Takeaways: Northwestern 78, Nebraska 63
Two days after a gut wrenching win over Wisconsin, Northwestern went on the road to Lincoln and brought home a 78-63 win over Nebraska.
After Boo Buie and Chase Audige combined to play 76 minutes against the Badgers, Ty Berry put the Wildcats on his back and shot the lights out early. Berry led all scorers with 26 points, dropping 21 in the first half alone. Then Audige came on in the second half with to close out the victory.
Nebraska came out and punched Northwestern in the mouth early before Berry got going. Point guard Keisei Tominaga started the game firing on all cylinders, putting up 15 points in the game's first 11 minutes. Tominaga's hot start fueled Nebraska, which took a 25-22 lead.
But a 21-5 Northwestern run over the final eight minutes of the first half secured a 13-point lead that the Wildcats never relinquished.
Tominaga cooled off after his hot start and only scored seven points in the final 29 minutes to finish with 22 on the night. For Northwestern, Buie and Audige found their rhythm in the second half. Buie was a steady presence all night on his way to 17 points, while Audige scored all 15 of his points in the second half.
Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's road win over Nebraska that improved the Wildcats' record to 14-5 on the season and 5-3 in the Big Ten:
Ty Berry played his best game of the year at the perfect time: The importance of Berry's performance, especially in the first half, cannot be overstated. After great games from Buie and Audige against Wisconsin, it was clear that someone else needed to step up and carry the load early to prevent a loss at Nebraska.
The game started with all the ingredients for an upset with a seemingly unstoppable Tominaga, sloppy offense from the Wildcats and a slow start from their stars.
Enter Ty Berry. The shooting guard delivered his season high at the perfect time, overcoming a hot Husker start singlehandedly and securing the win for the Wildcats by hitting all five of his three-pointers and piling up 21 of his 26 points in the first half. He finished 10-of-17 shooting, including 6 of 12 from long range.
This stretch of games to make up for Northwestern's COVID postponements is going to be a grind, and Berry bought the Wildcats a win and some much needed slack for the fatigue of the starting lineup.
Berry's explosion bought Audige and Buie time to find their rhythm, and Northwestern's three-headed monster combined for 58 of the 78 total points scored. When Nebraska threatened to cut the lead down to single digits late, Audige made a late push to get the lead back to 14 with a putback dunk and a layup off a strong cut to the basket.
Northwestern's backcourt delivered when they were needed most yet again. When Berry is clicking this team is just so hard to stop.
The Cats rotation was thin without Roper: Julian Roper II was out tonight with an ankle injury he suffered against Wisconsin, and all eyes were on head coach Collins to see how he'd fill the 20 minute-hole in his rotation. The answer was to replace Roper in the aggregate by distributing his minutes throughout his preexisting rotation.
Nick Martinelli played in his second straight game as part of the effort to replace Roper, and logged a pair of competitive minutes in the first half and finished with four points, a rebound and a steal, but also had two turnovers. It does not look like Collins will lean on the freshman too heavily to pick up the slack.
The Wildcats established a substantial lead early in the second half, reaching as high as 23, so Martinelli played 11 minutes, but that's probably going to stand as his season high for minutes.
Berry's stellar play and the swarming defense did give some Wildcats a chance to catch their breath. Robbie Beran finished with no points in just 24 minutes and got a well-earned breather for a forward who has logged heavy minutes, often playing small-ball center when the Wildcats play the Big Ten's heavy hitters.
Audige and Buie still recorded 34 and 35 minutes, respectively. They did get a bit of a respite with their offensive workload, only combining for 20 shots. That doesn't sound like much of a day off, but they average 27 on the season.
The Cats are road warriors: Northwestern moved to 4-1 on the road this season, and 3-1 on the road in the Big Ten. Nebraska is on track for another disappointing season in the Big Ten's cellar, but Collins will be swift to remind fans that he'll take Big Ten road wins anywhere he can get them.
"To win on the road in this league is not easy," Collins said postgame on FS2. "We're happy with the win."
After years of struggling with tough environments and tight games, this season's Wildcats have shown an ability to stay calm and composed under fire on the road. Winning at Nebraska pales in comparison to victories at Assembly Hall or the Breslin Center, but two days after winning a rock fight against Wisconsin, it was still impressive.
The Wildcats will have their road reputation put to the test with trips to Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin over their next six games, but right now teams don't want to see the Wildcats walk through their arena door.
Northwestern took care of business: Pick a stat in this one, and the Wildcats dominated.
If fans were worried about an emotional letdown after the grueling win over Wisconsin, the Wildcats quickly assuaged those fears by beating the Huskers for the seventh straight time. Northwestern outshot Nebraska from the field, behind the arc and at the line. They outrebounded the Huskers 35-23 and scored 16 second-chance points to Nebraska's four.
Northwestern was the better team, and they played like it. The Wildcats are starting to build some momentum and have picked up a pair of wins through the first third of their stretch of six games in 13 days to get back to normalcy after COVID postponements.
The Wildcats now stand tied for third in the Big Ten with Michigan, and will host last-place Minnesota this Saturday.