The Nebraska men's basketball team has a quick turnaround, as the Huskers travel to Bloomington, Ind., to open Big Ten play against the Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday. Tipoff at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is slated for 11 a.m. and the matchup will be on B1G Network and on the Husker Sports Radio Network.

The Huskers (5-3) come off a heartbreaking 104-100 quadruple overtime loss at NC State on Wednesday evening. The Huskers had chances to win at the end of regulation and in the final second of each of the first three extra sessions before succumbing in the fourth overtime. The four OT game matches Nebraska's school record set in 1979, and ties for the second-longest Division I game in the past decade, trailing only a five OT game between Louisville and Notre Dame on Feb. 9. 2013.
  

For the Huskers, Alonzo Verge Jr. nearly posted a triple double with 25 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds, while Bryce McGowens added 24 points and nine boards in a losing effort. Nebraska held NC State to just 37 percent shooting, but the Wolfpack went 32-43 from the line and got a 39-point, 19-rebound effort from Dereon Seabron to lead four NC State players in double figures.

Nebraska's offense has been solid over the past five games, as NU is averaging 84.4 ppg on 48 percent shooting in that stretch. One of the biggest reasons has been the play of Derrick Walker, as he is averging 14.0 points on 86 percent shooting and 6.2 rebounds per game in that span. Walker has been in double figures in each of the past five games, culminating with his first career double-double on Wednesday at NC State with 12 points, a career-high 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Prior to this stretch, Walker had reached double figures just four times in his collegiate career.

Indiana (6-1) also looks to bounce back from an overtime setback on Tuesday, as the Hoosiers fell to Syracuse 112-110. Trayce Jackson-Davis led four Hoosiers in double figues with 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Miller Kopp added a career-high 28 points in a losing effort. Indiana shot 55 percent from the field, including 11 3-pointers, while the Orange shot nearly 50 percent and went 27-34 from the foul line.  Jackson-Davis is one of the Big Ten's top players, as he is in the top three of the Big Ten in scoring (22.0, second) and rebounding (8.9, third).

About Indiana
Indiana is 6-1 on the season following a 112-110 double-overtime loss at Syracuse on Tuesday night. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Miller Kopp had 28 points in a losing effort. 
Former Indiana All-American Mike Woodson is in his first season at the helm of the Hoosier program. Woodson returns to his alma mater after coaching in the NBA since 1996. Woodson spent eight-plus seasons as an NBA head coach, guiding the Atlanta (2004-10) and the New York Knicks (2012-2014). He guided his teams to a trio of Eastern Conference semifinal appearances (2009, 2010, 2013) during head coaching tenure.  Woodson was the 1980 Big Ten player of the Year before playing 11 seasons in the NBA.

The Hoosiers have been solid in the early going, averaging 82.1 points per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor, and holding opponents to just 35 percent shooting, including 29 percent from 3-point range. 
Jackson-Davis is one of the Big Ten's premier players, as he leads IU in scoring (22.0 ppg) on 67 percent shooting, rebounding (8.9 rpg) and blocked shots (3.7 bpg). He is one of three Hoosiers averaging double figures, as Pitt transfer Xavier Johnson is at 10.7 ppg and leads IU with 4.6 assists per game, while Northwestern transfer Miller Kopp is at 10.1 points per game while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. 

Nebraska and Indiana meet for the 24th time on Saturday and the 15th time since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Indiana leads the all-time series, 16-7, but the Huskers are 6-8 against the Hoosiers since NU joined the Big Ten (6-7 regular season; 0-1 Big Ten Tournament). Nebraska looks to snap a four-game losing streak to the Hoosiers dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season.

Last Time Out
The Huskers had numerous chances to pick up a road win Wednesday night at NC State, but the Wolfpack rallied on multiple occasions en route to a 104-100 quadruple-overtime win at PNC Arena. The Huskers led by 14 with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation but gave up a game-tying 14-0 run to the Wolfpack. NU also led by one with 16 seconds remaining in regulation and was denied a chance to win as Alonzo Verge Jr. missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired on an attempt where it appeared he was hit on the arm.

