Meet the Opponent: Nebraska Looks For Third Win Over Indiana in Big Ten Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Big Ten Tournament continues on Friday with a quarterfinal matchup between No. 6 seed Indiana and No. 3 seed Nebraska at approximately 9 p.m. ET. The Hoosiers defeated Penn State 61-59 on Thursday, while the Cornhuskers had an extra day of rest after earning the double-bye.
Nebraska defeated Indiana 86-70 on Jan. 3 in Lincoln, then won its first Big Ten road game of the season, 85-70, at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. on Feb. 21. Across the two matchups, All-Big Ten guard Keisei Tominaga combined to score 48 points.
Here's a full breakdown of the Cornhuskers.
Key returners
(2023-24 stats)
- G Keisei Tominaga: 14.6 ppg, 37.1 3-pt FG%
- F Juwan Gary: 11.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 50.2 FG%
- G C.J. Wilcher: 8.1 ppg, 40.5 3-pt FG%
- G Jamarques Lawrence: 6.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 34.4 3-pt FG%
- G Sam Hoiberg: 3.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 31.9 3-pt FG%
Key departures
(2022-23 stats)
- F Derrick Walker: 13.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9 apg
- G Sam Griesel: 12.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.8 apg
- G Emmanuel Bandoumel: 8.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 apg
- F Wilhelm Breidenbach: 3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Key newcomers
(2023-24 stats)
- F Rienk Mast (Bradley transfer): 12.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 43.8 FG%
- G Brice Williams (Charlotte transfer): 12.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 37.7 3-pt FG%
- F Josiah Allick (New Mexico transfer): 6.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 51.4 FG%
- G Eli Rice (No. 200 freshman): 4.2 ppg, 37.0 3-pt FG%
Schedule (22-9, 12-8 in Big Ten)
- W, 84-52 vs. Lindenwood
- W, 81-54 vs. Florida A&M
- W, 64-50 vs. Rider
- W, 84-63 vs. Stony Brook
- W, 84-63 vs. Oregon State (neutral site, South Dakota)
- W, 89-79 vs. Duquesne
- W, 85-72 vs. Cal State Fullerton
- L, 89-60 vs. Creighton
- L, 76-65 at Minnesota
- W, 77-70 vs. Michigan State
- W, 62-46 at Kansas State
- W, 83-75 vs. North Dakota
- W, 91-62 vs. South Carolina State
- W, 86-70 vs. Indiana
- L, 88-72 at No. 21 Wisconsin
- W, 88-72 vs. No. 1 Purdue
- L, 94-76 at Iowa
- L, 87-82 at Rutgers (OT)
- W, 75-69 vs. Northwestern
- W, 83-69 vs. Ohio State
- L, 73-51 at Maryland
- W, 80-72 vs. No. 6 Wisconsin
- L, 87-84 at No. 14 Illinois
- L, 80-68 at Northwestern
- W, 79-59 vs. Michigan
- W, 68-49 vs. Penn State
- W, 85-70 at Indiana
- W, 73-55 vs. Minnesota
- L, 78-69 at Ohio State
- W, 67-56 vs. Rutgers
- W, 85-70 at Michigan
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) dribbles the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Gabe Cupps (2) defends in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Woodson's history against Nebraska
- L, 85-70 vs. Nebraska on Feb. 21, 2024 at Assembly Hall
- L, 86-70 at Nebraska on Jan. 3, 2024 at Pinnacle Bank Arena
- W, 81-65 vs. Nebraska on Dec. 7, 2022 at Assembly Hall
- W, 78-71 at Nebraska on Jan. 17, 2022 at Pinnacle Bank Arena
- W, 68-55 vs. Nebraska on Dec. 4, 2021 at Assembly Hall
Nebraska coach: Fred Hoiberg
Hoiberg is in his fifth season at Nebraska, by far his best year since taking over the program. The Huskers totaled just nine Big Ten wins in his first three seasons at Lincoln, closing out each campaign with a losing record.
