Huskers can't keep up with red-hot Michigan in 93-72 blowout
Nebraska needed to follow a very specific script to upset Michigan and win at the Crisler Center for the first time ever on Wednesday night.
Instead, the Wolverines threw that plan out the window with a 30-5 run in the first half, and the Huskers could not recover in a 93-72 defeat.
Keisei Tominaga stayed hot with a game-high 24 points, and NU shot a solid 48.3% as a team. But it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with a Michigan team that hit 57.6% from the field and went 14-for-26 on 3-pointers.
Six Wolverines scored in double figures, led by 22 from freshman Jett Howard. When all was said and done, UM set season highs by a Husker opponent in points, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage (53.8).
Nebraska fell to 11-14 overall, and 4-10 in Big Ten Conference play with the loss, while Michigan improved to 14-10, 8-5.
Michigan blew the game out early
Both teams came out shooting to open the game, and a 3-pointer by Tominaga put Nebraska up 12-11 with 14:34 left in the half. But Michigan quickly pulled away with a 14-0 run over the next two minutes and took a 25-12 lead on a layup by Kobe Bufkin.
That run grew to as much as 30-5, as UM hit 15 of its first 20 shots and eight of its first 10 3-pointers.
But after trailing by as many as 24 points, the Huskers slowly started to get things under control. Michigan went scoreless with four turnovers over the final two minutes of the half, and NU went into halftime on a 17-5 run to cut the deficit to 46-34 at the break.
Tominaga scored 13 of his 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting, as Nebraska shot 46.2% and 5-of-8 from behind the arc in the first half. Even with their cold end to the half, the Wolverines still went 68% from the field and 8-for-14 on 3-pointers.
Huskers rallied, but it wasn’t enough
Nebraska’s momentum carried into the second half, as Derrick Walker scored Nebraska’s first five points and made it a 48-39 game.
Michigan responded by hitting four straight shots to spark a 20-8 run that pushed its lead back up to 21 with just under 12 minutes left.
The Huskers again fired back when Sam Griesel and C.J. Wilcher combined for an 11-0 rally to pull back within 10. NU kept it at 75-65 on a layup by Walker with 6:25 left, but that would be as close as it would get.
The Wolverines closed the game on an 18-7 run and led by at least 20 points for the final three minutes.
Walker finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and matched his career-high with eight assists. Michigan’s All-Big Ten center, Hunter Dickson, scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, along with 10 boards.
The Huskers will return to action on Saturday at home against Wisconsin. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