After missing a chance to win in the closing seconds of regulation, Nebraska missed another potential game-winning shot in the first overtime. Then in the second overtime, Bryce McGowens went to the line with 2.5 seconds left and the Huskers trailing by one. McGowens calmly sank the first free throw but following an NC State timeout, his second free throw rimmed out. In the third overtime, Nebraska led by two until NC State tied the game with five seconds remaining. The Wolfpack outscored the Huskers 12-8 in the final period to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Nebraska made seven more field goals than NC State – including three more 3-pointers – while shooting 42 percent compared to 37 percent by the Wolfpack. But in a matchup where both teams entered the game averaging 24 free throws per game, NC State shot 27 more free throws than the Huskers, going 32-of-43 at the line to outscore Nebraska (11-of-15) by 21 at the charity stripe.

Verge paced four Huskers in double figures. He posted a double-double with 25 points and 11 assists and nearly missed out on a triple double after grabbing nine rebounds. Derrick Walker Jr. also posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. McGowens added 24 points and nine rebounds, while Keisei Tominaga hit five 3-pointers and scored 16 points.

Dereon Seabron led NC State with 39 points and 19 rebounds. Seabron was 17-of-20 from the free throw line, taking more free throws than the entire Husker team combined. He scored 17 of his 39 points in the overtime periods, including a game-tying free throw with five seconds remaining in regulation, another game-tying free throw with six seconds left in the first overtime and a go-ahead basket with four seconds remaining in the third overtime.

Worth Noting 

• Saturday's matchup will be the first between former NBA coaches Mike Woodson and Fred Hoiberg, as both spent significant time in the NBA, but their head coaching careers did not overlap. Hoiberg and Woodson are just two of nine former NBA coaches on the Division I sidelines this year. 
• Nebraska opens at Indiana for the second time in three seasons (also 2019-20) and marks the fourth time since the 2014-15 season that Nebraska has opened Big Ten play with Indiana (2014-15, 2016-17, 2019-20).
• Nebraska's Trey McGowens and Indiana's Xavier Johnson were teammates at Pitt for two seasons (2018-20).  Johnson originally signed with Nebraska in 2017, but decommitted from the Panthers in the spring of 2018 and eventually signed with Pitt.
• Former Husker assistant coach Kenya Hunter is in his second season on the Indiana staff. Hunter was at Nebraska from 2013 to 2018.
• Bryce McGowens leads all true freshmen nationally in scoring at 18.5 points per game entering the start of Big Ten play. McGowens joins Duke's Paolo Banchero as the only true freshmen nationally averaging at least 17.0 ppg as of Dec. 1. McGowens leads all Big Ten true freshmen in both scoring and assists (2.0 apg) and ranks second in rebounding (7.1 rpg).
• Nebraska has been opportunistic on the defensive end, ranking second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+5.7) and third in steals per game (7.9) as of Dec 1.  NU forces a Big Ten high 16.8 turnovers per game and is averaging 22.3 points per game off opponent turnovers.
• One area where Nebraska has made significant strides from last season is reducing turnovers. The Huskers are currently sixth in the Big Ten at 11.1 turnovers per game as of Dec. 1. Last season, NU was last in the conference with 14.1 turnovers per game. The Huskers have jumped from 205th to 27th in turnover rate, as Fred Hoiberg's teams have traditionally been among the nation's best in that category. 
• Nebraska has produced eight 20-point efforts in the first eight games of the season (Bryce McGowens-4; Alonzo Verge Jr.-2; Kobe Webster-1; Keisei Tominaga-1). Last season, NU had 12 in 27 contests. McGowens' four 20-point games this season already ranks fourth all-time among Husker freshmen. 
