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Christmas Big Ten Preview: Nebraska Faces Oregon State

By Bryan Steedman

Christmas Big Ten Preview: Nebraska Faces Oregon State

There is only game set for today with Nebraska facing Oregon State in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic tonight in Hawaii. Let's take a look at the upcoming action.

Nebraska advanced to the finals in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic this week by beating Murray State by 17 and Hawaii by 14. Now they face an Oregon State team on a six game winning streak who knocked off the College of Charleston by nine and then edged Oakland in overtime earlier this week. The Cornhuskers enter tonight on a 6-1 run of their own that includes wins over Creighton and Indiana.

Nebraska is led by guard Brice Williams, who is averaging 19.2 points per game and shooting 45% from the field. The Cornhuskers have a thin rotation with only six core players contributing much offensively. That doesn't pair particularly well with almost 12 turnovers per game and a 32.8% clip from three. Defensively they have fared much better, currently penciled inside the top 20 per KenPom.

Oregon State isn't much better offensively, however. Forward Michael Rataj leads the team in scoring (16.3) and rebounds (9.1) while Nate Kingz shoots just over 50% from three. The Beavers offense will have a challenge today against a strong Cornhusker defense and barely snuck past a pair of mid-majors on their way to the title game.

Neither team has wowed offensively so it will likely come down to which offense can limit turnovers. Considering Nebraska's advantage on defense and the Cornhuskers should be able to close out the tourney with a third win.

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