Nebraska Hoops Game Day: Murray State
Nebraska begins its run through the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic tonight with a first-round matchup against Murray State in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ clash with the Racers…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten) vs. Murray State Racers (6-4, 1-1 Missouri Valley)
Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 – 8:00 p.m. CT
Stan Sheriff Center Bank (10,300)
TV: ESPN
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: ESPN+
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Nebraska projected starters
| Rollie Worster | G | Sr. | 6-5/210 | Played 18 minutes against Indiana due to early foul trouble. Ended up with four points, two rebounds, and two assists in the victory. |
| Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | Scored his most points as a Husker with 30 in the win over Indiana. He also led NU with a season-high six rebounds and five assists. He’s scored in double figures in 13 straight games. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | Posted 14 points and five rebounds against Indiana to finish second on the team with a plus/minus of 21. |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/224 | Returned to the starting lineup vs. Indiana and finished with five points, five rebounds, and three assists over 20 minutes of work. |
| Braxton Meah | F | Sr. | 7-1/264 | Only played 15 minutes in the win over Indiana, scoring four points on 2-of-2 shooting with three rebounds and three turnovers. |
Murray State projected starters
| JaCobi Wood | G | Sr. | 6-2 | Named first-team Preseason All-MVC. He’s averaging 15.0 ppg, 5.4 apg and 4.2 rpg while shooting over 40% from 3-point range. |
| Terence Harcum | G | Sr. | 6-3 | Scoring 12.0 points per game and averages 1.5 assists per game on the season. |
| Kylen Milton | G | Sr. | 6-4 | Averages 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and leads the team with 1.4 steals per game. |
| AJ Ferguson | G | Sr. | 6-7 | Ranks second on the team with 12.3 points per game while averahing a team-high 6.0 rebounds with 1.4 assists per game. |
| Nick Ellington | F | Jr. | 6-7 | A second-team Preseason All-MVC selection. He’s scoring 9.7 points per game on a team-high 58.5 percent shooting from the field. |
3 keys to victory
Pack your offense
Coming off its most efficient shooting performance of the season in the win over Indiana, Nebraska better pack that offensive production for Hawaii. The Huskers have faced some high-powered 3-point shooting teams this year, but Murray State ranks up there with the best of them. The Racers rank 78th nationally in team 3-point percentage at 36.3%. They have four starters scoring in double figures and seven guys scoring at least 6.5 points per game. Carrying over home shooting success to road games is generally hard enough. Doing it after flying 11 hours and four time zones away is a completely different story.
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Be ready to scrap
With no starters standing above 6-foot-7, Murray State won’t challenge Nebraska much in terms of size and physicality. What the Racers will do, however, is pepper NU on both ends of the floor with quickness, athleticism, and fight. Seven MSU palyers average over 17 minutes per game, meaning it will come at the Huskers in waves from start to finish. Along with a compliment of shooters, Murray State also utlizes a full-court press that has given opposing ball handlers fits. Nebraska must value possessions and be intentional with every pass. If the Huskers revert to lazy on and off-ball movement, the game could get a bit chaotic.
Get the job done
Head coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t shied away from highlighting the importance of tonight’s game for Nebraska. The obvious incentive is to stay on the winner’s side of the bracket and rack up three wins over the next four. In the context of the entire season and the Huskers’ NCAA Tournament resume, avoiding any “bad” losses is just as critical. NU has navigated its non-conference schedule relatively unphased, with a nuetral-site buzzer-beater loss to St. Mary’s being the only blemish. In a Diamond Head Classic field where Nebraska is the heavy favorite, a defeat in Hawaii could be detrimental.
Quotable
“We just want to keep growing. We’re a much better team after the last one than we were the week before. We learned a lot about ourselves in our prep heading into the Indiana game after getting our butts whipped by Michigan State. Hopefully we can continue on the upward path and continue to grow as a group… I like the direction of where we’re headed, and hopefully we can keep taking the right steps.”
Head coach Fred Hoiberg on what he wants Nebraska to accomplish over its three games at the Diamond Head Classic.
Prediction
Nebraska (-8.5) 71, Murray State 62
Robin’s season record: 8-1
Vs. the spread: 5-4
