Huskers Take on Rattlers to End Non-Conference Slate

Husker Game Day

Nebraska Game Notes: Click Here

Game Day: Monday, Jan. 5, 2009

Tipoff Time: 7:05 p.m. Central

Venue: Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595)

TV: None

Satellite TV: None

Radio: Husker Sports Radio Network stations, Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka. Color: Matt Davison.

Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com

Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 127

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After ringing in the New Year with a run-away victory on Saturday, the Nebraska basketball team makes its quickest turnaround of the season as it plays host to Florida A&M on Monday, Jan. 5, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers and Rattlers will tip off at 7:05 p.m. in Nebraska’s final non-conference tune-up before starting Big 12 Conference action this coming weekend.

 

There is no television coverage for the contest against FAMU, however, the remaining 16 Big 12 Conference games will all be seen either regionally or nationally. All of Nebraska’s games can be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, consisting of 31 stations around the state and around the world for free on the Internet at Huskers.com, the official Web site of Nebraska Athletics. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka will call the action alongside former Husker Matt Davison, who will provide color commentary.

 

The Huskers are looking to end the non-conference slate with double-figure victories for the fourth straight season, including the third consecutive year under Coach Doc Sadler.

 

 Nebraska has found a renewed enthusiasm on the offensive end the past four games, as the Huskers are averaging 76.0 points per contest on 54.3 percent shooting. Inside the 3-point line, the Huskers have blistered the net during that span, hitting 64.1 percent (84-of-131).

 

 While finding some consistency on the offensive end, Nebraska has not let up on the defensive side as NU has allowed just 58.2 points per game in that same stretch.

 

 Senior guards Ade Dagunduro and Steve Harley have been the catalysts of the Husker offense the past four games. Dagunduro has hit 81.3 percent (26-of-32) from the field in that frame while averaging a team-best 15.4 points per game. Harley has added 14.8 points per contest and has combined with sophomore guard Cookie Miller to post 26 assists against just seven turnovers in the past four games.

 

 Junior guard Sek Henry has been extremely proficient shooting the ball this season, hitting a team-best 56.1 percent from the field. In the last four games, Henry has also started to find his stroke at the line, connecting on 16-of-22 free throw attempts (72.7 percent). His 22 attempts are second only to Harley’s 25 attempts in that span.

 

 The Huskers have held each of their first 12 opponents under 67 points, becoming the first NU squad since 1981-82 to accomplish the feat.

 

Scouting The Rattlers

Florida A&M enters Monday’s contest against the Huskers with a 2-9 record after dropping their last two contests at Mississippi and at Texas A&M. The Rattlers, however, have not played since taking on the Rebels on Dec. 22.

The game will be FAMU’s third this season against a Big 12 Conference team. The Rattlers opened the season with a 96-57 setback at Kansas State and then fell on Dec. 15 at Texas A&M, 67-57. FAMU has also faced four Southeastern Conference teams, playing at Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Mississippi.

Against Texas A&M, FAMU hit 37.9 percent from the field and was outrebounded by 15 boards, but the Aggies had to go 20-of-20 at the free throw line to hold on for the 10-point victory as FAMU’s Lamar Twitty did everything he could to help pull the upset. Twitty came off the bench to hit 9-of-18 shots from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, while pouring in 27 of FAMU’s 57 points. The rest of the team was a combined 13-of-40 from the field.

Twitty returned to the starting lineup in FAMU’s contest at Ole Miss, but struggled as he went 0-of-8 from the field and scored just one point in the game as Mississippi won 86-63. The Rattlers had three double-figure scorers off the bench and hit 10-of-20 from 3-point range.

On the season, Twitty is the team’s leading scorer at 10.8 points per game while hitting only 31.3 percent (35-of-112) from the field. Brandon Bryant (9.8 ppg) and Dale Hughes (9.1 ppg) are the only other Rattlers averaging at least 7.0 points per game.

Yannick Crowder leads the squad with 5.3 rebounds per contest, although the Rattlers have been outrebounded by a 44.8-29.7
(-15.1) margin this season. Crowder also leads the team by hitting 54.9 percent from the field. FAMU has hit 38.0 percent from the floor as a team this season, including only 29.1 percent from 3-point range. Florida A&M has also had trouble connecting at the free throw line, connecting at just a 54.3-percent clip.

The struggles from the floor have shown up in the box score, as Florida A&M has averaged just 59.0 points per game this season. On the other end, opponents have averaged 78.4 points per game while hitting 45.8 percent from the field, including 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Florida A&M is guided by coach Eugene Harris (Florida State, 1979), who is in his second year leading the Rattlers. Harris owns a 17-26 career record, all with Florida A&M.

 

Possible FAMU Starting Lineup

Name                   Pos. Ht.   Wt.   Pt.   Rb.

Cecil Bent             C     6-9  290   4.0   2.4

Lamar Twitty          F     6-4  205   10.8 3.6

Brandon Bryant      G    6-3  170   9.8   1.9

Joe Ballard            G    6-0  190   6.2  3.3*

Byron Taylor          G    5-7  155   1.9   1.1

*assists per game

The Series

The Huskers and Rattlers are meeting for just the second time in series history.

