%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Husker Game Day
Nebraska Game Notes: Click Here
Kansas Game Notes: Click Here
Game Date:
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009
Release Date: Friday, Feb. 20, 2009
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse
Tipoff Time: 3:01 p.m. CT
TV: Big 12 Network; ESPN FullCourt
Play-by-play: Mitch Holtus. Color: Rich Zvosec.
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 123
Huskers Face Tall Road Task Against No. 15/18 Jayhawks
Making their second of four straight weekend road trips to end the conference slate, the Nebraska Cornhuskers head to Lawrence, Kan., to take on No. 15/18 Kansas on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Allen Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 3:01 p.m. in a game seen in select markets around the country on the Big 12 Network (KLKN Channel 8 in Lincoln, KXVO Channel 11 in Omaha and KIIT Channel 30 in North Platte). For the third straight game, Mitch Holtus will call the action with former college coach Rich Zvosec serving as color analyst.
All of Nebraska’s games can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, consisting of 31 stations around the state and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka calls the action and former Husker Matt Davison provides color commentary.
Nebraska is 6-5 in conference action entering the weekend and tied for fourth place in the league standings. The 2009 Huskers will be trying to become only the second NU squad in the Big 12 era to be at least two games over .500 after 12 league contests. The 1998-99 team is currently the only one to reach the mark by opening with a 9-3 record.
Nebraska is aiming to climb back to .500 in conference road games as the Huskers enter with a 2-3 mark away from Lincoln. NU fell last week at nationally ranked Missouri after winning its previous two road games. The last time the Huskers defeated a ranked team on the road was a 65-59 victory over No. 22 Texas A&M last season.
Nebraska will be trying to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Jayhawks. The Huskers have lost the last two matchups by 10 and six points, respectively, after losing the previous nine by an average of 24.2 points per game.
NU enters the game with the Big 12 Conference’s top defense, allowing 58.2 points per game, including a league-best 61.0 ppg in Big 12-only games. NU ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense entering the week.
For the Huskers to have a chance to pull an upset over Kansas, Nebraska will have to snap out of its recent offensive funk. NU has posted just 47 and 46 points, respectively, in its last two games. The last time Nebraska scored fewer than 50 points in three straight contests was 1959.
Nebraska will try to get the offense going against a Kansas squad that leads the league in field-goal percentage defense in conference-only games. The Huskers are last in field-goal percentage in league play and 11th in scoring.
Scouting The Jayhawks
After managing its way through the non-conference slate with an 11-4 record, Kansas has been on a roll during Big 12 Conference action. The Jayhawks own a 10-1 mark in conference play, standing alone in second place in the Big 12 rankings entering the weekend.
The Jayhawks had won eight straight to open league play before dropping a two-point, last-second setback against nationally ranked Missouri two weeks ago. KU is an impressive 15-1 at home this season, including a 5-0 mark in conference action. Kansas has won its home league games by an average margin of +13.8 points per game this season.
Kansas is making its first two-game home stand of the league slate this week as it previously ran past Iowa State, 72-55, on Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks shot 50 percent from the field and overcame their 18 turnovers by limiting the Cyclones to just 32.1 percent shooting while outrebounding ISU 39-29.
KU is fourth in the league in rebounding and holds the top rebounding margin, bettering opponents by a +7.2 margin entering the weekend. Kansas is also fourth in the conference in scoring defense and has the top field-goal percentage defense in the league. KU has allowed opponents to hit just 38.1 percent from the field this year, including a Big 12-only best 37.5 percent.
The Jayhawks are led by guard Sherron Collins, who ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 17.8 points while adding 5.0 assists per game. He has helped the offense average 77.3 points per game this season including 74.5 ppg in conference action.
Along with Collins, the Jayhawks have been strong in the middle with sophomore center Cole Aldrich providing impressive play. Aldrich has posted 14.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest while leading the Big 12 with 65 blocked shots. He has 18 more blocks than any other player in the league, and actually has 18 more blocked shots than Nebraska’s whole team. Redshirt freshman Toney McCray leads the Huskers with 15 blocks this year.
Newcomers dot the lineup for the Jayhawks with Tyshawn Taylor (9.2 ppg, 3.0 apg) and Marcus Morris (7.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg) adding significant minutes for Kansas. Guard Brady Morningstar has also been a bright spot, as he has averaged 7.3 points per game while leading the conference in 3-point percentage by hitting better than 47 percent from beyond the arc this season.
Kansas is coached by Bill Self (Oklahoma State, 1985), who is in his sixth season with the Jayhawks. Self led KU to the 2008 national title and has posted an impressive 163-37 record in six seasons, helping Kansas average more than 27 wins per year. Including head coaching stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois, Self owns a 370-142 career mark in 16 seasons.
Possible Kansas Starting Lineup
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Pt. Rb.
Sherron Collins G 5-11 200 17.8 5.0*
Brady Morningstar G 6-3 187 7.3 3.2
Tyshawn Taylor G 6-3 180 9.2 3.0*
Marcus Morris F 6-9 232 7.7 5.1
Cole Aldrich C 6-11 245 14.9 10.3
*assists per game
Nebraska-Kansas Team Comparison
NU Stat KU
64.8______ Points Per Game______ 77.3
58.2___ Points Allowed Per Game___ 64.7
44.3____ Field Goal Percentage____ 48.5
41.7_ Field Goal Percentage Defense_ 38.1
37.3___ 3pt Field Goal Percentage___ 38.2
33.0 3pt Field Goal Percentage Defense 32.7
68.1____ Free Throw Percentage____ 73.4
28.9_____ Rebounds Per Game_____ 38.6
-4.5_______ Rebound Margin______ +7.2
13.2______ Assists Per Game______ 16.4
11.8_____ Turnovers Per Game_____ 12.4
9.0_______ Steals Per Game_______ 7.1
1.9_______ Blocks Per Game_______ 4.5
17.4_______ Fouls Per Game______ 19.6
The Series vs. the Jayhawks
Nebraska and Kansas both enter the second matchup of the season with high expectations, although KU has some history on its side.
