Huskers Look to Tame Tigers

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Game Date: Dec. 19, 2009
Tipoff Time: 7:06 p.m.
Venue: Devaney Center
Capacity: 13,595

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game 10 Notes
2009-10 Record: 7-2
Head coach: Doc Sadler
Record at Nebraska: 62-42 (4th year)
Record at Division I: 110-60 (6th year)
Career Record: 230-99 (11th year)

Jackson State Tigers
Game 9
2009-10 Record: 0-7*
Head coach: Tevester Anderson
Record at JSU: 95-107* (8th year)
Career Record: 198-159* (12th year)
* one game remaining at Tulsa, Dec. 17

Huskers on TV/Radio/Internet
Television: None
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network; Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka, Color: Matt Davison
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Streaming Video: HuskersNside.com (subscription)

NU's Possible Starting Lineup                                                           2009-10 stats        
No.          Name                                      Yr.           Ht.           Wt.          Pts.          Rbs.       
3              Brandon Richardson            So.          6-0           190          6.0           2.1          
5              Sek Henry                              Sr.           6-4           200          8.0           4.6          
21            Jorge Brian Diaz                    RFr.         6-11         235          8.8           4.7          
34            Lance Jeter                            Jr.            6-3           225          9.1           3.4*         
44            Ryan Anderson                     Sr.           6-4           195          11.1         5.2          
*assists per game

JSU's Possible Starting Lineup                                          2009-10 stats        
No.          Name                      Yr.           Ht.           Wt.          Pts.^        Rbs.^      
1              Cason Burk            Jr.            6-5           200          4.1           4.4          
15            Jonathan Lewis     RFr.         5-10         160          1.3           0.8          
23            De'Saun Dixon       Jr.            6-5           200          9.0           3.0          
24            Oliver Jefferson     So.          6-9           235          1.2           1.5          
33            Garrison Johnson                Sr.           6-5           190          15.6         3.1          
*assists per game   ^ - as of Dec. 15 (one game remaining at Tulsa, Dec. 17)

Huskers Look to Tame Tigers Before Holiday Trip
Following a week of final exams, the Nebraska basketball team gets back on the court for the first time in seven days when it takes on Jackson State on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. It will be NU's second home matchup as part of the HoopTV Las Vegas Classic (along with last week's contest against Chicago State). NU travels to Vegas next week to face Tulsa and either BYU or Nevada to finish the tournament.

The Huskers will tip off against the Tigers at 7:06 p.m. in a game heard around the state on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka will call the action with former Husker Matt Davison adding color commentary. The free broadcast will also be heard around the world on the Internet at Huskers.com and the game will be video streamed live as part of HuskersNside.com.

NU will be gunning for its seventh straight win on its home court this season, where it holds opponents to just 51.7 ppg. Taking out the fast-paced 90-77 victory over TCU, the Huskers have held their other six opponents in the Devaney Center to just 46.6 ppg on 34.5 percent shooting. Overall, NU has allowed 54.9 ppg this year to rank third nationally in scoring defense.

The Cornhuskers' league-leading defensive effort has been somewhat overshadowed recently by Nebraska's efficient play on the offensive end. The Huskers are hitting 50.0 percent from the field this year, including five regulars in the rotation hitting at least half their shots from the floor. NU has been lethal from long range, hitting 45.7 percent from 3-point range at home even after connecting on just 3-of-19 against a strong Oregon State defense on Saturday.

When the Huskers get the ball into the paint, redshirt freshman Jorge Brian Diaz has boosted the offense as he has hit 54.8 percent (34-of-62) from the field. He is also second on the team in rebounding by pulling down 4.7 boards per game (9.5 rpg over the past two games) while adding 8.8 points per contest.

Diaz has also become a safety net for the back end of the Cornhuskers' defense as he ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference with 1.7 blocked shots per game. His 15 blocks are already tied for 10th in the Nebraska freshman record book and he needs just five more to move into third place. The record for blocks in a season by a Husker freshman is 39 set by Venson Hamilton in 1996 and matched in 2002 by John Turek. 

