How the Wisconsin basketball team plans to reverse its fortunes against Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska after last year's epic collapse

MADISON – Wisconsin’s players probably would prefer to forget their last trip to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Nebraska.

They can’t.

“Playing in Lincoln is a whole different environment,” said guard Chucky Hepburn, a native of Omaha. “They’re more (explosive) playing at their crib so we’ve got to lock in defensively.

“Last year we had a (big) lead and we let them come back.”

UW (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten), ranked No. 6 in both major top 25 polls, returns to Lincoln to face Nebraska (15-6, 5-5) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on BTN.

UW enters the game percentage points ahead of second-place Purdue (20-2, 9-2), which held off Northwestern in overtime, 105-96, Wednesday night.

The Badgers traveled to Lincoln last February just 6-7 in the Big Ten and 14-9 overall. They were coming off a 79-74 overtime victory at Penn State and had a chance to record consecutive Big Ten victories for the first time since Jan. 3.

Greg Gard's team was in control last season at Nebraska. Then Keisei Tominaga took over.

A second consecutive victory appeared close after the Badgers shot 50% from three-point range (6 of 12) in building an 11-point halftime lead and then outscored the Cornhuskers, 10-4, in the first 3 minutes 48 seconds of the second half to build a 45-28 lead.

Then came an epic collapse.

UW hit just 1 of 10 three-pointers and 6 of 22 shots overall over the final 15:27 of regulation and Nebraska stormed back to force overtime.

Keisei Tominaga sparked the rally with back-to-back three-pointers – in a span of 43 seconds – to cut UW’s lead to 45-34.

Then came another collapse.

After Nebraska opened the overtime with a turnover, Tyler Wahl scored inside to give UW a 63-61 lead with 4:01 left.

The Badgers didn’t score again in the extra period, missing 5 three-point attempts and six shots overall, losing 73-63.

Combined over the final 21 minutes of the game, UW hit 1 of 15 three-pointers and 6 of 28 shots overall.

Nebraska outscored UW, 45-18, over the final 21:01 by hitting 7 of 14 three-pointers and 14 of 29 shots overall.

“We knew they could shoot the ball last year and we kind of took our foot off the gas in that second half,” Wahl said. “I think we’ve done a better job this year of closing out games. If they make a run, we’re able to come back and counter it with one of our own.”

Tominaga hit 4 of 7 three-pointers and 5 of 8 shots overall over the final 21:01 last season en route to scoring 17 of his game-high 22 points.

When the teams met earlier this season at the Kohl Center, Tominaga hit 3 of 6 three-pointers and 7 of 10 shots overall and finished with 17 points. However, with Max Klesmit as the primary defender Tominaga never got on a prolonged scoring run and UW prevailed, 88-72.

The Cornhuskers are 5-0 at home in Big Ten play but just 0-5 on the road

Nebraska is a more formidable team at home.

The Cornhuskers are 5-0 at home in league play and 0-5 on the road. In league games at home Nebraska is shooting 48.7% from three-point range and averaging 81.8 points. In league games on the road the numbers are 34.9% from three-point range and 69.2 points per game.

Their top three scorers -- Tominaga (13.6 ppg), Rienk Mast (13.2) and Brice Williams (13.1) -- are significantly more efficient from three-point range at home than on the road.

Tominaga jumps from 32.1% on the road to 45.5% at home. Mast jumps from 25.0% to 42.1%. Williams jumps from 34.8% to 61.5%.

“At home they shoot the crap out of the ball,” Wahl said. “We can’t let them get confidence early. Because once that place gets rocking it is hard to control and they start feeling good.”

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History suggests that means limiting Tominaga’s three-point attempts and shots overall.

That is easier said than done because Tominaga moves without the ball as well as any scorer in the Big Ten.

“He never stops,” UW coach Greg Gard said.

And he has one of the quicker releases in the league.

"Tominaga was able to get hot and that is what really sparked their energy,” Hepburn said of the loss last season in Lincoln. “We’ve got to really lock in on defense from the start of the game to the end of the game.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Wisconsin basketball can defeat Nebraska, limit Keisei Tominaga