Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 6th 2023

Nebraska will strive to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it visits Minnesota in its Big Ten Conference opener on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

The Cornhuskers (7-1) are coming off an 89-60 loss against then-No. 15 Creighton on Sunday. Nebraska gave up 52 points in the first half and failed to play catch-up.

“Obviously a very difficult (game) for us,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We were right there with them about nine minutes to go in the half. They went on a big run and set the tone for the rest of the game.

“We talked at halftime about coming out and throwing the first punch and getting back into the game. I thought we came down and took way too many quick shots. This was a game where you have to play disciplined for 40 minutes. We did the opposite of that.”

Nebraska will seek redemption against Minnesota (5-3, 0-1). The Golden Gophers lost their Big Ten opener 84-74 at Ohio State on Sunday.

Dawson Garcia scored a career-high 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Minnesota. He shot 12-for-25 from the field and 12-for-14 from the free-throw line.

“He’s a big-time competitor,” Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said. “And he really, really wants to win. He puts a lot into it, so you see that emotion when he’s out there playing.”

Keisei Tominaga leads Nebraska with 15.5 points per game. Three others are scoring in double digits: Juwan Gary (14.4), Rienk Mast (14) and Brice Williams (13.5).

Garcia is tops on Minnesota with 20.5 points per game to go along with a team-high 8.1 rebounds. Cam Christie is averaging 11 points, and Pharrel Payne is averaging 9.4.

Minnesota and Nebraska faced each other three times last season, with the Cornhuskers winning two of those matchups. Nebraska won 81-79 in overtime in Minneapolis and prevailed 78-67 on its home court.

Minnesota then knocked off Nebraska 78-75 in the conference tournament in Chicago.

–Field Level Media