The Huskers trail in the series by a 165-71 margin. Nebraska has lost 20 of the last 21 matchups, including a nail-bitting 68-62 setback earlier this season in Lincoln.
Kansas has won 11 straight over the Huskers and has taken 25 of the 28 matchups since the start of the Big 12 Conference.
KU has earned a season sweep over the Huskers in all but two years of the Big 12 era. Nebraska swept the regular-season matchups before falling once in the Big 12 Tournament in 1999, and the Huskers earned their last win over Kansas at home in 2004.
The Huskers have had just two losses decided by less than 10 points in Allen Fieldhouse since the start of the Big 12 era. Nebraska has had five losses in Allen Fieldhouse by more than 30 points during the Big 12 era.
The last time NU seriously challenged for a win in Lawrence was 2005 when the Huskers’ last-second 3-point shot by Corey Simms bounced away, leaving KU with a 59-57 victory.
Last year, the Huskers fell to Kansas by an 84-49 mark in Lawrence. NU’s 53-point loss the previous year was the second-largest loss margin in school history.
Earlier this season in Lincoln, the Huskers cut the deficit to just one point with less than 30 seconds remaining but Kansas made a key steal and hit its free throws to walk away with a 68-62 victory.
Quick hits
Here is a quick look at the Huskers through games of Feb. 18:
Quick team notes
Nebraska is above .500 through 11 conference games for only the third time in the Big 12 era. The only other times NU has been 6-5 or better at this point of the year were the 1999 and 2006 seasons.
The 2009 Huskers recorded a .500 or better mark at the midway point of conference play for just the fourth time in the Big 12 era (1998, 4-4; 1999, 5-3; 2006, 5-3; 2009, 4-4).
Nebraska is 2-3 in conference road games entering the matchup in Lawrence. The last time NU was .500 after six road league games was 2006 (3-3) and the only other time the Huskers have reached the mark in the Big 12 era was 1999 (4-2).
Since the start of the 2008 league season, the Huskers have held 11 Big 12 opponents to under 60 points in a game, including three of their last five games (Colorado, 53 points; Texas, 55; Colorado, 41).
Overall, the Huskers have held Big 12 opponents to 70 or fewer points in 17 of their last 20 games against league teams, including last year’s league tournament.
NU enters the weekend with the Big 12 Conference’s top scoring defense, allowing just 58.2 points per game. The Huskers entered the week ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense and then held Colorado to just 41 points on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s win over CU marked the third time this season Nebraska held an opponent to under 50 points (San Jose State, 46; IPFW, 48).
Nebraska and Colorado set the Big 12 record low for combined points in NU’s 46-41 victory in Lincoln.
Nebraska tied the NCAA record with zero turnovers in the first half against Colorado on Wednesday. It was the seventh half this season NU committed three or fewer turnovers.
Nebraska has forced three conference opponents (Kansas State, 25; Kansas, 21; Texas Tech, 20) into 20 or more turnovers in a game this season.
The Huskers have held three of their last four opponents to 55 or fewer points. Nebraska has held Kansas to less than 70 points in Allen Fieldhouse only twice in the Big 12 era (1999 and 2005).
Nebraska is second in the league and seventh nationally in turnover margin at +5.8. The Huskers lead the league in fewest turnovers at 11.8 per game and have forced 17.6 miscues per contest.
The Huskers were also in the top 75 nationally entering the week in turnovers per game (27th), steals per game (19th), 3-point field-goal percentage (46th), assist-to-turnover ratio (66th) and scoring margin (71st).
The Huskers held each of their first 16 opponents under 67 points, becoming the first NU squad since 1981-82 to accomplish the feat. In 24 games, only three teams (No. 6/5 Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and No. 17/19 Missouri) have reached 70 points against the Huskers this year.
NU tied the school record (originally set at Iowa State in 2002) with only three turnovers against Maryland Eastern Shore. NU also had just six turnovers against Saint Louis and Colorado, seven at No. 6/5 Oklahoma and eight vs. Kansas.
The Huskers are averaging 68.1 points per game at home while hitting 47.6 percent from the field at the Devaney Center. On the road, NU has averaged 58.4 points on 39.7 percent shooting.
With victories at Texas Tech and Colorado, Nebraska won consecutive road games in conference play for the first time since 2006-07, when the Huskers won at Missouri and came from 13 down to win at Texas Tech. Overall it was just the fifth time since the formation of the league that the Huskers won consecutive road league contests.
Nebraska posted its second double-figure comeback victory of the season by erasing a 12-point, second-half deficit vs. then-No. 16/17 Texas to win 58-55. It marked the ninth straight season NU has defeated a ranked team. NU currently owns a 5-11 record against ranked squads under Doc Sadler.
Individual quick notes
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro has posted at least 20 points in a game three times in Big 12 Conference games. He had not scored 20 points in any of his first 46 career games at Nebraska.
Dagunduro is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game over the last 17 contests while hitting 58.6 percent from the field.
In conference home games, Dagunduro has led the team with 16.5 points per game while hitting 52.9 percent from the floor. On the road in league action, Dagunduro is the only Husker averaging double figures as he has posted 11.6 points on 54.3 percent shooting.
