Nebraska

The Huskers’ 2022 Schedule: A First-Quarter Review

Published

2 years ago

July 18, 2022

The Huskers’ 2022 Schedule: A First-Quarter Review

Faculty soccer followers know that every yr most each school soccer crew performs a 12-game schedule (excluding postseason play). Followers additionally know there are 4 quarters in every soccer recreation. In a shocking flash of genius (!), I’ve determined to evaluate the 2022 Husker soccer schedule in 4 segments – therefore the 4 quarters reference.

First up are Nebraska’s opening three opponents: Northwestern, North Dakota and Georgia Southern.

Recreation #1: Northwestern Wildcats (aka ‘The Duel in Dublin’)

Residence: Evanston, Ailing.
Convention: Massive Ten
Preseason Rating: Sixth (out of seven) within the Massive Ten West
Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald, seventeenth yr
2021 Document: 3-9
Recreation Date: Saturday, Aug. 27
Recreation Time: 11:30 a.m. CDT
Venue: Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Eire
Final Yr’s Recreation: 56-7 Husker win in Lincoln
Wildcat Transfers Misplaced: Eight
Transfers Gained: 5

Nebraska has to journey 4,047 miles to play a crew that’s simply 530 miles from Lincoln. If that is smart to you, please e mail me with the explanations you are feeling that method.

Final yr’s 56-7 win in Lincoln over the Wildcats ought to imply little for this recreation. Final yr’s blowout by the Huskers could also be simply an aberration. Why? As a result of Pat Fitzgerald can coach. He is completed it for the previous 16 years at Northwestern. Over the past 5 years his groups have gone 10-3, 9-5, 3-9, 7-2 and 3-9. NW has crushed Nebraska three out of the previous 5 seasons. Final yr, NW struggled all yr on either side of the ball. Will Fitzgerald have back-to-back shedding seasons? Do not wager on it. If Nebraska overlooks the Wildcats, they’ll achieve this at their very own peril.

Recreation #2: North Dakota Combating Hawks

Residence: Grand Forks, N.D.
Convention: Missouri Valley (FCS)
Head Coach: Bubba Schweigert, ninth yr
Final Yr’s Document: 5-6
Recreation Date: Saturday, Sept. 3
Recreation Time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Transfers Misplaced: 9
Transfers Gained: 10
Final Yr’s Recreation: DNP

The largest problem for the Huskers coming into this recreation often is the jet lag (six-hour distinction) the Huskers may endure after enjoying in Dublin the week earlier than. However the danger of jet lag to a 20-something yr previous soccer participant should not be an excessive amount of of an issue.

Observe: The Hawks have a few gamers from Nebraska on their roster: linebackers Marcus Vaughn-Jones from Omaha Creighton Prep and Kason Kelley from Millard North.

Suggestion: For a really very long time, North Dakota was generally known as the Combating Sioux. That mascot title was modified in 2015 as a result of it was deemed to be offensive. Be that as it could, I had an answer that might have helped hold the title in place (sorta) and can be politically right.

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How so, you ask?

Nebraska had an superior defensive sort out who was so nice, he completed close to the highest within the 2009 Heisman race. His title? Ndamukong Suh. All North Dakota needed to do was to get Suh’s permission to make use of his title and voila! ND would nonetheless be known as “The Combating Suh”! Good thought, no?

Recreation #3: Georgia Southern Eagles

Residence: Statesboro, Ga.
Convention: Solar Belt
Preseason Rating: Picked final within the Solar Belt East
Head Coach: Clay Helton, first yr
2021 Document: 3-9
Recreation Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
Recreation time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Transfers Gained: Seven
Transfers Misplaced: Not listed
Final Yr’s Recreation: DNP

The Eagles (to not be confused with the rock group) completed final yr with a 3-9 report – similar as Nebraska’s. However final yr, the Huskers have been going toe-to-toe with the likes of Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa whereas the GS Eagles confronted their Solar Belt Convention foes. To the Eagles’ credit score, although, they did play nonconference video games with Arkansas and BYU, shedding to each. Different Solar Belt groups embody Marshall and Appalachian State – each of that are ranked forward of Nebraska in 2022.

This yr, Georgia Southern will come to Lincoln with a quarterback who is aware of what it is prefer to play in Memorial Stadium. Kyle Vantrease performed final yr when his Buffalo Bulls crew misplaced Nebraska 28-3. Vantrease did not have a spectacular passing day (27-50-1 for 224 yards). However the Buffalo switch will convey some much-needed expertise when his Eagle crew, led by former USC coach Clay Helton, involves Lincoln in September.

Subsequent week we’ll take a look at Oklahoma, Indiana and Rutgers.

