The No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers blew out the Minnesota Golden Gophers 76-57 on Saturday to keep their unbeaten run going this season. Despite the Golden Gophers holding a 36-30 lead at halftime, the Huskers’ offense found its rhythm in the second half to pull away and close out the road game.
Nebraska’s unbeaten run, the longest in program history, will face its biggest test on Tuesday when the Cornhuskers travel to Ann Arbor to face the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines.
Nebraska’s Championship Mettle Faces Tough Examination
The Cornhuskers’ offense struggled from the start on the road against Minnesota. At the same time, the Golden Gophers shocked their usually reliable defense with nine three-pointers in front of a raucous Williams Arena to hold an unlikely lead at halftime.
A clip of coach Fred Hoiberg berating his players in the dressing room at halftime went viral, and they responded with an offensive clinic in the second half.
KEEP READING: PFSN Men’s CBB Power Rankings: Why Purdue Might Still Be the Team to Beat
During his postgame news conference, Hoiberg, who has turned around the program this season, praised his team’s response in tricky conditions. “I didn’t like our first half,” Hoiberg said.
He continued, “I thought we were a little bit short, a little bit slow on our closeouts. We just didn’t have the urgency that we needed. I thought we played a little bit soft. Second half, we really flipped it. I thought our defense was unbelievable.”
“Championship teams respond the right way, and that’s exactly what they did. In the second half, we’ve done a really good job of coming out of the locker room,” Hoiberg added.
The Wolverines (18-1, 8-1) had been one of the undefeated teams a few weeks ago, before a shock loss to the Wisconsin Badgers removed them from that conversation. During their unbeaten start to the season (14-0), they won 10 consecutive games by at least 18 points, making them championship favorites in many quarters.
Since the loss to Wisconsin, they have recovered by stringing together four consecutive games, each by more than 10+ points, to keep them in the conversation for the best team in the country.
Should the Huskers win in Ann Arbor, they would hold the record for the longest winning streak by a Big Ten school since the Illinois Fighting Illini won 29 consecutive games when they reached the national championship game 21 years ago.
A win by Nebraska would come as a welcome relief after losing 26 road games against top-five teams, but it has won its last five conference games on the road, the best in program history since the 1965-1966 season. A statement win would also give the Huskers the belief that they can finally win an NCAA Tournament game, the first in program history.
