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Nebraska Basketball: Huskers never say die against Wisconsin

By Oliver Vandervoort

Nebraska basketball guard Keisei Tominaga (30) reacts after being fouled by Wisconsin Badgers guard Connor Essegian (3) in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska basketball guard Keisei Tominaga (30) reacts after being fouled by Wisconsin Badgers guard Connor Essegian (3) in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Almost a week to the day that the Nebraska basketball team upended Penn State, the Huskers might have ended Wisconsin’s tourney hopes.

There has been quite a bit of talk about whether or not Nebraska basketball coach Fred Hoiberg has done enough to keep his job for another season. AD Trev Alberts basically put that talk to bed with an interview where he cited “undeniable progress” Then the Huskers went out and got drilled by Michigan.

For quite a while on Saturday, it looked as though the Cornhuskers were going to get overwhelmed again by the Wisconsin Badgers. Then a 20-2 run in the second half put them back into the game for good.

They eventually took the contest to OT and finished off a 12-0 run in overtime to sink the Badgers 73-63.

Nebraska basketball never says die against Wisconsin

So how did the Huskers do it? Pretty much the same way they’ve managed to post wins at all in the last few weeks. Keisei Tominaga and Derrick Walker combined to dominate the opposition. Keisei especially seems to have taken his game to another level here in the last leg of the 2022-2023 season.

Tominaga has now scored 22 or more points in three straight games. He followed up a 30 point performance against Penn State with a 24 point game against Michigan and nabbed 22 on Saturday.

Then there’s Derrick Walker, who continues to show his value as a big man down low. Against Wiscy, he scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He did also show what has held him back in the past as he had eight turnovers.

The Nebraska basketball win was a solid one and one that could have stung quite a bit had they not managed to win in OT. That’s because if there was one big black mark on the day, it was another game with very poor free throw shooting.  The Huskers went just 15 of 23 from the line. That many misses could have been catastrophic had Hoiberg’s Heroes not managed to take it into extra time.

Next up for the Nebraska basketball team is a chance for a massive upset. They’ll take on Rutgers on Valentine’s Day night.

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