Nebraska Basketball: Huskers look for revenge against Maryland
Nebraska Basketball needs a win on Wednesday to save their season.
Nebraska basketball needs to win. Wednesday may prove to be the defining moment of their season as they take on the Maryland Terrapins looking to snap their five-game losing streak. Whether it be effort or a lack of motivation, something has to change for Nebraska basketball. They can make the most out of a disappointing season on Wednesday with a win against a Maryland team who is coming off a loss of their own. It should be an entertaining contest in the friendly confines of Pinnacle Bank Arena.
In the last game for Maryland, they fell at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers. Freshman guard Eric Ayala came up big in defeat. He recorded 18 points on seven-of-11 shooting and went four-of-five from behind the arc. Ben Davison’s 21 points for Wisconsin were too much for Maryland to handle as the Terrapins lost by a 69-61 score.
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Nebraska basketball lost their last game to Illinois. Losing by a 71-64 margin, James Palmer Jr led the scoring for Nebraska basketball with 22 points. Tanner Borchardt did a nice job of rebounding the basketball, collecting 18 while scoring 12 points. Thomas Allen did his part as well, scoring 11 points. The problem on Saturday was their cold shooting. They shot 25 of 70 from the field. That is not going to win you basketball games. Now, they face a must-win contest against a Maryland team that has given them trouble this season.
Two players that the Cornhuskers need to watch for in this game are junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. and sophomore forward Bruno Fernando. Cowan leads the team in points with 16.7 points per contest. Fernando can do a little bit of everything, as he has proved to be a tremendous scoring threat for Maryland and a player who can also grab rebounds when needed. He averages 14.8 points per contest and 10.3 rebounds per game. Fernando killed Nebraska basketball the last time these teams met as he notched 18 rebounds and 17 points. He truly was a monster on the glass, and with Nebraska basketball struggling to rebound as it is, he was a matchup nightmare.
According to the Kenpom rankings, Nebraska is slotted No. 27 in the rankings while Maryland is slated at the No. 20 spot. Simply put, this will not be an easy game. As you may recall, these two teams played wire-to-wire in their last meeting, with Maryland winning on a last-second basket. These two teams are very evenly matched and this could be the perfect opportunity for Nebraska basketball to shake their losing streak.
How to watch
Game 23: Nebraska vs Wisconsin
When: 6 PM CST
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln Nebraska
TV: BTN
Stream: BTN 2 Go
Radio: Huskers IMG Radio
Key to the Game
The big thing for Nebraska basketball in this game is to make sure that they take control of the offensive glass. In the last game between the two teams on January 2, Nebraska was outrebounded by a 38-28 margin. That included a 14-7 advantage for Maryland on the offensive glass. They were badly outrebounded, and that needs to change. Fernando is not going to go away anytime soon. Nebraska basketball must figure out a way to neutralize him from becoming a dominant force in the paint.