Huskers Travel to No. 14 Creighton Friday Night

Huskers Travel to No. 14 Creighton Friday Night
The Nebraska men's basketball team travels to Omaha for the annual intrastate showdown with No. 14/13 Creighton this Friday, Nov. 22. Tipoff from the CHI Health Center is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on FS1 and carried on the Huskers Radio Network as well as on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. 

Nebraska (3-1) comes off a 77-74 loss to Saint Mary's Sunday afternoon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Brice Williams had a game-high 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting and had a chance to send the game into overtime in the final seconds but was just off the mark. Berke Büyüktuncel added a career-high 15 points while Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan added 10 apiece in the loss. NU outshot Saint Mary's from the floor and enjoyed a 34-31 advantage on the glass, but 15 Husker turnovers led to 21 Gael points. 

Williams has emerged as one of the Big Ten's best scorers, averaging 18.8 points per game, well above his previous career best of 13.8 ppg at Charlotte in 2022-23. The 6-foot-7 senior from Huntersville, N.C., already has a pair of 25-point games in the early going and has reached double figures in his last eight games dating back to last season, averaging 19.4 ppg in that stretch. 

Nebraska has relied on its depth early on, using a 10-man rotation that features seven players in their first season of action for the  Huskers. NU has three players averaging double figures and three others chipping in at least 7.5 points per game. One of those newcomers is sophomore Berke Büyüktuncel, as the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 13.5 points on 69 percent shooting along with 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in NU's two games last week. Büyüktuncel, who had 13 of his 15 in the second half against Saint Mary's, had just two double-figure games as a freshman at UCLA. 

Creighton (4-0) comes off an 85-79 win over Kansas City on Saturday. Jackson McAndrew's 15 points led four Bluejays in double figures, while Ryan Kalkbrenner (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Jamiya Neal (11 points, 11 rebounds) both posted double doubles, as Creighton enjoyed a 52-34 advantage on the glass and held the Roos to 29 percent shooting.

Numbers to Know

27 - Nebraska had won 27 straight games when out-rebounding its opponnent dating back to the 2022-23 season before the streak was snapped by Saint Mary's on Sunday.

1996 - Prior to this season, the last time Nebraska had 25-or-more free throw attempts in four straight games was the first four games of the 1995-96 season (Nov. 23-Dec. 3, 1996).

28 - Fred Hoiberg has 28 wins over ranked opponents, including 11 career wins against top-10 teams, in his collegiate coaching career. 

24.0 - Nebraska has gotten great production from its bench in the early going, averaging 24.0 points per game over the first four games. The Huskers led the Big Ten in bench production last season, averaging 21.4 points per game.

70 -Over the last two-plus seasons, Nebraska has been exceptional when holding opponents to 70 points or less. The Huskers are 34-4 (.894) when holding opponents to 70 points, including 29 straight, since a 65-62 overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, 2022.

3,714 - Career points scored between Brice and his father, Henry, who played at Charlotte from 1988 to 1992. Entering Friday's game, both Brice (.8217) and Henry (.8222) are career 82 percent shooters from the foul line.

11/17 - The date of the last two games where a Husker had at least 15 points, three blocks and three steals: Berke Büyüktuncel (15-3-3 vs. Saint Marys, 11/17/24) and Aleks Maric (21-4-4 vs. Alabama A&M, 11/17/07).

.941 - Nebraska is 16-1 at home in non-conference play over the last two-plus seasons and is 29-9 (.757) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg's six seasons at Nebraska.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton comes into Friday's matchup with a 4-0 mark following Saturday's win over Kansas City. The Bluejays were picked to finish second in the Big East preseason poll and return three starters from a team that went 25-10 before falling to Tennessee in the NCAA Sweet 16. 

The Bluejays are a potent offensive club, averaging 88.0 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field as a team. The Bluejays have held their first four opponents to just 33 percent shooting and are out-rebounding teams by 12.3 per game. 

Creighton is led by preseason Big East Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is averaging 25.8 points per game while shooting nearly 90 percent from the field. That was bolstered by a 49-point night on 20-of-22 shooting against UTRGV. A three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, he leads CU in rebounds (8.5 rpg) and blocked shots (2.5 bpg). Steven Ashworth is at 16.0 points and 7.0 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from 3-point range. Newcomers Jamiya Neal and Pop Isaacs both average nearly 10 points per game. 

