The Huskers will finish off their two game road trip with a visit to Penn State on Wednesday evening, after rallying back from a 20 point deficit to defeat Northwestern last Sunday afternoon.
The Huskers now have a record of 6-7 in Quad 1 games, which is tied for fourth in the NCAA and marks the most Quad 1 wins for the program in a single season since they started being tracked in 2018.
Penn State may not be a Quad 1 opponent, but that doesn’t mean things will be easy for the Huskers.
Coached by former VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades, the Nittany Lions have a record of just 1-8 in Quad 1 games, but that one victory came at home against a top 10 ranked Purdue team back in December.
Despite that major win against the Boilermakers, you’ll have to flip a coin if you’re going to try and guess which Penn State team the Huskers will face.
Penn State has lost some very close games, including #15 Oregon by 1 point, #12 Michigan State on the road by 5 points and Iowa on the road by 1 point.
On the opposite side, the Nittany Lions got completely ran out of the gym by multiple conference opponents, including a 25 point road loss to USC, a 24 point road loss to UCLA, a 19 point home loss to Ohio State and a 39 point loss on the road to #13 Illinois, who the Huskers beat in overtime.
Fifth year senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the team in scoring with 14 points per game and his 7.2 assists per game ranks fifth in the country.
For the Huskers, they will be without Berke Buyuktuncel for the third straight game, and is still being considered day-to-day as he recovers from a sprained ankle.
The Huskers are hot right now, having won five of their last six games after losing six in a row late in January.
Players to Watch for Penn State:
Ace Baldwin Jr. :
14 PTS 7.2 AST 2.1 STL
Ace Baldwin Jr. is a defensive, pass first point guard that can give the Huskers problems if he gets going early, but Baldwin has been shooting the ball very poorly this season.
Baldwins 37.5% field goal percentage and 32.1% three point percentage are the lowest they’ve been since his freshman season at VCU.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser:
12.2 PTS 6.2 REB 2.1 BLK 61.5% FG
The junior forward is an aggressive rebounder and defender that will block lots of shots if the Huskers aren’t smart around the basket.
Konan Niederhauser blocked a career high seven shots in their big loss to Illinois, so Fred Hoiberg and the Huskers will have to find ways to move him out of the paint.
Players to Watch for Nebraska:
Brice Williams:
19.5 PTS 4.1 REB 2.9 AST 1.1 STL
It was a slow moving game for Brice Williams against Northwestern, but the fifth-year senior guard still managed to finish with 21 points, marking his sixth straight 20 point game and his 14th 20 point game of the season.
If Williams can get on the board early and often in the opening minutes of the first half, then this Huskers offense will be flowing all night.
The key will once again be the free throw line, Williams shot 10 free throws against Northwestern, and has reached double digit free throw attempts six times this season.
Connor Essegian:
10.5 PTS 2.7 REB 39.7% 3PT
It has been a struggle as of late for Connor Essegian from behind the arc, but most of that has to due with the lingering illness he was and still is overcoming.
At times, the Nittany Lions have allowed their opponents to get hot from three, so expect the Huskers to look for Essegian coming off of screens to get him open looks.
Prediction:
For the oddest reason, this feels like a “look ahead game” for the Huskers.
According to many national college basketball analysts and bracketologists, the Huskers are only two wins away from being a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, and with a home game against #12 Michigan next Monday, it makes sense why the Huskers would look over Penn State.
This game should be close throughout, but I’m putting my trust in the team with the All Conference First Teamer who is two games away from making the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
Wednesday, February 19th, 2025
5:30 PM CT BTN
Nebraska: 70 Penn State: 63
