MBB Game Notes: Nebraska at Wisconsin

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Alum-Ni

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Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-3, 0-0) at #9 Wisconsin Badgers (6-1, 0-0)

When:
Tuesday, December 22 | 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Where: Kohl Center | Madison, Wisconsin

TV: FS1 (Chris Vosters, Stephen Bardo)

Radio: Husker Sports Network (Kent Pavelka, Jake Muhleisen)

Online: Huskers.com | Huskers App | TuneIn.com/Huskers | TuneIn App | Fox Sports App | FoxSports.com/live

Satellite Radio: XM (Ch. 385) | Sirius (N/A) | SiriusXM (Internet - Ch. 975)

Nebraska
Record:
4-3, 0-0
Ranking: NR
Coach: Fred Hoiberg
- 2nd year at Nebraska (11-28)
- 7th year overall (126-84)

Wisconsin
Record:
6-1, 0-0
Ranking: No. 9 (AP) | No. 9 (Coaches)
Coach: Greg Gard
- 6th year at Wisconsin (107-58)
- 6th year overall (107-58)

Numbers to Know

2 -
Dalano Banton joins Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu as the only Big Ten players in the top 10 in the conference in both rebounding and assists as of Dec. 20

4 - Nebraska has four 20-point performances through the first seven games, including three by Teddy Allen and one by Kobe Webster

9.1 - Nebraska's steals per game, a total which leads the Big Ten and ranks 37th nationally entering Tuesday's game with Wisconsin

10 - The number of seasons where Nebraska has had multiple 100-point games. The 2020-21 campaign is the first time it has happened since 1995-96

28 - Nebraska is 28th nationally in tempo according to KenPom as of Dec. 20. The Huskers are one of five Big Ten teams currently in the top 50 entering the week.

171 - Nebraska is 36th nationally in free throw attempts, as the Huskers get to the line an average of 24.4 times per game

The Matchup
The Nebraska men's basketball program opens Big Ten play Tuesday night, as the Huskers travel to Madison, Wis., to take on the ninth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Tipoff from the Kohl Center is set for 6 p.m. and will be carried on FS1 with Chris Vosters 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.

The Huskers (4-3) have played once since Dec. 11, a 110-64 win over Doane University last Thursday. Dalano Banton had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists en route to his first triple double and the second triple double in school history. Banton guided a Husker attack that put five players in double figures and five others with at least seven points. NU shot 55 percent and hit a season-high 12 3-pointers, including four by Trevor Lakes in his Husker debut.

Nebraska comes into the matchup with the Badgers averaging 81.6 points per game and have shot the ball better of late. Over the last four games, the Huskers are shooting 45 percent from the field, including 38 percent from 3-point range, after shooting just 42 percent, including 29 percent from beyond the arc, in the first three games of the season. The Huskers have four regulars averaging double figures, including junior Teddy Allen (18.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 spg) and Banton (13.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 5.7 apg).

Wisconsin is 6-1 on the season following an impressive 85-48 rout of then-No. 23 Louisville Saturday afternoon. Micah Potter's 20 points and seven boards led four Wisconsin players in double figures. The Badgers shot 54 percent, including 16-of-25 from 3-point range, as they built a 26-point halftime lead and cruised to victory. Wisconsin's only setback on the season was a loss at the buzzer at Marquette on Dec. 4. Since that loss, the Badgers have posted a trio of double-figure wins, while holding opponents to 57.7 points per game.

Tuesday's game at Wisconsin will likely be the first of two games against nationally ranked teams this week, as NU hosts No. 19 Michigan on Christmas day.

Series History
Tuesday's matchup is the 33rd meeting between the two programs, with Wisconsin leading the series 18-14. The series dates back to 1903-04, with Nebraska winning the first meeting 25-22 over the Badgers in Lincoln before Wisconsin took five of the next six meetings between 1907 to 1955. Nebraska then won eight straight games before Wisconsin won the next five meetings, including the first four in Big Ten play before the Huskers topped the No. 9 Badgers in the final regular season game in 2013-14. Wisconsin has won the last four meetings since the 2018-19 campaign, including both meetings in 2019-20. The Huskers are 4-12 against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten (3-11 in regular season; 1-1 in Big Ten Tournament).

Big Ten Meetings
12-27-11: #11 Wisconsin 64, Nebraska 40 (Lincoln)
1-15-12: Wisconsin 50, Nebraska 45 (Madison)
1-6-13: Wisconsin 47, Nebraska 41 (Lincoln)
2-26-13: #17 Wisconsin 77, Nebraska 46 (Madison)
3-9-14: Nebraska 77, #9 Wisconsin 68 (Lincoln)
1-15-15: #7 Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 55 (Madison)
2-10-15: #5 Wisconsin 65, Nebraska 55 (Lincoln)
2-10-16: Wisconsin 72, Nebraska 61 (Madison)
3-10-16: Nebraska 70, Wisconsin 58 (Big Ten Tournament)
2-19-17: #7 Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 69 (OT) (Lincoln)
1-9-18: Nebraska 63, Wisconsin 59 (Lincoln)
1-29-18: Nebraska 74, Wisconsin 63 (Madison)
1-29-19: #24 Wisconsin 62, Nebraska 51 (Lincoln)
3-15-19: #19 Wisconsin 66, Nebraska 62 (Big Ten Tournament)
1-21-20: Wisconsin 82, Nebraska 68 (Lincoln)
2-15-20: Wisconsin 81, Nebraska 64 (Madison)

