Nebraska Hoops Gameday: St. Mary's
Nebraska basketball returns to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., today for one of its marquee non-conference matchups against St. Mary’s.
Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ showdown with the Gaels…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0, 0-0) vs. St. Mary’s Gaels (3-0, 0-0)
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 – 12:00 p.m. CT
Sanford Pentagon (Sioux Falls, S.D.) (3,250)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: B1G+
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Nebraska projected starters
| Rollie Worster | G | Sr. | 6-5/210 | Finished with 8 points on 3-8 shooting with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 turnover over 19 minutes in the win over Fairleigh Dickinson. |
| Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | Posted 10 points against Fairleigh Dickinson, his seventh straight game in double figures. He had 6 of his 10 points, 3 of his 6 rebounds, and 4 of his 6 made FTs in the second half. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | Led NU in points (11), rebounds (9), and steals (5) vs. FDU. Set season highs in points (19), assists (5), blocks (2), made FTs (7) and FT attempts (8). His assists and FTs were career highs. |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/240 | Scored a season-high 12 points and tied his career bests with 7 rebounds and 3 assists vs. FDU. He’s recorded at least six rebounds in all three games this season. |
| Braxton Meah | F | Sr. | 7-1/264 | Did not play against Fairleigh Dickinson due to an ankle injury but is expected to return to the lineup today. Averaging 4.5 points on 72% shooting with 4.0 rebounds per game. |
St. Mary’s projected starters
| Jordan Ross | G | So. | 6-3/190 | Averages 8.3 points per game on just 36.4% shooting. Also averaging 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.0 steal per contest. |
| Augustas Marciulionis | G | Sr. | 6-4/200 | Transfer from Arizona, he posted his third-straight double-double with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Akron. He leads SMC with 18.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. |
| Luke Barrett | G/F | Sr. | 6-6/215 | One of only four Gaels to make a 3-pointer this season (3). He’s tied for second on the team with 4.0 3PT attempts per game but is only shooting 25.0% from deep. |
| Paulius Murauskas | F | So. | 6-9/235 | A transfer from Arizona, he posted his third-straight double-double with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Akron. He leads SMC with 18.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. |
| Mitchell Saxen | C | Sr. | 6-10/250 | Averages 8.3 points per game on just 36.4% shooting. He’s also averaging 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest. |
3 keys to victory
Take the lid off
There hasn’t been a more concerning constant for Nebraska this season than its poor perimeter shooting. After going 7-for-28 (25%) from 3-point range against Fairleigh Dickinson, NU is now just 17-of-69 (24.6%) on the season. That puts Nebraska at 315th nationally and second-to-last in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage, ahead of only Michigan State (20.0%). If there was ever a time for that to happen, today would be it. That’s especially true against a St. Mary’s team that has also struggled with its shooting from deep. The Gaels come in at just 29.8 percent on 3-pointers (240th nationally) as a team, with only four players making a three thus far.
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Keep cashing in at the FT line
As poorly as Nebraska has shot the ball this season, it’s consistently manufactured points at the free-throw line at an incredible rate. The Huskers have already been to the line for 89 free throws through their first three regular-season games. Even better, they’ve made 69 of them, good for third-best in the Big Ten at 77.5%. Only Illinois (91) has attempted more free throws than NU thus far. No team in the league has made more from the stripe. Overall, 29.2% of Nebraska’s points this season have been free throws, good for 21st nationally. Head coach Fred Hoiberg obviously wants his offense to score with more traditional flow. But as the Huskers work through their cold shooting start, racking up points at the line has been critical.
Make every possession count
What makes St. Mary’s such a problematic matchup is that it’s such a physical and efficient team. The Gaels boast one of the most effective offenses in the country, ranking 19th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (115.6). They also crash the glass as much as anyone, ranking fifth overall in offensive rebounding percentage (45.6). SMC takes good care of the basketball (15.0 turnover rate) and defends at a high level without fouling. Missed opportunities on offense have marred Nebraska, whether it’s missing open shots or sloppy turnovers. The Huskers must play cleaner than ever against an opponent that doesn’t make many mistakes.
Quotable
“I promise you guys, at some point we’re going to take the lid off that basket, and when we do, it’s going to be fun.”
-Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg on the Huskers being a better shooting team than what they’ve shown early this season.
Prediction
St. Mary’s 71, Nebraska (+2.5) 67
Robin’s season record: 3-0
Vs. the spread: 2-1
