Nebraska
Three Things To Watch As Indiana Takes On Nebraska
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s men’s basketball team has been gradually eliminating nonconference road games from its season schedule. For the second year in a row, the Hoosiers will not play a true nonconference road game.
With the way the Big Ten schedule laid out, it means the Hoosiers will play their first road game at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at Nebraska. It’s the latest first true road game for the Hoosiers since the 2014-15 season when Indiana played in an enemy gym for the first time on Dec. 31, 2014, also at Nebraska.
As it is with so many things related to the Mike Woodson coaching era at Indiana, the Hoosiers record in first true road games of the season is mixed.
In 2021-22, Woodson’s first season, Indiana lost its first nonconference road game in a 112-110 double overtime marathon against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Hoosiers also fell in their Big Ten road opener, a 64-59 defeat at Wisconsin.
Indiana got a split in the 2022-23 campaign. The Hoosiers earned an 81-79 victory over Xavier at Cintas Center, an exciting road contest that ended Indiana’s participation in the Gavitt Games series with the Big East Conference on a high note for Indiana. However, Indiana ended a 7-0 start to the season when it was hammered 63-48 by Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J.
As it is this year, Indiana did not play a nonconference true road game in the 2023-24 season. The Hoosiers did win their first Big Ten road contest, a 78-75 victory at Michigan.
So when overall and Big Ten openers are combined, the Hoosiers are 2-3 in the Woodson era. Indiana will be hoping to get to .500 in one fell swoop at Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday.
Here are three things to watch for from the Hoosiers when they face off against the Cornhuskers:
1. Will Indiana Attack From The Perimeter?
Woodson tends to think of matchups in what pressure his lineups can put on the opposition rather than what opposition weaknesses can be exploited. There’s nothing wrong with that. It shows a belief in the talent on the roster.
Given that, Indiana will no doubt try to attack the rim with Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. There’s nothing that isn’t sensible about that either. Ballo and Reneau combine for 28.7 points and 15.5 rebounds.
However, Nebraska is pretty good at defending inside the arc and not so good above it. The Cornhuskers rank 14th nationally in 2-point shots allowed, giving up just 28.3. Meanwhile, Nebraska is almost dead-last nationally in 3-point shots allowed, 31.1, and opponents have shot 33.3% against them, also in the lower half of Division I.
No one will blame Indiana for attacking with its bigs, but the Hoosiers rank 105th nationally in 3-point shooting (35.9%), but only take 17 3-point shots per game, ranked 353rd nationally. That’s an imbalance that needs to be straightened out and this might be a good opponent to do it against.
2. Can Indiana Defend Without Fouling?
One area in which the Cornhuskers excel is getting to the free throw line. Nebraska ranks in the top 25 nationally in every major free throw category as the Cornhuskers average 20 of 26 per game at the line.
Indiana’s defense has not done a great job of avoiding fouling. The Hoosiers average 16.5 fouls per game. However, Indiana can do itself a world of good by showing some defensive discipline to keep Nebraska from getting its average of 20 points at the line.
It won’t be easy. Playing with discipline on the road is one of the hardest things for any team to pull off. If Indiana can be disciplined it will take the Hoosiers far.
3. Will Mackenzie Mgbako Get His Groove Back?
Sophomore swingman Mackenzie Mgbako started the 2024-25 season on fire. He averaged 22 points in the first three games of the season. He also had a 25-point game against Providence at Battle 4 Atlantis.
However, Mgbako has cooled off of late. His shooting touch is off in the last two games as he is 7 of 19 from the floor, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range. He scored 13 against Minnesota on Monday, so it’s not as if he’s disappeared, but consistency is what Mgbako needs to try to get a handle on in his second season of college ball.
The good news is that Mgbako has done this before. Prior to his 25-point game against Providence, Mgbako had a three-game stretch where he was 28.6% from the floor. A Big Ten road game would be a very good time for a similar revival from Mgbako.
Nebraska
Big Ten Report – Nebraska takes first place from Michigan, is 16-0
It was a very exciting and high-scoring Saturday in Big Ten basketball. Michigan’s flaws finally caught up to the Wolverines. Their loss to Wisconsin became a source of hope for everyone else in the Big Ten. Nebraska keeps rolling, and the Huskers now look like the top team in the conference, with star Lamar Wilkerson going off in yet another game.