Earlier this season Dagunduro hit 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) over a four-game span (ending with Maryland Eastern Shore).
Dagunduro tied the school single-game record by hitting all nine field-goal attempts against UMBC, the second-best single-game mark in the league during the Big 12 era.
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.
Sophomore Cookie Miller posted a season scoring high four times in conference play this season. He started the stretch by gaining 11 points at Iowa State and added 15 points against Kansas State. Miller came back to tie his career high with 19 points twice, first against Oklahoma State and then on the road at Texas Tech.
Miller, who hit a pair of big 3-pointers in the five-point win over Colorado, leads the team with 84 assists. He is going to become the first Husker to lead NU in assists as a freshman and sophomore since Tyronn Lue in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
With 16 more assists, Miller will join Tyronn Lue as the only Huskers in program history to post at least 100 assists in each of their freshman and sophomore seasons.
Sek Henry has been proficient with the basketball on the year, hitting 47.3 percent from the field, including a solid 39.3 percent from 3-point range.
Henry has scored in double figures 12 times in 24 games this season, after scoring in double figures just nine times in his first 64 games.
Huskers vs. Ranked Teams
Nebraska has defeated at least one ranked team for nine straight years since the 2000-01 campaign. This year, the Huskers are 1-3 vs. ranked squads with the lone victory coming against then-No. 16/17 Texas, 58-55, in Lincoln.
Overall, Nebraska is 5-11 against ranked squads under coach Doc Sadler with one road victory at No. 22 Texas A&M, 65-59, last year.
Nebraska has won at least two games against ranked teams in two of the past three seasons. The three wins last year against ranked teams are the most for the Huskers since going 4-1 against ranked squads in 1998-99.
The Huskers are 8-13 in their last 21 games against ranked opponents since defeating
No. 4 Oklahoma State in Lincoln in 2005. The win over Oklahoma State was NU's first victory over a top-10 squad since beating No. 7 Iowa State in overtime in Ames in 1996-97.
The win against OSU in 2005 was the Huskers' first against a top-five team since the 1994 Big Eight Tournament, when the Huskers knocked off No. 3 Missouri. The last time NU had defeated a top-five team at home was 1993, when the Huskers beat No. 3 Kansas.
Overall, the Huskers own a 55-203 all-time record against ranked teams (AP poll), including a 19-107 mark against teams ranked in the top 10 and an 11-61 mark against top-five squads. The Huskers are 19-58 against ranked teams in the Big 12 era, including 2-27 against top-10 teams and 1-16 against top-five squads.
Back to the 50s
Nebraska has been one of the top defensive teams in the nation each of the past two seasons under coach Doc Sadler.
The Huskers led the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense last year, allowing just 60.7 points per game to rank 18th nationally. It was the Huskers’ best scoring defense since 1982 (55.3 ppg).
Nebraska entered the week ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense and is currently holding teams to 58.2 points per game. In league play, the Huskers are also first in scoring defense, allowing 61.0 points per game in Big 12-only games, two full points better than second-place Kansas.
Nebraska is one of only two league teams (also Kansas, 63.0 ppg) allowing less than 67.0 points per game in Big 12 play.
Through 11 Big 12 games, the Huskers have held five teams to 55 or fewer points, including Missouri (51), Kansas State (51), at Colorado (53), Texas (55) and vs. Colorado (41). Nebraska previously had held four league teams to 55 or fewer points in coach Doc Sadler’s first two seasons combined.
Before this year against Colorado (53 points) and Texas (55), the last time Nebraska held consecutive Big 12 opponents to 55 or fewer points was 1999 when NU held Iowa State and Colorado to 52 points apiece in back-to-back road games.
Dating to last season, Nebraska has held six of its last eight Big 12 Conference foes at the Devaney Center to 55 or fewer points. Three times in that frame the Huskers have held teams to under 50 points.
And one in the 40s
Nebraska’s defensive effort reached even deeper in the rematch with Colorado in Lincoln earlier this week. The Huskers needed the strong defensive effort as Nebraska’s offense struggled to score against the Buffs, but still managed to record a 46-41 victory.
The Huskers held CU to 41 points, marking the fifth time in the past six meetings NU held the Buffs to 55 or fewer points, and second straight game in Lincoln it held CU to 49 or fewer points.
Colorado’s 41 points were the fewest Nebraska has allowed a league opponent since giving up just 41 points in a two-point loss to Kansas State in the 1984 Big Eight Tournament.
Nebraska’s 46 points were the fewest by the Huskers in a victory since 1966, when NU defeated Oklahoma 45-41 in Stillwater, Okla., in a game that went into overtime.
The 87 combined points were a Big 12 record low. The previous low was 89 points between two teams on two occasions, both in 2006 and both games involving Texas A&M.
Rolling on the Road
Nebraska has seen its share of road struggles in the past but the Huskers put that behind them on Saturday, Jan. 31, when NU snapped a three-game losing streak with an 82-69 victory over Texas Tech in Lubbock. The win also snapped a four-game regular-season Big 12 road losing streak dating to last year.
Nebraska made it two straight league road wins when it defeated Colorado 55-53 in Boulder. It was the fewest points Nebraska has allowed on the road since giving up 42 points in a 15-point victory at Kansas State in 2006.
The Huskers broke out quickly in both games before making key plays down the stretch to hold on for victory.
Nebraska hit 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from the field against Texas Tech, easily its best performance on the road this season. The Huskers followed up with a 47.4-percent effort at Colorado. NU has not hit better than 43 percent from the field in any of its other six games away from Lincoln this year.
