Meet The Opponent: Indiana Travels To Nebraska For First Big Ten Road Game

The Hoosiers look to build off their strong start to Big Ten play with a trip to Nebraska, which is 6-2 in coach Fred Hoiberg’s sixth season.

Nebraska guard Brice Williams (3) against Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana struggled against Nebraska perhaps more than any opponent last season, losing all three games by 15-plus points.

A few starters returned for each team, but this year’s matchup will certainly look different. Nebraska is without last year’s leading scorer Keisei Tominaga, and Indiana added seven new players to its roster before the season. The Hoosiers and Cornhuskers are set to play Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Lincoln, Neb. on FOX, the second Big Ten game for both sides.

Nebraska is coming off an 89-52 loss at Michigan State on Saturday, but gets almost a full week to prepare for the Hoosiers. Coach Mike Woodson’s team started Big Ten Monday with an 82-67 home victory over Minnesota.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Cornhuskers.

Key players

• G Brice Williams: 17.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 37.9 3pt FG%
• G Connor Essegian (Wisconsin transfer): 13 ppg, 42.6 3pt FG%
• F Juwan Gary: 10.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 25.9 3pt FG%
• G Rollie Worster (Utah transfer): 8.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 45.3 FG%
• F Berke Buyuktuncel (UCLA transfer): 8.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 56.8 FG%
• F Andrew Morgan (North Dakota State transfer): 8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 44.7 FG%
• C Braxton Meah (Washington transfer): 3.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 66.7 FG%
• G Ahron Ulis (Iowa transfer): 3.5 ppg, 1.9 apg, 15.4 3pt FG%
• G Sam Hoiberg: 2.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 38.1 FG%
• G Gavin Griffiths: 2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 15.8 3pt FG%
• F Rienk Mast (injured): 12.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg last season

Key departures

(2023-24 stats)

• G Keisei Tominaga: 15.1 ppg, 37.6 3pt FG%
• G C.J. Wilcher: 7.7 ppg, 39.4 3pt FG%
• F Josiah Allick: 7.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 55.0 FG%
• G Jamarques Lawrence: 6.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, 35.6 3pt FG%

2024-25 schedule

• W, 87-67 vs. UT-Rio Grande Valley, Nov. 4
• W, 63-58 vs. Bethune-Cookman, Nov. 9
• W, 86-60 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, Nov. 13
• L, 77-74 vs. Saint Mary’s, neutral site in South Dakota, Nov. 17
• W, 74-63 at No. 14 Creighton, Nov. 22
• W, 96-79 vs. South Dakota, Nov. 27
• W, 103-72 vs. North Florida, Dec. 1
• L, 89-52 at Michigan State, Dec. 7

Head coach: Fred Hoiberg

Hoiberg has a 69-96 overall record and a 30-70 record in Big Ten play in his sixth season at Nebraska. After winning 10 games or fewer in each of his first three seasons, Nebraska improved to 16 wins in 2022-23 and 23 wins last season. The Cornhuskers finished 11th or worse in the Big Ten his first four seasons, but they tied for third last season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, losing in the first round. Hoiberg, 52, had a 115-155 record as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 2015-19. He also coached his alma mater, Iowa State, from 2010-15 and had a 115-56 record, including four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16 run and two Big 12 tournament titles. Hoiberg was a first-team All-Big Eight player at Iowa State in 1995 and went on to play for the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg signals to his team against North Florida at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Series history

Indiana leads the all-time series 19-10, but Nebraska won all three matchups last season by double digits. That snapped the Hoosiers’ seven-game win streak against the Cornhuskers, beginning in the 2019-20 season. Prior to Nebraska joining the Big Ten, Indiana had an 8-1 record in the series from 1920-82.

Strengths

Defense has been the stronger side of the court for Nebraska this season. The Cornhuskers rank 34th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, in large part because it has forced a lot of turnovers and steals. Nebraska has an opponent turnover percentage of 22.3%, 25th best in the country, and it averaged 9.5 steals per game, good for 37th. That’s been a team effort, as five players average at least 0.9 steals per game, led by Sam Hoiberg with 1.8. Indiana must take care of the ball Friday.

Offensively, Nebraska is benefitting from frequent trips to the free throw line. It averages 25.6 free throws per game, 20th most nationally, and it has taken advantage of that with 76.6% free throw shooting, which ranks 43rd. Leading scorer Brice Williams is a prime example of that, shooting 92.5% at the free throw line on 6.6 attempts per game.

Indiana had trouble last season against Williams, who averaged 18.6 points and made nine 3-pointers against the Hoosiers in three matchups. The 6-foot-7 guard has taken on a larger scoring role this season, increasing his average from 13.4 to 17.5 points per game as an All-Big Ten candidate. Along with Williams’ 37.9% 3-point shooting, Indiana must be mindful of Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian, who’s shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc.

🎯 22 PTS
🎯 8-10 FG
🎯 6-8 3PT

Connor Essegian stayed hot in @HuskerMBB's 103-72 win over North Florida 🔥#B1GMBBall x @CEssegian pic.twitter.com/OmdLU47EXr

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 1, 2024

Weaknesses

In three games against Indiana last season, Nebraska made 40 of 97 (41.2%) 3-point attempts. But this season, aside from Williams and Essegian, 3-point shooting has actually been a team-wide struggle for the Cornhuskers. Last year’s team shot 35.7% had five players who shot above 34% on at least three attempts per game. This year, though, Nebraska ranks 317th nationally at 29.8%. Williams and Essegian are outside shooting threats, but the following seven most frequent 3-point shooters all make below 26% of their attempts. 

If Indiana can limit Williams and Essegian from deep, Nebraska’s scoring options become limited. That was seen in its blowout loss at Michigan State, when the two made 1-of-5 3-point attempts and Nebraska shot 18.2% as a team. That game played a big role in Nebraska falling  to 97th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. Part of the reason for that offensive dropoff is that Nebraska hasn’t found a replacement to match the production of forward Rienk Mast, who’s out for the season with a knee injury.

Nebraska has been a good defensive team overall, but it’s coming off its worst game in that respect against Michigan State. The Cornhuskers allowed 89 points, 10 more than any game this season. The Spartans made 9-of-23 3-point attempts, and that could be an area for Indiana to exploit. Nebraska’s defense ranks 357th nationally in opponent 3-point attempt rate, and the Hoosiers are off to a good start beyond the arc, shooting 35.9%, or 85th best. The potential holdup is that Indiana doesn’t attempt many 3-pointers, ranking 340th in attempts per game. Indiana should have the advantage inside with Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau, but this could be a game to hoist more 3-point shots. 

Season and game outlook

Nebraska tied for 12th out of 18 teams in the preseason Big Ten media poll, and it came in at No. 56 nationally in KenPom’s preseason rankings. It was listed as one of the first four teams out in ESPN’s latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology, updated Tuesday. Key players like Brice Williams and Juwan Gary returned from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, but Nebraska had a lot to replace with Keisei Tominaga, C.J. Wilcher, Josiah Allick and Jamarques Lawrence leaving and losing Mast to injury.

The Cornhuskers picked up a quality win at Creighton, but got blown out by 37 points in their Big Ten opener Saturday at Michigan State. It’s expected to be a close game against Indiana, a 76-75 Nebraska win, according to KenPom’s projections. The Hoosiers struggled mightily in all three games against Nebraska last season, and it’s hard to win on the road in the Big Ten. But this is a game Indiana should be capable of winning and could really use after failing to pick up wins of significant value in nonconference play. 

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