Huskers Hit the Road: An Epic Showdown in Iowa This Tuesday Night!

Huskers journey to Iowa City on Tuesday Night
The Nebraska men’s basketball team embarks on a two-game away tour on Tuesday night, as the Huskers head to Iowa City for a contest against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The tip-off at Carver-Hawkey Arena is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be available for streaming on Peacock as well as broadcasted on the Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, and the Huskers app.

Nebraska (12-2, 2-1 B1G) is coming off a 66-58 victory against No. 15 UCLA on Jan. 4. Brice Williams topped four Huskers with 16 points and seven rebounds, while NU executed a 17-6 surge in the second half to establish a 13-point advantage. The Huskers countered UCLA’s comeback by converting 21-of-25 from the free-throw line in the latter half. NU restricted UCLA to 58 points, marking its second-lowest tally of the season, with a shooting percentage of only 39 percent. 

The defense of Nebraska has been crucial in the Huskers’ six-game winning stretch, as NU has limited its previous five adversaries to an average of 56.2 points per game on 35 percent shooting while outrebounding opponents by an average of +6.0 rebounds per contest. Nebraska heads into Tuesday’s matchup ranking in the top three of the Big Ten for both scoring defense (64.6 ppg) and opponent shooting percentage (.381).

The Huskers’ 12-2 record equals their best start since the 1990-91 season and marks the eighth occasion since World War II that NU has begun a season with a 12-2 record or better within the first 14 contests. Only the 1990-91 squad had a superior record after 14 games, winning 16 of their initial 17 games on their way to a school-record 26 victories.

Iowa (10-4, 1-2 B1G) poses a significant challenge for Nebraska’s defense. The Hawkeyes currently lead the Big Ten in scoring offense at 84.9 ppg following a 116-85 defeat against Wisconsin last Friday. Drew Thelwell’s 25 points helped five Hawkeyes reach double-digit scoring, yet Wisconsin shot 65 percent from the floor, including 21-of-31 from beyond the arc, securing its first Big Ten victory.

Focusing on Defense

Opponent	2024-25 Avg.	vs. Nebraska
Indiana	78.9	68
Murray State	76.8	49
Hawai’i	71.9	55
Oregon State	76.1	66
Southern	75.6	43
UCLA	76.0	58

Averages as of 1/6/25

Points of Interest
• Nebraska’s 12-2 record marks the 10th occasion since the conclusion of World War I in 1918 that Nebraska has commenced a season with at least 12 victories in the first 14 matches. This 12-2 start equals their finest record since achieving a 13-1 start in the 1990-91 season.

• Nebraska aims to enhance its road record to 5-2 outside of Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday at Iowa. The Huskers hold a 1-1 record in away games, which includes a victory at Creighton, and are 3-1 at neutral venues. 

• With triumphs on the road against No. 14 Creighton and Hawai’i, Nebraska secured multiple non-conference road wins for the first time since the 2011-12 season, marking only the second occurrence in the last quarter-century. Nebraska’s duo of non-conference road victories constitutes half of the Big Ten’s true road wins in non-conference play, while Oregon (1) and Penn State (1) accounted for the remaining wins. 

• After Saturday’s success over UCLA, Nebraska remains 2-0 against ranked opponents, following a previous win against No. 14 Creighton on Nov. 22. Moreover, NU is 4-2 in its last six encounters against ranked teams dating back to their victory over No. 1 Purdue on Jan. 9, 2024.

• As of Jan. 6, Nebraska stands at No. 33 in the NET rankings and enters this week among 11 Big Ten teams within the top 50 of the NET. The Big Ten currently holds 16 teams in the top 25, while 17 of the 18 conference teams are positioned within the top 100 of the NET.

• Nebraska’s defensive prowess is underlined by its ranking of 10th nationally in KenPom’s defensive efficiency as of Jan. 6. NU has limited three of its last five challengers (Murray State, Hawai’i, and Southern) to season-low scoring outputs, while UCLA’s 58 points marked the Bruins’ second-lowest total for this year. As of this week’s contests, six of the top 20 defensive efficiency teams are part of the Big Ten. 

