Huskers Look for Big 12 Road Win At Kansas State

Lincoln -- The Nebraska men's basketball team hits the road for the fourth time since the start of league play (Jan. 10) when it travels to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the Kansas State Wildcats on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The contest will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network throughout Nebraska and the Midwest. The radio broadcast will also be available on Huskers.com, along with live stats. Randy Lee calls the action and Matt Davison adds color analysis for all the Husker men's basketball radio broadcasts.

Nebraska heads into the contest looking to get back on the winning track after dropping its last two Big 12 contests. The Huskers started the year with a 10-1 record in non-conference play, including solid wins over Tennessee, Arizona State and Minnesota (on the road), but have come up short in five of the last six against Big 12 opponents.

Among NU's five league losses in 2003-04 are three defeats by eight or fewer points, including a pair of two-point losses to nationally ranked squads. NU's latest heartbreaker came Sunday, Feb. 1, when the Huskers rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit and took a late lead before No. 25/25 Oklahoma came out with a 52-50 victory.

Defensive play will be the key to the game for both teams Wednesday. The Huskers and Wildcats are two of the top defensive squads in the league, as each holds opponents to less than 64 points per game and under 39 percent shooting. Offensively, the teams are each averaging 69.1 points per game.

Following Wednesday's game against Kansas State, the Huskers return home for a rematch with Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 7. The game will tip off at 12:47 p.m. and will be seen on ESPN+. The contest can also be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network.

About the Huskers
When the Huskers take on Kansas State Wednesday, Nebraska will look to get back to the basics that helped it to 10 wins in its first 11 contests. NU has been among the national leaders nearly all season in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense, ranking fourth and 10th, respectively (as of last week's rankings).

Playing with a high intensity on defense away from home is a tough task, but the Huskers have shown they can shut down opponents on an unfamiliar court. In five road contests this year, Nebraska has held foes to 42.5 percent shooting, including 36.4 percent from three-point range. NU has given up just 69.0 points per game in road contests, and has held its own on the boards where it has tied opponents (32.1 rebounds apiece).

Overall, NU is at near-record pace on the defensive side this season. The Huskers have allowed opponents to hit just 37.0 percent from the field in 2003-04. If NU finishes the season at that pace, it would be the lowest opponent field-goal percentage since 1961 when Nebraska allowed opponents to hit just 36.7 percent from the floor.

On the scoreboard, foes have gained an average of just 57.4 points per game this year, as the Huskers have held 14 of 17 foes to 65 or fewer points. It is the lowest opponent scoring average since 1981-82, when NU allowed 55.3 points per game to rank 10th nationally in scoring defense. That campaign (1981-82) is the only time since 1950-51 that NU has held opposing teams to fewer than 60 points per game. Since the introduction of the three-point line in 1986-87, NU has allowed fewer than 70 points per game in just four seasons, including two of Coach Collier's first three years at Nebraska.

Offensively, the Huskers are looking for the same consistency that helped NU to its best winning percentage before conference play since going 11-1 in 1991-92. The Huskers rank second in the league (21st nationally last week) in field-goal percentage by hitting 47.7 percent from the floor. The increase in efficiency is tremendous, as the Huskers connected on a league-low 39.8 percent from the field last year. Seven of Nebraska's top eight scorers this season are hitting better than 45.0 percent from the field, and three are hitting better than 50.0 percent from the floor. Last year, just two players finished the campaign hitting at least 45.0 percent from the field.

Nebraska has also improved at the charity stripe and behind the arc in 2003-04. NU has hit 69.8 percent from the free throw line this year to rank fourth in the league after ranking 11th last year at 64.9 percent. The improvement is even greater from downtown, where NU is hitting at a league-leading and school-record pace (40.8 percent) after draining just 27.6 percent from beyond the three-point line in 2002-03 to rank last in the league.

Also helping Nebraska's cause this season is a renewed determination on the boards, as Nebraska ranks third in the league (17th nationally last week) in rebounding margin (+6.5). The Huskers have outrebounded 12 of 17 foes this year, and lead the league by allowing opponents just 30.6 rebounds per game. Nebraska outrebounded just 12 of 30 opponents all of last season.

Who's Hot?
The Huskers have played with a team-first attitude all year, and that has shown through the box scores. Nebraska has just two players averaging double figures, although six are scoring at least six points per game. Three of those six players are hitting at least 50.0 percent from the floor, with the other three hitting at least 45.0 percent.

*-  Senior Andrew Drevo has continued his solid all-around play, as he is second on the squad in points (182, 10.7 ppg), rebounds (73, 4.3 rpg), assists (39, 2.3 apg), three-pointers (23), blocks (15, 0.9 bpg) and steals (16, 1.0 spg). Drevo's averages in many areas are better than last season despite playing just 21.9 minutes per game in 2004, compared to 28.6 mpg last year. In 2003, he gained 13.3 points with 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.7 steals per game.

