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Nebraska basketball: Studs and duds in streak-snapping win over Spartans

By Oliver Vandervoort

Dec 10, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) shoots the ball against Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) shoots the ball against Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Nebraska basketball team finally found a way to bounce back after getting knocked off its perch and ended a long losing streak in the process.

As bad as the Nebraska Cornhuskers looked in the second half against Minnesota last week, that’s how good they looked at times in the second half against Michigan State tonight.

In winning the game 77-70, Hoiberg’s Heroes did more than just improve to 1-1 in the Big Ten. They showed a fight that’s been missing since the second half against Creighton.

They also snapped an 11-game losing streak to Michigan State. That’s a rather impressive streak that stretches back to 2016. It seems incredible it’s been that long. It’s the kind of thing that can be built off of moving forward.

Nebraska basketball: 3 studs against Michigan State

  • Juwan Gary is the top stud of the game for the Huskers because he just provides so much to a team that has gone back to not looking crazy talking about possible NCAA Tournament action. Gary led the team in minutes (36) and points (20). He’s been a massive boon since coming back after missing the first couple Husker games.
  • Brice Williams has been quite the find by Hoiberg in the transfer portal. On
    Sunday night, he had 14 points and 3 rebounds. Those points equal what he’s been averaging on the season as he leads the team in scoring.
  • Rienk Mast has been scaring me a little with his post play of late. Which is why it was so good to see him haul down 14 rebounds. He also almost had a triple double with 8 points and he added 6 assists for good measure. The Nebraska basketball team is going to need him to play well in the Big Ten to really have a chance.

2 duds

  • Jamar Lawrence had 4 assists, so it wasn’t a terrible game, but he was just 1-for-5 shooting and he had two turnovers.
  • It feels weird to put Keisei Tominaga in this group, as he did have 15 points, but it still feels like there’s just something off. His 5-for-12 shooting wasn’t the horror show he had against Minnesota, but they need him to be the go-to guy. And he hasn’t really stepped up.

Next up for Nebraska basketball

The Huskers have a week off before they take on 8-2 Kansas State in Manhattan. That’s the bad news. The worse news is that the last time Nebraska basketball went a week between games, they lost by 29 points.

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