3 thoughts on a huge win and a trophy for Nebraska basketball

Nebraska basketball is bringing home a trophy from the Diamond Head Classic and the Huskers are also bringing home a quadrant-1 victory (or so we thought).

The NET rankings can change. Oregon State was ranked 40th in the NET rankings before Wednesday’s championship game but has now dropped outside the top 50. Still, it’s a key win, on a neutral floor that could still turn into a quad-1.

Nebraska leaves the mid-season tournament with a true road win, another win over a top-125 team in Murray State, and a resume-building win.

Oregon State shot the ball well from deep, but the Beavers defense allowed eight 3-pointers to Nebraska basketball and 25 points to Brice Williams. Berke Buyuktuncel had one of his best games as a Husker with 16 points, six rebounds, and three 3-pointers.

Defensively, the Huskers held Oregon State’s two leading scorers to 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. It was a defensive clinic down the stretch and here are three thoughts on the Huskers’ 78-66 win.

Brice Williams had one hell of a week

Nebraska probably wouldn’t be bringing home a trophy without the play of Williams who scored 56 points over the final two games of the tournament. He was 9-of-13 on Wednesday night and perfect from the free throw line for the second right in a row.

In addition to his offensive effort, Williams grabbed seven rebounds. He also dished out four assists and is starting to look like a dude who could get drafted into the league. Williams is playing like an All-Big-Ten caliber guy right now and at the right time with Big Ten play about to restart.

A resume-building win

Nebraska basketball needed another good non-conference win. There was no guarantee it was going to work out — Oregon State nearly lost to Oakland in the semifinals — which would have meant facing a team ranked outside the top 100, instead of inside the top 50.

The Huskers were fortunate but they took advantage of the opportunity. They outscored the Beavers by 11 in the second half and turned in a double-digit win over a top-50 team. That’s going to help the NET rankings and the NCAA tournament resume.

Great week for @HuskerMBB to win the Diamond Head Classic. Brice Williams having an all-@B1GMBBall season. Amending the projection on Huskers. This is definitely a team that can make a @MarchMadnessMBB bid run. @BigTenNetwork

— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) December 26, 2024

A few weeks ago, Andy Katz ranked Nebraska 16th in his Big Ten basketball power rankings. Now, after the win over Oregon State, he said Nebraska basketball looks like a tournament team.

Buyuktuncel came to life

Berke is one of the most skilled players on the roster. His ceiling is high and Christmas night was a reminder of that.

Things haven’t always come easy this season for Buyuktuncel though. After three straight double-digit scoring efforts earlier in the season, Berke had been averaging 4.4 points per game in his last six — all single-digit outings.

Nebraska was going to need someone other than Williams and Juwan Gary (14 points) to threaten the defense and it ended up being Berke, who set the tone in the first half but also made three triples. He had four 3-point makes all season.

The 6-foot-9 forward attempted a season-high eight points and made six of them. His defense was critical too and that’s why his minutes have stayed consistent. He’s too skilled to be shooting 21 percent from 3-point range, which was the percentage before his 3-of-4 effort against Oregon State.

Nebraska should get a jolt of confidence from winning this tournament, and hopefully, it sparks that kind of play from Buyuktuncel on a more consistent basis.

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