• Alonzo Verge Jr. comes into Saturday's contest as one of six players nationally - and the only Big Ten player - averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He joins Duke's Wendell Moore as the only two power conference players at that plateau. 
• Nebraska has gotten great production from its bench over the last six games, as the Husker reserves have averaged 34.4 points per game in that span, compared to just 10.0 ppg in the first two games. NU has received 30-or-more points from its reserves in five of the last six contests. NU has gotten nine double-figure efforts from its bench this season, including a pair of 20-point efforts (Webster-Creighton; Tominaga-USD).
• Nebraska comes into Saturday's game ranking fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 79.9 points per game despite shooting just 28 percent from 3-point range. NU has made up for it at the foul line, ranking 64th nationally in free throw rate as of Dec. 1. The Huskers are shooting 72.4 percent this season after converting just 63.9 percent in 2020-21. On Wednesday, The Huskers got to the line just 15 times, compared to 43 for NC State.
• Alonzo Verge Jr. has become more of a playmaker during his time at NU. He is second in the Big Ten with 6.3 assists per game and has a 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Both numbers are significantly improved from his time at Arizona State. His 11 assists against NC State are the highest total by a Big Ten player in 2021-22. Verge is 15th nationally in assists per game as of Dec. 1. 
• Alonzo Verge Jr. is tied for second in the Big Ten with three double-doubles. Verge has two points/assist double doubles (25 pts./11 asst. at NC State; 18pts./10 asst. vs. Tennessee State) and a 26-point, 13-rebound effort against Western Illinois. Only Rutgers' Ron Harper Jr. has more double-doubles than Verge in the Big Ten so far in 2021-22.
• Derrick Walker tied a school record last week, as he connected on 15 straight field goals from Nov. 21-27. He tied the mark originally set by Ade Dagunduro in 2008-09. Walker is shooting 67 percent from the floor in the 24 games he has played at Nebraska since becoming eligible last January.  
• The return of fifth-year senior Kobe Webster has stabilized the Husker backcourt, especially following the injury to Trey McGowens on Nov. 16. Webster is averaging 8.5 ppg on 47 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range, while also dishing out 12 assists with only two turnovers in 133 minutes.
• Bryce McGowens joined rare company on Nov. 12 against Sam Houston with his 29-point effort. It tied for the second-highest performance by a freshman in school history and was the most since Shavon Shields also had 29 at Penn State in 2013. 
• The season opener against Western Illinois featured two of the highest-scoring debuts by any Husker in the last 50 years. Alonzo Verge Jr. (26) and Bryce McGowens (25) became just the third and fourth Huskers in the last five decades to score 20+ points in a Husker debut.
• The season opener against WIU marked only the third time since 2007 that Nebraska had two players score 25-or-more points in a game. It also marked the fourth time that NU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game in Fred Hoiberg's tenure.
• Nebraska's 2021-22 roster features a trio of college graduates in Derrick Walker, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Kobe Webster. Walker became the first member of his family to get a degree when he graduated in May of 2021, while Webster (2020, Western Illinois) and Verge (2021, Arizona State) came to Nebraska as graduate transfers.
• Nebraska's game against NC State marked the longest Big Ten game in the last decade. In fact, only three other Big Ten games had reached triple overtime dating back to the start of the 2011-12 season. 

