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Big Ten Basketball: Matt Painter climbs wins ladder, Rutgers sets records

By Daniel Benjamin

Nov 16, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) talks with head coach Matt Painter (right) during the second half against the Wright State Raiders at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) talks with head coach Matt Painter (right) during the second half against the Wright State Raiders at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big Ten Basketball Nebraska Cornhuskers Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Big Ten Basketball Nebraska Cornhuskers Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

Nebraska Tidbits

  • Nebraska has lost eight of nine, with each of those losses coming to power-5 conference teams. The Cornhuskers have not beaten a power-5 conference team in 16 games.
  • The Cornhuskers rank 53rd in the nation in pace with 73 possessions a game, and they love to shoot 3-pointers, with nearly 41% of their attempts coming from long distance.
  • NU ranks 340th in scoring defense as they allow at 74.1 points a game, and that has increased 85.8 points in league play as Big Ten opponents are shooting 50% from the field and 46.3% from beyond the arc. The Huskers are forcing a league-best 15.1 turnovers a game.
  • Derrick Walker is having a career season, and he has taken advantage of the Huskers’ tweaking their offense recently. The 6-8 forward has produced one double-double and scored in double-figures in each of the last four games, averaging 13.1 points along with 5.2 caroms and 2.0 steals while shooting 68.5% from the field (24-35) during this stretch. Walker is one of two conference players along with Iowa’s Keegan Murray to average at least one steal and one block.
  • Walker is also one of nine players shooting over 70% from the field and free-throw line. Walker will finish with the highest field goal percentage in program history if he continues at the current pace.
  • Alonzo Verge Jr., an Arizona State transfer, is producing a career-high 5.6 assists a game but also turning the ball over a personal-high 3.6. He has three games of 10 or more assists this year.
  • Bryce McGowens is having an outstanding freshmen season. The 6-7 guard has scored in double-figures in 12 of 16 games, producing 15.5 points along with 5.5 boards for the season. He leads the Big Ten in minutes played and ranks in the top-12 in several other categories. McGowens is the first three-time Freshmen of the Week honoree in NU history.
  • In his first season in D-I, Sophomore guard Keisei Tominaga leads the Huskers with 29 triples while committing just six turnovers in 21.2 minutes a contest.
  •  Coach Fred Hoiberg on the hot seat? The Cornhuskers need two more victories to surpass their win total in each of the last two years. Hoiberg is 20-55 in his three years at NU.
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