Crowned: Nebraska basketball wins inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska men’s basketball team ended its season on a high note Sunday, beating UCF 77-66 in the championship of the College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas.

This is the first time Nebraska has ended its season with a post season championship since 1996, when the Huskers beat St. Joseph’s in the NIT championship game.

All season long, the Huskers have been a second half team and that was no different on Sunday.

The Knights built a 14-point lead in the second half before the Huskers went on a 34-10 run to build a commanding lead down the stretch and take home the crown.

As a team, the Huskers shot 48% from the floor compared to UCF’s 40%. Nebraska also shot 43% from beyond the arc.

Three players scored 20+ points for the Huskers, led by Brice Williams and Connor Essegian with 21 apiece.

Williams shot 6-for-14 from floor, while Essegian went 4-for-8 from deep. Williams’ 21 point outing set Nebraska’s single-season scoring record.

Juwan Gary scored 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Sam Hoiberg led the team in assists with seven.

Jordan Ivy-Curry was the workhorse for the Knights, scoring 29 points on 12-for-22 shooting. Moustapha Thiam led UCF with a team-high 11 rebounds.

With the win, Nebraska takes home $300,000 in NIL prize money.

Gary was honored during the trophy ceremony as the tournament’s most valuable player.