Indiana resumes Big Ten play Wednesday night when it takes on Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are 11-2 and 1-1 in conference play.
Wednesday’s game will tip at 9 p.m. ET on BTN:
Indiana is 10-3, but there’s little meat on the resume for the Hoosiers. However, the program will have plenty of chances of resume-building wins, and the first one comes Tuesday night at Nebraska. The Huskers are currently No. 63 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, making this a Quad 1 opportunity for Indiana.
There are two major availability question marks entering this game. Nebraska’s Rienk Mast, who recently underwent a minor knee procedure, is expected back in early January. And Indiana’s Kel’el Ware missed Friday’s game against Kennesaw State due to COVID-19.
MEET THE CORNHUSKERS
It’s year five for Fred Hoiberg in Lincoln, and he may finally have the roster to make the NCAA tournament. The Huskers are a well-balanced offensive team, with four players averaging between 12.7 and 13.7 points per game.
Nebraska likes to play through the high post and takes a lot of 3-pointers, with 44.9 percent of its field goal attempts coming from distance.
Forward Brice Williams, a transfer from Charlotte, leads Nebraska in scoring and shoots close to 35 percent on 3s and 88 percent from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-7 wing has been one of the top portal pickups in the conference.
In his second season in Lincoln after transferring from Alabama, Juwan Gary is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game. Gary missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury and was suspended for the first three games this season. He’s started the last four games and shoots 37.1 percent from distance. Gary’s 6.9 rebounds per game are second on the team.
Mast, a Bradley transfer, is Nebraska’s third-leading scorer but has missed the last two games after undergoing minor knee surgery. Mast is averaging 13 points and 9.9 rebounds and is an excellent free-throw shooter at 87.1 percent. Hoiberg has stated that Mast is on track to return in “early January.”
If Mast doesn’t play, look for 6-foot-8 senior Josiah Allick to step in as the starter at the five. A transfer from New Mexico who has also played at UMKC, Allick is undersized for the five but finishes well (56 percent on 2s) and is a solid offensive rebounder.
The backcourt is led by Keisei Tominaga, a preseason All-Big Ten selection. Tominaga shot 40 percent from…