Huskers Tangle with FDU Knights on Wednesday at PBA
The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks to improve to 3-0 on the season, as the Huskers welcome FDU to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday evening.  Tipoff between the Huskers and Knights is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) or at PBA beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Nebraska (2-0) battled to a 63-58 win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 9. The Huskers used another strong defensive effort, holding the Wildcats to 35.5 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers which led to 21 Husker points. Juwan Gary led the charge with 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five steals, while Brice Williams added 10 points.

The Huskers have been solid defensively, holding its two opponents to a combined 37 percent shooting while leading the Big Ten in turnovers forced at 21.0 per contest. NU has also done a good job of keeping its opponents off the foul line, allowing just 8.0 free throw attempts per game.

Offensively, Brice Williams leads a balanced attack at 18.5 points per game while Rollie Worster (11.5), Connor Essegian (10.5) and Juwan Gary (10.0) give the Huskers four players averaging double figures. Gary and UCLA transfer Berke Büyüktuncel are tied for the team lead in rebounding at 6.5 per game, as NU has enjoyed a +6.0 advantage on the glass in the early going.

With seven of the 10 players who have played the first two games in their first action at NU, the Huskers have an average of 15.5 turnovers per game. Last year, NU was at 14.5 over the first two contests before finishing the season at 11.1 per game to rank seventh in the Big Ten.

FDU (1-2) continues its two-game swing through Nebraska following a 96-70 loss to No. 15 Creighton on Sunday. Terrence Brown led FDU with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Dylan Jones and Bismark Nsiah added 12 points apiece, as the Knights were held to 36 percent shooting and were out-rebounded 51-30. FDU led 26-24 with 6:44 left in the first half before Creighton used a 26-8 run to take control.

Numbers to Know
9 – Following his 27-point effort against UTRGV, Brice Williams has nine 25-point games in his career. The 27-point effort was the most points by a Husker in an opener since Shavon Shields had 28 vs. Florida Gulf Coast in 2013.

23 – Nebraska has won 23 straight games dating back to the 2022-23 season when holding an opponent to under 70 points. Over the last two-plus years, NU is 29-2 (.935) when holding an opponent to below 70 points. 

24.5 – Nebraska led the Big Ten in bench production last season, averaging 21.4 points per game and has averaged 24.5 points per game in the first two contests. NU already has two double-figure efforts from reserves in the first two contests.

27 – Nebraska has won 27 straight games when out-rebounding its opponent dating back to Nov. 27, 2022, against Florida State. The Huskers were 16-0 in 2023-24 season when out-rebounding foes.

.938 – Nebraska is 15-1 at home in non-conference play over the last two-plus seasons and is 28-9 (.757) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg’s six seasons at Nebraska.

Scouting FDU
FDU is 1-2 this season following Sunday’s loss at Creighton. The Knights, who opened the season with a loss at Miami, will play several power conference teams before Northeast Conference action begins, including Villanova, Minnesota and Boston College. FDU was picked to finish third in the NEC and return a pair of starters and seven letterwinners from a team that went 15-17 last season under Jack Castleberry.  FDU led the NEC in scoring offense in 2023-24 by averaging 75.9 points per game.

Castleberry, who was an assistant on FDU’s 2023 NCAA Tournament team, led the Knights to a fourth-place finish in his first year in charge. Before joining FDU, he was an assistant at the Citadel (2017-22) after spending two years as the director of basketball operations. He also coached at VMI (2008-12) and Tennessee-Martin (2007-08) and was an assistant coach for the women’s program at Siena from 2012 to 2014. 

Junior forward Jo’el Emanuel was a preseason All-NEC selection, as he averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season. Sophomore guard Terrence Brown was on the NEC All-Rookie team in 2023-24 as he averaged 7.8 points, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Brown leads the Knights in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg) while shooting 52 percent from the field. Dylan Jones is at 13.3 ppg, including 12-of-26 from 3-point range, while Emanuel is at 11.7 ppg on 62 percent shooting. 

