Five quick takes on Nebraska defeating No. 1 Purdue

The best game of the Fred Hoiberg era: And one of the greatest games in Nebraska basketball history. The Huskers beat a No. 1 team for the only their fourth time ever, and they did with a sizzling shooting performance. It was not a 53-52 slugfest — though there wouldn’t have been anything wrong with that — but a thrilling two hours full of big shots, celebrations and fire. This is the kind of spirited, offensive-minded play Hoiberg was supposed to bring with his arrival. He’s now done it.

The ballad of Keisei, C.J. and Sam: They played the biggest roles in the game’s two defining runs — an 13-0 run at the end of the first half and a 14-2 run halfway through the second. Tominaga’s two 3-pointers start the initial run, with Wilcher accounting for nine points during the second run. Hoiberg played a role in both with Pick Six layups that electrified the Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd. In both cases, NU broke a tight game open into double-digit lead. Wilcher had one of his best games, making increasingly difficult 3s in the second half over Purdue’s defense. And Tominaga’s one-footed 3-pointer with four minutes left — which gave NU an 80-70 lead put Pinnacle Bank Arena on full tilt, and had Tominaga bringing his hands to his ears in disbelief.

A defensive plan on Zach Edey that worked like a charm on Edey and worked well enough on Purdue’s 3-point shooters: NU tried to bring at least two defenders on Edey at all times, be it a smother job in the low post or a defender drifting into Edey’s grill when he was in the high post. The 7-foot-4 superstar consistently passed out of those double teams to open Boilermaker shooters, who, yes, made their share of trios against NU’s ever-rotating defense. And while Edey finished with 15 points, he didn’t dominate the game for a minute. An assist goes to Nebraska’s crowd, too, for consistently getting on Edey’s case — in a fun way — every possession.

Brice Williams, man of grit: Managing on a bum ankle, Williams played a ton of point guard and filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 9 points, 9 assists and 11 rebounds. Williams picked his spots as a scorer, but he was an elite distributor and pure toughness on the boards. If Nebraska could have envisioned a perfect game for a seasoned transfer, that was it.

Unless it was Rienk Mast’s game: The Bradley transfer took on the giant Edey and made his statement early with one big play after another on offense. It set a considerable tone and let the nation’s No. 1 team know: Nebraska was here to play. ​