Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (4-5, 0-2) at #25/#20 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (7-2, 1-2)
When: Wednesday, December 30 | 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Where: Value City Arena | Columbus, Ohio
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Stephen Bardo)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Kent Pavelka, Jake Mulheisen)
Online Audio: Huskers.com | TuneIn.com/Huskers | Huskers App | TuneIn App | FoxSports App | FoxSports.com/live
Satellite Radio: Sirius (N/A) | XM (Ch. 388) | SiriusXM (Ch. 978)
Numbers to Know
1 - Dalano Banton is the only Big Ten player in the top 10 in the conference in both rebounding and assists as of Dec. 27
4 - Over the last 10 seasons, only four Big Ten players have averaged at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game
Evan Turner, Ohio State (2009-10 - 20.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 6.0 apg)
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2015-16 - 19.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 7.8 apg)
Dalano Banton, Nebraska (2020-21, 14.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.2 apg)
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (2020-21, 24.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 5.2 apg)
5 - Nebraska has five 20-point performances through the first eight games, including four by Teddy Allen and one by Kobe Webster
9.0 - Nebraska's 3-pointers per game, which is on pace to be the second-highest average per game in school history
10 - Number of seasons where Nebraska has had multiple 100-point games. The 2020-21 camapaign is the first time since 1995-96
32 - Nebraska is 32nd nationally in tempo according to KenPom as of Dec. 27. The Huskers are one of three Big Ten teams currently in the top 50 as of Dec. 27
Nebraska
Record: (4-5, 0-2)
Ranking: NR
Coach: Fred Hoiberg
- (11-30) 2nd year at Nebraska
- (126-87) 7th year overall
Ohio State
Record: (7-2, 1-2)
Ranking: No. 25 (AP) | No. 20 (Coaches)
Coach: Chris Holtmann
- (73-36) 4th year at OSU
- (187-121) 10th year overall
The Matchup
The Nebraska men's basketball program hits the road for the final time in 2020, as the Huskers travel to Columbus, Ohio for a matchup with No. 25/20 Ohio State.
Tipoff from Value City Arena between the Huskers and Buckeyes is slated for 5:30 p.m. (cental) and will be carried on BTN with Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo on the call. The game can also be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the Fox Sports app.
Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers app and TuneIn radio. The pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff.
Nebraska's matchup with the Buckeyes marks the Huskers' third straight game against a ranked opponent to open Big Ten play. It is only the second time in program history that the Huskers started conference play with three straight ranked opponents (also 2011-12).
The Huskers (4-5, 0-2 Big Ten) cut a 13-point second-half deficit to 64-60 with 6:20 remaining, but could not complete the comeback in an 80-69 loss to No. 19 Michigan on Christmas Day. Michigan, which hit its first six shots of the second half, used a 10-0 run to break open a two-point game and withstood several comeback attempts by the Huskers down the stretch. Teddy Allen's 25 points led three Huskers in double figures, but Nebraska was held to 39 percent shooting while Michigan shot 51 percent, including 58 percent in the second half.
Allen has been an impact newcomer for the Husker offense, as the 6-foot-6 wing leads the Huskers and is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.2 points per game. He has four 20-point games and is averaging 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in Nebraska's three games against ranked opponents in 2020-21.
Ohio State (7-2, 1-2 Big Ten) is looking to bounce back following a 71-70 loss at Big Ten leader Northwestern on Saturday. The Buckeyes led 64-57 with seven minutes remaining, only to see the Wildcats close the game on a 14-6 run capped by Boo Buie 3-pointer with 1:04 left to give the Wildcats the lead for good. E.J. Liddell led Ohio State with 15 points and eight boards, while Kyle Young chipped in 14 points and eight caroms. OSU out-rebounded Northwestern 40-26, but shot just 44 percent, including 4-of-20 from 3-point range.
Scouting Ohio State
Under the direction of fourth-year coach Chris Holtmann, Ohio State is 7-2 on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes, who went 21-10 and 11-9 in conference play in 2019-20, opened the season with five straight wins before dropping a 67-60 loss at Purdue on Dec. 16. OSU rebounded with wins over UCLA and No. 11 Rutgers before the one-point loss at Northwestern.
Holtmann has guided OSU to three straight 20-win seasons since taking over the program in 2017-18. Holtmann spent the previous three seasons at Butler, guiding the Bulldogs to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017.
