Huskers Tangle with No. 10 Michigan State

Nebraska faces its second straight ranked opponent on Wednesday night, as the Huskers begin a two-game road trip with a matchup against No. 10/10 (AP/Coaches) Michigan State. Tipoff at the Breslin Center is slated for 6 p.m. (central) and the matchup will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network. Live video is also available on the Fox Sports app, while the Husker app will feature the Huskers Radio Network call.
 

Game 15: Nebraska at No. 10 Michigan State Date: Wednesday, Jan. 5 Tipoff:  6 p.m. City: East Lansing, Mich. Arena: Breslin Center (15,000)   Nebraska Cornhuskers 2021-22 Record: 6-8, 0-3 B1G Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg Record at Nebraska: 20-53 (3rd year) Career Record:  135-109 (8th year)   No. 10/10 Michigan State 2021-22 Record: 10-2, 3-0 B1G Head Coach: Tom Izzo Record at MSU: 655-256 (27th year) Career Record: Same   Series History:   MSU leads, 20-9 Last Matchup     MSU 66, NEB 56 (2/6/21)   On the Air Radio: Wednesday's game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington and will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app.  Huskers Radio Network Play-by-Play: Kent Pavelka Analyst: Jake Muhleisen TV/Online: Wednesday's game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel on the call. It is also available on the web, mobile devices and connected TVs via the Fox Sports App. Play-by-Play: Brandon Gaudin Analyst: Robbie Hummel Also available on Fox Sports app

The Huskers (6-8, 0-3 Big Ten) had a golden opportunity for a marquee win, but No. 13 Ohio State rallied for an 87-79 overtime win over the Huskers on Sunday. Nebraska battled back from an eight-point second half deficit to take a 72-67 lead with under a minute remaining after Lat Mayen's dunk before the Buckeyes scored the final five points of regulation to send the game into overtime and scored the first six points of the extra session to take control.

The loss overshadowed another strong performance from Derrick Walker, as the junior finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high four steals. Walker, who posted his third double-double of the season, went 6-of-10 from the floor and helped limit Zed Key and E.J. Liddell to just a combined 5-of-19 shooting from the field. Walker is posting career bests in scoring (9.4 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg), blocks (1.3 bpg) and steals (1.0 spg) while shooting 76 percent from the field. Walker is one of just two Big Ten players entering the week averaging at least one block and steal per game.

Michigan State (12-2, 3-0) comes into Wednesday's game riding a seven-game winning streak following a 73-67 win at Northwestern on Sunday. In that game, the Spartans trailed 33-26 at the break, but held the Wildcats to 30 percent shooting, including 1-of-10 from 3-point range in the second half to outscore Northwestern 47-34 after the break. Gabe Brown's 20-point night led four Spartans in double figures, while MSU went 19-of-24 from the line in the final 20 minutes. Marcus Bingham Jr. added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans. 

The Huskers will stay on the road following Wednesday's game, as Nebraska travels to Rutgers for an early tipoff on Saturday (1 p.m. on BTN).
 
B1G Numbers
8 - Nebraska players have combined for eight double-doubles in the first 14 games of the season following Derrick Walker's effort on Sunday. NU's highest team total since joining the Big Ten is nine set in 2013-14 and 2019-20.

3 - Alonzo Verge's three games with 10+ assists ties for third nationally, and matches the most by any power conference player in 2021-22 (also Kentucky's Sahvir Wheeler) as of Jan. 2. Verge never had 10+ assists in his two seasons at Arizona State.

70/70 - Derrick Walker is one of just 11 players nationally shooting better than 70 percent from the field and from the free throw line as of Jan. 2. Among Big Ten players, he joins Purdue's Zach Edey in that club.
 
About Michigan State
Under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans have been the flagship program in the Big Ten over the last two-plus decades. The Spartans have made eight Final Fours under Izzo, who is in his 27th season running the Spartan program. This season, MSU is 12-2 and riding a seven-game win streak since a loss to now No. 1 Baylor on Nov. 26. The Spartans two losses have been neutral-court setbacks to both Kansas and Baylor, while MSU has non-conference wins over UConn, Louisville and Loyola (Ill.) in addition to its 3-0 start in Big Ten play.

