How to Watch Nebraska Men’s & Women’s Basketball vs. Creighton: Previews, Breakdowns, TV Channels

The state's annual basketball rivalry will see both the women's and men's team play on the same day for the first time since 1985.

Geoff Exstrom | Nov 21, 2024

Nov 13, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Gavin Griffiths shoots the ball against Fairleigh Dickinson Knights forward Bismark Nsiah. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

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An annual tradition around the state, the battle for Nebraska will continue Friday in Omaha as the Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball teams take on rival Creighton.

The men’s team fell short in a 77-74 defeat to West Coast Conference foe St. Mary’s on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon. Despite the loss, the result was encouraging as NU pushed a squad that looks like an NCAA Tournament team. Brice Williams is clearly the leader of this 2024-2025 Nebraska team, contributing a game-high 28 points. However, if the Huskers come out on the wrong side of the tournament bubble at the end of the season, they may look back at this loss.

The women’s team steamrolled North Alabama 85-48 Tuesday night as Callin Hake (17 points) and Jessica Petrie (14) each poured in career highs in points. But the win came at an extreme cost with reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts going down with a no-contact knee injury, resulting in a season-ending torn ACL.

With both Nebraska teams looking to change the narrative around their rivalries, here’s all you need to know for an action packed Friday.

How to Follow Along

Matchup (MBB): Nebraska (3-1, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 14 Creighton (4-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
When: 7 p.m. CST Friday, November 22
Where: CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
Watch: FS1
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Creighton Scout

Head Coach: Greg McDermott | 15th Season | 329-160 (.673); 609-355 (.632) as Head Coach | Creighton MBB all-time wins leader | 2019-20 Big East Coach of the Year, 12x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2x Big East Championships.

2023-24 Record: 25-10 (14-6 Big East, 3rd) | Big East Defensive and Sportsmanship Player of the Year | 1x All-Big East First Team, 2x All-Big East Second Team | L, 82-75 to Tennessee in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

All-Time Series: Creighton Leads 30-27 (2023 last matchup, 89-60 CU)

Fun Fact: Friday will mark the fourth time in series history that the Nebraska and Creighton men’s and women’s programs will face off against each other on the same day. The last time it happened was a run of three consecutive years from 1983-85.

Nov 13, 2024; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner looks to pass against Houston Christian Huskies forward Porter Bazil. / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Outlook: Nebraska has been severely outmatched against its in-state foe for the past several seasons as the Huskers struggled to gain traction under head coach Fred Hoiberg while Creighton continued to rise under Greg McDermott. Aside from a major upset over the No. 7 Bluejays in 2022 (63-53), NU has lost four of the last five games and 11 of the past 13.

With the loss of Baylor Scheierman and early departure of Trey Alexander to the NBA Draft, McDermott and his staff reloaded through the transfer portal to boost the returns of three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth.

Kalkbrenner has been particularly impressive in his final college season, averaging 25.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, which includes a 49-point, 11-rebound performance against UTRGV in the season opener.

Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs averaged over 15 points per game last season, being named to the All-Big 12 Third Team. He missed the season opener, but has started the last three games averaging just under 10 points per contest. Joining Isaacs in the starting lineup is Jamiya Neal, a senior guard and forward from Arizona State. He was a key player for the Sun Devils last season with 11.0 PPG and 5.4 RPG. He’s putting up similar numbers through four games (9.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG). Montennegro transfer Fedor Žugić is the only big addition that has yet to see the floor as he works though eligibility issues with the NCAA.

Grand Island native Isaac Traudt transferred back into his home state after taking his redshirt season at Virginia. He was limited to a bench role last season, but has stepped up into the starting lineup this season. The sharp-shooting big man stretches the floor for the Bluejays and offers another lethal three-point shooter.

Nebraska’s Saturday performance against St. Mary built some confidence in how this team can play against better competition, especially as doubts swirled around in the Huskers’ early struggles. NU may finally have a counter to Kalkbrenner with 6-foot-10 posts Andrew Morgan and Berke Büyüktunel. Plus, Williams has given the Huskers their go-to scorer. Creighton should still be the favorite with their depth, experience and star power, but there’s a chance this is closer than one might expect.

