Cats looking for seventh straight win over Nebraska
Northwestern pulled off an impressive victory over Wisconsin on Monday in the first game back from an eight-day COVID pause, but there is no time to celebrate. The Wildcats are back in action, looking for their seventh straight win against Nebraska on Wednesday night in Lincoln (6 p.m. CT, FS2).
The long-awaited return from the forced vacation went about as well as possible for the Cats (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten) as they shook off the rust to eke out a gritty 66-63 win over the Badgers. The game featured 16 lead changes in the second half and went all the way down to the wire, but Northwestern pulled it out, something that the team has failed to do several times over the past few seasons.
Northwestern had a six-point edge at halftime, but the Badgers wiped that out with an 8-0 run to start the second half and the battle was on. Injuries to Julian Roper II, who did not return to the game, and Ty Berry, who did, challenged the Wildcats' depth.
Then Tydus Verhoeven fouled out with more than nine minutes left after he posted five fouls in just five minutes (an extremely impressive feat). Head coach Chris Collins was forced to give Nick Martinelli his first minutes since November, and the freshman grabbed a critical rebound and gave the team some energy off the bench.
Boo Buie was the real star of the show, however. The senior finished with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Wildcats in all three categories. He also had only one turnover. Chase Audige scored seven of the Wildcats' first nine points and finished with 16. These were the only Wildcats in double figures, so their performances were clutch.
When talking about clutch performers, though, it would be a crime to ignore Matt Nicholson, who sunk five of six free throws, including two crucial makes with 2:18 left that gave Northwestern a two-point lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The case could be made that the Wildcats won this one from the charity stripe, where they made 16 of 18 shots, while the Badgers could convert just nine of their 16 chances. The Cats need to keep these sort of performances up as they continue to traverse the tightly-bunched Big Ten.
The Cats have beaten the Huskers six straight times since Jan. 11, 2020, but this could be the biggest one of them all as the Wildcats, currently in fourth place in the Big Ten, want to keep their newfound place near the top of the conference.
Nebraska (10-10, 3-6) is still a dangerous top 100 team in both the KenPom and NET rankings. Head coach Fred Hoiberg's squad took mighty Purdue to overtime and took down Ohio State, which, if you don't remember, gave Northwestern quite a beatdown on New Year's Day.
The Huskers rank 34th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, while the Wildcats rank 19th. So points may be hard to come by tonight at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Northwestern will have to keep an eye out for forward Derrick Walker, who leads the Huskers in both points (14.1) and rebounds (7.7) per game. Robbie Beran will need to be on his A-game as he is likely to match up with the 6-foot-9 senior.
Sam Griesel, who transferred to Nebraska after earning All-Summit league honors twice at North Dakota State, is a dangerous threat in the backcourt. The 6-foot-7 senior guard leads the Huskers with 4.1 assists per game and is averaging 11.3 points, scoring in double figures in each of his past seven games.
Northwestern may be able to run more of a small-ball line up in this game, which Collins has favored at times this season. Nebraska's two tallest players -- 6-foot-10 Wilhelm Breidenbach and 7-foot Oleg Kojenets -- average 14.3 and 2.8 minutes, respectively. Northwestern could use Beran at times at center to rest Nicholson and Verhoeven as necessary to keep the rotation fresh just two days after a taxing contest with Wisconsin.
Rest will be important for the Wildcats as they battle through this tightly condensed stretch of the schedule brought about by the COVID layoff. After flying back from Lincoln, Northwestern will host Minnesota on Saturday, the first of three games in a five-day period.