Here are the scores and the rest of my analysis from Saturday night in Big Ten basketball:
No. 10 Nebraska 83-77 vs Indiana
Jamarques Lawrence and Lamar Wilkerson battled in a shootout as both players had career nights. Indiana has been hot this season, almost as hot as Nebraska. Ultimately, the Cornhuskers proved to be battle-tested once more, and Lawrence led the Cornhuskers to overcome a 16-point deficit to secure a big victory. The Cornhuskers continue to be one of the best stories in college basketball, as their win streak moves to 5 in a row in the Big Ten. They are 16-0 overall.
Wisconsin 91-88 vs No. 2 Michigan
Down goes Goliath. Just like I said in one of the last Big Ten reports, no game is a layup. Michigan almost lost its last game to Penn State. Every team the Wolverines face will give them their best, and all they have to do is upset them. The Badgers did exactly that. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell both had 20-point showings and looked like stars. The Badgers entered the second half down 14 points, and just like last game for the Wolverines, another lead was lost. Michigan missed 8 of their last 9 shots, to end the game, which was one of the biggest reasons for the loss of the lead. The Wolverines were not on their game, and for the first time this season, and it cost them big time.
No. 5 Purdue 93-85 vs Penn State
Braden Smith puts together a complete game, flashing his scoring ability and his elite decision-making. The Boilermakers took care of business and handled Penn State exactly like Michigan should have. Penn State’s hot three-point shooting start kept them in this game, but it was the Boilermakers’ insane crowd, insane defense, and stars stepping up that propelled them to an 8-point win.
UCLA 67-55 vs Maryland
Another day, another game where the Terps get outmatched. The Bruins were coming off two losses heading into this game, and they got the exact bounce-back game they needed. While the Bruins were amazing defensively, the Terps still dominated the glass. That makes for trouble for the Bruins against the competent Big Ten teams. Had the Terps been able to buy a bucket, they fairly well could have stolen this game. Instead, the Terps move to 0-5 in the Big Ten. The Terps can’t catch a break early in this season, while the Bruins get the exact break they needed to move forward.
Overview
Michigan does not learn from its last game, and they suffer their first loss of the season. The Badgers get a huge scoring outburst from their two guards, as another guard, Braden Smith, is dominant in an impressive win by Purdue over Penn State. As the Big Ten is continuing to ramp up the dominant newcomer, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are now the leader of the sole undefeated team in the conference.
What’s next
Illinois and Iowa highlight the day with a big-time matchup to start the Sunday slate. Big implications in this game, and whoever wins can really consider themselves a legitimate Big Ten contender. Northwestern and Rutgers will match up after that one, and both teams could desperately use a win to get back on track and build some type of momentum. The final game will be Ohio State and Washington squaring off. The Buckeyes will look to build some consistency before their matchup against Michigan. Bruce Thornton getting hot again would definitely help with that.
Nebraska
Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman
New Husker offensive line coach Geep Wade has stayed busy in his first few weeks on the recruiting trail for Nebraska football.
Nebraska extended a scholarship offer Saturday to in-state offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 interior lineman from Ashland confirmed the offer on social media. Iowa offered him earlier in the week, and he has other Division I offers from South Dakota State, Kansas and Iowa State.
Kitrell has visited a number of schools through his junior season, stopping at South Dakota State, Wyoming, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.
God is so good! After a great conversation with coach @GeepWade I am blessed to receive my 6th D1 offer from Nebraska! @HuskerFootball @AGBluejayFball pic.twitter.com/h3ciXeG727
— Barrett Kitrell (@BarrettK54) January 10, 2026
Kitrell has family ties to Nebraska football across two generations. His father, Barry, was a fullback for the Huskers from 1984-88. His brother Bo was a Husker fullback and tight end 2014 to 2018.
In addition, Barrett’s brother Blake was a Tulsa wide receiver, while brothers Brett and Bryce played at Ohio, having been recruited by Frank Solich.
Barrett Kitrell is a three-sport athlete for Ashland-Greenwood, competing in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bluejays. He has seen varsity action in all three seasons of his football career, playing in 33 games. The Bluejays have won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, advancing to the Class C1 semifinals this past year.
Kitrell becomes the third offensive line prospect offered by Wade and the Huskers this week, joining Grinnell, Iowa, prospect Will Slagle and 2028 prospect Wyatt VanBoening from Mundelein, Illinois. VanBoening also is the son of a former Husker, Simon VanBoening, a linebacker on the Huskers’ 1997 roster.