Twice is Nice for Bryce
Bryce McGowens was honored as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Monday (Nov. 29). The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 20.0 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in helping the Huskers to a perfect 2-0 week. He is the first Husker men's basketball player to earn multiple weekly freshman honors since Shavon Shields in 2012-13.

Super McGowens Brothers 
The high-flying duo of Trey and Bryce McGowens will be sidelined for a bit, as Trey recovers from a broken foot suffered on Nov. 16. This season marked the first time the brothers were on the same court together since they were kids and provided a number of early highlights. 

• Bryce is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.5 ppg while grabbing a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game as of Dec. 1. He ranks among the B1G leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and minutes played. 
• A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, he leads all conference rookies in both scoring and assists per game (2.0) while ranking second in rebounding. 
• He is the only Big Ten freshman who leads his team in both scoring and rebounding.
• McGowens has reached double figures in scoring six times, including four of 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point game was a 24-point, nine-rebound effort in the 4OT loss at NC State on Dec. 1. 
• He collected his first career double-double on Nov. 21 against Southern with 18 points and 11 rebounds. McGowens also had four assists and two steals in 31 minutes. 
• McGowens became the first Husker since 2016 to earn Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week accolades on Nov. 15, as he averaged 27.0 ppg on 52 percent shooting in a pair of contests to open the season.
• He is just the second Husker freshman to ever put up multiple 25-point games, as he had 25 in the opener against Western Illinois and 29 in the win over Sam Houston. He joins Dave Hoppen, who accomplished the feat during the 1982-83 season (27 vs. K-State; 25 vs. Iowa State).
• As a high schooler, he totaled 2,341 points, including 285 3-pointers and was selected for the 2021 Iverson Classic. He was also selected to the Jordan Brand Classic, but the event was not held.
• Last season, he was the Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year, averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest for Legacy Early College and Coach BJ Jackson.  
• Trey has been a proven performer throughout his career, as he has started 94 of 96 games at the college level for Pittsburgh and Nebraska and scored over 1,000 career points. 
• Trey started the first three games and was averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game before suffering his injury midway through the first half against Creighton on Nov. 16. McGowens also drew the opponent's top perimeter defender and shared point guard duties. He helped limit Sam Houston's Demarkus Lampley, a returning first-team all-conference performer, to 2-of-14 shooting on Nov. 12.
• Last season, Trey averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assist per game, while starting all 27 games. He reached double figures 17 times in 2020-21, including a season-high 20 points against No. 17 Michigan State.
• The McGowens brothers are one of 15 brother combos on the same college roster this season.

"Good things happen when we play through Derrick"
Fred Hoiberg understands the importance of having Derrick Walker on the floor for the Big Red, and Walker's play has been a focal point for the Huskers.  Walker, who is in his third year at NU, has provided the Huskers a much-needed inside threat since becoming eligible last January. 

The 6-foot-9 center is enjoying a career year in 2021-22, averaging 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 79 percent from the field. 
Walker is playing the best basketball of his career over the last four games, averaging 15.0 points while connecting on 30 of his last 35 shots from the floor. He tied or set career highs in three straight games from Nov. 19-23,
culminating in a 16-point effort on 8-of-8 shooting vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 23. Walker comes off his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at NC State.

Zo Takes the Point
Alonzo Verge took over the point guard duties from 2021 NBA Draft pick Dalano Banton, and Verge has provided an immediate impact, averaging 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago is second in the Big Ten in assists, fifth in steals and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio as of Dec. 1.

• He has a 2.38-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio after posting a 1.29-to-1 ratio in his two seasons at Arizona State.
• Verge ranks second in the Big Ten with a three double-doubles (vs. Western Illinois; vs. Tennessee State; at NC State). 
• He is one of six Division I players - and one of two power conference performers - averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as of Dec. 1. 
• Verge nearly had a triple-double in the Huskers' epic game at NC State with 25 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds before fouling out in the fourth OT.
• He led NU with 18 points and 10 assists in the Huskers' win over Tennessee State on Nov. 23).
• He posted his first collegiate double-double in the opener with 26 points - the most points ever in a Husker debut - a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists.
• Verge was a combo guard during his two seasons at Arizona State, where he teamed with current Kansas guard Remy Martin in one of the highest scoring backcourts in the Pac-12. 
• He averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 2020-21, ranking among the Pac-12 leaders in scoring (15th), assists (seventh), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1, sixth), steals (1.2, 13th) and free throw percentage (.809, 13th). 
• In his first season at ASU, he was the 2020 Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and an honorable-mention all-conference pick after averaging 14.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
• A two-time NJCAA All-American at Moberly Area (Ill.) CC, he ranked in the top three nationally in both scoring and assists in 2018-19. He tallied 1,086 points (30.9 ppg in 35 games), but also dished out 8.2 assists per game en route to first-team accolades.

NU Graduation Success Rate Hits All-Time High of 95 Percent
Nebraska student-athletes have posted a 95 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR), continuing the Huskers' long tradition of being a national leader in the classroom. The NCAA released its GSR scores on Dec. 2, with Nebraska improving its GSR for the 11th straight year. 

• The 95 percent GSR rate for all student-athletes ranks third among 14 Big Ten schools. On the national scale, Nebraska's GSR is tied for 10th out of 130 FBS institutions. The 95 percent GSR rate marks the 11th straight year Nebraska has increased its GSR.
• The Husker men's basketball program achieved a 100 percent GSR for the second straight season and was one of 13 Husker programs to post a 100 GSR in the latest rankings. NU was one of five Big Ten teams with a perfect GSR this year.
• The 95 percent GSR rate is another milestone for a program that has long been a national leader in academic and athletic achievement. Nebraska leads all Division I programs with 347 CoSIDA Academic All- Americans in school history across all sports. Nebraska also leads the nation with 18 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award winners. 

