Nebraska dominates Iowa with defense in 66-50 victory
Nebraska came into Thursday night’s home game vs. Iowa having lost three of its last four games and needing a spark entering the grind of Big Ten Conference play.
The Hawkeyes were coming off an embarrassing home loss to Eastern Illinois before the break and desperate to bounce back.
The Huskers got precisely what they were looking for in a dominant 66-50 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Juwan Gary had 14 points to lead five Huskers (8-6 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) in double figures. But the story of the night was on the other end of the floor.
Iowa (8-5, 0-2) led the conference at 83.8 points per game coming in but posted its worst offensive outing of the season. The Hawkeyes shot just 26.0% from the field and went 7-of-28 from behind the arc.
Nebraska was also +14 on the glass with a season-best 54-40 rebounding advantage, including 10 second-chance points off 14 offensive boards. The 54 rebounds were NU’s most ever in a Big Ten game.
The first half couldn’t have gone much better for Nebraska defensively. By holding Iowa scoreless for nearly nine minutes, the Huskers went on a season-high 20-0 run and led 29-8 with 5:48 left in the half.
After starting 3-of-25 from the field, the Hawkeyes finally got some offense going and trimmed a 21-point deficit to nine with a 16-4 rally of their own.
Gary gave NU the last word with a banked three at the buzzer to make it 38-26 at the break. Despite the late surge, Iowa shot just 20.5% from the field in the half. The Huskers shot 50%, including 6-of-9 from behind the arc.
Nebraska picked up where it left off in the second half, hitting four of its first five shots to go up 47-28.
The Huskers eventually led by as many as 24 after an alley-oop from C.J. Wilcher to Emmanuel Bandoumel with 12:04 remaining. Despite making just two more field goals the rest of the way, NU’s lead never got smaller than 15.
Wilcher had 13 points, and Sam Griesel posted a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Derrick Walker and Bandoumel both chipped in 10 points.
Kris Murray, who returned after missing the past four games with an injury, led Iowa with 17 points. However, he did it on 6-of-15 shooting and had just four points in the second half.
Nebraska returns to action on Jan. 3 with a trip to take on Michigan State. That game is set for a 6 p.m. CT tip on Big Ten Network.
When Nebraska defends like that, it can beat anyone
Nebraska’s defensive effort at Creighton raised eyebrows. Its play on that end in a near upset of Purdue made people take notice.
But what the Huskers did to one of the top offensive teams in the country in Iowa felt different. That performance showed that when NU defends at that level, it can beat anyone on its schedule.
Yes, the Hawkeyes missed a lot of shots – 54 of their 73 attempts, to be exact. But Nebraska’s defense was as active, aggressive, and relentless as it had been all season from start to finish.
Iowa was the top-scoring team in the conference going into the game. It also shot 46.4% from the field as a team and 32.7% from behind the arc. NU held the Hawkeyes 33 points under their season average with a 20% shooting dip.
“That’s what this team is built on, is a defensive identity,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They’ve bought into it, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they responded…
“We kept defending, and that’s what we talked about in the huddle: ‘We’re going to win this game on defense and on energy…’ For our guys to go out and win it on that end is what it’s about for our team right now.”
Wilhelm Breidenbach answered the call
Nebraska was already without top backup center Blaise Keita, who was sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered in the Dec. 20 win over Queens.
Then Walker picked up two early fouls and a third just 44 seconds after halftime. Walker ended up only playing 21 minutes, his second-lowest total of the season.
The Huskers needed another big to step up and fill the void with Keita out and Walker on the bench. Wilhelm Breidenbach answered the call.
The sophomore forward played nearly all of his 12 minutes off the bench at the five. He only scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting, but he made up for it by hauling in seven rebounds, including five offensive boards.
Breidenbach also blocked two shots and drew two fouls for a +/- of 7, the highest of any non-starter for NU.
“The second half, I thought he was as good as anybody on the floor for us tonight,” Hoiberg said. “His numbers don’t show it … but overall, he just gave us unbelievable energy.”
Breidenbach said he was just doing his job.
“I just focus on playing hard, really,” Breidenbach said. “I think everything else comes all through the ups and downs. The one thing I can control is the effort I give, and I think that’s just what I’m going to go out and do regardless of what position I’m in, who I’m guarding, or whatever the case me be. Just playing hard, and good things come from that.”
Nebraska caught the Big Ten’s attention tonight
In Iowa’s past four meetings with Nebraska, the Hawkeyes lit up the scoreboard for an average of 96.0 points per game.
They had 50 on Thursday night.
Head coach Fran McCaffery was critical of his team’s shooting effort in the loss, but he also gave credit where it was due to the Huskers’ defense.
McCaffery said Iowa learned what the rest of the Big Ten would likely find out soon enough – this Nebraska team is nothing like what the league had seen the past three seasons.
“It’s a completely different team,” McCaffery said of NU. “These guys, they’re playing like a team; they’re playing for each other. Like I said, nobody is going for themselves. They’re playing for each other, and I think it’s obvious.
“When you see that many guys in double figures, there’s no selfishness there that I see – first of all, here (tonight), but I’m talking about the tape I’ve watched, too. I’ve watched pretty much all their games.”
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They said it
“We’re just a team you don’t look over. I wasn’t here last year, but people always looked at us as a pushover. But it’s a whole new team, whole new leadership, whole new group.”
Junior forward Juwan Gary on what makes Nebraska a different team this season.
