It was once an opportunity to keep its season alive. Suddenly, it became a nightmare.
The last time Indiana men’s basketball faced Nebraska was March 15, 2024, in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals in Minneapolis. Indiana head coach Mike Woodson was ejected. The Cornhuskers made 14 triples, went on a 19-0 run and led by as many as 33 points.
And by the time the clock hit zero, several Hoosiers shed tears. Their season — and for some, their college career — came crashing down in a 93-66 defeat.
Now, Indiana gets a chance to set a different tone.
The Hoosiers (8-2) face the Cornhuskers (6-2) at 8 p.m. Friday inside Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. Play-by-play announcer Brandon Gaudin and analyst LaPhonso Ellis will have the call on Fox.
Only five Cornhuskers who played in the two teams’ last meeting remain on the team, headlined by fifth-year senior guard Brice Williams and sixth-year senior forward Juwan Gary. Williams leads the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game, while Gary averages 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Junior guard Connor Essegian, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been Nebraska’s most impactful transfer portal addition. After spending the past two seasons at Wisconsin, Essegian is scoring 13 points per game and shooting 42.6% from 3-point range. He took an official visit to Indiana in April before choosing the Cornhuskers.
Williams, Essegian and Gary are Nebraska’s only three players averaging double-digit points. Fifth-year senior guard Rollie Worster scores 8.9 points per game and leads the team in assists at 2.6 per contest. Sophomore forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who stands 6-foot-10, 244 pounds, is averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.
The new-look Cornhuskers took an impressive 11-point win over in-state rival Creighton University, which received more votes in this week’s AP Poll than Indiana, on Nov. 22, but that victory is their lone in three tries against high-major competition this season.
Nebraska enters Friday night’s contest six days removed from a 37-point road loss to Michigan State in its first Big Ten game this season. The Cornhuskers were outscored 48-21 in the second half en route to an 89-52 defeat. Saint Mary’s College of California gave Nebraska its other defeat in a 77-74 outcome Nov. 17.
Sixth-year head coach Fred Hoiberg took Nebraska to the NCAA Tournament last season, the program’s first trip to March Madness since 2014. Hoiberg has a 7-3 record against Indiana dating back to his first season in 2019-20, but each of his three wins came last season.
The Cornhuskers outscored the Hoosiers 264-206 in three meetings. None of the games were decided by less than 15 points.
But Indiana has a new-look squad of its own. The Hoosiers added six players to the roster this offseason, two of whom average double figures. Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo is averaging 13.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and two blocks per game, while redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice averages 10.8 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Two returning forwards lead Indiana in scoring — junior Malik Reneau and sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako are averaging 15.5 and 15.1 points per game, respectively.
Since a pair blowout defeats to the University of Louisville and Gonzaga University on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, respectively, at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, the Hoosiers have won four consecutive games by double digits.
Indiana won its Big Ten opener 82-67 over Minnesota on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Now, the Hoosiers leave town for their first true road game Friday night in Lincoln.
With it comes a chance for Indiana to add something to its resume it didn’t do last season: beat Nebraska.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
