How to Watch Nebraska Men’s Basketball vs. South Dakota: Preview, Breakdown, TV

Nebraska is a red state until next year.

In Nebraska’s second straight trip to CHI Health Center in Omaha, NU pulled off another big upset, this time with a 74-63 win over in-state rival and No. 14 Creighton on Friday night.

An early front-runner for National Player of the Year, Bluejays big man Ryan Kalkbrenner was held to just four points and 11 rebounds. CU fared poorly, going 17-for-52 (32%), but made 12 three-pointers to make up for some of the missed effort. Creighton was forced into 17 turnovers and Nebraska had seven turnovers.

The Huskers were by definition balanced with five double-digit scorers Juwan Gary And Brice Williams Combined for 16 points each. Wisconsin transfer guard Connor Essegian added 15 of his own while at center Berke Buyuktuncel 12 chips and point guard Rollie Worster rounded everyone out with 11 points.

NU secured its signature non-conference win that eluded them a week ago in South Dakota against St. Mary (CA). The Huskers can relax a little knowing they have a big win under their belt as they approach Big Ten play.

Next up is a return to Pinnacle Bank Arena, where NU will face its only Summit League opponent of the season. Here’s everything you need to know as Nebraska takes on South Dakota in Lincoln on Wednesday night.

How to get involved

South Dakota Scout

Head Coach: Eric Peterson | 3rd season | 30-41 (.414) USD record; 82-56 (.591) career HC record | 53-15 as head coach and athletic director at Williston State College | Was an assistant at USD from 2014 to 2018, as well as assistant stints at Utah, Utah State and Minnesota State Moorhead.

’23-’24 record: 12-20 (5-11 Summit, T-8) | 2x All-Summit Honorable Mention, 2x All-Newcomer Team | Did not qualify for the postseason.

All-time series: Nebraska leads 34-5 (November 21, 2021, last game, 83-70 NU)

Fun fact: South Dakota assistant coach Brandon Ubel played for the Cornhuskers from 2009 to 2013 under former NU head coaches Doc Sadler and Tim Miles. The Coyotes also have two Nebraska natives on their roster in forwards Mayuom Buom from Lincoln and Hake Brack from Omaha.

Important returnees: Kaleb Stewart, G, Sr. | Paul Bruns, G, Sr. | Max Burchill, G, Sr. | Isaac Bruns, G, Soph.

Important additions: Chase Forte, G, Sr. (Northwest State) | Cameron Fens, C, Jr. (UIC) | Dre Bullock, G, Sr. (Niagara) | Ashton Smith, F, Jr. (Oral Roberts).

Most important departures: Lahat Thioune, F (Eligibility) | Bostyn Holt, G, Gr. (State of Florida) | Steven Kramer, G, Soph. (SMSU).

Outlook: Third-year head coach Eric Peterson is looking to surpass 12 wins for USD, a mark he reached in his first two seasons with the Coyotes. USD has finished tied for sixth and eighth in the Summit League over the last two seasons and is expected to finish in that bracket again with a projected seventh place finish in the preseason Summit League poll.

Senior guard Kaleb Stewart leads the Coyotes after being named to the Preseason All-Summit League after putting up 15.6 points per game to lead the team last season. USD lost two of its top three scorers from last season as Lahat Thioune (14.3 PPG) graduated and guard Bostyn Holt (12.3 PPG) took his talents to Florida State.

Sophomore guard Isaac Bruns took a big step in his seventh game of his second season. He leads the team with 12.7 points per game while grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game and shooting 49% from the field. Northwestern State transfer guard Chase Forte came to Vermillion and made an immediate impact, averaging 11.9 points per game, second on the team. Cameron Fens, another transfer from the University of Chicago-Illinois, is averaging 10 points per game with a team-leading 5.6 rebounds. Dre Bullock rounds out the five double-digit scorers for USD with 10 per game as he transferred from Niagara.

Despite a weaker schedule, the Coyotes are 6-2 on the young season with wins over Southern (93-79), Texas A&M Commerce (91-83), Mount Marty (77-47) and Dakota Wesleyan (92-69). NAIA and Western Michigan (80-76). Nebraska will be USD’s second game against a Big Ten opponent, as the Coyotes lost a 96-77 game to Iowa on Nov. 12. The only other loss was a 92-83 loss to Southern Indiana.

Stewart, Forte and Bullock give USD a trio of top-notch guards who can put up some points, but if Nebraska can continue the defensive performance against Creighton, this should be a blowout win.

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