3 takeaways from Nebraska basketball crucial win over Indiana

Nebraska basketball defeated Indiana by an 85-70 margin on Wednesday. They clinched their first conference win in the process, and slayed the ‘road demons ‘ in the process, too.

It was the Keisei Tominaga Show in the first half on Wednesday, and that set the tone for Nebraska basketball throughout the course of the game. Indiana made a late push in the second half and gave the Huskers a bit of a scare. However, the steady play of Jamarques Lawrence off the bench, as well as contributions from Brice Williams and others helped Nebraska get the victory.

They now have 19 victories on the season, which is the most in a season since 2018-19. They face Minnesota on Sunday, as they begin to look towards postseason play.

In the meantime, here are our three takeaways from Wednesday night’s big victory.

Gary continues to shine for Nebraska Basketball

The talk surrounding Nebraska basketball’s production has been centered around Keisei Tominaga, and rightfully so. However, Juwan Gary has undoubtedly been earning his stripes this season, and he proved that again on Wednesday night.

Gary chipped in 15 points and six rebounds in addition to an assist. This was his second game in four days with double figures in points, and he also added in a rebound. He was another key piece for Nebraska basketball on Wednesday night, and he was able to add secondary scoring for a team that needed to be at its best offensively.

Gary has been a steady producer ever since his arrival in Lincoln. Last season, he was robbed of finishing the campaign due to injuries. This season, he is making his mark felt. His steady contributions will be needed as postseason play begins to ramp up. Wednesday was another indication that he could be up for the challenge.

Tominaga on patented late-season hot streak

Tominaga burst onto the scene late in the year for Nebraska basketball last season. He provided a spark, and gave Nebraska basketball fans a preview of things to come. That late-season magic is coming to fruition once again this year. After seeing his minutes reduced at the beginning of the month, Tominaga is back into the starting lineup and is a major factor.

He was off to a red-hot start on Wednesday night. He tallied 18 points the first half, including starting three-of-four from behind the arc. The sharpshooter moved well without the basketball, and was able to get open, despite aggressive defense from Indiana’s Trey Galloway. Tominaga moved well without the basketball, and was able to wear down Galloway in the process. Truth be told, Galloway was playing Tominaga very physically.

All told, the shooter scored 20 points, going eight-of-15 from the field and four-of-nine from beyond the arc. His hot start early propelled Nebraska basketball to victory. He looks like he is finally returning to form, and that is a good sign as the Huskers need his production.

Losing big leads  is still a concern

A concerning trend continued for the Huskers, despite the win. They struggled to close out Wednesday’s game. Nebraska ended the first half with a 51-31 lead. That lead disappeared rather quickly throughout the second half.

Indiana managed to trim the lead to as little as three, after CJ Gunn made a three-point shot at the 11:27 mark of the second half. This had the feel of Nebraska’s loss to Minnesota back in December, where they had a lead, and just could not finish. History looked to be repeating itself, before the Huskers made a run of their own. Lawrence made a three-point shot, and from there, Nebraska basketball was able to stabilize things a little bit.

The Huskers were finally able to close out a game on the road. This is something that they have not been able to do at times this season. This was a big win in that respect as well. They were able to clear the mental block of not having a road victory, and also able to get the job done when they really needed it.

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