Nebraska will be without a key piece in Thursday’s game against Maryland as head coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed on Monday night that forward Berke Buyuktuncel will be sidelined for extended time.
“He is pretty sore and twisted that thing good,” Hoiberg said Monday night. “It is so unfortunate. He had been shooting the ball like that in practice and just had been waiting for a game where hook the lid off the basket…he is so valuable to us because he can guard so any positions out there, including the five. He is as good as anybody we have on our roster in defending the post, and he is leading us in rebounding. It was good to see him get going, and we are going to miss him.”
Buyuktuncel, a 6-foot-10 UCLA transfer, is coming off his best performance of the season after posting his sixth double-digit scoring night of the season with 15 points and six rebounds in Nebraska’s win over Ohio State. But his night would end early after Buyuktuncel left the game with less than one minute remaining as Hoiberg noted “he twisted it pretty good” postgame.
“That was his best game in a Husker uniform,” Hoiberg said. “He's been great defensively for us, phenomenal. And you look from an analytic standpoint, he's as important as anybody defensively. It was only a matter of time before he started hitting some shots, and I'm sick that he may be out here for a little bit because of the way that he shot the basketball... he's continuing to rebound, battle in the post.”
Buyuktuncel has started all but two games this season and leads the Huskers in both blocks (17) and rebounds per game (5.9), potentially giving Maryland’s two-headed frontcourt a chance to replicate the success they enjoyed in the road win vs. Illinois. And Nebraska knows the Terps have the advantage in the frontcourt.
“Not great timing for us — we're playing the biggest front line in the league, with Queen and with Reese in this next one,” Hoiberg said. “We may have to be ready to go a little big, with Andrew [Morgan] and with Braxton [Meah] out there.”
Tipoff is set for 8:30 PM on BTN on Thursday.
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