Wednesday’s meeting is the second between the schools and the first matchup since an 80-64 Husker win on Nov. 22, 2003, at the Devaney Center. NU is 8-0 against the current members of the Northeast Conference. 

Last Time Out
Juwan Gary had 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five steals, as Nebraska improved to 2-0 with a 63-58 win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 9.

Gary keyed a Nebraska effort that saw the Huskers hold Bethune-Cookman to 35.5 percent shooting and forced 22 Wildcat turnovers, as the Huskers won their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Nebraska, which shot 34.5 percent, built a 16-point second-half lead, but Bethune-Cookman continued to battle, and the Huskers finally subdued the Wildcats by going 6-of-6 from the line in the last minute. 

Leading 29-24 at the break, Brice Williams had six of his 10 points in the first 1:42 of the half, as the senior hit consecutive 3-pointers to give NU a 35-26 advantage. A couple minutes later, NU used a 9-0 spurt to build its largest lead of the game at 46-30 with 13:55 left.  Bethune-Cookman chipped away, using an 8-0 run to cut the deficit in half at 46-38 before Connor Essegian’s layup ended the Wildcat run. Nebraska led 51-41 after Braxton Meah’s 3-point play with 8:20 left in regulation, but could not extend it further, allowing the visitors to hang around.  Leading 57-50 with 1:47 left, the visitors kept battling and got to within three twice in the last minute, the final time at 61-58 after a Gianni Hunt basket with 18 seconds left, but Brice Williams was fouled and hit both free throws to make it a five-point game, as NU held on. 

Notes from the Bethune-Cookman Game
• Nebraska has won 14 straight games at home dating back to last season.

• Nebraska has won 23 straight games when holding an opponent under 70 points, including 29-2 over the last two-plus seasons. The time Nebraska lost a game when holding an opponent under 70 points was against No. 4 Purdue in 2022.

• Nebraska forced 22 turnovers, the most since forcing 22 turnovers at Michigan State on Feb. 6, 2021. It ties for the second-highest number of opponent turners in Fred Hoiberg’s five-plus seasons at Nebraska.

• Nebraska has forced 20+ turnovers in both games this season. It is only the second time in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) where the Huskers have forced 20+ turnovers in consecutive games. The other was the first two games of the 2020-21 season.

• Nebraska finished with 11 steals, including a career-high five from Juwan Gary. Gary’s previous high in steals was four at Kansas State last season. NU’s 11 steals were its highest total since recording 15 against Indiana on Jan. 3, 2024. 

Turning Turnovers into Points
One area where Nebraska has excelled early on is converting on opponent turnovers. Nebraska has averaging 23.5 points per game off opponent turnovers in the first two games, while opponents have totaled just 23 points off Husker miscues in the first two contests.

Brice on Opening Night
Senior Brice Williams opened the 2024-25 season in style with a 27-point effort against UTRGV. It was Williams’ high in his Husker career and five points off his collegiate career best. Williams’ 27-point night was one of the highest opening night totals in the last 25 years.

• It marked the ninth time in his career that he has scored 25-or-more points in a game.

• It extended his string of 20-point games to four dating back to last year’s Big Ten Tournament.

• Williams enters the week tied for ninth in the Big Ten with an 18.5 per game scoring average. He has now reached double figures in each of the last six games, one off his NU best of seven straight double-figure games.

A Quick Look at the 2024-25 Huskers
Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season with a solid returning group despite the loss of Rienk Mast to season-ending surgery. The Huskers return six players – not including Mast – who saw action a season ago, including starters Brice Williams and Juwan Gary. In addition, junior guard Sam Hoiberg was one of three Huskers who played in all 34 games in 2023-24. 

• Nebraska features one of the oldest rosters in the country. Of the 17 players on the 2024-25 roster, nine have played at least three seasons of college basketball. Juwan Gary, Brice Williams and Rienk Mast are all in their sixth year of college while Braxton Meah, Ahron Ulis and Rollie Worster are beginning their fifth season of college basketball.  According to research by Chris Kowalczyk at VCU, Nebraska is one of 10 programs nationally with at least six players who are in their fifth year or greater in college basketball. 

