Nebraska @ Northwestern preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 16, 2019 ) Northwestern 50, Nebraska 59

Nebraska looks to win back-to-back games for the first time since late November when they visit Northwestern in Big Ten play on Saturday. The Cornhuskers bounced back from a 79-62 loss to Rutgers with an impressive 76-70 win against Iowa on Tuesday to climb back to .500 in the conference standings, and they hope to ride the momentum of their upset win over the Hawkeyes to their first road victory of the season.

"Hopefully it's a win we can build on," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "We have two really tough road games coming up and every time you step on the floor in this conference it's a monster. "Northwestern is left to go back to the drawing board following its fifth consecutive defeat. The injury-depleted Wildcats dressed eight scholarship players in the 66-62 loss to Indiana on Wednesday to remain winless in conference play, and hope to turn their fortunes around by beating Nebraska for the first time since Jan. 26, 2017. "We've got a young group that's trying to learn how to win and sometimes it can be tough in a brutal league like the Big Ten," Northwestern coach Chris Collins told reporters. "We've have to find a way to get over the hump and start closing out some of these games."

TIME: 4:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT NEBRASKA (7-8, 2-2): Thorir Thorbjarnarson matched his career high with 17 points to go along with a season-best nine rebounds to lead five players in double figures in the win against Iowa. Cam Mack added 15 points and 10 assists to record his fourth double-double of the season while Haanif Cheatham scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half to help the Cornhuskers beat Iowa in Lincoln for the fourth consecutive time. Dachon Burke Jr. tallied 13 points after being limited to a combined nine on 3-of-22 shooting in his previous two games while Kevin Cross provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and five rebounds.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (5-9, 0-4 Big Ten): Pat Spencer scored 10 of his team-leading 15 points in the first half to go along with five assists and four rebounds while Miller Kopp added 12 points and five boards in the loss to Indiana. A.J. Turner also tallied 12 points after missing the previous game with a thigh injury while Ryan Young finished with 10 points and seven rebounds against the Hoosiers. "For them to come out and execute the way they did and put us in position to win the game late, there's a lot of positives from that," Collins said. "Now you've got to get over the hump as being close can't be enough."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Northwestern is 4-20 in Big Ten action since the start of the 2018-19 season.

2. Mack has three double-doubles in four conference games.

3. Nebraska has dropped 10 of its last 11 Big Ten road games.

PREDICTION: Northwestern 67, Nebraska 66