Huskers Battle No. 18 Badgers on Sunday

Huskers Battle No. 18 Badgers on Sunday 
The Nebraska men's basketball team faces a difficult road test this weekend, as the Huskers travel to No. 18 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from the Kohl Center is set for shortly after Noon (central) and the contest will be televised on BTN and carried on the Huskers Radio Network, as well as on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. The game will also be available on the Fox Sports App.

Nebraska (12-7, 2-6 B1G) looks to snap a five-game losing streak following a 78-73 loss to USC on Wednesday night. Desmond Claude's 3-pointer with 47.6 seconds remaining broke a 69-all tie, and the Trojans held off Nebraska's comeback by going 6-of-6 from the line in the final minutes. Nebraska had a chance to tie in the final five seconds but could not get the game into overtime. Nebraska held USC to 43 percent shooting from the field, but USC went 18-of-22 from the foul line and enjoyed a 36-31 advantage on the glass in a game which featured 10 lead changes and nine ties. 

The Huskers have battled during the losing streak, as NU was within one possession in the final 10 seconds in four of the last five contests. 

The loss overshadowed a strong performance by senior Juwan Gary, who finished with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting to lead three Huskers in double figures. Brice Williams added 17 points, while Connor Essegian chipped in 15 points off the bench. 

Gary has posted a pair of 20-point efforts in two of NU's last three contests and is averaging a career-high 12.5 points this season.  The senior is second on the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks and went over the 1,000-point mark for his career last Sunday at Maryland. Nebraska will need another strong performance from Gary in seeking its third win over a ranked opponent this season. 

Wisconsin (15-4, 5-3 B1G) looks to bounce back following an 85-83 loss at UCLA on Tuesday. The Badgers led by as many as nine in the first half before the Bruins fought back. John Tonje led the Badgers with 24 points and five boards while John Blackwell added 23 points and four assists. UCLA shot 60 percent in the second half as Aday Mara had 22 points and five boards off the bench for the Bruins.

Numbers to Know
9 - With nine points on Sunday, Brice and his father, Henry will become the seventh father-son combo in NCAA Division I history to eclipse 4,000 career points. Williams is averaging a career-best 18.5 ppg this season.

73.3 - Sam Hoiberg is shooting 73.3 percent from the field in the month of January entering Sunday's game at Wisconsin. The junior guard has provided a spark off the bench and is  averaging 5.0 points per game with a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that stretch.

30 - Fred Hoiberg has 30 wins over ranked opponents, including 11 career wins against top-10 teams,  in his collegiate coaching career. In addition, his four road ranked wins is second only to Danny Nee's seven all-time among NU men's basketball coaches.

70 - Over the last two-plus seasons, Nebraska has been exceptional when holding opponents to 70 points or less. The Huskers are 41-5 (.891) when holding opponents to 70 points or less. The Jan. 19 loss to Maryland snapped a streak of 36 straight wins when holding opponents to 70 points or less.

15 - Nebraska is one of only 15 teams in the country which have at least five 1,000-point scorers on their active roster as of Jan. 20. Four of those teams are in the Big Ten with Minnesota (seven), Nebraska (five), Oregon (five) and USC (five). 

Worth Noting

• Brice Williams enters Sunday's game at Wisconsin needing nine points to join an exclusive father-son club. Williams and his father Henry, who passed away in 2018, would become just the seventh father-son duo in NCAA Division I history to combine for at least 4,000 career points at the Division I level. Henry Williams is Charlotte's all-time leading scorer with 2,383 career points.

 

Father-Son Duos with 4,000 Points

No.	Father (College)	Years	Points	Son (College)	Years	Points	Total
1.	Dell Curry (Virginia Tech)	1983-86	2,389	Stephen Curry (Davidson)	2006-09	2,635	5,024
2.	Mike Davis (Alabama)	1979-83	1,211	Antoine Davis (Detroit)	2018-23	3,664	4,875
3.	Steve Burtt Sr. (Iona)	1980-84	2,534	Steve Burtt Jr. (Iona)	2002-06	2,034	4,568
4.	Dell Curry (Virginia Tech)	1983-86	2,389	Seth Curry (Duke/Liberty)	2009-13	2,101	4,490
5.	Steve Alford (Indiana)	1983-86	2,438	Bryce Alford (UCLA)	2013-17	1,922	4,360
6.	Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa)	1984-88	1,033	Doug McDermott (Creighton)	2010-14	3,150	4,183
7.	Henry Williams (Charlotte)	1988-92	2,383	Brice Williams (Charlotte/Nebraska)	2019-25	1,608	3,991

