Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten)
vs. 14/19 Michigan Wolverines (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
Wednesday, December 28, 2022, 6 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live TV: Big Ten Network
Sloane Martin (PBP), Brenda VanLengen (Analyst)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (5:45 p.m.)
Huskers.com, Huskers App
Halftime: Simon Sez (Steve Max)

Huskers Back in Big Ten, Top 20 Action with Michigan
The Nebraska women's basketball team returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena to close its five-game December home stand by battling its fifth top-20 opponent of the season, when the Huskers take on Michigan Wednesday. 

Tip-off between Nebraska (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) and the No. 14 Wolverines (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) is set for 6 p.m. (CT) in Lincoln. Live television coverage will be provided by BTN with Sloane Martin and Brenda VanLengen on the call. The game also can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on 107.3 FM and 1400 AM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha, the Huskers App and Huskers.com.

Nebraska is coming off an epic 85-79 3OT victory over No. 20 Kansas at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Dec. 21) to improve to 4-0 on the current stand and 7-0 at home this season. 

Nebraska has won 24 of its last 25 at PBA with 22 wins by double figures, including a 79-58 win over then-No. 8 Michigan on Jan. 4, 2022, which matched NU's largest victory margin ever over a top-10 opponent.

Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams will take aim at her 300th career win in Wednesday's game with the Wolverines, while Michigan Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico will try for career win No. 500.

Jaz Shelley, who led Nebraska with team highs of 24 points and six assists in the win over Kansas, has provided a big-time offensive presence for the Huskers over the last seven games. The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia, is averaging 20.6 points and 5.7 assists while hitting 50.9 percent of her field goals, including 51.9 percent (27-52) of her three-point attempts. In the first six games this season, Shelley averaged 9.7 points and 7.5 assists while hitting 23.3 percent (7-30) of her threes. She leads NU in scoring (15.5 ppg), assists (6.5 apg), steals (1.5 spg) and three-pointers per game (2.6). Through two Big Ten games, Shelley leads the conference by averaging 30.0 points and 6.5 made threes per contest.

Preseason All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski has added 13.6 points and a Big Ten-best 9.8 rebounds over 13 games. The 6-3 center from Lincoln owns three consecutive double-doubles after going for 18 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in the win over Kansas. She added three assists, two blocks and two steals for the Big Red against the Jayhawks. Over the last three games, Markowski is averaging 18.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, including a 22-point, 10-rebound effort going head-to-head with 2022 Mountain West Freshman of the Year Allyson Fertig in a win over Wyoming (Dec. 18). Markowski owns six double-doubles this year, matching her 2022 total of six, when she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She has nine double-figure scoring games and eight double-digit rebound games this season.

Allison Weidner was off to an outstanding start in her sophomore season. The 5-10 guard from Humphrey, Neb., averaged 10.2, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists, including the first two double-doubles of her career, through Nebraska's first 13 games. She suffered a leg injury midway through the fourth quarter in the Husker win over No. 20 Kansas. Weidner had 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in Nebraska's first-ever win over No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4) and 13 points and a season-high seven assists in NU's Big Ten win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7).

Sam Haiby, who missed 10 of Nebraska's first 11 games this season, stepped up in a huge way in the triple-overtime thriller against No. 20 Kansas. Haiby scored a season-high 12 points, including 10 after halftime, to help will the Huskers to victory. The 5-9 graduate guard had only played 15 total minutes over two games this season before going for 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes against the Jayhawks. Haiby is a three-year starter for the Big Red who needs three points to reach 1,400 in her career. Haiby was expected to miss the entire 2022-23 season, but a leg injury was less severe than originally thought, and she has been recovering and rehabbing since surgery in mid-October.

Maddie Krull, a Nebraska native and South Dakota transfer, has started each of the last five games to help the Huskers to their five-game winning streak. A defensive workhorse, Krull is averaging 4.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a starter.

