Still on the bubble, the Huskers hit the road for a must win game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Huskers will walk into Columbus, Ohio after a disappointing home loss to Minnesota last Saturday, dropping their record to 17-12 (7-11).
Pinnacle Bank Arena seemed lifeless from tipoff and it set the tone for the rest of the game, although the Huskers were able to rally back from an 18 point second half deficit, Gophers guard Brennan Rigsby hit the go-ahead three with four seconds left to secure the win for Minnesota.
Rigsby, a rotational bench guard who averages 4.9 PTS on the season, scored a team high 20 points, shooting 5/6 from three.
The Huskers two senior leaders, Brice Williams and Juwan Gary both scored 21 and Connor Essegian added 11 points off the bench, but it was another poor shooting game for the Huskers, as they shot 43% from the field, 23.5% from three and 55% from the free throw line.
Ohio State enters their rematch with Nebraska playing some inconsistent basketball ever since these two teams met back in February.
The Buckeyes have lost three of their last four games, including a blowout loss at home to Northwestern 70-49 and a 69-61 loss to UCLA that saw the Buckeyes shoot just 31% from the field.
Bruce Thornton continues to lead the Buckeyes in scoring and he’s getting a lot of his work done at the free throw line, averaging nearly six free throw attempts in his last five games.
Both Nebraska and Ohio State need this win tremendously. Depending on where you look, multiple bracket sources project the Huskers and Buckeyes anywhere from an 11-12 seed to just right outside of the bubble.
The Huskers defeated the Buckeyes 79-71 when these two met on February 9th, in a game that saw three of the Huskers starters score at least 15 points.
Players to Watch for Ohio State:
Bruce Thornton:
17.4 PTS 3.3 REB 4.3 AST 44% 3PT
Bruce Thornton failed to reach double figures in the first matchup with Nebraska, but the junior guard is playing his best basketball when he is playing on his home court.
Thornton averages 18.8 PTS at home this season and his field goal percentage is around 11% higher on more attempts when playing at home.
If the Huskers can duplicate their defensive performance from earlier this season and keep Thornton away from the free throw line, that takes away the key element of the Buckeyes offense.
Micah Parrish:
12.7 PTS 4.5 REB 1.5 AST
Fifth year senior guard Micah Parrish has scored 30 one time in his college career, that one time came against the Huskers in February.
Parrish hit 5/12 threes against Nebraska and given the Huskers struggles with defending the three as of late, you can imagine that the Buckeyes will be looking to expose the Huskers defense, especially if they gain momentum early.
Parrish recently scored 20 points in the Buckeyes road win against USC last Wednesday.
Players to Watch for Nebraska:
Brice Williams:
19.7 PTS 4 REB 2.8 AST 1.2 STL
Brice Williams produced another 20 point game for the Huskers against Minnesota, his 16th of the season and Williams 19.7 PTS now rank second in the Big Ten.
Williams has been struggling from three as of late, but had made up for with his ability to get to the free throw line.
If Williams can manage to squeeze around 8-9 free throw attempts this game, it will help the Huskers tremendously, given the teams inconsistency from the line.
Juwan Gary:
13.3 PTS 4.6 REB 1.2 STL
In your biggest games, you need your senior leaders to step up more than the rest and despite the loss to Minnesota, Juwan Gary scored 21 points after combining for just 11 in the two games prior.
Last season when the Huskers played on the road at Ohio State, Gary made a highlight dunk in the second half, but we have really yet to see that same aggressiveness from him since that play.
Gary is another player that does a really good job at drawing fouls, his aggressiveness is key for the Huskers tomorrow night.
Prediction:
Husker fans remember last year when Nebraska traveled to Ohio State in what was seen as a key road game for the Huskers, although it didn’t necessarily affect the teams chances at securing an NCAA Tournament bid, this game feels a lot like that matchup last season.
Same time of the year, NCAA Tournament implications, it is the biggest game that the Huskers have played so far this season.
Win and the path only goes up from here, lose and you’ll have to find yourselves making a run in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
Tuesday, March 4th, 2025
8:00 PM CT Peacock
Nebraska: 69 Ohio State: 73
