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Husker Game Day
Nebraska Game Notes: Click Here
Baylor Game Notes: Click Here
Game Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tip Off Tip: 11:33 a.m.
Release Date: Monday, March 9, 2009
Venue: Ford Center (18,878)
TV: Big 12 Network; ESPN FullCourt, Play-by-play: Mitch Holthus. Color: Stephen Howard.
Internet TV: ESPN360.com
Radio: Husker Sports Radio Network stations, Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka. Color: Matt Davison.
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 216 (Best of XM); XM 231
Huskers Set for Rematch with Bears to Open Big 12 Championship
Facing off for the second straight game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Baylor Bears open the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday, March 11, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Playing the first game on opening day, the Huskers and Bears will tip off at 11:33 a.m. in a game seen in select markets on the Big 12 Network (Channel 8, Lincoln; Channel 11, Omaha) with Mitch Holthus and Stephen Howard calling the action.
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 will be aiming for more than just a second victory over Baylor in five days. The Huskers hope to advance out of the first round of the league tournament in two straight seasons for the first time since 1998 and 1999. A win Wednesday would mark only the third time Nebraska has won a game in consecutive postseason league tournaments since the Big Eight moved to an end-of-the-year championship in 1977.
The No. 8-seed Huskers finished the regular season with an 8-8 record in Big 12 play, marking only the third time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska has finished at .500 or above. This year marks the only time in the first 13 years of the Big 12 Conference that eight teams finished with at least eight league wins.
The Huskers have improved in league play in each of coach Doc Sadler’s first three seasons, going from 6-10 in 2007 to 7-9 last year to a .500 mark this season. Nebraska has gotten the job done in 2009 primarily behind its sturdy defense, allowing 59.4 ppg to rank No. 16 nationally in scoring defense as of March 6.
Scouting The Bears
Nebraska and Baylor will enter the Big 12 Championship as the No. 8 and 9 seeds, respectively. The teams will have a good feel for each other in the first round of the league tournament as they just competed on Saturday in Waco.
The Huskers came away with a 66-62 victory, holding on down the stretch by hitting 86.4 percent from the foul line. Nebraska was 10-of-10 at the charity stripe in the final minute and finished the day with only three misses in 22 attempts. It was the Huskers’ best free throw percentage with at least 20 attempts away from the Devaney Center this season.
The back-and-forth affair was in question until the end as neither team lead by more than seven points. The score was tied five times and the teams swapped the lead on 13 occasions.
Sophomore LaceDarius Dunn came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting while senior Curtis Jerrells added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, with six rebounds. Senior Kevin Rogers had 10 points and six boards, helping Baylor outrebound the Huskers 31-25 before fouling out. With the loss, the Bears finished the regular season with a 17-13 overall record and a 5-11 mark in league action.
One of three 1,000-point scorers on the squad, Jerrells leads the team with 16.2 points per game this season while adding 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest. He is also second on the team with 45 steals, trailing only Dugat’s 47 steals. Dugat is averaging 10.4 points per contest to rank fifth on the team in scoring, although he is averaging just 7.5 points per game against conference squads this season. Dunn (15.1 ppg), Rogers (12.1) and Tweety Carter (11.4) give Baylor five players averaging double figures this season.
Dunn paces the squad with 79 3-pointers on the season. Carter has added 65 treys, including a team-best 41 in Big 12 action after hitting 3-of-8 from long range against the Huskers on Saturday. Jerrells has added 58 treys, knocking down four 3-pointers against the Huskers in the finale, including two in the final two minutes to keep the pressure on Nebraska. On the year, Baylor has hit 36.2 percent from 3-point range, nailing 248-of-686 attempts from beyond the arc, averaging 22.9 3-point attempts per game.
The Bears have averaged 77.4 points per game to rank among the league’s top offensive teams, but they have also allowed 71.2 points per contest on 43.6 percent shooting. BU has been outrebounded by a 35.3-34.6 margin and has hit 70.8 percent from the charity stripe.
Baylor is coached by Scott Drew (Butler, 1993), who is in his sixth year with the Bears. Drew owns a 72-93 record in Waco and a 92-104 career mark as a college head coach. He began his head coaching career at Valparaiso, where he took over for his father and posted a 20-11 season in his rookie year.
Possible Baylor Starting Lineup
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Pt. Rb.
