Nebraska men’s basketball lost to Michigan 49-46 Monday night in Lincoln.
It was a slugfest, rock right, or whatever word you prefer to describe a game in which both teams combined to make 34 shots on 123 attempts.
It was also a defensive masterclass, a grown man’s game played with physicality and without fouling by both teams for the majority of the game.
“That was a very legally physical game,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “I thought both teams were disciplined without reaching. They put their chest on each other and really challenged everything. I thought their game plan was excellent to take away what we do well.”
Nebraska played with tremendous effort, toughness and spirit on the defensive end of the floor. Their communication was great, their rotations were crisp, they stayed connected to shooters and had high hands to defend the skip passes that have given them problems at times to create wide-open 3s on the opposite end of the floor.
“I am proud of the team,” Fred Hoiberg said. “I am proud of the guys for going out there and giving us a chance when you had about as poor of an offensive night as you can possibly have. The ball doesn’t go in the basket, it’s not easy to continue to go out there and have a spirit defensively, but our guys fought like hell all game long to keep us in the game.”
Nebraska held Michigan, a team that was 26th in offensive efficiency in the country and averaged 80.8 points per game, to a season-low 49 on 29.5% shooting. The Wolverines’ previous low was 62 against Michigan State on Feb. 12. The 25 Michigan points in the first half was a season low. The 49 points allowed were the Huskers second-lowest total of the season.
Michigan held Nebraska, a team that was averaging 75.7 points per game, to just 46 points, its season low as well.
“We’ve played in a lot of games like this, where you’ve just got to figure out a way to get a few in the hole and figure out a way to get to the line,” May said. “When you do, you’ve got to capitalize enough to win. It’s hard-fought. It’s tooth and nail. I thought both teams had a couple of good looks down the stretch, but they’ve exerted so much energy on the glass with the physicality, and it’s not easy to knock them down in this type of defensive slugfest.”
Everyone for Nebraska outside of Brice Williams just didn’t have it on the offensive end. Huskers not named Williams were a combined 1-of-19 and 0-of-13 from 3 in the first half and finished the game just 7-of-41 from the field.
It was the 26th game of the season where Williams scored in double figures and his 15th 20-point game of the year.
Williams finished with 26 points, and his 22nd point gave him 1,000 for his Huskers career. He’s the 32nd player in school history to go over 1,000 points and just the fourth Husker to do it in two seasons or less, joining Terran Petteway, James Palmer Jr. and Dave Hoppen.
“A lot of experience scoring the ball,” Williams said of surpassing the 1,000-point mark. “And my dad always preached poise. That’s how I am, just having a calm demeanor. It’s a cool accomplishment.”
After Williams scored 18 of the team’s 21 first-half points, Michigan adjusted. He shot 2-of-8 in the second half, in part because Michigan denied his catches and pushed him off spots more. The Wolverines moved their bigs higher than they typically show and extended two defenders in ball screen action to get the ball out of his hands.
Neither team is great at valuing possessions to begin with, and this defensive effort didn’t help. Coming into the game, Michigan ranked 351st in the county in non-steal turnovers. Of the 14 Michigan turnovers, nine of them were of the non-steal variety.
Nebraska came into the game 277th in the country in non-steal turnovers. Of the 11 Nebraska turnovers, six of them were not steals.
It was an unbelievable defensive effort by both teams and a toughness, a bring-your-lunch-pail game that just didn’t go Nebraska’s way.
“I told the guys how proud I was of them for how they played,” Hoiberg said. “From playing this game, when the ball is not going in the basket, when you are missing shots you make a lot of times, it is not easy to continue to battle and defend and keep yourself in the game on the other end, but our guys did that. If we have that type of fight these next three games, we’re going to be fine and we’re going to be playing in the postseason, and that can’t change. Offensively, yes, we need to be better. I think we will be better, but that defensive effort and intensity and edge that we had tonight has to be the same for these remaining three games.”
With three games left, the Huskers need to find a way to win at least two of their next three with Saturday afternoon in Lincoln against Minnesota as the ultimate must-win game of the season.