Hooptv.net to Stream Games from Las Vegas
While the Huskers will not have television coverage of their games at the Las Vegas Classic, tournament sponsor HoopTV.net will offer live video streaming avialable on the Internet for games on both days. Fans can log on to http://hooptv.net/general-information/hooptv-las-vegas-classic-viewing-packages.html and purchase streaming packages for either one day for $7 or two days for $10.

Marketing Department Announces Weekend Events at Devaney Center
Husker fans bringing their children to the Devaney Center on Saturday for Nebraska's game against Jackson State should plan to get there a little earlier than normal if they'd like a chance to take a picture with old St. Nick. The marketing department has arranged for a student-athlete to play the part of Santa Claus and provide a photo opportunity for youngsters. Starting when the doors open 90 minutes before the game, fans can take pictures of their children with Santa on the northwest concourse until the start of the game.

The marketing department has also announced that tickets for Saturday's men's game against Jackson State can be turned in for a general admission ticket on Sunday as the No. 18-ranked Husker women's team will try to "Pack the Devaney Center" for its game against No. 5 LSU.

Scouting the Jackson State Tigers
Jackson State heads to Lincoln on Saturday following a busy week. After falling to Southeastern Louisiana (another Nebraska opponent, Jan. 5) by a 77-55 margin on Dec. 5, the Tigers had 10 days off from game competition before returning to the floor earlier this week. They re-opened play at Baylor on Tuesday, falling 90-60, before heading to take on Tulsa on Thursday, Dec. 17, and finally reaching Lincoln to face the Huskers on Saturday.

Jackson State was assigned to play at Nebraska as part of the HoopTV Las Vegas Classic. JSU, along with Chicago State, Eastern Washington and Wagner, each played two road games at either Nebraska, BYU, Nevada or Tulsa, and will then join the action in Las Vegas on Dec. 22 and 23. Like the Huskers' four-team bracket, JSU, CSU, EWU and WU will each have two games in Vegas in a separate bracket, giving them four games as part of the tournament field.

The Tigers started the week with a 30-point loss at Baylor while dropping to 0-7 on the year. JSU was led by De'Suan Dixon, who had 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Phillip Williams came off the bench to record 17 points on 6-of-10 accuracy from the field. JSU shot just 37.5 percent from the floor and had 17 turnovers while Baylor hit 50.9 percent of its shots and had 19 assists against just eight miscues. Tweety Carter led Baylor with 27 points while Quincy Acy added 20 off the bench. 

The only player to start all seven games this year, guard Garrison Johnson has led the Tigers with 15.6 points per game on 36.5 percent shooting this season. He paces the squad with 10 3-pointers and has added 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Along with Johnson, Tyrone Hanson is the other Tiger averaging double figures with 10.4 points per contest on 38.8 percent shooting. Hanson is tied with Cason Burk for the team lead with 4.4 rebounds per game. Rod Melvin has set up the offense, collecting 2.9 assists per game to go with his 5.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest.

The winless Tigers are still adjusting without preseason Southwestern Conference Player of the Year Grant Maxey, who suffered a season-ending injury after playing just two games to open the season. Maxey, a senior who has not redshirted, is the grandson of former Husker star and Nebraska Basketball Hall of Famer Albert Maxey.  The younger Maxey averaged 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last year to earn first-team all-league honors.

Jackson State is coached by Tevester Anderson (Arkansas AM&N, 1962), who is in his eighth year guiding the Tigers. Anderson owns a 95-107 record at JSU and a 198-159 career mark as a head coach.

Series history vs. Jackson State
Nebraska and Jackson State are meeting for the first time in program history. While viewing the list of Nebraska's all-time non-conference opponents, in an odd twist, it seems that Jackson State is the first school the Huskers have ever played that begins with the letter 'J'. 

