Nebraska Hoops Game Day: at Creighton
After suffering its first loss of the season, Nebraska basketball must regroup quickly before tonight’s annual in-state rivalry game with Creighton.
Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ showdown in Omaha…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-1, 0-0) at Creighton Bluejays (4-0, 0-0)
Friday, Nov. 22, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. CT
CHI Health Center (Omaha, Neb.) (17,560)
TV: FS1
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: Fox Sports App
Subscribe to get exclusive Huskers content on HuskerOnline today!
Nebraska projected starters
| Rollie Worster | G | Sr. | 6-5/210 | Posted 10 points and 3 rebounds in the loss to Saint Mary’s. He also tied for the team-high with 3 turnovers, putting him at 12 TOs to 7 assists over the first four games. |
| Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | Scored his most points as a Husker with 28 on 8-of-12 shooting while going 11-for-11 on free throws vs. St. Mary’s. He’s averaging 18.8 points per game. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | Finished with 3 points on just 1-of-5 shooting with 4 rebounds and two steals in the loss to St. Mary’s. |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/240 | Scored 13 of his career-high 15 points in the second half vs. St. Mary’s. He also set career marks with 3 steals and 3 blocks. He’s now scored in double figures in the past two games. |
| Braxton Meah | F | Sr. | 7-1/264 | Returned from an ankle injury but went scoreless over 20 minutes of work vs. St. Mary’s. He missed his lone FG, grabbed 3 boards, and committed 3 turnovers. |
Creighton projected starters
| Steven Ashworth | G | Sr. | 6-0/175 | Worster’s former teammate at Utah St. He’s averaging 16.0 points and 7.0 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from 3-point range. |
| Pop Isaacs | G | Jr. | 6-2/180 | Texas Tech transfer who led TTU with 15.8 ppg and earned third-team All-Big 12 honors last year. He’s averaging 9.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 3.3 apg this season. |
| Jamiya Neal | G/F | Sr. | 6-5/190 | Transfer from Arizona State averaging 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this season. |
| Isaac Traudt | F | So. | 6-10/225 | Grand Island native and former Virginia transfer. He’s averaging 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists so far in 2024-25. |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | Sr. | 7-1/270 | Preseason Big East Player of the Year. He’s averaging 25.8 ppg while shooting nearly 90%. He scored 49 point nights on 20-of-22 shooting in a win over UTRGV. |
3 keys to victory
Try to contain Kalkbrenner
Few players in all of college basketball have been as dominant on either end of the floor as Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner. The Preseason Big East Player of the Year and three-time conference Defensive Player of the Year has lived up to every bit of his billing thus far. The 7-foot-1 center averages 25.8 points per game while shooting a ridiculous 89.1% from the field. He’s also 18-of-20 (90%) on free throws and 3-for-4 (75%) on 3-pointers this season. Few teams, including Nebraska, can contain a player of Kalkbrenner’s size and caliber one-on-one. The Huskers must swarm him on every touch and make life as difficult as possible for him for 40 minutes. That might open up shots for other Creighton players, but if NU lets him dominate the paint, it won’t stand a chance.
Top 10
- 1
LaNorris Sellers
South Carolina QB signs NIL deal to return
- 2New
Justice Haynes
Alabama transfer RB commits
- 3
National Championship odds
Updated odds are in
- 4Trending
Urban Meyer
Coach alarmed by UT fan turnout at OSU
- 5Hot
CFP home games
Steve Spurrier calls for change
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Muck it up
The best way to negate an offense as potent as Creighton’s is to shorten the game and make them work for everything in the half-court. Flashback to Nebraska’s upset win in Omaha two years ago. The Huskers took the air out of the ball, played bully ball on both ends, and dared Bluejays not named Kalkbrenner to beat them. That’s a perilous proposition against a team that can light it up like CU, but it’s probably NU’s best chance tonight. In the 2022-23 win, Derrick Walker out-scored Kalkbrenner 22-10, while Sam Griesel backed down Creighton’s smaller guards for 18 points and 12 boards. Just as critical was Kalbrenner only taking eight shots and the Bluejays shooting 10-of-40 (25%) from behind the arc. That’s the path Nebraska must try to follow again tonight.
Stay out of a track meet
As good as Creighton’s half-court offense has been this season, the Bluejays are the most dangerous when they’re off and running. The transition game has defined CU head coach Greg McDermott’s success, as few teams capitalize off high-tempo more than his squads. This presents a dangerous situation for Nebraska. The Huskers have struggled with turnovers and sloppy ball security all season. They’ve also forced the ball into the paint without a plan far too often, which has led to numerous giveaways and bad shots. If NU makes those mistakes again, all those turnovers, contested misses, and blocked shots will turn into Bluejay fastbreak points. Go back to 2022 again: Nebraska remained in control from start to finish, and Creighton managed just five points off turnovers and two fastbreak points. That must happen again.
Quotable
“I’m going into year six in in this rivalry in the state. The weird thing about this one is that on the next day, a lot of those (Creighton) fans will be cheering for Nebraska on a football field. That’s always been a little bit bizarre to me. But, you know, these rivalry games are really fun for the fans. They’re not not very much fun for the coaches.”
-Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg on the unique fan dynamics that surround the Nebraska-Creighton rivalry.
Prediction
Creighton (-10.5) 85, Nebraska 73
Robin’s season record: 4-0
Vs. the spread: 3-1
