Nov 17, 2022; Queens, New York, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Griesel (5) drives to the basket in the first half against the St. John's Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska basketball faces a must-win game at Minnesota on Saturday and here are three keys and a prediction for the Huskers.
It’s not drastic at all to call Saturday’s Nebraska basketball game a must-win for the Huskers. Minnesota hasn’t been good this year and even though this game is at home for the Gophers, Nebraska is a 3-point favorite.
There’s no doubt that the Huskers have shown improvement this season. The win over Creighton was terrific and so was the win at home over Iowa. But Nebraska is still sitting at 1-3 in the Big Ten after four games and there’s a huge difference between 1-4 and 2-3.
I don’t really see this Nebraska basketball team pushing for an NCAA tournament berth. But a season above .500 is definitely possible but that will mean winning nine Big Ten games. Nebraska has 16 left — eight at home and eight on the road.
They need to win the majority of the home games, which is possible but they also have to steal a couple on the road and there is no better opportunity than Saturday. Here are the keys and a prediction.
Nebraska basketball needs to win the turnover battle
Both teams are struggling a little with turnovers as each turns it over more than 13 times per game. Nebraska has been better at forcing takeaways from other teams though. Minnesota forces just over 10 turnovers per game, while the Huskers force more than 12.
Taking the ball away and getting some points in transition always makes life easier for the offense and if Nebraska can win the turnover battle and take advantage of Minnesota’s weakness in taking care of the ball (308th in turnover percentage), it will go a long way toward getting a road win.
Sam Griesel also needs to play well and we’ve seen him step up in must-have games against Creighton and Iowa. I see him doing it again versus Minnesota.
Shoot the ball better
This one is simple but Nebraska was terrible at shooting the ball against Michigan State. Not only did the Huskers go 2-for-16 from 3-point range, but they also went 8-of-20 from the free-throw line. You just can’t miss that many free throws against a team like Michigan State and expect to have a chance.
It’s easy to say what if, but Nebraska missed some really good looks against Michigan State. The same thing happened at Indiana and also at St. John’s. The Huskers have struggled to shoot the ball in the gym of opposing teams and the Barn at Minnesota can be a struggle. It’s a weird gym that’s all there is to it.
Griesel, Derrick Walker, and the Huskers have done a good job all season of getting to the line but they need to make it count and make more than two 3-pointers.
Dominate in the post
When this team is winning, it’s scoring from the inside out. Meaning, Derrick Walker and Griesel are getting to the basket. Dawson Garcia is a 6-foot-11 big man and Minnesota has been solid with its two-point defense, but Walker is one of the most productive bigs in the country.
Walker needs double-digit shots today for Nebraska. It seems obvious but doesn’t always happen. The Huskers need to attack and pound the ball inside with him and Griesel who should have an advantage.
That will lead to good perimeter looks and if the Huskers can shoot well, as I said before, they should leave the Barn victorious.
Prediction
Jamison Battle is a player I worry about. He’s capable of taking over a game even though he hasn’t quite been himself this season, but Juwan Gary should be able to check him. On the flip side, I think Griesel will give the Gophers fits and Walker will have a double-double in a 63-59 win for the Huskers.
Nebraska football QB Jeff Sims still isn’t 100 percent, plus more Nebraska Cornhuskers news.
One thing we know for sure about the Nebraska football quarterback situation is that we won’t know anything until kickoff on Saturday against Louisiana Tech.
Matt Rhule said that he won’t be making any announcements prior to the game, similar to last week, about the starting quarterback. Marcus Satterfield told reporters on Tuesday that Sims took “50-55 percent of the snaps” so he’s improving, but according to Rhule, he’s still not 100 percent.
Matt Rhule said on Huskers Radio Network that QB Jeff Sims is not yet at 100 percent with QB draws, running the option or scrambling after his ankle injury.
He thought Heinrich Haarberg did a "great" job managing the game vs. NIU, including running the huddle, subs, reads etc.
Rhule indicated that Sims is throwing the ball well. The Nebraska Cornhuskers just want to see some more movement skills out of their starting quarterback. One of the starting quarterbacks I should say since Sims and Heinrich Haarberg were listed as co-starters this week on the depth chart.
Nebraska Cornhuskers aiming to flip Michigan State 4-star
Andrew Dennis is a 6-foot-5, 275-pound offensive lineman rated as a four-star prospect by the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s out of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and has been committed to Michigan State since April but Nebraska football is one of many programs to throw out a recent offer.
We don’t know if Dennis has any plans to visit Nebraska football. He’s been offered by Auburn, Stanford, Penn State, and Purdue just since Monday. I wouldn’t get too serious worrying about Dennis until he takes a visit to Nebraska, but if that happens, watch out.
It’s at least a name to keep on the radar and a decommitment definitely seems possible with the situation going on at Michigan State with Mel Tucker getting fired.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Big Ten basketball schedule released
We knew which teams Nebraska basketball would play in the 2023-24 Big Ten season but got the official schedule on Tuesday. The Huskers released it on their official Twitter account.
Nebraska basketball will open Big Ten on December 6th against Minnesota on the road. Fred Hoiberg’s first conference home game will be against Michigan State on December 10th.
The schedule is fairly balanced in terms of the home and road games. The Huskers have consecutive home games twice on the conference schedule. Nebraska has also back-to-back road games twice.