 

 The teams first met in the 1993-94 campaign in Lincoln, with the Huskers running away with an 86-61 victory. The win came in the middle of an 11-game win streak as the Huskers opened the season 12-2 before finishing with a 20-10  record. Along the way, NU won the Big Eight Tournament title to earn its fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth.

 

 NU owns a 13-0 all-time record against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams, including wins over South Carolina State and Maryland Eastern Shore in the Huskers’ previous two contests this season.

 

 FAMU is the third straight team from the MEAC to come to the Devaney Center to end the Huskers’ 2008-09 non-conference schedule.

 

Nebraska-FAMU Team Comparison

NU                      Stat                  FAMU

67.3______ Points Per Game______ 59.0

55.8___ Points Allowed Per Game___ 78.4

46.8____ Field Goal Percentage____ 38.0

39.9_ Field Goal Percentage Defense_ 45.8

37.3___ 3pt Field Goal Percentage___ 29.1

28.4 3pt Field Goal Percentage Defense 34.8

67.5____ Free Throw Percentage____ 54.3

28.5_____ Rebounds Per Game_____ 29.7

-4.7_______ Rebound Margin______ -15.1

14.0______ Assists Per Game______ 11.5

11.8_____ Turnovers Per Game_____ 13.1

9.7_______ Steals Per Game_______ 6.5

2.0_______ Blocks Per Game_______ 2.3

18.9_______ Fouls Per Game______ 20.4

Quick hits

Here is a quick look at the Huskers through games of Jan. 3:

 Nebraska has the Big 12 Conference’s top scoring defense, allowing just 55.8 points per game through 12 games. Texas (59.9 ppg) is the only other league squad holding opponents below 60.0 points per contest.

 Nebraska ranked eighth nationally in turnover margin on Dec. 21. To date, NU has caused 227 turnovers (18.9 per game) while posting 141 (11.8 tpg) miscues itself over 12 games, a margin of +7.1, which ranks second in the Big 12 Conference.

 Ade Dagunduro had the best game of his career against UMBC as he posted a career-best 19 points with three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 27 minutes. He tied the school and Big 12 Conference single-game record by hitting all nine field-goal attempts against the Retrievers.

 Dagunduro had three straight made field goals to end the IPFW contest, connected on nine consecutive against UMBC and then knocked in his first three shots against South Carolina State to set the school record for consecutive made field goals at 15. Dagunduro surpassed Mikki Moore for the mark, as Moore had 13 straight made shots over three games in the 1997 NIT.

 Paul Velander scored a season-high 14 points with four 3-pointers against UMBC. It was just his second double-figure scoring game this season, although he is third on the team with 9.2 points per game.

 The Huskers tied the school record with only three turnovers against Maryland Eastern Shore. NU also had just six turnovers against Saint Louis.

 Nebraska snapped a streak of trailing on the boards in five straight games by gaining a 30-23 advantage on the glass against Maryland Eastern Shore.

 The Huskers had 11 offensive rebounds against UMES, their second straight game with 11 offensive boards. In the previous four games combined, NU had just 19 offensive rebounds.

 The +7 rebounding margin against UMES tied the Huskers’ season high, originally set against Alabama A&M. The -15 (40-25) rebound margin at Oregon State was a Husker season low.

 

 Nebraska opened a season with a 6-0 mark for only the second time in the Big 12 era (also 2001-02).

 Seven Huskers are averaging at least 1.0 steal per game. Sek Henry leads the way with 18 steals, while six others have at least 14 steals apiece.

 Sek Henry has been proficient with the basketball, hitting a team-best 56.1 percent from the field, including a solid 44.0 percent from 3-point range.

 Redshirt freshman Toney McCray has been a key performer this season for Nebraska as he ranks fifth in scoring and leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots.

 Paul Velander ranked 10th nationally from
3-point range on Dec. 21. His 47.8 percentage (32-of-67) to date ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference.

 Velander has played the second-most minutes of any Husker so far as he has seen 300 minutes of action in 12 games. He had 777 minutes in 60 career games entering the season.

 Cookie Miller leads the team with 46 assists against 20 turnovers this season. He is looking to become the first Husker to lead NU in assists as a freshman and sophomore since Tyronn Lue did it in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

 Miller helped the team post a season-best 23 assists on 30 baskets against Alabama State. Miller had six assists with two turnovers while Ryan Anderson led the team with a career-best seven assists without a turnover. Four Huskers had at least three assists apiece against the Hornets.

Huskers Heating Up from the field

Entering the season, Coach Doc Sadler said that he thought one of the team's strengths this year would be shooting the basketball. He believed that without much trouble, the Huskers could put several combinations of players on the floor that would be able score efficiently.

Nebraska did not find much consistency through the first eight games of the year, but over the past four contests, the Huskers have started to heat up.

 Nebraska opened the year averaging just 63.0 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting over the first eight contests. Only one player, Steve Harley (12.6 ppg), averaged better than 9.0 points per game in that span.

 In the past four games, Nebraska has averaged 76.0 points per game on 54.3 percent shooting. NU has hit 84-of-131 (64.1 percent) from 2-point range in that span.

 The Huskers posted 88 points against Maryland Eastern Shore, the highest point total by Nebraska under Coach Doc Sadler. NU also scored 88 points in overtime against No. 15 Oregon last year.

