How to Watch Nebraska Men’s Basketball vs. Saint Mary’s: Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The Huskers enter Sunday with their biggest test hoping to alleviate early worries of this season's squad.

Nov 13, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Brice Williams (3) motions to teammates against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Following an uncomfortable win against Bethune-Cookman last Saturday, the Nebraska Men’s basketball team responded in a positive fashion, shooting over 43% and winning the rebound battle 43-31 in a 86-60 route of Fairleigh Dickinson. 

Juwan Gary led all Huskers with 19 points and a pair of blocks. Big man Berke Buyuktuncel added 12 with seven rebounds while Brice Williams, who was seen for the first time without his full beard, chipped in 10 points. Three-point shooting continued to be a struggle as NU went only 7-for-28 on the night, but FDU shot at a similar rate (7-23). 

Head coach Fred Hoiberg and his crew now set their sights on Sioux Falls for their biggest test of the season with a neutral site game against Saint Mary’s on Sunday afternoon. 

Here’s all you need to know as Nebraska ventures to the Sanford Pentagon. 

How to Follow Along 

Matchup: Nebraska (3-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Saint Mary’s (CA) (3-0, 0-0 WCC) 

When: Sunday, November 17

Where: Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Time: 12 p.m. CST 

Watch: B1G Network

Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Saint Mary’s Scout

Head Coach: Randy Bennett | 24th Season | 542-218 (.713) School Record | Saint Mary’s all-time wins leader | 6x West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, 11x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 5x WCC Championships. 

2023-24 Record: 26-8 (15-1 WCC, 1st) | WCC Player, Coach and Defensive Player of the Year| 3x All-WCC First Team, 1x All-WCC Second Team, 1x WCC Honorable Mention | L, 75-66 to Grand Canyon in NCAA Tournament 1st Round. 

All-Time Series: Nebraska Leads 2-0

Fun Fact: Sunday’s game will be the first between the two schools in nearly 50 years. Saint Mary’s took the first game in 1946 with Nebraska returning the favor with a victory in 1975. 

Key Returners: Augustus Marciulionis, G, Sr. | Mitchell Saxen, C, Gr. | Luke Barrett, G/F, R-Sr. | Harry Wessels, C, Jr. | Jordan Ross, G, Soph. 

Key Additions: Paulius Murauskas, F, Soph. (Arizona) | Mikey Lewis, G, Fr. (Recruit) | Ashton Hardaway, F, Soph. (Memphis). 

Key Departures: Aidan Mahaney, G, Jr. (UConn) | Joshua Jefferson, F, Jr. (Iowa State) | Alex Ducas, G/F (Eligibility) | Mason Forbes, F (Eligibility) | Chris Howell, G, Jr. (UC San Diego) | 

Mar 22, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; St. Mary's Gaels center Mitchell Saxen (11) dunks against Grand Canyon Antelopes forward Duke Brennan (24) during the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Outlook: Sunday will easily mark the Huskers’ toughest test of the young new season, taking on a Saint Mary’s program that went to the NCAA Tournament for three-straight seasons despite being in the West Coast Conference. The expectation to go back to the dance hasn’t changed for the Gaels, who were selected as the runner-up in the league’s preseason poll – just one spot behind No. 6 Gonzaga. 

Being a mid-major, Saint Mary’s was hurt over the offseason with the transfer portal as All-WCC First Team selection Aidan Mahaney was recruited by Dan Hurley to help UConn chase a third-straight national championship. Plus, Joshua Jefferson (10.2 PPG) was one of four players last year averaging double-figure points and he’s now at Iowa State. Alex Ducas was the best three-point shooter for the Gaels last year (43.8%), but he exhausted his eligibility as well as forward Mason Forbes. 

But the nucleus stayed with Saint Mary’s, including WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis who put up 13.9 PPG and over five assists per game as the starting point guard. He’s joined by Mitchell Saxon, who was another All-WCC First Team pick with 11.8 PPG and 7.6 rebounds per game. Expect to see the 6-10 Saxon lock down the middle and back up his WCC Defensive Player of the Year award from last season. 

Bennett decided to take advantage of the crew he had returning to campus for this season, so he went out and grabbed 6-8 Lithuanian forward Paulius Murauskas, who averaged 18 points in three games. True freshman guard Mikey Lewis joined the Gaels as a top-100 recruit and has put up 14 points per game in three contests so far. 

A core three with a proven track record combined with impact transfers makes this a very dangerous squad, who would be the WCC favorite if not for Gonzaga – who’s moving to the Big 12 soon. This will be a major litmus test for the Huskers on Sunday. The expectation shouldn’t be a win, but competitiveness throughout the game to alleviate the early worries about this year’s team.  

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