Huskers fall flat in 76-64 loss to No. 24 Penn State

Having lost its past six games, Nebraska's struggles were already mounting in a major way entering Saturday night’s home game against No. 24 Penn State.

Things got even worse by the time the final horn sounded in the 76-64 loss, as the Huskers hit a seven-game losing streak for the second time in as many seasons.

Senior Haanif Cheatham scored a team-high 15 points with eight rebounds, but NU committed 13 turnovers to only 12 assists and trailed by as many as 24 before all was said and done.

The loss dropped Nebraska to 7-15 overall and 2-9 in Big Ten play, and the seven-game skid is the Huskers’ longest since dropping nine in a row back in 2014-15. Penn State improved to 16-5 and 6-4, and it won at Pinnacle Bank for the first time in six tries.

“The one thing that has been there is the effort,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “I’ve been pleased with the guys coming out and their approach, going out there and leaving it all out on the floor.

"Tonight, that wasn’t the case. I feel sick about it, in our home building with an unbelievable crowd, to go out there and have that type of thing happen.”

Cheatham got things going right off the bat by scoring 10 points in the first five minutes. But a once seven-point Nebraska lead eventually turned into a seven-point deficit after the Huskers had a stretch of missing 10 of 12 shots and going nearly five minutes without a point.

Dachon Burke provided a spark by scoring seven straight and pulling NU back within 30-29 with just under four minutes left in the half.

The Nittany Lions fired back with an 8-1 run in the final minutes, but a technical foul on Penn State head coach Pat Chambers and an And-1 by Thorir Thorbjarnarson helped keep the Huskers down just 38-33 at halftime.

Cheatham (10), Thorbjarnarson (10), Burke (7) and Yvan Ouedraogo (6) combined to score all 33 of Nebraska’s first-half points, while PSU went 7-of-20 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.

“I feel like most of the first halves we have been doing great…” Thorbjarnarson said. “For us to come out in the second half with that type of competitiveness is inexcusable. We can't keep going like this.”

It didn’t take long for Penn State to reassert control after halftime, opening the second period on an 8-0 run and forcing an NU timeout after just 2:45 of play.

The Nittany Lions would eventually push their lead up to 53-37 on a basket by Mike Watkins with 14:20 to go, marking the seventh straight game the Huskers have trailed by a deficit of 14 points or more.

“It’s beyond me,” Hoiberg said. “We come out in the second half with the same group of guys, same team, and lay an egg for the first three, four minutes of the half. Now we’re down 13 all of a sudden. They go on an 8-0 run to start the half. We have to find a way - I say this every week, we have to find a way to be consistent.”

Penn State would eventually go up by as many as 70-46 with just over 7:14 to play, and it was all semantics from there.

Thorbjarnarson finished with 12 points and five rebounds while Burke added 11 points, as nine of the 10 Huskers who saw playing time scored at least one point. Myles Dread hit four 3-pointers and led PSU with 14 points, as the Nittany Lions made 10 threes as a team.

Nebraska will get a week off before hitting the road for a rematch with Iowa on Saturday, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The 76-70 upset over the Hawkeyes in Lincoln on Jan. 7 is NU’s only win of the 2020 calendar year.

“You have to find a way to compete for 40 minutes,” Hoiberg said. “We did for the first 20, then you see heads hanging, and I’m battling frustration with the guys, there’s no question about that, with everything we’re going through, the losing streak.

“It’s no excuse to not go out there and compete your ass off, compete until the final buzzer, whether things are going your way or you’re struggling. It has to be a consistent effort for 40 minutes every time we take the floor, and that was not the case tonight.”

1. Cam Mack was off from the start

For the third time this season, Hoiberg chose to make a statement to arguably his best player by taking Cam Mack out of the starting lineup and having him come off the bench.

Hoiberg said the change was a result of Mack being late to a team film session on Friday, and it allowed true freshman Charlie Easley – who started the season as a walk-on – to make his first collegiate start.

Mack had been playing better than any Husker recently, averaging 18.0 points per game on 51 percent from behind the over the last four contests. But he seemed off from the opening tip and had arguably his worst all-around efforts of the season.

The sophomore point guard played a season-low 22 minutes and missed all six of his shots with three assists to three turnovers. His plus/minus of minus-15 was the second-lowest of any player on the night.

Of the 10 Huskers who saw the floor on Saturday night, Mack was the only player held scoreless.

“We have a rule of being on time, and Cam was three minutes late for a film session yesterday, so that was the reason Cam did not start tonight,” Hoiberg said. “I sat him for the first four minutes; he went back in the game and unfortunately got in foul trouble. He just could never get it going tonight.”

2. Welcome back, Matej Kavas

For the first time in three and a half games, senior guard Matej Kavas checked in for Nebraska with 7:57 left in the game.

Kavas had not played in the past three outings per coach’s decision, and he seemed to be on his way to a fourth straight absence against Penn State.

But the graduate transfer from Seattle took full advantage of his opportunity, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting (including two 3-pointers) in eight minutes of work. His plus-10 rating was the highest of any NU player.

Nebraska actually out-scored Penn State 18-8 from when Kavas subbed in through the rest of the game.

Saturday marked Kavas’ first action since the home loss to Indiana on Jan. 18, when he played just 2:41 off the bench. His eight points in eight minutes vs. PSU were his most since scoring nine in 12:31 in the road loss at Northwestern Jan. 11.

3. This is going to be an interesting week

Whenever a team is in a funk like Nebraska is right now, getting a chance to take a step back and reevaluate things is often exactly what’s needed.

But these next six days before traveling to Iowa on Saturday will hardly be a break.

Hoiberg was as visibly frustrated and discouraged after the Penn State loss as we’d seen him all year, and much of that was because of how lifeless and uninspired his team was at a critical point in the season.

The Huskers started out hot and were only down five at halftime, but after the Nittany Lions jumped out for an 8-0 run to start the second half, Hoiberg saw his players look as defeated as ever.

Hoiberg has already shown he’s not afraid to make notable changes to the lineup and rotation to provide a spark and send a message. How these next few days of practice go could decide if any more shakeups will be made the next time out.