Nebraska will try to put together a second straight solid performance to open the season when it hosts Florida A&M in a nonconference game Thursday night in Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers beat Lindenwood 84-52 Monday, their largest margin of victory in an opener since 2020. Five players scored in double figures, including a trio of newcomers, with Charlotte transfer Brice Williams and Bradley transfer Rienk Mast each scoring 13 and New Mexico transfer forward Josiah Allick adding 11.
“They have great leadership skills and obviously they give us a level of physicality that we have not had with the four and five spots,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said of Allick and Mast, who combined to go 9 of 12 from the field and collect 14 rebounds with five assists.
The ‘Huskers’ leading scorer was Sam Hoiberg, the coach’s son, who tied a career high with 15.
Florida A&M comes to town after beginning the season a little ways up Interstate 80 at No. 8 Creighton, a game it trailed by 19 after 10 minutes and lost 105-54. The Rattlers, who play nearly all their non-conference games away from home, last won their opener in 2018.
Nebraska is the second stop on a 3-game road trip to begin the season for FAMU, which also plays at Iowa State, UCF and South Carolina in December and hosts Oregon Nov. 20 as part of the Pac-12/SWAC scheduling series.
“The nonconference portion of the 2023-24 schedule is extremely challenging as usual,” FAMU coach Robert McCullum said before the season.
FAMU has lost 21 consecutive nonconference games against Division I competition, last beating a current power conference team in 2002.
Nebraska has won six straight nonconference home games but, under Hoiberg, has fallen in Lincoln to some non-power teams. The 2021-22 squad lost its opener to Western Illinois, and the 2019-20 team fell to UC-Riverside and Southern Utah to begin the season.
–Field Level Media