Nebraska
Nebraska Hoops Game Day: at Maryland
Riding a three-game losing skid and seeing its 20-game home winning streak snapped, Nebraska desperately needs to get its season back on track today at Maryland.
Here is what you need to know going into another daunting road test for the Huskers this afternoon in College Park…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-5, 2-4 Big Ten) at Maryland Terrapins (13-5, 3-4 Big Ten)
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 – 11:00 a.m. CT
Xfinity Center (17,950)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: Fox Sports App
Subscribe to get exclusive Huskers content on HuskerOnline today!
Nebraska projected starters
| Rollie Worster | G | Sr. | 6-5/210 | Ended up with 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to finish with a team-best +/- of 14 in the loss to Rutgers. He also shot 8-10 at the free-throw line. |
| Brice Williams | G | Sr. | 6-7/214 | Scored a team-high 21 points in the loss to Rutgers. He’s averaging 18.9 ppg on the season while shooting a career-high 48.5% from the field and 40 percent on 3-pointers. |
| Juwan Gary | F | Sr. | 6-6/226 | Finished with 20 points in the loss to Rutgers, two shy of matching his career high. That marked his 11th double-figure scoring effort of the year and second 20-point game. |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | So. | 6-10/224 | Held scoreless on 0-4 shooting with two assists, two turnovers, and four fouls over his 21 minutes of work against Rutgers. His +/- of 10 still ranked second on the team. |
| Braxton Meah | F | Sr. | 7-1/264 | He made all three of his shot attempts to finish with six points, six rebounds, and a blocked shot over 17 minutes of work in the loss to Rutgers. |
Maryland projected starters
| Ja’Kobi Gillespie | G | Fr. | 6-6/215 | Belmont transfer who is averaging 13.9 ppg on 47 percent shooting, including 41 percent from 3-point range. He also leads UMD with 4.3 apg) and 1.7 spg. |
| Rodney Rice | G | Sr. | 6-4/210 | He’s scoring 12.4 points per game while ranking second on the team with 2.4 assists per game this season. |
| Selton Miguel | G | Fr. | 6-10/200 | He’s averaging 11.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while starting all 18 contests for Maryland this season. |
| Julian Reese | F | Fr. | 6-7/205 | All-Big Ten selection who is averaging 13.2 ppg on 58 percent shooting and leads Maryland in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and blocked shots (1.3 bpg). |
| Derik Queen | C | Fr. | 6-10/275 | A true freshman who leads Maryland in scoring with 15.8 ppg on 56 percent shooting while hauling in 8.1 rebounds per game. |
3 keys to victory
Defend the 3
It really doesn’t matter who Nebraska is playing – the Huskers’ 3-point defense has become a critical concern over its three-game losing streak. Iowa (17), Purdue (19), and Rutgers (12) combined to hit a whopping 48 threes. That’s 16.0 made 3-pointers per game. Head coach Fred Hoiberg said after the Rutgers loss that it wasn’t a schematic issue but that his team needed to defend the perimeter with better effort and consistency. To prevent today from becoming a repeat performance, Nebraska better be locked in with its close-outs, rotations, and contests from start to finish. Maryland comes in ranked fifth in the Big Ten, shooting at a 35.9% clip from behind the arc. Again, the opponent won’t matter if NU cannot make life more difficult on teams from deep. The Huskers currently rank 358th out of 364 Division I teams, with 49.8% of their opponent scoring coming off 3-pointers.
Battle on the boards
One area that has made Maryland such a tough matchup this season is how effective the Terrapins have been on the glass this season. UMD ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding (37.3 rpg) out-rebounds its opponents by more than five rebounds per game. Big men Julian Reese (fifth, 8.7 rpg) and Derik Queen (seventh, 8.1) rank among the Big Ten’s top rebounders, with Reese tied for first in the league with 3.2 offensive boards per game. The Huskers just gave up 17 offensive rebounds for 19 second-chance points against Rutgers. If they can’t finish defensive possessions with strong rebounding, it could be another long day on the defensive end.
How much do you want it?
Ace Bailey’s voice better still echo through the heads of every Nebraska player today at Maryland. The Scarlet Knights’ stellar freshman called the Huskers out repeatedly during Thursday night’s game, yelling, “We want it more than them!” Juwan Gary said that added salt to the Huskers’ wounds. It also forced them to look into the mirror after a third consecutive Big Ten defeat. For NU to get its season back on track, it must play like the team that wants it more. In two of their past three losses (Iowa and Rutgers), they’ve left feeling like they were the better team. They just didn’t finish the job. Today’s game will measure what this team is all about. Their effort and intensity at Maryland will say plenty about the chances of getting this train back on the tracks.
Quotable
“That’s all I kept hearing Ace Bailey say tonight. ‘We want it more.’ That hurt as a player. I know no team wants it more than my guys, for sure. But they proved it today.”
Senior forward Juwan Gary on Rutgers’ star Ace Bailey’s comments during Nebraska’s loss on Thursday night.
Prediction
Maryland (-9.5) 81, Nebraska 71
Robin’s season record: 14-2
Vs. the spread: 8-8
Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.
On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.
During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.
After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.

Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.
According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”
Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.
“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.
“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.
Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.
“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.
Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.
“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”
Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.
“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”
Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.
“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.
Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.
“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.
“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.
—
Watch breaking news unfold on our livestream. Download the First Alert 6 streaming app to your TV or find us in your favorite streaming platform.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.
Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.
ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year
“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”
Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.
The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.
His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”
Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Oklahoma1 week agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology6 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making