Huskers Open Big Ten Tournament on Friday Night

Huskers Open Big Ten Tournament on Friday Night
The Nebraska men's basketball team heads to Minneapolis, Minn., this week for the 2024 TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. The Huskers (22-9, 12-8 Big Ten) are the No. 3 seed in the event and have a double bye to Friday's quarterfinals at the Target Center.

The Huskers will face sixth-seeded Indiana, No. 11 seed Penn State or No. 14 seed Michigan depending on the results of the first two days of the tournament. Tipoff for Nebraska's Big Ten quarterfinal is slated for approximately 8 p.m. (central) or 25 minutes following the third quarterfinal game of the day. Friday's game will be carried on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network.

Nebraska comes into the Big Ten Tournament as winners of six of their last seven games following an 85-70 win over Michigan in the regular-season finale on March 10. Keisei Tominaga led four Huskers in double figures with 30 points, including five 3-pointers, and six rebounds in the win, as Nebraska shot a season-high 58 percent from the floor. For Tominaga, the senior guard also became the newest member of the 1,000-point club, as he now has 1,012 career points in three seasons.

Offensively, the Huskers are a balanced team that features four players who average double figures, and three others who average at least 6.6 points per game. That has helped Nebraska average 76.8 points per game, which is the program's highest average since the 1995-96 team averaged 80.2 ppg.

Nebraska has relied on its defense down the stretch, as NU has held six of its final seven opponents to 70 points or less.  NU led the Big Ten in field goal defense in conference play (.416) and ranks 26th nationally in defensive efficiency by KenPom as of March 11.

Numbers to Know
1993 - The last season before 2023-24 that Nebraska finished as high as third in the conference standings. That year, the Huskers tied for second in the Big Eight with an 8-6 mark.

9.4 - NU leads the Big Ten with 9.4 3-pointers per game as of March 11, an average which is on pace to challenge the single-season school record for 3-pointers per game (9.5/gm, 2001-02). The Huskers are 10-4 this season when hitting at least 10 3-pointers.

24 -Nebraska has won 24 straight games when out-rebounding its opponent dating back to Nov. 27, 2022, against Florida State. The Huskers are a perfect 15-0 this season when out-rebounding foes.

21- Nebraska has won its 21 games dating back to last season when holding an opponent to 70 points or less. This season, NU is 17-0 following the win over Michigan on March 10.

8 - Nebraska is one of eight teams in the country to have at least five 1,000-point scorers on its roster. The group includes Josiah Allick, Jarron Coleman, Rienk Mast, Keisei Tominaga and Brice Williams. St. John's with six is the only program with more 1,000-point scorers (six) on its roster.

.939 - C.J.  Wilcher's free throw percentage this season, as he has hit 31 of 33 from the foul line. Wilcher was a perfect 23-of-23 in Big Ten play and has hit 28 straight free throws dating back to Nov. 9.

2 - Rienk Mast became only the second Husker in the last 25 years to post a 30-point, 10-rebound game with his performance against Ohio State on Jan. 24. He joined Aleks Maric, who accomplished the feat four times in his career from 2005 to 2008.

Worth Noting 
• Nebraska's 22 wins this season are the most by Nebraska since the 2017-18 campaign and ties for second on Husker single-season charts. The 2023-24 Huskers can move into sole possession of second place with a win in their Big Ten Tournament opener. 

• Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three years, marking the first time NU has done that since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66). According to BTN Research, Nebraska is one of four teams nationally and the only team in a power conference to improve its win total by at least six games in each of the past two seasons (as of March 11). The others are James Madison, Lamar and South Florida.   In addition, the Huskers have also improved their conference win percentage in each of the past four seasons, culminating with a 12-8 mark in 2023-24.

• Nebraska now has 14 seasons with at least 20 wins in school history. The 2023-24 campaign marks just the seventh time in school history that NU has won at least 20 games during the regular season (also 1919-20, 1965-66, 1977-78, 1990-91, 1992-93, 2017-18). 

• Nebraska is one of 26 teams nationally that ranks in the top 50 both in offensive and defensive efficiency in KenPom as of March 11. Purdue is the only other Big Ten team in the top 50 in both categories. It marks the first time that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 50 of offensive and defensive efficiency in the KenPom era (1996-97).

• Nebraska has another opportunity to snap another losing streak on Friday night. NU is looking for its first Big Ten Tournament win since 2018, as the Huskers have dropped their last five conference tournament contests. The 2023-24 season has featured the end of several streaks, most recently the program's first-ever win in Ann Arbor.  Already this season, NU snapped five losing streaks of at least seven games: Michigan State (11 games); Michigan (eight games); Kansas State (seven games); Indiana (seven games) and Northwestern (seven games).