 Nebraska has posted at least 75 points in three of its last four games, after putting up 75 points in just once in the first eight games.

 Four Huskers are averaging double figures in the recent scoring barrage. Ade Dagunduro leads the way with 15.3 points per game, while Steve Harley (14.8), Sek Henry (11.8) and Paul Velander (10.0) have each averaged at least 10 points per game.

Dagunduro Getting on Track

After a sluggish start to the season, senior guard Ade Dagunduro has begun to turn up the intensity on both ends of the court.

One of the most athletic players in the Big 12 Conference, Dagunduro has recently brought his scoring average up to rank second on the squad with 10.5 points per game. He has scored in double figures in each of the past five game, including at least 18 points in two of the last three contests.

 Dagunduro started the season averaging just 4.8 points per game in three contests against San Jose State, TCU and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

 After posting 11 combined points against Alabama State and Arizona State, Dagunduro averaged 15.4 ppg over the past five games.

 Dagunduro has set a career high by scoring in double figures in each of the past five games. Last year, he scored in double figures in three straight games once.

 In the last five games, Dagunduro has averaged 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

 In that five-game span, Dagunduro has hit 70.5 percent (31-of-44) from the floor, including 26 of his last 32 shots (81.3 percent).

 Earlier in the season, Dagunduro posted 14 points against Saint Louis and 11 points vs. Creighton in consecutive games. He hit 9-of-16 shots (56.2 percent) from the field in those contests after starting the season shooting 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) from the floor in the first three games.

 Possibly Dagunduro’s biggest points of the young season came in the final seconds of a comeback victory over Creighton. The Inglewood, Calif., native got free on the right block when his defender hedged to the middle of the lane as Steve Harley drove with the ball. Harley made a nice wrap-around pass right to Dagunduro, whose uncontested layup with 2.7 seconds remaining was the game-winning bucket.

 Dagunduro’s slow start this season is the exact opposite of last year, which could be a good thing for the Huskers in the long run. Dagunduro started 2007-08 on fire, averaging 11.8 points per game in non-conference play while hitting 54.8 percent from the field. In league action, he had 5.8 points per game while knocking down just 40.4 percent from the field.

Record Performance

Senior guard Ade Dagunduro had what the Huskers hope to be a breakout game against UMBC as he posted a career-high 19 points in 27 minutes of action. He topped his previous career best of 17 points last year in an overtime road loss to Western Kentucky.

Dagunduro scored 15 of his 19 points against UMBC in the second half and added three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals for an impressive all-around performance.

But the most impressive aspect of Dagunduro’s line on the stat sheet was the field-goal column. He finished the game hitting 9-of-9 attempts from the field, helping Nebraska hit 48.9 percent from the floor.

 Dagunduro tied the school and Big 12 Conference single-game record by hitting all nine of his attempts from the field against UMBC.

 Dagunduro became the fifth Husker in history and third player in the Big 12 era to connect on nine consecutive shots from the floor in a single game. It was the fourth time the feat happened by a Husker against a non-conference opponent.

Consecutive Field Goals in Game (NU Record)

FG   Name (Opponent)                       Date    9           Ade Dagunduro (UMBC)     12/23/08

9     Mikki Moore (at Nevada)         3/19/97

9     Venson Hamilton (Iowa State)    2/3/96

9     Dave Hoppen (Southern Illinois) 11/26/85

9     Chuck Jura (Iowa)                 12/5/70

Consecutive Field Goals in Game (Big 12 Record)

FG   Name (Team)                            Date    9           Ade Dagunduro (NU)         12/23/08

9     Joseph Jones (TAMU)             2/4/06

9     CJ Giles (KU)                     11/23/05

 Dagunduro extended his streak of consecutive made field-goal attempts to 15 over three straight games, setting a new Nebraska record. He had three made shots to end the game against IPFW, added nine against UMBC and then hit his first three against South Carolina State to surpass Mikki Moore, who held the previous NU record by hitting 13 straight shots in three games in 1997.

Consecutive FG in Multiple Games (NU Record)

FG   Name                       Season, games

15    Ade Dagunduro           2008-09, three    13         Mikki Moore         1996-97, three

Harley Starting to Rev up

Guard Steve Harley came on strong at the end of last season when he was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team by the league's sportswriters for his play in league action.

 

Over the final 12 league games and the postseason, Harley assumed a lead role in the Husker offense, ranking second on the team with 11.0 points per game while hitting 45 percent from the floor including nearly 43 percent from 3-point range. He shot better than 78 percent from the charity stripe in that stretch.

 

This year he is picking up where he left off as he tries to guide the Huskers to their second straight postseason berth.

 Harley is currently leading the team with 13.3 points per game, an average that ranks just outside the top 20 in the Big 12 Conference.

 Harley set a career high with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting against IPFW. It was his second career 20-point performance and the Huskers' only 20-point game this year.

 He has hit 46.0 percent from the floor, and has been one of the most aggressive Huskers getting to the basket, as he leads the team with 49 trips to the free throw line (36 made free throws, 19th in league in free throw percentage at 73.5). Harley is also averaging 3.6 rebounds and is second on the team with 29 assists.

 Harley has tied his career high for rebounds twice this season, posting six against San Jose State in the season opener and again in the come-from-behind win over Creighton. He has had at least four rebounds in a game six times this season.

