Nebraska’s NCAA tournament hopes were weak after a six-game skid in January.
Since then, Brice Williams has taken over to help drive Cornhuskers back to battle.
The fifth year guard will try to lead Nebraska to a fifth straight victory on Thursday evening when No. 25 Maryland visits Lincoln, NEB.
Williams has been at his best since he scored only 11 points in an exhaust loss on then no. 18 Wisconsin on January 26. He matched a career high with four straight 20-point games, including a 24-point effort in Sunday’s 79-71 home victory over Ohio State.
Before that, he published 27 and 28 points in a couple of ranked victories over Illinois and Oregon – which netted him AP National Player of the Week awards – and followed up with 23 in a victory in Washington last Wednesday.
“He just makes the right game,” said Cornhusker’s coach Fred Hoiberg. “He plays undoubtedly as well as anyone. He received the award for the best player in the country last week. He does it without being selfish. He only makes winning gigs.”
Williams flooding has vaulted Nebraska (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) back to the NCAA tournament, at least for now. Cornhuskers held one of the “last four byes” as a no 10 seed in ESPN’s console projection on Tuesday.
However, picking up a sixth Quad 1 victory will require Nebraska to avenge its 69-66 road loss to Maryland back on January 19.
Terrapins (18-6, 8-5) has won four out of five since that victory, part of a 7-2 distance that has driven them to a NR 6 seed in ESPN’s latest vicious console. Coach Kevin Willard’s team stopped narrowly in the AP rankings this week by recovering from a three-point loss in Ohio State to beat Visiting Rutger’s 90-81 on Sunday.
Derik Queen ran Maryland against Scarlet Knights with a career high 29 points to go with 15 returns and five assists. The exclaimed beginner expects 15.5 points per match to lead five terrapin scores on average double figures.
However, Queen is not Maryland’s only important newcomer. Ja’kobi Gillespie (14.3 PPG), Rodney Rice (13.2 PPG) and Selton Miguel (11.5 ppg) have also activated Terrapin’s starting rotation as veteran transfers that are new to the Big Ten.
“I think they are starting to respect the conference,” Willard said about their new contributors. “They learn and they understand. And you know, you can say, you are 12 games in or 13 games in – they are all beginners from the point of view of learning the big ten.”
Julian Reese, which is on average 13.7 points and one team -leading 9.0 returns per match, rounds off Maryland’s double -digit score. Senior ahead had only four points and two returns on Sunday but had flourished over Terrapin’s previous four matches, on average 19.8 points and 12 boards.
“He has been the best player in the Big Ten in the last month, his hands down,” Willard said.
Reese published eight points, 10 returns, four blocks and two steals in Maryland’s first meeting with Nebraska. Gillespie led Terrapins with 22 points, five assists and four steals.
For Cornhuskers, Andrew Morgan got a seasonal 17 from the bench. Williams had 14 points.
Nebraska’s crime is a little less versatile than Marylands, with Williams (19.4 PPG), Juwan Gary (13.1 PPG) and Connor Essegian (11 PPG) The only three players on average at least eight points per match.
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