Huskers hold off Maine for 79-66 win in opener

Nebraska’s 2022-23 season opener got a bit tense for a stretch, as Maine gave the Huskers all they could handle in a 79-66 NU victory.

Nebraska led by as many as 15 and took a 12-point lead into halftime. But the Black Bears made five of their first seven second-half 3-pointers and pulled within 54-53. 

But the Huskers regained control behind seniors Sam Griesel and Juwan Gary. Griesel scored 18 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. Gary posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.

Starting forward Derrick Walker remained out due to undisclosed “healthcare reasons.” NU still dominated the boards on both ends of the floor in his absence. It owned a 44-27 overall rebounding advantage and a 16-5 edge on the offensive glass.

The 16 offensive boards were more than the Huskers had in any game last season. It was also their highest total since the 2020-21 opener vs. McNeese State.

That effort in the paint helped Nebraska go up by as many as 15 in the first half. When it seemed like the Huskers would cruise to victory, Maine opened the second half with a 20-10 run. 

The Black Bears eventually got it to one with 13 minutes remaining on a 3-pointer by Gedi Juozapaitis. He scored a team-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.

Nebraska put its foot down and regained control from there, though. It answered with a 17-6 run over the next eight minutes to go back up by 14.

Keisei Tominaga came off the bench for 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including three 3-pointers, for his highest scoring output since getting 23 last season vs. South Dakota. He had a string of 10 straight points in the first half.

Nebraska ended up with a +17 rebounding margin in the win, its largest against a Division I opponent since 2017-18.

The Huskers will return to action on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. CT home game against Omaha.

🎙 Postgame from PBA https://t.co/WVAMX36EJt

— Nebraska Basketball (@HuskerHoops) November 8, 2022

3-point play

Griesel took control in crunch time

In previous seasons, it’s felt like Nebraska didn’t have someone who could carry the team in crunch time.

The Huskers have that guy now in Griesel. 

After Maine got it down to 54-53, the Lincoln native and North Dakota State transfer took control. He scored 12 of the Huskers’ final 25 points to close out the win.

Griesel hauled in five of his nine rebounds during that stretch. He also drew a game-high nine fouls and went 5-for-6 on free throws. 

Griesel downplayed his impact in the win and focused most of his comments on the team’s effort. But anyone who watched saw Griesel become the man in the room when it mattered the most.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I came out of halftime and I was like, ‘I need to do this, I need to do that,’” Griesel said. “My whole career, I always try to let the game come to me, and I felt like my role is to do whatever I can to help this team win.”

With Walker out, Nebraska’s reshuffled front court stepped up

As expected, Walker was held out again on Monday night for what Hoiberg has described as “healthcare reasons.”

Hoiberg still had no update on what Walker was dealing with or how long he would be out. 

“No update,” Hoiberg said after the game. “Derrick will continue to be day-to-day.”

Blaise Keita got the start again in Walker’s absence. NU shook up its frontcourt even more by starting Gary at the four over Wilhelm Breidenbach.

Gary made an immediate impact in his first start as a Husker with a double-double. He was especially active on the offensive glass, hauling in eight offensive boards (five in the first half). That helped Nebraska hold a 16-5 edge in second-chance points.

Hoiberg said he met with Breidenbach, who had started the two exhibitions, last week. They agreed to try him off the bench in the opener.

The sophomore played 17 minutes off the bench, scoring nine points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. Breidenbach also played the majority of his minutes at the five.

In all, NU’s bigs accounted for 20 of its 44 rebounds and 10 of its 16 offensive boards. With Walker’s situation still a mystery, look for NU to keep riding Gary for the foreseeable future. 

Ramel Lloyd Jr. will redshirt this season

One of the more surprising developments on Monday night had nothing to do with what happened on the court.

True freshman guard Ramel Lloyd Jr. did not suit up against Maine. After the game, Hoiberg confirmed that the former three-star from California prep power Sierra Canyon would redshirt this season.

The news was certainly unexpected. Hoiberg had said that Lloyd would be relied upon as possibly NU’s third point guard behind Griesel and Emmanuel Bandoumel. 

Lloyd played nine minutes in the charity game at Colorado and hit a 3-pointer. He also saw nine minutes in the exhibition win over Chadron State, finishing with three points and two rebounds.

“Right now, the conversation is to likely redshirt Ramel,” Hoiberg said. “He’s been really good. He’s got to stay ready; you never know what might happen. But that will keep some flexibility for him.

“He’s really improving and getting better. He’s been getting in the gym and working on his craft. Ramel’s got a really bright future ahead of him.”

They said it

“That’s Keisei to a T… His first few weeks (of summer practices), he just lit it up. I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ Obviously, I knew who he was, but I was just shocked. Especially when he comes off the bench, that’s what he can do for us. He’s a big sparkplug, and he can just take the lid off the basket for us. He did that tonight, and we’re going to continue to rely on him to stretch the floor and be that guy for us.”

Senior point guard Sam Griesel on the boost Keisei Tominaga gave Nebraska off the bench with his 19 points.