 Harley had just one assist against Creighton, but it was the biggest one of the game. With the contest tied at 52-52, Nebraska had the ball with the shot clock off. Coach Doc Sadler drew up a play for Harley as the first scoring option. As he drove the lane to the basket, CU hedged to the middle and Harley made a nice wrap-around pass to Ade Dagunduro, who had an uncontested layup for the game-winning basket with 2.7 seconds remaining.

 Harley is the only Husker averaging more than 26 minutes per game, as he has played 30.8 minutes per contest, including a career-high 40 minutes against UMBC.

Hot Henry

After a strong offseason, Sek Henry entered his junior season on a tear while helping the Huskers to six straight wins to open a season for just the second time in the Big 12 era.

Through 12 games, Henry is one of four players averaging at least 9.0 points per game.

 Henry posted 19 points against Saint Louis, one off his career high and the most points he has scored at home in the Devaney Center.

 He nearly matched the mark with 18 points against South Carolina State, the sixth game this season he scored in double figures. Henry scored in double figures just five times last year and four times as a freshman.

 Henry scored 46 points (11.5 ppg) to open the first four games of the season, the second-best, four-game scoring stretch of his career. As a freshman, he posted 56 points (14 ppg) over four games to end the non-conference schedule.

 Henry has hit 37-of-66 shots (56.1 percent) from the field, including 11-of-25 (44.0 percent) from 3-point range. His career averages entering this season were 36.7 percent shooting and 26.4 percent from beyond the arc.

 Henry has twice this season tied his career high with four steals in a game. He is currently leading the team with 18 steals through 12 contests.

 Being aggressive is in Henry’s nature on the court and it is showing this year. Although he has hit just 62.2 percent from the free throw line, he has done a nice job getting to the stripe as he one of only three players with at least 25 attempts from the line.

 Henry raised his free throw average significantly in a recent two-game stretch as he hit 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) against UMBC and South Carolina State. Henry hit an impressive 7-of-8 from the line against UMBC after entering the game hitting 45.0 percent in his first nine games this year, and followed with a 7-of-9 effort against SCSU before being held without a free throw attempt against Maryland Eastern Shore.

Energy Guys

Following the season-opening contest against San Jose State, Coach Doc Sadler praised several players for their energy and hustle, especially the ones off the bench.

Leading the way that day was redshirt freshman Brandon Richardson, who posted six points, three rebounds, an assist and four steals in 16 minutes in his career debut. Richardson’s numbers did not tell the whole story as he made several dives to the floor and other hustle plays to ignite NU in the second half after SJSU cut the lead from 18 points to five. His steal off an inbounds and three-point play turned the game around, helping NU score 10 points in less than a minute to pull away for good.

Following another strong performance in Nebraska’s game against IPFW, Sadler said:

“Brandon Richardson makes plays that don’t show up on the box score. When we went to the 1-3-1 for the first time (that night), he made two huge hustle plays. He does things that might give you three or four more possessions that you wouldn’t otherwise get in a game.”

 Against UAPB, he scored a season-high nine points and had two assists without a turnover in 23 minutes of action.

 He has posted 13 points over the past four games, after scoring just six points in the previous five games.

 Richardson posted a solid performance against Maryland Eastern Shore, scoring seven points on 3-of-6 shooting with two assists and a steal in 16 minutes.

 He has 10 steals over the past seven games. Richardson posted at least three steals in a game three times this year, and is third on the team with 15 steals. He needs eight steals to move onto the Nebraska freshman top-10 list.

Along with Richardson, senior Paul Velander has also been praised by Sadler for his energy coming off the bench, including following the Saint Louis game. In his postgame press conference that night, Sadler said:

“We’ve got to get the rest of the team to make effort plays like Paul Velander. There’s not a player in the country who makes more effort plays than that guy.”

 Velander has hit 32 3-pointers in 12 games, including nine games with at least three treys apiece. He is third on the team in scoring at 9.2 points per game.

 Velander is fourth in the Big 12 Conference in
3-point percentage, as he has hit 47.8 percent from behind the arc.

 Velander posted as season-high 14 points with four 3-pointers against UMBC. He also made his first 2-point basket of the year and drew two charges against the Retrievers.

 He also leads the team with 13 charges taken, including three against each San Jose State and Saint Louis.

 Velander’s effort finally rubbed off on his teams against IPFW. NU had six charges taken, each by a different individual, including one by Velander.

Miller ready to roll

Cookie Miller was the only true freshman to play for the Huskers last year when he posted near-record numbers for assists (109) and steals (58). This year, he is trying to take it a step higher as one of the top returning point guards in the Big 12 Conference.

Miller was sixth in the league in assists (3.6 apg) last year and the only freshman in the top 10 for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7). He was fourth in the Big 12 for steals (1.93), and led the league in Big 12-only contests (2.0 spg).

This season, Miller leads NU with 46 assists and is second with 17 steals.

 Miller has averaged 7.0 points, 5.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in his last four home games played. He has hit a solid 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from the floor in that span.

 He had one of his best games of the season against Alabama State, scoring a season-high nine points while tying his season highs with six assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes. It was the first game he started this season.

