Nebraska men’s basketball will look to stop a four-game losing streak when the Huskers host Southern California on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT.
The Trojans are making their first trip to Lincoln since the 2012-13 season.
“Coming off the streak that we’re on right now, we’ve got to do everything in our power to get out of it,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “It’s an effort game. Physicality is going to be very important in this one. We’re excited to be back home and hopefully go out there and compete.”
The Huskers (12-6, 2-5 Big Ten) will face USC (11-7, 3-4 Big Ten) on Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler and Shon Morris on the call. The Huskers Radio Network will also carry the game with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call.
Nebraska is 8-1 at home this season, tying a program record with 20 consecutive home wins before last week’s loss to Rutgers. Over the past three years, Nebraska is 37-6 inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The four-game losing streak is the first for Nebraska since January of 2023.
“We went from being in a really good situation and a really good position to still having our goals right in front of us,” Hoiberg said. “A lot of teams have gone through three- to four-game losing streaks in this league. It happens, you’ve got to respond. You’ve got to keep going out there. One thing I really liked about the last game, I thought our defensive edge was back, and that’s got to be our constant. I’ve talked a lot about that.”
Defensive Numbers
Despite the losing streak, the Huskers still have a top-40 defense nationally. The Huskers are ranked 39th in the nation in defensive efficiency on KenPom.
The 3-point defense has been talked about a lot and the numbers aren’t great. They have given up 58 made 3s at a 47.5% rate, good for 14.5 per game. In the last four games, 49% (174 of 355) of Nebraska opponents’ points have come from behind the arc.
USC averages 35.2% of its points from 3-point range, good for just 97th in the nation. The Huskers rank 358th nationally in opponent 3-point field goal attempts and 178th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (33.5%).
The Trojans rank sixth in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (35.2%) for the entire season. In league play, USC is fifth in the conference with a 3-point field goal percentage of 35.9%. Nebraska is 16th in defensive 3-point percentage (38%) in conference play.
It hasn’t been just 3-point defense that has been an issue for Nebraska in the losing streak. Transition defense has been an issue in the last two weeks. The Huskers are 106th in the nation in defensive average length of possession.
Nebraska held Maryland to a season-low 69 points in Sunday’s loss. In conference play, the Huskers are 17th in opponent points per game (81.4). USC is sixth in the league, averaging 76.9 points in seven conference games.
Scouting USC
USC comes to Lincoln with an 11-7 record following an 84-69 loss to No. 24 Wisconsin on Jan. 18. Six of the Trojans’ 11 wins have come against Quad 4 opponents.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for USC wing Saint Thomas. The Millard North grad has started all 18 games for the Trojans and is averaging 11.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
“He’s having a great year,” Hoiberg said. “He’s one of the more versatile players in this league. I’m happy for him. He’s a good kid and he’s playing really good basketball for them right now. He’s second on their team in assists, he can rebound the ball, he can push it and handle it. So he’s doing a lot of really good things for USC. I think he’s coming off 20- and 18-point games. So he’s a load out there, especially playing in the frontcourt position.”
The Trojans are versatile with their lineups. Five players average double figures led by 6-foot-6 junior guard Desmond Claude (16.0 points per game).
“They’re all the same when you look at them,” Hoiberg said. “They can all shoot, they can all dribble, and they’re all athletic, and they’ve kind of got that 6-6 to 6-8 across the board with their roster, and they’re strong and they’re fast.”
When Claude and 6-foot-7 grad student Chibuzo Agbo are on the court for USC, they rank in the 90th percentile in the country in plus-minus (134). In the 827 possessions, they have a 118.2 offensive rating and a 55.9 effective field goal percentage.
“It’s important to get off to a good start,” Hoiberg said. “Our students will be back tomorrow; very important for us to get the crowd behind us early in this game.”
Key Factors
Nebraska’s first “must-win” feeling game of the season was last week against Rutgers. A week later and another game at home, this game is even more of a must-win if Nebraska would like to stay out of the bottom of the Big Ten race.
The Huskers need to start fast and that means playing fast. Both teams rank in the top five in average length of possession in conference play. USC is second (16.2) and Nebraska is fifth (16.9).
Valuing possessions will continue to be a factor in every game Nebraska plays this year. At this point, it’s about limiting the bad turnovers, because eliminating them likely isn’t going to happen. Nebraska ranks 17th in the Big Ten with 12.3 turnovers per game and 13th in non-steal turnovers. Nationally, Nebraska ranks 185th in offensive turnover percentage at 17.5 (the national average is 17.7).
Rollie Worster and Ahron Ulis were on the court together a lot against Maryland. The two point guards helped with Maryland’s pressure and it cut down on turnovers and some of those sloppy mistakes.
Ulis had his best game as a Husker with a career-high 10 assists against Maryland. Whether or not Nebraska can have him on the floor at the end-of-half or end-of-game situations is a major question. Ulis ranks 155th out of 159 in free-throw shooting percentage at 35.7%; 159th is his teammate, Braxton Meah, at 27.3%.
