Meet the Opponent: Nebraska Searching For 1st Big Ten Road Win vs. Indiana on Wednesday
Nebraska comes to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with plenty to play for on Wednesday. The Huskers are hoping to get a season sweep over Indiana this season, having defeated the Hoosiers 86-70 at Pinnacle Bank Arena back in January.
Additionally, Fred Hoiberg's team is still looking for its first road win in Big Ten play. Nebraska is 0-7 away from Pinnacle Bank Arena against conference opponents this season. It's the one glaring blemish on the resumé this late in the year.
The Huskers are one of the more dangerous teams in the Big Ten this season. Here's a full breakdown of the Huskers.
Key returners
(2023-24 stats)
- G Keisei Tominaga: 14.1 ppg, 37.6 3-pt FG%
- F Juwan Gary: 11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 52.7 FG%
- G C.J. Wilcher: 8.7 ppg, 43.3 3-pt FG%
- G Jamarques Lawrence: 6.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg
- G Sam Hoiberg: 3.9 ppg, 1.0 spg, 36.8 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): 13.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 45.2 FG%
- G Brice Williams (Charlotte transfer): 12.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.5 apg
- 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 (18-8, 8-7 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
Mike Woodson's history against Nebraska
- 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 Cornhuskers guard C.J. Wilcher (0) shoots the ball against Indiana Hoosiers forward Kaleb Banks (10) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
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, the Huskers are on the NCAA Tournament bubble with huge victories over No. 1 Purdue, No. 6 Wisconsin and Kansas State. Because of that success, Hoiberg is a prime candidate to win the Big Ten Coach of the Year honor this season.
Strengths
Where Nebraska has shown great improvement over the last two seasons has been on the defensive end of the floor. Hoiberg has several athletes on the floor at one time, many of which can defend multiple positions. The Huskers held Penn State to just 33.3% from the floor and 21.7% from 3-point range in their last game. For the year, Nebraska ranks 19th in the NCAA in opponent field goal percentage.
The Huskers also have dangerous weapons behind the 3-point line. Keisei Tominaga is the name that generates the most attention, knocking down triples at a 37.6% clip. But big man Rienk Mast can step behind the arc and hit shots, too. C.J. Wilcher comes off the bench and is hitting long range buckets at a 43.3% clip.
Because of the additions made via the transfer portal, Nebraska also has solid depth and guys understand their roles. There are a number of players — Juwan Gary, Josiah Allick, Tominaga, Wilcher or Mast — capable of having a big night.
Weaknesses
The glaring weakness for Nebraska this season has been the inability to carry any momentum into a road atmosphere. The Huskers are still winless in conference play in games away from Pinnacle Bank Arena. They've had a few overtime games (Rutgers and Illinois), but they came up short. At this point, it's a mentality thing more than anything else.
Nebraska isn't also a great transition team, ranking 174th nationally in fast-break points. At times, you can catch the Huskers playing too quickly. They'll force bad shot attempts and get too relaxed with the basketball. Pushing the tempo and putting pressure on their guards is a way to get Nebraska out of its rhythm.
Often times, Nebraska will also settle for too many jump shots. The Huskers are shooting less than 20 free throws per game this season, an indication that they don't always attack the basket.
Season outlook
After finishing 16-16 a year ago, Nebraska has made an impressive leap to be in the top half of the Big Ten standings in the 2023-24 season. This is, by far, the best job Hoiberg has done in his five seasons in Lincoln.
Nebraska has secured wins over No. 1 Purdue and No. 6 Wisconsin and sits at 18-8 heading in Wednesday's matchup with the Hoosiers. On paper, this looks like an NCAA Tournament team. But the Huskers still need that big road win.
Even though the Huskers were picked to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, they're in the mix for one of the top-four seeds in the Big Ten Tournament. They've be scratching and clawing Wednesday night in Assembly Hall in hopes of getting one step closer to that goal, while also trying to get a conference win away from Lincoln.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- JACK'S TAKE: The biggest challenge for Mike Woodson in year three coaching Indiana was always going to be getting so many new players to play well together. He added talent but has fallen short in player development and building a roster with complementary pieces. CLICK HERE
- FEAR OF GOD UNIFORMS: Indiana debuted new alternate uniforms on Sunday against Northwestern as part of as collaboration between adidas and Fear of God. Here's what fans across generations had to say about them. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: Indiana's struggles shooting the ball continued to be a problem, and it was prevalent again in a 76-72 loss to Northwestern at Assembly Hall on Sunday in a game that wasn't that close. Indiana is now 14-11 on the year, and it's now just 1-3 in its last four home games. CLICK HERE