Jackson State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), a league that the Huskers have historically dominated. Overall, Nebraska owns a 13-1 all-time record against teams from the SWAC, with the lone loss coming against Grambling State, 71-68, in overtime in 1988.

Huskers Finding the Mark
Nebraska coach Doc Sadler has said from Day One that he thought this team "could shoot the ball well," and through the first nine games, they've proven their mentor right.

The Huskers are hitting a solid 48.0 percent from the field early in the season, knocking down 219-of-456 shots from the floor.  Nebraska has hit at least 50.0 percent from the field five times in nine games this season, including three of the past four contests. In 2008-09, NU hit at least 50.0 percent of its shots in just 5-of-13 games during non-conference play. At Creighton on Dec. 6, the Huskers hit 50.0 percent (24-of-48) from the floor on the road. It was their first game away from Lincoln hitting at least half of their shots since winning at Texas Tech last season.

Part of the Huskers' offensive effectiveness has come behind solid shooting from beyond the arc. Nebraska has nailed 53-of-131 from 3-point range (40.5 percent) to rank among the top 30 teams in the nation. Before their last game against Oregon State when NU went 3-of-19 from long range against the Beavers' difficult 1-3-1 zone defense, Nebraska had hit nearly 45 percent from outside the arc to rank among the top five teams in the country.

Nebraska's strong shooting was on display as it tied a Devaney Center record and set a team building record by hitting 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from 3-point range against Texas-Pan American on Dec. 2. The Huskers hit seven straight at one point and bettered the previous team mark of 66.7 percent set three times. 

The Cornhuskers are led in the field by junior Lance Jeter, who has hit 56.4 percent (31-of-55) from the field. He has also hit a team-best 60 percent (9-of-15) from 3-point range. Jeter is one of four Huskers among the team's top five scorers who is hitting at least 50 percent from the floor, including Ryan Anderson (50.0), Jorge Brian Diaz (54.8) and Eshaunte Jones (51.1).

Block Party
Redshirt freshman Jorge Brian Diaz quickly made a name for himself as he posted one of just two Husker 20-point games this season when he had 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting against TCU in his third career game. But it is on the defensive end that he is quickly - and quietly - starting to look like one of the top freshmen in school history.

Diaz currently leads the Cornhuskers with 15 blocked shots, and his 1.7 blocks per game ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference entering the week. His 15 blocks in nine games are just three behind last year's team-leading total of 18 by Toney McCray in 31 games.

Diaz's 15 blocks are already tied for 10th in the Nebraska freshman record book. He is just five away from reaching third place on the rookie chart. Venson Hamilton (1996) and John Turek (2002) hold the Nebraska freshman record with 39 blocks in their initial season.

As a team, the Huskers own 36 blocked shots this season, averaging 4.0 per game. Last year, Nebraska had just 52 blocks in 31 games.

Bench Production
The Cornhuskers have spread the scoring around this season with only one player averaging double figures while eight other active Huskers are averaging at least 5.0 points per game. Much of that production has come from the bench, as Nebraska has a deeper roster than many recent seasons.

The Husker bench has outscored opponents in each of its first eight games this season. The top production came as Nebraska held a +28 advantage in bench scoring against Chicago State and NU has had two other games (TCU, +19; UTPA, +20) with at least 19 more points off the bench than the opponent.

On the season, Nebraska has gotten 237 points from its bench. That's 40.0 percent of the production that has come from outside the starting lineup. The most points by a Husker off the bench this year is 22 by Jorge Brian Diaz, who went 9-of-10 against TCU after coming in as a sub.

Defense Taking Shape
Coach Doc Sadler's squads have led the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense each of the past two seasons and ranked among the top 25 defenses in the country at the end of those years. After giving up 69 points at Saint Louis and 77 at home against TCU, Sadler put the Cornhuskers back to work on the defensive end as they tried to continue their reputation of defensive dominance.