Tweety Carter G 5-11 185 11.4 3.1*
LaceDarius Dunn G 6-4 201 15.1 4.3
Curtis Jerrells G 6-1 201 16.2 4.9*
Kevin Rogers F 6-9 250 12.1 7.4
Josh Lomers C 7-0 280 2.8 1.4
*assists per game
Nebraska-Baylor Team Comparison
NU Stat BU
64.8______ Points Per Game______ 77.4
59.4___ Points Allowed Per Game___ 71.2
44.4____ Field Goal Percentage____ 46.0
42.5_ Field Goal Percentage Defense_ 43.6
37.1___ 3pt Field Goal Percentage___ 36.2
33.1 3pt Field Goal Percentage Defense 34.6
69.2____ Free Throw Percentage____ 70.8
28.2_____ Rebounds Per Game_____ 34.6
-5.6_______ Rebound Margin______ -0.7
13.3______ Assists Per Game______ 12.1
11.7_____ Turnovers Per Game_____ 12.9
8.4_______ Steals Per Game_______ 7.2
1.8_______ Blocks Per Game_______ 4.0
17.4_______ Fouls Per Game______ 19.4
The Series vs. Baylor
The Cornhuskers and Bears have a brief history as they are meeting for just the 20th time in series history, although this will be the second matchup in five days. The Huskers hold a 12-7 series lead after snapping a two-game Baylor win streak on Saturday.
The series is the Huskers’ second-shortest against any current Big 12 opponent. The only other league foe with a shorter series history against the Huskers is Texas A&M, which has played only 17 games against Nebraska (NU leads 11-6).
The teams first met in the 1949-50 season with a Nebraska victory at home. NU won the first three games of the series and also owns another four-game win streak over Baylor.
Nebraska and Baylor have met on a neutral site three times before, including twice in the Big 12 Championship. Baylor has won two of the three meetings, earning an 82-79 victory in Maui in 1988 and a 63-55 victory in the league tournament in 2000. The Huskers won the first matchup in the Big 12 Championship with a 65-46 victory in 1998.
The last three games in the series have been decided by a combined 10 points.
The Huskers have held Baylor to under 70 points 11 times in the Big 12 era, including five times allowing 60 or fewer points.
Last season both teams scored at least 70 points in the contest for only the second time in the series. The only other time both teams reached 70 points was an 82-79 Baylor win in 1987.
Huskers Finish Eighth with 8-8 Mark
While the Huskers were hopeful of a little help on the final day of the regular season that could have pushed them as high as sixth in the league standings, Nebraska finished in sole possession of eighth place in the final Big 12 Conference standings with a win over Baylor on Saturday.
Despite falling short of an upper-division finish, Nebraska still reached one lofty goal that had not been accomplished in Lincoln in the past decade.
Nebraska ended the regular season with an 8-8 record in conference play, the first .500 mark by the Huskers in Big 12 action since 1999 when NU went 10-6.
It is only the third time in 13 years of Big 12 Conference play that Nebraska has been at least .500 in league play. NU went 10-6 against league foes twice in the first three years after the formation of the league, earning the mark in 1998 and 1999.
Nebraska has finished with a 7-9 league record five times in the Big 12 era.
The Huskers were the eighth team this season to record at least eight Big 12 victories. It is the first time in the 13-year history of the league that eight teams have finished .500 or better. Previously, the high was seven teams with at least eight wins in 2004 and 2005.
Big 12 Championship History
The Cornhuskers enter Championship Week looking to earn the Big 12 Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The path will be difficult to say the least, as the Huskers open against a talented Baylor squad in the 8/9 game. The winner then takes on Kansas, which won its fifth straight league regular-season title on Saturday to sew up the top seed in the league tourney.
The Cornhuskers own a 5-12 overall record at the Big 12 Championship. Since the Big Eight postseason tournament started in 1977, the Huskers own a 15-32 all-time record including winning the 1994 tournament title.
Nebraska has three wins at the Big 12 Championship in the past three years, after posting just two wins in the first nine years of the Big 12 tourney.
The Huskers are the eighth seed at the Big 12 Championship for the third time since the formation of the league in 1996-97. Nebraska is 0-2 as the No. 8 seed, losing to No. 9 Colorado, 67-60, in 2002, and to No. 9 Baylor, 63-55, in 2000.
Overall, Nebraska has an 0-3 record in the 8/9 game, as it also lost a 70-67 contest to No. 8 seed Missouri in 2005. That is the only season NU has been the No. 9 seed.