Husker Recruiting Class Seeing Stars
The Huskers brought one of the nation's top recruiting classes to campus this fall. The class is ranked as high as 13th by ESPN as well as 18th by 247Sports and 21st by Rivals and is the third-highest ranked class in the Big Ten. 
 Nebraska's five signees are headlined by five-star Bryce McGowens and four-star recruit Wilheim Breidenbach, both of whom were top-100 recruits. McGowens was a consensus top-25 recruit who played in the Iverson Classic and was selected to the Jordan Brand team. NU rounded out the class with junior college All-American Keisei Tominaga and freshmen Oleg Kojenets and Quaran McPherson.

While McGowens has been one of the Big Ten's top newcomers, Tominaga and Breidenbach have been significant contributors early on. Tominaga has been one of the Big Ten's top reserve scorers, averaging 8.3 points per game while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. Breidenbach as been the Huskers' top frontcourt reserve and is chipping in 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. 

Big Red Open Big Ten Play at Minnesota

Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-0)
at Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4)
Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, 7 p.m. (CT)
Williams Arena - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Live TV: BTN (Sloane Martin, Meghan McKeown)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (ESPN 590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Huskers Open Big Ten Play Monday at Minnesota 
• The Nebraska women's basketball team caps its four-game road swing by opening Big Ten Conference competition at Minnesota on Monday.

• Tip-off between the Huskers (8-0) and Golden Gophers (6-4) is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Live television coverage will be provided by the Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin and Meghan McKeown on the call. The Huskers Radio Network call of Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch can be heard on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and ESPN 590 AM in Omaha, along with free live audio on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. 

• The Huskers head to Minneapolis as the Big Ten's only remaining unbeaten team and one of just 16 undefeated teams left in the nation through games Dec. 2. Nebraska leads the Big Ten in nine statistical categories, including scoring margin (+34.3 ppg), scoring defense (52.4 ppg), rebound margin (+14.3 rpg), field goal percentage defense (.298), three-point field goal percentage (.424) and three-pointers made (9.4 pg).

• Nebraska ranks among the top five teams in the nation in 11 categories, including No. 1 in scoring margin (+34.2 ppg) and defensive rebounds per game (36.0 rpg) and No. 2 in assists (16) and field goal percentage defense (.298). The Big Red rank No. 3 nationally in rebounds per game (48.5 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (.424), while ranking fourth nationally in scoring offense (86.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (.491).

• The Huskers own two road wins over 2021 NCAA Tournament teams (Drexel, Wake Forest), three wins over 2021 postseason teams (Creighton, Drexel, Wake Forest) and two wins over 2021 conference champions (Maine-America East, Drexel-Colonial). NU's average margin of victory against Maine, Creighton, Drexel and Wake Forest is 25.3 points per game, with a trio of double-digit wins.

• Nebraska overwhelmed previously unbeaten Wake Forest, 86-60, as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Winston-Salem on Wednesday. The win marked Nebraska's first 8-0 start since the Big Red opened 30-0 in 2009-10.

• The victory over the 2021 NCAA Tournament-qualifier Demon Deacons also gave the Huskers their first eight-game winning streak since a 10-game stretch from Jan. 20 to Feb. 28, 2013.

• Nebraska's 26-point margin against Wake Forest was its largest over a Power Five opponent on the road since knocking off Indiana, 67-39 (+29) on Jan. 10, 2013. It was also the largest margin in any of the 14 Big Ten/ACC Challenge games. The Huskers were one of four Big Ten teams to notch a victory in the challenge and joined Northwestern as the only conference teams to win on the road.

• NU's 86 points in the win at Wake nearly doubled the Deacons' season average in scoring defense (48.7 ppg) entering the contest. The Huskers continue to rank among the national leaders in scoring offense (86.6 ppg) despite playing outstanding defensive units on the road at Wake, San Diego and against Drexel, along with an always tough Creighton defense in Lincoln.