Sadler's efforts have been rewarded as Nebraska has held five of its last six opponents to less than 55 points. The best mark came against Chicago State as the Huskers allowed only 39 points, the 10th fewest points given up by a Nebraska squad since 1947. It was the third time a Sadler-led Nebraska team held an opponent to less than 40 points.

Under Sadler, Nebraska is now 43-4 when holding teams to 60 or fewer points, including 36-1 at home.

The Husker defense is again among the tops in the Big 12 Conference, as the 54.9 points per game Nebraska has allowed ranks second in the league only behind second-ranked Texas's 53.8 points per game allowed. Nebraska entered the week ranked third in the nation in scoring defense and currently has allowed the second-fewest 3-pointers among Big 12 schools while placing fifth in field-goal percentage defense.

Senior Moments
Coach Doc Sadler has said that he's been trying to find ways to get his team to be more aggressive since the start of practice in September, letting them know that he wants them going after other teams and not sitting back and waiting for opponents to come at them. Senior guards Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson have each had a turn taking the coach's words to heart this season while leading their team to victory.

Henry's strong play was highlighted against TCU as he distributed the ball efficiently, posting a career-best 11 assists, becoming the first Husker since Charles Richardson Jr. (15 at Rutgers in 2006) to post more than 10 assists in a game. Overall, Henry's assist total ranks second on the Nebraska single-game chart for the Big 12 era, and ties for the ninth-best total by a Husker in any game since the 1983-84 season.

Along with his 11 assists, Henry posted 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in 30 minutes of action. He missed the school's first regular-season triple-double by three rebounds. The only known triple-double by a Husker came when Brennon Clemmons had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an exhibition game in 2002 vs. Northwest Sports Tours. In the 15 years before that, the closest a Husker came to a triple-double in a game that counted was Beau Reid's 14-point, 12-rebound, 8-assist performance against Toledo in 1990.

Henry came back the next contest against UMKC to produce a game-high 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including drilling both of his 3-point attempts. The treys came less than 30 seconds apart and started a game-changing 21-5 run to end the first half. Henry added five rebounds, four assists and two blocks against the Kanagroos.

Anderson had his first moment against Texas-Pan American on Dec. 2, as he helped bust the game open in the middle of the second half. After UTPA pulled within five, 45-40, Anderson guided Nebraska on a 22-2 run to put the game out of reach, scoring 11 points while adding three steals, two rebounds and an assist in less than four minutes. He finished the game with 21 points, the second-highest scoring effort of his career, on 8-of-9 shooting as Nebraska pulled away for an 81-53 win.

The Seattle, Wash., native added another veteran contest as he produced 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the Huskers' 50-44 victory over Oregon State. Anderson had seven rebounds in the first eight minutes of the game and collected his final one of the night with less than five seconds remaining. He was fouled after grabbing the board and hit two free throws for the final margin, helping Nebraska defeat its second Pac-10 team of the season.

Anderson leads the squad with 11.1 points per game while getting to the free throw line more frequently than any Husker, where he has hit 24-of-31 (77.4 percent). He is also tops on the squad with 21 steals to rank second in the Big 12 Conference at 2.33 steals per game. Henry is fourth on the squad in scoring (8.0 ppg) and is second in assists (29) and third in 3-pointers (8) and rebounding (4.6 rpg).

Off to the Races
While the season is still young and the Huskers have yet to enter the meat-grinder portion of the schedule known as the Big 12 Conference slate, Nebraska has shown the potential to be an efficient force on the offensive end with its revamped roster.

The best example came as the Huskers posted 90 points against TCU, making it the highest-scoring game for the Huskers in the Doc Sadler era at Nebraska. In fact, the last time NU topped the 90-point plateau was 2006 when the Huskers earned a 93-77 victory over Colorado.

