3 keys and a prediction for Nebraska basketball vs. Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament

Indiana needed a last-second putback to advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals, but the Hoosiers have won five in a row as they get set to take on third-seeded Nebraska basketball on Friday night.

Tip-off is set for approximately 8 PM CST. It will depend on when the previous game ends between Ohio State and Illinois. Despite everything going on with the athletic department, this is a huge opportunity for Nebraska basketball. 

Two wins and they are playing for the Big Ten tournament championship. Making the semifinals and having a national TV game on CBS would be a huge step forward. Getting there means beating Indiana for a third time. The Huskers did it twice, by double digits, but Indiana is hot.

Here are three keys and our prediction.

Make sure the defense travels

Getting a double bye is an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantage in that first game. Indiana has played twice inside the Target Center already. The Hoosiers have momentum and nothing to lose.

Nebraska, on the other hand, is playing in a new building. They also haven’t played since last Sunday and have only played one game in the last 12 days after getting a full week off between Michigan and Rutgers.

So some offensive rust wouldn’t be shocking. The way to overcome that is defense. We know Juwan Gary will be motivated after being snubbed for the All-Big Ten defensive team and I expect him to lead the charge.

Nebraska basketball held Indiana under a point-per-possession in the first two games and if they do that on Friday night, they’ll win, no doubt about it.

Keep Indiana off the glass

The rebounding battle is critical for Nebraska and that’s one area where the Hoosiers excel. In the first two matchups, Indiana rebounded more than 25 percent of its misses. That’s more than you would like but it’s still manageable.

However, the Huskers allowed Rutgers to rebound 40 percent of its misses in a game this season. The higher that number gets, the more likely Indiana is to steal this game. Nebraska needs to win the rebounding battle — the Huskers generally win the game when they do — but limiting offensive boards will be crucial on Friday night.

Limit turnovers

Another reason Nebraska beat Indiana twice this season by double digits was the way it took care of the basketball. The Huskers had a combined 15 turnovers in the two wins over Indiana. The Hoosiers had 19 in one of those games alone.

Nebraska is a really good offensive team with weapons everywhere. The one thing that drags them down, outside of the occasional cold-shooting performance, is turnovers. As long as the Huskers value the ball, they shouldn’t have problems scoring the ball against Indiana.

Nebraska vs Indiana prediction

Despite all the noise surrounding the Huskers right now, this team is special. We have all said it and I believe it. What if this team went and won the Big Ten tournament this weekend? Wouldn’t that be a twist? We’ll see about that, but give me the Huskers over Indiana, although it will be by single digits this time.

Prediction: Nebraska 75, Indiana 69

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