Gritty over pretty.
That was a tag the Nebraska basketball account used on social media after the Huskers beat Hawai’i on 69-55 on Monday night.
It fit what Husker head coach Fred Hoiberg said in his postgame remarks too.
“Last year’s team was pretty…” the coach said on the Huskers Radio Network. “This one we’re going to have to grind some games out. But this team I think is built for that.”
That’s also the kind of team that can win three games over the course of four days, which Nebraska will try to accomplish on this Christmas Day. Nebraska will try to claim the trophy at the Diamond Head Classic against Oregon State. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, with the game televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Huskers Radio Network.
It would be Nebraska’s first tournament title since 2000 if accomplished.
“None of us stepped on that plane to not come back with a title, not come back with a championship,” said Husker senior Brice Williams after he exploded for 32 points in Monday’s win in Honolulu. “So it will mean everything, it will mean the goal is accomplished. We have one more game and we’ll see what happens.”
Williams has produced 30-plus points in two of Nebraska’s last three games. He is now third in the Big Ten in scoring at 19.2 points per game and has been in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games. He is just the sixth Husker in the Big Ten era to post multiple 30-point games. He’s tied for the league in lead in 30-point games, along with Rutgers Dylan Harper and Wisconsin’s John Tonje.
His fellow senior Juwan Gary has been meeting the moment too, coming off a 21-point game and averaging 14.3 points on 51 percent shooting over the last five games.
The 9-2 Huskers will face a formidable foe tonight against Oregon State (10-2), which made a furious rally from 12 down in the last 4 1/2 minutes to beat Oakland 80-74 in overtime and get to the title game.
The game currently presents strong resume metrics possibilities for Nebraska, with Oregon State standing at No. 43 in the NET rankings. Nebraska is 52nd.
Oregon State has won six in a row since back-to-back losses to Oregon (78-75) and at North Texas (58-55). The Beavers are led in scoring by 6-9 forward Michael Rataj, who is averaging 16.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. OSU’s guard Damarco Minor averages 5.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Liutauras Lelevicius led Oregon State in the win on Monday with 17 points and nine rebounds.
A few notes to know, with an assist from Shamus McKnight, of NU media relations:
>>> Hoiberg could become the first coach to win multiple Diamond Head Classic titles.
>>> That last tournament win by Husker hoops? That’d be the San Juan Shootout in 2000. NU won tight games over Iona, Kent State and SMU, winning three times by a total of four points.
>>> After beating Hawai’i on Monday, a game that counted as a true road win, Nebraska has won multiple road non-conference games for the first time since 2011-12 and just the second time in the last 25 years.
>>> Bring the defense. Get a W. Nebraska has held Murray State (49) and Hawai’i (55) to season-low point totals this week. Nebraska ranks 16th nationally in KenPom defensive efficiency.
>>> This is the second straight year Nebraska-Oregon State play on a neutral site. Last year it was 3,782 miles away from Honolulu in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Huskers dominated that one 84-63.
>>> Nebraska is a 3 1/2-point favorite over the Beavers on Wednesday afternoon lines.
