NU’s season ends in second-half collapse vs. Penn State

For the first 20 minutes, No. 14-seed Nebraska looked like a team ready to make some noise as a Big Ten Tournament Cinderella against No. 11 Penn State.

But after leading by as many as 15 points in the first half, the Huskers were out-scored 49-29 after halftime and had their season officially come to a close in a 72-66 first-round defeat on Wednesday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

While NU out-shot Penn State from the field and made nine 3-pointers, the Nittany Lions took the game over on the glass and the free-throw line down the stretch.

Led by a game-high 14 boards from John Harrar, PSU owned a 43-27 overall rebounding edge and turned 14 offensive boards into 12 second-chance points.

Penn State only shot 39 percent from the field, but it went 23-for-29 at the free-throw line, including going 20-of-24 in the second half. Conversely, Nebraska was 9-for-11 on the night.

The Huskers end the season with a record of 7-20 and are now 14-45 overall and 5-36 in Big Ten play in two seasons under head coach Fred Hoiberg.

Nebraska couldn’t have drawn up the first half to go much better than it did, as the Huskers broke the game open with a 12-0 run after nine minutes of play and took a commanding 37-23 lead into halftime.

Shooting 46.7 percent from the field with six 3-pointers and 10 assists to seven turnovers, NU played one of its most offensively efficient halves of the season. On the other end, Penn State shot just 28.1 percent overall and 2-of-15 from behind the arc with 10 turnovers.

The Nittany Lions’ 23 points were the fewest Nebraska had allowed in a first half in Big Ten play and the second-lowest on the season, ahead of only the 21 it gave up against North Dakota State on Nov. 28, 2020.

For as well as the first half went for Nebraska, though, the second half could have started much worse.

Penn State opened the half on a 10-0 run over the first 2:45 and cut the NU’s lead, which had gotten as large as 15 in the first half, down to 37-33.

The Nittany Lions then pulled within one at 39-38 on a layup by Jamari Wheeler two minutes later, as the Huskers gave up 22 points in the first eight minutes of the second half after allowing 23 in the entire first half.

A pair of free throws by Izaiah Brockington gave Penn State its first lead at 51-50 with 9:27 to play since being 3-0.

Seven straight points by Dalano Banton got Nebraska tied at 57-57 with 6:26 remaining, but the offense fell apart from there, as the Huskers made just two more field goals the rest of the game.

Nebraska also shot just 18.8 percent from 3-point range, was whistled for 18 fouls, and was out-rebounded 22-11 in the second half.

Trey McGowens led NU with 13 points, four assists, and three steals, while Kobe Webster and Thorir Thorbjarnarson both scored 12 on six combined 3-pointers. Derrick Walker had one of his best all-around games as a Husker with eight points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

Wheeler posted a career-high 19 points, and Myles Jones and Brockington each chipped in 14. All of Jones’ points came in the second half.

1. Penn State has learned how to win, Nebraska has not

Nebraska and Penn State were playing in Wednesday’s first round of the Big Ten Tournament for a reason, as neither had anywhere near the regular-season success they had hoped.

The difference between the teams at this point in the year could not have been more evident than how the game turned in the second half.

The Huskers have had numerous games in which they’ve looked unbeatable for stretches but then implode dramatically to turn wins into losses.

On the other hand, the Nittany Lions have made a habit recently of stealing victories from the hands of defeat.

After rallying back from a 15-point deficit on Wednesday night, PSU has now won four of its past five contests despite trailing by as many as 16 and now 15 in the last two games.

Penn State became the first Big Ten team since 2009-10 to win consecutive games after facing double-digit deficits at halftime.

There’s no denying that Nebraska is a much-improved team from where it was earlier this season. But for the Huskers to take that next step as a program, they must stop spoiling such golden opportunities.

2. This one was decided by the dirty work

One of the biggest differences between the first and second halves was how Nebraska dictated the game’s pace and flow early and then how Penn State took control with dirty work late.

The Nittany Lions were the aggressor from the second half’s opening possession, and the Huskers failed to match that intensity until it was too late.

The most glaring stat in that regard was rebounding, as PSU completely dominated the glass down the stretch. Not only did Harrar and Co. hauling in 43 rebounds and 14 offensive boards, they held NU to just six second-chance points.

The other decisive factor was the free-throw discrepancy.

Nebraska was called for five fouls in the first half leading to five free-throw attempts for Penn State. In the second half, NU was whistled 18 times for 24 Nittany Lion free throws.

In all, the Huskers were out-scored by 20 on free throws and second-chance points in a game they lost by six.

3. The offseason starts now

Hoiberg said after the game that he wanted everyone in the program – himself included – to take a few days off to catch their breath and get their legs back after an unprecedented season.

By the beginning of next week, though, the wheels will officially start rolling into a critical offseason of the Huskers.

Hoiberg will hold his annual post-season individual meetings with each player on Monday and Tuesday to review the past year and what the future holds going forward. While he said Wednesday night that he anticipates the majority of his core rotation to be back in 2021-22, there most certainly will be some roster attrition.

The questions become who and how many players will move on after this year, and will any come from the primary group playing NU’s best basketball of the year over the past 6-7 games?

Will seniors Webster and/or Thorbjarnarson come back for their free year of eligibility? If so, what will their roles be with new talent joining the mix next season?

Assuming scholarships open up, what will NU prioritize on the transfer market to fill out the rest of the roster? Today, my guess is that the priority transfer positions would be a shooting guard – ideally one that could also play the point when needed – and a scoring wing.

How Nebraska’s roster shapes out over the next couple of months will be critical in determining how big of a jump the Huskers can make in Year 3 under Hoiberg.