Nebraska is trying to record a win at the Big 12 Championship in consecutive seasons for only the second time since the formation of the conference. The only consecutive years NU has won a game at the Big 12 tournament is 1998 and 1999, when Nebraska went 1-1 each season.
Since 1977 when the Big Eight began its postseason tourney, the Huskers have won games in the league tournament in consecutive years only twice before, with those wins coming in 1982 and 1983 and again in 1998 and 1999.
Nebraska at the Big 12 Championship
Year Seed Record Postseason
2009 8 ?? ??
2008 7 1-1 NIT
2007 10 0-1 None
2006 6 2-1 NIT
2005 9 0-1 None
2004 10 0-1 NIT
2003 12 0-1 None
2002 8 0-1 None
2001 7 0-1 None
2000 8 0-1 None
1999 6 1-1 NIT
1998 4 1-1 NCAA
1997 7 0-1 NIT
Finishing Strong
Historically speaking, Nebraska has not gone into the league tournament with a hot hand. This year’s strong finish, going 2-0 in the final week, marks only the second time in the Big 12 era that the Huskers have won the last two games of the regular season.
The last time NU won two straight games before heading to the Big 12 Championship was 1998 when the Huskers won six straight contests. Nebraska extended the strong run as it defeated Baylor, 65-46, in the second round of the tournament after receiving a bye in the first round as the No. 4 seed. The Huskers fell in the semifinals to Kansas.
Before 1998, the last time NU won its last two regular-season games was 1987. That year, the Huskers won their final two regular-season contests, fell in the Big Eight tournament to Kansas State, 47-45, and then reached the semifinals of the NIT in New York City.
Nebraska has won the regular-season finale for three straight years under coach Doc Sadler. Before Sadler’s arrival, the last time Nebraska won its final game before the start of the league tournament was 1999.
The Cornhuskers have won the regular-season finale 13 times since the Big Eight Conference started a postseason tournament in 1977. During that span, Nebraska is 7-6 in its first game at the league championship following a victory in the final regular-season game.
Huskers Reach 18-Win Mark
When the Huskers defeated Baylor on Saturday, it marked the 23rd time in school history ? and second straight season under coach Doc Sadler ? that Nebraska reached the 18-win plateau.
It is only the fourth time in school history that the Huskers have won at least 18 games in consecutive seasons.
The last time NU won 18 or more games in back-to-back campaigns was during a school-record nine-year stretch with at least 18 wins from 1991 to 1999.
Sadler is the only coach in Nebraska history to get his team to post at least 18 wins twice in his first three years on the sideline. In fact, Sadler is the only NU mentor ever to help his teams win at least 17 games in each of his first three years on the Husker bench.
NU Improves Three Straight Years
Since the start of the 2007 conference season, only three teams in the Big 12 have improved their win total in league play each of the past three seasons. Among that group is Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The Cornhuskers have improved from six wins in 2007 to seven last year and finally reached the .500 mark with an 8-8 campaign this season.
It is the second time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska has improved its conference win total for three straight years, matching the mark set from 2003 (3 wins) to 2004 (6) to 2005 (7).
It is only the ninth time ever that Nebraska has improved its league win total in three straight seasons, and just the second time since 1979 to 1981.
Only once have the Huskers improved their conference win total four straight years, from 1952 to 1955.
Anderson Joins Elite Company
Junior Ryan Anderson joined an elite club as he became just the seventh Husker to record at least 100 3-pointers, 100 assists and 100 steals in a career, joining Eric Piatkowski, Tyronn Lue, Erick Strickland, Cookie Belcher, Cary Cochran and Jaron Boone.
Entering the Big 12 Championship, Anderson has 128 3-pointers to rank eighth in Nebraska history while his 111 steals rank 15th all-time at NU. He also has 157 career assists.
Trio of Huskers Earn Accolades
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro led three Huskers who earned postseason accolades Sunday, March 8, as he was selected to the All-Big 12 third team by a vote of the league’s head coaches. Dagunduro was the only Husker to earn a selection by the league’s head coaches, but he was joined by junior guard Ryan Anderson and senior guard Paul Velander on specialty teams selected by sports writers who regularly cover the Big 12 Conference.
In addition to being a third-team all-league selection, Dagunduro was also chosen by the coaches as a part of the six-man Big 12 All-Defensive Team. The honors were the first of Dagunduro’s career from the league coaches, as he was a Big 12 All-Newcomer Team selection by the sports writers last season.