My first impressions though, are that Nebraska basketball is capable of a winning season in Big Ten play, which would definitely keep Fred Hoiberg in place and likely, would give the Huskers a realistic shot at making their first NCAA tournament since the 2014 season.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers opened fall camp on Monday and Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule runs a tight ship, plus a Caleb Benning update, and more.
You got the idea that Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule was going to take an old-school approach when he announced the Nebraska Cornhuskers would be spending the first two weeks of camp in the dorms.
But on Monday, the old-school approach continued.
Over the weekend, there were tons of rumors circulating among Nebraska football fans on Twitter about Myles Farmer and his status for the 2023 season. As it turns out, he was suspended by coach Rhule.
Rhule didn’t say why, just that Farmer didn’t live up to the standard. Rhule did say it was up to Farmer and his actions in regard to returning to the Nebraska Cornhuskers this season. Farmer started 11 games last season for Nebraska fotoball and was one of the team’s leading tacklers.
Another starting defensive back, Marques Buford is also missing the start of camp due to injury rehab. Omar Brown and Corey Collier will have to step up, but the progress of Farmer will be something to watch.
Nebraska football making an impression on Caleb Benning
It’s clear that Nebraska football is trending up in the recruitment of in-state athlete Caleb Benning. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound defensive back/wide receiver, visited the Huskers again on Monday to take in practice.
All told it was the third unofficial visit of the past week for Benning. He visited early last week when the dead period ended and was also part of the “Cookout” on Sunday when more than 30 Nebraska football recruits were on campus.
In an interview with Steve Marik, Benning has even talked about a potential update to his timeline. He’s been saying that he will announce a commitment in December, but if he decides to commit sooner, I think that would be a great sign for Nebraska football.
Our @Steve_Marik caught up with Omaha Westside 2024 ATH Caleb Benning today. See his thoughts on his latest trip to Lincoln plus a potential updated timeline @NebraskaRivals 👀👀
I know the Huskers could land Amare Sanders and I hope they do. However, that shouldn’t impact Benning. Nebraska football is showing that he’s a priority and my prediction is that he’s N before it’s all said and done.
More Nebraska Cornhuskers news
The Nebraska basketball team made its debut on the trip to Spain and won its first game in overtime. Nebraska only had six scholarship players available, so you can only take away so much, but Brice Williams was spectacular with 28 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the 89-84 win over the Madrid All-Stars. CJ Wilcher had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jamarques Lawrence pitched in with 14. Rienk Mast was playing with the Netherlands in international play and also had a stellar showing, scoring 26 points and making 6-of-10 3-pointers. So far, so good for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in terms of the portal.
While plenty of highlights and photos surfaced from day one of Nebraska football camp, maybe the highlight that stood out the most was Tristan Alvano’s 50-yard field goal in practice. The freshman is battling for the starting kicking job and my money is on him to win it.
Fred Hoiberg landed another player for the 2023 Nebraska basketball roster on Sunday with the commitment of Matar Diop and here are three thoughts for the Huskers.
It was fair to wonder if Nebraska basketball was going to add another scholarship player for the 2023-24 season, but we got the answer on Sunday with the commitment of Matar Diop.
Diop is a 6-foot-9 power forward. He’s not ranked according to the 247 Sports composite rankings and doesn’t even have a 247 Sports profile that I could find.
Diop is eligible to play in 2023 for Nebraska baskeball which was the first question most Husker fans had. However, I wouldn’t expect to see Diop on the floor a ton this season if at all.
Blaise Keita is going to have a role off the bench as a 4/5 man. If he gets injured or if there is another injury in the frontcourt, Diop could see some minutes.
Yet, this feels a lot like the Eli Rice commitment except Diop will spend his extra year as a redshirt. Rice took an extra year and went to the IMG Academy.
Some recruiting sites had Diop listed as a 2024 recruit, so he could have had that plan too. But Seton Hall, Ole Miss, Arizona State, Saint Joseph’s, and Charlotte all offered. Those are some high-major offers and this is a really good get this late in the recruiting cycle.
You can see from Diop’s highlights that he’s an exceptional athlete. He also looks like a plus defender but he gets above the rim with ease and will be one of the most athletic players on the Nebraska basketball roster.
Diop is also really raw. I doubt he’s quite ready for Big Ten basketball. Yet, after a redshirt season, he could be ready to be a rotational piece in 2024-25.
Nebraska basketball is a great place for Diop to develop
Ernie Ziegler, a current Nebraska basketball assistant spent time as a coach with NBA Africa Program via Husker Online, which could be why the Huskers knew about Diop.
But that’s another good reason why the program will be a good fit. Diop has raw talent and the Huskers will know how to develop him. Even though most of Diop’s points happen around the basket, he does show the ability to make 3-pointers.
Diop’s shot will need work and few will be better to aid him than Fred Hoiberg. The former NBA player and head coach will help develop the fundamentals needed to have a future in pro basketball.
All the raw tools are there — it’s just going to take time which Nebraska has especially if Diop redshirts.
What about the final roster spot?
I’m wondering if Nebraska basketball will leave it open (Huskers have one scholarship available). I wouldn’t hate if Fred Hoiberg gave it to his son because he earned based on his play last season.
At the same time, Nebraska could hold it in case another transfer comes available. Hoiberg probably doesn’t need the scholarship to pay for college. It would be a sign of respect more than anything.
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