Last Meeting
A decisive 21-5 second-half run lifted Wisconsin to an 81-64 victory over Nebraska on Feb. 15, 2020. The Huskers led 43-41 after Kevin Cross' 3-poiner with 18:28 remaining. From there, Wisconsin took control as D'Mitrik Tice hit three of his five 3-pointers in the spurt, pushing the Badger lead to 17 before Thorir Thornjarnarson's 3-pointer ended the Badger run. Nebraska pulled to within 10 with just under eight minutes remaining. The Huskers had two open looks on the next two possessions, but could not pull any closer before Wisconsin ran off eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers from Brad Davison to push the lead back to 18 with just over five minutes remaining. Davison led all scorers with 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, while Trice finished with 15 points, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Haanif Cheatham paced Nebraska with 17 points.

Storylines
- Tuesday's game will be a matchup of styles, as Nebraska is 25th nationally and second in the Big Ten in tempo according to KenPom, while Wisconsin is 326th nationally and 13th in the Big Ten

- NU will look to snap a nine-game losing streak against ranked opponents which began with a 66-62 loss to the Badgers in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Nebraska's last road win against a Top 25 team was a 66-51 win at No. 25 Indiana on Jan. 14, 2019. NU's last road win against a Top 10 team was a 60-51 win over No. 9 Michigan State in 2014.

- Tuesday's game comes in the middle of a six-game stretch where NU could face as many as five ranked teams. The stretch began with a loss at No. 8 Pickle Smoochers on Dec. 11, while NU's next three games after Tuesday are against No. 19 Michigan (Dec. 25), at No. 23 Ohio State (Dec. 30) and No. 12 Michigan State (Jan. 2).

- Only four active members of the Husker roster have faced Wisconsin prior to Tuesday's game. Senior Thorir Thorbjarnarson has faced Wisconsin four times, including a pair of starts last season, and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against the Badgers in 2019. Yvan Ouedraogo played in both games last season, including a start in Madison, while Akol Arop played in both contests last season. In addition to those three Huskers, Dalano Banton played against Wisconsin when he was a freshman at Western Kentucky in 2018-19 and totaled 13 rebounds, 10 assists and eight points in an 83-76 win over the Badgers.

- 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 nine points away from 1,000 career points

- Nebraska has out-rebounded each of its last four opponents (South Dakota, Georgia Tech, Pickle Smoochers, and Doane), marking the first time NU has out-rebounded four straight opponents since a five-game stretch in 2016-17. Last year the Huskers out-rebounded four opponents in 32 games.

- The Huskers added some much needed depth last week, as Trevor Lakes and Eduardo Andre made their Husker debuts against Doane. Andre, a 6-foot-10, 228-pound forward, had nine points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in his first action of the season. Lakes, a 6-foot-7 forward who was cleared by the NCAA on Thursday morning, came off the bench and had 12 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

- Nebraska has two 100-point games this season following the Dec. 17 win over Doane. It marks the 10th time in school history that Nebraska had multiple 100-point games in a season and the first since 1995-96. Nebraska is now 39-4 all-time when scoring 100+ points.

Scouting Wisconsin
Under sixth-year coach Greg Gard, the Badgers come into Tuesday's Big Ten opener with a 6-1 record following an 85-48 win over then-No. 23 Louisville on Saturday. Micah Potter's 20-points led four Wisconsin players in double figures, as the Badgers raced out to a 25-4 lead in the first 11 minutes and blitzed the Cardinals. This season, the Badgers have won all six games in double figures, including wins over Louisville, Rhode Island and Loyola (Chicago), while their only loss was a 67-65 buzzer beater at Marquette.
The Badgers were the hottest Big Ten team down the stretch in 2019-20, winning their last eight games to finish 21-10 and finish in a three-way tie for first with a 14-6 conference mark. The Badgers bring back the majority of their rotation and start three seniors and a pair of juniors.

Wisconsin relies on a balanced attack and a stout defense. The Badgers are second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (59.8 ppg), third in field goal percentage defense (.367) and third in blocked shots (5.6). Offensively, Potter leads Wisconsin at 13.9 points per game, while D'Mitrik Trice (11.6), Nate Reuvers (11.0) and Brad Davison (10.7) are all in double figures. The Badgers have nine players playing at least 10 minutes per game while none average more than 27 minutes per game. Wisconsin shots 44 percent as a team from 3-point range and average 9.4 3-pointers per game. The Badgers don't turn the ball over, committing a league-best 8.1 turnovers per game.

