Huskers Travel to NC State

The Nebraska men’s basketball team hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Raleigh, N.C., for a matchup with NC State as part of the 2021 Men’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The first meeting between the Huskers and Wolfpack will take place Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 6:15 p.m. (central) at PNC Arena.

The Huskers (5-2) are looking for their fifth straight win following an 83-70 win over South Dakota on Saturday. In that game, the Huskers got a career-high 23 points off the bench from Keisei Tominaga. The junior college transfer hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and keyed a 20-4 first-half run that erased an early deficit. Freshman Bryce McGowens (22 points, eight rebounds) and Derrick Walker (13 points) joined Tominaga in double figures, as the Huskers shot 46 percent from the field, including 9-of-23 from 3-point range.

 

Nebraska has found an offensive rhythm during its four-game win streak, averaging 80.5 points per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor in that stretch. Two of the biggest reasons are expanded roles for both Walker and McGowens. Walker has become more of a focal point in NU’s attack and is averaging 14.5 points per game in that stretch while hitting 25-of-27 shots from the field.  McGowens, a former five-star recruit, has continued to expand his all-around game and is averaging 16.0 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during NU’s win streak. As a team, NU is averaging 18.0 assists per game over the last four games after averaging just 10.3 assists per game in the first three games of the year.  All this has been done without Trey McGowens, Nebraska’s leading returning scorer who has been out since suffering a foot injury against Creighton on Nov. 16 and is not expected back until January.

NC State is 5-1 on the season following a 90-81 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday. In that game, the Wolfpack got a career-high 31 points from Jericole Hellems, as he hit 10-of-19 shots, including six 3-pointers, to pace five players in double figures. NC State averages 77.8 points per game and has four players averaging double figures, led by Dereon Seabron’s 18.8 points per game. Both teams do a good job of limiting turnovers, as the Huskers and Wolfpack both rank in the top 25 nationally in turnover rate.

Big Number

82.4 – Derrick Walker’s field goal percentage this season would lead the nation, but he is below the national minimum (5.0 FG/game). Walker has been in double figures in his last four games. Prior to this stretch, he had four career double-figure efforts.

About NC State

Under fifth-year coach Kevin Keatts, NC State is 5-1 on the season with the only blemish being a 74-68 loss to Oklahoma State at the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase. NC State had won at least 20 games in the previous three seasons (2018, 2019, 2020) and has reached postseason play in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Last year, NC State finished ninth in the ACC with a 9-8 mark, but won its final five regular-season games, including a 68-61 win at No. 15 Virginia, before reaching the second round of the NIT to finish with a 14-11 mark.

The Wolfpack, who returned four of their top six scorers, lost big man Manny Bates to a season-ending injury in the opener. Bates averaged 9.8 points on 64 percent shooting while leading the ACC in blocks in each of the past two seasons. Sophomore Dereon Seabron, who averaged just 5.2 points per game last year has emerged as one of the top all-around players in the ACC. He is fourth in the conference in scoring (18.8 ppg), second in rebounding (9.8 rpg), fourth in field goal percentage (.603) and second in steals (2.7 spg). Senior forward Jericole Hellems was NC State’s top returning scorer (12.9 ppg) and is second on the team averaging 14.8 points per game with a team-high 13 3-pointers. Four of the Wolfpack’s five starters average double figures, while Terquavion Smith provides offensive punch off the bench at 9.8 ppg, including 11 3-pointers.  Cam Hayes runs the attack, as he is at 11.7 points per game and has a nearly 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

One player that Husker fans are familiar with is Thomas Allen, who spent two seasons at Nebraska before transferring in April of 2019. Allen, who originally committed to NC State out of high school, has played in four games and is averaging 2.5 ppg in 14.6 minutes per game.  Wednesday’s matchup is the first between the schools, while Nebraska is 15-18 all-time against current ACC members.

Men’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge Primer

The 2021-22 season marks the 23rd edition of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Big Ten is 7-12-3 all-time in the challenge, but 7-2-3 over the past 12 years. In case of a tie, the Cup remains with the conference that won the event most recently. Last year, the Big Ten went 7-5, as two matchups were not played.

• Nebraska is 5-5 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and looks to snap a two-game losing streak in the event. Among Big Ten teams, only Purdue (11-9) and Penn State (11-9) have better records in the event than Nebraska,
• The Huskers are 3-2 in road games in the challenge, the only program above .500 in challenge road games.