• At 3-0 away from Lincoln, the Big Red takes aim at its first win at Minnesota since Dec. 31, 2017, when the Huskers fought to a 79-74 victory. Nebraska expects a tight battle with the Golden Gophers with seven head-to-head meetings being decided by six points or less or in overtime (2) since 2014.

• Sophomore transfer Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) continues the outstanding start to her Husker career by averaging team bests of 15.0 points, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks while hitting 27-of-45 threes (.600). The 5-9 point guard also ranks second among the Huskers with 7.3 rebounds.

• Fellow Australian Isabelle Bourne ranks second among the Huskers in scoring with 11.1 points while adding 5.0 rebounds. The 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice as a sophomore last season. 

• Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) has played big in Nebraska's toughest wins (Creighton, San Diego). The 2021 second-team All-Big Ten choice had season highs with 15 points in both contests.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
14 - Bella Cravens - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 8.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - So. - F - 11.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg
0 - Ashley Scoggin - 5-7 - RSo. - G - 9.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - So. - G - 15.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 8.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Off the Bench
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - Fr. - F/C - 7.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg    
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 5.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - Fr. - F/G - 5.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg
5 - MiCole Cayton - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 3.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
11 - Ruby Porter - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 3.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg
10 - Whitney Brown - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Sixth Season at Nebraska (80-75); 15th Season Overall (273-184)

Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten)
30 - Kadi Sissoko - 6-2 - RJr. - F - 11.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg
35 - Bailey Helgren - 6-5 - Gr. - C - 1.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
3 - Deja Winters - 5-11 - Gr. - G - 11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
4 - Jasmine Powell - 5-6 - Jr. - G - 12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg
14 - Sara Scalia - 5-10 - Jr. - G - 12.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Off the Bench
13 - Gadiva Hubbard - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 6.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg
54 - Alanna Micheaux - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 6.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg
1 - Alexia Smith - 5-8 - So. - G - 2.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg
12 - Laura Bagwell Katalinich - 6-0 - Gr. - F - 2.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg
21 - Caroline Strande - 5-11 - So. - G - 2.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg
10 - Erin Hedman - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg
25 - Klarke Sconiers - 6-2 - Jr. - C - 1.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg
43 - Grace Cumming - 6-3 - RFr. - F - 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
15 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 0.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
5 - Maggie Czinano - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 0.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg
Head Coach: Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota, 2004)
Fourth Season at Minnesota/Overall (51-43)

Scouting The Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Head coach Lindsay Whalen leads her fourth Minnesota team into the Big Ten Conference opener against Nebraska. The Golden Gophers own a 6-4 record after an 82-76 home loss to North Carolina at Williams Arena on Wednesday. UConn and Oklahoma at the Battle 4 Atlantis, and a season-opening home loss to Jacksonville (Nov. 9). Minnesota owns quality wins over Arizona State and Syracuse.

• Second-team All-Big Ten guard Jasmine Powell continues to be a leader for the Gophers. The 5-6 junior has averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and a team-best 5.9 assists.She had six points, three rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal off the bench in the loss to North Carolina.

• Junior Sara Scalia leads Minnesota with 12.4 points while knocking down a team-best 22 three-pointers. Scalia has been one of the Big Ten's best long-range shooters the past two seasons, despite battling injuries a year ago. The 2020 Big Ten All-Freshman and honorable-mention all-conference choice had 11 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals in last year's win over NU in Minneapolis. She added 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win in Lincoln. 

• Kadi Sissoko, a redshirt junior from Paris, France who transferred from Syracuse prior to the 2020-21 season, is averaging 11.1 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds. The 6-0 forward had 10 points against Nebraska in a win at Williams Arena last season. She had 11 points and six boards against in Wednesday's loss to North Carolina.

• Sissoko, Scalia and Powell all missed the 2021 Big Ten Tournament with injuries. 

• Grad transfer Bailey Helgren, who the Huskers faced twice as a young center at Kansas, has joined Sissoko on Minnesota's starting front line. The 6-5 center is averaging 1.2 points and 4.0 rebounds.

• Another graduate transfer, Deja Winters, has made a major impact early coming off the bench in the first five games before replacing Gadiva Hubbard in the starting lineup over the past five contests. 

