Nebraska Hoops Game Day: at Washington
Riding back-to-back top-25 upsets, Nebraska hopes to keep things rolling in another Big Ten road matchup tonight at Washington.
Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ first meeting vs. the Huskies as conference foes…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-8, 4-7 Big Ten) at Washington Huskies (11-10, 2-8 Big Ten)
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 – 9:30 p.m. CT
Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: Fox Sports App
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Nebraska projected starters
| Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | He became just the second Husker to earn two Big Ten Player of the Week honors after averaging 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in NU’s wins over Illinois and Oregon. |
| Sam Hoiberg | G | Jr. | 6-0/185 | He made his second straight start and played a season-high 37 minutes in Nebraska’s upset of No. 16 Oregon. He scored two points on 1-5 shooting with two rebounds. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | He scored 23 points while going 10-12 on free throws to help Nebraska upset Oregon. That marked his fourth 20-point effort of the season and the seventh of his career. |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/244 | He returned to the starting lineup and scored just three points on 1-7 shooting, including going 1-6 on threes. However, he hauled in a career-high nine rebounds and was +15 on the night. |
| Andrew Morgan | F | Sr. | 6-10/242 | Early foul trouble forced him to play only 17 minutes at Oregon. He still finished with eight points on 4-4 shooting with two rebounds and two assists. |
Washington projected starters
| Tyree Ihenacho | G | Sr. | 6-4/190 | A transfer from North Dakota, he averages 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He scored 22 points and made 5-of-9 3-pointers in UND’s loss at Nebraska last season. |
| Mekhi Mason | G | Jr. | 6-5/195 | He averages 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He’s made 29 3-pointers at a 36.1 percent clip this season. |
| Tyler Harris | G | So. | 6-8/190 | He’s second on the team in scoring at 12.0 ppg and leads Washington with 1.1 bpg. He also ranks sixth in the Big Ten at 46.8 percent from behind the arc with 29 made threes. |
| Wilhelm Breidenbach | F | Sr. | 6-10/232 | A former Nebraska transfer who played for Fred Hoiberg from 2021-23. He averages 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Huskies. |
| Great Osobor | F | Sr. | 6-8/250 | The former Utah State transfer leads Washington in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounding (8.7 rpg), assists (3.1 apg), and steals (2.1 spg) this season. |
3 keys to victory
Glass
One of the main reasons Washington sits at the bottom of the Big Ten standings is that it’s one of the worst rebounding teams in the conference. The Huskies enter tonight’s game ranked 16th in the conference with a -0.4 margin on the boards. They’re also 207th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (29.2). Nebraska hasn’t been great on the glass either this season, including giving up a whopping 58 rebounds (20 offensive) a week ago to Illinois. However, the Huskers held their own on the glass last time out against a solid rebounding team in Oregon, winning the boards 35-32. The key tonight will be blocking out Great Osobor, who ranks third in the league with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game and fifth overall at 8.7 rpg. Finishing defensive possessions and creating some second-chance points will be critical for NU to pick up another Big Ten road win.
Keep Osobor in check
As mentioned, Osobor should be at the top of Nebraska’s opponent scouting report tonight. He does everything for Washington, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. However, while the 6-foot-8, 250-pound senior produces plenty of volume, his efficiency leaves plenty to be desired. Osobor leads the Big Ten with 7.4 free-throw attempts per game, but he’s only making 4.5 at a 61.3% clip. He’s also tied for fourth in the league with 2.8 fouls committed and fourth with 3.2 turnovers per game. The Huskers must lock in on him defensively on every possession. If they can frustrate him, odds are they can bait him into some bad shots and cheap fouls on the other end.
As always, value the basketball
There’s a good chance that whichever team takes better care of the basketball tonight will win the game. Nebraska and Washington have had issues with ball security this season, as they both commit 12 turnovers per game. The Huskers hit that total again at Oregon, and a flurry of four giveaways over the final four minutes of the first half allowed the Ducks to cut into a 15-point deficit and stay within reach at the break. The good news is that NU was significantly better against Illinois’ pressure defense, turning it over just six times. Nebraska must jump on Washington early and force the league’s last-place team to rally through adversity. The last thing it can afford to do is give the Huskies some confidence by constantly handing them the ball.
Quotable
“I told the guys in the locker room this doesn’t mean anything unless we come out and play well on Wednesday. We’ll get a game plan in (Monday). It will be a mental type day. Go a little bit harder on Tuesday and get ready for a good Washington team that is coming off a road win as well.”
-Head coach Fred Hoiberg on Nebraska needing to maintain its edge and focus after consecutive top-25 victories.
Prediction
Nebraska 73, Washington 68
Robin’s season record: 17-5
Vs. the spread: 10-12