Last Time Out
Keisei Tominaga had a career-high 23 points to lead three Huskers in doubles figures, as Nebraska posted an 83-70 win over South Dakota.

Tominaga sparked the Huskers off the bench, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, in 23 minutes of work. Bryce McGowens had 22 points, while Derrick Walker had 13 markers on 6-of-7 shooting, as Nebraska shot 46 percent and used a 15-0 second-half run to build a 22-point lead and cruise to its fourth straight win.

USD was within 60-53 before C.J. Wilcher’s 3-pointer and Tominaga’s steal and layup on the inbound pass pushed the lead to 12 and forced a South Dakota timeout.  NU would continue the run, while holding USD scoreless for nearly six minutes as the hosts stretched the lead to 75-53 with 6:25 left after a Wilcher layup.

Twice is Nice for Bryce

Bryce McGowens was honored as the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Monday (Nov. 29). The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 20.0 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in helping the Huskers to a perfect 2-0 week. He is the first Husker men’s basketball player to earn multiple weekly freshman honors since Shavon Shields in 2012-13.

Worth Noting

• Bryce McGowens leads all Big Ten freshmen at 17.7 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor. He ranks second nationally among all true freshmen in scoring as of Nov. 28. In Big Ten rankings, he leads all conference freshmen in scoring and assists and ranks second in rebounding. He is the only freshman in the Big Ten leading his team in both scoring and rebounding.  McGowens is bidding to become only the seventh freshman in school history to average double figures and the first since 2007.
• Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, ranking third in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+5.8) and fifth in steals per game (7.6) as of Nov. 19. NU is second in the conference in forcing 16.3 turnovers per game and is averaging 22.6 points per game off opponent turnovers.
• One area where Nebraska has made significant strides from last season is reducing turnovers. The Huskers are currently fifth in the Big Ten at 10.5 turnovers per game as of Nov. 29. Last season, NU was last in the conference with 14.1 turnovers per game. The Huskers have jumped from 205th to 25th in turnover rate, as Fred Hoiberg‘s teams have traditionally been among the nation’s best in that category.
• Keisei Tominaga’s 23-point game against South Dakota keyed a Husker bench which combined for a season-high 43 points in the win. Over the past five games, NU is averaging 35.0 points per game from its bench, while scoring 30+ points four times. The Husker bench combined for just 20 points in the first two contests.  NU has gotten eight double-figure efforts from its bench this season, including a pair of 20-point efforts (Webster-Creighton; Tominaga-USD).
• Nebraska has produced six 20-point efforts in the first seven games of the season (Bryce McGowens-3; Alonzo Verge Jr.-1; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1). McGowens’ three 20-point games this season already ranks fourth all-time among Husker freshmen.
• Nebraska comes into Wednesday’s game ranking fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 77.0 points per game despite shooting just 28 percent from 3-point range. NU has made up for it at the foul line, ranking 24th nationally in free throw rate as of Nov. 28. The Huskers are shooting 72.4 percent this season after converting just 63.9 percent in 2020-21. On Saturday, NU held South Dakota, which leads the nation in free throw rate to just 16 attempts from the line in the 83-70 win.
• Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher have provided scoring punch off the bench during the four-game win streak, combining for more than 20 points per game. Tominaga is averaging 11.8 ppg, and reached double figures three times and is shooting 57 percent from the floor and 47 percent from the line, while Wilcher is chipping in 8.3 points per game in that span while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 44 percent from long range.
• Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He is second in the Big Ten with 5.6 assists per game and has a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Both numbers are significantly improved from his time at Arizona State. His 10 assists against Tennessee State were the second-highest total in the Big Ten this season. Verge is 24th nationally in assists per game as of Nov. 28.
• Alonzo Verge Jr. is tied for second in the Big Ten with two double-doubles and is one of two Big Ten guards with a double-double of points and assists as of Nov. 29. Verge had 26 points and 13 rebounds against Western Illinois and 18 points and 10 dimes against Tennessee State. Only Ron Harper Jr. (four) has more double-doubles than Verge in the Big Ten so far in 2021-22.
• Derrick Walker tied a school record last week, as he connected on 15 straight field goals from Nov. 21-27. He tied the mark originally set by Ade Dagunduro in 2008-09. Walker is shooting 67 percent from the floor in the 23 games he has played at Nebraska since becoming eligible last January.
• The return of fifth-year senior Kobe Webster has stabilized the Husker backcourt, especially following the injury to Trey McGowens on Nov. 16. Webster is averaging 8.8 ppg on 50 percent shooting, including 46 percent from 3-point range, while also dishing out 12 assists with only one turnover in 111 minutes.
• Bryce McGowens joined rare company on Nov. 12 against Sam Houston with his 29-point effort. It tied for the second-highest performance by a freshman in school history and was the most since Shavon Shields also had 29 at Penn State in 2013. The season opener against Western Illinois featured two of the highest-scoring debuts by any Husker in the last 50 years. Alonzo Verge Jr. (26) and Bryce McGowens (25) became just the third and fourth Huskers in the last five decades to score 20+ points in a Husker debut.
• The season opener against WIU marked only the third time since 2007 that Nebraska had two players score 25-or-more points in a game. It also marked the fourth time that NU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game in Fred Hoiberg‘s tenure.
• Nebraska’s 2021-22 roster features a trio of college graduates in Derrick Walker, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Kobe Webster. Walker became the first member of his family to get a degree when he graduated in May of 2021, while Webster (2020, Western Illinois) and Verge (2021, Arizona State) came to Nebraska as graduate transfers.