• Winters, a 5-11 guard, is averaging 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds while hitting 23-of-55 threes (.418). A first-team All-MEAC selection at North Carolina A&T in 2020-21, Winters spent her first two seasons at Seton Hall. Last season at NC A&T, Winters averaged 14.1 points and led the MEAC in three-point shooting (52-120, .347). She hit a game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left to send NC A&T to the NCAA Tournament as the MEAC Tournament champions.

• At the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas (Nov. 20-22), Winters averaged 15.6 points and connected on 10-of-21 threes over three games against UConn, Syracuse and Oklahoma. She made her first start as a Gopher in the win over Syracuse.

• Hubbard is averaging 6.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in her fifth season on the court. She was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice in 2020 but battled injuries in 2020-21. She buried five threes, including huge hits in the fourth quarter, to finish with a team-high 18 points in the win at Nebraska last year. She added 14 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting against the Big Red in Minneapolis. She is also coming off a 14-point effort with three threes and five assists off the bench against UNC.

• Alexia Smith, a 5-8 sophomore, drew late-season starts for the Gophers last year, including the Big Ten Tournament loss to Nebraska. She had five points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals while playing 39 minutes in Minnesota's win over Nebraska (Feb. 24, 2021). She is averaging 2.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 16 minutes per game off the bench early this season. She made her first start of the year in place of Powell (coach's decision) in the loss to North Carolina.

• True freshman Alanna Micheaux has added 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds off the bench. Micheaux's playing time has increased recently, and the 6-2 forward had a breakout performance with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds in 26 minutes against North Carolina. She is 17-of-22 (.773) from the field and 10-for-13 (.769) at the free throw line over the last four games.

• Former Husker Kayla Mershon, who was a part-time starter for Minnesota in 2021-22, missed all three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis. She is averaging 13 minutes over the other seven contests. 

• Junior center Klarke Sconiers, who was a part-time starter last season, has seen her playing time dwindle recently, and she has missed three of Minnesota's last four games. In Minnesota's win over NU at Williams Arena last season, Sconiers had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in just 12 minutes. 

• Laura Bagwell Katalinich, a second-year grad transfer from Cornell, has averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds. She was a first-team All-Ivy League selection in 2018-19, and nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds in a start against Nebraska in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.

• As a team, Minnesota is averaging 68 points while allowing 64.3 points per game. The Gophers carry a plus-0.4 rebound margin and a minus-1.0 turnover margin, while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three-point range. 

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Minnesota 15-12, after stopping a three-game Gopher winning streak with 72-61 win in the second round of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis.

• Last season, Nebraska's Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three games with the Gophers, including 25 points and 12 boards in a 75-71 loss in Lincoln.

• Gadiva Hubbard averaged 14.7 points in the three games for the Gophers, while Sara Scalia averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in two Minnesota wins. She missed the Big Ten Tournament with a shoulder injury.

• Last season in three games, each team averaged just 8.3 turnovers.

• Nebraska owns a 10-7 edge as Big Ten foes.

• Nebraska is 11-4 all-time against Minnesota in Lincoln. The Huskers are 2-8 against Minnesota in Minneapolis and 2-0 against the Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament (2014, 2021).

• Although women's basketball was not a full varsity sport at Nebraska until 1975-76, a women's team from Nebraska suffered its first defeat at Minnesota in 1904 after going unbeaten between 1897 and 1903. Two weeks after the first meeting with Minnesota, Nebraska beat the same team in Lincoln.

• Minnesota's Laura Coenen scored 42 points for the Gophers in a 90-79 win over the Huskers on Nov. 30, 1984. That effort is tied for the most points by any opponent in a game against the Huskers.

Nebraska Numbers to Watch
• Through games Dec. 2, the Huskers ranked among the top five teams nationally in win-loss percentage (1.000, 1 of 16/1 of 4 8-0), scoring margin (1st, 34.2 ppg), defensive rebounds per game (1st, 36.0 rpg), assists (2nd, 160), field goal percentage defense (2nd, .298), rebounds (3rd, 388), rebounds per game (3rd, 48.5 rpg), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .424), scoring offense (4th, 86.6 ppg), field goal percentage (4th, .491) and free throws made (5th, 132). 

