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Red State: Nebrasketball Upsets No. 14 Creighton in Omaha, 74-63

Nebraska men's basketball goes into Omaha and upsets No. 14 Creighton.

Kaleb Henry

Nov 22, 2024; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) dribbles against Creighton Bluejays guard Pop Isaacs (2) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nov 22, 2024; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) dribbles against Creighton Bluejays guard Pop Isaacs (2) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
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Men's basketball in the state of Nebraska is red for the next year.

Nebraska went into Omaha Friday evening and upset No. 21 Creighton, 74-63. The Huskers improve to 4-1 on the year as the Bluejays fall to 4-1.

NU led from wire to wire at the CHI Health Center. The teams exchanged 3s to open the game, then Nebraska led the rest of the way. The lead in the first half grew to 18 points before Creighton settled things down with an 11-2 run.

In the second half, Creighton cut the deficit to single digits multiple times, but Nebraska's defense held strong and the free throw shooting continued at a high clip to see the Big Red pull the upset.

The shooting for Nebraska remained an issue, as the Huskers shot 42.1% for the game, including 4-of-16 from 3. But the free throw volume remained high, with the Big Red going 23-of-30 at the stripe.

Creighton shot 32.7%, but the problem was the shooting from deep. The Bluejays made just 12 3s on 42 attempts.

The Huskers played extremely well on defense, forcing the Bluejays into 17 turnovers, with 10 of those coming via steals. Nebraska committed just seven turnovers.

Five Huskers scored in double figures, led by Brice Williams and Juwan Gary with 16 points each. Connor Essegian added 15, while Berke Buyuktuncel and Rollie Worster scored 12 and 11, respectively.

For just the second time in his career, Bluejay big man Ryan Kalkbrenner was held without a field goal. Pop Isaacs led the scoring for the home side with 25 points.

Nebraska returns home Wednesday to host South Dakota. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. CST on Big Ten Network.

Nebraska Athletics Notes

  • Nebraska picks up its second straight win at Creighton, both by double-figures (63-53 in 2022; 74-63 tonight).
  • The win marks the second straight Husker win in Omaha, the first time that has occurred since winning three straight times in Omaha between 1991 and 1995
  • Tonight marks the third time NU has beaten a ranked Creighton team, as the Bluejays were ranked 14th in the AP poll entering today. The others were in 2006 (No. 20) and 2022 (No. 7)
  • Nebraska improves to 28-30 all-time against Creighton. The Huskers have now won three of the past seven meetings after Creighton won seven straight meetings between 2011 and 2017.
  • Nebraska held Creighton to 63 points, 25 points under its season average (88.0). NU held the Bluejays to 32.7 percent shooting.
  • Nebraska put a season-high five players in double figures in the win, including a team-high 16 points from Juwan Gary. Gary is 2-0 in CHI Health Center in his career.
  • Nebraska committed a season-low seven turnovers in the win, while forcing 17 turnovers. NU had a 22-7 advantage on points off turnovers.
  • Nebraska never trailed and led for 38:11 of the night.
  • Nebraska held Ryan Kalkbrenner to four points on 0-of-1 shooting in 38:37 of action. He entered tonight averaging 25.8 ppg on .891 shooting. His only attempt was a 3-pointer in the first half.
  • Nebraska had an 11-0 run from 7:40-2:37 in the first half, the fourth double-digit run this season for NU.
  • Brice Williams reach double figures for the ninth straight game dating back to last season with his 16-point effort. It matches the longest stretch of his career.
  • Nebraska held Creighton to a season low 24 points in the first half. CU scored 39 or more points in the first half of each of its first four games.
  • Connor Essegian finished with 15 points off the bench, the fourth double-figure effort from a Husker reserve this season.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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