Style Points Fading, Identity Rising for Nebraska After Northwestern Win

It wasn’t pretty, and for long stretches it wasn’t clean, but Nebraska still won awfully comfortably against Northwestern Saturday to the tune of 68-49.

In mid-February, that may say more about who the Huskers are than any 90-point night ever could.

Nebraska’s 49-point defensive effort against Northwestern wasn’t just the best defensive showing of the season; it was a snapshot of a team that has discovered its true identity every time it takes the floor — one built on guarding, rebounding and grinding through games when offense isn’t there.

The Huskers improved to 22-3 with the win, continuing one of the best seasons in program history. The win already ties for third on Nebraska’s single-season list, and the 22 wins mark the program’s best start since 1919-20.

Nebraska's 22nd win marks the best single season win mark in Lincoln since the 1919-20 season. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Ironically enough, what’s standing out most isn’t the team’s record through 25 games, but how they have gotten to where they are.

On Saturday, the game opened with a heaping bucket of sloppiness. Nebraska struggled to handle Northwestern’s defensive pressure and simply forced passes that weren’t there, leading to turnovers and a stagnant Husker offense.

“A lot of it had to do with Northwestern,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said in his postgame press conference. “They did a good job jumping into the passing lane, and our guys did a poor job of continuing to try to complete passes that just weren’t there. We talked a lot about ball fakes, back cuts, and we just never got to it.”

For a while, the game looked like the kind that can derail a team in February — shots weren’t falling, the offense seemed stuck and momentum was inconsistent at best.

Northwestern had to work for every point it scored against Nebraska Saturday, only mustering 49 in the loss. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

However, the one thing that was consistent? Nebraska never stopped defending, and that became the difference.

Even as the Huskers struggled offensively, they held Northwestern to just 49 points in the game — the Wildcats’ second-lowest scoring output of the season and their lowest since scoring 44 against Illinois on Feb. 4. In fact, two of Northwestern’s three lowest offensive performances this year have now come against Nebraska.

The Huskers forced 16 turnovers against a team that typically protects the ball well, and they controlled the glass with a 40-24 rebounding advantage — NU’s best margin of the season.

Those figures are a reflection of a team leaning into what it does best.

Nebraska regained its edge on the glass in its win over Northwestern, generating 17 second-chance points. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“Even though we were not having a good offensive performance out there, they kept guarding,” Hoiberg said. “That led to some baskets, some good opportunities.”

Nebraska also generated 17 second-chance points, which is a product of that rebounding edge and sustained effort on both ends. Winning ugly, especially this time of year, is often a sign of maturity.

“I’ve been around this game a long time,” Hoiberg said. “There are certain nights the ball doesn’t go in the basket or you get a little sloppy. We cleaned up the glass, which was great. We just kept after it.”

That persistence showed up most clearly in the second half as Nebraska began finding a rhythm by attacking from the elbow and creating movement through cutting and split actions. It wasn’t necessarily explosive, but it was effective.

Pryce Sanfort continues to lift Nebraska this season, pouring in 29 points in the 68-49 win over Northwestern Saturday. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Pryce Sandfort again led the offensive charge, finishing with 29 points and knocking down six three-pointers. Saturday marked his 11th 20-point game of the season and extended his streak to 13 consecutive double-figure performances.

His six threes also pushed his season total to 88, just one shy of the school record set by Cary Cochran in 2001-02, but even Sandfort viewed the performance through a defensive lens.

“It was huge,” Sandfort said. “We gave up 49 points. I’d still like to see some more activity from myself, but Sam (Hoiberg) and Cale (Jacobsen) were great for us, and I thought we were much more connected than we have been in the past few games.”

That word — connected — has become a theme.

The word "connected" is being used more and more when describing both Nebraska's offensive and defensive prowess this season. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska’s defensive communication had been a point of emphasis in practice leading into Saturday’s game, and a performance where rotations were sharp, help defense was timely and effort rarely dipped was the result.