Maggie Mendelson made her Husker basketball debut with nine points on perfect shooting in nine minutes in a win over Wyoming (Dec. 18). The 6-foot-5, 17-year-old forward/center from Ogden, Utah, was even better in Nebraska's win over No. 20 Kansas (Dec. 21). She just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds to go with two blocks. She scored four points and had two huge defensive rebounds in the third overtime period to help the Huskers to victory. In 27 minutes as a college basketball player, Mendelson has totaled 18 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Mendelson helped the U.S. U16 National Basketball Team to gold at the FIBA Americas Championship in August of 2021 and helped the U.S. U19 National Volleyball Team to gold at the Pan American Cup in July of 2022.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten)
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - So. - C/F - 13.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 15.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Off the Bench
44 - Maggie Mendelson - 6-5 - Fr. - F/C - 9.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - So. - F - 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - So. - G - 4.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 3.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - So. - F/G - 2.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
24 - Nailah Dillard - 5-10 - Gr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Seventh Season at Nebraska (106-87); 16th Season Overall (299-196)

14/19 Michigan Wolverines (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
33 - Emily Kiser - 6-3 - Gr. - F - 18.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg
44 - Cameron Williams - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
3 - Maddie Nolan - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 7.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg
5 - Laila Phelia - 6-0 - So. - G - 17.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Off the Bench
11 - Greta Campschroeder - 6-0 - So. - G - 4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
22 - Chyra Evans - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
20 - Alyssa Crockett - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg
10 - Jordan Hobbs - 6-3 - So. - G - 2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
30 - Elise Stuck - 6-1 - Jr. - G/F - 1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg
24 - Michelle Sidor - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
12 - Ari Wiggins - 5-8 - So. - G - 0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
13 - Kate Clarke - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg
Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (Montclair State, 1993)
11th Season at Michigan (246-197); 27th Season Overall (499-315)
*Starters based on previous game

Scouting the Michigan Wolverines
Coach Kim Barnes Arico is in her 11th season leading Michigan and her 27th year as a head coach. She will take aim at her 500th career win in Wednesday's game at Nebraska. Barnes Arico led Michigan to its best season in school history with a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight last year, after Michigan advanced to its first-ever NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2021.

No. 14 Michigan comes to Lincoln with an 11-1 overall record following a 76-68 win over No. 6 North Carolina in Charlotte (Dec. 20). The Wolverines scored a program record 35 first-quarter points and never looked back in the win over the Tar Heels.

Former Husker Leigha Brown led Michigan with 25 points against UNC, while sophomore Laila Phelia added 20 points.

Michigan opened Big Ten play with a 77-66 win over Northwestern at Crisler Arena (Dec. 4), before suffering a 71-68 home loss to Toledo just four days later. Michigan also owns an 84-75 win over a top-25 Baylor team (Nov. 27). 

Senior Emily Kiser leads Michigan with 18.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The 6-3 post also ranks second on the team with 40 assists. Kiser is shooting a team-best 58.1 percent from the field and 87 percent (60-69) at the free throw line.

Phelia is off to an outstanding start to her sophomore season. The 6-0 guard is averaging 17.0 points and 3.7 rebounds while leading the Wolverines with 1.9 steals per game. She also leads Michigan with 12 blocks on the year. Phelia has hit 49.4 percent of her shots, including 45 percent (18-40) of her threes, while connecting on 80 percent (32-40) of her free throws.

Brown has moved into a point guard role for the Wolverines in her fifth season overall and third in Ann Arbor. The 6-1 senior is averaging 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-best 5.2 assists.

Senior guard Maddie Nolan (7.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and junior forward Cameron Williams (7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) have started all 12 games alongside Kiser and Phelia for the Wolverines.

Junior Elise Stuck (1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg), sophomore Greta Campschroeder (4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and freshman Alyssa Crockett (2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg) have played in all 12 games for Michigan. Sophomore Jordan Hobbs (2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg) also has played in 11 contests for the Wolverines.

Michigan is averaging 77.6 points and hitting 48.5 percent of its field goal attempts, including 33.2 percent of its threes, while making 5.9 threes per game. The Wolverines own a plus-8.4 (37.5-29.1) team rebounding margin and a plus-4.7 turnover margin. Michigan is surrendering just 57.1 points per game while holding opponents to 38.1 percent shooting.

Nebraska vs. Michigan Series History
Nebraska owns a 16-7 edge in the all-time series with Michigan, including a 79-58 run past the Wolverines in Lincoln (Jan. 4, 2022). The Huskers added a 76-73 win over the Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis (March 4, 2022).

Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski made her first career start against the Wolverines last season in Lincoln, putting up 20 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Jaz Shelley added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskers hit 8-of-20 threes while holding the Wolverines to 1-of-12 from long range in NU's largest victory margin ever over a top-10 team.

