The Huskers are set to take on the #18 Illinois Fighting Illini, which will bring an end to what was a very tough gauntlet in the month of January.
The Illini are the fourth ranked team that the Huskers are dealing with in the month of January, and will be a tough out on Thursday night.
Bringing in a 14-6 record, Illinois is 5-3 in the month of January, and provide elite play at the guard positions, most notably coming from the freshman from Lithuania, Kasparas Jakucionis.
Ranked as a four star recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Jakucionis has had a breakout freshman season, leading the Illini in scoring with 15.9 PPG while bolstering his NBA Draft stock in the process.
For the Huskers, they’re coming off a 83-55 loss to Wisconsin, where the Badgers completely tore apart the Huskers defense, shooting 17/37 from three.
The Huskers need to find some sort of momentum going forward, while they still own a favorable NET ranking, their schedule only gets tougher down the road.
Players to Watch for Illinois:
Kasparas Jakucionis:
15.9 PTS 5.4 REB 5.4 AST
The Illini landed themselves a very solid young guard, and fortunately for the Huskers, he shouldn’t be at Illinois for longer than a season.
Since December, Jakucionis has been projected to be selected anywhere from late to early in the first round.
The offense will go through Jakucionis on Thursday night, he can shoot the three, midrange and gets to the free throw line at will.
Expect the Huskers to throw a lot of different looks with different defenders at the freshman.
Kylan Boswell:
12.3 PTS 5.5 REB 3.9 AST 1.3 STL
Kylan Boswell has been a terrific addition to the Illinois roster, the hometown kid from Champaign has been terrific on offense and defense this season.
After transferring in from Arizona, Boswell has fit the Illini perfectly, averaging 12.3 PPG, he makes his money on the defensive side.
As he was in Arizona, Boswell is an elite defender that will make things tough for the Huskers guards, averaging 2 steals in their last six games.
Players to Watch for Nebraska:
Juwan Gary:
12.2 PTS 4.7 REB 1.2 STL
Juwan Gary hasn’t been very consistent during the Huskers six game losing streak, but that seems to be where Gary shines for the Huskers.
Expect Gary to be aggressive towards the basket tonight, if the Huskers can force the Illini to rely on true freshman forward Will Riley off the bench, it will benefit the Huskers greatly.
Brice Williams:
18.2 PTS 3.7 REB 2.5 AST
Your best players needs to shine in the biggest games, and that’s exactly what the Huskers need to see happen from Williams if they want to stay competitive at home.
It has been a struggle for Williams to get things going during this losing streak, and it all starts with his confidence.
If Williams can get shots to fall early and not turn the ball over, it will open up the offense to finally get going and make a run.
Prediction:
If the Huskers want any shot at playing in March Madness for the second season in a row, they need to win this game tonight, and I think the fans will make that well known tonight at PBA.
It should be a loud crowd, and I do think the Huskers are fully prepared to make this game interesting and potentially pull of a season saving win.
Thursday, January 30th
7:30 PM CT FS1
Nebraska: 76 Illinois: 80