hhcmatt Posted January 20 Report Posted January 20 Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-5) vs Northwestern Wildcats (13-4) Date: Saturday Jan 20th, 2024 Time: 1:15 pm Arena: PBA Broadcast: BTN Northwestern Info Head Coach: Chris Collins Location: Evansville, IL Conference: B1G Nickname: Wildcats Mascot: Willie the Wildcat Last time out: Beat Maryland Point Spread: Nebraska by 1.5 Typical Rotation Depth: 7 KenPom rank: 59 Nota bene: It's alumni weekend and specifically Nebraska is honoring the 1993-94 Big Eight Tournament Champion team including a returning Danny Nee. Nebraska expects around 64 alumni of players and staff to be present dating from Lloyd Castner, a student manager for Jerry Bush from 1954-57, to Derrick Walker, class of 2023 Fred Hoiberg is 0-7 vs Northwestern at Nebraska and the Huskers haven't beaten the Wildcats since 2019 Northwestern ranks 337th in bench minutes as they have 4 starters who average over 30+ minutes per game Nebraska gutted out a 70-66 OT win vs Maryland during last season's alumni weekend game There is supposed to be a football player dunk contest around 12:45 today KenPom most used lineups PG SG SF PF C Pct 1 0 Boo Buie 6-2 180 Sr 3 Ty Berry 6-3 185 Sr 5 Ryan Langborg 6-4 195 Sr 13 Brooks Barnhizer 6-6 215 Jr 34 Matthew Nicholson 7-0 280 Sr 19.9 Player to watch: Boo Buie 5th year starting PG Boo Buie was one of the main catalyst behind Northwestern's surprising run to the NCAA tournament last season and continues to play at a high level, leading the 'Cats in scoring and assists. If Nebraska finds themselves in a close game at the end, NW will be at the advantage simply because they have arguably the best PG in the conference. Player to watch: Ty Berry Northwestern isn't quite the defensive team they rolled out last season with Chase Audige graduating but have increased their offensive output in part due to Berry finding his shooting stroke back. After a 38.3% 3pt success two years ago, Berry struggle last season, shooting 29.1% from 3. This season he's hitting a career high 43.3% from 3 and 52.7% from 2. Player to watch: Brooks Barnhizer Barnhizer is Northwestern's glue guy where his most important contribution is grabbing rebounds for a Northwestern team that is one of the worst in the conference at this statistic. Barnhizer will add some rim protection along with competent shooting ability. Player to watch: Ryan Langborg The Princeton transfer is another high level 3pt shooter for the Wildcats and is currently shooting 37.5% from 3. Others to watch Matthew Nicholson might be the most noticeable player on the court due to his unmissable stature. He's NW's best rim protector and he almost always makes the right plays. For the last few games 6'10" 255# Luke Hunger has been getting the start over Nicholson, presumably because he allows the 'Cats to play 5 out. Both centers tend to be foul prone. 6'7" forward Nick Martinelli averages 20 minutes of the bench where he brings rebounding and inside scoring. UNL Game Notes Roster/infirmary report Will update if needed when the B1G releases their injury Out indefinitely 5 Ahron Ulis 6-3 190 lbs Junior - Likely out for the season 15 Blaise Keita 6-11 257 lbs Junior - Ongoing ankle injury recovery Day to Day 4 Juwan Gary 6-6 221 lbs Junior Possible starters for Nebraska 10 Jamarques Lawrence 6-3 183 lbs Sophomore 30 Keisei Tominaga 6-2 179 lbs Senior 3 Brice Williams 6-7 213 lbs Junior 53 Josiah Allick 6-8 231 lbs Senior 51 Rienk Mast 6-10 248 lbs Junior Bench 0 C.J. Wilcher 6-5 214 lbs Junior 9 Jarron Coleman 6-5 213 lbs Senior 1 Sam Hoiberg 6-0 183 lbs Sophomore 11 Eli Rice 6-8 213 lbs Freshman 21 Matar Diop 6-10 213 lbs Freshman 35 Henry Burt 6-7 216 lbs RS Freshman 2 Ramel Lloyd Jr. 6-6 210 lbs RS Freshman 31 Cale Jacobsen 6-4 200 lbs RS Freshman 24 Jeffrey Grace III 6-3 197 lbs Sophomore The Skinny: Nebraska comes into this home game after a two game road skid that finds them without the services of Juwan Gary at the moment. While it seemed that Gary might have endured yet another season ending injury in Piscataway, it turns out the diagnosis is a calf strain. While you never want to be without the services of your starting 4 man, this Northwestern team is one of the better conference opponents to face in that scenario. The Wildcats aren't a very good rebounding team, they play at one of the slower paces in the country, and they're unlikely to get the Huskers into a ton of foul trouble. Anything helps as the Huskers try to notch another conference win. As bad as Nebraska's defensive effort has been in conference play, it's Northwestern that ranks last in conference defensive efficiency. When you pair these numbers with how well both teams can shoot, any outcome is on the table today. For Nebraska the big key will be holding on to the ball as the Wildcats are a sneaky ball-hawking squad. This game also represents one of the rare games where a 'referee clown show' would benefit Nebraska as the Huskers have the bench depth advantage. Speaking of depth, how will Eli Rice and/or Matar Diap perform as the two players potentially in the rotation to fill in for Gary? FWIW freshmen tend to play better at home. While you like the chance of winning this game it's worth noting that Nebraska has never defeated a Northwestern team with Boo Buie. Prediction: Nebraska 76 - Northwestern 72 View full article Vinny and Shawn Eichorst's Toupee 2 Quote
Vinny Posted January 20 Report Posted January 20 It might be worth noting, but it feels a bit like the announcers curse to mention it BEFORE the game. Love reading these though, thanks for continuing to post them. Quote
Handy Johnson Posted January 20 Report Posted January 20 I’m sticking by Kansas St & their Willie the Wildcat who as us Old Timers know could Dunk the Ball in Full Costume. Silverbacked1 1 Quote
hhcmatt Posted January 20 Author Report Posted January 20 55 minutes ago, Vinny said: It might be worth noting, but it feels a bit like the announcers curse to mention it BEFORE the game. Love reading these though, thanks for continuing to post them. Don't streaks usually come to an end when announcers mention them? Vinny 1 Quote
Vinny Posted January 20 Report Posted January 20 Mmmm, yes. Yes they do. Commendable effort! hhcmatt 1 Quote
hhcmatt Posted January 20 Author Report Posted January 20 5 hours ago, Vinny said: Mmmm, yes. Yes they do. Commendable effort! Vinny 1 Quote
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