• The Huskers equaled a school record for consecutive home wins with their victory over UCLA, achieving 20 straight home triumphs—the first time this record has been matched, previously set on two occasions. Nebraska’s upcoming home game will be against Rutgers on Jan. 16. 

• The victory over Southern on Dec. 30 finalized a highly successful non-conference schedule, with NU ending at 10-1 in non-conference play—an achievement only reached seven times post-WWII (including 10-1 in the 2023-24, 2018-19, and 2003-04 seasons; 12-1 in 1991-92; 15-1 in 1990-91; 11-1 in 1977-78).

• Nebraska’s championship at the 2024 Diamond Head Classic represented the program’s first MTE event title since the San Juan Shootout in 2000. This victory also made Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg the first coach to secure multiple Diamond Head Classic titles after leading Iowa State to the championship in 2013.

• Following a 12-2 beginning in 2024-25, Nebraska boasts a record of 41-16 over the past 56 encounters dating back to early February 2023. NU’s .719 winning percentage is second to Purdue among Big Ten teams during this span.

Big Ten institutions (Oregon, UCLA, Washington, and USC) throughout that identical timeframe. NU recorded only 33-80 from the outset of the 2019-20 season until February 1, 2023.

• In the last 18 contests extending back to the previous season, Brice Williams has been averaging 19.1 points per game on .493 shooting, with nine performances of 20 points or more in that duration. He has scored in double digits in 17 out of 18 games during this period. He averaged merely 12.5 ppg in his initial 30 games at Nebraska. 

• Brice Williams was awarded MVP accolades at the Diamond Head Classic, averaging 22.0 points per game with 56 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Williams maintained an average of 19.3 ppg with 57 percent shooting in seven December games following his performance of 11 points and seven rebounds against Southern. 

• Juwan Gary is showcasing some of the finest basketball of his career over the past three weeks. The senior is averaging 12.8 ppg with 47 percent shooting during Nebraska’s six-game winning streak. Gary has also significantly contributed to limiting opponents to 35 percent shooting in this period. 

• Senior guard Ahron Ulis will compete against his previous team for the first time after transferring to Nebraska post the 2022-23 season. Ulis spent three years at Iowa, initiating 27 games on Iowa’s 2023 NCAA Tournament squad. Ulis returned to the court on Saturday after sitting out four games due to a sprained ankle. 

• NU has depended on its roster depth early in the season, with six players averaging at least 7.5 points per game across the first 14 games. Eight distinct players have achieved double-digit scoring, while three players (Brice Williams, Connor Essegian, and Juwan Gary) have delivered 20-point games. In addition to the eight who have hit double figures at least once, two more have scored a minimum of eight points at least once this season. Williams remains the sole Husker appearing in the top 40 of the Big Ten in scoring as of January 6.

• With a couple of 30-point games since December 13, Williams is the sixth Husker during the Big Ten era to record multiple 30-point games. He netted 30 points in the victory over Indiana on December 13 and equaled his career best with 32 points against Hawai’i on December 23. Additionally, he is tied for the Big Ten lead in 30-point outings this season, alongside Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, and Wisconsin’s John Tonje and John Blackwell.

• Nebraska has been remarkable at reaching the free-throw line most of the season. It ranks among the Big Ten leaders in free throws made and attempted per game and free throw percentage. NU stands in the top 25 nationally for free throws made and free throw percentage after Saturday’s game, where Nebraska went 25-of-29 from the charity stripe. Nebraska’s 77.3 percent shooting from the line over the first 14 games exceeds last year’s percentage (76.0). 

• Nebraska enters Tuesday’s game with an average of 76.9 points per game. NU has accumulated 70+ points in nine of 14 games, including five games with a score of at least 80 points. Last season, NU averaged 77.7 points per game across 34 games, marking its highest offensive total since the 1995-96 season. 

