Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 4th 2024

Preview and Prediction

The start of the sixth season under Fred Hoiberg's leadership will commence on Monday as Nebraska takes on Texas-Rio Grande Valley in a non-conference game in Lincoln, Neb. to kick off the 2024-25 campaign.

The Cornhuskers are coming off their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in ten years, ultimately falling to Texas A&M in the first round and finishing the season with a 23-11 record. While Juwan Gary and Brice Williams will return as starters, the rest of the roster has undergone significant changes thanks to the transfer portal.

According to Hoiberg, the biggest challenge for the team will be determining the rotation and who will see playing time, as there are many capable players on the roster. Hoiberg, who has a record of 63-94 with Nebraska, will have to make some tough decisions.

The Cornhuskers have made some notable additions to their team, including guards Connor Essegian (from Wisconsin), Rollie Worster (from Utah), and Ahron Ulis (from Iowa), as well as frontcourt players Berke Buyuktuncel (from UCLA) and Braxton Meah (from Washington). These new players will help fill the void left by Rienk Mast, who led the team in rebounding last season but is out for the year due to knee surgery.

Under the guidance of new head coach Kahlil Fennell, Texas-Rio Grande Valley will make their debut this season. Fennell previously served as an assistant at BYU under current Kentucky coach Mark Pope. The Vaqueros have also joined a new conference, the Southland Conference, after spending the past eleven seasons in the Western Athletic Conference.

Fennell expressed his excitement for his new role, stating, "This is a really good spot. I'm really, really lucky. A huge part of my coaching philosophy is centered around making sure our players feel loved, cared for, and developed. If they feel like they're being taught and held to a high standard, I believe the wins will follow."

UTRGV, who finished last season with a 6-25 record, will have two of their top five scorers returning in guards Hasan Abdul-Hakim and J.J. Howard. They have also added transfers such as former DePaul guard K.T. Raimey and former Texas A&M-Commerce forward Kwo Agwa.

The Vaqueros have a record of 1-19 against Big Ten schools. They previously lost to Nebraska in 2009 but secured a victory over Indiana in 1980.

PREDICTION

Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers Recap NOV 4TH 2024

Brice Williams poured in 27 points and Nebraska opened the season with an 87-67 victory over Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Monday night in Lincoln, Neb.

Rollie Worster scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Connor Essegian added 13 points for the Cornhuskers. Andrew Morgan had 10 points for Nebraska.

K.T. Raimey scored 14 points and Cliff Davis had 12 points on four 3-pointers for Rio Grande Valley. Tommy Gankhuyag and Dekedran Thorn added 11 apiece for the Vaqueros.

Rio Grande Valley rebounded from a 15-point, second-half deficit and trailed 69-65 after Raimey's basket with 5:52 left before Essegian took over.

Essegian drilled a 3-pointer with 4:34 left, added two free throws 21 seconds later and capped his personal 7-0 flurry on a layup with 3:52 remaining. Juwan Gary tallied four of the final five points of the 12-0 run to boost the lead to 16 points with 2:40 left.

Nebraska shot 49.1 percent from the field, including 6 of 19 from 3-point range.

The Vaqueros made 38.7 percent of their attempts and were 13 of 41 from behind the arc.

The Cornhuskers looked in good shape after Worster hit a turnaround jumper to end a 9-0 run and give Nebraska a 59-44 advantage with 14:35 left in the game.

A 3-pointer by Essegian gave the Cornhuskers a 65-52 lead with 12:20 left before Rio Grande scored seven straight and 13 of the next 17 to get back in the game.

Williams scored 19 first-half points as the Cornhuskers led 42-36 at the break.

Williams started fast by scoring the first eight points of the game on a 3-pointer, a jumper and a three-point play.

Nebraska later led 14-6 on a basket by Morgan before Rio Grande scored 15 of the next 20 points.

Raimey and Davis hit consecutive treys to give the Vaqueros their first lead of the game at 18-17 with 10:07 left in the half.

Davis capped the burst with another 3-pointer with 9:30 to play to make it 21-19.

The Cornhuskers later led by two when Williams scored six straight points on four free throws and a layup for a 42-34 advantage with 42 seconds left.