 Miller came off the bench to efficiently guide the Husker offense in the second half of a comeback victory over Creighton. Miller had five assists and a steal in 15 minutes in the second half as Nebraska came back from 13 points down to earn the win. He finished with season highs in assists (6) and rebounds (4) while adding two steals in the win.

 Miller also sparked a struggling Husker squad in the second half against IPFW. He came off the bench and posted six assists, including four in the second half, with four steals to lead the Huskers to a come-from-behind victory.

 Former Husker great Cookie Belcher owns the Nebraska freshman record for steals with 87 and holds the NU and Big 12 Conference record with 353 steals in his career. Miller is trying to join Belcher and Erick Strickland as the only Huskers with 100 steals at the end of their sophomore seasons. Belcher had 162 in his first two years while Strickland had 107.

Nebraska Career Steals (since 1978)

1.     Cookie Belcher (1997-2001)........ 353

2.     Erick Strickland (1993-96)........... 257

3.     Venson Hamilton (1996-99)......... 186

4.     Clifford Scales (1988-91)............ 177

5.     Brian Carr (1984-87).................. 159

6.     Tyronn Lue (1996-98)................ 154

7.     Larry Florence (1997-2000)......... 137

8.     Jaron Boone (1993-96).............. 131

9.     Eric Johnson (1988-89)............. 128

       Jack Moore (1979-82)................ 128

--     Ryan Anderson (2007-pres.)........... 86

--     Cookie Miller (2008-pres.).............. 75

--     Sek Henry (2007-pres.)................. 70

Hitting from long range

At 6-4, guard Ryan Anderson may be a little undersized to play in the front court, but he is one of the biggest players on the court when he steps outside the 3-point line. Anderson has made a living with the long ball, hitting 107 treys in his career to rank ninth in NU history.

 Despite being one of the best 3-point shooters in the league the past two years, Anderson has struggled some this season. He has hit just 9-of-28 attempts, although he knocked down both shots against Maryland Eastern Shore in his last contest.

 Anderson’s best long-range game this year came with three 3-pointers against Alabama State, marking the 14th time in his career he has had at least three treys in a single game.

 Anderson is the only Husker ever to post at least 48 treys in each of his first two years at Nebraska.

 Anderson ranks second on the NU freshman list with 48 3-pointers in 2006-07 and last year posted 50 treys to rank third on the Huskers' sophomore chart.

 Only Nebraska's all-time 3-point leader, Cary Cochran, made more shots from outside the arc by the end of his sophomore season, as Cochran had 101 through two years.

Nebraska Career 3-Point Field Goals Made

1.     Cary Cochran (1999-2002).......... 268

2.     Eric Piatkowski (1991-94)........... 202

3.     Jaron Boone (1993-96).............. 181

4.     Erick Strickland (1993-96)........... 179

5.     Brian Conklin (2001-04) ............ 176

6.     Cookie Belcher (1997-2001)........ 146

7.     Tyronn Lue (1996-98)................ 145

8.     Joe McCray (2005-06)................ 117

9.     Ryan Anderson (2007-pres.)......... 107

10.   Ray Richardson (1989-90).......... 105

--     Paul Velander (2006-pres.)........... 100

Along with Anderson, senior guard Paul Velander hopes to become the second Husker this season to place his name on the top-10 list.

 Velander needs five 3-pointers to equal Ray Richardson’s mark, which currently ties for ninth in Nebraska history.

 Velander has hit at least three 3-pointers in nine games this year, with a season-high of four against UMBC.

 He leads the team with 32 3-pointers in 12 games, ranking in the top 100 nationally for treys per game.

Anderson, Velander AMong Huskers’ most Accurate Duos

Ryan Anderson is not the only 3-point ace for the Huskers as senior guard Paul Velander has also proven to be one of the most accurate long-range shooters in Nebraska history.

The only fifth-year player for the Huskers this season, Velander ranks fifth in NU history for 3-point field-goal percentage at 40.7 percent (100-of-246) while coming off the bench in 71-of-72 contests.

He leads the team with 32 3-pointers this season, including three or more 3s in each of nine games this season.

 

3-Point FG Pct. (min. 90 att.)    

                                     3FG  3PA  Pct.

1.  Brian Conklin (2001-04)   176   407  .432

2.  Cary Cochran (1999-2002) 268  630  .425

3.  Jay-R Strowbridge (2007-08) 50 122 .4098

4.  Clifford Scales (1988-91)   45   110 .4091

5.  Paul Velander (2006-pres.) 100   246 .4065

6.  Henry T. Buchanan (1987-88)    67  165    .4061

7.  Chris Cresswell (1990-92) 103   261  .395

8.  Marcus Perry (2006-07)     98   249  .394

9.  Ryan Anderson (2007-pres.) 107  275 .389 10. Ray Richardson (1989-90)  105        278        .378

McCray Making Name For himself

Redshirt freshman Toney McCray has already started to make a name for himself among Husker fans.

In his first career game, the lanky 6-6, 205-pound scored game highs with 17 points and nine rebounds against San Jose State. McCray hit 6-of-15 shots from the floor in his career debut against the Spartans. He just missed becoming the first Husker freshman to record a double-double in his first career game since Aleks Maric accomplished the feat in 2004-05.

 McCray still ranks fifth on the team with 7.4 points per game despite scoring 11 points in the past three games combined. Before that, he had scored in double figures three times in four contests.