Dagunduro’s selection marks the third straight season a Husker was named to one of the coaches’ top three all-league teams. He joined Aleks Maric, who was a second-team performer each of his last two seasons under coach Doc Sadler.
Dagunduro started the season slowly but has picked up the pace significantly in the conference season. He leads the team with 12.7 points per game overall, but has averaged a team-best 14.8 points per game on 53.5 percent shooting in conference action. He ranks in the top 20 in conference play in scoring average (14th), rebounding (4.8 rpg, 17th) and field-goal percentage (4th).
A starter in all 29 games this season, Dagunduro has helped the Huskers rank 16th nationally and first in the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense, allowing just 59.4 points per game. He is fourth on the team in steals and leads the squad in rebounding while continually defending players in the post who stand 4-6 inches taller.
Along with the coaches teams announced Sunday, Dagunduro was selected to the sports writers’ All-Underrated Team while Anderson and Velander were also honored for their strong play this year. Anderson, a 6-4, 205-pounder who normally plays the 4 spot, was chosen for a spot on the sports writers’ All-Defensive Team while Velander, who has made only three starts in his 89-game career, was picked as a member of the All-Reserve Team.
Anderson has been strong down the stretch for the Huskers, averaging 10.2 points over past six games while hitting 52.4 percent from the floor, including 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from 3-point range. He also has 16 assists and five turnovers while collecting seven steals in that frame. On the year, Anderson has averaged 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while ranking third on the team with 39 steals. He is eighth in Big 12 action with 1.4 steals per game.
Velander has put together a strong senior season despite struggling over the past month. He leads the Huskers and ranks in the top 10 in the conference in 3-pointers (58) and 3-point field-goal percentage (42.0). He needs four treys to move into the Nebraska single-season top 10. Earlier this year he moved onto the Huskers’ career charts for 3-pointers (126) and 3-point percentage (39.7).
Quick Hits
Here is a quick look at the Huskers through games of March 7:
Quick team notes
NU posted 18 regular-season wins for the fourth time in the Big 12 era and the second straight season under coach Doc Sadler.
The Huskers recorded a .500 or better mark in conference play for just the third time in the Big 12 era (1998, 10-6; 1999, 10-6; 2009, 8-8).
The Huskers had a .500 or better mark at the midway point of conference action for just the fourth time in the Big 12 era (1998, 4-4; 1999, 5-3; 2006, 5-3; 2009, 4-4).
Since the start of the 2008 league season, the Huskers have held 12 Big 12 opponents to under 60 points in a game, including four of their last 10 games (Colorado, 53 points; Texas, 55; Colorado, 41; Texas A&M, 57).
Overall, the Huskers have held Big 12 opponents to 70 or fewer points in 21 of their last 25 games against league teams, including last year’s league tournament.
In 29 overall games this season, only three teams (No. 6/5 Oklahoma, Oklahoma State in overtime and Kansas State) have topped the 70-point plateau against the Huskers. Two of those games ? at Oklahoma and Kansas State ? were on the road.
With the Big 12 Conference’s top defense, Nebraska is giving up just 59.4 points per game. Since 1951, the Huskers have had a better scoring defense through a whole season only once (1982, 55.3 ppg).
The Huskers ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense on Friday, March 6.
Nebraska’s win over Colorado 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 a half in the opening period against Colorado at home and in the first half against Texas A&M. Nine times this season NU has committed three or fewer turnovers in a half.
NU tied the school record (originally set at Iowa State in 2002) with only three turnovers against Maryland Eastern Shore. NU also had just eight or fewer turnovers against six other teams, including five in Big 12 conference action.
Nebraska has forced three conference opponents (Kansas State, 25; Kansas, 21; at Texas Tech, 20) into 20 or more turnovers in a game this season.
The Huskers lead in the league in fewest turnovers at 11.7 per game. NU is second in the league and ended last week sixth nationally in turnover margin.
The Huskers were also in the top 75 nationally at the end of last week in turnovers per game (16th), steals per game (37th), assist-to-turnover ratio (52nd) and 3-point field-goal percentage (56th).
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 points 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 5-12 record against ranked squads under Doc Sadler.
Nebraska has 194 3-pointers this season. The 2009 Huskers now rank fifth in school history and each of coach Doc Sadler’s first three teams has posted at least 190 3-pointers to rank in the top seven in Nebraska history. Only four previous NU teams have posted 200 or more 3-pointers in a season.
Individual quick notes
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro has posted at least 20 points in a game four times in Big 12 Conference play. He had not scored 20 points in any of his first 46 career games at NU.