• Nebraska adds more top 10 rankings in assists per game (6th, 20.0 apg), rebound margin (7th, 14.2 rpg), free throws attempted (7th, 188), assist-to-turnover ratio (8th, 1.44) and three-point field goals made (10th, 75), while ranking in the top 12 in three-point field goals made per game (13th, 9.4), blocked shots (18th, 42) and scoring defense (23rd, 52.4 ppg).

• Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley ranks among the top 15 players in the Big Ten in scoring (13th, 15.0 ppg), rebounding (10th, 7.3 rpg), assists (7th, 4.8 apg), blocked shots (2nd, 1.5 bpg), assist-to-turnover ratio (7th, 2.7), while leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.600) and ranking second in three-pointers made per game (3.4). She also ranks 23rd in steals (1.4 spg).

• Husker shooters Jaz Shelley (2nd, 3.4 pg) and Ashley Scoggin (9th, 2.3 pg) rank among the top 10 players in the Big Ten in three-point field goals made per game.

• Nebraska's backcourt has been strong taking care of the ball while creating opportunities for their teammates, as Allison Weidner (1st, 6.0), Jaz Shelley (7th, 2.7) and Sam Haiby (8th, 2.4) all rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. Second-year guard Ruby Porter also owns a 4.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (13-3) but does not meet the league minimum in assists.

• Through eight games, Nebraska ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense with 86.6 points per game. The only time in the last 25 years that Nebraska has averaged more than 75 points per game in a season came in 2009-10 (77.4 ppg). That Husker team went unbeaten in the regular season, won the Big 12 regular-season title and advanced to Nebraska's first NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Point guard Jaz Shelley has pulled down 58 total rebounds in 212 minutes this season. In two seasons (971 minutes) at Oregon (2019-20, 2020-21), the 5-9 Shelley totaled 70 rebounds.

• Jaz Shelley leads Nebraska with 12 blocked shots through eight games, doubling her two-year total at Oregon (6) in 55 games with 12 starts. 

Nebraska Streaks
• Nebraska heads to Minnesota on a seven-game winning streak, marking the first time the Huskers have opened a season 8-0 since 2009-10, when the Huskers started 30-0.

• Nebraska's last eight-game winning streak came from Jan. 20-Feb. 28, 2013, when the Huskers reeled off 10 consecutive Big Ten Conference victories.

• Nebraska has hit 10 threes in back-to-back road wins at San Diego (Nov. 27) and Wake Forest (Dec. 1), marking just the fourth time in school history that the Huskers have hit 10 or more threes in back-to-back games. NU also sank nine threes against Drexel in San Diego (Nov. 26) after hitting 14 threes against NC Central (Nov. 20). 

• Nebraska has never hit 10 threes in three consecutive games.

• Sam Haiby has scored in 90 of 93 games in her Husker career. She had scored at least two points in 53 consecutive games for Nebraska before being held scoreless without a field goal attempt against Drexel (Nov. 27). The last time she had been held scoreless also came at a Thanksgiving Tournament against USC at the South Point Shootout on Nov. 29, 2019. The Huskers won that game 67-54. She was also held scoreless in a 70-69 loss at Wisconsin on Jan. 27, 2018. 

• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 406 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 285 consecutive games.

Marginal Differences
• Nebraska enters the game at Minnesota with a combined eight-game victory margin of 274 points - the largest of any eight-game stretch in school history by 64 points, surpassing the 210-point combined victory margin in Games 3-10 of 2009-10. The 2010 Huskers won the Big 12 Championship with an undefeated regular season and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Husker Nuggets
• The Huskers have scored 30 or more in a quarter four times in 2021-22. In the previous six years combined, NU produced nine 30-point periods.

• Sam Haiby is the 35th 1,000-point scorer in Husker history and has increased her career total to 1,098 to rank No. 26 all time at NU. She needs just three points to climb into the top 25 on Nebraska's all-time scoring list.

• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes seven times in the last 15 games, including four times in eight games in 2021-22. NU buried 14-of-28 threes against NC Central (Nov. 20), 11-of-22 vs. Prairie View A&M (Nov. 11), 10-of-19 at San Diego (Nov. 27) and 10-of-28 at Wake Forest (Dec. 1).  

• Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women's basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (312 games).