3 bold predictions for Nebraska basketball against Maryland

For the third straight season, Nebraska basketball has gotten hot in February. The Huskers have won four games in a row. Two of them were against ranked teams, while three of those wins counted as quadrant-1 wins.

The only one that didn’t was the road win at Washington. Those four wins have had just as much impact on the Nebraska basketball NCAA tournament resume as the six straight losses.

Nebraska is projected as a No. 10 seed right now. They have one of the final first-round byes according to the latest projection from ESPN, which is a good place to be but also precarious with a loss or two.

At stake tonight is a chance to even the Big Ten record at 7-7. A win would also be the fifth over a top-25 team this season (a new program record) and it would also be a sixth quad-1 win.

The Huskers are listed as 1.5-point favorites. Tip-off is set for 7:30 CST on the Big Ten Network and here are three bold predictions for Nebraska basketball vs. Maryland.

Brice Williams will score at least 20 points

Williams has spearheaded the four-game winning streak for Nebraska with an average of 25.5 points per game. Williams has attempted 27 free throws and made seven 3-pointers during that stretch.

In each of the last three games, Williams has shot better than 50 percent from the field. In the first game at Maryland, Williams was held to 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He didn’t make any 3-pointers and attempted just two free throws.

The Terrapins are one of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten. They are great at forcing turnovers and are good at defending the 3-point line, but Williams has been indefensible lately. He’s getting to the charity stripe and dominating in the mid-range.

I don’t see that changing tonight. Williams will get at least another 20 points.

Andrew Morgan flirts with a double-double

The first game against Maryland was going poorly until Fred Hoiberg inserted Andrew Morgan into the lineup who scored 12 first-half points off the bench.

Morgan finished the game with 17 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. Braxton Meah played just four. I’m sure the 7-footer will play more in this game, but Morgan seems like the best option to replace Berke Buyuktuncel in the starting lineup.

Maryland’s 2-point defense isn’t great. The Terps are 2nd in the Big Ten at blocking shots but Morgan exposed them last time and while I don’t see him pulling down 10 rebounds, he’ll score in double figures and get 7-8 rebounds for good measure.

Juwan Gary sets the tone

Brice Williams has gotten a ton of credit during the four-game winning streak and rightfully so, but Juwan Gary is the engine that makes Nebraska go.

He’s averaged over 18 points and six rebounds per game during this winning streak and his defense has been just as important as the offense. He’s got four blocks in the last four games and five steals in addition to 25 rebounds.

More than that, Gary is the heart and soul of this program and tonight, just like he did against Creighton or in the second half against Ohio State, he will set the tone. Gary only scored six points in the first Maryland game.

That won’t happen again. He’ll hit multiple 3-pointers on his way to at least 15 points. But his true impact won’t be felt in the box score as the Huskers get their fifth win over a ranked opponent this season.

Prediction: Nebraska 74, Maryland 69.

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