Huskers Host Bethune-Cookman on Saturday Night

The Nebraska men's basketball team looks to improve to 2-0 on the season, as the Huskers welcome Bethune-Cookman to Pinnacle Bank Arena this Saturday.  Tipoff between the Huskers and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) or at PBA beginning at 5:30 p.m. 

Nebraska (1-0) comes off an 87-67 win over UTRGV on Monday night. Brice Williams' 27-point effort led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska pulled away after UTRGV pulled to within 69-65 with less than six minutes remaining. Connor Essegian had seven of his 13 points off the bench in the decisive 12-0 spurt as Nebraska out-scored UTRGV 18-2 over the final 5:50. Essegian went 4-of-5 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range in his Husker debut. Rollie Worster had 18 points - one off his career high - and nine rebounds while pacing NU in both steals (four) and assists (three). Andew Morgan chipped in 10 points and five boards off the bench, as newcomers combined for 51 of the 87 points against the Vaqueros. 

Nebraska relied on a solid defensive performance, as the Huskers limited UTRGV to 39 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers which led to 26 Husker points. NU had nine steals and enjoyed a 42-32 advantage on the glass.

While the newcomers made an impact, Williams continued his strong surge dating back to last year, as his 27 points was his highest output since scoring a career-high 32 points against UAB on March 4, 2023. He is averaging 24.3 points per game in the last four contests. The 6-foot-7 guard averaged more than nine free throw attempts in that span while shooting 92 percent from the line. 

Bethune-Cookman (0-1) opened the season on Tuesday with a 94-61 loss at Texas Tech.  The Red Raiders shot 57 percent from the field, including 16-of-30 from 3-point range, and posted a 44-21 advantage on the glass. Reggie Ward Jr. paced Bethune-Cookman with 15 points and seven caroms while Brayon Freeman added 12 points in the loss. Ward is the only returning starter from a Wildcat squad that went 17-16 and played in the CBI in 2023-24. 

 

Numbers to Know
9 - Following his 27-point effort against UTRGV on Monday, Brice Williams has nine 25-point games in his career. The 27-point effort is the most points by a Husker in an opener since Shavon Shields had 28 vs. Florida Gulf Coast in 2013.

23 - Nebraska has won 23 straight games dating back to 2022-23 season when holding an opponent to under 70 points. Over the last two-plus years, NU is 28-2 (.933) when holding an opponent to below 70 points. 

19 - Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg and Bethune-Cookman's Reggie Theus are two of the 19 Division I coaches this season who have played in the NBA. In addition, Theus' time as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2009-11) overlapped Hoiberg's tenure in the Timberwolves front office.

21.4 - Nebraska led the Big Ten in bench production last season, averaging 21.4 points per game. NU got 27 points from its bench in the win over UTRGV, including 13 from Connor Essegian and 10 from Andrew Morgan.

26 - Nebraska has won 26 straight games when out-rebounding its opponent dating back to Nov. 27, 2022, against Florida State. The Huskers were 16-0 in 2023-24 season when out-rebounding foes.

.933 - Nebraska is 14-1 at home in non-conference play over the last two-plus seasons and is 27-9 (.750) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg's six seasons at Nebraska.

 

Scouting Bethune-Cookman
Bethune-Cookman comes to Lincoln with an 0-1 record after dropping Tuesday's opener at Texas Tech. The Wildcats returned one starter and four letterwinners from a team that went 17-17 last season and played in the College Basketball Invitational last season. Bethune-Cookman was picked eighth in the SWAC preseason poll and will be tested in non-conference play with trips to Texas Tech, Nebraska, Tulane, Minnesota, Virginia, West Virginia, South Florida, Davidson and Mississippi State before opening SWAC play in January. 

Reggie Theus is in his fourth year at Bethune-Cookman and has improved the Wildcats' win total each season. Theus had previous stops at Cal State Northridge (2013-18) and New Mexico State (2005-07), where he guided the Aggies to the 2007 NCAA Tournament before he was hired by the Sacramento Kings. He spent parts of two seasons with the Kings, posting a 44-62 mark. As a player, Theus earned All-America honors and helped the Runnin' Rebels to the 1977 NCAA Final Four before playing 13 seasons in the NBA.

Senior forward Reggie Ward Jr. is the Wildcats' top returnee, as he started 27 of 33 games and averaged 9.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He led BCU with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and seven boards vs. Texas Tech.  The other three returnees - Seneca Willoughby, Simeon Womack and Mason Dorsey - combined for just 6.3 ppg last season. Head Coach Reggie Theus brought in an 11-man recruiting class highlighted by former Creighton forward Antwann Jones, who played at UCF last season. Jones had five points against Texas Tech but left the game early because of an injury. Forward Daniel Rouzan started 27 games at Manhattan last season, averaging 11.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Brayon Freeman was a double-figure scorer at both George Washington and Rhode Island, where he averaged 14.3 ppg in 2022-23. Freeman joined Ward in double figures on Tuesday with 12 points and three assists. 