Series History: Nebraska and Creighton are meeting for the 58th time in series history on Sunday afternoon, as Creighton holds a 30-27 lead. Nebraska is 2-4 against Creighton over the last six meetings after the Bluejays won seven straight meetings from 2011 to 2017. Nebraska is looking for its second straight win in Omaha over Creighton, which would be the first time its occurred since winning three straight times in Omaha between 1991 and 1995. Friday's game will be the sixth head coaching matchup between Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg and Creighton’s Greg McDermott. Besides the last five seasons, Iowa State beat Creighton, 91-88, at the Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge in Des Moines, Iowa on Nov. 21, 2010.

Worth Noting 

• Nebraska's Rollie Worster and Creighton's Steven Ashworth were teammates at Utah State during the 2020-21 season. The pair helped the Aggies, coached by former NU assistant Craig Smith, to a 20-9 mark and an NCAA appearance. Worster started 25 of 26 games he played in and averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. In addition, Nebraska's Jeffrey Grace III and Creighton's Jamiya Neal were teammates at Arizona State during the 2021-22 season.
• Nebraska assistant coach Ernie Zeigler will be on the opposite sideline as his son Trey, who is in his first season as an assistant coach on the Creighton staff. The younger Zeigler was on the Bluejay staff as a grad assistant in 2022-23 before spending last year at High Point. Ernie coached Trey for two years at Central Michigan (2010-12) when Ernie was the head coach of the CMU program.
• Friday's game is just the fifth meeting in November between the Huskers and Bluejays and the first since the 2021-22 season. That matchup was part of Gavitt Tipoff Games, which took place during the second week of each regular season during its run.
• Both Creighton's Greg McDermott (2006-10) and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg (2010-15) coached at Iowa State, while Hoiberg also coached McDermott's son, Doug, for two-plus seasons when he was with the Chicago Bulls (2015-17).
• Nebraska will be seeking its third win over a ranked Creighton team with victories in 2023 (No. 7) and 2006 (No. 20). Juwan Gary, who had 12 points and nine rebounds in the game in Omaha two years ago, is the only player on the Husker roster who played in 2022 contest.
• Friday features a pair of Husker-Bluejay basketball games, as the No. 21/20 Husker women's basketball team will also travel to Creighton. That game will take place at the D.J. Sokol Arena on Creighton's campus.
• Nebraska has relied on its depth during the early going. The Huskers have had six different players post double-figure efforts while only Brice Williams has reached double figures in all four contests. In addition, three others have scored at least eight points at least once of the first three games. At 18.8 ppg, Williams is the only Husker in the top 25 of the Big Ten in scoring as of Nov. 19.
• Nebraska has been prolific at getting to the foul line during the early portion of the season. Nebraska ranks in the top 15 nationally in both free throws made and attempted while ranking 25th nationally in free throw percentage.  The Huskers face a Creighton team which leads the nation in fewest fouls per game. 
• Nebraska's 79.6 percent shooting from the line is ahead of last season's mark of 76.0 percent which ranked as the third-highest total in school history. NU has shot 80 percent or better from the line in each of its last three games.
• Junior transfer Connor Essegian has given the Huskers a spark off the bench. The 6-foot-4 junior is averaging 9.3 ppg while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range. Essegian leads NU with seven 3-pointers and is now four 3-pointers away from reaching 100 for his career.
• Sophomore Berke Büyüktuncel has been a factor for the Huskers in the opening two weeks of the season. The 6-foot-10 sophomore leads NU in rebounding (6.3 rpg), blocked shots (1.5 bpg) while chipping in 9.8 ppg on a team-high 61 percent shooting.  Büyüktuncel has tied or set career highs in nearly every offensive category during NU's first four games.
• One area where Nebraska has excelled early on is converting on opponent turnovers. Nebraska is averaging 21.5 points per game off opponent turnovers in the first four games, nearly doubling its opponent total (12.6 ppg). NU lost the points off turnover battle in Sunday's loss to Saint Mary's, 21-11.
• • Nebraska is 5-7 (.416) in its last 12 games against ranked opponents dating back to the end of the 2021-22 season, including a 3-3 in true road games. NU's last road win against a ranked team was the 10-point win in Omaha over No. 7 Creighton in 2022.  All-time, NU is 3-13 (.188) against teams ranked 14th in the AP poll, with the most recent win coming over No. 17 Minnesota during the 2017-18 season.
•  With its 3-1 start, Nebraska is 32-15 over the last 47 games dating back to the start of February 2023. NU's .681 winning percentage is third among all Big Ten teams in that stretch.
• Nebraska is averaging 9.0 steals per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten as of Nov. 19. Juwan Gary (2.50, fourth), Rollie Worster (1.75, 15th) and Sam Hoiberg (1.75, 15th) all rank among the Big Ten leaders in that category.  Gary had a career-best five steals against Bethune Cookman on Nov. 9, marking the ninth time a Husker has had at least five steals in a game under Fred Hoiberg.
• Nebraska enters Friday's game at Creighton averaging 77.5 points per game. The Huskers had scored 80-or-more points in five straight games before the streak was snapped against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 9. It marked the first time NU had scored 80-or-more points in five consecutive games since a 10-game stretch between Nov. 25-Dec. 19, 1995.
• Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Huskers went 23-11 in 2023-24 and tied for third in the Big Ten standings before reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the most since setting a school-record with 26 wins in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference wins also ranked second in school history.
• 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). If Nebraska can improve its win total this year, it would mark the first time since a four-year stretch from 1945-46 to 1948-49 that the Huskers improved their win total in four consecutive seasons.
• 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.
• Nebraska was one of 24 teams nationally that finished in the top 50 both in offensive and defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was one of four Big Ten programs to accomplish that in 2023-24, joining Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan State.  It marked the first time that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the KenPom era (1996-97).
• Nebraska made its biggest jump on the offensive end in 2023-24, averaging 77.7 points per game. It is an increase of nearly nine points per game from the 2022-23 campaign and NU’s highest scoring average since 1995-96 (80.2 ppg). NU climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom. Prior to last season, NU’s highest average since joining the Big Ten was 73.3 ppg in 2021-22.  The Huskers are 25-8 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 20-5 over the last three seasons. 