The last time Nebraska won a conference road game when scoring 55 or fewer points was Feb. 4, 1984, at Kansas State when the Huskers won 47-46.
When the Huskers allowed Colorado just 53 points in Boulder, it was only the 12th time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska held its opponent to under 60 points in a road contest. The Huskers improved to 9-3 in those games.
Fewest Points Allowed by Nebraska in
Conference Road Game (Big 12 era only)
No. Opponent, Year Points Allowed Score
1. Kansas State, 2006 42 W, 57-42
2. Colorado, 1999 52 W, 57-52
Iowa State, 1999 52 L, 47-52
4. Colorado, 2009 53 W, 55-53
5. Colorado, 2008 55 L, 51-55
Baylor, 1999 55 W, 68-55
6. Oklahoma State, 2006 57 W, 59-57
7. Texas A&M, 1998 58 W, 75-58
8. Texas A&M, 2008 59 W, 65-59
Texas Tech, 2007 59 W, 61-59
Kansas, 2005 59 L, 57-59
Kansas, 1999 59 W, 64-59
The 55.1 percent shooting at TTU is NU’s best in a league road game since hitting 59.0 percent from the field in a 65-59 win at No. 22 Texas A&M last season, last road victory in league regular-season play before downing the Red Raiders.
NU has now hit at least 50.0 percent from the field in three of its last eight Big 12 regular-season road games dating to last year.
The Huskers’ 82 points at Texas Tech were their most in a Big 12 game since March 5, 2007, when NU scored 85 in a win over Oklahoma State at home. That was a span of 26 games before the Huskers topped the 80-point plateau (home, away or at Big 12 Championship).
The last time Nebraska scored at least 80 points on the road was an 87-83 overtime loss at No. 7 Oklahoma State on Feb. 21, 2004, a span of 37 Big 12 regular-season road games before topping the 80-point mark again.
The Huskers’ last road victory when scoring at least 80 points came on Feb. 20, 2002, when Nebraska won 82-72 at Texas A&M.
Nebraska Road Scoring Margin (Big 12 games only)
No. Opponent, Year Margin (Score)
Texas A&M, 1998 +17 (75-58)
Kansas State, 2006 +15 (57-42)
Oklahoma, 1999 +15 (96-81)
Texas Tech, 2009 +13 (82-69)
Baylor, 2005 +11 (74-63)
Iowa State, 2006 +10 (73-63)
Texas A&M, 2002 +10 (82-72)
Line time
Nebraska has had its ups and downs at the free throw line this season, but one of the better efforts came at just the right time in a road game at Texas Tech. The Huskers hit 76.7 percent (23-of-30) from the line vs. the Red Raiders, including 80.8 percent (21-of-26) in the second period to pull away for an 82-69 victory.
The Huskers had entered the game hitting 68.1 percent from the charity stripe.
The 76.7 percent was Nebraska’s second-best effort this season when attempting at least 20 free throws in a game. The only time NU topped the mark was when it hit 87.1 percent (27-of-31) against Oklahoma State a week earlier.
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro did most of the hard work, hitting all 10 of his attempts from the line. He entered the game hitting 69.0 percent from the free throw line on the season.
Dagunduro became just the fifth Husker in the Big 12 era to hit all of his free throws when attempting at least 10 in a game, and the second under coach Doc Sadler. Overall, he’s the 12th Husker since 1982 to accomplish the feat.
Perfect Games at FT Line since 1982 (min. 10 att.)
Player Opponent (date) FT-FTA
Ade Dagunduro... at Texas Tech (1/31/09) 10-10
Charles Richardson Jr. at Missouri (2/3/07) 10-10
Nate Johnson..... Tennessee (12/13/03) 10-10
Jake Muhleisen... Kansas St. (2/9/02) 11-11
Tyronn Lue........ at Kansas (1/3/98). 10-10
Jamar Johnson... at S. Utah (11/30/91) 10-10
Tony Farmer...... at Oklahoma (3/8/91) 12-12
Beau Reid.......... Wyoming (1/23/89) 10-10
Pete Manning..... at Oklahoma (3/5/88) 11-11
Dave Hoppen..... at Oklahoma (1/29/85) 10-10
Dave Hoppen..... S. Colorado (11/29/84) 11-11
Jack Moore........ Oklahoma St. (2/10/82) 15-15
Getting Offensive
Nebraska received some significant offense from unexpected places during Big 12 Conference play.
Cookie Miller, the Huskers’ assist leader (84) this season, has averaged 8.9 points per game in league action to rank second on the squad. Despite hitting just 41.9 percent from the field, he is second on the team in field-goal percentage among players with at least 50 attempts in Big 12 play. He is also leading the squad at 82.8 percent (24-of-29) from the line while averaging at team-high 31.2 minutes per game in league action.
Miller has set a season scoring high four times in league play. Miller had 11 points at Iowa State and came back with 15 at home against Kansas State. He then posted a career-high tying 19 points against Oklahoma State at home and then again at Texas Tech.
Ryan Anderson led NU with 19 points and seven rebounds against Oklahoma and came back with 14 points and eight rebounds against Oklahoma State. His 19 points at Oklahoma were a season high and the 33 points over those two games equaled his total from his previous eight games combined.
Anderson added a team-high tying 12 points in a road win at Colorado and had five assists without a turnover in the home win over the Buffs. He has averaged 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in Big 12 play, ranking fifth and second on the squad, respectively.