RB ‘Stepps’ Down

Working again Markese Stepp (’21 switch from USC) has determined to depart the Husker soccer program. Stepp joins an extended listing of Husker working backs who’ve made early exits up to now 4 years. Late final yr, the Huskers misplaced two RBs: Sevion Morrison and Marvin Scott III. For no matter cause, there was a revolving door of working backs.

How ’Bout Them Huskers

This week’s podcast options an interview grandson Will and I did with former Husker O-lineman Russ Hochstein (pronounced HOKE-styne). Russ talks about how and why he determined to play for Nebraska and what he needed to undergo to get drafted by the NFL. Hochstein performed at Nebraska from 1997-2000. He obtained a nationwide championship ring in ’97 at Nebraska and two Tremendous Bowl rings when he was with the New England Patriots. Please do not miss this episode!

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Nebraska

Nebraska governor to undergo rib surgery after horse-riding incident – Washington Examiner

Published

1 hour ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska governor to undergo rib surgery after horse-riding incident – Washington Examiner

Gov. Jim Pillen (R-NE) will undergo a rib fixation procedure on Thursday after a horse bucked him off on Sunday.

Pillen, 68, will need to be under anesthesia while doctors install metal plates to stabilize his seven broken ribs. Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly will take on the role of acting governor during the surgery.

“Based on the Governor’s health profile and active lifestyle, his doctors consider him an ideal candidate for this procedure. Nebraska Medicine has emerged as a national leader in rib fixation operations,” the governor’s office wrote in a statement.

Today, the Governor’s office issued the following update regarding Governor Jim Pillen’s condition:
“Governor Pillen’s recovery at Nebraska Medicine has progressed well. There have been no new issues regarding the injuries to his kidney and lung, and his spleen continues to heal…
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— Governor Jim Pillen (@TeamPillen) December 26, 2024

The governor was riding a new horse with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter when he fell. In addition to his rib fractures, he suffered a partially collapsed lung, lacerations on his spleen and kidney, and a minor vertebrae fracture.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“Gov. Pillen remains grateful for the exceptional care he is receiving by the team at Nebraska Medicine and thanks Nebraskans for their outpouring of support to him and his family during this time,” Pillen’s office wrote.

This surgery will result in Pillen remaining in the hospital for a few days following his surgery. He is prepared to continue to work from his hospital bed.

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Nebraska

Merry Christmas: Nebraska wins Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii

Published

10 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Merry Christmas: Nebraska wins Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii

For the first time since the San Juan Shootout in 2000, the Nebraska men’s basketball program has an in-season tournament championship.

Led by Brice Williams’ 25 points (6-of-6 at the free-throw line), seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, the Huskers picked up a 78-66 win over the Oregon State Beavers on Christmas Day.

NU (10-2, 1-1 in Big Ten) now gets to leave Honolulu with the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic title.

“As we said to our guys, we just don’t get a whole lot of opportunities in your life to play for championships, and this was a big tournament for us,” head coach Fred Hoiberg told Huskers Radio Network after the game.

Notable perks to a tournament win like this includes picking up a true road win over host Hawaii and a Quad 1 victory (for now) on a neutral site over Oregon State, which came into the game with a NET rating of 43 (Nebraska’s was 52).

“Just really proud of the guys for finding a way to muster up the energy and play, I thought, our best stretch of basketball those last five minutes,” Hoiberg said.

That five minutes Hoiberg reference had a lot to do with strong defense and Williams.

NU’s defense held OSU to just 40% shooting overall for the game, and the Huskers out-rebounded OSU 31-24 to become only the second team to out-rebound the Beavers this season. But OSU did connect on nine 3s that helped them hang around. Four different OSU players each made two triples.

But from the 5:32 mark of the second half when nursing a 61-56 lead, Williams took over and showed everyone he was the best player on the court. The 6-7 guard scored 11 points in the stretch, including five game-sealing free throws. He outscored OSU 11-10.

Williams has scored 57 points the last two games, with tonight’s 25 and Monday’s 32. He averaged 22 points per game in three games and earned tournament MVP honors.

“I was just aggressive, I wanted to let my defense lead to offense,” Williams said after the game. “I came out hot and my team kind of took it from there.”

The game was a low-scoring, back-and-forth affair that featured scoring runs and scoring droughts for both sides. Neither team ever took control until Williams did his thing.

NU never trailed by more than four points in the first half and took a 34-32 lead into the break. There were 13 lead changes in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

Multiple Huskers stepped up late to help NU take command. Sam Hoiberg made his third 3 of the season to put NU up 48-47. Andrew Morgan was another bench player who made an impact as his and-1 paint bucket extended the Husker lead to 51-49.

One player who had maybe his best night as a Husker was Berke Buyuktuncel. The 6-10 big who’s been playing through minor injuries showed off a variety of skill sets that made him one of the top international prospects coming out in his signing class.

