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Huskers Open Exhibition Play vs. Grand Valley State on Sunday

Oct 24, 2024 / NU Athletics

Nebraska Husker logo with the words Nebraska Basketball on the right.

Exhibition Game #1

Opponent: Grand Valley State
Date: Sunday, Oct. 27
Tipoff: 1:01 p.m. (central)
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena

On the Air
Radio: Sunday's game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Ben McLaughlin on the call, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington. The pregame show begins an hour before tipoff and will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. 

TV/Online: Sunday's game is not televised but will be available online at B1G Plus with Jessica Coody and Andy Markowski on the call. To subscribe or for more info, visit bigtenplus.com

Huskers Open Exhibition Play vs. Grand Valley State on Sunday
The Nebraska men's basketball team has its final rehearsal for the 2024-25 season this Sunday, Oct. 27, as the Huskers take on Grand Valley State in an exhibition. Tipoff between the Huskers and Lakers is set for 1 p.m. and tickets are available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, calling 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.) or at PBA beginning at 11:30 a.m.  It is the first game of a men's and women's doubleheader at Pinnacle Bank Arena, as the Husker women will host Doane beginning at 6 p.m. 

Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season looking to build off last season's 23-11 record and trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. NU brings back returning starters Brice Williams (13.4 ppg; 5.5 rpg; 2.5 apg) and Juwan Gary (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) for Big Ten Coach of the Year Fred Hoiberg, who begins his sixth season in Lincoln. In all, NU has seven returning letterwinners from a team tied for third in the Big Ten, although All-Big Ten forward Rienk Mast (12.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.0 apg) will miss the 2024-25 season after knee surgery in May. 

The intrigue around the 2024-25 team is a group of newcomers who bring size and experience to the Husker roster. Nebraska will have seven Division I transfers make their Husker debut on Sunday. The group includes guards Rollie Worster (Utah), Ahron Ulis (Iowa), Connor Essegian (Wisconsin) and Gavin Griffiths (Rutgers), forwards Berke Büyüktuncel, Andrew Morgan (North Dakota State) and Braxton Meah (Washington). That group has combined for nearly 3,500 points and more than 1,700 rebounds and 750 assists in their respective college careers. 

Grand Valley State is playing its second exhibition game of the season, as the Lakers fell at Toledo, 76-71, on Saturday. William Dunn's 11 points led three Lakers in double figures, as they trimmed a 17-point second-half deficit to two with just over three minutes remaining. The Lakers hit 11 3-pointers in the loss and out-rebounded Toledo, 39-31. 

Nebraska opens the regular season on Monday, Nov. 4, when the Huskers take on UT Rio Grande Valley to begin a three-game homestand. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Starting 5 Notes
101 - Senior Rollie Worster enters the 2024-25 season with 101 career starts including his time at Utah and Utah State.  He is one of less than 20 players nationally who enter the year with 100+ career starts. Rienk Mast, with 111 career starts, is also on that list.   For comparison’s sake, only seven players in school history have made 100 starts at Nebraska with Cookie Belcher (1997-2001) holding the school record with 129. With 888 career points, 473 rebounds and 425 career assists, he could be the first Husker to ever total 1,000 career points along with 500 rebounds and 500 assists. 

13.4 - Brice Williams is Nebraska's top returning scorer, as he averaged 13.4 points per game last season. That is the highest returning scoring average by a Husker under Fred Hoiberg and the highest since James Palmer Jr. in 2018-19 (17.2 ppg). With Williams, Rienk Mast (12.3 ppg) and Juwan Gary (11.6 ppg), it marks only the third time in the Big Ten era that NU returned multiple double-figure scorers (2014-15 and 2018-19). 

9.4 - NU led the Big Ten and finished 26th nationally with 9.4 3-pointers per game. Nebraska set a school record with 319 3-pointers, shattering the previous mark of 270 set in 2018-19. NU’s 9.4 3-pointers per game was the program’s highest per game average since setting a school mark with 9.5 3-pointers per game in 2001-02. A Hoiberg-coached team has led its conference in 3-pointers per game five times in 10 years, while three of NU's four highest per game totals in program history have come during Hoiberg’s five seasons at Nebraska.

7-1 - Braxton Meah gives the Huskers the luxury of a seven-footer on the roster. At 7-foot-1, the Washington transfer is the tallest Husker on the roster since Sergej Vucetic during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. Meah led the Huskies in field goal percentage (.770) and blocked shots (27) last season.

3- Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three seasons under Fred Hoiberg, going from 10 wins in 2021-22 to 16 wins in 2022-23 to 23 wins in 2023-24. It is just the fifth time in school history that NU has improved its win total in three consecutive seasons. If Nebraska can improve its win total this year, it would mark the first time since a four-year stretch from 1945-46 to 1948-49) that the Huskers improved their win total in four consecutive seasons. 

What's New at PBA in 2024-25

1) Gate Screening Added for 2024-25 Season
Pinnacle Bank Arena will utilize new gate screening technology during the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball seasons. The walk-thru frictionless technology should provide a more efficient gate screening process and enhance safety for Husker fans.  The arena has secured the same gate screening technology that Nebraska Athletics introduced at Memorial Stadium ahead of the 2024 football season.  Nebraska Athletics is excited to partner with Pinnacle Bank Arena in the advancement of safety and security initiatives surrounding home basketball games this coming season.

The new gate scanners have no impact on Pinnacle Bank Arena’s Clear Bag Policy which remains in place for all home venues the Huskers compete in. Fans are encouraged to visit pinnaclebankarena.com for detailed information on that policy.

2) Mobile Tickets, Cashless Consessions and Doordash Orders at PBA
Beginning with the 2024-25 winter sports, tickets for all Husker athletic events will be mobile. All men's and basketball tickets will be mobile this season with the remaining sports to complete the transition to fully mobile by fall of 2025.

Pinnacle Bank Arena concessions are all cashless, and the arena accepts all credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Pay, and Downtown Lincoln Gift Cards. In addition. Pinnacle Bank Arena has partnered with DoorDash for mobile order pickup at concession stands! Download the DoorDash app and when you’re at the venue, open the app to order food and drinks from the concession stands. We’ll let you know when your order is ready so you can head to the pickup window and pick up your order.

 3) Plan Ahead for Sunday's Exhibition; Good Life Halfsy
Sunday's exhibition game is also the same day as the Good Life Halfsy half-marathon, which finishes on Canopy Street next to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Police will control intersections along the race route, and residents are advised to plan ahead for traffic delays. 

  • Canopy Street from “R” to “O” streets will be closed from 6 p.m. Saturday, October 26 to 3 p.m. Sunday, October 27.
  • Streets near Pinnacle Bank Arena will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • The Pinnacle Bank Arena festival lot and Haymarket Park lot will be available for parking for both events.
     Current information on street closures is available at lincoln.ne.gov/closures or through the Waze mobile app.


Scouting Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State returns six of its top eight scorers for third-year Coach Cornell Mann. The Lakers went 16-15, including a fourth-place finish in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), in 2023-24. This is the first meeting between Nebraska and Grand Valley State, which is located in Allendale, Mich.

Grand Valley brings back a trio of double-figure scorers, including All-GLIAC performers Ethan Alderink and William Dunn. Alderink averaged 11.5 ppg and 5.2 rpg last season, while Dunn chipped in 11.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range. Mason Docks is the other returning double-figure scorer, as he averaged 10.0 ppg and 2.7 apg per game. In all, the Lakers return 10 of 13 letterwinners from a year ago. One newcomer who could make an impact is sophomore guard Kaden Brown, who played last season at Wright State. 

Cornell Mann is in his third season at GVSU and has helped the Lakers to a pair of fourth-place conference showings. Mann has experience throughout the Midwest, coaching at Missouri (2017-21), Oakland (2016-17), Iowa State (2011-15), Dayton (2008-11), Western Michigan (2003-08) and Central Michigan (2001-03).  He was on Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg's staff all five seasons at Iowa State, helping the Cyclones to four straight NCAA Tournaments.

This is the second of three exhibition games for Grand Valley State. The Lakers lost 76-71 at Toledo on Oct. 19, and will take on Purdue on Oct. 30 before opening the season with Walsh University on Nov. 8. 

Nebraska's Exhibition History
Nebraska is 63-7 all-time in exhibition games dating back to the 1966-67 season and has won 32 of 34 exhibition games dating back to 2001. Nebraska had a 20-game win streak in exhibition games snapped in the charity exhibition at Colorado in 2022.

  • Sunday's exhibition will be the second against a team from the state of Michigan, as Nebraska defeated Northwood, 80-62, in 2017.
  • This will be NU's only exhibition game this season, as Nebraska had a closed scrimmage at Utah on Oct. 19. 

A Quick Look at the 2024-25 Huskers
Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season with a solid returning group despite the loss of Rienk Mast to season-ending surgery. The Huskers return six players - not including Mast - who saw action a season ago including starters Brice Williams and Juwan Gary. In addition, junior guard Sam Hoiberg was one of three Huskers who played in all 34 games in 2023-24. 