A Look at the Huskers
Head Coach Fred Hoiberg begins his third season at the helm of the Husker program with a strong returning corps back for the first time in his tenure. The Huskers return three starters and seven letterwinners while welcoming a consensus top-20 recruiting class which features five-star recruit Bryce McGowens.

The backcourt returnees are led by fourth-year junior Trey McGowens, who averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2020-21. McGowens suffered a foot injury against Creighton and will be out 6-to-8 weeks. Arizona State transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. has provided an immediate impact in the Husker backcourt, ranking second in the Big Ten in assists (5.6 apg) while adding 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. McGowens has lived up to his five-star label early on, as he averages team bests in both scoring (17.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg). Kobe Webster (8.8 ppg, 2.4 apg) has shared ball-handling duties since returning to action on Nov. 16, while newcomers C.J. Wilcher (8.3 ppg) and Keisei Tominaga (7.1 ppg) have provided shooting and scoring punch.

The Huskers’ frontcourt has been anchored by Derrick Walker, as he is averaging 9.9 points on 82 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.3 blocks per game. Lat Mayen, who started all 27 games last season, has been playing his way back into shape following an ankle injury suffered against Colorado on Oct. 31. He missed the opener against Western Illinois, but has started NU’s last six games. DePaul transfer Keon Edwards has moved into the lineup following Trey McGowens’ injury and has started the last four games, giving NU a bigger and athletic lineup. True freshman Wilhelm Breidenbach, a top-100 recruit, and Eduardo Andre have been NU’s primary bigs off the bench, as both players average double figure minutes.

Super McGowens Brothers

The high-flying duo of Trey and Bryce McGowens will be sidelined for a bit, as Trey recovers from a broken foot suffered on Nov. 16. This season marked the first time the brothers were on the same court together since they were kids and provided a number of early highlights.

• Bryce is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.7 ppg while grabbing a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game as of Nov. 28. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
• A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he leads all conference rookies in both scoring and assists per game (2.3) while ranking second in rebounding.
• He is the only Big Ten freshman who leads his team in both scoring and rebounding.
• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring five times, including a trio of 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point game was a 22-point, eight-rebounds, four-assist effort against South Dakota on Nov. 27.
• He collected his first career double-double on Nov. 21 against Southern with 18 points and 11 rebounds. McGowens also had four assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
• McGowens became the first Husker since 2016 to earn Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week accolades on Nov. 15, as he averaged 27.0 ppg on 52 percent shooting in a pair of contests to open the season.
• He is just the second Husker freshman to ever put up multiple 25-point games, as he had 25 in the opener against Western Illinois and 25 in the win over Sam Houston. He joins Dave Hoppen, who accomplished the feat during the 1982-83 season (27 vs. K-State; 25 vs. Iowa State).
• As a high schooler, he totaled 2,341 points, including 285 3-pointers and was selected for the 2021 Iverson Classic. He was also selected to the Jordan Brand Classic, but the event was not held.
• Last season, he was the Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year, averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest for Legacy Early College and Coach BJ Jackson. 
• Trey has been a proven performer throughout his career, as he has started 94 of 96 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points.
• Trey started the first three games and was averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game before suffering his injury midway through the first half against Creighton on Nov. 16. McGowens also drew the opponent’s top perimeter defender and shared point guard duties. He helped limit Sam Houston’s Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting on Nov. 12.
• Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assist per game, while starting all 27 games. He reached double figures 17 times in 2020-21, including a season-high 20 points against No. 17 Michigan State.
• The McGowens brothers are one of 15 brother combos on the same college roster this season.