Senior guard Sam Hoiberg once again helped set the tone, finishing with four steals and is just one away from moving into ninth place in school history. His impact, as per usual, went beyond the stat sheet.

“The most physical guy on the floor is Sam, and he’s the shortest guy on the floor,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “They have active hands, their rotation, they come over, they’re aggressive. We didn’t make great decisions in a lot of cases, and they feast on your mistakes.”

Northwestern coach Chris Collins had nothing but praise to heap on Nebraska following his team's 19-point loss to the Huskers. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska’s defensive identity has taken shape over the course of the season. It’s not built on size or overwhelming length. It’s built on discipline, physicality and experience, with the latter showing in how the Huskers handled the momentum swings on Saturday.

Early, Northwestern’s pressure dictated pace and flow, but the Huskers adjusted and gradually took control.

“We let their pressure and defense really dictate what we were doing early, and we weren’t getting into the flow of our offense,” Sam Hoiberg said. “That’s when things were breaking down. I think we have the experience to kind of feel when the game shifts and when we can take over. We have a mature group.”

That maturity has been there from the jump, but it has also been developing all season. It showed earlier in the road win at Rutgers, and it showed again against Northwestern. Instead of chasing highlight moments or big scoring runs, Nebraska focused on possessions.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg is instilling a possession-by-possession mindset for his team with March approaching. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The possession-by-possession approach won out, and it’s one that’s translating for this Husker team. In February — and especially in March — the ability to win when offense sputters often separates contenders from pretenders.

Northwestern felt that pressure during their dream run to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win in 2017. The Wildcats win over Vanderbilt that year scratched Northwestern’s name off the list of power four conference teams to have never won an NCAA Tournament game. Now, that list features just one team — Nebraska.

“In our situation, everything was different,” Collins said. “Nebraska’s firmly in the field at this time of the year. They can really lock on playing better.”

In 2017, Northwestern won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in a 68-66 win over Vanderbilt. — In 2017, Northwestern won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in a 68-66 win over Vanderbilt, leaving just Nebraska as the lone power-four conference team to have never won an NCAA Tournament game. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Part of that is the team’s bench showing up in key moments. On Saturday, Cale Jacobsen recorded 10 points and six rebounds, tying a career high on the boards. It marked the 20th double-figure performance by a Husker reserve this season, underscoring the team’s depth and ability to sustain energy.

Even with 18 turnovers — tying a season high — Nebraska never lost control of the game’s defensive identity. That identity is something Hoiberg has tried to reinforce, especially emotionally.

After a recent road win at Rutgers, he walked into a quiet locker room and challenged the team to enjoy the journey.

That message carried into the Northwestern game. Sam Hoiberg said the team had become too business-like and needed to rediscover energy and excitement, and he thought that showed through following the win over Northwestern.

The Huskers are learning to play with more joy as they approach a highly anticipated postseason in March. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Joy can show up in different ways. On Saturday, it showed up in effort, defensive rotations, rebounding battles and the willingness to grind through a game that wasn’t flowing.

“They’re an experienced group, tough-minded group,” Collins said. “They play hard, play really well defensively, and there’s a reason why their record is what it is.”

Nebraska’s commitment to the less glamorous parts of winning is what’s allowing them to do so much of it. The Huskers are guarding everything and getting their hands in passing lanes from the opening tip. It allows them to respond when things aren’t smooth, as evidenced by the first half performance from NU on Saturday.

If teams are going to beat Nebraska this season, they'll need to do it with plenty of resilience. — If teams are going to beat Nebraska this season, they'll need to do it with plenty of resilience against one of the best defenses in the country. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Huskers didn’t shoot themselves to a 19-point win over the Wildcats; they defended their way there. As the season moves deeper into February, style points matter less and identity matters a heck of a lot more.

Nebraska is finding its identity in games where the only path forward is grit. In the long run, the ability to win ugly can be the most dangerous trait a team can carry into a postseason. Nebraska is starting to look like a team that understands that — and is embracing it.

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