Many hoped that after Nebrasketball’s valiant effort against number 13 Illinois on the road, the Huskers’ away game woes would be behind them. That proved not to be the case, as The Big Red fell 80-68 to the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Nebraska falls to 16-8 on the year and 6-7 in the Big Ten.
These two sides entered tonight’s game with practically identical resumes. The only difference is that Nebraska defeated the Cats at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Northwestern came into the contest willing to do everything in their power to avenge that loss.
Northwestern flat-out outhustled and outplayed the Huskers for 40 minutes Wednesday night. Many of the problems we’ve seen Nebraska endure on the road occurred in Evanston.
The Big Red were outrebounded by seven rebounds and grabbed ten fewer offensive boards than the Wildcats. NU also could not control the basketball. 26 Northwestern points came off of 17 Nebraska turnovers.
Nebraska also did not find its mark from the three-point line. The Huskers entered tonight with one of the best three-point percentages in the Big Ten and averaged close to 10 threes a game. The Big Red went 33% from beyond the arc, hitting six threes.
Nebraska fell victim to the hot shooting of Boo Bouie in half one. The All-Big Ten guard had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and hit four threes. Bouie’s shot-making propelled the Wildcats to a 47-31 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Out of the locker room, Fred Hoiberg and his staff made a key adjustment, handing the duties of guarding Bouie to forward Juwan Gary. When Gary was on the court, Bouie scored two points.
Unfortunately for the Big Red, NW found offense elsewhere. Sophomore Nick Martinelli scored 15 second-half points, keeping the Cats afloat during struggles.
Nebraska made the game interesting down the stretch, threatening comeback runs like we’ve seen them pull off against Wisconsin and Illinois this season; one play absent for that run was forward Juwan Gary. Gary was a bright spot for the Big Red, imposing his will in the paint, leading the Huskers with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting while locking down one of the best scorers in the country. But Gary’s aggression on defense came back around to bite him as he fouled out with over five minutes left in the contest.
Nebraska’s next opportunity for a Big Ten win will come Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena against the Michigan Wolverines.