Rutgers was missing Geo Baker for this one, but the Huskers still ended up getting shamefully buttgered by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 79-62 in this one. Let’s try some positive before we get into the meat of the recap though, shall we?

First Half

Nebraska started off hot, jumping out to a 15-10 lead after a Haanif Cheatham three pointer with 13:06 left in the half. However, from there the Huskers went cold while Rugers got hot. The Scarlet Knights went on a run and finished the half up 41-28. Cam Mack left the game for the rest of the half after a nasty collision going for a loose ball at the 11:37 mark, but not before getting five points, two rebounds, and two assists. Dachon Burke also scored five, grabbed three boards, had one assist, and two blocks. Thor and Cross both scored five in the first half as well, but Haanif Cheatham led the team with eight points and also grabbed three boards.

Second Half

Things only got worse for the Huskers in the second half, at least score-wise. While Nebraska improved shooting overall, it wasn’t enough to overcome the 27.3% shooting from the field and 20% from three of the first half. Cheatham led the Huskers again with 8 points in this half. Ouedraogo and Mack both managed three boards each in the half. Jervay Green also picked up a truly idiotic technical foul. Charlie Easley did come in late and score five points in only five minutes of game play.

In the end here, the mix of awful shooting combined with a 48-31 rebounding advantage to Rutgers is what made this the blowout it was. Coach Hoiberg and staff need to focus on stronger defense and the fundamentals of rebounding if they want to keep this team competitive as we get into conference play. The hot and cold shooting will see more games like this moving forward, whether Rutgers is an improved team this season (they actually are in fact) or not.

Next up will the the #23 Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday night at 8 pm CT. GBR!