The Nebraska basketball team returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena for the first time in 2014, as the Huskers host Michigan in the Big Ten home opener Thursday evening. Tipoff is set for 8:05 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the game will be carried nationally on ESPN2 with Joe Tessitore and Sean Farnham on the call. The game is also available on the WatchESPN app and at WatchESPN.com.
A crowd of close to 15,000 is expected for Thursday’s game while a limited number of tickets are available in both the 100 ($30) and 300 Levels ($10). For ticket availability, call Huskers.com or call 800-8-BIGRED. In addition, UNL students can still reserve their tickets by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED by Wednesday afternoon.
Thursday’s game will also be carried across the state on the 27-station Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison calling all of the action, including flagship stations KLIN (1400 AM/94.5 FM) in Lincoln and KFAB (1110 AM) in Omaha. The game can also be heard on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as Sirius and XM Radio.
The Huskers (8-6, 0-2 B1G) look to snap a three-game losing streak following an 84-53 loss at third-ranked Ohio State on Saturday. The Huskers trailed 33-30 with 2:28 left in the half, but the Buckeyes closed the half on a 7-0 run and pulled away during the final 20 minutes of action.
Despite the loss to the Buckeyes, the Huskers got a strong performance from junior Leslee Smith, who was moved into the starting lineup as Walter Pitchford was battling the flu Saturday morning. Smith, making his first start of the year, totaled 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. The 6-foot-8 junior is averaging 7.9 points on 61 percent shooting and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game despite averaging just under 20 minutes of playing time. Smith is ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding and would rank fourth in shooting percentage but is just shy of the conference minimum.
If Nebraska is to extend its home win streak to 10 games, the Huskers will have to knock off a talented Michigan team which is 10-4 on the season and 2-0 in conference action. The Wolverines bring a four-game win streak to Lincoln following a 74-51 victory over Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. UM features sophomores Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III. Stauskas leads the Wolverines with 17.8 points and 3.6 assists per game, while Robinson averages 13.4 points per game on 50 percent shooting and 4.6 rebounds per game.