  • Nebraska will feature one of the oldest rosters in the country. Of the 17 players on the 2024-25 roster, nine have played at least three seasons of college basketball.  Juwan Gary, Brice Williams and Rienk Mast are all in their sixth year of college while Braxton Meah, Ahron Ulis and Rollie Worster are beginning their fifth season of college basketball.  According to research by Chris Kowalczyk at VCU, Nebraska is one of 10 programs nationally with at least six players who are in their fifth year or greater in college basketball.
  • Nebraska's active roster for this season features three players who have started a combined 72 games at Nebraska: Juwan Gary (37); Brice Williams (34) and Sam Hoiberg (1), but that tells only part of the story. The 16 active players have combined to start 380 career games at the Division I level. That list includes Rollie Worster (101); Brice WIlliams (61); Andrew Morgan (59); Juwan Gary (55); Braxton Meah (47); Ahron Ulis (27); Connor Essegian (19); Berke Büyüktuncel (8) and Gavin Griffiths (3).  In addition, Rienk Mast has started 111 career games, including 32 games last season at Nebraska.
  • After having one active player with previous NCAA Tournament experience last season (Juwan Gary), the 2024-25 Huskers have nine players who have played in the NCAA Tournament. All seven of Nebraska's returnees saw action in the Huskers' game at Texas A&M last spring, while Ahron Ulis played in three tournaments as part of the Iowa program from 2021-23. NU also added Rollie Worster who started for Utah State in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Connor Essegian was on Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament team last spring, but did not play against James Madison in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

Williams Looks to Build on Postseason Success
Senior guard Brice Williams looks to build in his postseason success as he begins the 2024-25 campaign. He proved to be a go-to scorer in the Huskers' postseason run, averaging 23.3 points per game during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament.

  • His 23.3 ppg after the end of the regular season is the highest by a returning Big Ten player entering 2024-25. Of the seven players who averaged 20+ ppg in the postseason, he is the only one back at a Big Ten school this season. 
  • Williams has more 20-point games in three postseason games (three) than in 31 regular-season games (two).  That continues Williams’ trend of playing his best basketball under the brighest lights, as he is averaging 16.6 points in nine career postseason games (conference tournaments, 2023 CBI and 2024 NCAA), well above his career scoring average of 10.3 points per game.  Over the last two years, that number jumps to 18.5 ppg after his 24-point effort in the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M.
  • Williams' father, Henry was the MVP of the Metro Conference Tournament in 1992, averaging 26.6 ppg in helping Charlotte to an NCAA Tournament berth.  

Gary Looks to Make 3rd Year Jump
One player who could make a big jump in 2024-25 is senior Juwan Gary. Under Fred Hoiberg, the other seniors who were third-year players made significant jumps in their final year at Nebraska, as Keisei Tominaga and Derrick Walker both earned All-Big Ten honors in their third year at Nebraska after transferring into the program.

Last season, Gary averaged a career-best 11.6 points per game on nearly 50 percent from the floor. He tallied 16 double-doubles after posting 20 during his first four collegiate seasons. Gary was second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 rpg. 

Trio of Huskers Looking for 1,000 Career Points
Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season with a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Rienk Mast and Brice Williams, while three other Huskers could reach the 1,000-point mark for their career in 2024-25.  Seniors Juwan Gary, Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan are all on pace to reach that mark this season.

Portal Additions Aplenty
Nebraska loaded up in the transfer portal, adding six Division I transfers in the offseason, including five from power conference programs. In addition, the Huskers regain the services of Iowa transfer Ahron Ulis, who sat out the 2023-24 season. In all, the seven newcomer transfers have combined for nearly 3,500 points and over 1,750 rebounds and 750 assists in their collegiate careers. 

