Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort drives to the rim against USC Upstate on Saturday. (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
Nebraska Survives Sluggish Start, Tops USC Upstate 72–63 to Stay Unbeaten
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska didn’t make it easy on itself Sunday afternoon, but a second-half surge and timely contributions from its bench helped the Huskers grind out a 72–63 win over USC Upstate at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The victory kept Nebraska unbeaten, but it came wrapped in frustration. For the third straight home game, the Huskers opened flat, stumbled into poor shot selection, and allowed an underdog opponent to dictate the early rhythm.
“For whatever reason in this building, we have not gotten off to the type of starts we need to to get our incredible crowd behind us,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “I didn’t like our toughness…we had one deflection in nine minutes. That’s pathetic.”
The Spartans clogged driving lanes, chased Nebraska off the 3-point line, and played with a lead for most of the first half. Forward Pryce Sandfort said USC Upstate’s early success was a mixture of their plan and Nebraska’s miscues.
“They had a good game plan and part of it was that we weren’t hitting shots,” Sandfort said. “We gotta find ways to score and get to the rim when the shots aren’t falling.”
Nebraska eventually found some rhythm behind its defense, flipping the momentum with an 17-0 run at the end of the first half. But even as the Huskers pulled away, Hoiberg’s frustration remained visible — and it carried into the locker room.
“It’s as loud as I’ve been with this group after the game,” Hoiberg said. “It was so disappointing and disheartening to see the blank stares out there…we have to start getting off to better starts.”
One bright spot came from the bench. Senior forward Jared Garcia delivered his best stretch of the season, stabilizing the paint during Nebraska’s comeback.
“I thought Jared Garcia gave us as good of a stretch as he’s had all year,” Hoiberg said. “He was plus-17 in his ten minutes and he had five big defensive rebounds for us.”
Another reserve, Kendall Blue, earned extended minutes as well.
“Kendall’s gonna have to give us minutes moving forward,” Hoiberg said. “It was good to see him get out there on the floor in that first half.”
The win was also tempered by the emotional blow of losing guard Connor Essegian for the season due to injury — news Hoiberg discussed postgame.
“More than anything, I’m sick for Connor,” Hoiberg said. “But there’s not a stronger person in the locker room that can handle it. The one silver lining of this thing is we’re gonna get the opportunity to get Connor back in a Husker uniform next year.”
Nebraska’s record remains spotless, but Sunday’s performance served as another reminder that the Huskers are still searching for consistency. With tougher competition ahead, Hoiberg hopes the wake-up call arrives sooner than the Jays do.