Sophomore E.J. Liddlell leads a balanced attack at 15.3 points per game while also hauling in 6.7 caroms per game. Duane Washington Jr. is at 14.4 points eprt game and has 22 of the Buckeyes' 59 3-pointers through nine games, while Cal transfer Justice Seuing (10.9) and CJ Walker (10.0) also average double figures. Kyle Young leads OSU in rebounding at 7.0 per game, as the Buckeyes out-rebound teams by 5.4 rebounds per game. OSU also commits just 9.4 turnovers per game and shoots 77.1 percent from the line.
2020-21 Ohio State MBB Schedule/Results
Illinois State (W 94-67)
Massachusetts-Lowell (W 74-64)
Morehead State (W 77-44)
at Notre Dame (at Indianapolis) (W 90-85)
Cleveland State (W 67-61)
at Purdue (L 60-67)
vs. UCLA (at Cleveland) (W 77-70)
Rutgers (W 80-68)
at Northwestern (L 70-71)
Series History
Ohio State leads the all-time series 18-4 in a series that dates back to 1936. The Buckeyes are 14-2 against the Huskers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten with Nebraska's wins coming in 2014 (Lincoln) and 2017 (Columbus). Nebraska looks to snap a four-game losing streak to the Buckeyes, while Wednesday's game is the 12th time in the 17 meetings that OSU has been ranked since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
Last Meeting
Dachon Burke Jr. and Cam Mack combined for 25 points, but No. 23 Ohio State rode a hot start to a 75-54 win over Nebraska on Feb. 27, 2020. Burke led NU with 13 points, while Mack added 12 points, but Ohio State limited the Huskers to 36 percent shooting, including 3-of-16 from 3-point range.
Caleb Wesson had 16 points and 18 rebounds for Ohio State to pace three Buckeyes in double figures. CJ Walker added 15 points, five boards and three assists, while Duane Washington Jr. chipped in 14 markers.
Ohio State used a blistering start from Washington, who scored all 14 of his points in the first half, to take a 43-27 lead at the break. Washington hit his first three shots beyond the arc, as the Buckeyes hit nine of their first 11 shots from the floor en route to building a 28-12 lead and controlled the contest.
Storylines
- NU will look to snap an 11-game losing streak against ranked opponents which began with a 66-62 loss to Wisconsin in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. NU's last win over a ranked team was a 69-61 win over No. 21 Maryland in the second round of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers' last road win over a ranked team was against No. 25 Indiana on Jan. 14, 2018. NU is 3-4 all-time against teams ranked No. 25
- Wednesday's game comes in a middle of a six-game stretch where NU will square off with five ranked teams. The stretch began with games at No. 8 Pickle Smoochers (Jan. 11), No. 9 Wisconsin (Dec. 22) and No. 19 Michigan (Dec. 25). Following Wednesday's game, NU's next game is against No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday.
- The Big Ten has a record nine teams ranked in this week's poll, breaking the old mark of eight set on March 2, 2020. It is the most by any conference since the old Big East had nine teams ranked on March 7, 2011
- A pair of Huskers are closing in on milestone numbers this week. Kobe Webster needs five points to reach 1,500 career points, while Trevor Lakes is six points away from 1,000 career points.
- The break after the Pickle Smoochers game allowed the Huskers an opportunity to work on cutting down turnovers. After a solid start the first three games, the Huskers averaged nearly 19 turnovers per game, including 25 at Pickle Smoochers. Over the last three games, NU has cut down its turnovers, averaging 8.3 per game in that span. On the season, NU is currently averaging 12.2 turnovers per game after averaging 11.9 in 2019-20.
- Junior college transfer Teddy Allen is one of five newcomers among power conference players averaging at least 17.0 points per game this season. Only Cameron Thomas (LSU) and Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) are on power conference teams and average more than Allen as of Dec. 27.
- Nebraska enters the week ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 60th nationally with 9.0 3-pointers per game. It is not surprising that Nebraska relied on its 3-point shooting in Hoiberg's tenure, as his Cockeye State teams led the Big 12 in 3-pointers in four of his five seasons at the school. The Huskers averaged 7.9 3-pointers per game last season, marking NU's highest per game total since the 2001-02 season.
- Nebraska has shown the ability to get off to fast starts in 2020-21. NU has outscored its nine opponents by a combined score of 73-40 prior to the first media timeout and has taken a lead into the first media break in seven of the nine games. The only two times NU has trailed at the first media timeout were one-point deficits to South Dakota and at Pickle Smoochers.
