2023-24 nebraska #1

There is little to say tonight about Michigan and Nebraska in Lincoln, so this will be the shortest recap of the year. Michigan was on the road, meaning they were without leading point guard Dug McDaniel due to his ongoing away games suspension. Michigan with Dug McDaniel is a bad team. Michigan without Dug McDaniel is a horrendous team. The offense grinds to a halt without McDaniel, while the defense remains bottom of the barrel for a high major. That wasn't going to change against a feisty Nebraska team but even within that framing, this game was surprisingly ugly for large stretches. 

Nebraska led by as many as 30 in the first half at one point, going on two separate 13-0 runs against the Wolverines(!). They pounded Michigan on the offensive glass early and got more or less anything they wanted on offense for the first ~15 minutes, having scored 43 points with 5.5 remaining in the opening stanza. The Wolverines managed to lock back in and get a few stops to temporarily mute the Huskers' blazing offense, closing the half on an 8-0 run to avoid facing the largest halftime deficit any B1G opponent had ever faced against Nebraska since Big Red joined the conference (they trailed by 20, the record was 21). It goes without saying that if the most interesting thing going on in your game in the late first half is wondering how badly your team will trail at halftime, things have gone very wrong. 

To find positives in what was otherwise a debacle, Michigan showed some pride and didn't give up. They largely held their own in the second half, the teams trading scores and then a 12-2 Michigan run cut the lead to 15. Unfortunately there were only five minutes remaining by that point and ultimately the Nebraska lead never dipped under beyond that mark. Both teams closed the game with deep reserves/walk-ons on the floor. Terrance Williams II and Nimari Burnett stood out as players who gave it their all and kept working hard (Will Tschetter hit a couple threes too), but a brutal outing from Olivier Nkamhoua and Jaelin Llewellyn (4-22 combined), among the rest of the team, sunk the Wolverines. They shot 32.3% from the field, which was not enough to take advantage of Nebraska's offensive rhythm cooling off sharply after the first 15 minutes. 

Michigan is now 8-16 on the season and 3-10 in the B1G, dead last in the standings. This was Nebraska's first win over Michigan since Jan. 18, 2018, and only their second over the Wolverines since joining the conference. Michigan's next game, on Tuesday night, will be in Champaign against a ranked Illinois team, again without McDaniel. It is difficult to see the Maize & Blue winning that one, to put it lightly. The rest of this season is a battle of whether Michigan can climb out of the cellar, as they have not finished last in the conference in a men's basketball season since 1966-67. That game against Illinois on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST and will be broadcast on Peacock. 

[Click the JUMP for the box score... if you are a SICK person] 

THE ESSENTIALS

WHAT	#97 Michigan (8-14, 3-9 B10) vs #52 Nebraska (16-8, 6-7 B10)
WHERE	Champions Circle Arena Lincoln, NE
WHEN	Saturday, 6:30 PM
THE LINE	Kenpom: Neb-7 Torvik: Neb-7
TELEVISION	BTN (link)

THE OVERVIEW

Well whaddaya know, Michigan won a basketball game. Over a top-11 opponent and the projected top three-seed no less. Granted it was the most fraudulent Wisconsin team in a minute, but if our stink's gonna rub off on someone this year, nobody deserves it more than the Badgers.

Doing the same to Nebraska would be ruder, and surprisingly more far-fetched. The Huskers are currently just on the good side of the bubble. They don't travel well; a recent overtime loss to Illinois was the closest the Huskers have come this season to a Big Ten road win. At home howevever they've taken out Wisconsin, Ohio State, Northwestern, Indiana, Michigan State, Kansas State, Indiana, and Purdue(!), which victory is probably what's holding them in the tournament. Their remaining Big Ten schedule is a lot easier, but Road Nebraska is eminently capable of coughing up games at Indiana, Ohio State, and even Michigan.

With Dug still serving his road suspension (this will be Game 4 of the projected 6), and Jaelin Llewellin's knee in no shape to keep up with Keisei Tominaga and Jamarques Lawrence, this one doesn't have much suspense. How things have changed.

[After THE JUMP: Nebraska hasn't changed, but the Big Ten has.]