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Ultimately, Nebraska got what it wanted out of the College Basketball Crown. At the end of a physically and emotionally taxing season, the Huskers traveled to Las Vegas seeking something that would make them feel good, something to wash away some of the frustration of the previous five months. Something to remember before the season ended and the senior-laden roster disassembled.
NU ended its season with a cathartic 77-66 win over Central Florida on Sunday, becoming the Crown’s inaugural champions as it sent Brice Williams and Juwan Gary off with wins in their college basketball finales. It was Gary who fittingly revived Nebraska when all seemed lost. After an elbow to the head briefly took him out of the game, the forward returned and made a layup for the Huskers’ first field goal in more than 10 minutes of game time.
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Less than two minutes later he was letting out a yell under the basket, his and-one layup having dropped through the hoop after an offensive rebound. He scored on the next possession, and the Huskers had reeled off 12 straight points, Gary responsible for nine of them. Suddenly Nebraska was reinvigorated, UCF was reeling and the avalanche was underway.
Connor Essegian made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, sandwiching hustle plays from Sam Hoiberg. Andrew Morgan threw down dunks off of Williams assists. When the dust cleared, NU had outscored Central Florida 24-3 after appearing dead in the water.
Nebraska originally had a 12-point lead that gradually eroded throughout the last 10 minutes of the first half as the well of 3-pointers that guided the Huskers through the early going dried up. With the window open, UCF pounced. With shots bouncing off the rim from all distances and directions on one side of the floor, the Knights leaned on Jordan Ivy-Curry on the other.
The guard was shifty along the perimeter, creating his own shot from midrange, knocking down jumpers and getting to the rim. His 29 points led UCF, who took control with a 16-0 run that stretched across halftime, ballooning its lead to 14 points as Nils Machowski and Tyler Hendricks buried 3-pointers. Williams, who became Nebraska’s single-season scoring leader with two free throws in the second half, was automatic early, his three first-half 3-pointers snapping through the net with no help from the rim or backboard.
Gary connected on his first attempt from deep, and Essegian hit a quick-trigger trey as Nebraska’s hot shooting against Boise State a day earlier spilled into the championship game. Subscribe for the best Husker news & commentary Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