• Nebraska’s active roster features three players who have started a combined 72 games at Nebraska entering the 2024-25 season: Juwan Gary (37); Brice Williams (34) and Sam Hoiberg (1), but that tells only part of the story. The 16 active players have combined to start 380 career games at the Division I level. That list includes Rollie Worster (101); Brice Williams (61); Andrew Morgan (59); Juwan Gary (55); Braxton Meah (47); Ahron Ulis (27); Connor Essegian (19); Berke Büyüktuncel (8) and Gavin Griffiths (3).  In addition, Rienk Mast has 111 career starts, including 32 games last season at Nebraska. 

• After having one active player with previous NCAA Tournament experience last season (Juwan Gary), the 2024-25 Huskers have nine players who have played in the NCAA Tournament. All seven of Nebraska’s returnees saw action in the Huskers’ game against Texas A&M last spring, while Ahron Ulis played in three tournaments as part of the Iowa program from 2021-23. NU also added Rollie Worster who started for Utah State in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Connor Essegian was on Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament team last spring, but did not play against James Madison in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

Williams Looks to Build on Postseason Success
Senior guard Brice Williams looks to build in his postseason success as he begins the 2024-25 campaign. He proved to be a go-to scorer in the Huskers’ postseason run, averaging 23.3 points per game during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. 

• His 23.3 ppg after the end of the regular season is the highest by a returning Big Ten player entering 2024-25. Of the seven players who averaged 20+ ppg in the postseason, he is the only one back at a Big Ten school this season. 
• Williams has more 20-point games in three postseason games (three) than in 31 regular-season games (two).
  That continues Williams’ trend of playing his best basketball under the brightest lights, as he is averaging 16.6 points in nine career postseason games (conference tournaments, 2023 CBI and 2024 NCAA), well above his career scoring average of 10.3 points per game.  Over the last two years, that number jumps to 18.5 ppg after his 24-point effort in the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M.
• Williams’ father, Henry was the MVP of the Metro Conference Tournament in 1992, averaging 26.6 ppg in helping Charlotte to an NCAA Tournament berth.  

Tracking Williams in 2023-24

Gary Looks to Make 3rd Year Jump
One player who could make a big jump in 2024-25 is senior Juwan Gary. Under Fred Hoiberg, the other seniors who were third-year players made significant jumps in their final year at Nebraska, as Keisei Tominaga and Derrick Walker both earned All-Big Ten honors in their third year at Nebraska after transferring into the program. 

Last season, Gary averaged a career-best 11.6 points per game on nearly 50 percent from the floor. He tallied 16 double-doubles after posting 20 during his first four collegiate seasons. Gary was second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 rpg. Gary comes off an 11-point, nine-rebound, five-steal performance against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.

Trio of Huskers Looking for 1,000 Career Points
Nebraska has a pair of career 1,000-point scorers in Rienk Mast and Brice Williams, while three other Huskers could reach the 1,000-point mark for their career in 2024-25.  Seniors Juwan Gary, Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan are all on pace to reach that mark this season.  Rollie Worster went over the 900-career point mark with his 18-point effort in the opener.

Career Points (as of Nov. 11)

Portal Additions Aplenty
Nebraska loaded up in the transfer portal, adding six Division I transfers in the offseason, including five from power conference programs. In addition, the Huskers regain the services of Iowa transfer Ahron Ulis, who sat out the 2023-24 season. In all, the seven newcomer transfers have combined for over 3,500 points 1,850 rebounds and 750 assists in their collegiate careers.  

