‘Big-Ass Hoop’ Not Big Enough in Shellacking by Michigan

　　Nebraska’s cold shooting and poor effort made for a sour evening at PBA

　　KALEB HENRYSteven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

　　Nebraska's shooting woes continued Tuesday night.

　　Just a day ago, coach Fred Hoiberg tried to rectify the cold shooting by placing two basketballs in a hoop at Pinnacle Bank Arena to show that there is plenty of room for the ball to go in the rim.

　　“That’s a big ass hoop,” Hoiberg quipped.

　　But despite starting the game 3-for-6 from deep, the Huskers (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten) made just 2-of-29 the rest of the way as Michigan (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten) ran away with the 102-67 win.

　　“That was as embarrassing a game as I’ve ever been a part of,” Hoiberg said after the loss. “The team collectively just quit out there. It’s humiliating.

　　“The true test is how you handle adversity, and we just completely shut down as a unit.”

　　Hoiberg said freshman Wilhelm Breidenbach was the only one to not stop fighting. Unfortunately, Breidenbach left the game in the second half with a knee injury. No word yet on how long he may be out.

　　A back-and-forth start to the game had everything tied up at 13, but a 16-5 run extended the Michigan lead to double digits, where it would remain the rest of the way. The Huskers trailed by as many as 21 in the first half before ultimately falling by 35.

　　A bright spot offensively, Alonzo Verge Jr. scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Verge also had three assists, which were half of the team's total. He also had four of the team’s nine turnovers.

　　Keisei Tominaga (11) and Bryce McGowens (8) were the only other Huskers to score more than four points.

　　The 14.3 percent shooting from deep and 31.9 percent from the floor overall were the worst this season. The three-point shooting percentage is the worst for Nebraska in the Hoiberg era.

　　On the other end, Michigan made a season-high 15 threes as part of a 51.3 percent shooting night. The Wolverines shared the ball well with 25 of their 39 makes coming off an assist.

　　Nebraska will try to pull itself out of the shooting slump Saturday in Atlanta for Holiday Hoopsgiving. That will be easier said than done, though, as the Huskers face No. 18 Auburn (7-1).