Over the last five games, Dagunduro has averaged 16.0 points on 54.0 percent shooting while Ryan Anderson has added 11.0 points on 52.6 percent shooting, including 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from 3-point range.
Redshirt freshman Toney McCray scored a career-best 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting at Baylor in the regular-season finale. It was one point better than his previous high of 17, set in the season-opener against San Jose State. McCray was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week Monday, March 9, for his effort, the second time this season he won the award.
Redshirt freshman Alonzo Edwards made his most significant action in Big 12 play with six points on two 3-pointers while playing seven minutes vs. Baylor. He had previously played nine minutes total in six Big 12 games.
Dagunduro hit 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) over a four-game span (ending with UMES).
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. He also set a new school record with 15 straight made field-goal attempts over three games.
Junior guard Ryan Anderson recorded his 100th career steal earlier this year against Kansas at home. He is nearing the Nebraska career top 10 as he needs 17 steals to reach the list.
Sophomore guard Cookie Miller leads the team with 104 assists. He is the first Husker to lead NU in assists as a freshman and sophomore since Tyronn Lue in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
With three assists against Iowa State at home, Miller also joined Tyronn Lue as the only Huskers in program history to post at least 100 assists in each of their freshman and sophomore seasons.
Redshirt freshman Brandon Richardson posted two steals against Iowa State in the home finale, moving onto the NU freshman top 10 chart. He now has 25 steals this season (in 24 games) and is tied with Ryan Anderson for eighth in the frosh record book.
Close Calls
Despite struggling on offense much of the season, Nebraska has been in nearly every game at the very end, leading to a large number of close calls this year.
Overall, the Huskers have had 12 games this season decided by six or fewer points with Nebraska holding a 6-6 record. The Huskers had 14 games decided by six or fewer points in coach Doc Sadler’s first two seasons combined.
Seven of the games in 2008-09 have been decided by one possession, with the Huskers holding a 3-4 record in games decided by three points or less. Nebraska had just four games decided by one possession in coach Doc Sadler’s first two years at Nebraska.
Nebraska is 2-2 in conference games decided by three points or less following its last-second loss to Texas A&M.
The last time Nebraska had more than 12 games in a season decided by six or fewer points was 2000-01. Nebraska went 7-9 in those games that year.
Better and Better
While the Huskers found tough times on offense through much of conference play, one constant during the league season has been the play of senior guard Ade Dagunduro.
The Inglewood, Calif., native earned third-team All-Big 12 honors by averaging nearly 15 points per game in league action while helping the Huskers earn at least eight league wins for the first time since 1999.
Dagunduro has helped the Huskers fight for a second straight postseason berth by averaging 14.8 points per game in league action to rank among the top 12 scorers in the conference. He posted 237 points in Big 12 action, more than double his total in 16 contests last year (93 points, 5.8 ppg).
He also ranked in Big 12-only stats in rebounding (t-17th) and field-goal percentage (4th).
Dagunduro has scored at least 16 points in eight games against Big 12 foes this year, including a career-high 24 points in a six-point setback against Kansas and again in a 16-point win vs. Iowa State. Last year, his Big 12 single-game high was 14 points at Kansas State.
Dagunduro scored in double figures in 13-of-16 Big 12 games during the regular season, after posting just four double-figure scoring games against conference teams last year.
He leads the team in Big 12 play with 4.8 rebounds per game. Dagunduro was also the team leader in league action for field goals (83), field-goal attempts (155), field-goal percentage (53.5), free throws (64), free throw attempts (92) and tied for blocked shots (8).
Sadler Sets Mark
Husker coach Doc Sadler has quickly gained the attention of the rest of the coaches in the Big 12 Conference as, in just three seasons, he has made Nebraska one of the toughest squads to prepare for in the league.
A skillful tactician and master motivator, Sadler’s excellence on the sideline has taken hold as he has shot up the NU record book.
Sadler surpassed Moe Iba’s school record for most wins in the first three seasons on the NU sideline when the Huskers gave Sadler his 54th victory, 77-61 victory over Iowa State at home on March 4.
Sadler previously tied the school record with 37 wins in his first two seasons, equaling the mark originally set by Paul Schlisser who coached two years at Nebraska in the early 1920s.
Last year, Sadler joined Danny Nee as the only Nebraska coaches to reach the postseason at least once in their first two seasons on the Husker sideline.
Sadler and Nee are the only two Nebraska coaches since World War II to post at least one 20-win season in their first two years.