Last Time Out
Despite a game-high 28 points from Brice Williams, Nebraska suffered its first loss of the season, falling 77-74 to Saint Mary’s in front of a sellout crowd of 3,241 at the Sanford Pentagon on Nov. 17.

Williams, whose 28 points was his highest total in his Nebraska career, hit 8-of-12 shots from the field and was a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line, as Nebraska overcame a 14-point first-half deficit and had a chance to send the game to overtime. Nebraska had rallied back from a 10-point deficit in the final 4:12 behind Williams, who had six points in a 11-2 spurt to pull within 75-74 with 6.6 seconds left. The Gaels got the ball to Mikey Lewis, who was fouled with 5.4 seconds left. Lewis capped a 23-point afternoon by sinking both free throws to give SMC a three-point lead.  On NU’s possession, the Huskers got the ball to Williams, but his closely guarded 3-pointer was off the mark, allowing the Geals to escape with the win.

Lewis led Saint Mary’s with 23 points, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, while Paulis Murauskas added 16 points for the winners. Williams led four Huskers in double figures, as Berke Büyüktuncel finished with a career-high 15 points while Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan added 10 apiece. 

Notes from the Saint Mary's Game

• Brice Williams finished with a game-high 28 points, his highest scoring effort in his Husker career (college career high is 32). His previous Husker best was 27 in the opener against UTRGV. 
• Berke Büyüktuncel set a career high with 15 points, topping his previous college career high of 13 against Stanford when he was at UCLA last season. Büyüktuncel also set a career highs with three steals and three blocks.
• Andrew Morgan had 10 points off the bench, the third double-figure game by a Husker reserve this season. 
• Nebraska went 25-of-29 from the foul line in the loss, its best night from the foul line of the season and best since going 22-of-24 against Texas A&M in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

A Quick Look at the 2024-25 Huskers
Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season with a solid returning group despite the loss of Rienk Mast to season-ending surgery. The Huskers return six players - not including Mast - who saw action a season ago, including returning starters Brice Williams and Juwan Gary. In addition, junior guard Sam Hoiberg was one of three Huskers who played in all 34 games in 2023-24.

• Of the 10 players who have been in the rotation through the first four games, seven are in their first season of action for Nebraska. In all, newcomers account for more than half of NU's minutes (63%), scoring (59%), rebounds (67%) and assists (65%). 
• Nebraska's active roster features three players who have started a combined 72 games at Nebraska entering the 2024-25 season: Juwan Gary (37); Brice Williams (34) and Sam Hoiberg (1), but that tells only part of the story. The 16 active players have combined to start 380 career games at the Division I level. That list includes Rollie Worster (101); Brice Williams (61); Andrew Morgan (59); Juwan Gary (55); Braxton Meah (47); Ahron Ulis (27); Connor Essegian (19); Berke Büyüktuncel (8) and Gavin Griffiths (3).  In addition, Rienk Mast has 111 career starts, including 32 games last season at Nebraska, but will redshirt this season.
• Nebraska features one of the oldest rosters in the country. Of the 17 players on the 2024-25 roster, nine have played at least three seasons of college basketball. Juwan Gary, Brice Williams and Rienk Mast are all in their sixth year of college while Braxton Meah, Ahron Ulis and Rollie Worster are beginning their fifth season of college basketball.  According to research by Chris Kowalczyk at VCU, Nebraska is one of 10 programs nationally with at least six players who are in their fifth year or greater in college basketball. 
• After having one active player with previous NCAA Tournament experience last season (Juwan Gary), the 2024-25 Huskers have nine players who have played in the NCAA Tournament. All seven of Nebraska's returnees saw action in the Huskers' game at Texas A&M last spring, while Ahron Ulis played in three tournaments as part of the Iowa program from 2021-23. NU also added Rollie Worster who started for Utah State in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Connor Essegian was on Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament team last spring, but did not play against James Madison in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