Buyuktuncel finished with a career-high 16 points and made three 3s, also a new career mark. He played defense and rebounded too, collecting six with one offensive board which turned into an and-1 putback.

Buyuktuncel scored eight points in both the first and second half.

“Both ends. I thought two days ago, versus Hawaii, we finished off the game with him at the five, and he battles those fives as well as anybody on our team,” Hoiberg said of Buyuktuncel. “Him knocking down those shots in the first half, that’s a game changer for us. Hopefully he can get it going and it’ll give him confidence. When Berke can knock down threes, that’s just opens up a whole other new opportunities for us to run different plays to get him going.”

Buyuktuncel had success bullying his way into the paint and finishing. His and-1 where he grabbed an offensive board and sank the putback while being fouled pushed NU to a 54-51 lead. Not long after, he was running the court with Williams and hit a transition layup to put NU up by six points, 57-51.

Those plays helped a 10-2 run that extended the Husker lead to 61-53. But the Beavers never went away and NU’s offense went cold. During one stretch, it missed six of seven shots. That allowed OSU to cut its 8-point deficit in half.

But then Williams put the Beavers away. NU went on an 11-3 run to end the game.

Williams, along with Buyuktuncel, were named to the all-tournament team. Williams averaged 22 points on 56% shooting along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in NU’s three games.

Hoiberg becomes the second head coach to win the Diamond Head Classic twice. His first win came while he was coaching Iowa State in 2013.

UP NEXT

Nebraska has one non-conference game left before diving into Big Ten play the rest of the season. The Huskers host Southern on Monday night with a late tip of 8 p.m.

Southern is currently 5-7 and riding a three-game losing streak. Earlier this season, Southern led Texas A&M at halftime, 39-25, before losing 71-54.

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Nebraska

NBA Draft: Nebraska’s Brice Williams Emerging as Promising Scorer in 2025 Draft Class

Published

21 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

NBA Draft: Nebraska’s Brice Williams Emerging as Promising Scorer in 2025 Draft Class

As one of the most underrated scorers in this year’s draft class, Nebraska senior wing Brice Williams has quietly put together a strong case to be selected in the upcoming draft. He had a solid first year with the Cornhuskers last season after transferring from Charlotte, but he has truly broken out through the first 11 games of his final year of eligibility. While his offensive game has been efficient and effective so far, there are still several aspects of his all-around play that need continued improvement as he enters conference play.

Let’s break down Williams’ play so far this season, focusing on how his scoring potential could draw interest both as a whole and in his most recent outing against Hawaii.

Through his first 11 games of the year, Williams has averaged 19.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals on promising shooting splits of 49.6%/45%/90.3%. While his ability to score from all over the floor has been very intriguing, he has also made noticeable strides in drawing fouls, leading to almost guaranteed points from the free throw line. Continuing to post big scoring nights in conference play could be the key to his rise up draft boards, and his most recent performance against Hawaii offers hope that he could be ready.

In Nebraska’s 69-55 victory over Hawaii at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Williams finished with a season-high 32 points, along with two rebounds, three assists and two steals. He did an excellent job of staying in attack mode throughout the game, constantly hunting for open space to get off shots. His efficiency on high volume stood out as he shot 55.6% from the field while tying a season-high with 18 attempts. Williams also connected on 4-of-5 attempts from three-point range and earned eight attempts from the free throw line, where he did not miss.

32-POINT SEMIFINAL PERFORMANCE 🤯
Brice Williams with a massive game to send @HuskerMBB to the Diamond Head Classic championship game ‼️#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/Xk40OQ5BMM
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 24, 2024

This game highlighted his off-ball movement, as he navigated to his spots on the perimeter and found clear lanes to the rim. He knocked down several threes by losing his man on screens, taking one dribble to solidify his looks and hitting the jumpers with impressive touch. While his movement off the ball looked strong, his mechanics on catch-and-shoot opportunities were also clean and consistent.

Outside of his scoring ability, Williams has areas to improve if he wants to earn a shot at the next level. While he has enough athleticism to elevate for jumpers and defend at a serviceable level in college, he will need to find other ways to become a more versatile player. His passing and rebounding have flashed at times this year, but the consistency has been lacking. These concerns also extend to his defense; while he can stay with ball-handlers at a decent rate, his lack of ground coverage and switchability remain concerns.

In summary, Brice Williams has proven to be one of the more underrated offensive prospects in this year’s draft class. His scoring ability, particularly his efficiency and versatility as a shooter, positions him as a potential high-ceiling player who could contribute immediately at the next level. While there are areas of his game—particularly his passing, rebounding and defense—that need further development, his recent performance against Hawaii demonstrates that he has the potential to be a game-changer when he’s locked in. If he can continue to improve in these areas and maintain his offensive production throughout conference play, Williams could very well see his stock rise as the draft approaches.

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