Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Rutgers

Here is what you need to know going into Nebraska’s fourth game in 10 days tonight at Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey…

Who, What, Where, When

Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-14, 5-10) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-9, 8-6)

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. CT

Jersey Mike’s Arena (8,000)

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: Huskers Radio Network

Internet: FOX Sports app

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Nebraska projected starters

Sam Griesel	G	Sr.	6-7/216	Had 12 of his 15 points in the 2nd half of NU’s win over Wisconsin.
Jamarques Lawrence	G	Fr.	6-3/185	Finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals vs. Wisconsin.
Keisei Tominaga	G	Jr.	6-2/175	Scored a game-high 22 points vs. Wisconsin, 17 in the second half.
Wilhelm Breidenbach	F	So.	6-10/231	Made 2nd start of the year vs. UW. Had 5 rebounds in 12 minutes.
Derrick Walker	F	Sr.	6-9/245	Posted 18 points on 8-13 shooting and eight rebounds vs. UW.

Rutgers projected starters

Cam Spencer	G	Sr.	6-4/207	Ranks second on team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg).
Paul Mulcahy	G	Sr.	6-7/213	Averaging 9.1 ppg and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 4.8 apg.
Caleb McConnell	G	Sr.	6-7/200	Averages 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and a team-high 2.5 steals per game.
Aundre Hyatt	F	Jr.	6-6/223	Scoring 9.5 points with 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game.
Clifford Omoruyi	C	Jr.	6-11/240	Leads RU with 13.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

Be ready to battle

Few teams in the country make you fight for a full 40 minutes the way Rutgers does. While the Scarlet Knights are an average to below-average team offensively, they are elite on the other end of the floor. Coming into tonight’s game, RU ranks second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency (87.9), fifth in steal percentage (13.8), and sixth in defensive effective field goal percentage. It’s in the top 40 in defensive 2-point field goal percentage (13^th, 44.7), 3-point percentage (14, 29.1), turnover percentage (22^nd, 22.7), and block percentage (36^th, 12.5). Rutgers utilizes an aggressive press and is constantly active in the halfcourt, making everything difficult for its opponents. Nebraska must stay under control, make easy plays, and be as efficient as possible from start to finish.

Let Tominaga cook

Following Saturday’s win over Wisconsin, Fred Hoiberg jokingly said he used a “complicated” offense of just getting the ball to Keisei Tominaga and screening him open for shots. That actually wasn’t far from the truth, as the Huskers leaned heavily on the junior guard during their record 17-point second-half comeback. Tominaga scored 17 of his game-high 22 points after halftime for his third-straight 20-point effort. He’s averaged 25.3 points on a blistering 60% shooting over the last three outings. He’s now shooting 49.6% from the field, 40.3% on 3-pointers, and 86.1% on free throws for the season. What’s been especially impressive is how Tominaga’s production has come from beyond just the 3-point line. He now ranks 171^st nationally in 2-point field goal percentage at 61.2%. That includes going 7-of-8 from inside the arc vs. Penn State and 6-of-8 at Michigan. Nebraska needs to keep Tominaga’s hot streak rolling.

Keep grinding

Tonight marks Nebraska’s fourth game over the past 10 days, including two road trips in less than a week. That’s a brutal stretch for anyone, but especially for a Husker squad that has currently played the nation’s fourth-strongest schedule. The slate gets much more favorable after this one. NU gets four days off before returning to action against Maryland on Sunday. That starts a three-game home stretch that features a six-day break. Hoiberg admitted that fatigue was a factor in Nebraska’s practice on Sunday, and the past two days had been a balance of recovery and preparation. The Huskers have yet to put together consecutive strong performances this season. After an emotional comeback win, NU must grind through one more difficult road test before finally getting to catch its breath.

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Quotable

“We’ve been on a heck of a stretch. I mean, we’ve played pretty much home-road, home-road, and hadn’t had more than two days prep. And we finish off with one more of those in our third time in the east coast in the last two weeks. So we’ve got to find a way to battle through it.”

Head coach Fred Hoiberg on Nebraska playing its fourth game in the last 10 days tonight at Rutgers.

Prediction

Rutgers (-13.5) 65, Nebraska 52

Robin’s overall season record: 17-9

Robin’s record vs. the spread: 13-13