Huskers Travel to Penn State

The Nebraska men’s basketball team begins a two-game road swing Sunday night, as the Huskers travel to Penn State for the first meeting of the season with the Nittany Lions. Tipoff at the Bryce Jordan Center is set 6 p.m. (central) and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network.  Sunday’s game was originally set for Monday, but was moved to Sunday to accommodate NU’s rescheduled contest with Ohio State on Tuesday. 

The Huskers (7-21, 1-16 Big Ten) battled No. 25 Iowa late Friday night and was within 58-56 with less than 10 minutes remaining before Iowa used an 11-0 run to take control of the game. Kris Murray had seven of his 12 points in the decisive run for the Hawkeyes. Nebraska got to within 81-74, but Iowa went 7-of-8 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds to pick up an 88-78 win.

 

For Nebraska, Alonzo Verge Jr. led four Huskers in double figures with 18 points, seven assists and four steals. Verge is averaging 13.8 points per game on 53 percent shooting over the last six games and adding 2.2 steals per game. He enters the Penn State game in the top three of the Big Ten in both assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.6 spg) and is the only player in the conference in the top five in both categories. He will move into sole possession of 10th place on NU’s single-season assist list with his first assist against Penn State. 

In addition to Verge, freshman Bryce McGowens leads Nebraska at 16.6 points per game while ranking in the top three of Big Ten rookies in scoring (first), rebounding (5.3, second) and assists (1.5, third). With his 13 points against Iowa, he became the first Husker freshman to reach double figures in 10 consecutive games. In all, McGowens has reached double figures in 17 of his last 18 contests. 

Penn State (12-13, 7-10 Big Ten) has been playing some of its best basketball down the stretch, as the Nittany Lions have won three of their past four games following a 67-60 win over Northwestern on Friday. In that game, Dallion Johnson’s 15 points led five PSU players in double figures, as Penn State outscored Northwestern 45-32 after halftime. John Harrar had 11 points and 20 rebounds for the victors. 

About Penn State

Penn State comes into its final home game of the season with an 12-13 record, including a 7-10 Big Ten mark for first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry. The Nittany Lions, who returned two starters from a team that went 11-14 last season, have played well down the stretch. PSU is 3-1 in its last four game, including an upset of then No. 19 Michigan State. Penn State is 10-4 at home this season and had won four of its last five at home dating back to  a Jan. 31 double OT win over Iowa. PSU travels to Illinois and Rutgers to wrap up the regular season. Shrewsberry spent the previous two seasons as the associate head coach at Purdue while serving as an assistant for the Boston Celtics from 2013 to 2019. 

The Nittany Lions are balanced offensively with four players averaging between 10.7 and 12.9 points per game. Jalen Pickett leads PSU in scoring at 12.9 points per game while ranking ninth in the Big Ten with 4.2 assists per game. Seth Lundy (12.3 ppg) and Sam Sessions 11.6 ppg) provide additional scoring punch while John Harrar is one of the Big Ten’s top rebounders, as he ranks second with 10.2 rebounds per game. He leads the Big Ten with 90 offensive boards. As a team, Penn State averages 8.2 3-pointers per game with four players averaging at least one 3-pointer per contest. 

Series History: Sunday’s game is the 24th meeting with Penn State holding a 13-10 advantage. Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the Huskers are 9-11 against the Nittany Lions (9-8 in regular season; 0-3 in Big Ten Tournament).  The teams played three times before Nebraska joined the Big Ten, a home-and-home series in 1980 and 1981 and in the second round of the 1995 NIT. Last year’s win in State College was NU’s first since the 2012-13 season.

Worth Noting

• Bryce McGowens enters the final stretch of the regular season as one of the frontrunners for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as he ranks among conference freshmen leaders in several categories. The 6-foot-7 guard leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 16.6 points per game and is in the top three in both rebounds (5.3, second) and assists (1.5, third). He is the only Big Ten freshmen averaging at least 10 points and five rebounds per game as of Feb. 25.

• McGowens 16.6 ppg is on pace to be one of the highest scoring freshmen averages by a Big Ten freshman in recent seasons. His average is the highest since Michigan State’s Miles Bridges in 2016-17. Since 1992-93, only seven Big Ten freshmen have averaged at least 15.5 points per game. McGowens is also averaging 16.4 ppg in Big Ten play which is the highest average by any Big Ten freshman since Romeo Langford in 2018-19. 

