LINCOLN — Nebraska rebounded with a powerful second half performance against Northwestern, which was desperately needed after a shaky start in the first 20 minutes of the game. The Huskers” initial half showcased a level of sloppiness and disorganization that raised concerns about their season”s trajectory.
Despite trailing at times, the Huskers rallied from a 28-27 halftime lead, ultimately dominating the second half to secure a 68-49 victory. This win was crucial as Nebraska prepared for an impending road rivalry matchup against Iowa, a game that had the potential to further erode their confidence if they had suffered another loss.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg expressed pride in his team”s resilience. “We just kept after it,” he remarked after the game. “Even though we weren”t having a good offensive performance, the guys continued to guard, which led to baskets and opportunities.”
In the second half, Nebraska”s defense tightened significantly, effectively limiting Northwestern”s leading scorer, Nick Martinelli, to just 10 points. This defensive prowess sparked an offensive resurgence that had been lacking over the previous weeks.
As the game progressed, with 12 minutes remaining and the score at 39-38 in favor of Northwestern, Nebraska ignited an 8-0 run, highlighted by one of Pryce Sandfort“s six three-pointers, allowing them to pull ahead by seven points. They followed this with another 8-0 run, again initiated by Sandfort, extending their lead to 15 points with seven minutes to go. In the final moments, a 6-0 run pushed the advantage to over 20 points, alleviating some of the tension from a lackluster first half.
This match illustrated Nebraska”s potential when they unify their talents for a complete 40-minute performance. Even a partial display of their capabilities was sufficient to comfortably defeat a Northwestern team that had recently challenged top-tier competitors, including Michigan.
As they gear up to face Iowa, if Nebraska can replicate the intensity and execution of their second half against Northwestern, they will undoubtedly pose a significant challenge to the Hawkeyes and their remaining opponents — Penn State, Maryland, UCLA, and USC. However, the potential for setbacks remains if the team reverts to the disjointed play that plagued them for much of the game.
For the second straight game, Nebraska struggled with turnovers, committing a season-high 18 against the Wildcats, with ten occurring in the first half. Northwestern capitalized on these mistakes, scoring 27 points off turnovers. “We let their pressure and defense dictate what we were doing early,” said Sam Hoiberg. “We weren”t flowing into our offense, and that”s when we had turnovers. Credit to Northwestern; they play hard and have a great system that puts us in difficult positions. We have to improve our handling of that.”
The first half saw Nebraska”s offensive rhythm falter, characterized by slow passes and ineffective cuts, as exhaustion from facing three top-15 teams in recent weeks began to show. However, the surge they found in the second half could be pivotal in navigating the rest of the regular season.
How Nebraska performs at the outset of their matchup against Iowa will be critical in determining the trajectory of their season. The road environment will present challenges that differ from regaining momentum on their home court.
Throughout the season, Nebraska has demonstrated an ability to adapt from game-to-game and even within the course of a single game, refusing to let past missteps dictate future outcomes. Saturday”s performance indicated that they might have turned a corner, and it is essential that this second-half resurgence becomes a consistent reality rather than just a fleeting moment in a challenging stretch.