• Sunday's game continues a trend this month of Huskers facing their former teams, as junior guard Connor Essegian plays the Badgers for the first time since transferring to Nebraska. Essegian, who spent his first two years in Madison, is averaging 11.5 ppg as the Huskers' sixth man this season and is among the Big Ten leaders in both 3-pointers per game (2.6, 1st) and 3-point percentage (.415, sixth).
• Following his 27-point night against USC on Wednesday, Juwan Gary has as many 20-point games in his last nine games (three) as in he did in his first 114 games of his career.
• Nebraska looks for its third ranked win of the season when the Huskers travel to Wisconsin on Sunday, NU is 2-1 against ranked opponents this season, and a win against the Badgers would give NU three wins over ranked teams for the first time since 2013-14. It would also be NU's second road win over a ranked team, marking only the second time in the Big Ten era Nebraska has accomplished that (also 2021-22). NU is 7-8 in its last 15 games against ranked teams dating back to March 1, 2022.
• Nebraska is 5-9 (.357) all-time against teams ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll. All five wins have been in conference play, including the most recent one against Ohio State in 2013-14.
• A pair of Huskers eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their career on Jan. 19 at Maryland. Andrew Morgan reached the mark in the first half on his way to a season-high 17-point effort, while Juwan Gary reached the milestone late in the second half. NU's roster now has five career 1,000-point scorers (Brice Williams, Rienk Mast, Rollie Worster, Andrew Morgan and Juwan Gary).
• Ahron Ulis dished out a career-high 10 assists on Sunday at Maryland. It more than tripled his previous season high of three and marked the first time a Husker had 10 assists in a game since Alonzo Verge Jr. in 2022. It also marked the first 10-assist game by a Husker reserve since Tom Wald had 11 in a win over Appalachian State on Dec. 31, 1994. According to Stathead.com, Ulis became the first Big Ten player to come off the bench and have 10 assists in a Big Ten game since A.J. Huggard had 10 assists against Purdue in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament.
• Nebraska is No. 55 in the NET on Jan. 24 and has plenty of opportunities to jump in the coming weeks. Sunday's game at Wisconsin is the first of three straight games against teams in the top 25 of the NET (at No. 22 Wisconsin, No. 9 Illinois and at No. 23 Oregon). 11 Big Ten teams are in the top 50 of the net including seven in the top 25 as of Jan. 24.
• Connor Essegian has been one of the Big Ten's best sixth men, as the junior guard enters Sunday's game at Wisconsin averaging 11.3 points per contest. He is one of only four Big Ten reserves currently averaging double figures while making five or fewer starts.
• Nebraska looks to regain defensive edge to return to its winning ways on Sunday. NU held its last two opponents to 73.5 ppg after the previous three opponents averaged 95.3 ppg. NU held Maryland to 69 points, matching its lowest offensive total of the season on just 1.02 PPP (points per possession). That was NU's lowest opponent PPP since the win over UCLA on Jan. 4. NU is now 43rd nationally in defensive efficiency heading into the weekend. Nebraska has won its last 27 games dating back to the 2022-23 season when holding an opponent under 1.0 PPP.
• Over the last 23 games dating back to last season, Brice Williams is averaging 18.8 points per game on .482 shooting and has 11 20-point efforts in that span. He has been in double figures in 21 of 23 games in that stretch. He averaged just 12.5 ppg over his first 30 games at Nebraska in 2023-24.
• With Brice Williams and Juwan Gary both going over 20 points against Rutgers on Jan. 16, it marked the 15th time in Fred Hoiberg's tenure that Nebraska had multiple players score 20+ points in a game.
• With its 12-7 start in 2024-25, Nebraska is 41-21 over the last 62 games dating back to the start of February 2023. NU's .661 winning percentage ranks fourth among Big Ten programs in that stretch. NU went just 33-80 from the start of the 2019-20 season until Feb. 1, 2023.
