FIRST HALF ANALYSIS:
This one was expected to be an offensive onslaught, and it seemed to be heading that way. Nebraska started the game 5-6 from the floor, but Boise State was 3-5 from deep. A little bit of sloppiness ensued, as both teams would commit multiple turnovers in the opening 5 minutes. The Huskers would use balanced scoring, as Damon Wilkinson, Braden Frager and Cale Jacobsen each had 7 points in the opening 10 minutes.
Boise would keep themselves in the contest with decent shooting from beyond the arc. The
Broncos finally hit their first shot inside the arc at the 11:28 mark. Nebraska would open up the lead to double digits before Boise State immediately countered with an 8-0 run. Nebraska answered with 6 straight and didn’t look back. The Huskers would eventually end the half on an 8-0 run themselves and took a 52-34 lead into the locker room.
FIRST HALF STATS:
Boise State went 12-31 for 39% from the fl0or. They went 8-19 for 42% from deep and 2-5 for 40% from the free-throw line. The Broncos collected only 7 rebounds, and zero offensive. They had 11 assists and 9 turnovers.
The Broncos were led by Demari Wheeler-Thomas, who had 9 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists. Spencer Ahrens had 2 rebounds to tie Wheeler-Thomas and Aginaldo Neto contributed 3 assists.
Nebraska went 20-30 for 67% from the floor. They went 3-8 for 38% from deep and 9-10 for 90% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 19 rebounds, only one of which was offensive. Nebraska had 11 assists to 10 turnovers. Nebraska had 32 points in the paint.
The Huskers were led by Braden Frager, who had 16 points. Cale Jacobsen had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Taj DeGourville had 4 assists.
SECOND HALF ANALYSIS:
Nebraska has sometimes not come out of the locker room shooting the ball well after a hot shooting first half. That problem was dispelled quickly. Frager quickly became the first one to 20+ points on the contest. Huskers would have a little bit of foul trouble, as Frager and Jacobsen would pick up their 3rd fouls in the opening 3 minutes. Boise State would still be shooting the ball relatively well from beyond the arc, but they eventually went a little cold.
Nebraska absolutely blew the door open, as the Huskers would shoot over 60% for the entire contest. Frager and Jacobsen would eventually both foul out for Nebraska, but by then it didn’t matter. This game was in control the whole half. Nebraska’s biggest lead hit 33 points, with 5 different Huskers eventually finishing with double figures.
FINAL STATS AND THOUGHTS:
Boise State went 25-66 for 38% from the floor. They went 13-35 for 37% from deep and 12-17 for 71% from the free-throw line. The Broncos collected 24 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive. Boise State had 19 assists to 15 turnovers.
The Broncos were led by Aginaldo Neto and Spencer Ahrens, who had 17 points each. Dovydas Butka had 7 rebounds. Demari Wheeler-Thomas had 8 assists.
Nebraska went 38-57 for 67% from the floor. They went 12-24 for 50% from deep and 14-18 for 78% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 35 rebounds, only 3 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 26 assists to 17 turnovers. They had 50 points in the paint and 33 bench points.
The Huskers were led by Braden Frager, who had a career high 26 points. Frager also led the way with 7 rebounds. Taj DeGourville led the way with 8 assists. Pryce Sandfort had 3 steals.
This was a good day for Nebraska. They got plenty of good looks from everywhere on the floor. Boise State has a good offense, but the Husker defense did a good job of limiting the Broncos from beyond the arc in the second half. This was a decent litmus test and the Huskers passed with flying colors. Despite some sloppiness for a few minutes here and there, particularly by the reserves, Nebraska dominated this from start to finish. Boise State never got within single digits after 3 minutes left in the first half.
The Huskers return home to play South Dakota. Tip-off from Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday night will be at 7:30 pm and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
