Nebraska
Takeaways from Maryland men’s basketball’s 69-66 win over Nebraska
Maryland men’s basketball narrowly escaped Nebraska, 69-66, Sunday at Xfinity Center.
The Terps led by nine points with less than four minutes remaining, but a 9-0 Nebraska run tied the score with a minute remaining.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Queen’s up-and-down season continued
Less than a week ago, Derik Queen posted a season-high 27 points in a win over Minnesota, but followed it up with a nine-point, five-turnover performance against Northwestern Thursday. Instead of bouncing back, Queen’s stock continued to fall as he failed to make a single shot en route to a season-low three points.
His defensive play against Northwestern was heavily criticized, as he was consistently out of position and often did not keep up with his defensive assignment as they moved off-ball.
While his defensive effort marginally improved against the Cornhuskers, he was a nonfactor on offense. He did not command the ball on post-ups and lacked aggression when faced with a mismatch, resulting in his 0 for 4 shooting performance. And although he is a talented passer and recorded two assists Sunday, his turnover rate is far too high. He is occasionally careless with the ball and tries difficult moves that he has not perfected yet. He is averaging four turnovers per game over the last four games, including three Sunday.
Head coach Kevin Willard responded, benching Queen for eight of the final 10 minutes Sunday in favor of Jordan Geronimo, who played just two minutes against Northwestern.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel and Julian Reese picked up the slack, but Queen cannot put up duds if Maryland wants to consistently beat high-level opponents and win on the road.
Turnovers stalled the Terps’ offense
Maryland has protected the ball well throughout the season, committing 10.6 turnovers per game entering Sunday, fourth-fewest in the Big Ten. But the last three games have been a different story; the Terps committed 16 turnovers against then-No. 22 UCLA, 16 at Northwestern and 12 against Nebraska.
While Maryland started the game shooting 2-of-8 from the field, it took care of the ball — committing just two turnovers, both by Derik Queen — in the first 10 minutes, resulting in a five-point lead. But then the Terps got sloppy. They committed six turnovers in the following 10 minutes, which led to a near-five-minute scoring drought and allowed Nebraska to take a five-point advantage of its own. During the drought, Maryland was called for a 5-second violation fresh out of a timeout, highlighting coaching and execution lapses.
Luckily for Maryland, the Cornhuskers were not too sharp either. They committed nine turnovers in the first half — 13 total — multiple of which were just poor decisions rather than impressive defensive plays. Juwan Gary, Nebraska’s second-leading scorer, twice threw uncontested passes straight to Gillespie.
While Maryland cleaned up these issues in the second half and has overcome them at home, it’s been part of their road struggles and something it will need to address.
Maryland stumped Nebraska’s stars
The Terps struggled to contain Northwestern’s leading scorers Nick Martinelli and Brooks Barnhizer Thursday. Martinelli scored 22 points on 64.3% shooting, including the game-winner, while Brooks dropped 20 points and five assists.
But on Sunday, Nebraska’s top three leading scorers were all held below their season averages. Brice Williams, who averaged the fifth-most points per game in the conference with 18.9 entering the game, was subjected to more of a play-making role against the Terps, who assigned Rice to him for much of the game. Williams finished with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and three assists.
Gary, coming off a 20-point game against Rutgers, posted one of his worst games of the season Sunday, recording just six points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and two turnovers. He averaged 12.1 points per game prior to the contest.
Connor Essegian, Nebraska’s leading scorer off the bench, also totaled just six points, more than five points below his season average.
But the Cornhuskers saw production from a different source off the bench. Forward Andrew Morgan, who entered the game averaging 7.9 points per game, scored 12 of Nebraska’s first 24 points and finished with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.
While Morgan kept the Cornhuskers in the game, struggles from their top players ultimately led to their demise.
I recently read an article by Nate McHugh of SB Nation that stated the last two “sure things” to bring Nebraska football back failed. The first “thing” is back coaching at UCF, and the second “thing” is now wearing an Oregon uniform. Because these two “sure things” failed, McHugh points to them as reasons for Husker fan’s frustration. But did he miss the third reason? If I’m not mistaken, the hiring of Matt Rhule felt like one of those “sure things” as well. But after the ‘mythical’ year three and disappointment it became clear Rhule’s hiring was anything but a “sure thing” for success.
