota (23). Allen has eight career 20-point games, including three during his freshman season at West Virginia in 2017-18.

 

HUSKERS LOOK TO PUSH PACE

When Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg talks about playing with pace, he means it. His first Nebraska team led the Big Ten and was the only conference program in the top-50 nationally in tempo in 2019-20. It was the highest finish of any Big Ten program in the KenPom database since the site began tracking in 2001-02.

In six full seasons as a college head coach, his teams have ranked in the top-50 in tempo five times – that matches the entire number of times that a Big Ten program has done it since the 2001-02 campaign. Prior to Hoiberg’s arrival, the last time a Husker team was in the top-100 nationally in tempo according to KenPom was in 1999-2000 under Danny Nee.

HUSKERS LOOK TO PUSH PACE

When Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg talks about playing with pace, he means it. His first Nebraska team led the Big Ten and was the only conference program in the top-50 nationally in tempo in 2019-20. It was the highest finish of any Big Ten program in the KenPom database since the site began tracking in 2001-02. 

In six full seasons as a college head coach, his teams have ranked in the top-50 in tempo five times – that matches the entire number of times that a Big Ten program has done it since the 2001-02 campaign. Prior to Hoiberg’s arrival, the last time a Husker team was in the top-100 nationally in tempo according to KenPom was in 1999-2000 under Danny Nee. 

Pace Under Hoiberg