The Cornhuskers wear the Crown. The Nebraska men’s basketball team won the inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament with a 77-66 win over UCF Sunday in Las Vegas. The Huskers shook off the disappointment of missing the NCAA Tournament after a five-game losing streak by winning four straight games in a week as Nebraska won its second-ever postseason tournament. The Huskers also won the 1996 NIT.
Nebraska led most of the first half, building a lead as large as 12, 23-11, midway through the half. A late surge by the Knights erased the Huskers’ lead and sent the teams to the halftime locker room tied at 35. UCF carried that momentum into the second half, scoring the first 14 points of the period. But Nebraska responded, scoring the next 11 points to cut the Knights’ lead to 49-46 with 12:19 remaining. After a UCF three, the Huskers scored the next 13 points and never trailed after that.
Brice Williams set the NU single-season scoring record with 713 points, passing James Palmer Jr.’s 708 points in 2018-19. Williams led the Huskers with 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Juwan Gary contributed 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting along with eight rebounds. Connor Essegian added 21 points off the bench on 8-for-16 shooting. Jordan Ivy-Curry led UCF in scoring with 29 points on 12-for-22 shooting.
Nebraska outshot UCF, 48 percent to 40 percent. The Huskers outshot the Knights from behind the arc as well, as NU was 9-for-21 from three-point range while UCF was 7-for-29. Nebraska’s ball movement helped set up those shots. The Huskers ended the game with 20 assists, compared to eight by the Knights.
Nebraska ends the season 21-14. The team earns $300,000 for the NIL for winning the tournament.