Strong down the stretch
Under the guidance of coach Doc Sadler the past two years, Nebraska has been a strong team in possibly the most important part of the season: the stretch run in February. When other teams are starting to wear down, Sadler’s squads the past two seasons have gone strong, finding nearly as much success as any team in the league.
NOTE: Because of bye weeks, not all teams play the same amount of Big 12 Conference games in the month of February each season. Records through Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009.
February Big 12 Records (by wins; 2006 to present)
No. Team Record
1. Kansas 16-4
Texas 16-5
3. Missouri 13-6
4. Nebraska 12-8
5. Texas A&M 11-8
6. Kansas State 10-10
Oklahoma 10-10
Oklahoma State 10-10
Texas Tech 10-11
10. Iowa State 6-14
11. Baylor 5-15
12. Colorado 2-17
Redshirts Stepping up
Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said last season that it was important to build depth within the program, including building a wealth of players who are in the program for five years. To accomplish that, three players ? Toney McCray, Brandon Richardson and Alonzo Edwards ? sat out last season to improve their skills and gain strength in the weight room.
That move is starting to pay off this season, especially with Richardson and McCray as they have made some big shots for the Huskers early in their first run through the Big 12 Conference.
Richardson, who missed the first four conference games with an injury, scored 11 points at Texas Tech and came back with a career-best 12 points at Missouri.
In league play, Richardson has hit 11-of-25 from the field, including 8-of-17 from 3-point range. He has averaged 5.4 points in 14.3 minutes per game during Big 12 action.
McCray has shown a knack for hitting some big shots at key times during league play, many of the times when NU was in an offensive funk.
He hit a big 3-pointer to jump-start the Husker offense and help NU hold off Missouri in the league opener, and added a pair of clutch shots with the shot clock expiring late in the win at Colorado. He added eight points and five rebounds in the win over No. 16/17 Texas, scoring the go-ahead basket vs. UT with less than two minutes remaining to put Nebraska ahead for good.
Stealing the Spotlight
Nebraska has been among the national leaders all season for steals, entering this week ranked No. 19in the country. The Huskers currently average 9.0 steals per game to rank second in the league. Overall seven Huskers have posted at least 19 steals this year, with six averaging at least 1.0 steal per game.
It's much of the same from a pair of familiar faces when it comes to steals. Junior guard Ryan Anderson and sophomore guard Cookie Miller have shown an impressive court awareness since joining the Huskers and have been among the teams' top defenders despite their size.
Anderson became just the 14th player in Nebraska history to record 100 steals in a career when he picked off one pass against Kansas on Jan. 28. At his current pace (11th in the Big 12 entering the weekend), Anderson could finish this season just outside of the Nebraska top 10.
Miller ranks ninth in the league in steals at 1.6 per contest and has a chance to reach 100 before the end of his sophomore season. He moved into the Nebraska all-time top 15 with one steal in the victory over No. 16/17 Texas.
Miller is trying to join Cookie Belcher and Erick Strickland as the only Huskers ever with at least 100 steals at the end of their sophomore seasons. Belcher had 162 in his first two years while Strickland had 107. 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.
Overall the Huskers have three players ranked in the top 11 in the Big 12 Conference listing for steals. Along with Anderson and Miller, Steve Harley leads the Huskers and ranks sixth in the league at 1.7 steals per game (41 total).
Nebraska Career Steals (since 1978)
No. Player, Years Steals
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
11. Jamar Johnson, 1992-94 126
12. Carl Hayes, 1990-92 125
13. Greg Downing, 1980-83 118
14. Ryan Anderson, 2007-present 105
15. Cookie Miller, 2008-present 94
-- Sek Henry, 2007-present 76
Turning Teams over
Nebraska has turned up the defensive pressure this season, especially while playing with a heavily guard-oriented lineup, including many sets with 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 also forced a season-high tying 25 turnovers against Kansas State on Jan. 17.
The Huskers have now forced 423 turnovers through 24 games, while allowing teams to record just 258 assists on 474 baskets.
The Huskers have forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year. Last year, the Huskers forced 20 turnovers in a game six times all season.
Most Opponent Turnovers in 2008-09
Opponent Turnovers
San Jose State 25
Kansas State 25
Creighton 24
Oregon State 24
IPFW 24
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 23
South Carolina State 21
Kansas 21
Texas Tech 20
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 seven times this season and at least eight steals in 20 games this season.
Nine Huskers have recorded a steal this year, including six averaging at least 1.0 steal per game.
The most steals in a game by a single Husker this season is five on two occasions, most recently by sophomore guard Cookie Miller who tied his career high with five at Texas Tech. Junior guard Ryan Anderson also had five steals against Kansas State on Jan. 17. Four other players have recorded eight games with four steals each.
The defensive pressure has helped Nebraska to a 454-279 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.
Despite posting a season-high 20 turnovers at No. 17/19 Missouri on Feb. 14, NU has averaged just 11.8 turnovers per game this season and entered the week ranked 27th nationally in the category.
The Huskers moved back to first place in the Big 12 Conference after the performance vs. Colorado, when NU had zero turnovers in the first half. In conference-only games, NU is tied with Texas for first the league standings for turnovers per game at 11.9.
Nebraska tied the NCAA, Big 12 and school record with zero (0) turnovers in the first half at home against Colorado. NU posted its season best against a league team with six total miscues against the Buffs, all after the half.
The Huskers tied the school record by committing just three turnovers against Maryland Eastern Shore. NU equaled the team mark originally 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’s Best Turnover Games of 2008-09
Opponent NU Turnovers
Maryland Eastern Shore 3*
Colorado 6**
Saint Louis 6
at Oklahoma 7
Kansas 8
* - tied school single-game record
** - Zero (0) turnovers in the first half to tie NCAA record.
The Huskers entered the week ranked No. 7 nationally in turnover margin. Nebraska currently has a +5.8 margin to rank second in the Big 12 Conference entering the weekend.