Williams Looks to Build on Postseason Success
Senior guard Brice Williams looks to build in his postseason success of a year ago as he begins his final college season. The 6-foot-7 senior proved to be a go-to scorer in the Huskers' postseason run, averaging 23.3 points per game during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.

• His 23.3 ppg after the end of the regular season is the highest by a returning Big Ten player entering 2024-25. Of the seven players who averaged 20+ ppg in the postseason, he is the only one back at a Big Ten school this season. 
• Williams had more 20-point games in three postseason games (three) than in 31 regular-season games (two) during 2023-24. 
  Williams comes into the Creighton game averaging 18.8 points per game to rank sixth in the Big Ten. He has reached double figures in all four contests, including a pair of 25-point efforts. He comes off a 28-point effort against Saint Mary's, as he went 8-of-12 from the field and was a perfect 11 of 11 from the foul line.
• He is shooting a career-best 91.2 percent from the foul line, going 31-of-34 from the charity stripe. As of Nov. 19, he is second in the Big Ten in free throws made (7.8/gm) and third in attempts (8.8).
• His 18.8 ppg scoring average through four games is among the best four-game starts by a Husker in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present).
• He has reached double figures in each of the last eight games dating back to last year, the longest stretch of his Husker career. If he reaches double figures on Friday against Creighton, it matches the longest streak of his collegiate career (Feb. 18-March 21, 2023).
• He opened the season with a 27-point effort against UTRGV on Nov. 4. Williams' 27-point night was one of the highest opening-night totals by a Husker in the last 30 years.
• With his 28-point effort against Saint Mary's, he now has 10 career games of at least 25 points, including three at Nebraska.

Gary Returns as Huskers' Glue Guy
One luxury Nebraska has is the return of senior forward Juwan Gary. The 6-foot-6 senior from Columbia, S.C, has shown the ability to stuff a stat sheet, but revels in doing the little things to help NU be successful.  

• Gary comes into the Creighton game averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists per game. He leads NU in both rebounds and steals and ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding.
• He had a 19-point, five-assist effort against FDU on Nov. 14. His five assists were a career high while he also went 7-of-8 from the foul line.
• Gary showed his versatility in the win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 4, as he led NU in points (11), rebounds (nine) and steals (five). 
• He is 17 rebounds shy of 500 for his career entering Friday's game with Creighton.

It continues a trend of Huskers making significant third-year jumps under Hoiberg, as Keisei Tominaga (2024) and Derrick Walker (2023) both earned All-Big Ten honors in their third year at Nebraska after transferring into the program.  Last season, Gary averaged a career-best 11.6 points per game on nearly 50 percent from the floor. He tallied 16 double-doubles after posting 20 during his first four collegiate seasons.

Trio of Huskers Looking for 1,000 Career Points
Nebraska has a pair of career 1,000-point scorers in Rienk Mast and Brice Williams, while three other Huskers could reach the 1,000-point mark for their career in 2024-25.  Seniors Juwan Gary, Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan are all on pace to reach that mark this season.  Rollie Worster went over the 900-career point mark with his 18-point effort in the opener while Morgan is 10 points away from 900 for his college career.

Worster, Ulis Are at the Point 
One of the biggest changes for the Huskers is in the backcourt with the additions of Rollie Worster and Ahron Ulis to the Husker lineup. Worster, who played at both Utah State and Utah, has started all four games, averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He has been in double figures twice, including 18 points and nine rebounds against UTRGV. He is shooting over 50 percent from the field, including 38 percent from 3-point range. 

Ulis, who played three seasons at Iowa and started for the Hawkeyes' 2022-23 NCAA Team, has provided a spark off the bench, averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 assists per game. His best performance of 2024-25 was an eight-point, three-rebound, three-assist effort against FDU.