How to Watch Nebraska Men's Basketball vs. West Georgia with Preview, Breakdown, Streaming

The Nebraska men's basketball season is officially here and the roller coaster has already begun.

Returning senior forward Rienk Mast didn't stifle the growing preseason expectations as his 31-point performance paved the way for NU's 90-89 exhibition victory over No. 9 BYU on Oct. 18. Three-point specialist and returner Connor Essegian (20 points) aided the cause while Iowa transfer and prized offseason addition Pryce Sandfort chipped in 12 points.

With a commanding 91-50 exhibition win over Midland nine days later, Nebraska has seemingly passed all preseason tests with flying colors. A friendly three-game stretch to open the season should give Fred Hoiberg and his staff time to mesh together a roster with eight newcomers, but it won't be long before a Sanford Pentagon showdown against Oklahoma and a Hall of Fame Classic appearance in Kansas City tests the skill of resolve of a Husker team aiming to reach its second NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons.

Here's all you need to know as Nebraska opens its seventh season under Hoiberg against Division I newbie West Georgia Monday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: Nebraska (0-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. West Georgia (0-0, 0-0 ASUN)
When: Monday, November 3
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Watch: B1G+
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

West Georgia Scout

Head Coach

2024 Finish

Did not qualify for the postseason.

2024 Record & Awards

6-25 (4-14 ASUN, T-10th) | No ASUN awards.

All-Time Series

First ever meeting.

Returning Wolves forward Shelton Williams-Dryden averaged over 17 points per game to rank third in the ASUN last season. | West Georgia Athletics

Key Returners

Shelton Williams-Dryden | F | Sr. | The only Wolf to average double figures last season, as his 17.6 points per game ranked third in the ASUN; tabbed as a member of the Preseason All-ASUN Team.
Kolten Griffin | Wing | Sr. | 6-foot-6 wing that was third on the team with 9.3 PPG and dropped in 13 double-digit outings as a junior last season.
Malcolm Noel | G | Sr. | The Atlanta native paced the Wolves in assists last season (86) while starting 22 of his 25 games played.
Brady Hardewig | G | R-Soph. | Projected starter that will have an elevated role after appearing in 30 games last year with 2.4 points per contest.

Key Departures

Kyric Davis | G/W | Transfer | Made his way to North Carolina Central for 2025-2026 after leading West Georgia in blocks (27) while averaging just short of ten points per game and a 39 percent mark from the field.
Rickey Ballard | F | Transfer | Left West Georgia for Grambling after leading the Wolves with a 38.4 three-point percentage while adding 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest.
Demetrus Johnson II | G | Transfer | Transferred to Central Washington after coming off the bench in 22 of his 31 games played last season with just over four points per game.

Kyric Davis transferred to North Carolina Central after recording over nine points per contest for WGU last season. | West Georgia Athletics

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Josh Smith | G | Jr. | NC Central transfer who averaged just over 11 minutes per contest in 32 games over the past two seasons.
JaVar Daniel | G/F | Jr. | Transferred over from Austin Peay, where he appeared in 35 games over a pair of seasons.
Matija Žužić | G | Sr. | 6-foot-7 guard that collected 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season at UT Martin; named All-Citrus Conference first team with 12.4 PPG and 4.7 RPG at Eastern Florida State College in 2023-2024.
Micah Smith | W | Soph. | Another 6-foot-7 transfer that started in four of 21 games last year for Georgia Southern with 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest.
Nate Jones | G | Gr. | Veteran guard that was one of the leaders at NAIA's Reinhardt University with 17.2 points per game in 2024-2025.

Outlook

An experienced assistant who made numerous stops at strong mid-major basketball programs (St. Bonaventure & Robert Morris), head coach Dave Moore has made his home at West Georgia as he enters his eighth season with the Wolves.

Moore and the program made a breakthrough in the 2022-2023 season, reaching the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. One season later, they were back in that same position after winning the Gulf South regular season and tournament championships. What followed was a rough transition to Division I and the Atlantic Sun conference as the Wolves finished 6-25 with a 4-14 conference mark.

Transfer JaVar Daniel is a projected starter for the Wolves after spending the last two seasons at Austin Peay. | Austin Peay Athletics

In an attempt to improve upon its debut season in Division I, Moore recruited a seven-player newcomer class to pair with five redshirts and a quartet of impact returners. The clear leader of the bunch is Preseason All-ASUN pick and senior forward Shelton Williams-Dryden. The Milwaukee native finished third in the conference last season with over 17 points and seven rebounds per game. Kolten Griffin was third on the team last year in scoring (9.3 PPG), and Malcolm Noel returns after pacing WGU in assists.

Transfer duo Josh Smith (NC Central) and JaVar Daniel (Austin Peay) are projected starters, but expect to see many more newcomers. Matija Žužić is a 6-foot-7 guard who recorded nearly eight points per game at UT Martin last year, while veteran guard Nate Jones looks to transition his proven scoring ability from NAIA to Division I.

Despite a solid core coming back, transfers can always be hit-and-miss, so Moore is hoping that combination, paired with the development of five redshirt players, can help the Wolves find more success as they find their footing in the world of Division I college basketball. Projected to finish last in the ASUN Preseason Poll by quite a margin, NU should roll to its 23rd season-opening win in the last 25 years.

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