Nebraska Hoops Game Day: Oregon State
After two wins over two days, Nebraska has advanced to the championship round of the 2024 Hawaiin Airlines Diamond Head Classic against Oregon State.
Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ showdown with the Beavers tonight in Honolulu…
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Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten) vs. Oregon State Beavers (10-2, 0-0 WCC)
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 – 7:30 p.m. CT
Stan Sheriff Center (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 | He ended up with four points on just 2-of-7 shooting with three turnovers in the win over Hawaii. However, he also tied for the team-high with three assists and added four rebounds. |
| Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | Matched his career-high with 32 points against Hawaii. That marked his second 30-point effort of the season, and he now ranks third in the Big Ten at 19.2 ppg. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | Scored a season-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting vs. Hawaii, including making his final six shots. He’s averaged 14.2 points on 51% shooting over the last five games. |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/224 | He only had two points on 1-of-7 shooting vs. Hawaii, but he matched his career bests with a team-high nine rebounds and three steals. |
| Braxton Meah | F | Sr. | 7-1/264 | Finished with six points on 3-of-4 shooting with six rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot over 21 minutes of work in the win over Hawaii. |
Oregon State projected starters
| Damarco Minor | G | Sr. | 6-0/190 | Had 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting with five rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the overtime win over Oakland. He leads the team with 5.5 assists per game. |
| Nate Kingz | G | Jr. | 6-5/190 | He averages 10.4 ppg and leads OSU with 23 made 3-pointers at a 52.3% clip from behind the arc. Scored five points on just 5-of-17 shooting against Oakland. |
| Liutauras Lelevicius | G | So. | 6-7/198 | Led Oregon State with 17 points and nine rebounds in the win over Oakland. He averages 8.8 ppg and 4.4 rpg while shooting 95.5% on free throws. |
| Michael Rataj | F | Jr. | 6-9/220 | Leads Oregon State with 16.3 ppg and 9.1 rpg this season. He had 13 points on just 5-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds vs. Oakland. |
| Parsa Fallah | F | Jr. | 6-9/260 | Ranks second on the team with 11.5 ppg while shooting 64.4% from the field on the season. He only scored four points on just 1-of-4 shooting against Oakland. |
3 keys to victory
Give Brice and Juwan more help
Nebraska defeated Hawaii to advance to tonight’s tournament championship because Brice Williams and Juwan Gary played out of their minds. The senior duo combined for 53 of the Huskers’ 69 points in the victory, including 34 of NU’s 40 points in the second half. As good as those two were, though, Nebraska will need much more from the rest of its cast tonight. Fellow starters Rollie Worster, Braxton Meah, Berke Buyuktuncel, and sixth-men Connor Essegian and Andrew Morgan accounted for just 14 points on 7-of-25 shooting (28%). The Huskers didn’t need much more than that since Williams and Gary were so good, but leaning that heavily on two players isn’t a consistent model for success.
Take care of the basketball
Nebraska posted consecutive double-digit victories in Honolulu, but neither was particularly pretty. That’s because the Huskers struggled with ball security in their wins over Murray State and Hawaii, turning it over 27 times. Even worse, those didn’t result from heavy defensive pressure, as only nine came off steals. The Huskers must take better care of the basketball and value every possession against a step up in competition tonight vs. Oregon State. The Beavers rank 98th nationally in defensive turnover percentage (19.5) and 57th in steal percentage (12.0). Sloppiness will get you beat in a matchup that could come down to the wire.
Finish the job
After Monday night’s win over Hawaii, Williams said Nebraska flew to Hawaii with only one goal: to win the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. With two double-digit victories in the books, the Huskers have one final step to accomplish that goal. The importance of tonight’s game goes beyond winning the tournament title. Oregon State entered the event as the only Quad 1 team in the field. The Huskers already added a true road win to their resume over UH. A Q1 neutral-site victory tonight would make this about as productive of a trip as NU could have imagined. Nebraska’s non-conference slate needs all the help it can get, which makes beating the Beavers a golden opportunity.
Quotable
“Last year’s team was pretty… This one, we’re going to have to grind some games out. But this team, I think, is built for that.”
Head coach Fred Hoiberg on the difference between the 2024-25 Nebraska team and last year’s squad.
Prediction
Nebraska (-3) 71, Oregon State 69
Robin’s season record: 10-1
Vs. the spread: 7-4
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