Huskers Begin B1G Home Slate with Indiana Friday Night

Huskers Host Hoosiers Friday Night
The Nebraska men's basketball team returns home for its Big Ten Conference home opener, as the Indiana Hoosiers visit Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday night. Tipoff is set for shortly after 7 p.m. (central), and the matchup between the Huskers and Hoosiers will be carried nationally on FOX, marking the network's first men's basketball game from Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Because of Friday's NCAA volleyball match, the men's basketball game will be carried on select Huskers Radio Network affiliates, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KKCD (105.9 FM) in Omaha, KRGY (97.3 FM) in Grand Island, KHAQ (98.5 FM) in North Platte and KAMI (1580 AM) in Cozad. It will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. 

A limited number of 300 Level tickets are available for the matchup and can be purchased for $15 apiece by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, by calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (9 a.m.-4 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket office beginning at 5:30 p.m. 

Nebraska (6-2, 0-1) looks to rebound following an 89-52 loss at now No. 21 Michigan State in its Big Ten opener last Saturday in East Lansing. The Huskers shot just 33 percent on the day, including 29 percent in the second half, as the Spartans took control in the second half.  Nebraska entered its Big Ten opener averaging 86.6 ppg over its previous five games on 48 percent shooting. 

For the Huskers, senior Andrew Morgan led NU with 14 points and seven rebounds while Brice Williams added 11 markers as Nebraska saw its three-game win streak snapped. While Williams has been one of the Big Ten's top scorers at 17.5 points per game entering Friday's contest, Morgan has given the Huskers some scoring punch off the bench. He has reached double figures in each of the last two games and has four double-figure performances in the Huskers' first eight contests. 

For the Huskers to get back into the win column, NU will need to get back to a strong defense effort and to a better job on the boards. In its first seven games, NU held opponents to under 39 percent shooting, while Michigan State became the first Husker opponent in 25 games to shoot over 50 percent from the field. NU also gave up 48 rebounds against the Spartans, which led to 17 second-chance points. 

Indiana (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) is riding a four-game win streak following an 82-67 win over Minnesota on Monday. Oumar Ballo had 18 points and seven rebounds to lead five Hoosiers in double figures. Indiana shot 56 percent in the win and enjoyed a 35-22 advantage on the glass.

Numbers to Know
103 - Nebraska's 103 points against North Florida on Dec. 1 marked the program's first 100-point game since 2021 and 45th in school history.  NU is now 9-2 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 90 points with both losses coming in overtime. 

28.1 -  Nebraska has gotten great production from its bench in the early going, averaging 28.1 points per game over the first eight 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 35-4 (.897) when holding opponents to 70 points, including 30 straight wins, since a 65-62 overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, 2022.

3779 - Career points scored between Brice and his father, Henry, who played at Charlotte from 1988 to 1992. Entering Friday's game with Indiana, Brice (.8280) is just above Henry (.8222) in career free throw percentage, as the pair have nearly 1,000 combined free throw attempts during their college careers (Henry-585; Brice-378).

.947 -Nebraska is 18-1 at home in non-conference play over the last two-plus seasons and is 33-9 (.785) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg's six seasons at Nebraska.

About Indiana
Indiana comes into Friday's game with an 8-2 mark following Monday's win over Minnesota. The Hoosiers return three starters and six letterwinners from a team that won 19 games and finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten standings. The Hoosiers also brought in one of the nation's top transfer classes and were picked second in the unofficial Big Ten media preseason polls.  

Former Indiana All-American Mike Woodson is in his fourth season at the helm of the Hoosier program. Woodson spent eight-plus seasons as an NBA head coach, guiding the Atlanta Hawks (2004-10) and the New York Knicks (2012-2014). He guided his teams to a trio of Eastern Conference semifinal appearances (2009, 2010, 2013) during his head coaching tenure. Woodson was the 1980 Big Ten Player of the Year before playing 11 seasons in the NBA. He guided Indiana to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 before missing the postseason last season. 

Indiana is a potent offensive club which is averaging 80.4 points per game and shooting nearly 51 percent from the field. Junior forward Malik Reneau leads Indiana in scoring at 15.5 points per game on 60 percent shooting, while Mackenzie Mgbako, who was the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is at 15.1 ppg while shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo is at 13.2 ppg on 70 percent shooting and is among the Big Ten leaders in rebounds (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg). Washington State transfer Myles Rice is the fourth Hoosier in double figures at 10.8 ppg while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.  In all, Indiana has eight players averaging at least 5.9 points per game. 

Series History: Nebraska and Indiana meet for the 31st time on Friday and the 21st time since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Indiana leads the all-time series, 20-10, but the Huskers are 9-11 against the Hoosiers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten (8-10 regular season; 1-1 Big Ten Tournament). Nebraska won all three games last season, snapping the Hoosiers' seven-game win streak in the series last January in Lincoln. The most recent meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament.