The Husker offense was running in high gear against the Horned Frogs as Nebraska hit 54.0 percent (27-of-50) from the field. The trend has continued as Nebraska has hit at least 50.0 percent from the field in each of its last four games at the Devaney Center, and its last three overall (including on the road at Creighton).

The Huskers scored 81 points against Texas-Pan American on Dec. 2 while hitting 53.7 percent from the field, including tying the Devaney Center record by hitting 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from 3-point range. During the victory, the Huskers improved to 15-0 under Sadler when reaching 80 points.

In Nebraska's 74-39 win over Chicago State on Dec. 10, the Huskers hit a season-high 55.6 percent from the floor. The mark moved NU to 30-3 - including 28-0 at home - under Sadler when connecting on 50.0 percent of its shots from the floor.

Nebraska scored at least 70 points in each of five its first five home games this season (5-of-6 overall). Last year it took nine games at the Devaney Center before the Huskers recorded their fifth 70-point effort.

Board Support
Nebraska has won the rebounding advantage five times this season, all at home. The Huskers are 5-0 in those contests. In the three road games, Nebraska was outrebounded at USC and Creighton and tied with Saint Louis.

NU started the season on a strong note as it held a 39-27 rebounding advantage in the season opener against South Carolina Upstate. The total against USCU was the best for the Huskers since last season's opener when NU had 42 rebounds vs. San Jose State and the +12 advantage was also better than all but one game last year (+14 vs. Florida A&M).

Nebraska came back to post 35 boards against both Saint Louis and TCU, giving the Huskers three straight games of at least 35 rebounds for the first time since the final three games of non-conference play in the 2007-08 campaign. Nebraska added its fourth game with at least 35 rebounds as it posted a season-high 41 against Chicago State. Last year, the Huskers did not have consecutive games with at least 35 rebounds and had only six games all year with 35 or more boards. 

In the regular-season opener, Jorge Brian Diaz, who had a double-double in the exhibition season, had 11 rebounds to go with nine points in his first career game. He added a second double-figure rebounding game with 12 boards against Chicago State and has recorded 9.5 boards per game over his last two contests.

At the time, Diaz's season high was the most by a Husker since 2007-08 as NU did not have a player with a double-double last season. Ryan Anderson had the team's high for single-game rebounds last year with 10 boards against Missouri on Jan. 10, when he had just eight points.

Diaz is currently second on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game, including three games with at least seven boards each. Senior Ryan Anderson jumped to the team lead after he produced 14 rebounds, including four offensive, in a six-point win over Oregon State. He is now averaging 5.2 rebounds per game this season, and needs 33 rebounds to reach 500 in his career.

Line Time
Part of Nebraska's ability to put away TCU on Nov. 21 came with solid effort knocking down free throws. The Huskers hit 73.2 percent from the line on the day, including draining 13-of-15 in the final 3:24 of the game.

Overall, Nebraska got to the line 41 times against the Horned Frogs, making 30. It was the most free throw attempts by a Husker squad since 2005 when Nebraska hit 32-of-45 (71.1 percent) against Texas A&M. Sophomore Brandon Richardson led the charge this time, hitting 9-of-10, while Ryan Anderson (6-of-7) and Sek Henry (4-of-5) each only missed one with at least five attempts.

Henry's miss snapped a personal streak of 18 straight made free throws dating back to last season, over a total of eight games. He hit a NU postseason record seven free throws without a miss at New Mexico last year and added a 6-of-6 effort at Saint Louis.

Henry's 18 straight made free throws ties for the third-longest Husker streak without a miss in the Big 12 era. On the season he has hit 75.0 percent (18-of-24) from the stripe, after coming into the season a career 64.0 percent shooter at the line.

Nebraska's shooting at the line has not been consistent as the Huskers hit just 3-of-11 attempts (27.2 percent) at USC, their lowest free throw percentage for a game since hitting just 20 percent (1-of-5) at Missouri to open the 2002 Big 12 slate. The Huskers returned one game later to hit 73.7 percent (14-of-19) at the charity stripe against Texas-Pan American, a season-high percentage.

