Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s Week Ahead: Analyzing Challenge vs. Illinois, Road Trip to Rutgers

Huskers will try to bounce back from first loss of season

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast drives against Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic during the second half at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Nebraska is coming off its first loss of the season and its next game could be just as difficult.

After losing at Michigan on Tuesday, the fifth-ranked Huskers (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) play host to No. 9-ranked Illinois on Sunday. Nebraska closes out the week on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Rutgers.

Nebraska and Illinois are projected to be 2-seeds in the latest ESPN Bracketology, so this is a heavyweight game between teams with Final Four aspirations.

Illinois’ (18-3, 9-1) only Big Ten loss was to upstart Nebraska on Dec. 13, 83-80. Illinois was ranked 13th and the Huskers were ranked 23rd.

Illinois’ two other losses were in November —90-86 to No. 11 Alabama, and 74-61 to No. 5 UConn. Both games were at neutral sites.

Freshman guard Keaton Wagler is Illinois’ leading scorer at 17.7 points per game. He is 6-foot-6, his size making him a matchup problem. He has 13 consecutive games of double-digit scoring. He scored 19 points in the first game against Nebraska.

Last Saturday, Wagler scored 46 points in an 88-82 win at highly regarded Purdue. He connected on 13-of-17 shots and 9-of-11 from distance.

Nebraska played at Michigan without forward Rienk Mast (illness) and top reserve Braden Frager (ankle sprain). Mast should return against the Illini, and Frager was considered a “game-time decision” to play against Michigan.

Illinois guard Keaton Wagler keeps ball away from Washington Huskies guard Quimari Peterson during the second half at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois at Nebraska

When: Sunday, 3 p.m. CT
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Records: Illinois, 18-3, 9-1 Big Ten; Nebraska, 20–1, 9-1 in Big Ten
TV: FS1

Rankings updated based on games through Friday.

Illinois rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 9
* NCAA Net Ratings: 7
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 5
* ESPN Power Index: 8
* Top 25 and 1: 5
* Team Rankings.com: 6

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Illinois is a 2-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament. The next Bracketology will be released Tuesday.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 5
* NCAA Net Ratings: 5
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 5
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 16
* Top 25 and 1: 2
* Team Rankings.com: 5

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 2-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence gets a hug from teammate Connor Essegian after Lawrence hit the game-winning shot at Illinois. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois-Nebraska analysis

Illinois hasn’t lost in the conference since the Dec. 13 meeting in Champaign when the Huskers’ Jamarques Lawrence hit a three-pointer in the last second to win, 83-80.

Huskers forward Pryce Sandfort has scored at least 20 points in his last five games. He continues to be a threat from distance. In those five games, Sandfort is 25-of-54 from distance (46.2 percent).

In the first meeting against Illinois, Sandfort had a season-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 6-of-11 shooting from distance. Sandfort only has three games when he didn’t score in double figures — the last being seven points against New Hampshire on Dec. 21.

Nebraska needed late-game heroics from Lawrence, and a monster game from Sandfort to pull off its first win over a ranked team this season. Do the Huskers have more magic against the Illini?

They could use a strong start (not guaranteed) and strong support from its home crowd (guaranteed) to hold off an Illini team that has won 10 consecutive games and includes wins at Iowa and Purdue. It will be interesting to see how the Huskers bounce back from their first loss of the season.

Nebraska at Rutgers

When: Saturday, Feb. 7, 11 a.m. CT
Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena, Piscataway, N.J.
Records: Nebraska, 20–1, 9-1 in Big Ten; Rutgers, 9-12, 2-8 Big Ten
TV: Big Ten Network

Rankings updated based on games through Friday.

Rutgers rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 166
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 152
* ESPN Power Index: 120
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 123

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Rutgers is not mentioned.

Nebraska rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 5
* NCAA Net Ratings: 5
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 5
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 16
* Top 25 and 1: 2
* Team Rankings.com: 5

In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 2-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska-Rutgers analysis

It’s easy to look at Rutgers’ mediocre record and dismiss the Scarlet Knights. That might be what Michigan State did on Tuesday.

Rutgers had Michigan State all but defeated with an 11-point lead in the second half but the Scarlet Knights lost in overtime, 88-79.

That Scarlet Knights record might not improve before Nebraska comes to town. Rutgers plays at USC on Saturday, Jan. 31, and at UCLA on Tuesday.

Nebraska has to feel confident after its gritty, shorthanded performance at Michigan. The Huskers seem to be better than Rutgers at both ends of the floor. The Rutgers crowd often is a factor, which should give the Huskers more incentive to start quickly.

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