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, and at home vs. the Buffs in 2009.
Nebraska posted 11 turnovers at Texas Tech, marking the 10th time overall ? and second straight road game ? under coach Doc Sadler that NU had 11 or fewer turnovers in a game away from Lincoln. It was the third time this season (also at Oregon State, 11 TO; 7 at Oklahoma).
The Huskers had zero turnovers in the first half against Colorado at home, the best record ever in a half. NU also had only three turnovers in the first half against Alabama State, two turnovers in the second half against Saint Louis, three in the first half at No. 6/5 Oklahoma and three in the second frame vs. KU, giving the Huskers seven halves this season (including each half vs. UMES) with three or fewer turnovers.
Bombs Away
Nebraska has been strong from outside the arc during coach Doc Sadler’s tenure, including this year. The Huskers are among the national leaders, hitting 37.3 percent from long range. Last season, Nebraska hit 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Sek Henry has become one of the team’s most improved 3-point shooters this year, as he has hit 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from long range. He came into the year hitting just 26 percent in his first two years, draining 37-of-140 attempts. He already has more 3s this year than either of his first two seasons (17 and 20, respectively).
Paul Velander has been effective this season from beyond the arc as he is hitting 43.3 percent to currently rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
Velander is also 10th in the league in
3-pointers made. He currently has 55 treys this year despite hitting just 7-of-32 from 3-point range over his last seven games.
Nebraska has hit better than 40 percent from the 3-point line as a team six times this season, including at least 50 percent four times this year. The Huskers hit at least 50 percent from long range twice against Big 12 Conference teams (vs. Kansas and Texas).
The Huskers have hit 10 or more 3-pointers three times this season, including against Alabama State (14), Florida A&M (10) and Kansas State (10).
Nebraska hit an impressive 14-of-25 (56.0 percent) from beyond the arc against the Alabama State. 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.
Nebraska had another game where all the shots were falling as the Huskers hit 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) against Kansas State on Jan. 17. Velander hit 6-of-10 by himself, while Cookie Miller connected on all three of his attempts. Nebraska hit 50.0 percent overall from the field in the game.
Defense Among NCAA’s Best
Nebraska is among the Big 12 and national leaders in several defensive stats in 2008-09.
Nebraska was 13th in the country in scoring defense entering the week. NU currently leads the Big 12 by allowing just 58.2 ppg while no other team in the league is holding opponents below 64.0 points per game.
The Huskers did not allow any of their first 16 opponents to score more than 66 points in a game. It was the longest streak to open a season without allowing an opponent to reach 67 points since the 1981-82 NU squad did it through the first 18 games of the year.
Only one other time (2003-04) in the 3-point era before this season 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 Nebraska held six consecutive opponents to fewer than 60 points in any stretch 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.
Nebraska has forced at least 20 turnovers in a game nine times this season, including three times in Big 12 Conference play (Kansas State, 25; Kansas, 21; Texas Tech, 20).
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.
NU has held teams to 55 or fewer points 30 times under coach Doc Sadler in the past three years, including 11 times against league opponents.
Nebraska is leading the Big 12 in scoring defense for the second straight season. Last year the Huskers ranked 18th nationally on the year by allowing an average of 60.7 ppg.
Keeping opponents in line
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’s
3-point defense has improved dramatically with the change in the line.
Nebraska’s 3-point defense this year has been solid as opponents have hit just 33.0 percent from beyond the arc. Last season, opponents hit 36.4 percent on the year.
The Huskers currently rank third in the Big 12 Conference in that category. NU has held eight teams under 25.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc this season.
Eleven of Nebraska’s 24 opponents have been held to five or fewer 3-pointers in a game, including five 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 24 games, Nebraska trails on the glass by over four rebounds per game
(-4.5 rpg, 33.4 to 28.9).
Nebraska has trailed on the glass in 17 contests this season, including each of its first seven league contests before outrebounding Colorado. Overall, the Huskers have trailed on the boards in 14 of the past 18 games.
NU has trailed on the boards in all but two of its Big 12 contests, and has a -6.0 rebounding margin in league action. Nebraska’s 38 rebounds against No. 17/19 Missouri were its second-highest total of the season and just the second time in league play NU outrebounded (38-36) an opponent. Nebraska’s +8 advantage at Colorado was its biggest against a league squad.
Nebraska, which is listed as the shortest team in Division I by kenpom.com, held nearly even on the boards against Texas, the Big 12 Conference’s tallest team. UT only posted a +4 (34-30) advantage on the glass over the Huskers.
NU has had at least 10 offensive rebounds in a game seven times, most recently at Missouri when 11 of the Huskers’ 38 boards were on the offensive glass. NU also had at least 10 offensive boards at No. 6/5 Oklahoma (10) and against Kansas (13) and Texas (11) at home.
Dagunduro Getting on Track
After a sluggish start to the season, senior guard Ade Dagunduro has turned up the intensity on both ends of the court during league play and now should be in the mix for All-Big 12 honors following the year.
One of the most athletic players in the league, Dagunduro has recently brought his scoring average up to lead the squad with 12.0 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 13 of the past 17 games, including at least 17 points seven times.
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 has averaged a team-best 14.1 ppg on 58.6 percent shooting (89-of-152) over the past 17 games.
Dagunduro set a career high by scoring in double figures in five straight games (Oregon State, IPFW, UMBC, South Carolina State, Maryland Eastern Shore).