Versatile Anderson in Elite Company
Ryan Anderson joined an elite club last year as he became just the seventh Husker to record at least 100 3-pointers, 100 assists and 100 steals in a career. Among that short list are Eric Piatkowski, Tyronn Lue, Erick Strickland, Cookie Belcher, Cary Cochran and Jaron Boone, along with Anderson.

He showed exactly that versatility when he had an uncommon stat line that included five points, five rebounds, five assists and six steals in 27 minutes of action in the season opener against USC Upstate. The six steals were a career high for Anderson and were the most by a Husker since 2001 (Cookie Belcher had season high of eight that year).

For his career, Anderson now has 139 3-pointers, 134 steals and 177 assists and needs 11 treys and 16 steals to join Strickland as the only two Huskers ever with at least 150 in each of the three categories.

Freshman Highlight
A game after playing just four minutes at Saint Louis because of an injury that included a pair of loosened front teeth and a cut inside his mouth, redshirt freshman Jorge Brian Diaz made his presence felt early and often as the Huskers raced past TCU on Nov. 21 in a 90-77 victory.

The newcomer from Caguas, Puerto Rico, set a team season high with 22 points as Nebraska reached the 90-point plateau for the first time since 2006. He was the first Husker this season to hit the 20-point mark.

Diaz became the first freshman since Sek Henry in 2006 to post a 20-point contest for the Huskers. Henry's outburst came one day after Ryan Anderson put his name on the list with 29 points, the second-highest total by a Husker freshman ever.

Overall, Diaz is the 21st freshman to record a 20-point game for the Huskers since freshmen were reinstated by the NCAA for the 1972-73 season. Joe McCray set the record with the most 20-point games by a Husker freshman when he had 10 contests with at least 20 points in 2004-05. Only six Husker freshmen in history have had multiple 20-point contests.

Against TCU, Diaz connected on 9-of-10 shots from the floor, with only a first-half miss keeping him from the NU record book. The Husker single-game record for most field-goals attempted without a miss is nine set on five occasions, including last year by Ade Dagunduro. Diaz's .900 shooting percentage is the second highest in the Big 12 this season, trailing only Texas's Dexter Pittman, who hit 10-of-11 in a contest.

Taking the Shot
With so many new faces on the squad, it was only a matter of time before one of the youngsters was asked to step up and make a game-changing play. At USC on Nov. 29, it was more than just a game-changing play... it was a game-deciding shot.

Redshirt freshman Eshaunte Jones, playing in his ninth career game, had made just two field goals in the first half and had only been off the bench for a total of five minutes in the second period before being called upon with less than a minute to play in a tie game. Jones didn't hesitate as the burried the game-winning shot from the corner, a 3-pointer with 11.7 seconds remaining. The shot was reviewed at length by the officials who determined it was indeed a 3-pointer. From there, the Huskers defended the perimeter well and USC only managed to get off an off-balance desperation shot at the buzzer.

Jones finished with seven points, and his 3-pointer gave the Huskers their first road win of the season, and just the second true road win over a non-conference opponent under fourth-year coach Doc Sadler. It was NU's first road victory over a non-conference BCS team since defeating Tennessee, 62-61, in Knoxville in 2004.

Reaching Higher
According to statistics provided by kenpom.com, Nebraska was the shortest team in Division I basketball (344 teams) last season. The Huskers' active roster in 2008-09 had just two scholarship players who stood at least 6-7, while the average height of the 20 players on the full roster was just over 6-4.

This season, Nebraska has a taller lineup across the board as the average height for all 18 players on the roster is 6-5 1/2. NU has four active players available in the non-conference slate who stand at least 6-8, with another - Christian Standhardinger - who will be eligible at the start of the Big 12 season.

Standhardinger Sitting Down
Although it was expected all along, Nebraska is in the unenviable position to have to replace the scoring punch provided during the exhibition season by freshman forward Christian Standhardinger.