• NU has relied on its depth with six players averaging at least 7.2 points per game. Eight players have posted double-figure efforts, while three players (Brice Williams, Connor Essegian and Juwan Gary) have recorded 20-point games. Williams is the only Husker in the top 30 of the Big Ten in scoring as of Jan 24.
• Brice Williams is just the sixth Husker in the Big Ten era to have multiple 30-point games. He had 30 points in the win over Indiana on Dec. 13 and tied his career high with 32 points against Hawai’i on Dec. 23. He is one of six Big Ten players with multiple 30-point games this season.
• Nebraska comes into Sunday's game with Wisconsin averaging 76.2 points per game. NU has scored 70+ points in 12 of 19 games, including seven games with at least 80 points. Last season, NU averaged 77.7 points per game for 34 games, its highest offensive total since the 1995-96 season.
• Nebraska has been prolific at getting to the foul line and taking advantage of the opportunities. Nebraska ranks among the Big Ten leaders in free throws made and attempted per game and free throw percentage. Against Maryland, NU got to the line 11 times - matching a season low - and went just 5-of-11 from the charity stripe but went 14-of-17 from the line against USC.
• Nebraska is averaging 8.0 steals per game to rank fifth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 24. Four Huskers average at least one steal per game led by Sam Hoiberg, who is 12th in the conference with 1.4 spg. Of the 45 Big Ten players averaging at least one steal per game as of January 24, Hoiberg is one of two players who averages less than 20 minutes per game.
• The Huskers are 37-6 over the last two seasons when out-rebounding opponents. NU had won 27 straight games when out-rebounding opponents before the streak was snapped against Saint Mary's on Nov. 17. USC became just the third team to out-rebound Nebraska in 19 games this season.
• NU went 10-1 in non-conference action, only the seventh time since WWII that NU finished its non-con slate with one loss (also 10-1, 2023-24; 10-1, 2018-19; 10-1, 2003-04; 12-1, 1991-92; 15-1, 1990-91; 11-1, 1977-78).
• Nebraska's 2024 Diamond Head Classic title marked the program's first MTE event title since the 2000 San Juan Shootout. With the win, Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg became the first coach to win multiple Diamond Head Classic titles, as he coached Iowa State to the 2013 championship.
• Brice Williams earned MVP honors at the Diamond Head Classic, as he averaged 22.0 points per game on 56 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Williams averaged 19.3 ppg on 57 percent shooting in seven December games following his 11-point, seven-rebound effort against Southern.
• Nebraska saw its school-record 20-game home win streak snapped against Rutgers on Jan. 16. The 20 straight home wins tied the mark set on two previous occasions, most recently from 2017 to 2019. Over the past three years, Nebraska is 37-7 (.841) inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.
• Nebraska comes off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Huskers went 23-11 in 2023-24 and tied for third in the Big Ten standings before reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the most since setting a school-record with 26 wins in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference wins also ranked second in school history.
• Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three years, marking the first time NU has done that since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66). If Nebraska can improve its win total this year, it would mark the first time since a four-year stretch from 1945-46 to 1948-49 that the Huskers improved their win total in four consecutive seasons.
• Over the past two seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24), NU has won 21 conference games, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 teams won 22 conference tilts. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark just the fourth time in school history that Nebraska has won 20 or more conference games in a two-year span.