The senior posted a then-career high in the Big 12 opener, gaining a game-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting while helping Nebraska to its third league-opening win in 13 years. He also had five rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes.
Dagunduro had the best offensive game of his career against Kansas at home, posting a career-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 29 minutes while helping the Huskers remain within one point in the final 30 seconds.
Dagunduro recorded his second straight 20-point performance while helping Nebraska to a road victory over Texas Tech. He hit 5-of-6 from the field and 10-of-10 at the line for 20 points, while adding a season-high tying six rebounds with three assists and three steals.
He also had solid games with 17 points and nine boards against No. 16/19 Texas and 18 points and six boards vs. Colorado at home.
Possibly Dagunduro’s biggest points of the non-conference 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 to the basket. Harley made a nice wrap-around pass to Dagunduro, whose uncontested layup with 2.7 seconds remaining was the game-winner.
Dagunduro’s slow start this season was the exact opposite of last year, which has been 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 last year, he gained only 5.8 points per game while knocking down just 40.4 percent from the field.
Record Performance
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro had a breakout game against UMBC as he posted 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 single-game record by hitting all nine of his attempts from the field against UMBC.
Dagunduro became the fifth Husker in history 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
Dagunduro’s mark was originally believed to be a single-game conference record, however, since then it has been established that Colorado center David Harrison had a 10-for-10 effort versus Baylor in 2004. It is believed that Dagunduro’s mark ties for second place in the Big 12 record book.
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
Dagunduro’s streak of 15 straight made shots fell two shy of the old Big 12 record. His streak is second in the league this season behind Baylor’s Quincy Acy, who set the new Big 12 record by making his first 20 attempts from the field to start his career.
Miller ready to lend a hand
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 84 assists (3.7 apg) and is second the team with 36 steals (1.6 apg). He is one of seven Huskers with at least 19 steals.
Miller has 45 turnovers to go with his 84 assists, ranking in the top seven in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9-to-1).
After posting a season-high five miscues with one assist against Kansas State on Jan. 17, Miller rebounded to have his best game distributing the ball at Oklahoma. He had seven assists with just two turnovers against the No. 6/5 Sooners on the road.
Miller has had at least four assists in 13 contests this season, including five straight games to end non-conference play. He has had six assists four times.
Miller was efficient in leading the Huskers to a win in the Big 12 opener against Missouri. He had three assists against two turnovers in 36 minutes, but helped NU continually break the Tigers’ press. His defense also helped NU force MU into 16 turnovers with only 10 assists after the Tigers came into the game ranked third nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. Miller also drew three charges, all in the first half, against MU.
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.
Hot Henry
After a strong offseason, junior guard Sek Henry started out on a tear while helping the Huskers win six straight games to open a season for just the second time in the Big 12 era.
Henry has been more consistent on offense this season than at any point in his career. He is averaging 8.6 ppg to rank third on the team, and has recorded 12 double-figure scoring games.
Henry posted 19 points against each Saint Louis and Florida A&M, 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 vs. South Carolina State.
Henry added 13 points against Missouri to help Nebraska to a win in the Big 12 opener. It was the second-highest point total of his career against a Big 12 squad, trailing the 14 points he scored last season at Missouri.
Overall, he has scored at least 10 points five times in league play this season after posting double figures just four times in his first two Big 12 campaigns combined (35 games including league tourney).
He has posted double figure points 12 times in 23 games this season, after scoring in double figures just nine times in the first 64 games of his career. Henry posted double figures five times last year and four times as a freshman.
Henry has hit 69-of-146 shots (47.3 percent) from the field, including 24-of-61 (39.3 percent) from 3-point range this season. 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 fifth on the team with 24 steals through 24 contests.
Henry raised his free throw average significantly of late, hitting 35 of his last 48 (72.9 percent) attempts over the past 14 games. 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, and followed with a 7-of-9 effort against SCSU.
Energy Guy
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.”
After sitting out the first four games of Big 12 Conference action with an injury, Richardson came back to hit 2-of-3, including both 3-point attempts, to score eight points in 15 minutes against Oklahoma State.
Richardson scored 11 points in a road victory at Texas Tech. He came off the bench to hit 4-of-5 shots, including 3-of-4 from long range, in 19 minutes.
In another strong road performance, Richardson scored a career-best 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting to lead Nebraska at No. 17/19 Missouri. He added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 20 minutes.
He has now hit 16 of his last 34 shots overall, including 10-of-23 from long range. The recent aggressiveness with ball came as a direct result of the coaching staff telling Richardson to focused on attacking on the offensive end.
Against UAPB, he scored nine points and had two assists without a turnover in 23 minutes of action.
He posted 13 points over the last two games of non-conference play after scoring just 12 points in his previous eight games.
He has posted at least three steals in a game three times this year, and is sixth on the team with 20 steals.
Energy Guy . . . Too
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 come off the bench to hit 55
3-pointers in 24 games, including 12 games with at least three treys apiece. He is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.0 points per game.
Paul Velander has hit at least three 3-pointers in 12-of-24 games this season. Dating to last year, he has hit at least three treys in 17 of his last 30 games. Before that, he had hit at least three 3-pointers in a game just six times in his first 51 career games.
Velander, who led the nation in 3-point percentage on Jan. 23 (50.0 percent, 48-of-96), has struggled in his last seven games. He has hit just 7-of-31 attempts (22.6 percent) from long range in that span, including going 0-of-2 from beyond the arc at Texas Tech. It was the first game this season he did not have a 3-pointer and snapped a streak of 22 straight games with a trey dating to last year.