 He leads the team with 3.8 rebounds per game and nine blocked shots.

 McCray hit three 3-pointers against IPFW (3-of-5) after connecting on just 3-of-10
3-point attempts in his first eight games of the season.

 McCray had nine points and five boards in the first road game of his career at TCU. He has shown he likes playing on the road as he added 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals at Oregon State.

 In his first game in front of a big crowd, McCray settled in nicely, posting six points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals in 23 minutes off the bench against Creighton.

McCray Named Rookie of the Week

Nebraska redshirt freshman guard Toney McCray was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week in a vote by league sportswriters on Monday, Nov. 17. McCray was honored alongside Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, who won the league’s player-of-the-week award.

The 6-6, 205-pounder from Missouri City, Texas, was the Huskers’ leading scorer and rebounder in both its exhibition win and the season-opening win over San Jose State. McCray, one of four Huskers who redshirted last year, quickly made his presence felt on the court as he posted a game-high 17 points against the Spartans. He also added a team-high nine rebounds, just missing out on becoming the first Husker since Aleks Maric to produce a double-double in his first career game. McCray added a steal and an assist in 23 minutes off the bench, helping the Huskers to a 43-16 advantage in bench scoring.

McCray is the second player in Coach Doc Sadler’s three years to earn the league’s rookie-of-the-week award. Last year, guard Ade Dagunduro won the award on Dec. 17 for his effort in helping the Huskers defeat nationally ranked Oregon. Overall, McCray is the eighth Husker to win the league award. Only two players, Joe McCray and Kimani Ffriend, have won the rookie-of-the-week award more than once for the Huskers as each earned it two times in their first season in Lincoln.

Bombs Away

Nebraska has been strong from outside the arc during coach Doc Sadler’s tenure, including this year. Despite the 3-point line moving back a foot to 20-9, the Huskers are still among the national leaders, hitting 37.6 percent from long range. Last season, Nebraska hit 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.

 

The Huskers had hit at a solid percentage from
3-point range in its first five games, but NU took it to a whole new level against Alabama State.

 Nebraska hit an impressive 14-of-25 (56.0 percent) from beyond the arc against the Hornets. NU “only” connected on 51.7 percent (30-of-58) from the floor overall.

 The 14 3-pointers were the most by the Huskers since hitting 15 against Miami on the road in the 2006-07 season. The school record is 18 3-pointers against No. 1 Kansas in 2002.

 Six Huskers hit from outside the arc, including four players with three 3-pointers apiece. Sek Henry led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 night beyond the arc while Ryan Anderson (3-of-4), Steve Harley (3-of-5) and Paul Velander (3-of-6) each had three treys apiece.

 Amazingly on a night when all the 3s were falling, Velander attempted his first two shots inside the arc, missing both. Velander’s first 26 attempts from the field this season were 3-point attempts until a missed jumper in the first half against Alabama State. Entering the matchup with FAMU, he is now 2-of-6 from inside the arc this season.

Defense Among NCaa’s Best

Nebraska is among the Big 12 and national leaders in several defensive categories in 2008-09.

 Nebraska leads the Big 12 in scoring defense at 55.8 points per game. Through Jan. 3, only Texas is below 60 points, allowing 59.9 points per game to rank second in the league.

 Nebraska ranked 27th nationally and first in the conference in field-goal percentage defense on Dec. 22. Nebraska has allowed just one team to hit over 47 percent from the field this season, while six of NU’s first 12 opponents have been held under 40.0 percent from the field.

 The Huskers have allowed teams to hit just 28.4 percent from 3-point range to rank among the top 40 in the country. NU has held six teams under 25.0 percent or less shooting from beyond the arc this season.

 The Huskers have not allowed an opponent more than 66 points in a game over the first 12 contests this season. It is the longest streak to open a season without allowing a team to reach 67 points since the 1981-82 NU squad did it through the first 18 games of the year.

 Only once in the 3-point era (2003-04) has Nebraska held every non-conference team below 67 points.

 Nebraska held each of its first six opponents to fewer than 58 points. The last time NU held opponents to less than 60 points over the first six games of the year was the start of the 1943-44 season.

 The last time the Huskers held consecutive opponents to fewer than 60 points in any stretch of at least six games was the seven contests between games 12 through 18 of the 1981-82 season. That was a streak of 820 games before it was matched starting this season.

 The Huskers have allowed 670 points in the first 12 games of the year. Nebraska has held its first 12 opponents to fewer than 675 combined points to open a season just seven times since 1947-48.

 

NU’s Fewest Points Allowed in First 12 Games

(Since 1947-48, beginning of Big Seven Conference)

       Year                           Points (Ppg)

1947-48................................ 621 (51.8)

1949-50................................ 628 (52.3)

1981-82................................ 643 (53.6)

2007-08................................ 645 (53.8)

1948-49................................ 648 (54.0)

2008-09................................. 670 (55.8)

2003-04................................ 673 (56.1)

1950-51................................ 676 (56.3)

1982-83................................ 676 (56.3)

1958-59................................ 682 (56.8)

 Nebraska has forced at least 20 turnovers  in a game six times this season.