Last Time Out
A poor shooting afternoon proved costly, as Nebraska dropped its Big Ten opener to Michigan State, 89-52, at the Breslin Center on Dec. 7. Nebraska shot just 33 on the day, including 29 percent in the second half, to fall to 6-2 overall.

Nebraska was within 37-31 in the final minute of the first half before MSU closed the half with two baskets from Jaxon Kohler before taking control in the opening minutes of the second half. The Spartans opened the second half with a 27-3 run as NU missed 12 of its first 13 field goal attempts after halftime to put the game out of reach.

Andrew Morgan led NU with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Nebraska while Brice Williams added 11 for the Huskers. Jaden Aikens had 18 points for Michigan State (8-2, 2-0) while Jase Richardson added 16 as the Spartans shot 52 percent, including nine 3-pointers, and went 22-23 from the foul line.  Kohler finished with eight points and 12 rebounds, as MSU enjoyed a 48-19 advantage on the glass. 

Worth Noting 
• Nebraska looks to extend a pair of home winning streaks, as Nebraska has won 10 straight Big Ten Conference games and 17 straight games inside Pinnacle Bank Arena dating back to last season. NU was a perfect 10-0 inside PBA in Big Ten play last season. Nebraska's school record for most consecutive home wins is 20, which was done twice in program history.

• Friday's game will feature a pair of former NBA coaches with Fred Hoiberg and Indiana's Mike Woodson. Woodson and Hoiberg both spent significant time in the NBA, but their head coaching careers did not overlap. They are two of the eight former NBA head coaches running Division I programs this season. 

• This will mark the fourth time Nebraska has faced Indiana in one of the two early-season Big Ten matchups and first in Lincoln. The previous meetings (2020, 2022 and 2023) were all in Bloomington. 

• Even with last Saturday's loss at Michigan State, Nebraska has made solid offensive gains recently. NU is averaging 81.2 ppg over its last four games and averaging just 9.0 turnovers per game in that stretch.

• The Huskers will look for a bounce-back performance from junior guard Connor Essegian, who was held to one point in Saturday's loss at Michigan State. Essegian, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., had averaged 25.5 ppg on 56 percent shooting, including 52 percent from 3-point range, in the previous two contests.

• Over the last 12 games dating back to last season, Brice Williams is averaging 18.3 points per game on .477 shooting and has six 20-point efforts in that span. He has reached double figures in 12 straight games, the longest stretch of his career. Williams enters the Indiana game needing just four points to reach the 1,400-point mark for his career. 

• NU has relied on its depth during the early going, with six players averaging at least 8.4 points per game. Eight different players have posted double-figure efforts while only Brice Williams has been in double figures in all eight contests.  Williams is the only Husker in the top 30 of the Big Ten in scoring as of Dec. 10.
In addition to the eight who have reached double figures at least once, two others have scored at least eight points at least once in a game this season. 

• Nebraska has been prolific at getting to the foul line during the early portion of the season. Nebraska ranks in the top 25 nationally in both free throws made and attempted.  Nebraska's 76.6 percent shooting from the foul line through the first eight games is ahead of last season's mark of 76.0 percent which ranked as the third-highest percentage in school history.

• One area where Nebraska has excelled early on is converting on opponent turnovers. The Huskers are 23rd nationally in forcing turnovers at 16.3 per game after ranking 217th in that category a year ago. Nebraska is averaging 19.6 points per game off opponent turnovers in the first eight games and had at least 11 points off turnovers in each of the first eight contests. 

• With its 6-2 start in 2024-25, Nebraska is 35-16 over the last 51 games dating back to the start of February 2023. NU's .686 winning percentage trails only Purdue and Illinois in that stretch. NU went just 33-80 from the start of the 2019-20 season until Feb. 1, 2023.

• Nebraska is averaging 9.3 steals per game to rank third in the Big Ten and 35th nationally as of Dec. 10.  Sam Hoibeg is ninth in the conference in steals at 1.8 per game, while Juwan Gary and Rollie Worster are tied for 15th at 1.5 per game. Hoiberg is the only player in the Big Ten averaging at least 1.5 steals per game while playing less than 20 minutes per contest. 

•  Berke Büyüktuncel has been a factor for the Huskers in the opening three weeks of the season. The 6-foot-10 sophomore leads NU in rebounding (5.9 rpg), blocked shots (0.9 bpg) while chipping in 8.6 ppg on 58 percent shooting.  Büyüktuncel tied or set career highs in nearly every offensive category during NU's first five games before suffering a groin injury in the first half against South Dakota on Nov. 27.  Büyüktuncel, who had six points, six rebounds and three assists in 12 minutes vs. USD, missed the North Florida game and was on a minutes restriction against Michigan State.  Last year at UCLA, Büyüktuncel had just two double-figure games in 26 contests.