Saturday's meeting is the second meeting between the two programs, and the first since a 70-26 Husker win on Dec. 20, 2004. The 26 points by Bethune-Cookman that night is the fewest points scored by a Husker opponent since 1947. The Huskers are 29-1 against the current members of the SWAC. 

 

Last Time Out
Brice Williams scored a game-high 27 points, while Connor Essegian had seven of his 13 points off the bench in a decisive second-half run, as Nebraska defeated the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 87-67 on Nov. 4.

Williams carried the Huskers with 19 first-half points, and Nebraska eventually built a 15-point second half lead before UTRGV came back. The Vaqueros whittled away the lead and pulled to within 69-65 on K.T. Raimey’s basket with 5:52 left before Essegian took over.  The 6-foot-4 guard started a 12-0 Husker spurt with seven unanswered points, as he hit a 3-pointer and then connected on two free throws on the next possession to push the lead to nine with 4:13 left. Essegian then capped a personal 7-0 spurt with a driving layup to extend the lead to double figures with 3:52 left. NU, which got six straight stops, eventually extended the margin to 81-65 after a Juwan Gary basket with 2:40 left. 

The Big Red had four players in double-digits, as Rollie Worster finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and four steals while Andrew Morgan added 10 markers. 

 

Opening Night Nuggets vs. UTRGV
• Nebraska improved to 88-41 (.682) all-time in season openers and has won 22 of the past 24 openers dating back to an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts to begin the 2000 season.

• Nebraska improved to 31-4 in its past 35 season openers dating back to the 1990-91 campaign.

• Nebraska’s 87 points is its highest total in a season opener since scoring 102 on McNeese State in 2020-21.

• Nebraska has won 13 straight games at home dating back to last season. 

• Brice Williams finished with 27 points, his highest total as a Husker. His previous high was 25 vs. Oregon State last year. 

• Williams' 27-point night was the highest by a Husker in a season opener since Shavon Shields had 28 in the first-ever game at Pinnacle Bank Arena to open the 2013-14 season. 

• Williams now has four straight 20-point efforts dating back to last season’s Big Ten Tournament.

• NU forced 20 turnovers, its highest total since forcing 21 turnovers vs. Kennesaw State on Dec. 22, 2021. 

• NU’s 35 free throws were its highest total since going to the line 36 times against Florida A&M last season. 

 

Worth Noting 

• Jack McVeigh became the 16th Husker to play in the NBA as he made his debut in Houston's win over San Antonio on Nov. 6. McVeigh, who played professionally in Australia and Germany, played three seasons at Nebraska from 2016-18.
• Nebraska has scored 80-or-more points in each of the last five games dating back to the 2024 regular-season finale against Michigan after scoring 87 in the opener against UTRGV. The last time Nebraska scored 80-or-more points in five consecutive games was a 10-game stretch between Nov. 25-Dec. 19, 1995. The first and last games of the streak both came against new Big Ten member Oregon. 
• Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Huskers went 23-11 in 2023-24 and tied for third in the Big Ten standings before reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the most since setting a school-record with 26 wins in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference wins also ranked second in school history.
• Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three years, marking the first time NU has done that since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66). If Nebraska can improve its win total this year, it would mark the first time since a four-year stretch from 1945-46 to 1948-49 that the Huskers improved their win total in four consecutive seasons. According to BTN Research, Nebraska was one of four teams nationally and the only team in a power conference to improve its win total by at least six games in each of the past two seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24). The others are James Madison, Lamar and South Florida.
• Over the past two seasons, NU has won 21 conference games, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 teams won 22 conference tilts. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark just the fourth time in school history that Nebraska has won 20 or more conference games in a two-year span.
• Nebraska was one of 24 teams nationally that finished in the top 50 both in offensive and defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was one of four Big Ten programs to accomplish that in 2023-24, joining Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan State.   It marked the first time that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the KenPom era (1996-97).
• Nebraska made its biggest jump on the offensive end in 2023-24, averaging 77.7 points per game. It is an increase of nearly nine points per game from the 2022-23 campaign and NU’s highest scoring average since 1995-96 (80.2 ppg). NU climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom. Prior to last season, NU’s highest average since joining the Big Ten was 73.3 ppg in 2021-22.  The Huskers are 25-8 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 20-5 over the last three seasons. 
• Nebraska looks to continue its strong work from the foul line in 2024-25. Last season, Nebraska shot 76.0 percent from the line, its highest percentage from the charity stripe since the 2011-12 team set a school record with a .766 free throw percentage. NU ranked 32nd nationally in free throw percentage in 2023-24.Nebraska made its biggest jump on the offensive end in 2023-24, averaging 77.7 points per game. It was an increase of nearly nine points per game from the 2022-23 campaign and NU’s highest scoring average since 1995-96 (80.2 ppg). NU climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom. Prior to last season, NU’s highest average since joining the Big Ten was 73.3 ppg in 2021-22.  The Huskers are 25-8 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 20-5 over the last three seasons. 
• Nebraska looks to continue its strong work from the foul line in 2024-25. Last season, Nebraska shot 76.0 percent from the line, its highest percentage from the charity stripe since the 2011-12 team set a school record with a .766 free throw percentage. NU ranked 32nd nationally in free throw percentage in 2023-24.