 Nebraska held TCU to just 10 field goals in NU’s first road game of the season. The 10 field goals allowed were the second-lowest by a Husker squad under Sadler, trailing only the nine baskets allowed at home by North Carolina Central last season.

 The 10 field goals by the Horned Frogs were the fewest by an opponent away from the Devaney Center since Centenary had 10 baskets to open the 2002-03 season at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.

 The 50 points scored by TCU marked the fewest Nebraska has allowed on the road since NU held Kansas State to 42 points in the first league road game of the 2005-06 campaign.

 TCU's 50 points were also the fewest Nebraska has allowed in a true road opener since giving up just 49 points at Minnesota in the 1977-78 season.

Comeback Kids

Nebraska not only picked up its second straight win in Lincoln over in-state foe Creighton on Nov. 29, but it also made for one of the more memorable comebacks by the Huskers since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

Nebraska’s come-from-behind victory was keyed by a strong second-half performance from Steve Harley and Cookie Miller. Harley finished with a game-high 18 points with three steals and had the key assist on Ade Dagunduro’s game-winning basket with 2.7 seconds remaining. Miller posted six assists and two steals and got the Huskers’ offense into high gear after trailing by 13 points at halftime.

 The 13-point deficit the Huskers overcame matched the largest comeback under Coach Doc Sadler. It also tied for the second-largest comeback by Nebraska during the Big 12 era, matching the 13-point deficit NU overcame at Texas Tech during Sadler’s first season on the sideline.

 The largest deficit Nebraska has rebounded from to win since the formation of the Big 12 Conference was 20 points against Kansas State in the first year of the league (1996-97). KSU also had the biggest halftime lead that NU has overcome in the Big 12 era as the Wildcats led by 18 points at the break.

 

Largest Nebraska Deficits Overcome to Win

(Big 12 era only, since 1996-97)

                                                Deficit

Year        Opponent                  Overcome

1996-97   Kansas State              20 points

2008-09    Creighton                    13 points

2006-07   at Texas Tech             13 points

2002-03   vs. UC Santa Barbara    12 points

1998-99   Texas A&M                12 points

2005-06   Baylor                      11 points

2004-05   Oklahoma State          11 points

2001-02   Colorado                  11 points

2000-01   Missouri                    11 points

1999-2000                        Eastern Illinois    10 points

1997-98   Baylor                      10 points

2003-04   Creighton (NIT game)    9 points

 Nebraska nearly added another fantastic finish to the list as it rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit, and 20-point overall deficit in the first half, to have the final shot at the win against UMBC. The Huskers pulled within two in the final minute and had the ball with less than 8 seconds remaining but came up short, falling by two points, 66-64.

 The near comeback against UMBC came just three days after the Huskers rallied from a five-point halftime deficit at home to pull away for a 75-48 victory over IPFW.

Huskers Roll up Wins At home

When coach Doc Sadler took over the program before the 2006-07 season, Nebraska made winning at home a priority. When adding in the Huskers’ home game against Oregon at the Qwest Center in Omaha (considered a home contest due to RPI standards by NCAA), the Huskers won 31 straight games against non-conference teams, including 26 straight under Sadler.

 

Nebraska tied the  school record with 31 straight non-conference home wins, a streak that ranked eighth nationally until the Huskers fell to UMBC on Dec. 23.

 Following the win over Maryland Eastern Shore, Nebraska is now 28-1 under Coach Doc Sadler at home against non-conference opponents.

 Before falling to UMBC, Nebraska’s last home loss to a non-conference team came on Dec. 3, 2005 against UAB in a 73-72 setback.

 Overall, the Huskers are 41-2 since last suffering consecutive home losses to non-conference teams in 2004-05.

 During the school-record tying 31-game home non-conference win streak, NU had one game decided by five or fewer points (two-point win over Creighton this year) and one other decided in overtime (win over Oregon at Qwest Center).

NU’s Longest Non-Conference Home Win Streaks

Games      Dates                                 

31            Dec. 8, 2005 to Dec. 20, 2008

31            Jan. 18, 1963 to Dec. 1, 1971

30            Dec. 30, 1989 to Nov. 27, 1994

16            Dec. 3, 1993 to March 16, 1995

15            Dec. 31, 2002 to Dec. 6, 2004

15            Dec. 23, 1985 to Dec. 4, 1987

14            Dec. 11, 1971 to Dec. 14, 1974

14            Dec. 11, 1948 to Dec. 1, 1951

Turning Teams over

Nebraska will try to turn up the defensive pressure at times this season, especially while playing with a heavily guard-oriented lineup, including at times five guards on the floor at once. 

That strong defensive push was evident in NU’s opener as they forced 25 San Jose State turnovers. Spartans’ point guard Justin Graham was frustrated into 10 turnovers while going 0-of-5 from the floor in 33 minutes of action.

 The 25 turnovers Nebraska forced in the season opener against San Jose State were the second-highest total under Coach Doc Sadler. The most turnovers a Husker squad has forced in Sadler’s tenure is 26 last season against North Carolina Central.

 NU has now forced 227 turnovers through 12 games, while allowing teams to record just 118 assists on 221 baskets.

 The Huskers have forced at least 20 turnovers in six games this year (25 vs. San Jose State;  23 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff; 24 vs. Creighton; 24 at Oregon State; 24 vs. IPFW; 21 vs. South Carolina State). Last year, the Huskers forced 20 turnovers in a game six times all season.