Because of that fans are torn how they feel about Rhule. I’m one of them. I catch myself saying Rhule is the right guy for Nebraska and then quickly point out that his overall record as a head coach is 66-62. Clearly mediocre compared to Kyle Whittingham (177-88) or James Franklin (104-45). But Rhule hasn’t stayed anywhere long enough to truly establish himself like Whittingham or Franklin either.
See what I mean, I’m quick to point out his shortcomings but still believe he can make the Huskers relevant again. Where Husker fans struggle is that Rhule has in fact taken us to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2015-2016 yet allowed his team to get curb stomped by Penn State, Iowa, and Utah to end the season.
So, fans are leery going into the 2026 season. What are we going to get considering the schedule? The Huskers get Indiana, Washington, and Ohio State at home, and Oregon, Illinois, and Iowa on the road. While no game is a sure win, if they can’t notch victories against Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota, Michigan State, Maryland and Rutgers, then we’ll once again question if Rhule is the right man. Simply put, the fan base will be disappointed with another 6-6 season. Personally, with the coaching changes and improvement in talent, my expectation is a record of 7-5 or 8-4 on the season.
Tim Verghese of ‘Inside Nebraska’ got my attention last week when talking about fans giving recruits a negative vibe and possibly influencing their decision to commit to a program. He used Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M as an example. The fanbase was so negative about Fisher that it made recruits question how secure he was at A&M. Obviously recruits had reason to be worried.
Does that affect how I approach what I write or talk about? It does, but then again, I don’t think so much of myself to think it matters. I see myself as your typical fan. I’m just someone who shares their thoughts about Husker football. And frankly, like 50% or more of the fans, I’m torn between being supportive and negativity. We’ve been burned too many times and haven’t seen the things that we need to see to convince us a turnaround is about to happen. Whether it’s offense, defense, or beating the teams they are supposed to beat (Minnesota & Iowa) there just hasn’t been any consistency from Rhule’s teams. As fans we need to see Rhule’s teams win the games they are supposed to, then win the close games, and finally beat the teams they aren’t supposed to. Until we see Rhule’s teams take those steps, there will be doubt and a level of negativity.
As far as recruits are concerned, I don’t see Rhule going anywhere. He’s safe due to his contract, the investment being made on the stadium, and Trae Taylor making it clear he’s all ‘N’ as long as Matt Rhule is the head man. He may just be a senior in high school, but don’t think QB Trae Taylor doesn’t play a role here. He does. And I’m good with that. Taylor has the same expectations as the fans.
And no, those expectations aren’t too high. I’ve been a fan for over fifty years. The standard at Nebraska was set a long time ago. That standard hasn’t changed. Nebraska fans may be up and down on how they feel about Rhule, but they are consistent on their expectations. The standard is the standard and always will be.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photo courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE
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The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Friday, May 8, 2026.
Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on May 8.
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 8 drawing
8-0-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from May 8 drawing
01-03-12-24-26
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 8 drawing
Red Balls: 02-20, White Balls: 09-11
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning MyDay numbers from May 8 drawing
Month: 01, Day: 16, Year: 17
Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska Athletics announced Friday that the expansion of John Cook Arena is in full swing.
The Nebraska Athletics Capital Planning and Facilities Department posted to social media that the effort to modernize amenities and provide new seating options is well underway.
According to the athletic fund, the renovation will enhance Nebraska’s home-court advantage, modernize amenities and provide new premium and general seating options. This includes adding:
- New and improved seats with cup holders in each seat.
- A new centralized student section.
- New and improved courtside seating with both end court and side court locations available. The Courtside Lounge offers access pregame and during intermission and includes private restrooms, televisions and all-inclusive gourmet food, beverage and alcohol.
- New Loge Box seating with hospitality lounge with access pregame and during intermission, including access to private restrooms, televisions and all-inclusive gourmet food and beverage with a cash bar.
- Libero Club seating replaces the VIP seats. Located in the back row of the 100 level, seats include access to the Libero Club Lounge pregame and during intermission complete with televisions and all-inclusive gourmet food and soft drinks with a cash bar.
- Additional ADA seating with new vantage points and easier access from around the concourse.
The Husker Athletic Fund announced the first-ever reseating and parking process in October 2025. It is timed to coincide with the renovation of the arena to increase overall capacity to 10,000.
For more information about the reseating process, click here.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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