Drevo's biggest area of improvement may be in his ball handling and decision making, as he owns a 1.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (39 assists, 26 turnovers) this season after recording a 0.66:1 ratio (38 assists, 58 turnovers) last year. He is third on the team in assist-to-turnover ratio this season.

*-  Drevo and senior Nate Johnson have been NU's top performers on the road in league action this year, as each is averaging 13.3 points per game. They have combined for 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game in those three contests. Johnson has connected on 50.0 percent from the floor in Big 12 road games, while Drevo has hit 44.1 percent.

As a team, the Huskers have hit 44.8 percent in three league road games, better than the 44.3 percent they are allowing. NU has been tremendous inside the arc, where the Huskers have hit 51-of-100 two-point attempts in games against Iowa State, Texas and Missouri.

*- Freshman guard Charles Richardson Jr. has made an impact for the Huskers this season. The newcomer has started nine games at the point and leads the team in assists with 51 (3.0 apg) while adding 2.7 points per game. He also ranks among the league leaders in turnover-to-assist ratio (eighth, 2.1:1).

In Nebraska's last two contests, Richardson showed another part of his game as he averaged 4.5 rebounds, including a career-high six rebounds at Missouri. Richardson has averaged 2.4 rebounds per game in 2003-04, although he has yet to record an offensive board (40 defensive).

Scouting the Wildcats
Kansas State enters the week in a similar situation as the Huskers, as KSU had a solid 8-3 record in non-conference action but has stumbled to a 1-5 mark to open league play. The Wildcats have dropped seven of their last nine overall, although two of the losses came by a single point (at Saint Louis; vs. Oklahoma State).

KSU's strength has been in its defense as the Wildcats are allowing just 63.5 points per game while opponents have hit just 38.7 percent from the floor. Kansas State leads the league in three-point field-goal percentage defense, as foes have hit a paltry 28.7 percent against KSU from outside the arc this season.

The Wildcats' defensive numbers during conference play have been similar to their season totals, but their offensive production has dropped. KSU is averaging just 60.8 points per game in league play (69.1 overall) and is hitting 40.1 percent from the field (43.6 overall). KSU has also averaged four fewer rebounds and three less assists in Big 12 action compared to its season totals.

Newcomer Jeremiah Massey leads the Wildcats, as he is averaging 12.9 points per game with a team-high 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. The 6-8, 230-pound forward has hit 45.5 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent from the foul stripe.

Along with Massey, guards Tim Ellis and Jarrett Hart have averaged double figures in 2003-04. Ellis has chipped in 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while hitting a team-high 50.6 percent from the floor. Hart is the team's leading three-point shooter with 24 treys (66 attempts; 36.4 percent) while adding 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Hart, Ellis (20) and rookie guard Dez Willingham (14) have recorded 78 percent of KSU's made three-pointers.

Forward Marques Hayden has added 9.4 points and 7.1 rebounds as another inside presence, while guard Frank Richards has added a team-high 4.0 assists with 6.4 points per game.

Kansas State is coached by Jim Wooldridge, who is in his fourth season guiding the Wildcats and 17th season as a head coach. Wooldridge owns a 46-59 record at Kansas State and is 275-206 overall.

Series History
Nebraska and Kansas State will renew a rivalry that dates back to the 1905-06 season when the Huskers opened the series with a lopsided 50-14 victory in Manhattan. Nebraska won nine of the first 11 meetings, but KSU took control of the series in the 1950s and '60s. The Wildcats now lead the series by a 116-88 margin.

While Kansas State leads the overall series, the teams have been even in the past 15 years, with each squad recording 16 wins in that span. More recently, the Huskers have had a slight advantage, as NU is 4-3 against Kansas State under Coach Collier.

The teams have traded victories each of the past two seasons after NU swept the regular-season series in 2000-01 (KSU won the third matchup at the Big 12 Tournament). Nebraska's victory at Kansas State that season snapped a six-game losing streak in Manhattan, where the Wildcats own a 67-29 advantage over the Huskers. KSU is 11-4 against Nebraska in Bramlage Coliseum.

Last year, each team won on its home court. In the first matchup, KSU took a slim lead into the intermission and charged ahead by double figures in the second period on its way to a 77-53 win. Nate Johnson led NU with 13 points in the game, with six boards, three assists (one turnover) and three steals, while Jason Dourisseau had 11 points off the bench. Dourisseau, who hit a pair of three-pointers while going 3-of-10 from the floor, did not record double-figure points in any other Big 12 contest last season.

In the rematch in Lincoln, Nebraska limped into the contest on the heels of a nine-game losing streak, but came out riding high with a 68-61 victory. After each team scored 34 points in the first half, NU pulled ahead just enough for the win as the teams combined to attempt 71 free throws. KSU was limited to 31.8 percent shooting in the second half and finished the game hitting just 1-of-11 from three-point range. John Turek had his third career double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds and added four steals, while Andrew Drevo scored 19 points and Johnson added 15.