• Over the past two seasons, NU has won 21 conference games, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 teams won 22 conference tilts. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark just the fourth time in school history that Nebraska has won 20 or more conference games in a two-year span.

•  The 2023-24 season marks just the fourth time in school history that both the Husker men and women have won 10-or-more conference games, as the Husker women went 11-7 in Big Ten action. The others took place in 2017-18 (Big Ten), 2013-14 (Big Ten) and 1997-98 (Big 12). 

• The Huskers finished the regular season with an 18-1 record inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, setting a single-season mark for home wins in a season. The .947 mark is NU's best home mark by winning percentage since 1965-66. NU went a perfect 10-0 at home in Big Ten play, marking the third time NU has posted an unblemished home conference mark since World War II (also 1965-66, 2017-18). All of the other seasons with a perfect conference record were between 1908 and 1921.

• The 2023-24 season marks the first time that both the Husker men's and women's programs won at least 22 games in the same season. The Husker women are currently 22-11 following a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Tournament last weekend. This is the sixth time in school history that both the Husker men and women win 20+ games in the same season (1992-93; 1997-98; 1998-99; 2007-08 and 2017-18). 

• Nebraska enters the Big Ten Tournament averaging 76.8 points per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense as of March 11.  It is an increase of nearly nine points per game from last year and NU's highest scoring average since 1995-96 (80.2 ppg).  NU has jumped from 149th to 42nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom as of March 11. NU's highest average  since joining the Big Ten is 73.3 points per game in 2021-22.

• Nebraska leads the Big Ten and ranks 28th nationally with 9.4 3-pointers per game as of March 11. The Huskers broke the single-season record for 3-pointers in a season at Ohio State on Feb. 29, and now have 290 3-pointers. The previous mark was 270, which was set in 36 games in 2018-19. 

•  The Huskers have been one of the most consistent teams in the Big Ten for the last year. NU is 28-12 over the last 39 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2023, which ranks second only to Purdue in the Big Ten in winning percentage in that span. 

• Nebraska has two top-10 wins for the first time since 2013-14 and the sixth time in school history (2023-24, 2013-14, 1993-94, 1991-92, 1990-91 and 1957-58).  The 1957-58 team was coached by Jerry Bush, the grandfather of current Husker Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. 

• Nebraska enters the Big Ten Tournament ranked fourth in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 75.4 percent.  It is on pace to be one of NU's highest season percentages in school history and the highest since the 2011-12 team set a school record with a .766 free throw percentage. 

• The Huskers are 25-6 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 20-3 over the last three seasons. All three losses have come in overtime (104-100 in 4OT at NC State on Dec. 1, 2021; 87-82 in OT at Rutgers on Jan. 17, 2024; 87-84 at Illinois on Feb. 4, 2024). NU had won its last 17 games when reaching the 80-point plateau before the OT loss at Rutgers.

• Nebraska's bench has provided a spark, averaging a conference-best 21.9 points per game as of March 11. NU has had 25 double-figure efforts from its bench this season, including eight times where a reserve led NU in scoring (Wilcher-5; Hoiberg-1; Gary-1; Allick-1).

• A few Huskers are approaching milestones heading into Friday's Big Ten Tournament opener. Keisei Tominaga: Has 65 3-pointers this season and is two shy of 10th place on NU's single-season list...he is also five 3-pointers away from being the ninth Husker to have at least 70 3-pointers in a season...Tominaga is also 42 points away from tying Herschell Turner for 30th on NU's career scoring list. C.J. Wilcher: Is three 3-pointers from tying Cookie Belcher for 10th on NU's career 3-point chart (146).  Brice Williams: Is 14 points away from 1,200 for his career.  Rienk Mast: Needs 30 points to reach 1,400 points for his career and is 18 shy of 900 career rebounds.

• Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg returns to Minneapolis, where he spent two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2003-05) before joining the Timberwolves front office for five seasons (2005-10). Hoiberg helped the Timberwolves to 58 wins and the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04 and led the NBA in 3-point shooting his final season with Minnesota. 

• NU Strength Coach Kurt Joseph worked with the Minnesota Timberwolves for two-plus seasons before taking the Nebraska job in April of 2021.

Big Ten Tournament History
Nebraska is 5-12 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, as the tournament makes its first ever trip to Minneapolis. The Huskers are seeking their first win in the Big Ten Tournament since 2019. That season, the Huskers reached the quarterfinals following wins over Rutgers and Maryland.

• The Huskers look to snap a five-game losing streak in the Big Ten Tournament dating back to 2019.

• The Huskers have reached the quarterfinals four times before this season (2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019).

• NU is 0-1 vs. Michigan (2018), 0-1 vs. Indiana (2020) and 0-3 against Penn State (2015, 2017 and 2021).

