Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Wisconsin
Here is what you need to know going into Nebraska’s first Saturday home game since Dec. 10 today against Wisconsin…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-14, 4-10) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (14-9, 6-7)
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023 – 3:00 p.m. CT
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,500)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet: FOX Sports app
Nebraska projected starters
| Sam Griesel | G | Sr. | 6-7/216 | Had 9 points on 3-8 shooting with 3 boards in the loss at Michigan. |
| Jamarques Lawrence | G | Fr. | 6-3/185 | Held to 3 points on 0-4 shooting with 3 TOs against Michigan. |
| Keisei Tominaga | G | Jr. | 6-2/175 | Posted his second-straight 20-point effort with 24 vs. Michigan. |
| Denim Dawson | F | RFr. | 6-6/193 | Had 2 points and 0 rebounds in 19 minutes at Michigan. |
| Derrick Walker | F | Sr. | 6-9/245 | Racked up 15 pts, 7 reb, and a career-high 8 assists vs. Michigan. |
Wisconsin projected starters
| Chucky Hepburn | G | So. | 6-2/205 | Leads UW with 12.9 ppg and 3.1 apg while shooting 48.1% on 3-pointers. |
| Max Klesmit | G | Jr. | 6-3/200 | Scoring 7.1 ppg and leads the team with 1.5 steals per game. |
| Connor Essegian | G | Fr. | 6-4/185 | Averages 11.3 points per game and leads UW with 53 made 3-pointers. |
| Tyler Wahl | F | Sr. | 6-9/225 | Averaging 12.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. |
| Steven Crowl | F | Jr. | 7-0/245 | Scoring 12.0 points and leads team with 6.9 rebounds per game. |
Contest the perimeter
In many Big Ten games, Nebraska’s primary goal is to defend the paint and force teams to shoot from the perimeter. That script will be flipped today against a Wisconsin team that thrives on 3-pointers and struggles inside the arc. The Badgers ranked 48th nationally in team 3-point percentage at 36.6%, led by Chucky Hepburn, who is hitting a blistering 48.1% from downtown. However, UW also ranks 332nd in 2-point field goal percentage at just 46.0%. The Huskers will still have to defend the post first, as Wisconsin tries to get a paint touch on every possession and then find open shooters on kick-outs. That means NU much be relentless on its closeouts and contests when the Badgers shoot from deep, something it struggled mightily with against Penn State and Michigan.
Keep the offense rolling
It almost feels like Nebraska has been two completely different teams this season. Prior to Emmanuel Bandoumel and Juwan Gary’s injuries, the Huskers hanged the hat on defense and tried to do just enough offensively to win. Since those two went down a few weeks ago, though, NU’s strength flipped to the offense while its defense has regressed. Nebraska has shot 47.7% from the field over the past six games and is averaging 72.0 points over its last two contests. That also includes staying under 10 turnovers with a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio against Penn State and Michigan. Point guard Sam Griesel must control the pace, Derrick Walker needs to efficiently quarterback the half-court offense, and guys like Keisei Tominaga need to keep up their hot shooting.
Be the grittier team
Wisconsin might not have the lumbering frontcourts like other teams in the conference, but it plays the prototype of tough, physical Big Ten basketball. The Badgers don’t turn it over (they rank third nationally in offensive turnover percentage at 13.7%), and they utilize excellent ball movement. Most of all, UW shortens games with a slow, methodical offensive pace. Wisconsin is 347th in average possession length at 19.6 seconds. That’s tied with Cal for the lowest average of any high-major team. On the other end of the floor, the Badgers rank in the top 60 in adjusted defensive efficiency (28th, 95.1) and defensive rebounding percentage (46th, 25.2). That means every possession will be critical for Nebraska. Winning 50-50 balls and creating second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounds could be the difference.
Quotable
“It really is. There’s no doubt about it. It has been like two different teams. Our identity – and you look at our numbers on both ends of the floor early – it was a very defensive oriented group that played slow. We made it ugly on a lot of occasions, but that was the way we were going to give ourselves a chance to win. Since we’ve made the change, now we’re trying to junk things up to give ourselves a chance to steal possessions, and offensively, we have to have good nights. We have been better. I’ve been pleased with our offense and the way it’s looked with our pace and our purpose that we’re playing with… The offense looks like it should right now.”
Head coach Fred Hoiberg on how Nebraska’s identity has changed since losing Emmanuel Bandoumel and Juwan Gary to season-ending injuries.
Prediction
Nebraska (+3.5) 65, Wisconsin 61
Robin’s overall season record: 16-9
Robin’s record vs. the spread: 12-13