Outside of Nebraska's lopsided win in January, five of the last six games in the series have been decided by six points or less. 

In the most recent thriller, Sam Haiby and Allison Weidner each scored 16 points, while Jaz Shelley and Annika Stewart added 12 points apiece to lead the Huskers to the 76-73 win at the 2022 Big Ten Tournament. Laila Phelia led Michigan with 19 points, while Naz Hillmon added a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

NU is 8-3 all-time against Michigan in Lincoln. The Huskers are 8-4 all-time against the Wolverines away from home, including 6-3 in Ann Arbor and 2-1 at the Big Ten Tournament.

The series has been evenly matched as Big Ten foes, with Nebraska owning a 10-7 edge since joining the conference in 2011-12. 

Nebraska was 6-0 against Michigan as non-conference foes dating back to the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 28, 1980 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The Huskers won 118-92 in the highest scoring game in Nebraska women's basketball history.

Shelley On Top of Big Ten Stats
Jaz Shelley leads the Big Ten in scoring (30.0 ppg) and three-pointers (13) through two games.

Shelley opened Big Ten play with 29 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting in Nebraska's historic 90-67 upset of No. 20 Maryland in College Park (Dec. 4).

The 5-9 shooting guard from Moe, Australia added 31 points on 7-of-12 three-point shooting in Nebraska's 82-54 home win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7).

No other Big Ten player made more than eight threes through the first two conference games.

While Shelley went 13-for-22 from beyond the arc, fellow conference sharp shooters Caitlin Clark (6-14) from Iowa and Taylor Mikesell (8-21) from Ohio State combined to go 14-for-35 (.400) to lead both of their teams to 2-0 starts.

Williams Shoots for 300th Career Win
Amy Williams takes aim at career head coaching victory No. 300 when the Huskers take on Michigan Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. She enters the contest against the Wolverines with 299 wins (106-Nebraska; 96-South Dakota; 97-Rogers State).

Williams already has collected a pair of century club victories this season. She notched her 200th career NCAA Division I victory against Samford (Dec. 10). The milestone win followed closely behind claiming her 100th victory as Nebraska's head coach with a 73-44 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Puerto Rico Clasico (Nov. 25).

Husker Numbers to Watch
Nebraska's Amy Williams is one win away from the 300th of her collegiate head coaching career, including 97 victories at Rogers State (NAIA, 2007-12), 96 at South Dakota (2013-16) and 106 at Nebraska (2016-present).

Alexis Markowski is two points away from 600 and eight rebounds away from 400 as a Husker. She is just five points away from matching her father Andy's Nebraska career total of 603 points. Andy was a four-year contributor and two-year starter for the Husker men's basketball team from 1995-96 through 1998-99. Andy finished with 568 rebounds.

Annika Stewart is two points away from 400 in her career.

Sam Haiby is three points away from 1,400 in her career.

Kendall Moriarty has already surpassed her season point total (58-45) from a year ago while tripling her three-point total (9-3) and more than doubling her season rebound total (31-12). She also has doubled her steals total (6-3), more than quadrupled her made free throws (9-2) and matched her season block total (3) from a year ago.

Isabelle Bourne is 39 points away from 1,000 in her career. She is five games away from her 100th career game as a Husker. Her older sister, Callie, recently reached the 1,000-point mark in her fifth season at Idaho State, achieving the milestone at San Diego (Nov. 25) in career game No. 118.

Big Red Dominance at Pinnacle Bank Arena
Nebraska is 7-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena to open 2022-23 with six of the first seven wins by double digits. In fact, NU has won its seven home games by a total of 199 points (28.4 ppg), including a 64-point season-opening victory over Omaha and a 28-point Big Ten home-opening victory over Wisconsin.

Nebraska tied a school record by winning 16 home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2021-22. The Huskers finished 16-1, matching the 1997-98 (16-0), 2009-10 (16-0) and 2013-14 (16-2) teams for most home wins. Coach Amy Williams was a senior guard on Nebraska's 1997-98 team coached by 2022 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Paul Sanderford.

Nebraska's 16 home wins matched UNLV for the most regular-season home wins in NCAA Division I women's basketball in 2021-22. 

