Nebraska Huskers basketball: Indiana preview

in other news

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in other news

BREAKING: Nebraska flips four-star WR Nalin Scott

Nebraska has flipped 2026 four-star receiver Nalin Scott.

• Steve Marik and Tim Verghese

FutureCast: Nebraska strikes again in the Sunshine State

A new FutureCast on a 4-star WR who has experienced one of the nation's most head-turning recruitments this offseason.

• John Garcia Jr. • Rivals.com

Brice Williams signs deal with Detroit Pistons

Former Nebraska basketball player Brice Williams signs deal with the Detroit Pistons.

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Published Dec 13, 2019

Hoops Game Day: Nebraska at Indiana

Robin Washut • InsideNebraska

Senior Writer

@RobinWashut

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-4, 0-0) vs Indiana Hoosiers (9-1, 0-1)

Friday, Dec. 13, 2019 - 7 p.m. CT

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

TV: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: Fox Sports App

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Nebraska projected starters

NAME	HT/WT	YEAR	NOTES

Cam Mack	6-2/175	So.	Held out of the starting lineup at Creighton but still finished with 12 points and four assists. Ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 5.7 apg.
Dachon Burke	6-4/180	Jr.	Finished with nine points, seven rebounds and two steals in the loss to Creighton.
Jervay Green	6-3/210	Jr.	Had 10 points and six boards at Creighton. Averages 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
Haanif Cheatham	6-5/195	Sr.	Averaging 15.4 ppg on 61 percent shooting in the last seven games, including scoring a team-high 14 points at Creighton.
Yvan Ouedraogo	6-9/260	Fr.	Held to two points and three boards while playing just 12 minutes in the loss at Creighton.

Indiana projected starters

NAME	HT/WT	YEAR	NOTES

Al Durham	6-4/185	Jr.	Averages 12.9 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range.
Devonte Green	6-3/185	Sr.	Scoring 13.6 points per game and shoots 54.0 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from behind the arc.
Trayce Jackson-Davis	6-9/245	Fr.	Leads the Hoosiers in scoring (14.1), field goal percentage (.627), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg).
Justin Smith	6-7/230	Jr.	Averages 13.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 55.7 percent on the year.
Joey Brunk	6-11/245	Jr.	Transfer from Butler who is scoring 7.4 points with 4.7 rebounds per game.

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3 KEYS TO VICTORY

1. Find a way to rebound

As usual, rebounding will always be a deciding factor for Nebraska. But against a team like Indiana, defensive rebounding will be as important as ever tonight. The Hoosiers are one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball, ranking 28th nationally in adjusted efficiency (points scored/100 possessions) per KenPom. They also are shooting 49 percent from the field as a team this season. Oh, and IU ranks 28th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (35.2). That means that not only does Indiana make nearly half of its shots, but it also rebounds more than 1/3 of its misses.

2. Don't lose at the free-throw line

Free throws have been a disaster for Nebraska all year, as it comes in ranked 349th out of 353 Division I schools with a team free-throw percentage of just 56.0. Conversely, Indiana has scored 24.9 percent of its points this season from the charity stripe, good for the ninth-highest rate in the country. It also leads the Big Ten with 285 free throws attempted, 15 more than any other team. The Huskers aren't good enough right now to leave so many points off the scoreboard by missing every other free throw they take. That becomes even truer when going on the road for the first time in Big Ten play. Games are won and lost at the stripe in this conference.

3. Protect the paint

The good news is that while Indiana is shooting a solid 34.4 percent from 3-point range this year, it's not a team that is going to light it up from behind the arc. The Hoosiers have only made 55 of the 160 3-pointers this season, the fourth- and third-lowest respective totals in the Big Ten. Yet the Hoosiers are still averaging 80.6 points per game (third in the conference), meaning they have been excellent in creating and converting high-percentage looks near the rim. Nebraska has to seal off entry passes into the paint and cut off driving lanes to force IU to settle for long jumpers.

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QUOTABLE

“Well, it should prepare us better. We talked a lot about it, but until you actually get in that type of atmosphere and environment, you don't truly know what it's like. We don't have a lot of players that have played at this level, So, yes, we've experienced that now and we experienced that if you don't go out there with the right approach, you're going to get embarrassed. It's going to be the same thing on Friday.”

Head coach Fred Hoiberg on how playing to true road games last week might help Nebraska tonight.