Coatney's Call - Dec. 18

#20 Nebraska vs #5 LSU
Date: Sunday, December 20, 2009
Time: 1:05 p.m.(CST)
Site: Lincoln, Nebraska
Arena: Devaney Center
Nebraska Radio:
Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-Play-by-Play; Jeff Griesch-Color Analyst) ?98.1 KFGE-Lincoln (Froggy 98) , 93.3 KTWI-Omaha (Twister 93.3), 880 KRVN-Lexington and available to our entire 21-station radio network.
Internet: Live Radio on Huskers.com

There is a buzz about #20 Nebraska’s game Sunday against #5 LSU unlike I’ve ever heard in these parts about a non-conference women’s basketball game. The Huskers are off to a school-record 10-0 start and are in the midst of the longest winning streak in NU history (10). LSU has advanced to five of the past six NCAA Final Fours. It will be the first time ever that a ranked Nebraska team has met a ranked opponent in Lincoln. It’s also NCAA Pack the House Day and a large crowd is expected at the Devaney Center for the 1:05 p.m. (central) tip-off.

Nebraska is 6-0 at home this season, including last Sunday’s 69-44 win over Northern Illinois. 6-2 senior forward Kelsey Griffin, a Naismith Trophy candidate, leads the Huskers with 16.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and has drawn a team-leading eight charges. She moved into sixth place on the all-time NU career rebounding chart and needs just 18 more boards to move into fifth place. The two-time first team All-Big 12 selection ranks first among active conference career rebounders and is ranked third on the Big 12 active career scoring list.

NU’s 25.6 point average victory margin through the first 10 games is the best in school history. The Huskers are stingy defensively, allowing opponents to score only 53.5 points per game.

LSU has raced to a 9-0 start and joins Nebraska as one of only 13 undefeated teams in Division I women’s college basketball. The Tigers were the pre-season pick to win the Southeastern Conference. LSU finished 16 votes ahead of second-place Tennessee, who is currently ranked 3rd nationally in the most recent AP poll.

Pre-season SEC player of the Year Allison Hightower is on nearly every 2010 National Player of the Year watch list. The 5-10 senior guard leads LSU in scoring (16.7 pgg), steals, and three-pointers (10-25 40%). Hightower became the first player in school history to lead the team in points, assists, steals and blocked shots in a single season in 2008-09. She had a game-high 18 points in LSU’s 64-50 win over Nebraska in Baton Rogue on New Years Day last season.

6-2 sophomore forward LaSondra "Boogie" Barrett was the SEC Co-Freshman of the Year for 2008-09. The cousin of Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, Barrett has started the last four games and is second on the team in scoring (10.0 ppg) and leads the team in rebounds (5.8 rpg). 6-2 sophomore forward Courtney Jones had started the first five games before injuring her ankle in an overtime win at Tulane. She has come off the bench the past four games and averages 5.1 ppg.

6-2 sophmore forward Taylor Turnbow has started all nine games and is third on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Like Turnbow, 5-11 junior guard Katherine Graham has started every game this season. She averages 5.9 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Graham had nine points in the win over Nebraska last season. 5-8 junior point guard Latear (La-TEER) Eason rounds out LSU’s probable starting lineup. She started the final 13 games of the 2008-09 season and is coming off left collarbone surgery in an injury she sustained during the NCAA Tournament. Eason leads the team in assists and averages 5.1 ppg.

Like the Huskers, LSU has played suffocating defense, allowing their nine opponents to score an average of just 44.2 ppg. While this will be the Tigers’ third road game of the season, it will be just their first game outside of the state of Louisiana. LSU defeated Tulane in overtime 73-65 in New Orleans on November 25 and then squeaked by Louisiana Tech in Ruston 77-74 on December 1.

LSU Naismith Hall of Fame Head Coach Van Chancellor is two victories away from 500 collegiate wins in his stellar career. Chancellor won 439 games in 19 seasons as the coach at Ole Miss before turning to the professional ranks. During his 10 years as head coach of the Houston Comets of the WNBA, the team won the league’s first four titles and Chancellor was named WNBA Coach of the Year three times. Returning to the college game two seasons ago, Chancellor led LSU to their fifth consecutive Final Four and third SEC regular season title in four years.

LSU is 2-0 all-time against Nebraska, including the 64-50 win in Baton Rogue earlier this year on New Years Day. Playing their first game after Nikki Bober’s season-ending knee injury and without Kelsey Griffin, who missed all of last season due to injury, the Huskers overcame a nine-point first half deficit to take a one-point lead midway through the second half. LSU responded with a 16-1 surge en route the victory. NU hit 10 three-pointers in the game, but was only able to manage seven other field goals. Yvonne Turner led the Huskers with 15 points.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and I for Nebraska Women’s Basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Sunday afternoon against LSU begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 12:45 p.m (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on KFGE 98.1 FM (Froggy 98) in Lincoln, KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, 880 KRVN in Lexington and available to our entire 21-station radio network. All Husker Women’s Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com. I hope you can join us.

Go Big Red! Matt