The Huskers didn't just win at home, they won big, posting the largest home combined cumulative margin of victory in school history despite losing a game to Big Ten co-champion Iowa (Jan. 9). The 2021-22 Huskers produced a total home victory margin of 429 points (25.2 ppg). The 2009-10 Huskers that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished No. 3 in the AP final regular-season poll won their 16 games by a total of 388 points (24.3 ppg).

Nebraska delivered double-digit margins in 15 of 16 home wins, including wins over top-10 Michigan (79-58) and Indiana (72-57) teams, with only 2022 NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Creighton falling by single digits (67-62).

The Huskers also ranked No. 14 nationally in total attendance (76,317) and 18th in average home attendance (4,489).

Huskers Host Hawkeyes Thursday Night

Nebraska resumes Big Ten Conference action on Thursday, Dec. 29, as the Huskers welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes to Pinnacle Bank Arena.  Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) and at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket Office 90 minutes before tipoff.   Thursday's game will be televised nationally on BTN and carried on the Huskers Radio Network. It will be available on the Fox Sports app.
  

Nebraska (7-6, 0-2 Big Ten) used a strong start and a balanced attack in posting a 75-65 win over Queens on Dec. 20 as part of the Battle in the Vault. The Huskers, who never trailed, used a pair of 11-0 runs in the first half to take control and built a 17-point halftime. Queens got to within nine points midway through the second half, but could get no closer as the Huskers notched a 10-point win. Sam Griesel's 16 points led five Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska shot 53 percent from the field and enjoyed a 41-35 advantage on the glass to snap a three-game losing streak. 

Nebraska features a balanced attack with six players averaging at least 9.4 points per game, including three players in double figures. Senior forward Derrick Walker tops the Huskers in both scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) and is second in assists (3.0 apg). Walker, who has been in double figures in seven of the last eight games, had 13 points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists against Queens. He is shooting 66.7 percent from the field.

Iowa (8-4, 0-1 Big Ten) has been off since a stunning 93-82 loss to Eastern Illinois on Dec. 21. The Hawkeyes were short-handed, as they were without starters Kris Murray and Connor McCaffery because of injuries. Filip Rebraca's 24 points, eight rebounds and five steals led four Hawkeyes in double figures. Eastern Illinois shot 72 percent in the second half and outscored the Hawkeyes, 55-38, to earn the victory.

About Iowa
Iowa comes into Thursday's game with an 8-4 record and has been off since a Dec. 21 loss to Eastern Illinois. Despite losing NCAA lottery pick Keegan Murray, the Hawkeyes enjoyed an impressive start before injuries hit in early December. Iowa was 6-1 with only a loss to nationally-ranked TCU on a neutral court before Kris Murray was injured in a loss to Duke on Dec. 6. Murray, who averages 19.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, has missed the last four games. Murray is expected back for Thursday's game. Connor McCaffery also missed the Hawkeyes' last game because of an injury. 

Iowa features an explosive offensive attack that averages 83.8 points per game to lead the Big Ten and rank in the top-20 nationally. The Hawkeyes average nearly 24 free throws per game and has been to the line more than double their opponents. In addition to Murray, Iowa have three other players averaging double figures. Patrick McCaffery averages 14.3 points per game, while Filip Rebraca (14.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Tony Perkins (11.5 ppg) also average double figures.

Series History: The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 24-13, in a series that dates back to 1907. It is NU's third-oldest series against a Big Ten foe, as only NU's series with Minnesota and Wisconsin have been around longer. The teams had not met since 1976 before NU joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska is 6-12 against the Hawkeyes since joining the Big Ten. Iowa's win last February snapped a streak of 10 straight wins by the home team dating back to 2016.

Last meeting: Alonzo Verge Jr. finished with a team-high 18 points to lead four Huskers in double figures, but No. 25 Iowa used an 11-0 second-half run to take control in an 88-78 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2022. Nebraska was within 58-56 after a 3-pointer from C.J. Wilcher with 10:51 left, but Kris Murray keyed an 11-0 run, scoring seven of his 12 points in the spurt as the Hawkeyes stretched the lead to 69-56 with 6:34 remaining.  
Nebraska pulled to within 81-74 after a Verge layup with 31 seconds left, but Iowa went 7-of-8 from the line to earn its third straight win.  Tony Perkins led six Hawkeyes in double figures with a career-high 20 points, while Nebraska limited Keegan Murray to just 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. In addition to Verge, who had seven assists, five rebounds and matched his career high with four steals, Wilcher came off the bench and had 14 points, while Bryce McGowens (13) and Derrick Walker (10) also finished in double figures for Nebraska.