“Good things happen when we play through Derrick”
Fred Hoiberg understands the importance of having Derrick Walker on the floor for the Big Red, and Walker’s play has been a focal point for the Huskers.  Walker, who is in his third year at NU, has provided the Huskers a much-needed inside threat since becoming eligible last January.

The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying a career year in 2021-22, averaging 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 82 percent from the field. Walker is playing the best basketball of his career over the last four games, averaging 16.0 points while connecting on 25 of his last 27 shots from the floor. He tied or set career highs in three straight games, culminating in a 16-point effort on 8-of-8 shooting vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 23.

Zo Takes the Point

Alonzo Verge took over the point guard duties from 2021 NBA Draft pick Dalano Banton, and Verge has provided an immediate impact, averaging 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago is second in the Big Ten in assists, sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio and eighth in steals as of Nov. 27.

• He has a 2.44-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.
• Verge ranks second in the Big Ten with a pair of double-doubles (vs. Western Illinois; vs. Tennessee State).
• He led NU with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists in the Huskers’ win over Tennessee State on Nov. 23).
• He posted his first collegiate double-double in the opener with 26 points – the most points ever in a Husker debut – a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists.
• Verge was a combo guard during his two seasons at Arizona State, where he teamed with current Kansas guard Remy Martin in one of the highest scoring backcourts in the Pac-12.
• He averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 2020-21, ranking among the Pac-12 leaders in scoring (15th), assists (seventh), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1, sixth), steals (1.2, 13th) and free throw percentage (.809, 13th).
• In his first season at ASU, he was the 2020 Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and an honorable-mention all-conference pick after averaging 14.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
• A two-time NJCAA All-American at Moberly Area (Ill.) CC, he ranked in the top three nationally in both scoring and assists in 2018-19. He tallied 1,086 points (30.9 ppg in 35 games), but also dished out 8.2 assists per game en route to first-team accolades.

Huskers Look to Take Advantage of Experience
Nebraska’s 2021-22 roster has plenty of college experience, as Derrick Walker, Kobe Webster, Alonzo Verge, Lat Mayen and Trevor Lakes all begin their fifth season of college eligibility. Lakes and Webster are “Super Seniors” who took advantage of their free year of eligibility.  Nebraska returns three players who have scored at least 1,000 points at the college level. Walker, who turned 24 on opening night, and third-year walk-on Jace Piatkowski are the only players remaining from Fred Hoiberg‘s first team at Nebraska.

Husker Recruiting Class Seeing Stars

The Huskers brought one of the nation’s top recruiting classes to campus this fall. The class is ranked as high as 13th by ESPN as well as 18th by 247Sports and 21st by Rivals and is the third-highest ranked class in the Big Ten.

 Nebraska’s five signees are headlined by five-star Bryce McGowens and four-star recruit Wilheim Breidenbach, both of whom were top-100 recruits. McGowens was a consensus top-25 recruit who played in the Iverson Classic and was selected to the Jordan Brand team. NU rounded out the class with junior college All-American Keisei Tominaga and freshmen Oleg Kojenets and Quaran McPherson.

The Huskers three incoming transfers, who do not count in recruiting rankings included a pair of former top-100 recruits in C.J. Wilcher (Xavier) and Keon Edwards (DePaul), while Alonzo Verge spent the last two seasons at Arizona State, where he was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2020.

Up-Tempo Basketball

One trait of any Fred Hoiberg-coached team is to play at a fast pace. The Huskers have led the Big Ten in pace in each of the last two seasons, ranking 16th nationally by KenPom in 2019-20 and 35th in 2020-21. NU has been the only Big Ten team to rank in the top-50 nationally in each of the past two seasons. In seven full seasons as a college head coach (five at Iowa State and two at NU), Hoiberg’s teams have ranked in the top-50 in tempo five times, including three times in the top-20.  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.