Michigan State is a balanced team, as the Spartans are in the top-25 nationally in both adjusted offense and defense according to KenPom. Gabe Brown leads MSU in scoring at 14.6 points per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range. Marcus Bingham Jr. also is in double figures at 11.0 ppg, while leading the Spartans in both rebounding (8.1 rpg) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg). In all, MSU has eight players averaging at least 5.0 points per game. As a team, the Spartans hold teams to under 39 percent shooting and control the glass by more than eight rebounds per game.

Series History: Michigan State leads the all-time series, 20-9, in a series that dates back to February of 1920. The Huskers are 3-12 against Michigan State since joining the Big Ten, while the Spartans have won the last eight meetings. Since joining the Big Ten, NU has faced a ranked Spartan team in 11 of the 16 meetings, including Wednesday's matchup. Nebraska has won twice in East Lansing, including a 60-51 win over No. 9 MSU in 2014 and a 72-71 win over the No. 11 Spartans on Jan. 20, 2016.

Last Meeting: Playing its first game in nearly a month, Nebraska battled for 40 minutes before falling 66-56 in East Lansing on Feb. 6, 2021. The Huskers were done in by cold shooting, hitting just 36 percent on the evening, including 25 percent in falling behind 34-22 at the break. The Spartans scored the first seven points, only to see the Huskers respond with a 12-4 spurt to take a one-point lead at 12-11. MSU took control late in the first half with an 11-1 run that turned a 16-16 tie into a 27-17 Spartan lead. The Huskers used a 9-2 run to cut a 14-point deficit to 46-37 after a Dalano Banton basket with 8:53 remaining. NU, which led the Spartans to 33 percent shooting in the second half, stayed within striking distance before Michigan State put the game away at the foul line in the final minute.
Trey McGowens led the Huskers with 13 points, while Lat Mayen added 10 markers. MSU's Joshua Langford led all scorers with 18, while Aaron Henry finished with 16 for the Spartans.
 
Last Time Out
Nebraska fought back from an eight-point second-half deficit and had a chance to win in regulation, but No. 13 Ohio State took control in overtime to earn an 87-79 win over the Huskers on Jan. 2.
Nebraska trailed 59-51 with just over 10 minutes remaining before mounting a comeback. The Huskers used a 15-3 spurt to take a 66-62 lead after five straight points from Derrick Walker, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.

The Huskers eventually led 72-67 with 36 seconds left after a Lat Mayen dunk, but the Buckeyes came back. Jamari Wheeler's 3-pointer made it a two-point game. Mayen than missed a pair of free throws to give OSU a final chance in regulation. E.J. Liddell hit a pair of free throws with 8.9 seconds left to tie the game, and NU was unable to get the winning bucket in regulation as Webster missed a short jumper while Walker's offensive putback was blocked away in the buzzer.

The Buckeyes took control early in OT, as 3-pointers from Wheeler and Meechie Johnson Jr. pushed the Buckeye lead to 78-72 with 3:36 left.  NU cut the deficit to 78-75 on a Bryce McGowens 3-pointer, but could not cut into the Buckeyes' lead.

Malaki Branham led Ohio State with a career-high 35 points including six 3-pointers, as he was one of three Buckeyes to score in double-figures. Wheeler added 16 points, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, while Liddell had 10 points.  Bryce McGowens, who led the team with 18 points, was one of three Huskers to finish in double-figures. Derrick Walker recorded 15 points, while C.J. Wilcher added 13 points off the bench, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
 
Worth Noting
• Nebraska faces its first top-10 opponent of the season on Wednesday as the Huskers travel to East Lansing. Nebraska is looking for its first top-10 road win since a 60-51 win over No. 9 Michigan State on Feb. 16, 2014. The win in East Lansing is one of three top-10 road wins in program history.

• The Huskers are 3-14 all-time against teams ranked 10th in the AP poll with the wins coming in 1993-94 (Kansas), 1990-91 (Kansas) and 1985-86 (Oklahoma). The Huskers look to snap a 19-game losing streak to ranked teams dating back to a second-round win over Maryland in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.

• Nebraska already has eight double-doubles this season (Verge-4; Walker-3; B. McGowens-1) in 14 games after just having three in 2020-21. The last time NU had 10 double-doubles as a team in a season was 2007-08 (17).

