Huskers Travel to Iowa for Regular-Season Finale

The Nebraska men’s basketball team closes the regular season Sunday afternoon, as the Huskers travel to Iowa for a Big Ten Conference matchup with the Hawkeyes. Tipoff at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for 1 p.m. (central) and Sunday’s game will be carried on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network and will also be available online on the Fox Sports app.

Both teams have plenty to play for on the final day of the regular season. For Nebraska (15-15, 8-11), a win on Sunday would give the Huskers a third Quad 1 road run and their first-ever sweep of the Hawkeyes since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12. A win and some help this weekend could also put NU in position to get a first-round bye. For Iowa, a win would assure the Hawkeyes of a double bye in next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Chicago and a potential second-place finish in a wild Big Ten race.

Nebraska saw its four-game win streak snapped with an 80-67 loss to Michigan State on Tuesday. The Huskers built a 14-point lead early in the second half, only to see MSU go 12-of-17 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes. Keisei Tominaga paced NU with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead four Huskers in double figures. Tominanga is making a late bid for All-Big Ten honors, averaging 21.3 points per game on 56 percent shooting over the last month.

Freshman Jamarques Lawrence continued his strong finish to his freshman year with a season-high 15 points along with four rebounds and three assists. The 6-foot-3 freshman guard averaged just 2.0 points in NU’s first 20 games, but is averaging 8.1 points per game with five double-figure efforts since moving into the starting lineup on Jan. 25.

Iowa (19-11, 11-8) has a two-game win streak and comes off its most complete performance of the season, a 90-68 rout at No. 15 Indiana on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes shot 56 percent from the field, including 13-of-23 from 3-point range, as Kris Murray and Tony Perkins combined for 49 points. Murray had 26 points and seven rebounds, while Perkins added 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Worth Noting

• Nebraska has won five of its last seven games to even its record at 15-15, while the Huskers’ eight Big Ten wins are the most since winning 13 games in 2017-18. Of Nebraska’s 15 losses this season, 13 are against teams in the top 60 of the NET as of March 1.

• Sunday’s game at Iowa marks the fourth straight season that Nebraska has finished Big Ten play on the road. The last time NU finished conference play at home was against Iowa in 2019.

• Nebraska went 5-2 in the month of February, marking the fifth time since 2000 that Nebraska has won five February games (also 2017-18, 2013-14, 2007-08 and 2003-04).

• Nebraska’s offense has been a spark down the stretch with a revised lineup. Over the last 10 games dating back to Jan. 25, the Huskers are shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Of those 10 games, seven have come against teams ranked in the top 35 nationally in defensive efficiency,

Improved Shooting

• Keisei Tominaga has been one of the Big Ten’s top scorers over the past month. He is averaging 21.7 ppg on 56 percent shooting since Feb. 1. Here’s how Tominaga’s numbers compare to the top Big Ten’s top six scorers in the Big Ten since Feb. 1.

Since Feb. 1 (Keisei + B1G Scoring Leaders)

• Tominaga is one of seven power conference players averaging double figures while shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range in conference games only (min. 1 made 3/gm). The others are Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), Zach Freemantle (Xavier), Jack Nunge (Xavier), Jalen Pickett (Penn State), Kobe Brown (Missouri) and Brandon Miller (Alabama)

• Tominaga leads NU in scoring at 14.2 ppg in Big Ten play and will look to become just the third Husker to average double figures while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range in conference play since the 3-point line was added to college basketball in the mid 1986-87.  The others are Isaac Copelend in 2017-18 (13.5/.506/.429) and Jaron Boone in 1993-94 (14.2/.510/.462).

• Tominaga saw his streak of five consecutive 20-point games end against Minnesota on Feb. 25, 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).

• Keisei 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 March 3, Nebraska’s NET strength of schedule is 12th nationally, while Iowa will be Nebraska’s 14th game against a Quad 1 opponent this season.

• NU’s adjusted strength of schedule is 11th in KenPom as of March 3, 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, and Blaise Keita has missed the last two games with an ankle injury suffered in the final minutes against Maryland. Nebraska played just 10 games with its full starting lineup this year.

• Entering the Iowa game, NU players have missed a combined 68 games this season: Quaran McPherson (30); Juwan Gary (13); Emmanuel Bandoumel (10); Blaise Keita (8); Derrick Walker (5); and Sam Griesel (2). McPherson had season-ending knee surgery in September, while Keita has not played since Feb. 19.

• Since the season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel, freshmen guards Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg have been thrown into the rotation.

• Since Jan. 24, Nebraska’s freshmen have accounted for 31.5 percent of the team’s total minutes. It was just 11.8 of the team’s minutes in the first 20 contests.

Role Expansion (Numbers Pre Jan. 21/Jan. 21-current)

• 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 30 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 3-11 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 5.3 rebounds per game.

• Derrick Walker is averaging a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game to rank 11th in the Big Ten in rebounding as of March 2. 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

73.4 – Nebraska averaged 73.4 points per game during February in posting a 5-2 mark. 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 six of its last seven contests.

13.8 – Nebraska ranks ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten with 13.8 fouls per game as of March 3. Nebraska and Purdue are the only Big Ten teams in the top 25 nationally in fewest fouls per game.

12 – Nebraska had 12 basketball players make the Fall NU Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll with 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.

About Iowa

Iowa comes into Sunday’s game with a 19-11 mark and riding a two-game win streak. The Hawkeyes snapped a two-game losing streak last Saturday with an improbable comeback against Michigan State. Iowa rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 55 seconds before posting a 112-106 victory over Michigan State. Iowa followed up with an impressive 90-68 win at No. 15 Indiana on Tuesday. Iowa is 8-1 at home in Big Ten play, while averaging 89.3 points per game. Iowa has had its share of close games at home with three OT games and a two-point win over Illinois.

