Nebraska Basketball: How to watch and what to know for Michigan State
After two days off following Monday’s win over Indiana, Nebraska basketball continues conference play on the road against Michigan State.
The last time we saw Nebraska basketball was Monday night. Many people hate Mondays, but Nebraska basketball thrived on this night as they defeated a ranked Indiana team on the road by a 66-51 score. Glynn Watson and Issac Copeland were a dynamic duo. Watson scored 15 points while Copeland chipped in 14. They did a nice job of making the three-pointer and the Cornhuskers as a basketball team did a much better job going up for rebounds. Flowing offense combined with tough defense was a recipe for success. This was a much-needed win for Tim Miles and his team.
In the meantime, the sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans played well last time out. The last time they played, they handled a Penn State team easily. With the final score 71-56, the Spartans had a dynamic duo of their own. Junior forward Nick Ward scored 16 points and was particularly efficient shooting the basketball, going 7-of-11 on the evening. Senior guard Matt McQuaid had a great game of his own, scoring 15 points and providing tremendous complementary baskets.
In the Kenpom rankings, Nebraska basketball sits at No. 11 while Michigan State checks in at the third spot. This is a huge game for Nebraska and at home, it would be nice to give the fans a treat. The Spartans have plenty of players who can score the basketball. Cassius Winston leads the team with 17.6 points per game. Ward has chipped in 16.6 while guard Joshua Langford has scored 15 of his own. Nebraska has had trouble rebounding the basketball and one player they’re going to have to watch out for is senior forward Kenny Goins. He has averaged an astounding 9.4 rebounds per game this season.
Game Info
Game 18: Nebraska vs Michigan State
When: 7 PM CST
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln Nebraska
TV: FOX Sports 1
Stream: BTN 2 Go
Radio: Huskers IMG Radio
Key to the Game
If Nebraska wants to win, they have to do a better job of rebounding the basketball. It seems like I write that every week, but it is true. Michigan State is the top offensive rebounding team in the conference. They have recorded 745 rebounds in 17 games, averaging 43.8 per contest. Nebraska is 12th in the conference in rebounding margin. With a + 0.5 mark, that is a number that needs to get better especially as the competition gets tougher. Rebounding is very important in the game of basketball, and if Nebraska basketball focuses on it, they could steal a win against the sixth-ranked team in the country. Tim Miles’ team needs to come ready and prepared.