Nebraska made a big jump last season, finishing with a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play and going 16-16 overall. While it was still short of any postseason berth, things started looking up in Lincoln. This year, Hoiberg won co-Big Ten Coach of the Year, and the Cornhuskers should make the NCAA Tournament.
Strengths
Sharpshooter Keisei Tominaga is the matchup Indiana must do a better job on this time around. The 6-foot-2 guard made 8-of-19 3-point attempts across both regular season games against the Hoosiers, scoring a combined 48 points. Indiana lost him a few times on ball screens, but he's also capable of knocking down highly contested shots. Even if Tominaga has a rare off night, Nebraska has various other 3-point shooters like Brice Williams, Jamarques Lawrence and C.J. Wilcher that each shoot above 34% from beyond the arc. As a team, Nebraska ranks 33rd nationally in 3-point attempt rate, 84th in 3-point percentage and 45th in assist rate.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Nebraska's first winning season in five years under Fred Hoiberg is an improved defense. Nebraska ranks 28th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric, fifth best among Big Ten teams. While there's no intimidating shot blocker – starting bigs Juwan Gary and Rienk Mast average 0.8 and 0.5 blocks per game, respectively – opponents shoot an awful 45.1% on 2-point attempts against Nebraska. That's 14th best in the nation from a defensive standpoint. Something will have to give against Indiana bigs Kel'el Ware and Malik Reneau, who both shoot over 59% on 2-point attempts.
Weaknesses
Nebraska is one win away from its most in any season since 1990-91, but it'll have to do so away from home. And that's no guarantee. The Cornhuskers won 18 of their 22 games in the comfort of Pinnacle Bank Arena but went just 4-8 away from home. Nebraska lost its first seven Big Ten road games, five of which by 11 or more points. It didn't win a conference road game until Feb. 21 at Indiana, coincidentally. The Cornhuskers concluded the regular season with an 85-70 win at Michigan, one of the worst Power 5 teams at 8-24. They're set to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014, when they won their first tournament game in program history. Getting a second win in the Big Dance will require far better play away from home, something that hasn't happened often this season.
Season outlook
After going 40-83 across his first four seasons, coach Fred Hoiberg has a chance to set the program record for most wins since 1991, if Nebraska beats Indiana on Friday. It'll also be the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade. Hoiberg was named co-Big Ten Coach of the Year, along with Purdue's Matt Painter. Two Cornhuskers, Keisei Tominaga and Rienk Mast, made the All-Big Ten teams.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana seniors Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway are best of friends, and Thursday night, they played each other's roles. Leal made several big plays in the win over Penn State, including the game-winning put-back with five seconds left. Galloway, out with a knee injury, was in his ear all game. No one was happier for Leal than Galloway, his roommate and best friend. CLICK HERE
- POINT SPREAD: It's all about survive and advance these days for Indiana, and they take on Nebraska on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska won by double digits twice during the season, so it's no surprise they are favored again. Here's the latest on the point spread, with a great history of both teams against the number. CLICK HERE
- HOW TO WATCH INDIANA-NEBRASKA: Indiana continues the 2024 Big Ten Tournament on Friday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Here's how to watch, game time and TV information, the point spread and over/under, the coaching matchup, series history, predicted score, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
- ANTHONY LEAL 'A TRUE PRO': Anthony Leal's playing time has been up and down across his four-year career, but he's learned the value of never wavering daily approach, preparation and mentality. Thursday's 61-59 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament revealed why that's been so important for the senior guard from Bloomington. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA-PENN STATE GAME STORY: Indiana kept its season alive on Thursday night, beating Penn State 61-59 on an Anthony Leal tip-in with three seconds to go in the Big Ten Tournament. It's the fifth straight win for the Hoosiers, who now take on Nebraska in Friday's quarterfinal game. CLICK HERE
- WHAT MIKE WOODSON SAID: Indiana extended its win streak to five games with a 61-59 victory over Penn State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Anthony Leal had the game-winning tip in with five seconds left. Here's the full transcript of Mike Woodson's postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana took on Penn State in Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis snagging a 61-59 win to advance. Here are the best pictures from the game. CLICK HERE
