Nebraska men’s basketball (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten) travels to Atlanta, Ga. on Wednesday to face Georgia Tech (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 6:15 p.m. CST and will air on ESPNU.
The Huskers are coming off a third-place finish at the Cayman Islands Classic. Nebraska finished the tournament 2-1 with a loss to George Mason and wins over Washington State and South Florida. Haanif Cheatham scored a career-high 26 points
The Huskers also picked up a Thanksgiving gift Thursday morning and landed 2021 Ranger College guard, Keisei Tominga. The freshman is averaging 15.0 points per game at Ranger and is shooting 50 percent from 3-point-range.
This is just the second meeting between the Huskers and the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech pulled off a 66-49 win over Nebraska in the Cotton States Classic.
Following Wednesday night’s matchup, the Huskers travel to Omaha, Neb. to take on in-state rival Creighton.
Probable starters:
- Cam Mack – Freshman, guard
- Dachon Burke – Junior, guard
- Jervay Green – Junior, guard
- Haanif Cheatham – Senior, guard
- Yvan Ouedraogo – Freshman, forward
What to watch for:
- Three-point shooting: Nebraska was lights out from the arc in the Cayman Islands Classic. The Huskers shot 45 percent during their three games in the tournament and improved to 34 percent on the season. Georgia Tech is not a team that will full-court press and will try to slow down the pace of the game on both sides. Look for Nebraska to take advantage of the long-range shots.
- Defense, defense, defense: Throughout the first seven games, Nebraska has been able to create pressure on opposing defenses. Senior Dachon Burke is among the Big Ten leaders in steals with 1.3 per game. Burke’s five steals against George Mason was just his fourth-time in his career he’s racked up five or more steals. Georgia Tech has struggled to handle the ball this season and averages 17.4 turnovers per game with a -4.2 turnover margin. Look for the Huskers to apply pressure on Wednesday.
- Be ready for anything: Nebraska has struggled against zone defenses this season, leading to multiple scoring droughts. The Huskers were blind-sided when South Florida switched to a 2-3 zone in the second half of the game last week. Head coach Fred Hoiberg said he hadn’t seen the Bulls use a zone all season. Nebraska needs to be ready for anything on Wednesday against a veteran Georgia Tech team.
Know your opponent:
***Georgia Tech comes into Wednesday’s match with a 3-2 overall record. The Yellow Jackets defeated Bethune-Cookman 68-65 on Sunday. A three-point play with seven seconds left sealed the win.
***The Yellow Jackets return their top three scorers from last season, along with their starting lineup from the last two games of the 2018-2019 season. Georgia Tech was picked to finish 12th in the preseason ACC poll.
***Nebraska will need to be physical down in the paint. Senior James Banks III leads the nation in blocks with 5.2 per game. The 6-foot-10 forward has three double-doubles through five games. He is averaging 13.4 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.
