Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Picks and Predictions March 1st 2025

Nebraska Looks to Diversify Offense Against Minnesota

The four words no team wants to hear late in the season while sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble: “Still work to do.”

That is the reality for Nebraska as it prepares to host Big Ten foe Minnesota on Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

Nebraska Searching for Offensive Balance

The Cornhuskers (17-11, 7-10 Big Ten) missed a prime opportunity to bolster their tournament resume on Monday, falling 49-46 to No. 15 Michigan in a defensive struggle. It was just the third time in the past 11 years that a Big Ten game was won with fewer than 50 points.

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Offensive struggles plagued Nebraska, with Brice Williams carrying the team by scoring a game-high 26 points. Williams is averaging 19.6 points per game, but outside of him and reserve Sam Hoiberg—who made both of his shot attempts—the rest of the team combined to go just 5-for-39 from the field.

“We don’t have a ton of shooting on this team,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg admitted. “We have to stay in games and give ourselves a chance with our defense. That’s been our identity when we’ve played well.”

While Nebraska is pushing for back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in over 30 years, Minnesota (14-14, 6-11 Big Ten) is simply trying to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.

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Minnesota Struggling to Stay in Conference Tournament Picture

The Golden Gophers’ postseason hopes took a hit on Tuesday with a 75-63 home loss to Northwestern. It marked their fourth consecutive home defeat and dropped them into a four-way tie for 13th place with USC, Iowa, and Northwestern. The bottom three teams in the 18-team Big Ten will miss the conference tournament.

“We’re stuck,” Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said. “We’ve got to fight through being stuck. We are just really mentally stuck right now. Can’t pinpoint what it is when we’re not on the road.”

Fifth-year senior Dawson Garcia was a bright spot in the loss, scoring 26 points. He leads the Gophers with 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

First and Only Meeting of the Season

This will be the lone matchup between Nebraska and Minnesota this season. With both teams fighting for positioning—Nebraska for an NCAA bid and Minnesota to stay alive in the conference tournament—the stakes are high in Lincoln.

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