Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Northwestern
Here is what you need to know going into Nebraska’s home game against Northwestern tonight at Pinnacle Bank Arena…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-10, 3-6) vs. Northwestern (13-5, 4-3)
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023 – 6:00 p.m. CT
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,500)
TV: FS2
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet: FOX Sports App
Nebraska projected starters
| Sam Griesel | G | Sr. | 6-7/216 | Had 11 points, 5 boards, 4 assists & a career-high 5 steals vs PSU. |
| Jamarques Lawrence | G | Fr. | 6-3/185 | Could make first career start in place of Emmanuel Bandoumel. |
| Keisei Tominaga | G | Jr. | 6-2/175 | Scored 13 points at PSU, his third straight game in double figures. |
| Denim Dawson | F | RFr. | 6-6/193 | Posted a team-high 9 rebounds at Penn St. Has 17 in last 3 games. |
| Derrick Walker | F | Sr. | 6-9/245 | Finished with a team-high 20 points and 6 assists against Penn St. |
Northwestern projected starters
| Boo Buie | G | Sr. | 6-2/180 | Leads the team with 15.3 ppg and tops the Big Ten with 2.9 spg. |
| Chase Audige | G | Sr. | 6-4/200 | Second on the team with 15.1 ppg and 5th in the Big Ten with 4.3 apg. |
| Ty Berry | G | Jr. | 6-3/185 | Averaging 9.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 1.2 spg game. |
| Robbie Beran | F | Sr. | 6-9/215 | Averages 9.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 1.1 bpg while shooting 34.9% on threes. |
| Matthew Nicholson | C | Jr. | 7-0/255 | Scoring 6.6 ppg and leads NW in rebounds (6.5) and blocks (1.4) |
Fill the voids on defense
The hallmark of this year’s Nebraska team has been defense. After losing Juwan Gary and now Emmanuel Bandoumel to season-ending injuries, maintaining that identity becomes more critical than ever. The Huskers have leaned heavily on redshirt freshman Denim Dawson, who replaced Gary in the starting lineup the past two games. Dawson has responded with 5.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in those contests, including a team-high nine boards last time out at Penn State. With Bandoumel now out, look for true freshman Jamarques Lawrence to vault up the rotation and possibly even make his starting debut tonight. Bandoumel was one of the top on-ball defenders in the Big Ten, and head coach Fred Hoiberg called him one of the best perimeter defensive players he’d ever coached. Replacing him won’t be easy, and it will likely depend on another freshman getting thrown into the fire.
Keep Buie and Audige in check
There aren’t many duos in the Big Ten more valuable to everything their team does than Boo Buie and Chase Audige at Northwestern. The guard tandem is the Wildcats’ two top scorers, averaging a combined 30.4 points per game. But they also account for 7.6 of Northwestern’s 13.6 assists, 3.8 of its 4.7 steals, and 1.0 of its 4.7 blocks per contest. Bouie just dropped 20 points in Northwestern’s win over Wisconsin on Monday night. Over the past five games, he’s averaging 19.2 points and 4.6 assists while going 30-of-34 from the free-throw line. Not having Bandoumel is significant for Nebraska in this matchup, as he could contain at least one of them one-on-one. Now the Huskers’ thin and inexperienced backcourt must collectively rise to the challenge and keep savvy veterans Buie and Audige from taking control of the game on both ends.
Get Wilcher and Tominaga going
For Nebraska to have a chance tonight or in pretty much any game left on the schedule, it has to find a way to score. It would do wonders if the Huskers could get both Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher going from behind the arc. Tominaga has scored in double figures the last three outings, including averaging 12.0 ppg since joining the starting lineup two games ago. Wilcher also seemed a little more comfortable coming off the bench over that span. He went 4-for-6 from the field and 3-of-5 on 3-pointers for 11 points at Penn State. That marked his first double-figure scoring effort since Dec. 29. Nebraska needs all the help it can get right now, and having those two step up as consistent perimeter scoring threats would be invaluable.
Quotable
“I am heartbroken for Emmanuel to have his college career end this way. I’ve said all season that Emmanuel is one of the best defenders in the country, and he impacts the game in so many ways beyond the measurables. He is also one of the best culture guys I’ve had the pleasure to coach. He always comes into the gym with a positive attitude and will do anything for the team. While he can’t help us on the court, I know Emmanuel will continue to be a leader for us and help our younger guys.”
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg on losing senior guard Emmanuel Bandoumel to a season-ending knee injury.
Prediction
Nebraska (+2.5) 65, Northwestern 63
Robin’s overall season record: 13-7
Robin’s record vs. the spread: 10-10