Iowa features an explosive offensive attack that averages 80.7 points per game to lead the Big Ten and rank in the top 20 nationally. The Hawkeyes average nearly 21 free throws per game and have been to the line nearly 200 more times then their opponents. The Hawkeyes are led by Kris Murray, as he averages 20.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Filip Rebraca (14.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Tony Perkins (12.6 ppg) and Payton Sandfort (10.2 ppg) also average double figures.

Series History: The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 24-14, in a series that dates back to 1907. It is NU’s third-oldest series against a Big Ten foe, as only NU’s series with Minnesota and Wisconsin have been around longer.  The teams had not met since 1976 before NU joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska is 7-12 against the Hawkeyes since joining the Big Ten, but have not won in Iowa City since the 2011-12 season, a 79-73 victory. The home team has won 11 of the past 12 meetings since the start of the 2016-17 season.

Last meeting: Juwan Gary’s 14 points led five Huskers in double figures, as the Huskers held Iowa to 26 percent shooting in a 66-50 victory on Dec. 29. Gary, who also grabbed nine rebounds, keyed the Huskers’ best defensive

performance since the 2018-19 season, as the Hawkeyes were held 33 points below their Big Ten-leading scoring average. In addition to Gary, Sam Griesel had 12 points and 10 rebounds while C.J. Wilcher (13), Emmanuel Bandoumel (10) and Derrick Walker (10) all finished in double figures for Nebraska.

Nebraska thrilled the sellout crowd of 14,920 with a 20-0 first-half run, turning a 9-8 lead into a 21-point cushion en route to taking a 38-26 lead into the locker room. NU eventually pushed the lead to 24 and cruised to a 16-point win. The 50 points allowed was NU’s best defensive effort under Fred Hoiberg and lowest against a Big Ten opponent since Northwestern was held to 50 points on Feb. 16, 2018. Nebraska held Iowa to 26 percent shooting, the lowest by a Husker opponent since Mississippi Valley State shot 19 percent on Nov. 6, 2018.

Last Time Out

Keisei Tominaga totaled a team-high 20 points to lead four Huskers in double figures, but Michigan State erupted for 12 3-pointers in the second half to erase a 14-point deficit in a 80-67 win on Feb. 28.

Tominaga hit 7-of-10 shots, including four 3-pointers, en route to his eighth 20-point game of the season, while freshman Jamarques Lawrence added a career-high 15 points in a losing effort.

Seniors Derrick Walker (13) and Sam Griesel (12) also finished in double figures, as Nebraska shot 51 percent from the field, but could not withstand Michigan State’s sharp-shooting in the second half

Nebraska built a 14-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half, but Michigan State (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) opened the second stanza by hitting its first five 3-pointers to trim the lead to 48-45 after Malik Hall’s 3-pointer with just under 15 minutes remaining.

Nebraska would run off seven straight points to take a 55-45 lead after Tominaga’s fourth 3-pointer of the game with 14:01 left, but MSU would take control from there. The Spartans used a 15-1 run to regain the lead at 60-56 after consecutive 3-pointers from Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser.

Hauser led MSU with 20 points, including 6-of-11 from long distance, while Walker added 19 for the Spartans. A.J. Hoggard finished with a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists, as MSU shot 68 percent in the second half, including 12-of-17 from 3-point range.

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. 64 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 13 games against teams currently in the top 50 nationally in offensive efficiency as of March 2.

• • NU’s 9.1 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 11th nationally in offensive efficiency as of March 2.

• • Nebraska held Iowa, which is currently third 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, 3.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 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 nearly posted a double-double against Michigan State with 12 points and eight rebounds.

• • He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in assists and in the top 15 in steals, minutes and assist-to-turnover ratio.

• • He has 17 double-figure games this season, including seven straight games from Dec. 20 to Jan. 21 and in each of the last five contests.

• • Griesel had his third double-double of 2022-23 at Rutgers on Feb. 14 with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

• • 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 13.8 points on 59 percent shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 senior forward leads NU in scoring and rebounding and is second in assists, and has 19 double-figure games 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 March 3.

• • Walker is second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.589), a total which ranks 27th nationally as of March 3 and in the top 12 in both rebounding and assists.

• • He has a team-high three double-doubles (Memphis, Florida State and No. 4 Purdue) and six for his career.

• • Walker is making a strong bid to join an elite list of Big Ten players who averaged at least 14 points,  seven rebounds and three assists per game since 2000.

• • 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 12.9 points per game while averaging 24.5 minutes per contest.

• • Tominaga leads the Huskers in both 3-pointers (63) and 3-point percentage (.406), 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 17.4 points per game on 52 percent shooting, including 42 percent from 3-point range. Tominaga has seven 20-point games in that span, including a 30-point effort against Penn State on Feb. 5.

• • He has a team-high 20 double-figure games, including eight 20-point games.

• • His most recent 20-point game came against Michigan State on Feb. 28 when he had 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including four 3-pointers.

• • 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 in NU’s 82-72 win.

• • 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 on 10 of-16 shooting from the floor.

• • 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.

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 220nd nationally in pace as of Feb. 27. NU has had just 12 games with 70+ possessions this season and only two of those opponents (at Indiana, at Michigan) averaged 1.0 points per possession in those games.

• • Since the injuries to Bandoumel and Gary, NU has played at a faster rate and is 94th in tempo according to BartTorvik.com dating back to Jan. 25.

Playing with Pace (Adjusted Tempo per KenPom)