Gophers-Nebraska men's basketball game preview

Huskers' skid in Big Ten at 23 losses

Preview: The Gophers (11-7, 4-7 Big Ten) are entering a home-heavy portion of their Big Ten schedule. Four of their next six games are at Williams Arena, including back-to-back home games for the first time since December. The Gophers have lost three in a row but are 11-1 at the Barn this season. The lone loss came in the Gophers' last home game, 63-49 vs. Maryland on Jan. 23. The Cornhuskers (4-9, 0-6) returned from a COVID-19 pause Saturday in a 66-56 loss at Michigan State. They have dropped 23 consecutive Big Ten games since a victory vs. Iowa on Jan. 7, 2020, which includes 16 losses in a row to finish the 2019-20 season.

Players to watch: Gophers freshman G Jamal Mashburn Jr. tied a season high with all 10 of his points in the first half of Thursday's 76-72 loss at Rutgers. Mashburn is averaging 6.0 points and 18 minutes per game in Big Ten play this year. … Huskers G Trey McGowens had 13 points, three assists and three steals in Saturday's 66-56 loss against Michigan State. McGowens — who like Marcus Carr is a Pittsburgh transfer — is second on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game in conference play.

Numbers: The Huskers were ranked last in the Big Ten with a NET ranking of 162 as of Sunday. The Gophers were No. 52.