• Nebraska enters Friday's game averaging 79.4 points per game to rank 11th in the Big Ten. NU has scored 70+ points in six of the eight games, including three games with at least 80 points.  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 comes 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 in 2023-24. 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). 

• The Huskers are 38-2 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 3-0 this season. 

• The Huskers are 32-3 over the last two seasons when out-rebounding opponents. NU had won 27 straight games when out-rebounding opponents before the streak was snapped against Saint Mary's. NU is out-rebounding teams by nearly 6.1 rebounds per game.

A Quick Look at the 2024-25 Huskers
Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season with a solid group of returners and a deep group of transfers. NU returned six players - not including Rienk Mast, who will miss all of 2024-25 following knee surgery - 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. Nebraska added seven Division I transfers, all of whom are in NU's rotation so far. 

• Of the 10 players who have been in the rotation through the first eight games, seven are in their first season of action for Nebraska. In all, newcomers account for more than half of NU's minutes (61%), scoring (59%), rebounds (71%) and assists (69%). Six of NU's top eight scorers are in their first year of competition at Nebraska. 

• 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 has built upon a strong finish in the early stages of the 2024-25 season. The 6-foot-7 senior leads the Huskers in scoring at 17.5 points per game entering Friday's game with Indiana. He has reached double figures in all eight contests, including a pair of 25-point efforts. 

• He has reached double figures in each of the last 12 games dating back to last year, the longest stretch of his college career.  

• His 17.5 ppg scoring average through eight games is among the best eight-game starts by a Husker in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present).

• With his 28-point effort against Saint Mary's on Nov. 17, he has 10 career games of at least 25 points, including three at Nebraska.

• He is shooting a career-best 92.5 percent from the foul line to rank third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage. Only two players in school history (Jack Moore, 1980-81 and 1981-82; Cary Cochran, 2001-02) have finished a season shooting over 90 percent from the line and averaged at least two free throw attempts per game. As of Dec. 10, Williams is second in the Big Ten in free throws made (6.1/gm) and fifth in attempts (6.6). 

• Williams had a season-high 28-point effort against Saint Mary's on Nov. 17, as he went 8-of-12 from the field and was a perfect 11 of 11 from the foul line. 

• 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. 
Williams' emergence began during the Huskers' 2024 postseason run when he averaged 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. 

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 Indiana game averaging 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists per game, despite playing just two minutes against South Dakota because of an injury.  He is second on the team in steals and blocked shots and third in both scoring and rebounding.

• His first rebound against Indiana will be the 500th of his career and he is just 26 points shy of 900 career points.

• Gary had a solid performance in the win over North Florida, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in just 23 minutes of action. 

• He keyed NU's win over No. 14 Creighton on Nov. 22 with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, seven boards and a pair of steals in the 74-63 win. 

• 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.

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.

Essegian Enjoying Career Year
Connor Essegian has proved to be an impact transfer for the Huskers. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging a career-high 13.0 points per game while pacing the Huskers in 3-pointers with 20. 

• He ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 2.5 3-pointers per game and is sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.426).  Essegian, John Mobley Jr. (OSU) and Zach Hicks (Penn State) are the only players in the top six of both 3-pointers per game and 3-point percentage.

• Essegian's numbers compare favorably to his freshman season at Wisconsin, when he was on the All-Big Freshmen team and set a school freshman record with 69 3-pointers. 

• He has a pair of 20-point nights among his four double-figure efforts this season.

• With six 3-pointers against both South Dakota and North Florida, Essegian joined Cary Cochran as the only Huskers in program history with consecutive games with at least six 3-pointers

• He shined off the bench in Nebraska’s win over South Dakota on Nov. 27, establishing career highs in points (29), assists (five) and 3-pointers (six). 

• His 29-point performance is the highest-scoring effort by a Husker reserve in the last 50+ seasons. Over the last 30 years, only two Husker reserves (Jamel White vs. Missouri, 1/28/06; Erick Strickland vs. Missouri, 1/30/93) had scored 28 points off the bench. 

• According to CBB Reference, the only other Husker in the last 20+ seasons to have at least 29 points, along with five assists and five 3-pointers in a game was Teddy Allen against Penn State in 2021.

• Essegian followed up with a 22-point effort against North Florida on 8-of-10 shooting, as he matched his career high with six 3-pointers. 

• He was instrumental in NU's win at No. 14 Creighton with 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench. 

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 is just 41 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career while Gary is just 26 points away from 900 for his career.