After leading the Cornhuskers with 17.5 points per game in the exhibition season, Standhardinger must sit out 50 percent of the Huskers' games this season - a total of 15 games, equalling all of the non-conference schedule - because of a ruling by the NCAA regarding his amateur status when he played with a club team in his native Germany. He will be allowed to practice with the Huskers during the non-conference slate but will not be able to travel with the team until he is eligible for competition on Jan. 9 at Texas A&M.

Standhardinger came from the same school and club team that produced sophomore center Christopher Niemann, who was forced to sit out all of his first season with the Huskers.

Niemann, McCray Out for Season
After making what looked to be a successful return from a torn ACL suffered in the final week of the regular season last year, 6-10, 265-pound sophomore center Christopher Niemann had a major setback as he tore the same ACL for a second time in the first week of September. After surgery to repair the damage that occurred during a non-basketball conditioning workout, Niemann will be out for all of the 2009-10 campaign.

Niemann is currently making good progress through rehab again, and is on pace to join the team for offseason workouts in late spring. He will have three years remaining on his original eligibility clock to play three seasons with the Huskers.

Nebraska coach Doc Sadler announced following Nebraska's game against UMKC on Nov. 24 that sophomore guard Toney McCray would have surgery on his elbow and be out for the remainder of the season. McCray injured the elbow in a pickup game in early September, sustaining a torn ligament. McCray tried to play through the pain as doctors assured him that it would get no worse if he waited until after the season to have surgery. But Sadler said that McCray indicated he had little confidence in his elbow and wasn't able to help the team the way he wanted to and thought it would be better to have surgery now and be ready for the offseason in the spring of 2010.

McCray had successful surgery on Dec. 7 to repair the UCL in his elbow. He started rehab that week and is doing well, as he is on pace to try to join the team in the spring during offseason workouts.

Both Niemann and McCray were looked at as possible starters heading into the start of the season. McCray averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds over three games this year, hitting 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from the field. He played 18.3 minutes per game. Niemann has yet to play a game in a Husker uniform.

Nebraska Receives Rare Waiver
Nebraska petitioned the NCAA with a waiver that was granted in early September, allowing the Huskers to have 14 players on scholarship for the 2009-10 season. The rare allowance given to NU is only for this season and Nebraska will be required to return to 13 scholarships for the 2010-11 season.

While the Huskers were able to receive the waiver, the stipulation was that one player had to redshirt to get the active roster down to 13 scholarship players. Unfortunately with Christopher Niemann's preseason injury, he is out for the year and it was determined that he would count as the one who would sit out. 

New Faces Line Husker Roster
While the Huskers will rely on their returning scholarship players for leadership early in the season, most of the eyes will be focused on the faces of several newcomers who will dot the inexperienced Nebraska roster.

Among those scholarship newcomers who have already seen action for the first time in their Husker careers are juniors Lance Jeter and Quincy Hankins-Cole, sophomore Myles Holley, redshirt freshman Jorge Brian Diaz and freshmen Ray Gallegos, Brandon Ubel and Adrien Coleman. Freshman Christian Standhardinger (sitting out because of NCAA ruling) is still counting the games until he becomes available to play on Jan. 9.

Including walk-ons Matt Karn and Mike Fox, more than 50 percent (9 of 15; 60.0 percent) of the Huskers who have recorded time during the regular season are playing for the first time in a Nebraska uniform. Another Husker - Eshaunte Jones - played only four games last year before an injury forced him to redshirt.

2009-10 Scholarship Breakdown
Seniors: 2 (returnees Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson)
Juniors: 2 (transfers Lance Jeter and Quincy Hankins-Cole)
Sophomores: 4 (returnees Toney McCray, Brandon Richardson and Christopher Niemann*; newcomer Myles Holley)
Redshirt Freshmen: 2 (Eshaunte Jones and Jorge Brian Diaz)
True Freshmen: 4 (Brandon Ubel, Ray Gallegos, Christian Standhardinger, Adrien Coleman)
*sat out last season per NCAA ruling on amatuer status; has not played at Nebraska

Youth Movement
While Nebraska entered the season knowing it will have a number of young players in the lineup on any given night, it did not realize it would have two of the youngest players in their respective classes.

