Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Here is what you need to know going into Nebraska’s home game tonight against Arkansas-Pine Bluff…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1-5)
Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 – 2:30 p.m. CT
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,500)
TV: BTN
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet: FOX Sports App
Nebraska projected starters
| Sam Griesel | G | Sr. | 6-7/216 | Leads team with 15.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 3.3 apg |
| Emmanuel Bandoumel | G | Sr. | 6-4/187 | Finished with 5 points, 9 boards and 3 assists at St. John’s. |
| C.J. Wilcher | G | So. | 6-5/208 | Ranks second on the team with 11.3 ppg. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Jr. | 6-6/215 | Leads team with 7.7 rpg and ranks 3rd in Big Ten with 4.3 orpg. |
| Blaise Keita | C | So. | 6-11/241 | Was held scoreless with 5 rebounds in 11 minutes at St. John’s. |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff projected starters
| Kylen Milton | G | So. | 6-4/192 | Averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 assists per game. |
| Shaun Doss Jr. | G | Sr. | 6-5/185 | Fifth-year senior who leads team with 20.8 points per game. |
| AC Curry | G/F | Jr. | 6-5/190 | Averages 3.2 ppg on just 23.5% shooting. |
| Chris Greene | F | Sr. | 6-8/225 | Scoring 9.2 ppg and leads the team with 2.2 steals per game. |
| Ismael Plet | F | So. | 6-8/230 | Leads team with 8.2 rpg while averaging 7.3 ppg. |
Nebraska gets blown over in 70-50 loss to Red Storm
3 keys to victory
Stay in control
Nebraska controlled St. John’s on both ends of the floor through the first half en route to a seven-point lead at the break. Then the Red Storm changed the game with their full-court press and got the Huskers out of sorts the rest of the way. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is dismal offensively, ranking 352nd out of 363 Division I teams in adjusted offensive efficiency (90.3) and 315th in effective field goal percentage (42.6). The one thing the Golden Lions do relatively well is muck things up with their defense. APBU will try to force the Huskers into mistakes and create offense through turnovers. As long and NU’s ball handlers don’t get sped up and make the right decisions, they will have the advantage every trip past half-court.
Crash the glass
Shooting has been an issue for Nebraska early on this season. Against a much smaller opposing front court that doesn’t necessarily prioritize rebounding, the Huskers could have a chance to dominate the boards on both baskets. Juwan Gary has emerged as one of the top offensive rebounders in the Big Ten, and he could have a field day against Arkansas-Bluff. This will also be a big game for Blaise Keita, who could be a problem for APBU both as a rebounder and defensive rim protector. Senior Derrick Walker remains out, so the Huskers need others to step up in his absence in the low post.
Turn the page
Nebraska was humbled in embarrassing fashion last time out at St. John’s. The Red Storm completely took the game over in the second half to the point where the Huskers seemingly had no answers on either end of the floor. There was certainly a feeling of “Same old Nebraska” among the fan base after the loss. Maybe the most critical factor of all for NU now is making sure that attitude stays out of its locker room. The Huskers are heavy favorites tonight, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff gave then 14th-ranked TCU all it could handle in a 73-72 loss two weeks ago and only lost to Oklahoma by seven. If Nebraska comes out feeling sorry for itself, things could quickly go from bad to full-blown disaster. Turn the page and take care of business.
Quotable
“They play hard, and they’ve got a lot of talent on their roster. So we need to bounce back and regroup.”
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg on the Huskers needing to be ready to play against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Nebraska vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff prediction
Nebraska (-18.5) 83, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 65
Robin’s overall season record: 3-0
Robin’s record vs. the spread: 3-0
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