Nebraska men’s basketball is in shambles. Its 78-73 loss against USC extends the Huskers’ losing streak to five. To make matters worse, after winning 20 consecutive contests in Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Big Red has now lost its last two at the Vault.
Here are three takeaways from NU being defeated by Southern California:
Making it to March is going to be tough
Nebraska was 12-2 after defeating UCLA to kick off 2025 and was riding high after winning the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic over Christmas. It was all good vibe for the Huskers. Many fans and media members considered them an early NCAA Tournament lock.
Now, it’s trending that they might finish the season with a losing record. Nebraska now sits at 2-6 in Big Ten play. The two teams they beat (Indiana and UCLA) have a combined Big Ten record of 9-8. It’s not going to get any easier either.
NU will travel to Madison to take on No. 18 Wisconsin on Sunday. They will return to PBA the following Thursday to take on No. 17 Illinois and then head to Eugene to face No. 15 Oregon. The Huskers need to find a way to pull off a victory in at least one of these next three, or it will get even uglier.
“We’ve got to find a way to steal a couple on the road,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said postgame. “We got some really good opportunities in front of us, very difficult tasks, but we have to stay together.”
Morgan over Meah
It’s time that senior center Andrew Morgan gets a shot in the starting five. Senior center Braxton Meah may have the size being 7-foot-1, but he’s not getting it done. He misses screen after screen. Meah doesn’t use his size to his advantage. He played 12 minutes against the Trojans and only four at Maryland this past Sunday.
In the past two contests, Meah has not scored a single point and has only six rebounds with his tall frame. Morgan, on the other hand, had 17 points and five rebounds at Maryland. He only played 15 minutes in Nebraska’s loss to USC, with two points and three rebounds. The Huskers have better chemistry, are quicker and more physical with the North Dakota State transfer on the floor. It will be intriguing to see what coach Hoiberg manifests.
Williams and Gary need to ignite the team
Senior guard Brice Williams started cold. He finished with 17 points but only had two at the half. He’s the clear-cut best scorer on the team. When he isn’t making buckets Nebraska is in trouble. If the Big Red wants to have a chance in these next three, he will have to get going early.
“We haven’t been going in there taking it from opponents,” Williams said postgame. “We’ve been going in there wrestling, instead of taking it.”
Senior forward Juwan Gary carried the Huskers. He shot 11-19 for 27 points. Gary showed his slashing ability. He will need to continue driving to the paint as he did against the Trojans. These two seniors came back intending to make a run in March, it’s now or never.
“In my eyes, we’re one of the better teams in the Big Ten but right now, it’s not showing,” Gary said postgame. “This is a game we all signed up for, so we’ve got to figure it out.”