2019 NIT Preview: No. 4 Nebraska at No. 1 TCU

It took quite an effort for the Nebraska Cornhuskers to score a win on Wednesday night at home against Butler, but the Huskers were able to get things done. Nebraska will now go on the road to face a really solid TCU team.

Let’s take a look at Nebraska’s second round matchup.

-No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers at No. 1 TCU Horned Frogs

• Time/TV: 9:30PM ET (ESPNU)
• KenPom Spread: TCU (-2)

Predicting the NIT is generally a pretty difficult task. Not only do you have the challenge of predicting postseason play, but motivation is a key component in the NIT. How hard will teams play to advance and who comes in with the legitimate desire to advance. For Nebraska, fans seemed to get an answer on Wednesday, but we’ll see if that changes as the team goes on the road.

On paper, TCU is a better team than Nebraska. Not only because the Horned Frogs have a better record than the Huskers, but also because the team’s roster hasn’t been gutted by injuries and off court issues. Nebraska is playing with an extremely limited roster and that’s expected to pose a challenge on Sunday.

If Nebraska is going to go on the road and win this game, it’s going to come down to avoiding early foul trouble and slowing down TCU’s interior game. The Horned Frogs have done some major damage inside this season and it will be up to the Huskers to slow down players like JD Miller and Kouat Noi.

All told, Nebraska should have a decent shot at pulling off the upset here. KenPom actually only has this as a two-point spread, so it should be a competitive matchup between the two. Isaiah Roby will need another huge game for Nebraska to pull off the upset. He had 28 points on Wednesday against Butler.

• Pick To Win: TCU