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (4-5, 0-2) at #25/#20 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (7-2, 1-2)
When: Wednesday, December 30 | 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Where: Value City Arena | Columbus, Ohio
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Stephen Bardo)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Kent Pavelka, Jake Mulheisen)
Online Audio: Huskers.com | TuneIn.com/Huskers | Huskers App | TuneIn App | FoxSports App | FoxSports.com/live
Satellite Radio: Sirius (N/A) | XM (Ch. 388) | SiriusXM (Ch. 978)
Numbers to Know
1 - Dalano Banton is the only Big Ten player in the top 10 in the conference in both rebounding and assists as of Dec. 27
4 - Over the last 10 seasons, only four Big Ten players have averaged at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game
Evan Turner, Ohio State (2009-10 - 20.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 6.0 apg)
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2015-16 - 19.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 7.8 apg)
Dalano Banton, Nebraska (2020-21, 14.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.2 apg)
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (2020-21, 24.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 5.2 apg)
5 - Nebraska has five 20-point performances through the first eight games, including four by Teddy Allen and one by Kobe Webster
9.0 - Nebraska's 3-pointers per game, which is on pace to be the second-highest average per game in school history
10 - Number of seasons where Nebraska has had multiple 100-point games. The 2020-21 camapaign is the first time since 1995-96
32 - Nebraska is 32nd nationally in tempo according to KenPom as of Dec. 27. The Huskers are one of three Big Ten teams currently in the top 50 as of Dec. 27
Nebraska
Record: (4-5, 0-2)
Ranking: NR
Coach: Fred Hoiberg
- (11-30) 2nd year at Nebraska
- (126-87) 7th year overall
Ohio State
Record: (7-2, 1-2)
Ranking: No. 25 (AP) | No. 20 (Coaches)
Coach: Chris Holtmann
- (73-36) 4th year at OSU
- (187-121) 10th year overall
The Matchup
The Nebraska men's basketball program hits the road for the final time in 2020, as the Huskers travel to Columbus, Ohio for a matchup with No. 25/20 Ohio State.
Tipoff from Value City Arena between the Huskers and Buckeyes is slated for 5:30 p.m. (cental) and will be carried on BTN with Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo on the call. The game can also be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the Fox Sports app.
Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers app and TuneIn radio. The pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff.
Nebraska's matchup with the Buckeyes marks the Huskers' third straight game against a ranked opponent to open Big Ten play. It is only the second time in program history that the Huskers started conference play with three straight ranked opponents (also 2011-12).
The Huskers (4-5, 0-2 Big Ten) cut a 13-point second-half deficit to 64-60 with 6:20 remaining, but could not complete the comeback in an 80-69 loss to No. 19 Michigan on Christmas Day. Michigan, which hit its first six shots of the second half, used a 10-0 run to break open a two-point game and withstood several comeback attempts by the Huskers down the stretch. Teddy Allen's 25 points led three Huskers in double figures, but Nebraska was held to 39 percent shooting while Michigan shot 51 percent, including 58 percent in the second half.
Allen has been an impact newcomer for the Husker offense, as the 6-foot-6 wing leads the Huskers and is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.2 points per game. He has four 20-point games and is averaging 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in Nebraska's three games against ranked opponents in 2020-21.
Ohio State (7-2, 1-2 Big Ten) is looking to bounce back following a 71-70 loss at Big Ten leader Northwestern on Saturday. The Buckeyes led 64-57 with seven minutes remaining, only to see the Wildcats close the game on a 14-6 run capped by Boo Buie 3-pointer with 1:04 left to give the Wildcats the lead for good. E.J. Liddell led Ohio State with 15 points and eight boards, while Kyle Young chipped in 14 points and eight caroms. OSU out-rebounded Northwestern 40-26, but shot just 44 percent, including 4-of-20 from 3-point range.
Scouting Ohio State
Under the direction of fourth-year coach Chris Holtmann, Ohio State is 7-2 on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes, who went 21-10 and 11-9 in conference play in 2019-20, opened the season with five straight wins before dropping a 67-60 loss at Purdue on Dec. 16. OSU rebounded with wins over UCLA and No. 11 Rutgers before the one-point loss at Northwestern.
Holtmann has guided OSU to three straight 20-win seasons since taking over the program in 2017-18. Holtmann spent the previous three seasons at Butler, guiding the Bulldogs to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017.