• Alonzo Verge Jr. enters the Penn State game tied with Cookie Belcher (1998-99) for 10th place on NU’s single-season top-10 assists list with 138. Verge could move up the chart quickly, as he is six assists away from tying Tyronn Lue (144, 1995-96) for ninth place and seven assists from seventh place (145 by Lance Jeter, 2010-11; Jack Moore, 1979-80). 

 Verge has 138 assists on the season, which is third among Big Ten players and is one of three Big Ten players currently averaging at least five assists per game.

• With Derrick Walker and Bryce McGowens each grabbing 10 rebounds at Northwestern on Tuesday, it marked the first time that multiple Huskers had 10+ rebounds in the same game since Dalano Banton and Yvan Ouedraogo accomplished the feat against Doane on Dec. 17, 2020. Walker has now grabbed six-or-more rebounds in the last six games dating back to Feb. 5

• Since changing the offense in late December, the Huskers have improved their offensive numbers. NU is shooting nearly 46 percent from the field and nearly 37 percent from 3-point range over the last 16 contests dating back to Dec. 22.  The Huskers broke out of a shooting slump against Iowa, shooting 52 percent, including 8-of-18 from 3-point range. NU had shot just 28 percent from 3-point range over the last three games. 

• Bryce McGowens ranks second nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 16.7 points per game as of Feb. 25. McGowens is one of only six freshmen nationally averaging at least 15 points per game. 

McGowens, who leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring and is second in rebounding, is on track to break NU’s freshman single-season scoring mark (15.5, Joe McCray, 2004-05). Only six Husker freshmen in school history finished the season averaging double figures, the most recent was Ryan Anderson in 2006-07. 

• With his 15-point, 10-rebound effort at Northwestern, McGowens became only the sixth Husker freshman to record multiple double-doubles in a season. The school record for a freshman is three, which has been done three previous times, most recently by Yvan Ouedraogo in 2019-20. 

• Bryce McGowens has nine 20-point games this season and is one away from matching Joe McCray’s school freshman mark of 10 set in 2004-05. Earlier this season, McGowens became the first Husker freshman to have four straight 20-point games, accomplishing the feat between Jan. 17-Feb. 1. That broke the previous mark of three set by Dave Hoppen during the 1982-83 season.  McGowens’ nine 20-point games this season leads all Big Ten freshmen – Ohio State’s Malaki Branham is second with six – and is seventh among all conference players as of Feb. 25.

• Bryce McGowens became the first Husker freshman to reach double figures in 10 straight games with his 13-point effort against Iowa. He broke the mark of nine which he shared with Joe McCray (2004-05). In all, McGowens has reached double figures in 17 of his last 18 games dating back to Dec. 11.

• While McGowens is putting up a record-setting season, second-year freshman C.J. Wilcher is quietly putting up a solid campaign as NU’s sixth man. The 6-foot-5 guard is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.0 points per game, while hitting a team-high 44 3-pointers. Since NU revamped its offense in late December, Wilcher has found his stride, shooting 49 percent from the floor, including 44 percent from 3-point range. 

• Nebraska has a total of 16 20-point efforts this season (Bryce McGowens-9; Alonzo Verge Jr.-5; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1) which already exceeds NU’s season total last year (12). 

• While Derrick Walker is threatening the single-season school field goal percentage mark, he has also made significant strides from the foul line. A career 38 percent shooter from the foul line entering the season, he has jumped up to 70.8 percent this season. As a team, the Huskers are shooting 71.8 percent from the line, a significant jump after shooting 63.9 percent in 2020-21. 

• Nebraska players have combined for nine double-doubles (Verge-4; Walker-3; B. McGowens-2) in 2021-22 following Bryce McGowens’ effort at Northwestern. As a team, NU combined for just three in 2020-21. The last time NU had 10 double-doubles as a team in a season was 2007-08 (17). 

• Alonzo Verge Jr.’s 16-point, 12-assist performance against Kennesaw State on Dec. 22 marked the eighth points-assist double-double by a Husker in Fred Hoiberg‘s two-plus seasons at Nebraska (Cam Mack-4; Dalano Banton-1; Alonzo Verge Jr.-3). Over the previous 30 years (1989-90 to 2018-19), it occurred just five times. Verge is only the second Husker to have multiple points-assists double-doubles in the same season since 1990.

• Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He is third in the Big Ten with 5.1 assists per game after averaging 2.9 assists per game during his two-year career at Arizona State.  Verge has three games with 10+ assists this season and currently ranks 32nd nationally in assists per game as of Feb. 25. Hoiberg has coached five other guards who have ranked in the top 40 nationally in assists in his seven previous college seasons. 

