Career Honors
- 2012-13 Team Co-Captain
- 2012-13 NU's Big Ten Sportsmanship Nominee
- Fifth in school history in career free throw pct. (80.2 pct)
- Seventh in school history in career games (125)
- 20th in Big Ten in scoring per game in 2012-13 (11.5 ppg)
- Seventh in Big Ten in rebounding per game in 2012-13 (6.7 rpg)
- Seventh in Big Ten in free throw percentage in 2012-13 (80.2 pct.)
- Two-time Academic All-Big Ten (2012-13)
- 2012 UNL HERO Leadership Award
- 2011 First-Team Academic All-Big 12
- 2009 Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring 2013)
2012-13 (Senior)
Senior Brandon Ubel (pronounced YOU-bell) was the Huskers' heart and soul during the 2012-13 season, ranking among the team leaders in both scoring and rebounding and was selected by his teammates as the Jack Moore Award winner for team MVP.
Ubel finished his four-year career with 893 points and 549 rebounds in 125 career games, ranking 36th in scoring and 20th in rebounding in Nebraska's 117-year history. Ubel was seventh all-time in games played while his 80.2 career percentage from the free throw line was fifth all-time and the best by a Husker big man.
As a senior, Ubel ranked among the Big Ten leaders in both scoring and rebounding, setting personal bests with 11.5 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game. He was seventh in the conference in rebounding and free throw percentage (80.2 pct) and 20th in scoring during his senior campaign, as he posted 22 double-figure scoring efforts and five games with at least 10 rebounds. His four double-doubles led the Huskers, while his 6.7 rebounds per game was the highest rebounding average by a Husker since the 2007-08 season.
He was at his best in the Big Ten Tournament, averaging 16 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in helping the Huskers reach the conference quarterfinals for the first time since 2009-10. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and matched his career best with five assists in a 57-55 win over Purdue on March 14. In the quarterfinals against No. 10 Ohio State, Ubel closed his career with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and seven rebounds.
In conference play, Ubel averaged 9.6 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game in Big Ten action. His best performance in Big Ten play was on Senior Night against Minnesota on March 6, when he totaled 15 points - all in the second half - six rebounds and three assists. He scored NU's final 10 points in the 53-51 victory. It was one of nine double-figure efforts in conference action. Ubel posted his first double-double in conference play against Northwestern on Jan. 26, when he scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Ubel was a factor on the board, with two games of at least 10 rebounds and seven contests where he pulled down at least eight caroms. Ubel had 10 points and eight rebounds against Wisconsin on Jan. 6 and had 10 rebounds at second-ranked Michigan on Jan. 9, but suffered an elbow injury in the final minutes of the contest which knocked him out for a pair of contests, the first games missed since his freshman year. He returned to action at Penn State on Jan. 19, and came off the bench to score 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and block a pair of shots in a 68-64 victory. He clinched the win by going 6-of-6 from the line, including the game-clinching free throws with 13.8 seconds left.
As the Huskers only returning starter, Ubel was relied on for offensive production in the season, reaching double figures in 11 of 13 non-conference games. He opened the season with a career-high 21 points and a then-career best 12 rebounds against Southern on Nov. 11. Ubel also turned in 17 points efforts against Valparaiso on Nov. 15, and against Kent State on Nov. 24, when he also grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, including six offensive boards. Ubel closed non-conference action by averaging 14.5 points per game in NU's final four non-conference tilts, including 18 points, including 10-of-11 at the line, in a win over Nicholls State on Dec. 29.
2011-12 (Junior)
One of two Huskers to start every game in 2011-12, Ubel was a steady performer for the Huskers. He averaged 6.7 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game, ranking 13th in the Big Ten in rebounding. Ubel finished third in the Big Ten in offensive rebounding at 2.5 per game and had nine games with at least four offensive boards. He was solid from the free throw line, hitting 83 percent from the charity stripe during his junior season.
Ubel closed out his junior season by playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 9.3 points on 68 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in the Huskers final six contests.
He reached double figures in scoring seven times this season, including a season-high 17 points against Iowa on Feb. 28, on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the floor. It was the second time this season he set a career best in points, as he had 15 points in a loss to Oregon on Nov. 23. In that game he hit 5-of-7 shots and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. He followed up with 12 points and eight rebounds against South Dakota State on Nov. 26. Ubel collected his first career double-double on Dec. 7 against Florida Gulf Coast, scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds in a one-point win. That began a string of three double-figure efforts in four games, as he also had 13 points and eight rebounds against Alcorn State on Dec. 17 and 11 points and seven rebounds against Central Michigan on Dec. 20.
In Big Ten action, he has started at center and averaged 6.4 points per game while shooting a team-high 57 percent from the floor while pacing the Huskers with 4.8 rebounds per game. He reached double figures in points twice, including 13 points in the loss at No. 6 Michigan State on Feb. 25. He also had a solid game against No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 27, when he had eight points and nine rebounds. He also had nine rebounds in performances against Northwestern (Feb. 2) and No. 22 Michigan (Feb. 8) and led the Huskers with eight points and eight rebounds in a loss to No. 6 Ohio State on Jan. 21.
2010-11 (Sophomore)
Ubel was one of the Huskers' most improved players, averaging 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He appeared in all 32 games, including 13 starts, and improved his field goal shooting to 52 percent after shooting 41 percent as a freshman. He also led the Husker post players by shooting 79 percent from the free throw line. Ubel reached double figures seven times after accomplishing the feat twice as a freshman.
