Gophers men’s basketball at Nebraska game preview: Broadcast info and analysis
Marcus Fuller’s breakdown: The Gophers haven’t won in Lincoln in more than a decade but need to start stacking road victories Sunday to boost their NCAA tournament résumé.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 24, 2024 at 10:56PM
at Nebraska, Pinnacle Bank Arena, 5:30 p.m. Sunday
TV; radio: BTN; 100.3 FM
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Marcus Fuller’s preview:
Opening bell: The Gophers (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten) had arguably their best all-around offensive performance in Big Ten play with Thursday’s 88-79 win against Ohio State at the Barn. They scored their most points in a regulation Big Ten game since beating Nebraska 107-75 in 2019-20. They shot 50% from the field, 77% on free throws and 42% from three. The frontcourt duo of Pharrel Payne and Dawson Garcia combined for 37 points to complement point guard Elijah Hawkins’ career-high 24 points. Can that offense travel Sunday to Nebraska? The Cornhuskers (19-8, 9-7) are coming off an impressive road win at Indiana where they led by 20 points at halftime. They got a combined 72 points from Keisei Tominaga, Jamarques Lawrence, Brice Williams and Juwan Gary.
Watch him: Tominaga is averaging 19.6 points and is 15-for-33 from three (45.5%) in his last five games, including 20 points at Indiana. You can bet the Gophers will quickly come off the bench to guard Tominaga with Braeden Carrington, who held him to just four points on 0-for-5 shooting from the field in the Gophers’ 76-65 win Dec. 6 against Nebraska.
Injuries: None.
Forecast: The Gophers are facing must-win territory for their realistic NCAA tournament hopes. They have three Quad 1 games left in the regular season starting Sunday. The other two opportunities are also on the road at Illinois on Feb. 28 and at Northwestern on March 9. The Huskers have one of the toughest venues to play at in the Big Ten. They are 16-1 at home this season (only loss to Creighton), including 8-0 in league play. The Gophers last won in Lincoln in 2012. They’re 0-9 at Nebraska since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013.
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