2020-21 Wisconsin Schedule (6-1)
Eastern Illinois (W 77-67)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W 92-58)
Wisconsin-Green Bay (W 82-42)
at Marquette (L 65-67)
Rhode Island (W 73-62)
Loyola Chicago (W 77-63)
#23 Louisville (W 85-48)

Probable Starters

NEBRASKA

#45 - Dalano Banton (G, SO, 6-9, 204 lbs | 13.7 ppg, 5.7 apg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 spg)
#24 - Trey McGowens (G, JR, 6-4, 191 lbs | 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg)
#0 - Teddy Allen (G, JR, 6-6, 222 lbs | 18.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.7 spg)
#34 - Thorir Thorbjarnarson (G, SR, 6-6, 202 lbs | 4.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg)
#11 - Lat Mayen (F, JR, 6-9, 205 lbs | 7.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg)

WISCONSIN
#0 - D'Mitrik Trice (G, SR, 6-0, 184 lbs | 11.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.7 apg)
#2 - Aleem Ford (F, SR, 6-8, 217 lbs | 8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 apg)
#11 - Micah Porter (F, SR, 6-10, 248 lbs | 13.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg)
#34 - Brad Davison (G, SR, 6-4, 202 lbs | 10.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg)
#35 - Nate Reuvers (F, SR, 6-11, 235 lbs | 11.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.0 apg)
 
I could be mistaken, but I do believe Louisville was missing some key players for that game.
That helps. Seeding for the tournament is going to be very difficult this year. I don't envy those guys already but all the games where key players had to sit out will make it near impossible for quality vs not quality wins/losses.
 
Over/under how many Dick punches thrown by Davison tonight??

I didn't see any literal dick punches, but a lot of figurative ones tonight. I hate that guy.

He's like the Keiton Page kid from Oklahoma State, NU bball kryptonite. Page was like a 96% free-throw shooter, and had a knack for flopping himself into four-point plays.
 
Pretty much. However, I'd think this is where an elite coach will make a difference by slowly fixing the issues as the season progresses. Whether that means wins....I wouldn't be so sure with this schedule.
Yeah. Liked a lot of things I saw, didn't like other things. Thought Yvan played a really solid game tonight, but when Mayen, Webster, Thor, and Lakes hitting fuck all all night didn't help anyone.
 
Yeah. Liked a lot of things I saw, didn't like other things. Thought Yvan played a really solid game tonight, but when Mayen, Webster, Thor, and Lakes hitting fuck all all night didn't help anyone.

I think the rims and backboards at the Kohl center were broken on one end of the court. That explains the difference in performance by each team after they switched direction.
 
When wisconsin shoots 45% from 3 on the season and doesn't turn the ball over.

Doc is doing good on the defensive end, which I understand is his major responsibility.

The preferred "pace of play" for each team only favors NU when winning or the game is tight. Once the NU lead went away, I think the game went as expected.

I heard the commenters (I hate the word commentator, it shouldn't exist) on the FS1 call mention that Teddy Buckets had been uninvolved for a while before hitting a shot midway through the second half. At that point in the second half, I think it was the first time he had touched the ball on offense.
 
Doc is doing good on the defensive end, which I understand is his major responsibility.

The preferred "pace of play" for each team only favors NU when winning or the game is tight. Once the NU lead went away, I think the game went as expected.

I heard the commenters (I hate the word commentator, it shouldn't exist) on the FS1 call mention that Teddy Buckets had been uninvolved for a while before hitting a shot midway through the second half. At that point in the second half, I think it was the first time he had touched the ball on offense.
Probably could have done more.to get Teddy involved tonight and more to get Webster involved in the GT game. I'm personally a fan of not overcoaching and giving the guys freedom to let the game come to them, so I'm biased in that respect.

They just didn't have enough guys hitting shots tonight. There will be a lot of nights like that this year.
 
They just didn't have enough guys hitting shots tonight. There will be a lot of nights like that this year.

And that's why I bring up the broken backboard/rim combination. Other than Mayen, they fell way better on end of the court than the other, but my tongue is firmly in my cheek. Twas good to see Yvan finish even if he only does it on the inlet pass and not after the rebound. A big that can't score after a rebound isn't very valuable. I think he'll keep getting better.

I just hope Fred get's it done fast enough that the Mayor isn't shown the door prematurely.
 
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And that's why I bring up the broken backboard/rim combination. Other than Mayen, they fell way better on end of court than the other, but my tongue is firmly in my cheek. Twas good to see Yvan finish even if he only does it on the inlet pass and not after the rebound. A big that can't score after a rebound isn't very valuable. I think he'll keep getting better.

I just hope Fred get's it done fast enough that the Mayor isn't shown the door prematurely.

You'd have to be a drunkard to fire him with the level of talent he's bringing to Lincoln
 
You'd have to be a drunkard to fire him with the level of talent he's bringing to Lincoln

I might be a drunktard, but no pink slips for Fred from me.

It should be so much easier to flip a twelve scholarship roster, and the team "culture," than a roster with 85 kids on schollies and 75 kids without.
 
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