• Nebraska's 15 3-pointers against Kennesaw State on Dec. 22, were not only a season high, but marked just the sixth time since 1990 that Nebraska hit at least 15 3-pointers in a game. It was NU's highest total since Nov. 6, 2018.

• Nebraska is starting to find its shot from 3-point range, as the Huskers are 23-of-52 (.442) in the last two games. In the previous five games, NU shot just 21 percent from beyond the arc.

• Alonzo Verge Jr.'s 16-point, 12-assist performance against Kennesaw State 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.
 
• Nebraska added a player over the break as Denim Dawson enrolled for the start of the spring semester. Dawson, a 6-foot-6 wing who attended Southern California Academy as a postgrad. He played at Orange Lutheran, 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 guard Bryce McGowens ranks third nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 15.8 points per game as of Jan. 2. McGowens is one of only three true freshmen nationally averaging at least 15 points per game as of Jan. 2. McGowens, who leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring and rebounding, is on pace to threaten single-season freshmen marks for the Huskers in both scoring (15.5, Joe McCray, 2004-05) and rebounding (6.3, Yvan Ouedraogo, 2019-20).

NCAA True Freshman Scoring Leaders  (As of Jan. 2)

No.	Name, School	PPG
1.	Paolo Banchero, Duke	17.1
2.	Jabari Smith, Auburn	16.2
3.	Bryce McGowens, Nebraska	15.8

  
• Nebraska has produced a total of ten 20-point efforts in the first 14 games of the season (Bryce McGowens-4; Alonzo Verge Jr.-4; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1). Last season, NU had just 12 20-point efforts in 27 contests. McGowens' four 20-point games this season already ranks fourth all-time among Husker freshmen and is the most by any NU freshman since Joe McCray had a school-record 10 in 2004-05.
 
• Alonzo Verge Jr. comes into the week as one of five players nationally - and the only Big Ten player - averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He joins Duke's Wendell Moore and Wake Forest's Alondes Williams as the only three power conference players at that plateau. Verge is looking to become the fifth Big Ten player since 2010-11 (D'Angelo Russell, 2014-15; Denzel Valentine, 2015-16; Marcus Carr, 2020-21; Ayo Dosunmu, 2020-21) to average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.
 

Player (School)	GP	PPG	RPG	APG
Wendell Moore (Duke)	12	17.0	5.5	5.0
Alonzo Verge (Nebraska)	14	15.6	5.5	5.8
Alondes Williams (Wake Forest)	14	20.1	6.5	5.1
Jordan Hall (St. Joe's)	12	16.3	6.7	6.5
Hunter Maldonado (Wyoming)	12	17.3	5.5	5.9

H/T - Sports Reference
 
• For most of the year, the Huskers have done a good job of limiting turnovers, but NU has averaged 18.0 turnovers the last three contests before committing just eight turnovers in the overtime loss to Ohio State. NU now ranks 39th nationally in turnover rate after ranking 205th in that category last year. Fred Hoiberg's teams have traditionally been among the nation's best in that category. Prior to last season, his last three teams ranked in the top 30 nationally in that category.
 
• Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He leads the Big Ten with 5.8 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 as of Jan. 2, while the rest of the conference has combined for four. Verge's 5.8 assists per game ranks 18th nationally as of Jan. 2.
 
• 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.
 
• Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, forcing a Big Ten high 16.1 turnovers per game as of Jan. 2. NU leads the Big Ten in steals (8.1 spg) and ranks fourth in turnover margin (+3.4 per game). Alonzo Verge Jr. is third in the conference in steals with 1.6 per game, as he is one of three starters averaging at least a steal per game. NU looks to regain the services of Trey McGowens later this month, as the junior was fifth in the Big Ten in steals per game in 2020-21, but has been out since Nov. 16 with a broken bone in his foot.
 
• 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.
 
"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 his best year in 2021-22, averaging 9.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while shooting over 75 percent from the field. He is ninth in the Big Ten in blocks per game and 18th in rebounds per game.