Sophomore E.J. Liddlell leads a balanced attack at 15.3 points per game while also hauling in 6.7 caroms per game. Duane Washington Jr. is at 14.4 points eprt game and has 22 of the Buckeyes' 59 3-pointers through nine games, while Cal transfer Justice Seuing (10.9) and CJ Walker (10.0) also average double figures. Kyle Young leads OSU in rebounding at 7.0 per game, as the Buckeyes out-rebound teams by 5.4 rebounds per game. OSU also commits just 9.4 turnovers per game and shoots 77.1 percent from the line.
2020-21 Ohio State MBB Schedule/Results
Illinois State (W 94-67)
Massachusetts-Lowell (W 74-64)
Morehead State (W 77-44)
at Notre Dame (at Indianapolis) (W 90-85)
Cleveland State (W 67-61)
at Purdue (L 60-67)
vs. UCLA (at Cleveland) (W 77-70)
Rutgers (W 80-68)
at Northwestern (L 70-71)
Series History
Ohio State leads the all-time series 18-4 in a series that dates back to 1936. The Buckeyes are 14-2 against the Huskers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten with Nebraska's wins coming in 2014 (Lincoln) and 2017 (Columbus). Nebraska looks to snap a four-game losing streak to the Buckeyes, while Wednesday's game is the 12th time in the 17 meetings that OSU has been ranked since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
Last Meeting
Dachon Burke Jr. and Cam Mack combined for 25 points, but No. 23 Ohio State rode a hot start to a 75-54 win over Nebraska on Feb. 27, 2020. Burke led NU with 13 points, while Mack added 12 points, but Ohio State limited the Huskers to 36 percent shooting, including 3-of-16 from 3-point range.
Caleb Wesson had 16 points and 18 rebounds for Ohio State to pace three Buckeyes in double figures. CJ Walker added 15 points, five boards and three assists, while Duane Washington Jr. chipped in 14 markers.
Ohio State used a blistering start from Washington, who scored all 14 of his points in the first half, to take a 43-27 lead at the break. Washington hit his first three shots beyond the arc, as the Buckeyes hit nine of their first 11 shots from the floor en route to building a 28-12 lead and controlled the contest.
Storylines
- NU will look to snap an 11-game losing streak against ranked opponents which began with a 66-62 loss to Wisconsin in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. NU's last win over a ranked team was a 69-61 win over No. 21 Maryland in the second round of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers' last road win over a ranked team was against No. 25 Indiana on Jan. 14, 2018. NU is 3-4 all-time against teams ranked No. 25
- Wednesday's game comes in a middle of a six-game stretch where NU will square off with five ranked teams. The stretch began with games at No. 8 Pickle Smoochers (Jan. 11), No. 9 Wisconsin (Dec. 22) and No. 19 Michigan (Dec. 25). Following Wednesday's game, NU's next game is against No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday.
- The Big Ten has a record nine teams ranked in this week's poll, breaking the old mark of eight set on March 2, 2020. It is the most by any conference since the old Big East had nine teams ranked on March 7, 2011
- A pair of Huskers are closing in on milestone numbers this week. Kobe Webster needs five points to reach 1,500 career points, while Trevor Lakes is six points away from 1,000 career points.
- The break after the Pickle Smoochers game allowed the Huskers an opportunity to work on cutting down turnovers. After a solid start the first three games, the Huskers averaged nearly 19 turnovers per game, including 25 at Pickle Smoochers. Over the last three games, NU has cut down its turnovers, averaging 8.3 per game in that span. On the season, NU is currently averaging 12.2 turnovers per game after averaging 11.9 in 2019-20.
- Junior college transfer Teddy Allen is one of five newcomers among power conference players averaging at least 17.0 points per game this season. Only Cameron Thomas (LSU) and Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) are on power conference teams and average more than Allen as of Dec. 27.
- Nebraska enters the week ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 60th nationally with 9.0 3-pointers per game. It is not surprising that Nebraska relied on its 3-point shooting in Hoiberg's tenure, as his Cockeye State teams led the Big 12 in 3-pointers in four of his five seasons at the school. The Huskers averaged 7.9 3-pointers per game last season, marking NU's highest per game total since the 2001-02 season.
- Nebraska has shown the ability to get off to fast starts in 2020-21. NU has outscored its nine opponents by a combined score of 73-40 prior to the first media timeout and has taken a lead into the first media break in seven of the nine games. The only two times NU has trailed at the first media timeout were one-point deficits to South Dakota and at Pickle Smoochers.