Freshman Brandon Ubel is the third-youngest player overall in the Big 12 Conference this season. Born on Aug. 29, 1991, only Jaye Crockett of Texas Tech (Oct. 16, 1991) and Tyler Stone of Missouri (Sept. 8, 1991) are younger than Ubel.

While Ubel is one of the youngest in the league, another Husker is the youngest for his class. Junior college transfer Quincy Hankins-Cole, who graduated high school when he was 16 and played the past two years at Polk (Fla.) CC, will not turn 20 years old until Feb. 18, 2010. The next youngest junior in the Big 12 is Kansas State's Jacob Pullen, who turned 20 on Nov. 10. In fact, Hankins-Cole is three months younger than redshirt-freshman Jorge Brian Diaz, who turned 20 on Friday, Nov. 13.

NU Looks for Defensive 3-peat
In 2009-10, Nebraska looks to continue its dominance on the defensive end under coach Doc Sadler. Each of the past two seasons, the Huskers have led the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense and ranked among the national leaders.

The Huskers started this year in solid fashion, allowing just 49 points on 19-of-49 shooting (38.8 percent) in the season opener against South Carolina Upstate. Over its next two games, Nebraska allowed 69 and 77 points, before getting back on track by holding three straight opponents under 55 points, including 48 (UMKC), 48 (USC) and 53 (Texas-Pan American) points.

Nebraska gave up a season-low 39 points to Chicago State, including only 15 points in the opening period, and then held Oregon State to just 44 points. On the season Nebraska has now allowed opponents 54.9 points per game on 38.1-percent shooting. The Huskers' scoring defense entered the week ranked third nationally.

Last year, Nebraska allowed just 60.4 points per game to rank 22nd nationally while a year earlier, it gave up 60.7 ppg to rank No. 18 in the nation. Nebraska also led the league in conference-only defense in 2009 by giving up just 62.5 ppg to league teams.

The Huskers' top-ranked defense last year marked the first time NU had led the league in scoring defense in the Big 12 era. Dating to the 2007-08 season, Nebraska has held seven of its last 10 Big 12 Conference opponents in the Devaney Center to 57 or fewer points, including three times under 50 points. NU held five teams to less than 57 points in Big 12 play last year, including Missouri (51), Kansas State (51), at Colorado (53), Texas (55) and vs. Colorado (41).

NU Looking for Fifth Postseason Berth in Seven Years
Despite their lack of experience entering the year, the 2009-10 Huskers will be shooting for the program's fifth postseason berth in seven years and third straight under coach Doc Sadler. Overall, Nebraska's NIT bid at the end of the 2008-09 campaign was the Huskers' 22nd all-time postseason appearance. NU has 16 appearances in the NIT, including the 1996 title, and six berths in the NCAA Tournament.

Huskers Look to Build on 8-8 League Mark
While the Huskers have more than six weeks before they start league action, Nebraska will have one thing in mind while it prepares for facing arguably the nation's toughest conference: continuing its upward momentum against Big 12 foes.

Last year, the Huskers finished with an 8-8 record in Big 12 Conference play, their best mark in a decade and just the third time since the formation of the league that NU has finished at .500 or better. That mark came as the Huskers won each of their last two regular-season games, giving Nebraska its third straight season with a better league mark. NU had six league wins in 2007 and seven in 2008.

Only three teams in the Big 12 have improved their win total in league play each of the past three years. That small group includes Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

This year, Nebraska will try to do something done only once before in program history as the only other time the Huskers improved their conference win total for four straight years was from 1952 to 1955.