About Wisconsin
Under 10th-year coach Greg Gard, Wisconsin comes into Sunday's game with a 15-4 record following an 85-83 loss at UCLA on Tuesday night. Wisconsin has been streaky, winning its first eight games, including wins over Arizona, UCF and Pittsburgh, before losing three straight games against Michigan, Marquette and Illinois.  The Badgers rebounded with seven straight wins before Tuesday's loss. 

The Badgers returned two starters and nine letterwinners from a team that won 22 games and reached the NCAA Tournament last season.  Wisconsin has relied on its offense this season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 82.5 ppg. UW features five players in double figures, led by John Tonje's 17.5 ppg.  Sophomore John Blackwell is at 16.4 ppg while Steven Crowl (10.4), Nolan Winter (10.4) and Max Klesmit (10.4) round out the lineup, which has started 18 of 19 games for the Badgers. 

Series History: Sunday's matchup is the 40th meeting between the two programs, as Wisconsin holds a 22-17 advantage in a series that dates back to March 5, 1904.  The Huskers are 7-16 against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten (6-15 in regular season; 1-1 in Big Ten Tournament) in 2011-12. NU has won three of the past four meetings after Wisconsin won seven in a row from 2019 to 2022. The two teams split games last year with the home team winning both contests.

Nebraska's last win in the Kohl Center was a 74-73 win over the No. 10 Badgers in the 2021-22 regular-season finale. In each of Nebraska's last three wins, NU overcame double-digit deficits over the Badgers. 

Last meeting: C.J. Wilcher had a career night, as Nebraska overcame a 19-point deficit to stun No. 6 Wisconsin, 80-72, in overtime on Feb. 1, 2024. Wilcher matched his career high with 22 points, including five 3-pointers, as the junior guard rallied NU back in the final 20 minutes. Wilcher had 12 of his 16 second-half points in a 20-3 spurt, helping Nebraska nearly erase a 47-29 deficit. The Badgers led 65-59 with 3:33 left before the Huskers made another push. NU scored six straight points to tie it at 65-all on a Rienk Mast 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining. 

NU trailed 68-67 in OT before Mast’s basket gave NU the lead and the junior forward found Juwan Gary for a 3-point play to make it 72-68 with 3:54 left.  A.J. Storr, who finished with a game-high 28 points for Wisconsin, made it a one-point game before Williams’ basket pushed the margin back to three, at 74-71. The Huskers held Wisconsin to 1-of-7 shooting in the extra period and put the game away as a basket by Mast and four Williams free throws provided the final margin.  Mast added 20 points and eight rebounds, while Williams had 17 points and nine rebounds.

Last time Out
Juwan Gary’s career-high 27 points was not enough, as the Nebraska men’s basketball team fell 78-73 to USC on Jan 22. Gary led three Huskers in double figures, as he hit 11-of-19 shots from the field en route to posting his third 20-point game of the season. Brice Williams added 17 points, while Connor Essegian added 15 off the bench, including a trio of 3-pointers. 

Trailing 69-64, the Huskers rallied as Williams scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer that tied the score at 69 with 1:19 remaining but the Trojans would respond, as Desmond Claude, who finished with a team-high 21 points, hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to put USC ahead 72-69. 

Nebraska would cut the lead to one on two occasions, the last being on a Berke Büyüktuncel layup with 7.4 seconds left, but Wesley Yates III hit two free throws with 6.2 left to push it to three before sinking another pair to cap a 17-point night and seal the win.  USC went 18-of-22 from the charity stripe on the night, including 15-of-18 in the second half and turned 11 Husker turnovers into 16 points.

Williams Builds All-Big Ten Resume
Brice Williams has built upon a strong finish during the first half of the 2024-25 season. The 6-foot-7 senior enters the Wisconsin game averaging a career-best 18.6 points per game along with 2.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest. 

• He ranks in the top five of the Big Ten in scoring (fifth) and free throw percentage (third) while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range.
• Williams' 18.6 ppg average is the highest by any player in Fred Hoiberg's college coaching career.
• He has reached double figures 17 times, including a pair of 30-point games and seven 25-point performances.
• Williams had his most recent 20-point performance against Rutgers on Jan. 16 with 21 points.
• He had a 28-point effort at Iowa on Jan. 7, when he hit four 3-pointers, including a buzzer beater to send the game to overtime. It was his seventh game with at least 25 points this season.
• He was the MVP of the Diamond Head Classic, averaging 22.0 points per game on 56 percent shooting, along with 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He tied a career high with 32 points in the semifinal win over Hawai'i and had 25 points, seven boards and four assists against Oregon State.
• Williams has five career 30-point games including his time at Charlotte. This season, he tied his career high with 32 points at Hawai'i on Dec. 23 and had 30 points against Indiana on Dec. 13.
• His 18.5 ppg scoring average is the third-highest average by a Husker after 19 games in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). The last Husker to finish a season averaging at least 18 points per game was James Palmer Jr. (19.7 in 2018-19).
• He is shooting a career-best 92.0 percent from the foul line to rank fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage. He is bidding to become the third player in school history to shoot 90 percent from the foul line (Jack Moore, 1980-81 and 1981-82; Cary Cochran, 2001-02).
• Williams had 28 points against Saint Mary's on Nov. 17 and 27 points in the season opener against UTRGV on Nov. 4. His 27-point night vs. UTRGV was one of the highest opening-night totals by a Husker in the last 30 years. 
• Williams' emergence began during the Huskers' 2024 postseason run when he averaged 23.3 points per game during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. He had more 20-point games in three postseason games (three) than in 31 regular-season games (two) during 2023-24. His 23.3 ppg after the end of the regular season is the highest by a returning Big Ten player entering 2024-25. 