Velander is currently fourth in the Big 12 Conference in 3-point percentage, hitting 43.3 percent from behind the arc.
Before his recent slump, Velander posted as career-high tying 20 points behind a career-best six 3-pointers against Kansas State on Jan. 17.
Velander leads the team with 23 charges taken in 24 games, including three against each San Jose State and Saint Louis. If the statistic were kept nationally, it’s possible that Velander would lead the nation in charges taken.
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. As a team, NU has taken 46 charges in 24 games this year.
Balham Making Most of Minutes
Junior forward Chris Balham has been limited by chronic knee problems throughout his career and while he has not been able to practice or get on the court in games as much as he and coach Doc Sadler would like, Balham has made the most of his court time lately.
Over the last 12 games he has played (missed CU at home), Balham has averaged 13.3 minutes per game, with a total of 159 minutes of action. He saw 46 minutes of action combined in his first seven games of the year, with a high of 10 minutes at TCU. He also missed four games this year because of chronic knee issues.
He played 18, 14, 17, 14, 10 and 12 minutes, respectively, between the Maryland Eastern Shore and Oklahoma games, the first time in his career he gained at least 10 minutes in more than three straight games. Overall, he has played at least 10 minutes in 11 of the last 13 games he has played.
Balham played a Big 12-high 17 minutes against Texas, the tallest team in the conference. He fared extremely well, posting six points on 2-of-3 shooting while adding three boards, including two on the offensive end, as Nebraska was outrebounded by just four boards, 34-30.
He came back to log another 17 minutes at No. 17/19 Missouri, posting a team-best-tying seven rebounds (three offensive) with two points.
Balham tied his career high with eight rebounds against Florida A&M. He added six boards on the road at Texas Tech for his most in conference play this year. Of his 47 rebounds in the past 13 games played, 24 are offensive boards.
Balham scored a season-high seven points in consecutive games near the end of the non-conference slate this season. The only time Balham has scored more than seven points (his totals against SCSU and UMES) in a game was a career-high 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in a road victory over No. 22 Texas A&M last season.
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 119 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 this season. He has hit 20-of-64 attempts (31.3 percent) after coming into the season hitting better than 39 percent in his career.
Anderson’s best long-range game this year came with four 3-pointers at No. 6/5 Oklahoma, marking the 15th time in his career he has had at least three treys in a single game. He also had three treys earlier this season against Alabama State.
He went 3-of-3 from the field against Florida A&M but did not attempt a 3-pointer. It was the first time in 30 games that he did not attempt a 3-pointer in a game. He also did not attempt a trey at Texas Tech, just the sixth game in his career he did not shoot from long range.
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.
McCray STarts Strong
Guard Toney McCray started the season out strong, scoring game highs with 17 points and nine rebounds in the season opener against San Jose State.
McCray hit 6-of-15 shots from the floor in his career debut against the Spartans and 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 ranks seventh on the team with 5.8 points per game. He is fifth on the team with 3.0 rebounds per game and leads the squad with 15 blocked shots.
McCray’s 15 blocked shots this season rank ninth on the Husker freshman chart.
McCray played inside most of the first 18 games of the season, but moved back onto the wing before the Kansas game, which was the first contest in this season that he did not play any minutes. He came back to hit 8-of-18 from the floor over the past four games, including a 3-of-3 effort at Colorado.
McCray was key in NU’s victories over Colorado and Texas. Against CU, he hit a pair of tough, contested shots with the shot clock under three seconds, keeping Nebraska out front in the narrow two-point victory. In the game vs. Texas, he posted eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, including the go-ahead basket with under two minutes remaining. He also added five rebounds vs. the Longhorns, with a key rebound with less than 90 seconds left to play.
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. Overall, he is 9-of-24 this season from long range.
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.
In his first Big 12 Conference tilt, McCray posted five points with one rebound in five minutes. His 3-pointer late in the second half was a needed offensive spark as the Huskers held on for a victory over Missouri.
In Big 12 Conference play, McCray has hit 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from the floor but has averaged just 3.8 points per game.
Comeback Kids
Under coach Doc Sadler, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have become a team that is hardly ever out of a contest as it has shown the determination and will to come back repeatedly in difficult situations.
Nebraska’s most recent account of a major comeback was against No. 16/17 Texas at home on Feb. 7. The Huskers trailed by 12 points early in the second half and by 10 points with just under 11 minutes remaining. NU continued to chip away at the lead and went ahead with less than two minutes remaining before Ade Dagunduro’s 3-pointer in the final minute sealed the 58-55 victory.
It was the second time this season Nebraska posted a significant come-from-behind win.
Against Creighton, the Huskers were 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 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.
By coming back from 12 points down against Texas, the Huskers made their ninth double-digit comeback against league teams in the Big 12 Conference era. It was the second time under Sadler, as the Huskers came back from 13 points down on the road against Texas Tech in 2007.
The 13-point deficit the Huskers overcame against Creighton matched the largest comeback under Coach Doc Sadler. It tied for the second-largest comeback by Nebraska during the Big 12 era, matching the 13-point deficit NU overcame at Texas Tech.
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
2008-09 No. 16/17 Texas 12 points
2002-03 vs. UC Santa Barbara 12 points
1998-99 Texas A&M 12 points
2005-06 Baylor 11 points
2004-05 No. 4 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 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.
In an continuing theme, NU fell behind by 13 points at Iowa State before battling back to tie the game at 45-45 with under seven minutes to play. With 2:13 remaining, NU trailed by just two points, 55-53, but saw the Cyclones go on a 10-0 run to end the game.