 

A Quick Look at the 2024-25 Huskers
Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season with a solid returning group despite the loss of Rienk Mast to season-ending surgery. The Huskers return six players - not including Mast - who saw action a season ago, including starters Brice Williams and Juwan Gary. In addition, junior guard Sam Hoiberg was one of three Huskers who played in all 34 games in 2023-24. 

• Nebraska features one of the oldest rosters in the country. Of the 17 players on the 2024-25 roster, nine have played at least three seasons of college basketball. Juwan Gary, Brice Williams and Rienk Mast are all in their sixth year of college while Braxton Meah, Ahron Ulis and Rollie Worster are beginning their fifth season of college basketball.  According to research by Chris Kowalczyk at VCU, Nebraska is one of 10 programs nationally with at least six players who are in their fifth year or greater in college basketball. 
• Nebraska's active roster features three players who have started a combined 72 games at Nebraska entering the 2024-25 season: Juwan Gary (37); Brice Williams (34) and Sam Hoiberg (1), but that tells only part of the story. The 16 active players have combined to start 380 career games at the Division I level. That list includes Rollie Worster (101); Brice Williams (61); Andrew Morgan (59); Juwan Gary (55); Braxton Meah (47); Ahron Ulis (27); Connor Essegian (19); Berke Büyüktuncel (8) and Gavin Griffiths (3).  In addition, Rienk Mast has 111 career starts, including 32 games last season at Nebraska. 
• After having one active player with previous NCAA Tournament experience last season (Juwan Gary), the 2024-25 Huskers have nine players who have played in the NCAA Tournament. All seven of Nebraska's returnees saw action in the Huskers' game against Texas A&M last spring, while Ahron Ulis played in three tournaments as part of the Iowa program from 2021-23. NU also added Rollie Worster who started for Utah State in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Connor Essegian was on Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament team last spring, but did not play against James Madison in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

 

Williams Looks to Build on Postseason Success
Senior guard Brice Williams looks to build in his postseason success as he begins the 2024-25 campaign. He proved to be a go-to scorer in the Huskers' postseason run, averaging 23.3 points per game during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. 

• Williams got off to a quick start to the 2024-25 season with a game-high 27 points against UTRGV. 
• Senior guard Brice Williams looks to build in his postseason success as he begins the 2024-25 campaign. He proved to be a go-to scorer in the Huskers' postseason run, averaging 23.3 points per game during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. 
• Williams has more 20-point games in three postseason games (three) than in 31 regular-season games (two)
  That continues Williams’ trend of playing his best basketball under the brightest lights, as he is averaging 16.6 points in nine career postseason games (conference tournaments, 2023 CBI and 2024 NCAA), well above his career scoring average of 10.3 points per game.  Over the last two years, that number jumps to 18.5 ppg after his 24-point effort in the 2024 NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M.
• Williams' father, Henry, was the MVP of the Metro Conference Tournament in 1992, averaging 26.6 ppg in helping Charlotte to an NCAA Tournament berth.  

 

Tracking Williams in 2023-24

Games	PPG	RPG	APG	FG Pct.	3Pt Pct.	FT Pct.
Regular Season	12.4	5.6	2.5	.436	.377	.835
Postseason	23.3	4.3	2.7	.500	.467	.885

 

Gary Looks to Make 3rd Year Jump
One player who could make a big jump in 2024-25 is senior Juwan Gary. Under Fred Hoiberg, the other seniors who were third-year players made significant jumps in their final year at Nebraska, as Keisei Tominaga and Derrick Walker both earned All-Big Ten honors in their third year at Nebraska after transferring into the program. 

Last season, Gary averaged a career-best 11.6 points per game on nearly 50 percent from the floor. He tallied 16 double-doubles after posting 20 during his first four collegiate seasons. Gary was second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 rpg. Gary finished with nine points in NU's season-opening win.

 Trio of Huskers Looking for 1,000 Career Points
Nebraska has a pair of career 1,000-point scorers in Rienk Mast and Brice Williams, while three other Huskers could reach the 1,000-point mark for their career in 2024-25.  Seniors Juwan Gary, Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan are all on pace to reach that mark this season.  Rollie Worster went over the 900-career point mark with his 18-point effort in the opener on Monday night.