Numbers to Know
21 - Nebraska's NET strength of schedule is 21st nationally and leads the Big Ten as of Dec. 27. Nebraska is the only Big Ten program with a NET SOS in the top-30 entering this week's action.

.662 - Derrick Walker's career field goal percentage at Nebraska. He is on track to set NU's career record in that category. Larry Cox (.625, 1974-76) and Dave Hoppen (.600, 1983-86) are the only two Huskers with career field goal percentages above .600.

11.9 - Nebraska is allowing its opponents only 11.9 free throw attempts per game. The Huskers have held six opponents to 10 free throws or less, including five at Creighton and eight at Indiana. On the other hand, NU is getting to the line an average of 15.6 times per game.

4 - Nebraska's Sam Griesel is one of only four Big Ten players averaging at least 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, joining Penn State's Jalen Pickett, Michigan State's A.J. Hoggard and Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino. 

Worth Noting
• Nebraska has faced one of the nation's toughest schedules so far in 2022-23. As of Dec. 27, Nebraska's NET strength of schedule was 21st nationally. The Huskers have played seven opponents in either Quad 1 or Quad 2 in the first 13 contests, while Iowa is currently Quad 2 opponent. Currently, 16 of the Huskers' remaining 18 games are against either Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents.

• The Big Ten has a national-best nine teams in the top 50 of the NET as of Dec. 27, one more than the Big 12. In all, 13 of the 14 Big Ten schools are in the top-100 of the NET. 

• Nebraska has shared the wealth during the first half of the season. The Huskers have six players averaging at least nine points per game, while seven different players have topped NU in scoring at least once. 

• In the first 13 games, Nebraska has already totaled six double-doubles (Derrick Walker-3; Juwan Gary-1; Blaise Keita-1; Sam Griesel-1) and all six have been points/rebounds double-doubles. Last year, NU totaled 10 double-doubles in 32 games (6 pts./reb. and 4 pts./asst). 

• One area where NU has made significant strides in recent weeks is at the foul line. Over the last four games, NU is shooting 73.9 percent from the line (41-56) after shooting 62.2 percent during the first nine contests. The Huskers have shot 70 percent or better in each of the last four contests. 

• Derrick Walker is one of only three players nationally averaging at least 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting at least 65 percent from the field. Walker bounced back against Queens with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He has shot 60 percent or better in six of eight games this season. 

• Juwan Gary's 11 rebounds against Kansas State on Dec. 17 marked the ninth double-figure rebounding game by a Husker in 2022-23. Gary is now 12th in the Big Ten in rebounding at 7.0 per game entering Thursday's game with Iowa. 

• With more of an emphasis on positional size compared to previous Hoiberg-coached Husker teams, Nebraska has made significant improvement on the defensive end despite breaking in an entirely new starting lineup. The Huskers have held 10 of their 13 opponents to 70 points or less and have climbed nearly 120 spots in adjusted defense in KenPom compared to last season.  The Huskers have held nine of their 13 opponents to under 1.0 point per possession or less, including Purdue to a season-low 0.99 points per possession. NU will be tested against an Iowa team that is ninth nationally in offensive efficiency (114.9). 

• Nebraska recently finished up a streak of three straight games against top-15 opponents (No. 7 Creighton, No. 14 Indiana and No. 4 Purdue), the first time that has happened for the Huskers since the 2020-21 season. 

• Nebraska saw its three-game win streak against ranked opponents snapped in a loss at No. 14 Indiana on Dec. 10. It matched the second-longest streak in school history and was made more impressive that all three games were on the road. It marked the first time in school history that Nebraska had a three-game road win streak vs. ranked teams. 

• The biggest strides Nebraska has made has been in rebounding. NU is currently ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +3.3 per game and has been out-rebounded just four times in its first 13 contests. Two of the teams which out-rebounded Nebraska rank in the top 20 nationally in that category (Purdue and St. John's).  NU is 130th nationally in rebounding margin after ranking 344th last year. 

• Nebraska has been balanced during the early portion of the season. Currently three Huskers are averaging double figures, led by Derrick Walker's 14.0 points per game, while three other players are averaging at least 9.4 points per game. Since 2000-01, NU has had only four seasons with four players averaging double figures (2019-20, 2018-19, 2013-14, 2005-06). The last time NU had five players finish the season averaging double figures was the 1993-94 season. 

