As Rod Tidwell once famously said, “Show me the money!”. 

That’s the case for the Nebraska men’s basketball team who locked in a $50,000 NIL package with its win over a depleted Georgetown team in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown on Wednesday night. With two of their three leading scorers still held out due to illness, the Hoyas couldn’t keep up with the Huskers. 

Brice Williams poured in a game-high 28 points while Juway Gary added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Plus, Andrew Morgan chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench as NU locked up multiple wins in the postseason for the first time since 2004. Extending their trip in Vegas, the Huskers move on to the semifinals of the CBC which sees them face off against a Boise State squad who had legitimate beef with the selection committee to earn an at-large spot for the NCAA Tournament. 

Here’s all you need to know as Nebraska takes on the Broncos for a Saturday afternoon showdown in the College Basketball Crown. 

How to Follow Along 

Boise State Scout

Head Coach: Leon Rice | 15th Season at Boise State; 17th as HC | 296-176 (.627) at BSU | 5x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2x MWC regular season titles, 1x MWC tournament title | 2x MWC Coach OTY |  Previous head coach at Yakima Valley CC | Previous assistant at Gonzaga, Yakima Valley CC, Northern Colorado and Oregon. 

2024-2025 Record: 26-10 (14-6 MWC, T-4th) | MWC Sixth Man OTY, 1x All-MWC First Team, 1x All-MWC Second Team. 

All-Time Series: First meeting. 

MWC Tournament: L, 69-56 to No. 2 seed Colorado State in MWC Championship.

Notable Wins: *Clemson (84-71), *Saint Mary’s (67-65), *New Mexico (86-78), *New Mexico (72-69). 

*Signifies NCAA Tournament Qualifier

Key Absences: Dylan Anderson, C, Soph, 3.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG (Transfer Portal) | Chris Lockett Jr., G, R-Fr., 3.1 PPG, 1.4 RPG (Transfer Portal).  

Projected Lineup: Tyson Degenhart, F, Sr. (18.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG) | Alvaro Cardenas, G, Sr. (11.7 PPG, 6.9 PPG) | Andrew Meadow, F, Soph. (12.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG) | Pearson Carmichael, F, Fr. (6.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG) | O’Mar Stanley, F, Sr. (6.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG). 

Outlook: Unlike its first two opponents, Nebraska will take on a Boise State team that’s full strength and has all impact players ready to play. The Broncos were good in a standout Mountain West Conference that got four teams into the Dance (Colorado State, Utah State, New Mexico, San Diego St.), but were left on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday. That’s why Boise State was one of the favorites heading into the CBC and it’s for good reason. 

All-Mountain West first team selection senior forward Tyson Degenhart leads the way for the Broncos pouring in a team-leading 18.7 PPG and over six rebounds. He teams up with fellow forward Andrew Morgan (12.6 PPG) to create a dangerous frontcourt for the Broncos. Plus, head coach Leon Rice and Boise State have Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year Javan Buchanan come off the bench. He’s fourth on the team with a 9.6 PPG average, but was the leading scorer in the quarterfinal win over Butler by adding 27 points in the Broncos 100-93 victory. 

Point guard Alvaro Cardnenas leads the backcourt for Boise and is third double-digit scorer with 11.7 PPG and over six assists per contest. He’s volatile with a team-high 85 turnovers, but he also leads the Broncos with 51 steals while also chipping in over three rebounds per game. BSU is forward heavy, but RJ Keene II will be the other primary guard as the 6-foot-7 junior as the grinder as he averages 2.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 35 games this season. While they don’t turn in the most production on the team, forwards O’Mar Stanley (6.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG) and Pearson Carmichael (6.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG) complete a very tall and lengthy starting lineup for the Broncos. 

The Broncos were top three in both overall scoring (76 PPG) and defense (66.6 PPG) in the Mountain West during the regular season, so they’re stout across the board. BSU can’t shoot from beyond the arc ranking 10th of 11 teams in three-point shooting (31.6%). However, as one can assume from their lineup’s height, rebounding is the key to the Broncos’ success as they led the conference in fewest opponent rebounds per game while ranking second in team rebounds (36.3). Plus, they were the conference leader in team free-throw percentage at 77.8% so it’s pretty obvious what Boise State’s game plan is. 

Unfortunately, that’s not a great matchup for Nebraska. Granted, the Huskers were middle of the pack in rebounding this year in the Big Ten, but one of the biggest critiques of the team has been the lack of control inside the paint. There shouldn’t be too much worry about Williams getting his points in, but there’s a real question about Gary’s impact if the Broncos can key on him. Considering the Broncos style of play and how their team’s built, give me Boise State to win this one and end Nebraska’s season.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

MILWAUKEE – A pregnant teen from Beaver Dam will return home safe after weeks of searches and investigations, which spanned multiple states, thanks to a tip from a stranger nearly 500 miles from home.

The backstory:

An Amber Alert was issued in Wisconsin after Sophia Franklin was last seen at her home on Feb. 2. At the time, she was 16 years old and three months pregnant. Amber Alerts were later issued in Arkansas and Missouri. 

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The teen was found on Wednesday – her 17th birthday – near Omaha, Nebraska. She was with 40-year-old Gary Day, who is now in custody. Police said he is the father of the unborn child, and the two began talking online roughly a year ago.

How were they found?

What they’re saying:

Nearly 500 miles from Beaver Dam, the “see something, say something” mantra ended the search for the missing teen. 

“They observed an adult male and juvenile female, and they just thought it was suspicious – that maybe they just didn’t go together,” said Lt. Dennis Svoboda with the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.

After talking with the teen, a 911 caller went online and saw an Amber Alert for her, along with a photo of the man investigators said she was with. 

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“They provided false information, some variety of names. Our people ran them through databases, couldn’t find them,” Svoboda said.

That is, Svoboda said, until a mobile fingerprint scanner confirmed Day’s identity, and he was taken into custody.

Dig deeper:

Police said Day was seen on surveillance near Franklin’s home in February. His booking photo looks a lot different from the photos shared in police social media posts and prior Amber Alerts. 

Beaver Dam Police Department

“He definitely was trying to elude investigation and subsequent arrest, which makes him even more problematic,” said Stan Stojkovic, professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Day also changed license plates on the car he was driving, and Svoboda said the two may have hitchhiked around the country. That’s partially why Stojkovic gave kudos to all involved law enforcement agencies.

“This is a victory for law enforcement,” he said.

In custody

What’s next:

Day remains in custody in the Sarpa County Jail, where he faces misdemeanor charges. He has outstanding child abuse charges in Arkansas against a different child, on top of felony charges in Wisconsin tied to Franklin.

FOX6 News asked the Dodge County District Attorney’s Office about extradition for Day but did not hear back by the deadline for this story.