Coaching Wins at Nebraska (first three seasons only)
No. Coach, First Three Years Wins Record
1. Doc Sadler, 2007-present 55 55-38
2. Moe Iba, 1981-83 53 53-34
3. Danny Nee, 1987-89 51 51-46
4. “Jumbo” Stiehm, 1912-14 46 46-6
5. Barry Collier, 2001-03 38 38-50
6. Harry Good, 1947-49 37 37-37
Joe Cipriano, 1964-66 37 37-38
8. R.G. Clapp, 1904-06 32 32-12
9. Charles T. Black, 1927-29 30 30-22
10. E.J. Stewart, 1917-19 29 29-23
11. Jerry Bush, 1955-57 27 27-40
12. A.J. Lewandowski, 1941-43 20 20-23
13. William H. Browne, 1933-35 16 16-36
14. Frank Lehmer, 1897-99 7 7-3
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 in 2007-08, allowing just 60.7 points per game to rank 18th nationally. It was the Huskers’ best scoring defense since 1982 (55.3 ppg).
Nebraska ended last week ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense and is currently holding teams to 59.4 points per game. The Huskers finished first in scoring defense in league play, allowing 62.4 points per game in Big 12-only games.
Nebraska was one of only two league teams (also Kansas, 65.4 ppg) that allowed less than 69.0 points per game in Big 12 play.
NU held five teams to 55 or fewer points in Big 12 play, including Missouri (51), Kansas State (51), at Colorado (53), Texas (55) and vs. Colorado (41). NU 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 seven of its last 10 Big 12 Conference foes at the Devaney Center to 57 or fewer points. Three times in that frame the Huskers have held teams under 50 points.
Nebraska’s 59.4 ppg scoring defense gives the 2009 Huskers a chance to become only the second NU squad since 1951 to allow less than 60 points per contest for a whole season. In that span, only the 1982 NU squad has finished a season allowing less than 60 points per contest, as it gave up 55.3 points per game to rank 10th nationally.
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.
And One in the 40s
Nebraska’s defensive effort reached even deeper when it faced Colorado at home on Feb. 18. 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 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 with both games involving Texas A&M.
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.
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 this season.
Despite posting a season-high 20 turnovers at No. 17/19 Missouri on Feb. 14, NU has averaged just 11.7 turnovers per game this season and ended last week ranked 14th nationally in the category.
The Huskers led the Big 12 Conference in fewest turnovers after several noteworthy performances, particularly when NU had zero turnovers in the first half in games against Colorado and Texas A&M. In conference-only games, NU led the league standings for turnovers per game at 11.6 (185 total), joining Texas (11.6 tpg, 186 total) as the only teams to average less than 12 turnovers per game in Big 12 play.
Nebraska tied the NCAA, Big 12 and school record with zero (0) turnovers in the first half at home against Colorado and turned the trick again in the opening frame against Texas A&M. NU posted its Big 12-best with six total miscues against the Buffs, all after the half, while finishing with eight TOs against the Aggies.
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
Iowa State 7
Kansas 8
Texas A&M **8
* - tied school single-game record
** - Zero (0) turnovers in the first half to tie NCAA record.
The Huskers ended last week ranked
No. 6 nationally in turnover margin. Nebraska currently has a +5.5 margin to rank second in the Big 12 Conference entering the Big 12 Championship.
Nebraska posted 10 turnovers at Kansas, marking the 11th time overall under coach Doc Sadler that NU had 11 or fewer turnovers in a game away from Lincoln. It was the fourth time this season (also at Oregon State, 11 TO; 7 at Oklahoma; 11 at Texas Tech; 10 at Kansas).
The Huskers have recorded nine halves this season with three or fewer turnovers.
Finding Road Success
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.
Before the Colorado game, 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
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 hit better than 43 percent from the field three other times (at Kansas State, 49.0 percent; at Baylor, 45.5 percent) in its other nine games away from Lincoln this year.
Nebraska’s shooting percentage at TTU was its 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, the last road victory in league regular-season play before downing the Red Raiders.
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 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)
Stealing the Spotlight
Nebraska has been among the national leaders for steals all season, ending last week ranked No. 37in the country. The Huskers currently average 8.5 steals per game to rank second in the league. Overall seven Huskers have posted at least 21 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 (12th in the Big 12 entering championship week), Anderson could finish this season just outside of the Nebraska top 10.