The 24 turnovers forced at Oregon State are the most by a Husker opponent away from Lincoln since Texas Tech had 26 turnovers against Nebraska in the first round of the 1999 Big 12 Championship.

 Nebraska posted 16 steals in the defensive effort against San Jose State, the most by the Huskers under Sadler. The previous best under Sadler was 15 steals vs. North Texas in 2006.

 The Huskers have had double-figure steals five times this season and at least eight steals in 11 games this season.

 Eight Huskers have recorded a steal this year, including seven averaging at least 1.0 steal per game.

 The most steals in a game by a single Husker this season is four. Junior guard Sek Henry and redshirt freshman Brandon Richardson each had four steals apiece against San Jose State in the opener and Henry added four more against UAPB. Cookie Miller had four against IPFW and Toney McCray became the most recent Husker to post four steals in a game against Maryland Eastern Shore.

The defensive pressure has helped Nebraska to a 248-137 advantage in points off turnovers this season.

handling with care

Nebraska coach Doc Sadler has preached that the Huskers need to be efficient within their offense and not give away easy points. That philosophy includes taking care of the ball, something the Huskers have succeeded in doing well early in the season.

 Nebraska has averaging just 11.8 turnovers per game this season to rank among the national leaders and first in the Big 12 Conference.

 The Huskers tied the school record with just three turnovers against Maryland Eastern Shore. NU equaled the team mark set in 2002 at Iowa State.

 Nebraska had just one turnover in the first half against Maryland Eastern Shore, and two miscues following the break.

 Nebraska posted just six turnovers against Saint Louis, tying the previous low mark for miscues in Sadler’s first three years. NU also had just six turnovers against Colorado in 2007.

 Nebraska had just three turnovers in the first half against Alabama State. NU also had two turnovers in the second half against Saint Louis, giving the Huskers four halves this season (including vs. UMES) with three or fewer turnovers.

 Nebraska posted 11 turnovers at Oregon State, marking the eighth time under coach Doc Sadler that NU had 11 or fewer turnovers in a road game.

New Lines Drawn

While the 3-point line moved back one foot ? from 19-9 to 20-9 ?  for the first time in men’s college basketball this season, Nebraska has not been effected as much as some teams around the country from beyond the arc.

 Nebraska is hitting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc to rank fifth in the Big 12 Conference. Last year, the Huskers hit 34.4 percent from 3-point range on the season.

 Senior Paul Velander has been more effective than ever despite stepping back further to shoot. He is hitting 47.8 percent (32-of-67) from beyond the arc to rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference.

 Nebraska’s 3-point defense this year has been solid as opponents have hit just 28.4 percent (59-of-208) from beyond the arc. Last season, opponents hit 36.4 percent on the year.

 Nebraska’s 3-point percentage defense leads the Big 12 Conference, the only league team holding opponents below 30 percent from beyond the arc.

 Six of Nebraska’s 11 opponents have been held to five or fewer 3-pointers in a game, including four with three or fewer.

on the glass

The Huskers will put a small lineup on the floor just about every night this season, giving Coach Doc Sadler reason to be interested in Nebraska’s rebounding, especially on the defensive end. All of NU’s guards will need to be capable rebounders this season to keep the opposing team from getting easy baskets on second chances.

 Through 12 games, Nebraska trails on the glass by nearly five rebounds per game
(-4.7 rpg, 33.2 to 28.5).

 Nebraska has trailed on the glass in nine contests this season, including five straight games since before outrebounding Maryland Eastern Shore by seven on Jan. 3. The Huskers also outrebounded Alabama State by +7 boards, the Huskers’ largest rebounding margin of the season.

 Redshirt freshman Toney McCray leads the team in rebounding, averaging 3.8 boards per game apiece. McCray owns a team game season-high nine boards in the season opener.

 While his 3.8 boards per game are just a modest average, McCray is still bidding to become only the third freshman in Nebraska history to lead the team in rebounding. Only John Turek in 2001-02 and Aleks Maric in 2004-05 have led the team as freshmen. Each was a true freshman.

Jones opts for Surgery

Coach Doc Sadler announced during his postgame press conference on Dec. 3, that Eshaunte ?Bear’ Jones is done playing this year because of a foot injury.

“He’s finished as far as playing for this year,” Sadler said. “We wanted to try to get through the year because he’s such a good offensive player and he has some size, but he’s not going to be able to play anymore.”

On the year, Jones played in four contests, averaging 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He played 16 minutes in the season opener and then 12 minutes, 13 and 5 over the next three games before sitting out against Creighton and Alabama State. He had successful surgery on his foot on Dec. 18 and is expected to need a 3-4 month rehab before returning to the court.

Chapman to Transfer

Sophomore Alex Chapman announced on Tuesday, Dec. 16, that he will transfer from NU following the end of the fall semester. The forward from Canby, Ore., had not played in a game in his three semesters at Nebraska after suffering a knee injury that required surgery during the preseason each of the past two years.

 

Despite sitting out because of injury, Chapman was the Huskers’ tallest eligible player this season. Freshman center Christopher Niemann, who stands 6-11, is ineligible to play this season because of an NCAA ruling.