The final tune-up for Nebraska men’s basketball gave Fred Hoiberg exactly what he wanted for his team.
The Huskers had to face adversity, falling behind 10-0 to start the game and were down as much as 17 in the first half, but never let the game get out of hand in the 72-61 loss at Colorado.
The Buffaloes won the rebounding battle and had less turnovers, more offensive rebounds, and were able to get plenty of uncontested layups over the course of the game to grab the victory. At least two of those three issues may have been closer if big man Derrick Walker had played, but Hoiberg said Walker was out with for “health care reasons”.
Without Walker, Blaise Keita got some more run from the start, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds in just over 11 minutes of play.
Emmanuel Bandoumel led the way with 14 points. Juwan Gary (11) and Sam Griesel (10) also broke double-digits.
As a team, Nebraska shot 41.3 percent for the game and made 6-of-25 three-pointers.
The regular-season begins next Monday as the Huskers host Maine.