Miller ranks 11th in the league in steals at 1.5 per contest and needs one to reach 100. He 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 12 in the Big 12 Conference listing for steals. Along with Anderson and Miller, Steve Harley leads the Huskers and ranks 10th in the league at 1.5 steals per game (43 total), including ranking sixth in league-only games.
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. Eric Piatkowski, 1991-94 122
14. Greg Downing, 1980-83 118
15. Ryan Anderson, 2007-present 111
16. Cary Cochran, 1999-02 110
17. Cookie Miller, 2008-present 99
-- Sek Henry, 2007-present 80
-- Steve Harley, 2008-present 77
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 it 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 NU forced 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 498 turnovers through 29 games, while allowing teams to record just 313 assists on 591 baskets.
The Huskers have forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year. Last year, the Huskers forced 20 turnovers in six games.
Most Opponent Turnovers in 2008-09
Opponent Turnovers
San Jose State 25
Kansas State 25
Creighton 24
at Oregon State 24
IPFW 24
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 23
South Carolina State 21
Kansas 21
at 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 21 games this season.
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 531-328 advantage in points off turnovers this season.
Nine Huskers have recorded a steal this year, including six averaging at least 1.0 steal per game.
Nebraska Freshman Steals (since 1979)
No. Player, Year Steals
1. Cookie Belcher, 1997 87
2. Cookie Miller, 2008 57
3. Tyronn Lue, 1996 50
4. Erick Strickland, 1993 47
5. Joe McCray, 2005 32
Clifford Scales, 1988 32
7. Jake Muhleisen, 2002 28
8. Jaron Boone, 1993 26
9. Ryan Anderson, 2007 25
Brandon Richardson, 2009 25
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 37.1 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 36.6 percent (26-of-71) from long range. He came into the year hitting just 26 percent in his first two years, draining 37-of-140 attempts. He 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 42.0 percent to rank sixth in the Big 12.
Velander has 58 treys and needs four 3-pointers to break into the Nebraska single-season top 10. He is already tied for eighth on the NU class list. Only five Huskers have had more than 60 3-pointers during their senior season, and only one has had more than 67 (Cary Cochran with school record 89 in 2002).
Velander is also 13th in the league in
3-pointers made.
Nebraska has hit better than 40 percent from the 3-point line as a team seven times this season, including at least 50 percent five times this year. The Huskers hit at least 50 percent from long range three times against Big 12 Conference teams at home (vs. Kansas, Texas and Iowa State).
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 3s, while Cookie Miller connected on all three of his attempts. NU hit 50.0 percent overall from the field.
After struggling in recent weeks, the Huskers hit 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from beyond the arc against Iowa State last week, helping Nebraska to a 16-point victory. It was the first time in five games that NU had hit above 40 percent from 3-point range. The eight treys were Nebraska’s most since posting eight against No. 6 Oklahoma on Jan. 21 (11 games before).
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 33.1 percent from beyond the arc. Last season, opponents hit 36.4 percent on the year.
The Huskers currently are tied for second in the Big 12 Conference in that category. NU has held eight teams under 25.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc this season.
Thirteen of Nebraska’s 29 opponents have been held to five or fewer 3-pointers in a game, including five with three or fewer.
On the Glass
The Huskers put a small lineup on the floor just about every night, 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 the regular season, Nebraska trailed on the glass by over five rebounds per game
(-5.6 rpg, 33.9 to 28.2).
Nebraska has trailed on the glass in 22 contests this season, including each of its first seven league contests before outrebounding Colorado on the road. Overall, the Huskers have trailed on the boards in 19 of the past 23 games.
NU has trailed on the boards in all but two of its Big 12 contests, and has a -7.6 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 rebound advantage at Colorado (30-22) was its biggest against a league squad. The Huskers’ -22 margin at Kansas (46-24) was its worst. Nebraska’s two least productive rebounding games came against KU (-26 and -16).
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 eight times, most recently at Kansas State when 11 of the Huskers’ 25 boards were on the offensive glass. NU also had at least 10 offensive boards at No. 6/5 Oklahoma (10) and against Kansas (13), Texas (11) at home and at Missouri (11).
Nebraska had a season-low two offensive rebounds against Baylor in the regular-season finale. Ade Dagunduro was the only Husker with an offensive board, as the other was an offensive team rebound.
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.
Three of Nebraska’s four best games at the foul line with at least 20 free throws have come on the road. Along with the 76.7 percent at Texas Tech, NU has topped 76 percent when it hit 81.3 percent (18-of-22) at Kansas State and 86.4 percent (19-of-22) at Baylor.