Worth Noting 

• Braxton Meah is expected to make his 50th career start on Wednesday vs. FDU. Meah comes off his best game of the year with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and four rebounds against Bethune-Cookman. Meah did not start a game in his first two college seasons.
• Berke Büyüktuncel has set personal bests in rebounds in each of Nebraska’s two games. The 6-foot-10 sophomore is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game and also tied career bests in blocks (2 vs. Bethune-Cookman) and steals (2 vs. UTRGV) during the first week of the season.
• Juwan Gary’s five steals matched the most steals by a Husker in Fred Hoiberg’s five-plus seasons. It marked the ninth time – by seven players – a Husker had five steals in a game since the 2019-20 season.
• Jack McVeigh became the 16th Husker to play in the NBA as he made his debut in Houston’s win over San Antonio on Nov. 6. McVeigh, who played professionally in Australia and Germany, played three seasons at Nebraska from 2016-18. McVeigh scored his first career points at Oklahoma City on Nov. 8.
• Nebraska had scored 80-or-more points in five straight games before the streak was snapped against Bethune-Cookman. It marked the first time NU had scored 80-or-more points in five consecutive games since a 10-game stretch between Nov. 25-Dec. 19, 1995. 
• The Huskers are fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage at .754, going 46-61 from the foul line this season. Last season, Nebraska shot 76.0 percent from the line, its highest percentage from the charity stripe since the 2011-12 team set a school record with a .766 free throw percentage.
• Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Huskers went 23-11 in 2023-24 and tied for third in the Big Ten standings before reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the most since setting a school-record with 26 wins in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference wins also ranked second in school history.
• Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three years, marking the first time NU has done that since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66). If Nebraska can improve its win total this year, it would mark the first time since a four-year stretch from 1945-46 to 1948-49 that the Huskers improved their win total in four consecutive seasons. According to BTN Research, Nebraska was one of four teams nationally and the only team in a power conference to improve its win total by at least six games in each of the past two seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24). The others are James Madison, Lamar and South Florida.
• Over the past two seasons, NU has won 21 conference games, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 teams won 22 conference tilts. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark just the fourth time in school history that Nebraska has won 20 or more conference games in a two-year span.
• Nebraska was one of 24 teams nationally that finished in the top 50 both in offensive and defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was one of four Big Ten programs to accomplish that in 2023-24, joining Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan State.   It marked the first time that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the KenPom era (1996-97). 
• Nebraska made its biggest jump on the offensive end in 2023-24, averaging 77.7 points per game. It is an increase of nearly nine points per game from the 2022-23 campaign and NU’s highest scoring average since 1995-96 (80.2 ppg). NU climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom. Prior to last season, NU’s highest average since joining the Big Ten was 73.3 ppg in 2021-22.  The Huskers are 25-8 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 20-5 over the last three seasons. 

Big Red Olympians
Nebraska was one of just nine programs nationally with multiple players in men’s basketball at the 2024 Olympics, as former Huskers Keisei Tominaga (Japan) and Jack McVeigh (Australia) represented their countries. It marked the second straight Olympics for Tominaga, who played 3×3 at the Tokyo Games. In addition, former Husker great Tyronn Lue served as an assistant coach for Team USA, which won its fifth consecutive gold medal in Paris. 

In all, NU has had four Olympic basketball players since 2012, including Aleks Maric (2012, Australia), Ade Dagunduro (2012, Nigeria), Tominaga (2020, 2024, Japan) and McVeigh (2024, Australia).

College Programs w/Multiple 2024 Olympians

Essegian, BüyüktunceL: Representing in International Play
In addition to the Olympians, two other Huskers spent part of their summer playing for their national teams. 

Connor Essegian spent part of the summer of 2024 playing for the Armenian National Team, averaging 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as Armenia won the LA International Cup Title. He tallied 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting along with six rebounds and three steals in the win over Ireland in the title game.

Berke Büyüktuncel spent the summer playing for his native Türkiye at the European U20 Championships, averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds in seven games. He shot 51 percent from the field, including 54 percent from 3-point range and posted two double-doubles in the tournament.

Huskers From Around the World
Nebraska’s roster has had an international flavor in recent seasons and that trend continues in 2024-25 with Berke Büyüktuncel (Bursa, Türkiye) and Rienk Mast (Groningen, Netherlands) on the Husker roster.  During Fred Hoiberg’s six seasons, NU has had players on the roster from 13 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, England, France, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Senegal and Slovenia.