• Nebraska has done an excellent job of not fouling. The Huskers are seventh nationally in fewest fouls per game (13.1) as of Dec. 27. Only three opponents - Florida State, No. 4 Purdue and Queens - have gotten to the line more than Nebraska in the 13 contests.

Last Time Out
Sam Griesel's 16 points led five Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska closed out non-conference action with a 75-65 win over Queens in Campio's Battle in the Vault. Griesel, who hit 6-of-9 shots and added three assists, keyed a balanced attack that saw the Huskers shoot 53 percent from the field, including 56 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Nebraska jumped to an 11-0 lead and never trailed in snapping a three-game losing streak.

In addition to Griesel, Keisei Tominaga added 15 points off the bench while Derrick Walker (13), Juwan Gary (11) and Emmanuel Bandoumel (10) gave NU five players in double figures. Walker also matched his career high with six assists, while Bandoumel grabbed eight boards, as the Huskers out-rebounded Queens, 41-35, and held the Royals to a season-low 33.8 percent shooting. 

Walker vs. the Bigs 
Over a three-game stretch earlier this month, Nebraska's Derrick Walker battled three of the nation's top centers in Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Purdue's Zach Edey. Kalkbrenner was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, while Jackson-Davis and Edey are on the short list for National Player of the Year over the first month of the year. In the three-game stretch, Walker matched the trio's performance as Nebraska squared off against a trio of teams in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll. 

Centers of Attention

Hometown Kid Making Good
Senior Sam Griesel has enjoyed quite the homecoming, averaging 10.6 points, 4.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game from his point guard spot in replacing Alonzo Verge Jr., who led the Big Ten in assists per game last season. Griesel spent the last four seasons at North Dakota State, earning All-Summit League honors in 2021 and 2022 before returning to Lincoln for his senior year. 

• He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in assists per game and 15th in steals per game.
• Griesel led NU with 16 points and added three assists and three rebounds in the win over Queens
• The Huskers' first scholarship recruit from Lincoln since Jake Muhleisen in the early 2000s, Griesel keyed NU's win at No. 7 Creighton with 18 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and seven assists. 
• Against Maine, Griesel scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while also chipping in 18 points in the win over Omaha. 
• Griesel's 22-point effort against Maine in the season opener was one of the highest-scoring debuts by a Husker in the last 50 seasons. 

Bandoumel Provides Steady Production for Big Red
Senior grad transfer Emmanuel Bandoumel has been a steadying force on both ends of the court for the Huskers this season. He enters the Queens game averaging 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game while also keying NU's defensive attack. Before joining the Husker program, the Quebec City, Quebec, native was a three-year starter at SMU, averaging double figures in each of the last two years.

• Bandoumel, who played off the ball for most of his time at SMU, has nearly a 1.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and matched his career best with six assists against Boston College on Nov. 30. 
• He has reached double figures seven times, which is one off the team lead. Bandoumel tallied 18 points and five assists in the loss against Memphis on Nov. 15 and had 13 points and five dimes against Oklahoma on Nov. 24. 
• Bandoumel enjoyed his best game against Omaha with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in NU's game-opening 11-0 run

Walker Looks to Continue Efficient Shooting
Nebraska has been a much more efficient team since the return of Derrick Walker on Nov. 25. Walker, who missed NU's first five games, has been a force in the paint, averaging 14.0 points on 67 percent shooting, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 forward was NU's only returning starter entering 2021-22 and has posted three double-doubles in his first eight games. 

• Walker is one of only six players - and the only one from a power conference - averaging at least 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game. 
• He is also one of three players averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 65 percent from the field as of Dec. 27.
• His most recent double-double was a 14-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, his third double-double of the year and sixth of his career.  He also helped limit Zach Edey to a season-low 11 points, snapping his streak of eight straight 20-point games. 
• He keyed NU's win over No. 7 Creighton with a career-high 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds against Ryan Kalkbrenner, the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Walker's efforts helped NU enjoy a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint. 
• Walker posted his first career 20-point game in a win over Florida State on Nov. 27, with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and matched his career high with 13 rebounds. 
• He made his 2022-23 debut against Memphis and had 15 points and 12 boards in a loss to the Tigers. 
• Walker averaged 9.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg in 2022, breaking NU's single-season field goal percentage mark by shooting 68.3 percent from the field.  
• Last season, Walker was the only Big Ten player and one of just 14 players in Division I to shoot at least 65 percent and average at least eight points per game. 