• Nebraska boasts an average of 8.1 steals per game, placing sixth in the Big Ten as of January 6. Four Huskers average at least one steal per game, led by Sam Hoiberg with 1.5 spg. Among the 47 players averaging at least one steal per game as of January 6, Hoiberg is the only one playing fewer than 20 minutes per game. 

• The Huskers have a record of 37-3 over the last two seasons when out-rebounding their opponents. NU had secured 27 consecutive victories when out-rebounding opponents before that streak ended against Saint Mary’s on November 17. This season, NU has been out-rebounded only once in 14 games.

• Nebraska has just concluded one of its most victorious seasons in the program’s history. The Huskers concluded the 2023-24 season with a 23-11 record, tying for third in the Big Ten standings before qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the highest since they established a school record of 26 victories in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference triumphs also ranked second in school history.

• Nebraska has increased its victory count in each of the last three years, marking the first occasion NU has achieved this since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66). Should Nebraska enhance its victory tally this year, it would represent the first time since a four-year period from 1945-46 to 1948-49 that the Huskers have ascended their victory tally in four consecutive seasons.

• In the past two seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24), NU has secured 21 conference victories, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 squads won 22 conference matches. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark only the fourth instance in school history that Nebraska has attained 20 or more conference wins within a two-year timeframe.

Numbers to Know
6 – Nebraska became merely the sixth team in 14 games to accumulate more than 65 points against UCLA this season. The Bruins entered Saturday’s matchup ranked eighth nationally in terms of scoring defense, allowing 58.7 ppg. 

30 – Fred Hoiberg has achieved 30 victories over ranked adversaries, including 11 career wins versus top-10 teams, in his collegiate coaching journey following Nebraska’s 66-58 triumph against UCLA.

26.0 – Nebraska has derived substantial production from its bench in the early part of the season, averaging 26.0 points per game over the first 14 contests. The bench has provided 15 double-digit scoring efforts this season (Morgan-8, Essegian-6, Ulis-1). Last season, the Huskers led the Big Ten in bench production, averaging 21.4 points per game.

70 – In the past two-plus years, Nebraska has been outstanding when restricting opponents to 70 points or fewer. The Huskers hold a record of 41-4 (.911) when limiting opponents to 70 points, including 36 consecutive victories since a 65-62 overtime defeat to No. 4 Purdue on December 10, 2022.

3902 – Cumulative points scored between Brice and his father, Henry, who played at Charlotte from 1988 to 1992. Henry, the all-time leading scorer for Charlotte, amassed 2,383 points in his career while Brice surpassed the 1,500-point mark for his career on December 30 against Southern.

Last time Out
With four Huskers in double digits, the Nebraska men’s basketball team secured its sixth consecutive victory with a 66-58 win over No. 15 UCLA on January 4. The Huskers took charge with a 17-6 run after UCLA narrowed the gap to 36-34 with 13:35 remaining. NU restricted the Bruins to two field goals over a period of nearly five minutes and expanded their lead to 53-40 on Juwan Gary’s third 3-pointer of the afternoon. 

UCLA mounted a comeback and got to within 61-58 following a layup by Dylan Andrews with 24.3 seconds remaining, but Sam Hoiberg was fouled and converted both free throws, extending the lead back to five points. On UCLA’s next possession, Andrews drove for a layup, but Gary blocked it, and Hoiberg secured the rebound before passing it to Williams, who sank both free throws to seal the victory.

Nebraska converted 25-of-29 free throws, including 21-of-25 in the second half to counterbalance their 33 percent shooting percentage. 

Brice Williams led Nebraska with a game-high 16 points, while Andrew Morgan contributed 12 off the bench, netting five straight after UCLA achieved a 32-31 lead early in the second half. Rollie Worster chipped in with 11 points and four rebounds while Gary added 10 points for Nebraska, which triumphed over its second ranked opponent of the season. 
The Huskers, who tied a school record with their 20th consecutive home win, held UCLA to 58 points, the Bruins’ second-lowest scoring total of the season and just 38.6 percent shooting. NU also forced 15 Bruin turnovers that resulted in 17 points for the Huskers.