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro did most of the hard work against Texas Tech, 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
Dagunduro Puts Up Stats
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 went on to earn third-team All-Big 12 honors.
One of the most athletic players in the league, Dagunduro has recently brought his scoring average up to lead the squad with 12.7 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 18 of the past 22 games, including at least 17 points eight times.
In Big 12 play, he is averaging a team-best 14.8 ppg. He is averaging a team-best 4.8 rebounds per game in Big 12 action (no other Husker is over 3.8 rpg) and he has 24 assists, 18 steals and eight blocks while hitting 53.5 percent (83-of-155) from the field.
Dagunduro started the season averaging just 4.8 points per game in three contests against San Jose State, TCU and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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.
The senior tied his career best on Senior Night, pouring in 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting to help Nebraska earn a 77-61 win over Iowa State. He had six boards, one block and one steal in 33 minutes while dueling his close friend, ISU’s Craig Brackins, who had 25 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out.
He also had solid games with 17 points and nine boards against No. 16/19 Texas, 18 points and six boards vs. Colorado at home and 16 points and seven rebounds at Kansas State.
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 in 2008-09 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 104 assists (3.7 apg) and is second on the team with 41 steals (1.5 apg). He is one of seven Huskers with at least 21 steals.
Miller has 57 turnovers to go with his 104 assists, helping him rank in the top eight in the Big 12 Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8-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 also had seven assists on the road against Kansas State.
Miller has had at least four assists in 15 contests this season, including five straight games to end non-conference play. He has had six assists six times, including posting six assists with just one turnover against Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.
Miller was efficient in leading the Huskers to a win in the Big 12 opener against Missouri at home. 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.
Henry Adding to Arsenal
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 8.1 ppg to rank third on the team.
Henry has posted double figure points 12 times in 29 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 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).
Henry has hit 80-of-178 shots (44.9 percent) from the field, including 26-of-71 (36.6 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 28 steals through 29 contests.
On the glass, Henry set a new personal high with nine rebounds against Iowa State. He just missed his first career double-double as he had eight points, while also tying his season high with four assists.
Henry raised his free throw average significantly of late, hitting 39 of his last 53 (73.6 percent) attempts over the past 18 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 attempts, including both 3-point tries, 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 posted at least three steals in a game three times this year. He is sixth on the team with 25 steals, and reached the Nebraska freshman top 10 against Iowa State. His 25 steals tie him with Ryan Anderson for ninth on the Nebraska frosh chart.
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 58
3-pointers in 29 games. He is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game.
He has hit at least three 3-pointers in 12 games this season. Dating to last year, he has hit at least three treys in 17 of his last 38 games. Before that, he had hit at least three 3-pointers in a game just six times in his first 51 career games.
Velander led the nation by hitting 50.0 percent (48-of-96) to open the year through Jan. 24. Since then he has hit just 23.8 percent (10-of-42) from long range.
Velander is sixth in the Big 12 Conference in 3-point percentage, hitting 42.0 percent from behind the arc on the season.
Entering Championship Week, Velander needs four 3-pointers to move onto the Nebraska single-season top-10 chart. Velander also ranks ninth in NU single-season history for 3-point percentage.
Velander posted as career-high tying 20 points behind a career-best six 3-pointers against Kansas State on Jan. 17.
He also leads the team with 26 charges taken in 29 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 53 charges in 29 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 his last 17 games played (he missed the CU contest at home), Balham has averaged 11.9 minutes per game, with a total of 203 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 13 of the last 18 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 boards vs. Florida A&M. He added six boards on the road at Texas Tech for his most in conference play this year. Of his 51 rebounds in his past 17 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 win 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 128 treys in his career to rank eighth in NU history.
Despite being one of the best 3-point shooters in the league the past two years, Anderson struggled much of this season. He has hit 30-of-86 attempts (34.9 percent) after coming into the season hitting better than 39 percent in his career.
He has started to turn it around over the last 10 games of the regular season, hitting 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) from beyond the arc to help Nebraska to a 6-4 record in that stretch.
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 and at home on Senior Night against Iowa 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.
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 NU 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.
Unfortunately, the Huskers saw the other end of a comeback against Texas A&M as Nebraska led by 18 points twice in the second half before the Aggies rallied. The Huskers led the whole second half until Josh Carter’s
3-pointer with less than a second remaining gave A&M the come-from-behind victory.