Michigan is coming off a rivalry win against Ohio State, where they pulled away in the second half to take down the Buckeyes. They need to clear their minds from the rivalry win quickly because they have a great team coming to Ann Arbor to play them next.
For the first time so far this year the Wolverines will be playing a team with fewer losses than them. Nebraska enters this contest at 20-0 overall, including a 9-0 conference record. Michigan enters the contest at 18-1 overall, and 8-1 in Big Ten play. Needless to say, this is a huge game coming up between two top-10 teams. This game could go a long way in deciding who ends up winning the Big Ten regular season. Both of these teams are ranked in the top seven nationally, and Michigan will have the home court advantage. Let’s dive more into this matchup below.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska is in its 7th year under Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg formerly has also coached at Iowa State from 2010-2015 and for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA after that. He came back to the college ranks to coach at Nebraska and while it has taken seven years to make them a Big Ten contender, they have shown steady improvement every year that he’s been there. Nebraska had their first true breakout season under Hoiberg in the 2023-2024 season where they made the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round. They were also good last year, and came up just short of the NCAA Tournament at a 21-14 record. This year they’ve really taken off and stand at a 20-0 record with several impressive wins to date as well. This is a big test for the Wolverines as this is likely the best team Michigan has played so far this year.
As a team, Nebraska is averaging 80.9 points per game, which is currently 8th in the Big Ten. Where they really shine is their defense, which is 3rd in the Big Ten at allowing only 65.0 points per game on average. They’re also third in the Big Ten at opponent shooting percentage, allowing only 39.1% of their opponents shots to go in to the basket. Nebraska is also tied for 4th in the Big Ten in steals per game. Like Michigan however; they do have a bit of a turnover problem, averaging 13 per game on offense. On paper, this is an elite defensive team that also has a pretty good offense and that’s what makes them so good…