Walker Making Big Jumps

Category	Pre 2021-22*	2021-22
Games	80	14
Scoring/Gm	2.3	9.4
FG Pct.	.588	.761
FT Pct.	.379	.706
Rebounds/Gm	2.3	6.6
Blocks/Gm	0.3	1.3
Double-Figure Games	4	8
Double-Doubles	0	3

*-Includes Tennessee (2017-19) and Nebraska (2020-21)

• Walker has played his best against NU's ranked opponents, averaging 12.5 points on 71 percent shooting, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game in two contests.

• He has been in double figures eight times in NU's last 11 games, and tied or set a career best in scoring in three straight games, 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 in the last seven games, 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 when he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four steals against the Buckeyes.
 
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 against Creighton on Nov. 16, but is expected back in the coming weeks.  The 2021-22 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 11th in the Big Ten in scoring at 15.8 ppg while grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game as of Jan. 2. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, rebounding, free throw percentage and minutes played (33.2, ninth).

• A three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Dec. 20), he leads all conference rookies in scoring and rebounding.

• He is the only Husker freshmen in either the Big 12 (1996-97 to 2010-11) or Big Ten (2011-12 to present) eras to be a three-time honoree as a freshman.

• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring 10 times, including four 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point game was a 24-point, nine-rebound effort in the 4OT loss at NC State on Dec. 1. McGowens has been in double figures in each of the last three games.

• 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.

• 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 29 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.
  
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 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago ranks in the top five of the Big Ten in both assists (first) and steals (third).

• He has a 1.56-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.

• Verge is sixth in the Big Ten with four double-doubles (vs. W. Illinois, vs. Tennessee State, at NC State and Kennesaw State).

• He is one of five Division I players - and one of three power conference performers - averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as of Dec. 29.

• Verge had his fourth double-double of the year with 16 points and a career-high 12 assists in the win over Kennesaw State.

• He had his fourth 20-point effort of the season with 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.
 
Keisei for 3
The addition of Keisei Tominaga has helped the Huskers' 3-point shooting. The 6-foot-2 guard is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.4 points per game while connecting on a team-high 26 3-pointers entering the Michigan State game. He has also committed just five turnovers in 296 minutes this season.

Tominaga started slowly as he had just three points in his first three games, but is averaging 10.5 points per game on 41 percent shooting in NU's last 11 games dating back to Nov. 19. He has six double-figure games in that stretch, including a career-high 23 points against South Dakota on Nov. 27. He had an 18-point effort in NU's win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 22 and seven points in 17 minutes against Ohio State on Jan. 2.

Last summer, Tominaga represented Japan in 3x3 basketball in the Tokyo Olympics, helping Japan reach the medal round. He finished third among all players in scoring (6.9 ppg), fourth in 1-point shooting (74 percent) and seventh in 2-point shooting (36 percent).  He was one of only two active NCAA players to play in the Olympics, joining Virginia's Francisco Caffaro, who played for Argentina in men's basketball. 
 
Four OT Thriller at NC State
Nebraska's four-overtime game at NC State on Dec. 1, was one for the record books. The four OT game matched Nebraska's school record set in 1979 and was the longest Big Ten game in at least a decade. It tied for the second-longest Division I game in the past 10 seasons, trailing only a five OT game between Louisville and Notre Dame on Feb. 9. 2013.
• It was the longest game in Big Ten/ACC Challenge history, but was one of three OT games in the 2021 challenge. The Big Ten won the challenge, 8-6, with three of the six losses coming in overtime.

• It marked only the eighth time in school history where both teams scored over 100 points.

• The 100 points NU scored marked the 44th 100-point game in school history, but only the fifth time that NU scored 100 points and lost.

• Nebraska had a pair of double-doubles from Alonzo Verge (25 points/11 assists) and Derrick Walker (12 points, 13 rebounds). Verge (assists) and Walker (rebounds) both set personal bests on their way to double-doubles.
 
Husker Injury Update
Fred Hoiberg announced Dec. 22 that freshman forward Wilhelm Breidenbach underwent season-ending leg surgery for an injury suffered in Nebraska's game against Michigan on Dec. 7.  Breidenbach, a 6-foot-10, 227-pound forward from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., had played in each of Nebraska's first 10 games, averaging 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Breidenbach joins starting guard Trey McGowens, who underwent surgery on Nov. 17 to repair a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot. He is expected back in mid-January.  McGowens had started all 30 games since transferring to Nebraska prior to the 2020-21 campaign. He ranked second on the team in both scoring (10.7 ppg) and assists (2.3 apg) in 2020-21.
 