Home Sweet Home 
The Huskers finished with an 18-1 record inside Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2023-24, setting a single-season mark for home wins in a season.  

• Following Saturday’s win over Bethune-Cookman, Nebraska has won 14 straight at home dating back to last season. Over the last two-plus seasons, Nebraska is 31-5 (.861) at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
• The .947 mark in 2023-24 was NU’s best home mark by winning percentage since 1965-66 when NU went 11-0 at home. NU was a perfect 10-0 at home in Big Ten Conference play, marking the third time NU has posted an unblemished home conference mark since World War II (also 1965-66, 2017-18). 
• Nebraska filled up Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2023-24, averaging 14,597 fans per game to rank 15th nationally. Nebraska has ranked in the top-15 nationally in every season but one since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013-14. In all, seven of the top 25 schools in average attendance came from the Big Ten Conference. 

Tall Tales
Braxton Meah gives the Huskers the luxury of a seven-footer on the roster. At 7-foot-1, the Washington transfer is the tallest Husker on the roster since Sergej Vucetic during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. Meah led the Huskies in field goal percentage (.770) and blocked shots (27) last season.

Tallest Huskers (since 1951)

Long Range Success 
NU led the Big Ten and finished 26th nationally with 9.4 3-pointers per game in 2023-24. Nebraska set a school record with 319 3-pointers, shattering the previous mark of 270 set in 2018-19. NU’s 9.4 3-pointers per game was the program’s highest per-game average since setting a school mark with 9.5 3-pointers per game in 2001-02. A Hoiberg-coached team has led its conference in 3-pointers per game five times in 10 years, while three of NU’s four highest per-game totals in program history have come during Hoiberg’s five seasons at Nebraska.

What’s New at PBA This Season
Gate Screening Added for 2024-25 Season
Pinnacle Bank Arena will utilize new gate screening technology during the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball seasons. The walk-thru frictionless technology should provide a more efficient gate screening process and enhance safety for Husker fans.  The arena has secured the same gate screening technology that Nebraska Athletics introduced at Memorial Stadium ahead of the 2024 football season.  Nebraska Athletics is excited to partner with Pinnacle Bank Arena in the advancement of safety and security initiatives surrounding home basketball games this coming season.

The new gate scanners have no impact on Pinnacle Bank Arena’s Clear Bag Policy which remains in place for all home venues the Huskers compete in. Fans are encouraged to visit pinnaclebankarena.com for detailed information on that policy.

Mobile Tickets, Cashless Consessions and Doordash Orders at PBA
Beginning with the 2024-25 winter sports, tickets for all Husker athletic events will be mobile. All men’s and women’s basketball tickets will be mobile this season with the remaining sports to complete the transition to fully mobile by fall of 2025.

Pinnacle Bank Arena concessions are all cashless, and the arena accepts all credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Pay, and Downtown Lincoln Gift Cards. In addition, Pinnacle Bank Arena has partnered with DoorDash for mobile order pickup at concession stands. Download the DoorDash app and when you’re at the venue, open the app to order food and drinks from the concession stands. We’ll let you know when your order is ready so you can head to the pickup window and pick up your order.

Tickets on Sale Now
Husker fans can now purchase individual game tickets for the 2024-25 Nebraska men’s basketball season. The Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office announced that 300 Level Tickets for all 17 matchups are now on sale.  The Big Ten Conference games are priced at $17 apiece (including fees), while the non-conference games are priced at $12 per game (including fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIG-RED during business hours (9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday). 

The home schedule includes 10 Big Ten Conference matchups, including games against defending Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois, postseason qualifiers Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State.  Indiana (17), UCLA (22) and Rutgers (25) were all in the AP Preseason Top 25, while Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and Maryland received votes in the preseason AP poll. 

In addition to single-game tickets, a pair of other options are currently available for the 2024-25 season. Season tickets start at $153 for all 17 contests, while the Starting 5 Mini Plan is on sale for $50. The Starting 5 Plan allows fans to pick any two conference games and three of the non-conference games.