• Nebraska added a player over the break as Denim Dawson enrolled for the start of the spring semester. Dawson is a 6-foot-6 wing who attended Southern California Academy as a postgrad. He played at Orange Lutheran in 2020-21, averaging 16 points and five rebounds per game as the school reached the California Division 2AA CIF-SS quarterfinals last spring. Dawson, who started practicing on Dec. 29, is expected to redshirt this season.

• Nebraska’s 2021-22 roster features a trio of college graduates in Derrick Walker, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Kobe Webster, and there is a patch on the Husker jersey to recognize that accomplishment. 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. 

• Eight members of the Nebraska men’s basketball program were honored this week, as they earned spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. The group was led by Jace Piatkowski, who earned his fifth spot on the honor roll. He is one of three multiple-time honorees, and is joined by Kobe Webster, who made his second appearance, and Chris McGraw, who is being honored for the third time. Five Huskers – Wilhelm Breidenbach, Sam Hoiberg, Oleg Kojenets, Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher – are all first-time honorees, earning at least a 3.0 GPA for the fall semester.

• Bryce McGowens has been a seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, including each of the past four weeks. He became the eighth Big Ten Freshman to receive at least seven honors in a season since the freshman weekly award started in 2010-11. Prior to this season, no Husker had won the award more than twice (Shavon Shields, 2012-13.)

Last Time Out

Senior Alonzo Verge Jr. finished with a team-high 18 points to pace four Huskers in double figures, but No. 25 Iowa used an 11-0 second-half run to take control in an 88-78 victory Friday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena 

Nebraska was within 58-56 after a 3-pointer from C.J. Wilcher with 10:51 left, but Kris Murray keyed an 11-0 run, scoring seven of his 12 points in the spurt as the Hawkeyes stretched the lead to 69-56 with 6:34 remaining.  

Nebraska hung around and pulled to within 81-74 after a Verge layup with 31 seconds left, but Iowa went 7-of-8 from the line to earn its third straight win.  Tony Perkins led six Hawkeyes in double figures with a career-high 20 points, while Nebraska limited Keegan Murray to just 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-6 shooting in the first half.  

In addition to Verge, who had seven assists, five rebounds and matched his career high with four steals, Wilcher came off the bench and had 14 points, while Bryce McGowens (13) and Derrick Walker (10) also finished in double figures for Nebraska.

Webster Earns Academic All-District

Nebraska senior guard Kobe Webster was honored Feb. 17, as he was named to the 2021-22 Academic All-District® Men’s Basketball Team, selected by CoSIDA. Webster was a first-team honoree as he carries a 3.75 GPA while pursuing a masters degree in educational administration. He graduated with a degree in management from Western Illinois in 2020.  

Webster, a third-team selection in 2021, will look to become only the third Husker basketball player to be a two-time Academic All-American, joining Shavon Shields (2015-16) and Beau Reid (1989-91). Webster was one of three Big Ten players recognized, including Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and Michigan State’s Malik Hall.

“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, especially after adjusting the offensive attack in December.   The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying his best year in 2021-22, averaging 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting nearly 68 percent from the field. 

• He has 15 double-figure games, including eight in Big Ten play. His most recent one was a 10-point, eight-rebound, two-block effort against No. 25 Iowa on Feb. 25.
• In seven games against ranked opponents this season, Walker is averaging 11.0 points on 65 percent shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
• He was a major reason why NU defeated Minnesota on Feb.9, finishing with 11 points along with team highs in both rebounds (seven) and blocked shots (two). 
• In the Huskers’ loss to No. 25 Illinois on Jan. 11, he finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while helping to limit Kofi Cockburn to 8-of-18 shooting.
• He turned in a strong performance at No. 10 Michigan State on Jan. 5 with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting to match his career high in points. 
• Walker tied or set a career best in scoring in three straight games during non-conference action, including 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting against Tennessee State on Nov. 23. 
• He matched a school record with 15 consecutive made field goals from Nov. 21 to Nov. 27.
• Walker has three double-doubles this season, including 12 points and 13 rebounds in a career-high 50 minutes in the four OT loss at NC State. In the loss at No. 18 Auburn, he had 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Walker’s most recent double-double came against No. 13 Ohio State on Jan. 2 when he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals against the Buckeyes. 

McGowens Brothers Reunited on Court
After a two-month hiatus, the McGowens brothers were reunited on the court on Jan. 17, and back together in the starting lineup since Jan. 29. Before the first three games of the season, the pair had not played together in a competitive environment since they were kids. 

