Nebraska basketball will see their toughest opponent of the 2022-23 season thus far when they face off with St. John’s on Thursday evening at the Gavitt Tipoff Games in New York.
The new-look Huskers are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2018-19 with a 79-66 win over Maine and a 75-61 triumph over in-state rival Omaha. Familiar face CJ Wilcher and transfers Sam Griesel and Emmanuel Bandoumel have been able to avert the crisis of forward Derrick Walker’s injury early on, combining for 46 points per game.
The Huskers are looking for their first season over .500 since the aforementioned 2018-19 season, after losing five out of their top seven scorers from last season.
St. John’s has been regarded as a dark horse team in the Big East this year with the additions of transfers Andre Curbelo (Illinois), David Jones (DePaul), and Montez Mathis (Rutgers). The Red Storm are also undefeated this season, beating Merrimack 97-72 and Lafayette 83-68.
The game, which will be broadcasted Fox Sports 1, is part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, an annual challenge between teams from the Big Ten and Big East. The tournament is held at campus sites and is named after former Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt. Last year, Nebraska fell to Creighton in the challenge to the tune of 77-69.
The full Gavitt Tipoff Games schedule is listed below. All times listed are Central Time:
Monday, Nov. 14:
DePaul 69, Minnesota 53
Penn State 68, Butler 62
Tuesday, Nov. 15:
Northwestern @ Georgetown, 5:30 p.m.
Marquette @ Purdue, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 16
Iowa @ Seton Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 17
Nebraska @ St. John’s, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 18
Indiana @ Xavier, 5:00 p.m.
Villanova @ Michigan State, 7:00 p.m.
Nov 7, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard C.J. Wilcher (0) drives with the ball through Maine Black Bears guard Gedi Juozapaitis (22) and guard Jaden Clayton (3) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Scoring: G Sam Griesel (20.0 ppg), G C.J. Wilcher (12.0 ppg), G Emmanuel Bandoumel (12.0 ppg)
Rebounding: G Sam Griesel (8.0 rpg), G Emmanuel Bandoumel (7.0 rpg), F Blaise Keita (6.5 rpg)
Assists: G Emmanuel Bandoumel (3.0 apg), G Sam Griesel (3.0 apg), 3 others tied at 1.5 apg
Field goal percentage: G Sam Griesel (59%), F Blaise Keita (56%), 4 others tied at 50%
Nov 12, 2022; Queens, New York, USA; St. John’s Red Storm guard Andre Curbelo (3) drives past…
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