Nebraska Hoops Game Day: Hawaii
Nebraska continues its run through the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic tonight with a second-round matchup with tournament host Hawaii in Honolulu.
Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ clash with the Rainbow Warriors…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (7-4, 0-1 Big West)
Monday, Dec. 23, 2024 – 9:30 p.m. CT
Stan Sheriff Center Bank (10,300)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: ESPN+
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Nebraska projected starters
Rollie Worster | G | Sr. | 6-5/210 | Had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with seven rebounds in Sunday night’s win over Murray State. He also drew five fouls and was 3-4 on free throws. |
Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | Finished with nine points on 4-10 shooting with two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two turnovers over 30 minutes vs. Murray State. |
Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | Scored nine points on just 2-of-8 shooting vs. MSU, but he was 5-for-5 on free throws and finished with a team-high plus/minus of 21 over 23 minutes of work. |
Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/224 | Injured his ankle in the win over Murray State and will be a game-time decision tonight. Had six points and nine rebounds through 26 minutes before his injury. |
Braxton Meah | F | Sr. | 7-1/264 | Made his only shot for two points and added three rebounds, two steals, and an assist in just 15 minutes against Murray State. |
Hawaii projected starters
Kody Williams | G | Jr. | 6-0/190 | Leads Hawaii with 18 made 3-pointers while shooting a team-high 51.4 percent from behind the arc. Held scoreless on 0-2 shooting over 20 minutes in the win over Charlotte. |
Marcus Greene | G | Sr. | 6-2/175 | Scoring 11.7 points and a team-high 2.4 assists per game. Finished with 22 points and three made 3-pointers in the win over Charlotte. |
Ryan Rapp | G | Sr. | 6-5/185 | Averaging 7.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Had eight points, three rebounds, and three assists over 33 minutes against Charlotte. |
Gytis Nemeiksa | F | Sr. | 6-8/220 | Leads Hawaii with 14.0 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range. Had a game-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the win over Charlotte. |
Tanner Christensen | C | Sr. | 6-10/265 | Averages 12.0 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 68.4 percent from the field on the season. |
3 keys to victory
All hands on deck
One of Nebraska’s best attributes this season is its depth, which could be tested in a big way tonight. There’s a chance that two key pieces of NU’s rotation, Ahron Ulis and Berke Buyuktuncel, might miss the showdown with Hawaii due to ankle injuries. Ulis, the Huskers’ backup point guard, sprained his ankle during Saturday’s practice and did not play on Sunday night. Buyuktuncel injured his ankle late in the win over Murray State, and he was already still recovering from a groin strain. Nebraska leaned on guys like Brice Williams, Sam Hoiberg, and Cale Jacobsen to help Rollie Worster with the point guard duties. Could Gavin Griffiths, who hasn’t played since the Michigan State loss on Dec. 7, return to the rotation if Buyuktuncel is out?
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Clean up the ball handling
While Nebraska took care of business in a 17-point win over Murray State, there were some blemishes. None stood out more than its 15 turnovers. The Huskers were sloppy with the ball much of the night, including 10 giveaways in the first half. They were fortunate that MSU only converted those into seven second-chance points, but the giveaways also allowed the Racers to hang around much longer than they should have. Hawaii isn’t much of a threat at all in terms of defensive pressure, as it ranks 351st nationally in defensive turnover percentage (13.0). The Rainbow Warriors also have their own ball security issues, ranking 313th in offensive turnover percentage (20.3). With Ulis potentially out again, Nebraska must be much more sound with the basketball than they were last night.
Be ready to play 5-on-8
This is the matchup Nebraska had hoped to avoid. Playing Hawaii on the road has earned a notorious reputation over the years for how – let’s say “involved” the officials can become. The Huskers are 0-5 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors, with all five meetings coming in Hawaii. In their last three meetings in 2004, 2006, and 2014, NU was called for an average of 23 fouls per game. That included Kye Kurkowski getting a technical foul for dunking during pre-game warmups in 2014 and former head coach Doc Sadler getting ejected in the first half in 2006. Hawaii comes into tonight’s game ranked 13th nationally in free-throw rate (45.3) and has produced 22.8% of its points at the charity stripe this season. Defending without fouling will be more important than ever in this one.
Quotable
“That’s the thing about these tournaments – whatever happened today we were going to have to get over it quickly, whatever the result, and get ready for the game tomorrow on a quick turnaround.”
Head coach Fred Hoiberg on playing Hawaii less than 24 hours after beating Murray State on Sunday night.
Prediction
Nebraska (-9.5) 70, Hawaii 60
Robin’s season record: 9-1
Vs. the spread: 6-4
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