• Bryce is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring at 16.6 ppg while grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game as of Feb. 25. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and minutes played.
• A seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he leads all conference rookies in scoring, is second in rebounding and third in assists. He is the only Big Ten freshman averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game as of Feb. 24.
• He is the only Husker freshman in either the Big 12 (1996-97 to 2010-11) or Big Ten (2011-12 to present) eras with more than two weekly freshman honors (Shavon Shields, 2012-13). 
• McGowens has reached double figures a team-high 23 times, including nine 20-point efforts. He had a season-high 29 points against Sam Houston (Nov. 12) and Rutgers (Jan. 29). 
• McGowens leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally in free throws made (146) as of Feb. 25. He is one of only two freshmen in the top-50 nationally in free throws made.
•  He has a pair of double doubles, including a 15-point, 10-rebound effort against Northwestern on Feb. 22, and 18 points and 11 caroms against Southern on Nov. 21. 
• In addition to holding the NU freshman scoring mark, he is now in the top-10 in rebounds (145, seventh), 3-pointers (34, ninth) and field goals (139, fourth).
• 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 103 of 106 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. He has started 39 of the 40 games he has played at Nebraska (all but his return against Indiana on Jan. 17). He is averaging 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

• He had a season-high 11 points and seven rebounds against Rutgers on Jan. 29.
• He played his best all-around game against Minnesota on Feb. 9, as he finished with six points, seven rebounds and a season-high five assists in 34 minutes. 
• Considered NU’s best defender, McGowens usually is assigned to the opponent’s top perimeter scorer.  Against No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 27, he limited Johnny Davis to a season-low 13 points, including none in the first half and followed up holding Ron Harper Jr. to 1-of-9 shooting on Jan. 29. He limited Minnesota’s Payton Willis to 3-of-8 shooting on Feb. 9.
• Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while starting all 27 games. He reached double figures 17 times, including a season-high 20 points against No. 17 Michigan State.
• Trey has ranked among the conference leaders in steals in each of his first three seasons in college. He is one of only two active power conference players who ranked in the top five in steals in each of the past three seasons (Jamari Wheeler, PSU/OSU). 
• In his final season at Pittsburgh (2019-20), he averaged 11.5 ppg, while ranking in the top 15 of the ACC in steals (fourth), assists (3.6, 10th), assist-to-turnover ratio (15th) and minutes played.
• The McGowens brothers are one of 15 brother combos on the same college roster this season.

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 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago ranks among conference leaders in both assists (third) and steals (second) as of Feb. 25. 

• He has a 1.50-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.
• His 5.11 assists per game would rank fifth in school history, while only three players in school history have averaged at least 5.00 assists in a season. 
• Verge is one of two Big Ten players (also Minnesota’s Payton Willis) with both a points/assist double-double and a points/rebound double-double. 
• He played well in Friday’s loss to Iowa, finishing with a game-high 18 points, along with seven assists and four steals. His four steals tied a career high and marked the second straight game he had four steals.
• Verge posted a 22-point, four-assist, three-steal effort against Minnesota on Feb. 9. He scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half while helping NU shoot 58 percent from the floor after halftime. 
• He nearly collected another double-double with 14 points and nine assists vs. No. 25 Illinois on Jan. 11.
• Verge posted his fourth double-double of the year with 16 points and a career-high 12 assists in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 22.
• He had 21 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals in the loss to Kansas State on Dec. 19. 
• Verge posted his second career 30-point game against Michigan on Dec. 7, as he had 31 points and eight boards. It was his first 30-point game since the 2019-20 season when he was at Arizona State.
• Verge nearly had a triple-double in the Huskers’ epic game at NC State on Dec. 1 with 25 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds before fouling out in the fourth OT.
• He led NU with 18 points and 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.

NU Graduation Success Rate Hits All-Time High of 95 Percent
Nebraska student-athletes have posted a 95 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR), continuing the Huskers’ long tradition of being a national leader in the classroom. The NCAA released its GSR scores on Dec. 2, with Nebraska improving its GSR for the 11th straight year. 

• The 95 percent GSR rate for all student-athletes ranks third among 14 Big Ten schools. On the national scale, Nebraska’s GSR is tied for 10th out of 130 FBS institutions. The 95 percent GSR rate marks the 11th straight year Nebraska has increased its GSR.
• The Husker men’s basketball program achieved a 100 percent GSR for the second straight season and was one of 13 Husker programs to post a 100 GSR in the latest rankings. NU was one of five Big Ten teams with a perfect GSR this year.