This might be short but I warned everybody that would listen. This was going to be a hard fought game. Why? Well this Winthrop team was leading #21 ranked Arkansas with a little more than a minute left
in the game and it took a flurry from the Razorbacks to hold them off. Plus four players total from both teams were ejected. Also Nebraska is a team that is going to shoot a TON of 3 pointers. And they are going to have a game where they go cold
Well tonight that was the game until the second half OF the the second half.
And what happened in the second half? Reink Mast happened.
I think there needs to be some real conversations about Reink Mast being the best basketball player during the Hoiberg era. Then after you are done with that, then we need to start talking about him being one of the best in the history of Nebraska basketball.
What a steal he was when he came to Nebraska after three seasons at Bradley. He shows up at Nebraska and merely is 3rd team All-Big Ten in 2024 before he unfortunately missed the season last year with an injury. It would have been fun to have watched him with Brice Williams and Juwan Gary last year.
Nonetheless we get to enjoy him this season.
Well tonight he hit seven three pointers and Nebraska needed every one of them.
As a team tonight Nebraska made 34% of their three point shots. If you take Mast out of the equation then Nebraska shot 21.4% from the line that they are going to live and die on all season long.
To me that’s the story of this game. Reink Mast shoots 70% (7-10 from three) and Nebraska wins by at least one. And in this game it was by seven.
We knew there would be a let down and no matter how much Hoiberg kept on mentioning how good this Winthrop team was it is likely impossible to completely garner the focus of these kids for ever game. Classic let down game, but the Huskers found a way to win.
Pryce Sandfort led the Huskers with eight rebounds. Reink Mast had 31 points to lead the team. Braden Frager was second with 11 points.
Nebraska plays South Carolina Upstate on Saturday at 1 p.m. on BTN plus.