He closed the season playing some of his best basketball, averaging 10.0 points on 58 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds over the Huskers' final four games. He started the stretch with 11 points and matched his season high with nine rebounds. In the Big 12 Tournament opener against Oklahoma State, he had 11 points, including seven straight, to help NU erase a 14-point deficit, and six rebounds. That effort earned him a start in NU's NIT opener when he had nine points and six rebounds against eventual NIT champ Wichita State.
Ubel started 10 of the Huskers' first 12 games in the post and enjoyed several solid efforts early. He had 10 points in 16 minutes against Vanderbilt in the Honda Puerto Rico Tipoff and had seven points and nine rebounds the following day against Davidson. Against Jackson State, Ubel chipped in 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and five rebounds before coming back and with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting against Alcorn State.
Ubel was a solid reserve in conference action, averaging 5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 91.9 percent from the foul line. He had seven rebounds in a home loss to Kansas State, one of five games where he snared at least five rebounds. His effort on the offensive end keyed a one-point win at Oklahoma, as he scored nine points in 24 minutes off the bench, one of five league contests where he scored at least seven points.
2009-10 (Freshman)
Ubel started 16 contests while playing in 32 games as a true freshman. He was one of three freshman post players to see action, averaging 4.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest. He was one of five freshmen to earn a starting assignment during the season and one of a school-record three freshmen to start in a game when he joined Jorge Brian Diaz and Ray Gallegos in the lineup against BYU.
On the season, the youngster hit 41.1 percent from the field, including an impressive 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from 3-point range. Ubel also hit a solid 79.6 percent (39-of-49) from the free throw line.
Ubel started his career on a strong note with 12 points and two blocked shots in the season opener against USC Upstate. He came back four games later to produce 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in a road win over Pac-10 foe USC and then added 13 points against Southern Utah in late December.
After struggling through much of the first half of the Big 12 slate, Ubel sparked the Huskers in a narrow loss at No. 1 Kansas and again in a victory over Texas Tech. He posted six points on a pair of 3-pointers to help the Huskers take a four-point lead with less than 16 minutes remaining at Allen Fieldhouse against the Jayhawks. It was one of three games he had a pair of treys. Ubel added a pair of 3s and posted a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting over 20 minutes in a double-overtime win against the Red Raiders.
Before Nebraska
Ubel joined the Huskers after a great senior season on the court. He was rewarded by being named one of five players on the Class 6A (largest classification) all-state first team by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association. Under Coach Donnie Campbell, Ubel earned the accolade after averaging 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, both team highs and among the conference leaders. As a senior, Ubel shot 51 percent inside the arc and an outstanding 80 percent (109-of-136) at the charity stripe. Ranked among the top 80 high school forwards in the country by Scout.com, Ubel showed range that extends out to the 3-point line, where he hit 21-of-64 (33 percent) as a senior. He also added 1.5 blocked shots, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per contest as a senior.
As a junior, he helped Blue Valley West to the first round of the state tournament and a 15-8 record while posting nearly 16 points and six rebounds per game. He hit 55 percent from the floor and 88 percent at the charity line. His team also won the Class 6A state title during his sophomore season, posting an 18-7 record. During the 2008 summer AAU circuit, Ubel began to come into his own, averaging close to 20 points and eight rebounds per game for the Wedman Pumas.
Personal
Brandon is the son of Doug and Lynette Ubel and has one sister, Kayla. Brandon was born on Aug. 29, 1991. Ubel is a broadcasting major at Nebraska and is on pace to graduate in four years in May. Brandon drew interest from Marquette and Stanford and was offered scholarships from Drake, Illinois State and Utah State before choosing NU. At Blue Valley West, he was an honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. His older sister was a middle distance runner for the Husker track and field program. He earned his degree in broadcasting in May of 2013.
Career Highs
Points 21, vs. Southern (11/12/13)
Rebounds 13, vs. Kent State (11/24/12)
Field Goals 8, vs. Southern (11/11/12)
Free Throws 10, vs. Nicholls State (12/29/12)
3-point FG 2, four times (last, 1/6/13)
Assists 5, three times (last, 3/14/13)
Steals 3, at Oregon (12/15/12)
Blocks 3, two times (last, 2/9/13)
Minutes 42, at USC (11/14/11)
Minutes | Total | 3-Point | F-Throws | Rebounds | |||||||||||||||||||||
Year | gp-gs | min | avg | fg | fga | pct | fg | fga | pct | ft | fta | pct | off | def | tot | avg | pf | fo | ast | t/o | blk | stl | pts | avg | |
2009-10 | 32-16 | 507 | 15.8 | 46 | 112 | .411 | 11 | 21 | .524 | 39 | 49 | .796 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 2.0 | 51 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 5 | 7 | 142 | 4.4 | |
2010-11 | 32-13 | 644 | 20.1 | 63 | 122 | .516 | 7 | 28 | .250 | 61 | 77 | .792 | 35 | 82 | 117 | 3.7 | 73 | 3 | 19 | 33 | 9 | 10 | 194 | 6.1 | |
2011-12 | 30-30 | 847 | 28.2 | 74 | 143 | .517 | 5 | 20 | .250 | 47 | 57 | .825 | 75 | 85 | 160 | 5.3 | 75 | 0 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 13 | 200 | 6.7 | |
2012-13 | 31-30 | 1022 | 33.0 | 129 | 269 | .480 | 6 | 29 | .207 | 93 | 116 | .802 | 74 | 135 | 209 | 6.7 | 100 | 5 | 49 | 63 | 24 | 19 | 357 | 11.5 | |
TOTAL | 125-89 | 3020 | 24.2 | 312 | 646 | .483 | 29 | 98 | .296 | 240 | 299 | .803 | 211 | 338 | 549 | 4.4 | 299 | 9 | 109 | 166 | 47 | 49 | 893 | 7.1 |