How to Follow Along

Matchup (WBB): No. 21 Nebraska (5-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Creighton (1-2, 0-0 Big East)
When: 4 p.m. CST Saturday, November 22
Where: D.J. Sokol Arena, Omaha, NE
Watch: FloHoops
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Creighton Scout

Head Coach: Jim Flanery | 23rd Season | 428-270 (.613) at CU | Creighton WBB all-time wins leader | 7x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2004 WNIT Championship, 4x Conference Championships.

2023-24 Record: 26-6 (15-3 Big East, 2nd) | 3x All-Big East First Team | L, 67-63 to UCLA in NCAA Tournament Second Round.

All-Time Series: Nebraska Leads 31-18 (2023 last matchup, 79-74 CU)

Fun Fact: The Bluejays have dominated the in-state rivalry for over half a decade, winning six of the last seven games dating back to 2016. The only win for NU in that span being a 67-62 win on Nov. 17, 2021. The Huskers haven’t won in D.J. Sokol Arena since a three-point win on Dec. 11, 2014.

Key Returners: Lauren Jensen, G, Sr. | Morgan Maly, G/F, Sr. | Molly Mogensen, G, Gr. | Mallory Brake, F, Gr. | Jayme Horan, G, Gr. | Kennedy Townsend, G, Jr.

Key Additions: Sydney Golladay, G, Gr. (Fort Hayes State) | Brooke Littrell, G/F, Gr. (Central Missouri).

Key Departures: Emma Ronsiek, F, Gr. (Colorado State) | Brittany Harshaw, G, R-Soph. (Kansas).

Mar 10, 2024; Uncasville, CT, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Lauren Jensen shoots against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Outlook: With at least 20 wins over the past three seasons and a combined record of 71-25, head coach Jim Flanery has one more season with a senior class that will go down as one of the best in the history of Creighton women’s basketball. The Bluejays would have won any other conference if UConn wasn’t involved, but that hasn’t deterred CU from achieving success.

Creighton returns six of its seven leading scorers from a team that finished 26-6, including Lauren Jensen who led the team last season in scoring with 17.4 points per game. She’s upped that production through three early contests with over 21 PPG. Crete native Morgan Maly (15.2 PPG last season) also returns alongside Molly Mogensen (7.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG), Mallory Brake, Kennedy Townsend and Millard South grad Jayme Horan. Plus, Kiana Lockett returns to the lineup healthy after being limited to only 19 games last year. She’s broken out to be Creighton’s third-leading scorer with 11.3 PPG so far in 2024.

The Bluejays did suffer a major loss in forward Emma Ronsiek, who transferred to Colorado State after four seasons in Omaha. She was second on the team in scoring with 16.8 PPG while shooting over 33% from deep with 5.3 rebounds per contest. Bench player Brittany Harshaw also left for Kansas despite seeing action in 27 games off the bench.

Flanery ventured down to Division II to fill those spots led by Central Missouri transfer Brooke Littrell. She led the team in scoring during her final three seasons earning a WBCA All-American and Honorable Mention along the way. She averaged 20.3 PPG last season to lead the MIAA, while adding 8.5 rebounds per game. She finished her career with the Jennies posting 2.046 points and grabbing 968 rebounds.

Joining Littrell from the Division II ranks is Fremont native and guard Sydney Golladay. She spent four seasons with Fort Hays State in Kansas, appearing in 113 games with 106 starts. She closed her Tiger career with 3,025 minutes, 592 points, 359 assists and 306 rebounds.

The Bluejays were picked second in the Big East behind UConn and return the majority of the group that went 26-6 from last season. However, they’re already a third of the way towards matching their loss total from last season. Sitting at 1-2, Creighton dropped a 76-71 contest to preseason Summit League champion (RV) South Dakota State as well as a blowout loss to No. 10 Kansas State 86-68.

With Natalie Potts out for Nebraska and Allison Weidner once again dealing with a minor injury, the mental resolve for NU will be tested immensely. Give Creighton the slight edge, but this matchup should play very similar to the five-point contest from last season.

GEOFF EXSTROM

How to Watch Nebraska Men’s & Women’s Basketball vs. Creighton: Previews, Breakdowns, TV Channels

Geoff Exstrom | Nov 21, 2024

How to Follow Along

Creighton Scout

How to Follow Along

Creighton Scout

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