Worth Noting

  • Nebraska enters the 2024-25 season coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Huskers went 23-11 in 2023-24 and tied for third in the Big Ten standings before reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. The Huskers’ 23 wins were the most since setting a school-record with 26 wins in 1990-91, while NU’s 12 conference wins also ranked second in school history.
  • Nebraska has increased its win total in each of the past three years, marking the first time NU has done that since the mid-1960s (1963-64 to 1965-66).  According to BTN Research, Nebraska is one of four teams nationally and the only team in a power conference to improve its win total by at least six games in each of the past two seasons. The others are James Madison, Lamar and South Florida.   In addition, the Huskers have also improved their conference win percentage in each of the past four seasons, culminating with a 12-8 mark in 2023-24.
  • Over the past two seasons, NU has won 21 conference games, the highest two-year total since the 1965-66 and 1966-67 teams won 22 conference tilts. The last two seasons under Fred Hoiberg mark just the fourth time in school history that Nebraska has won 20 or more conference games in a two-year span.
  • Nebraska was one of 24 teams nationally that finished in the top 50 both in offensive and defensive efficiency in KenPom. NU was one of four Big Ten programs to accomplish that in 2023-24, joining Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan State.   It marked the first time that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the KenPom era (1996-97).
  • Nebraska made its biggest jump on the offensive end in 2023-24, averaging 77.7 points per game. It is an increase of nearly nine points per game from the 2022-23 campaign and NU’s highest scoring average since 1995-96 (80.2 ppg). NU climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom. Prior to last season, NU’s highest average since joining the Big Ten was 73.3 ppg in 2021-22.  The Huskers are 25-8 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 20-5 over the last three seasons.
  • Nebraska looks to continue its strong work from the foul line in 2024-25. Last season, Nebraska shot 76.0 percent from the line, its highest percentage from the charity stripe since the 2011-12 team set a school record with a .766 free throw percentage. NU ranked 32nd nationally in free throw percentage in 2023-24

 Big Red Olympians
Nebraska was one of just nine programs nationally with multiple players in men's basketball at the 2024 Olympics, as former Huskers Keisei Tominaga (Japan) and Jack McVeigh (Australia) represented their countries. It marked the second straight Olympics for Tominaga, who played 3x3 at the Tokyo Games. In addition, former Husker great Tyronn Lue served as an assistant coach for Team USA, which won its fifth consecutive gold medal in Paris. 

In all, NU has had four Olympic basketball players since 2012, including Aleks Maric (2012, Australia), Ade Dagunduro (2012, Nigeria), Tominaga (2020, 2024, Japan) and McVeigh (2024, Australia).

Essegian, BüyüktunceL: Representing in International Play
In addition to the Olympians, two other Huskers spent part of their summer playing for their national teams. 
Connor Essegian spent part of the summer of 2024 playing for the Armenian National Team, averaging 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as Armenia won the LA International Cup Title. He tallied 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting along with six rebounds and three steals in the win over Ireland in the title game.

Berke Büyüktuncel spent the summer playing for his native Türkiye at the European U20 Championships, averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds in seven games. He shot 51 percent from the field, including 54 percent from 3-point range and posted two double-doubles in the tournament.

 Huskers From Around the World
Nebraska's roster has had an international flavor in recent seasons and that trend continues in 2024-25 with Berke Büyüktuncel (Bursa, Türkiye) and Rienk Mast (Groningen, Netherlands) on the Husker roster.  During Fred Hoiberg's six seasons, NU has had players on the roster from 13 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, England, France, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Senegal and Slovenia.

Home Sweet Home 
The Huskers finished with an 18-1 record inside Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2023-24, setting a single-season mark for home wins in a season.

  • The .947 mark was NU’s best home mark by winning percentage since 1965-66 when NU went 11-0 at home. NU went a perfect 10-0 at home in Big Ten Conference play, marking the third time NU has posted an unblemished home conference mark since World War II (also 1965-66, 2017-18). The other seasons with a perfect conference record were between 1908 and 1921.
  • Nebraska filled up Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2023-24, averaging 14,597 fans per game to rank 15th nationally. Nebraska has ranked in the top-15 nationally in every season but one since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013-14. In all, seven of the top 25 school in average attendance came from the Big Ten Conference. 
  • Big Ten has led the nation in attendance for 48 years in a row dating all the way back to 1976, not counting the 2020-21 COVID season where fans weren't allowed at most college games.

 

Tickets on Sale Now
Husker fans can now purchase individual game tickets for the 2024-25 Nebraska men’s basketball season. The Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office announced that 300 Level Tickets for all 17 matchups are now on sale. 

The Big Ten Conference games are priced at $17 apiece (including fees), while the non-conference games, including Sunday's exhibition game with Grand Valley State, are priced at $12 per game (including fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIG-RED during business hours (9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday). 

The home schedule includes 10 Big Ten Conference matchups, including games against defending Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois, postseason qualifiers Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State.  Indiana (17), UCLA (22) and Rutgers (25) were all in the AP Preseason Top 25, while Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and Maryland received votes in the preseason AP poll. 

In addition to single-game tickets, a pair of other options are currently available for the 2024-25 season. Season tickets start at $153 for all 17 contests, while the Starting 5 Mini Plan is on sale for $50. The Starting 5 Plan allows fans to pick any two conference games and three of the non-conference games.   Up Next
Nebraska begins the 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4, as they host UT Rio Grande Valley at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The matchup is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on BTN+ and the Huskers Radio Network. 

Game Notes vs Grand Valley State.pdf