Husker Hoops set to battle No. 17 Michigan State

Nebraska's matchup with the Spartans marks the fourth straight game against a ranked opponent to begin Big Ten play, marking the first time it has occurred in program history. In all, five of the Huskers' first 11 games in 2020-21 are against ranked foes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN/Nebraska Athletics) — The Nebraska men’s basketball program opens 2021 on Saturday night, as the Huskers will host No. 17/18 Michigan State.

Tipoff from Pinnacle Bank Arena between the Huskers and Spartans is slated for 7 p.m. and will be carried on BTN with Larry Punteney and Shon Morris on the call. The game can also be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the Fox Sports app.

Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers app and TuneIn radio. The pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff.

Nebraska’s matchup with the Spartans marks the fourth straight game against a ranked opponent to begin Big Ten play, marking the first time it has occurred in program history. In all, five of the Huskers’ first 11 games in 2020-21 are against ranked foes.

The Huskers (4-6, 0-3 Big Ten) looks to snap a three-game losing streak following a 90-54 loss at No. 25 Ohio State on Wednesday. Nebraska shot just 28.3 percent from the floor, including 21 percent in the first half, as the Buckeyes built a 37-21 halftime lead. NU went just 5-of-33 from 3-point range, while committing 15 turnovers which led to 21 Buckeye points.

Teddy Allen led NU 13 points and has now reached double figures in all 10 games in his first season as a Husker. The 6-foot-6 wing leads the Huskers and is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.7 points per game. He is one of three Huskers averaging double figures for the Huskers, joining guard Dalano Banton (13.4 ppg) and Trey McGowens (10.6 ppg).

If the Huskers are to break into the win column, NU will need to knock down some shoots, as the Huskers are shooting just 34 percent in Big Ten play, including 25 percent from 3-point range.

Michigan State (6-3, 0-3 Big Ten) looks to break a losing ski of its own, as the Spartans have dropped three straight to begin Big Ten play after a perfect non-conference slate. On Monday, the Spartans shot just 25 percent in an 81-56 loss at Minnesota. Aaron Henry led MSU with 11 points, but Michigan State shot just 16 percent in the first half, as Minnesota built a 36-16 advantage. Minnesota held Joey Hauser to six points on 1-of-8 shooting.

VIDEO PREVIEWS

Huskers look to snap shooting woes:

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
Sophomore point guard Dalano Banton ranks in the top 10 in the Big Ten in assists (sixth) rebounds (eighth) and steals (eighth).

NUMBERS TO KNOW
1 – Dalano Banton is one of two Big Ten players – also Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois – to rank in the top 10 in the conference in both rebounding and assists as of Jan. 1.

3 – The Huskers had a season-low three assists in the loss at Ohio State, its lowest total since having three in a double OT win over Cincinnati in 2014-15.

5 – Nebraska has five 20-point performances through the first 10 games, including four by Teddy Allen and one by Kobe Webster.

7.5 – Rebounds per game for Yvan Ouedraogo over the last four games. He is also shooting 63 percent from the field and averaging 7.3 points per game in that stretch.

8.6 – Nebraska’s 3-pointers per game, which is on pace to be the second-highest average per game in school history.

10 – Number of seasons where Nebraska has had multiple 100-point games. The 2020-21 campaign is the first time since 1995-96.

30- Nebraska is 30th nationally in tempo according to KenPom as of Jan. 1. The Huskers are one of four Big Ten teams currently in the top 50 as of Jan. 1. Two of the three fastest tempos will meet on Saturday with NU and Michigan State (41st).

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans have been the flagship program in the Big Ten over the last two-plus decades. The Spartans have made eight Final Fours in the last 22 seasons and were 22-9 before last season was ended by the COVID-19 pandemic.  MSU was playing its best basketball when the season ended, closing Big Ten play with five straight wins to share the regular-season crown with Wisconsin and Maryland at 14-6.

MSU won its first six games this season, including a 75-69 win at Duke and 10-point win over Notre Dame, before a slow start in Big Ten play. MSU, which opened with three of its first four on the road, opened Big Ten action with a loss at Northwestern before setbacks against nationally ranked Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The Spartans average 78.4 points per game and is second in the conference in assists (21.1), but is shooting just 44 percent as a team. MSU lost a pair of draftees
from last season, including Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr., but return the bulk of the lineup from last year.

Junior transfer Joey Hauser has been an impact performer in his first season as a Spartan, leading MSU in both scoring (13.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg) while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 39 percent from 3-point range. Aaron Henry averages 11.9 ppg and a team-high 4.4 assists per game, as MSU has seven players averaging at least 6.6 points per game.

Series History: Michigan State leads the all-time series, 18-9, in a series that dates back to February of 1920. The Huskers are 3-10 against Michigan State since joining the Big Ten, while the Spartans have won the last six meetings. Since joining the Big Ten, NU has faced a ranked Spartan team in 10 of the 14 meetings including Saturday’s contest. MSU’s 70-64 win in 2019 ended the Huskers’ 20-game home win streak, while NU’s win in East Lansing in 2014 was the Huskers’ last top-10 road win.

Last Meeting: Dachon Burke Jr. had 18 of his 21 points in the first half, but Nebraska was unable to slow down Michigan State in an 86-65 loss at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 20, 2020.

Nebraska trailed just 39-36 at the break, but shot just 28 percent in the second half, while the Spartans shot 61 percent after the break to pull away in the final 20 minutes.

Burke finished the night with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Haanif Cheatam (14 points and five steals) and Yvan Ouedrago (10 points and seven rebounds) joined Burke in double figures.

Nebraska was within 48-46 before Aaron Henry keyed a 11-1 Spartan surge, scoring six of his 13 points to help MSU take a 59-47 lead. The Huskers chipped away and got within 61-54 after a Jervay Green 3-pointer with 8:54 left, but could get no closer as Michigan State ran off nine straight points to push the lead back to 16.