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Nebraska Hoops Game Day: UCF

Robin Washut profile picby:Robin Washut•04/06/25•

RobinWashut

Brice Williams Nebraska basketball
Brice Williams dribbles the ball during Nebraska's semifinal win over Boise State at the College Basketball Crown. (Photo: College Basketball Crown)

Nebraska’s run in the College Basketball Crown finishes today against Central Florida in the tournament championship at T-Mobile Arena.

Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ title-game showdown with the Knights in Las Vegas…

Who, What, Where, When

Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-14, 7-13 Big Ten) vs. UCF Knights (20-16, 7-12 Big 12)

Sunday, April 6, 2025 – 4:30 p.m. CT

T-Mobile Arena (20,000)

TV: FOX

Radio: Huskers Radio Network

Internet/Streaming: FOX Sports App

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Nebraska projected starters

Brice WilliamsGSr.6-7/214He finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and a team-high six assists in the win over Boise State. He needs 17 points to break James Palmer Jr.’s NU single-season scoring record (708).
Sam HoibergGJr.6-0/185He posted his second double-figure scoring effort of the season with 10 points against Boise State. Those two double-digit performances have come over the last four games.
Juwan GaryG/FSr.6-6/226He scored a team-high 21 points and hit a career-best 4-of-4 threes in the win over Boise State. He needs 24 points to reach 1,000 as a Husker.
Cale JacobsenGSo.6-4/190He made his second straight start, hitting a career-high two 3-pointers for six points, three rebounds, and three assists against Boise State.
Berke BuyuktuncelFSo.6-10/240He only played 11 minutes vs. Boise State, finishing with two points on 1-of-4 shooting and posting Nebraska’s only negative plus/minus rating at -3.

UCF projected starters

Darius JohnsonGSr.6-1/200He dropped 42 points and went 17-of-20 on free throws in UCF’s semifinal win over Villanova. He’s the team’s top active scorer this season at 17.1 ppg.
Dallan ColemanGSr.6-6/220He played 41 minutes and scored 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc against Villanova. He averages 5.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg over 22.9 mpg on the year.
Tyler HendricksGSo.6-6/190He scored 12 points with eight rebounds in the win over Villanova. He only averages 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds over 10.9 minutes per game this season.
Nils MachowskiGSo.6-3/183He went scoreless and missed all four of his shots (all threes) over 16 minutes vs. Villanova. He averages just 3.5 ppg and 2.0 rpg this season.
Moustapha ThiamCFr.7-2/235The freshman averages 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and a team-high 2.6 blocked shots per game. He scored six with five boards and two blocks against Villanova.

Washut: Nebraska again got something from everyone as its postseason run continues

3 keys to victory

Keep the offense flowing

After a bit of a choppy start, Nebraska settled in and had one of its best all-around offensive performances of the season against Boise State. All nine Huskers who saw the floor scored in the win, and six of them made at least one 3-pointer. NU also assisted on 18 of its 26 assists and set season-highs with 12 made threes at a 63.2% clip. When the Huskers are getting spread-out production like that and not putting everything on Brice Williams and Juwan Gary’s shoulders, they’re pretty darn good. That must continue on Championship Sunday.

Lean on your bench

One of the best aspects of Nebraska’s impressive offensive showing vs. Boise State was that it featured something from everyone. As usual, Juwan Gary (21 points) and Brice Williams (14) led the way. But the Huskers also got 26 bench points, including eight apiece from Connor Essegian and Ahron Ulis. In fact, Williams only scored one point in the second half on Saturday. UCF just finished a hardly-fought overtime win over Villanova roughly 23 hours before today’s championship tip. Five of the Knights’ top seven players registered 30 minutes or more. Only Gary (39) and Williams (38) played more than 26 minutes vs. BSU. Nebraska must use that to its advantage.

Bottle up UCF’s Darius Johnson

Central Florida advanced to the College Basketball Crown despite its best player entering the transfer portal before the tournament. With Keyshawn Hall, who averaged a team-high 18.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg this season, now at Auburn, others have stepped up in Las Vegas. That conversation starts with Darius Johnson. The senior guard went off for 42 points in UCF’s overtime win over Villanova in the semifinals. That included him cashing in 17-of-20 free throws over his 42 minutes on the floor. Along with his 35-point effort in the quarterfinals against Oregon State, Johnson is now scoring 33.0 ppg at The Crown and 17.1 ppg for the season. Nebraska’s guard will have their hands full with him from start to finish.

Nebraska powers past Boise State 79-69 in College Basketball Crown semis

Quotable

“This is my last game in college, so that’s motivation for sure for me and guys that are seniors too. At the end of the day, there’s still a thing that we have to do (Sunday) and still a mission that we’ve got to complete… I’m still proud of this team for what we accomplished all week here. We’ve just got to cap it off with a win.”

-Nebraska senior forward Juwan Gary on the Huskers needing to finish what they started with a College Basketball Crown championship.

Prediction

Nebraska 81, UCF 73

Robin’s season record: 24-10

Vs. the spread: 16-18

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