• Nebraska is looking to make its first-ever Big Ten semifinal and first conference semifinal since 2006.

 

Finding Balance
Nebraska has relied on its depth and a balanced attack with four players averaging double figures and three others averaging at least 6.6 points per contest.

• Nebraska has one player in the top 25 of the Big Ten in scoring (Keisei Tominaga, 17th) but four players averaging between 11.9 and 14.6 points per game.

• The Huskers have battled through injuries during the season, as only four players - Brice Williams, Jamarques Lawrence, Sam Hoiberg and C.J. Wilcher - have played in all 31 games this season.  Williams is the only Husker who has started every game this season. 

• Nine different players reached double figures this season, and the Huskers have had eight different leading scorers. 

• Five players have had 20+ points in a game this year, while both Rienk Mast and Keisei Tominaga have posted 30-point contests.

• Eight players are averaging at least 18 minutes per game while no Husker ranks in the top 25 of the Big Ten in minutes per game. Rienk Mast is the only Husker who averages at least 30 minutes per game. 

• NU has gotten at least one double-figure effort from its bench in 24 of 31 contests, as Nebraska leads the Big Ten in bench scoring (21.9 ppg). 

• The Huskers had a season-best six players in double figures in the win over North Dakota on Dec. 20 and four other games with five double-figure scorers.

Defense Keys Late-Season Surge
Nebraska's success during the second half of Big Ten play has been because of its work on the defensive end of the court.

• Since Feb. 1, Nebraska is second nationally in defensive efficiency according to BartTorvik.com, trailing only Iowa State in that metric.

• For the season, Nebraska is currently ranked 26th nationally in defensive efficiency in KenPom after ranking 69th (2022-23) and 178th (2021-22). 

• The Huskers have held their last 11 opponents to under 43 percent shooting dating back to Jan. 29, and has held six of the last seven opponents to 70 points or less. 

• In Big Ten play, NU held opponents to a league-low .416 shooting percentage, marking the first time that Nebraska has led the Big Ten in field goal defense. 

Four Huskers Honored by the Big Ten 
A quartet of Huskers were recognized for their efforts during the 2023-24 season, as the Big Ten Conference announced its annual awards Tuesday morning.  Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg shared Big Ten Coach-of-the-Year honors, while Keisei Tominaga and Rienk Mast earned All-Big Ten recognition. Josiah Allick rounded out the honorees, as he was tabbed as Nebraska’s sportsmanship honoree.

It marks the first time in the Big Ten era that Nebraska had multiple players on the top-three teams of conference voting. The last time it occurred for the Huskers was in 1998-99 when Big 12 Player of the Year Venson Hamilton was a first-team honoree, while Cookie Belcher was a third-team selection. 

Hoiberg shared the coach-of-the-year honors with Purdue’s Matt Painter, as the two tied in voting by both the media and coaches. Hoiberg guided the Huskers to 22 wins during the regular season, the second-highest total in school history, while the Huskers’ third-place finish in the Big Ten is the program’s best since joining the conference, and best by Nebraska since 1992-93. Hoiberg is the Huskers’ first Big Ten Coach of the Year since Tim Miles was tabbed by the conference coaches in 2014 and fifth NU head coach to earn conference accolades. The award marks the second time that Hoiberg has received a coach-of-the-year, as he was named Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year in 2012 with Kansas’ Bill Self. 

Tominaga earned All-Big Ten recognition for the second straight season, as he was a second-team honoree from the coaches and a third-team selection from the media.  An honorable-mention pick in 2023, he led Nebraska and ranked among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (15.1, 15th), 3-pointers per game (2.4, fifth) and field goal percentage (.467, ninth), while also shooting 91.7 percent from the line in Big Ten action. He recorded four of his six 20-point games during Big Ten action, including a 31-point effort at Illinois and a 30-point performance in the regular-season finale at Michigan. 

Mast, a third-team honoree by the media and a honorable-mention choice by the media, picks up the third conference honor of his college career as he earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2022 and 2023.  This season, he averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in Big Ten action, ranking among the conference leaders in rebounding (11th), assists (13th), assist-to-turnover ratio (12th) and blocked shots (0.7, 22nd). He posted 11 double-figure efforts including a 34-point 10-rebound effort against Ohio State and 20 points and eight boards at Illinois. Three of Mast’s four 20-point games were in Big Ten action. 

Allick is honored for his contributions on and off the court, as he is active in the Huskers’ Life Skills program and has been a leader for one of the most successful teams in program history.  The Lincoln North Star product averaged 7.0 points on 59 percent shooting and 4.8 rebounds per game in Big Ten action. He had five double-figure efforts in conference play, highlighted by a 16-point effort against Michigan on Feb. 17 and his first double-double of the season against Rutgers with 10 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.