The Huskers are aiming for a massive overhaul of their offensive line, starting with replacing Donovan Raiola as the position coach. Wade, who came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, has been retooling his line in early 2026 with transfer portal additions, bringing in Iowa State’s Brendan Black and South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Nebraska has seen three linemen choose to exit via the portal: Brian Tapu, Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak.
Kitrell could add athleticism to the offensive line, as he finished second in the Class B discus as a sophomore with a personal-best throw of 172’2 while finishing fourth in the shot put. Kitrell averaged four points and four rebounds per game for the Ashland-Greenwood basketball program as the Bluejays claimed the Class C1 championship in 2025.
Kitrell becomes the 16th interior offensive line offer for Nebraska’s 2027 class. The class is headlined by four-star quarterback Trae Taylor and in-state rising stars Tory Pittman III and Matt Erickson.
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Nebraska
IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska
Indiana basketball starting lineups, introductions video
The Hoosiers met undefeated Nebraska on Jan. 10. Here are the starting lineups from Assembly Hall.
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries thought his team played well for about 28 minutes Saturday afternoon.
In those 28 minutes, IU built up as much as a 16-point lead against undefeated Nebraska. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, then extended that lead early in the second half.
Then, the defense started crumbling. Tucker DeVries picked up two fouls in the course of 21 seconds, forcing him to the bench. The Hoosiers started turning the ball over.
And Indiana’s upset bid fell apart, as the Hoosiers dropped an 83-77 decision to the Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).
“It’s disappointing, for sure,” Darian DeVries said. “We played well for a good 25, 27, 28 minutes, whatever, and then just had a bad stretch in there, and the game flipped. That’s why the turnovers are a big piece of that. We had, (a 16-point lead) and Tucker picked up his third and fourth foul on back-to-back possessions. Then they went on a 10-0 run right after that. That was a big turning point in the game, I thought, when he picked those two up.”
It seemed like the coaching staff (and fans) didn’t agree with those fouls, either.
Tucker DeVries’ third foul came as he fell on the ground while trying to defend Berke Buyuktuncel’s shot. Buyuktuncel continued to attempt a shot after the fall, and he got tangled in DeVries’ legs, falling himself, and officials called a foul on DeVries. Both Tucker and Darian DeVries, along with the crowd of 13,000 fans, didn’t agree with that foul.
Tucker DeVries’ fourth foul, which forced him to the bench for eight minutes, came just 21 seconds after his third. On the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, DeVries attempted to shoulder his defender to get more space, and got called for the offensive foul and the turnover.
Indiana (12-4, 3-2) turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions, Darian DeVries said, and Nebraska capitalized for a 12-2 run to tie the game.
“I just think we didn’t have the type of possessions we needed after (Tucker DeVries) went out again, and most of them, it was just turnovers,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get shots at the goal. I thought there might’ve been one or two in there where I think Lamar (Wilkerson) drove it hard and tried going through contact, and we didn’t get one there, but outside of that, we just didn’t get very good possessions. Our movement wasn’t as good.”
After Nebraska went on that run, all the momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers. In ways, the Hoosiers couldn’t get out of their own head, and the mistakes kept coming.
“We’ve talked to them a lot about that next play mentality,” Darian DeVries said. “Win that next play, and not compound mistakes. I thought tonight, again, for a stretch there was a period where we let one mistake turn into two. Then, instead of digging in and really making sure we get a quality possession the next time, we compounded it with another turnover. It led to back-to-back-to-back. All of a sudden your lead is gone, and momentum is real. It shifted pretty quickly there.”
This game, especially taking into account the 16-point lead Indiana once had, was a crucial opportunity for the Hoosiers to get their first Quad 1 win of the season.
But the Hoosiers, sitting at No. 30 in the NET rankings, still have three straight Quad 1 opportunities coming up in two road tilts at Michigan State and Michigan and a home game against Iowa in the next two weeks.
Those games, much like Nebraska, will be tall tasks. But, DeVries said, if the Hoosiers can execute for a full game like they did in those 28 minutes on Saturday, they’ll have a chance at them.
“When they’re executing the way that they did the first 25 minutes, it looks really good,” DeVries said. “And they’re doing a great job, and they’re defending and getting movement and things.”
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