George Mason @ Nebraska preview

Nebraska has made noticeable strides in the first month of the season, following a pair of shocking home losses to mid-major opponents with three straight victories. The Cornhuskers set their sights on winning a fourth straight contest Tuesday when they square off in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic against George Mason.

The Fred Hoiberg era got off to a rough start in the first week of the season as Nebraska suffered a 19-point loss to UC Riverside on Nov. 5 and a double-overtime defeat against Southern Utah four days later. The Cornhuskers finally got their coach his first win with the program against South Dakota State on Nov. 15 and haven't lost since, notching their first win over a Power Five program in opening-round action Monday with an 82-71 victory over Washington State. The Patriots figure to give Nebraska everything it can handle, however, moving to 6-1 for the first time in 12 years after holding Old Dominion to 36 percent shooting - including 28.6 percent in the second half - en route to a 60-53 win. "It was a gutty win and a tough defensive performance. … In the second half, we did a good job of driving to the basket, getting to the foul line and getting to multiple actions. I thought we really stepped it up defensively in the second half," George Mason coach Dave Paulsen said.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT GEORGE MASON (6-1): AJ Wilson (13.1 points, 8.4 rebounds) did a bit of everything in Monday's victory, following up Friday's 19-point, six-rebound, three-block effort against No. 8 Maryland with 18 points, nine boards, three blocks and a steal. Javon Greene (13.6, 7.3) nailed at least three 3-pointers for the fourth time in 2019-20 en route to a season-high 19 points while adding seven boards and two steals; the 6-2 junior guard has reached double figures in scoring in every game and pulled down at least seven rebounds in four straight. Sophomore guard Jordan Miller (12.9, 5.0) made up for a second straight poor offensive performance with a season-high nine rebounds as the Patriots enjoyed a 40-26 edge on the glass versus the Monarchs.

ABOUT NEBRASKA (3-2): Haanif Cheatham (9.2 points) totaled five points on 1-of-6 shooting despite playing 61 minutes in his first two games but has turned it around during the winning streak, shooting 69.2 percent from the field while averaging 13.6 points after scoring a season-high 19 points Monday. Cam Mack (14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.8 steals) committed a career-high five turnovers in 37 minutes against the Cougars, but he also continued to have a hand in just about everything Nebraska did, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jervay Green (13.4 points) contributed 16 points and eight boards Monday and is 6-of-9 from 3-point range over his last two games after beginning the season 3-for-16.

TIP-INS

1. Nebraska, which totaled 47 points in its season-opening loss to UC Riverside, has scored 39 points or more in five of its last six halves.

2. The Patriots held Old Dominion, which entered Monday ranked 10th in the nation in offensive rebounding, to three offensive boards.

3. The Cornhuskers are 21-for-39 beyond the arc over the last two games after shooting 18-for-78 over their first three contests.

PREDICTION: George Mason 67, Nebraska 65