Gary Returns as Huskers' Glue Guy
One luxury Nebraska has is the return of senior forward Juwan Gary. The 6-foot-6 senior from Columbia, S.C, has shown the ability to stuff a stat sheet, but revels in doing the little things to help NU be successful.  

• Gary comes into the Wisconsin game averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He is second on the team in scoring, rebounds and blocks and is third in steals while guarding the opponent's top frontcourt scorer. Gary is also shooting a career-best 76.4 percent from the line after not shooting above 68 percent in any of his first four seasons.
• Over the last nine contests, Gary has a trio of 20-point games and is averaging 14.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg in that stretch. He has been in double figures in seven of NU's last nine contests.
• Gary comes off a career-high 27-point game against USC on Jan. 22. He went 11-of-19 from the field and had 16 of his 27 points in the first half. 
• Gary had his second 20-point game of the season with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals vs. Rutgers. 
• He posted his first double-double of the season at Iowa with 13 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
• Gary helped Nebraska to the Diamond Head Classic title, averaging 14.7 points on 50 percent shooting while helping limit NU's three opponents to just a combined 37 percent shooting.
• He had a season-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the semifinal win at Hawai'i.
• Gary keyed NU's win over No. 14 Creighton on Nov. 22 with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, seven boards and a pair of steals in the 74-63 win. 
• He had a 19-point, five-assist effort against FDU on Nov. 14. His five assists were a career high while he also went 7-of-8 from the foul line.

Essegian Enjoying Career Year
Connor Essegian has proved to be an impact transfer for the Huskers. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 11.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting while pacing the Huskers with 49 3-pointers.

• He leads the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (2.6/gm) and is sixth in 3-point percentage (.411) as of Jan. 24.
• He is one of the leading bench scorers in the Big Ten and anchors a reserve unit that gives NU an average of 26.2 ppg off the bench. Nine of his 10 double-figure efforts have come off the bench this season.
• Essegian's numbers compare favorably to his freshman season at Wisconsin, when he was on the All-Big Ten Freshmen team and set a school freshman record with 69 3-pointers.
• After a slow start in Big Ten play, Essegian is averaging 12.5 ppg on 47 percent shooting over the last four contests. That includes a team-high 17 points in the loss at Purdue and 15 points against USC.
• He has three 20-point performances among his 10 double-figure efforts this season.  Essegian posted his most recent 20-point game against Southern on Dec. 30 with 20 points, including a career-high six 3-pointers and a season-high six rebounds.
• He shined off the bench in Nebraska’s win over South Dakota on Nov. 27, establishing career highs in points (29), assists (five) and 3-pointers (six). 
• His 29-point performance is the highest-scoring effort by a Husker reserve in the last 50+ seasons. Over the last 30 years, only two Husker reserves (Jamel White vs. Missouri, 1/28/06; Erick Strickland vs. Missouri, 1/30/93) had scored 28 points off the bench. 
• According to CBB Reference, the only other Husker in the last 20+ seasons to have at least 29 points, along with five assists and five 3-pointers in a game was Teddy Allen against Penn State in 2021.
• Essegian followed up with a 22-point effort against North Florida on 8-of-10 shooting, as he matched his career high with six 3-pointers. 
• With six 3-pointers against both South Dakota and North Florida, Essegian joined Cary Cochran as the only Huskers in program history with consecutive games with at least six 3-pointers.
• He was instrumental in NU's win at No. 14 Creighton on Nov. 22 with 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench and had 13 points in the win over Indiana on Dec. 13.