Nebraska Postgame Notes/Quotes vs. Michigan

Nebraska Postgame Notes
• Alonzo Verge Jr. posted a season-high 31 points, the most by a Husker this season. It marked Verge’s second career 30 point game (other was against Saint Mary’s when he was at Arizona State in 2019).
• Michigan shot 51.3 percent, a season-high against Nebraska and was the first team to shoot over 50 percent against Nebraska this season. Michigan’s 102 points was the most against NU in Pinnacle Bank Arena
• Keisei Tominaga reached double figures for the fifth time this season with 11 points.
 
Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg
On energy being off for the team tonight:
“I have never been a part of one like this where we just quit competing. It is so discouraging. Missed shots really affected our energy all over the floor. After playing a game last week and a couple days ago at Indiana where the shots were not falling in, we competed and guarded and rebounded and followed the game plan. Today, we were completely out of it.”
 
On looking ahead to the game on Thursday:
“We are going to get out there and we are going to compete on Thursday, and we are going to find guys that want to go out and play hard.”
 
On Nebraska handling adversity:
“In Indiana, I thought we competed maybe as well as we had all year especially on the defensive end and tonight the lack of shot making just completely affected everything. It sucked the air out of the building. Again, that is the true test of the type of year you are going to have, is how you handle adversity. We have handled it pretty well for the most part but tonight was about as bad as I have ever been a part of as far as handling adversity.”
 
On Alonzo Verge Jr.:
“I thought Alonzo (Verge Jr.) scored it well. I thought he had some pop to him. I thought he made really good plays early trying to get other guys involved. Obviously, he scored the ball very well and efficiently in the paint.”
 
Nebraska Forward Derrick Walker
On the struggles tonight
“It started at shooting around, just focusing on the little things. Obviously, we didn't come out as a team like how we should have. There was no energy between us and we got to be better than that. That was embarrassing for us, and we know that and now we have to do everything we can to fix it.”
 
On moving forward after this game
“It is really important, especially this next game. Any game, no one is going to give us in this league. We have to find some point to turn it on. This next game will be very critical for us just to get our fill back. We have not really shot well, so we just need to do everything we can and just get back to being a Nebraska team and I felt like we were not a Nebraska team at all tonight. “
 
On challenges against opponents
“He is taller than me by a few inches. So, for me with any opponent, it is just to push him out, push him away from the room and make them uncomfortable. If he makes it, then he makes it, but I just try to push him out. Nothing comes easy with me. So, if you want to score me against me , you have to work for it.” 
 
Michigan Coach Juwan Howard
On what he saw from Nebraska on film 
“They are a well-coached team that does a really good job of sharing the basketball. They have so much talent on the floor starting with Alonzo Verge. It’s hard to keep him in front. This kid is very elite level when he has the ball in his hands. Tominaga is a very elite level shooter. McGowens is going to be special with his length and skill set and then Walker who does a great job creating plays not just for himself but for others. Defensively, we tried not to give them anything easy and as you can see that’s tough to do.”
 
On the ball movement during their run in the first half
“I was extremely happy to see how the ball was moving. It was popping. It was great to see our guys sharing the ball. There were times when we passed the ball for a better shot when another guy was open. We did a really good job driving the ball and not just settling for jumpers.”

NU Athletic Communications