Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Nebraska Preview
After falling to Michigan State Sunday, Michigan looks to rebound in its final home game of the season against Nebraska Thursday night.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN with Dave Flemming, Dan Dakich and Molly McGrath on the call. In a pregame ceremony, redshirt junior Charles Matthews along with graduating student support staff and managers will be honored.
U-M leads the all-time series against the Cornhuskers, 15-3, and is 7-0 in games played in Ann Arbor. After winning 10 straight games in the series, the Wolverines lost 72-52 at Nebraska last season on Jan. 18, 2018, before winning in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament 77-58.
Michigan head coach John Beilein is 9-1 all-time against Nebraska.
Nebraska has struggled in recent weeks, losing nine of its last 11 games dating back to Jan. 17. The Cornhuskers are 2-7 in road games this season, including 1-7 in Big Ten play. Overall in conference play, Nebraska is 5-12.
The Cornhuskers ranks seventh nationally in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 9.8 per contest. However, Nebraska has an effective field goal percentage of 49.4, which is 242nd in the country.
On the defensive end, Nebraska has an adjusted efficiency of 96.7, which is 49th in college basketball. However, teams only have an effective field goal percentage of 46 percent, which is 18th best in the country. The Cornhuskers are strong at defending two-point shots as teams are only shooting 45.3 percent from two, which is the 24th lowest in the nation.
Fifth-year senior guard James Palmer Jr. leads Nebraska scoring 18.9 points and averaging 3.2 assists per game. Palmer is using 30.7 percent of Nebraska’s possessions, which is the 42nd highest mark in the country. One of his best skills is getting to the free throw line as he is drawing 6.9 fouls per 40 minutes, which is the 18th best mark in college basketball.
Senior guard Glynn Watson Jr. has averaged 12.4 points per game and is shooting 36.6 percent from three. He is second on Nebraska with 82 assists.
Junior forward Isaiah Roby averages 11.3 points per game and leads the Cornhuskers with 7.1 rebounds per game and has team-best 48 blocks. His block percentage of 5.9 is the 131st best in the country and his steal rate of 2.7 is 281st in the country.
Fifth-year senior forward Isaac Copeland, Jr. was averaging 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, before he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Ohio State on Jan. 26.
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