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.
 
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 Wilhelm 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.

While McGowens has been one of the Big Ten's top newcomers, Tominaga and Breidenbach have made significant contributions. Tominaga has played in all 14 games, averaging 8.4 points per game while leading NU with 26 3-pointers. Breidenbach was Nebraska's top frontcourt reserve before suffering a season-ending injury against Michigan on Dec. 7. He played in NU's first 10 games and averaged 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
 
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.
 

Year	Hoiberg-Coached Team	Big Ten Leader
2010-11	Iowa State (34th)	Iowa (100th)
2011-12	Iowa State (128th)	Iowa (70th)
2012-13	Iowa State (30th)	Iowa (95th)
2013-14	Iowa State (12th)	Iowa (29th)
2014-15	Iowa State (10th)	Minnesota (47th)
2019-20	Nebraska (16th)	Nebraska
2020-21	Nebraska (35th)	Nebraska
2021-22	Nebraska (20th)	Nebraska

 
All in the Family
Several members of the 2021-22 Huskers have family members who have played basketball at the college or professional levels. The list is led by former NBA players Eric Piatkowski, who spent 14 years in the NBA after scoring nearly 2,000 career points at Nebraska, and Fred Hoiberg, who played in the NBA for a decade after a standout career at Iowa State. Keisei Tominaga's father didn't play college basketball, but was a center on the Japanese national team at the 1998 FIBA World Championship and played professionally in Japan for a decade.
 

Player	Relative	College (Sport)
Jackson Cronin	Steve (Father)	Tufts (MBB)
Keon Edwards	Kyre (Brother)	Texas A&M-Kingsville
Sam Hoiberg	Fred (Father)	Iowa State/NBA (MBB)
	Jack (Brother)	Michigan State/UT-Arlington (MBB)
Oleg Kojenets	Aleh (Father)	UNC Wilmington
	Jurga Paliaukaite (Mother)	UNC Wilmington
Trey & Bryce McGowens	Bobby McGowens (Father)	Clemson (FB)/South Carolina State (MBB/FB)
	Pam Owens (Mother)	Western Carolina (WBB)
Jace Piatkowski	Eric Piatkowski (Father)	Nebraska (MBB)
Keisei Tominaga	Hiroyuki (Father)	Played Internationally for Japan
Alonzo Verge Jr.	Alonzo (Father)	Eastern New Mexico (MBB)
C.J. Wilcher	Sergio (Father)	Morgan State (MBB)

 
NBA Coaches Go Back to School
Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg is one of nine active NCAA coaches to have coached in the NBA, as he spent three-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls. Hoiberg's 270 regular-season NBA games rank third among the 10 former NBA coaches in the collegiate ranks.
 

Coach, School	NBA Head Coach, Years
John Calipari, Kentucky	New Jersey, 1996-99
Leonard Hamilton, Miami	Washington, 2000-01
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska	Chicago, 2015-18
Lindsey Hunter, Mississippi Valley State	Phoenix, 2013
Eric Musselman, Arkansas	Golden State, 2002-04; Sacramento, 2006-07
Rick Pitino, Iona	New York, 1987-89; Boston, 1997-2001
Reggie Theus, Bethune-Cookman	Sacramento, 2007-09
Darrell Walker, Arkansas Little Rock	Toronto, 1996-98; Washington, 1999-2000
Mike Woodson, Indiana	Atlanta 2004-2010; New York, 2011-14

 
It is Academic For Webster
Kobe Webster became the latest Husker men's basketball player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, as he was a third-team selection in May of 2021. Webster, who graduated from Western Illinois in 2020, has a 3.75 GPA while working on his master's degree in educational administration.

Webster was the first Husker men's basketball player to be honored since Shavon Shields in 2015 and 2016.  NU Head Coach Fred Hoiberg was a two-time Academic All-American at Iowa State (1994 and 1995) and was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2016. Entering the 2021-22 school year, Nebraska leads all NCAA Division I schools with 347 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.