Gary is Huskers' Junkyard Dog
Nebraska's improvement in defense and rebounding is directly attributable to the arrival of Alabama transfer Juwan Gary. The 6-foot-6 forward is utilized in a number of ways, even playing center when the Huskers go a to a small-ball lineup. On the season, he is averaging 9.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and a team-best 1.8 steals per game, ranking fifth in the Big Ten in that category.

• Gary already has seven double-figure scoring efforts this season, after recording eight in 29 games last season, including a season-high 17 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 16 against Oklahoma. 
• He has picked up his rebounding in recent games, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game over NU's last five games since Dec. 4, including 11 rebounds at Kansas State. His 11 boards against K-State matched his career best.
• His three double-figure rebound games (Maine, St. John's and K-State) ties for seventh in the Big Ten.
• He nearly posted his second double-double of the year with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and nine rebounds in the win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4. 
• Gary has more steals (23) than in either of his two seasons at Alabama.
• He posted a double-double in his Husker debut with 14 points and 11 boards against Maine on Nov. 7

Tominaga Continues Strong Play
After a summer with the Japanese National Team, junior Keisei Tominaga continued his strong play this season.  Tominaga, a 6-foot-2 guard, has been a spark off the bench, ranking second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game while averaging just over 20 minutes per contest. 

• Tominaga leads the Huskers in both 3-pointers (23) and 3-point percentage (.397).
• Of Tominaga's 15 double-figure games at Nebraska, 11 have come off the bench, including 23-point efforts against Boston College on Nov. 29 and against South Dakota last season.
• Tominaga's eight double-figure games are a team high, including a 15-point effort against Queens on Dec. 20. 
• He enjoyed one of his best efforts of the year, a 19-point game, including four 3-pointers, in an overtime loss to Purdue on Dec. 10. He sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in regulation. 
• Tominaga shined in NU's win over Boston College on Nov. 30. He tied his career high of 23 points on just eight field goal attempts (7-8 FG, 4-5 3PT; 5-5 FT) for his second career 20-point game. He had 17 of his 23 markers in the first half, including 11 straight NU points.
• Tominaga also had a team-high 15 points at St. John's and a 19-point effort against Maine. In that game, he connected on 7-of-12 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers, and added two rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes. 
• Over the summer, Tominaga was with the Japanese National Team, making his debut in the FIBA World Cup Asia qualifier in early July and then starred for Japan in the 2022 Asia Cup. In seven games with the Senior National Team, Tominaga averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the 3-point line. His best performance came against Australia in the Asia Cup quarterfinals, when he poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range. 

Wilcher Breaks Out
Sophomore C.J. Wilcher was one of the Big Ten's top scoring sixth men last year and has moved into the starting lineup in 2022-23. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 9.5 points per game. He is second on the team with 22 3-pointers. 

• Wilcher had a career-high 22-point effort at No. 14 Indiana on Dec. 7, scoring 17 second-half points to keep the Huskers in the game. 
• He scored all 14 of his points in the second half in the win over Boston College on Nov. 30, including a quartet of 3-pointers. 
• Wilcher was efficient in NU's win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 15 points and three assists on just nine shots. Wilcher was 3-of-3 from 3-point range, the second time this season he had at least three 3-pointers. 
• He posted a then-career-high 21 points against Omaha on 8-of-12 shooting, including four 3-pointers. It marked the first 20-point game of his career. 
• Last season, he closed the season playing some of his best basketball, shooting 60 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range, over NU's final five games. In Big Ten play last season, he shot a team-best 43.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Making Strides On Defense
Nebraska has been much improved on the defensive end this season, jumping nearly 120 spots in defensive efficiency despite facing five opponents who rank in the top 50 nationally in offensive efficiency as of Dec. 27. 

• Nebraska has held nine of its 13 opponents to 1.0 point per possession or less this year. 
• In the overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 10, Nebraska held the Boilermakers to a season-low 0.99 points per possession. Purdue came into the contest leading in the nation in offensive efficiency (118.0).
• In NU's win at No. 7 Creighton, the Huskers limited the Bluejays to 0.73 points per possession, the Huskers' best performance in a road game in over a decade.