After a two-game road trip, Nebraska men’s basketball returns home Tuesday night to face Oregon.
On Monday, the Huskers moved up two spots in the AP Top 25 to number eight. The No. 8 ranking is tied for the highest mark in program history, reached previously on Feb. 21, 1966.
The 8 p.m. tip will be televised on Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler and Bruce Weber on the call.
The Ducks are just 1-4 in Big Ten play this season. Despite the record, Oregon has Nebraska’s full attention.
“They’re coming off a road trip where they really had a chance to win both games,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They win at Maryland and then have the overtime game at Rutgers. This team has played really good basketball for a lot of stretches.”
Scouting the Ducks
Oregon star guard Jackson Shelstad has missed the last three games and is questionable to play Tuesday night.
“He’s certainly one of the most dynamic players in this league,” Hoiberg said. “He can do it all. He’s a blur, he’s a jet in transition, he can shoot it, he’s a really good passer, he’s experienced. He does a lot of things for this Oregon team.”
The junior from West Linn, Oregon, is averaging 15.6 points per game and was a third-team All-Big Ten performer as a sophomore.
“He’s a guy that we got to have a great awareness to whenever he is on the floor,” Hoiberg continued.
In conference play, Oregon leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounding at 13.8 per game and ranks 22nd in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (37.9%) per KenPom.
The Ducks’ size and physicality will be a challenge for the Huskers. Kwame Evans Jr., a 6-10 junior, leads the Ducks with 7.6 rebounds per game. Nate Bittle, a 7-foot senior, is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game in conference play.
“We are going to need some size and physicality out there on the floor,” Hoiberg said. “We just need our guys to go out and play with force and continue to play with an edge … We are a good basketball team when we play with that edge. When we don’t, we’re just not good enough.”
Bittle is second in the conference in blocks per game (2.3). As a team, their 13.1 blocked shot percentage ranks 38th nationally.
”We have to make smart plays in the paint against this team,” Hoiberg said. “They’re so long and athletic. If we go in there and challenge, it’s going to be a block party.”
Keys To the Game
There are two major keys against Oregon. The first is finishing possessions on the defensive end.
“Length is going to be a big part of this. We have to play with great physicality in this game,” Hoiberg said. “ If we let them establish the glass early, that’s when they are at their best.”
The Huskers are going to be undersized if they can limit the Ducks second chance points. Junior Sean Stewart is among the nation’s best in offensive rebounding percentage. The 6-9 forward ranks 44th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (14.9).
“They start three guys that are 6-10 or taller,” Rienk Mast said. “We’ve talked about it. It’s going to be a big challenge on the boards. We’ve had some challenges this year already on the boards. We know we have to focus on it.
“It’s going to be a challenge, especially our guards are going to be huge and rebounding down. I think me and BK (Berke Büyüktuncel) are going to be pretty locked up, and if we can get our guards to just get the ball if I don’t get rebounds, if I can just prevent them from getting it and our guards rebound down, that’d be great.”
The second is executing the curl actions Nebraska has used with success against teams like Michigan State to take the shot blockers, particularly Bittle, away from the rim when the Huskers have the ball.
“Our ability to get into the paint, play off two feet and then read the defense and play from there (will be key,” Hoiberg saod. “Their length, their athleticism, it poses a lot of problems.”
