Big Ten Sunday Recap: Nebraska Huskers Fall To Creighton Blue Jays

The Big Ten had just one game on Sunday night, but it was a big one for the conference as the Nebraska Huskers tipped off against the in-state Creighton Blue Jays.  Both programs are coming off NCAA Tournament appearances and Creighton has achieved great success under coach Greg McDermott.  Under McDermott's leadership, the Blue Jays have landed in three straight NCAA Tournaments and are looking to move forward without star player Doug McDermott.  The matchup on Sunday night would be a good measuring stick for both programs.

Game of the Day: Creighton at Nebraska

The game was a competitive one and the Huskers looked in good shape for segments, but ultimately, Nebraska fell by a final score of 65-55 to Creighton.  The big players in this one were Nebraska's Terran Petteway and Creighton's Austin Chatman and Isaiah Zierden.  Petteway finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.  Chatman had 19 points and 7 rebounds and Zierden had 13 points and 5 rebounds.

The biggest issue Nebraska had in this game revolved around a stagnant offense that relied too much on star player Terran Petteway.  There is no denying that Petteway is a really good player for Nebraska, but he is dominating the offense right now.  Petteway took 10 more attempts than any other Nebraska player and 6 more attempts from 3PT range than any other Nebraska player.  Overall, Petteway is taking 11.8% more shots than any other Nebraska player, but sits just 4th on the starting lineup in offensive rating.  That's generally not a trend you like to see.  The Huskers have to get more from the supporting cast offensively if they are going to continue to improve this season.

For Nebraska, this is certainly not a bad loss, but it is going to be one that stings for awhile.  They were favored coming into this game and most thought they would be able to pull out the win over a good, but not great Creighton team, especially at home where the Huskers have been so good.  This is the kind of win that would go a long way in March and considering the challenging Big Ten slate coming up, Nebraska needed to score a win like this.  Now, with losses to Creighton and Rhode Island, the Huskers will have one shot at a marquee non-conference win against Cincinnati in mid-December.  This will be a crucial game for Nebraska.