Huskers look to Bounce back vs. Davidson

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game: 4
2010-11 Record: 2-1, 0-0 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
 Record at Nebraska: 72-59 (5th year)
 Record at Division I: 120-77 (7th year)
 Career Record: 240-116 (13th year)

Davidson Wildcats
Game: 3
2010-11 Record: 0-2, 0-0 Southern Conference
Head coach: Bob McKillop
 Record at Davidson: 383-250 (22nd year)
 Career Record: Same

HUSKERS ON TV/RADIO/INTERNET
Internet Video: ESPN3.com
 Play-by-play: Doug Sherman; Color: Mike Gottfried. Sideline:  Andy Katz
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network
Note: Friday's game will be carried on Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, along with 1400 KLIN in Lincoln.
 Play-by-play: Kent Pavelkal; Color: Andy Markowski
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: None

After a tough loss to Vanderbilt on Thursday, the Nebraska basketball team returns to action Friday  afternoon, as the Huskers take on the Davidson Wildcats in the second round of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip Off.

The Huskers will take the Coliseo de Puerto Rico court at 2 p.m. (central) or 30 minutes following the conclusion on the Vanderbilt/West Virginia matchup slated for 11:30 a.m. 

Nebraska's game against Davidson will be shown exclusively on ESPN3.com and can also be heard across the state on the 32-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Andy Markowski. As a reminder,

Friday's game will be carried in Omaha on Twister 93.3 FM. Live game audio and stats will also be available on the internet on Huskers.com.

Nebraska (2-1) gave SEC power Vanderbilt all it wanted before the Commodores pulled away in the final two and a half minutes to win 59-49. The Huskers led for most of the second half despite shooting only 35.3 percent, including 0-for-10 from 3-point range. The Huskers were held without a basket for the final 7:49, as the Commodores erased a 46-43 Husker lead down the stretch.

Two of the highlights for Nebraska in Thursday's loss were sophomores Brandon Ubel and Jorge Brian Diaz. Ubel led Nebraska with 10 points off the bench and continued an early season trend, as Nebraska's leading scorer in all three contests has come off the bench. The Husker bench has averaged 40.0 points per game over the first three games.

Diaz, making his return to his native Puerto Rico and playing in front of nearly 40 family members and friends, had eight points and a game-high eight rebounds, setting season highs in both categories in a losing effort.
Davidson (0-2) looks for its first win of the season, as the Wildcats fell to West Virginia, 84-70, in Thursday's first contest. The game featured a combined 67 fouls and 78 free throw attempts.

The Wildcats, like the Huskers, struggled from 3-point range in the tournament opener, missing their first 19 shots from long range and finished just 2-for-22 from beyond the arc. Brendan McKillop and De'Mon Brooks had 15 points apiece against the Mountaineers and the pair average 13.5 and 13.0 points, respectively.

The Huskers will wrap up tournament action on Sunday morning against either Western Kentucky or Hofstra, depending on Friday's results.

Scouting Davidson
Coach Bob McKillop and Davidson comes into Tuesday's game with a 0-2 record after losses to Penn (64-69) and West Virginia (70-84). The Wildcats, who reached the regional final in 2007-08 before losing to eventual national champion Kansas, had a streak of five straight 20-win seasons snapped with a 16-15 record in 2009-10. 
Davidson, which was picked to finish third in the Southern Conference's South Division, welcomes back three starters and eight lettermen from last season. The Wildcats are led by senior Brendan McKillop, who is the only senior in a starting lineup that features three sophomores and a freshman. McKillop averages a team-high 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Sophomores JP Kuhlman (12.6 ppg in 2009-10, coaches) and Jake Cohen (13.3 ppg, media) were both named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2009-10, while freshman De'Mon Brooks is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game while hitting 10-of-15 shots from the floor.

Nebraska-Davidson Series
Friday's match up is first-ever meeting between the two schools. Davidson will be only first-time opponent on the Huskers' 2010-11 regular-season schedule. The Huskers are 11-2 all-time against teams from the Southern Conference, but has not played a school from the league since a 65-46 win over Wofford on Dec. 2, 2001.

Last Time Out: Cold-Shooting Huskers Fall to Vanderbilt
 A late-game drought proved costly, as the Nebraska basketball team fell to Vanderbilt, 59-49, in the opening round of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip Off Thursday afternoon.

The Huskers, who fell to 2-1 on the season, led 46-43 with 6:46 remaining, but Vanderbilt's John Jenkins had seven of his game-high 22 points in a decisive 8-1 run which put the Commodores (2-0) ahead for the first time since midway through the first half and broke open a hard-fought contest.

Jenkins tied the score at 46 with a three-pointer, and then gave Vanderbilt a lead they would not relinquish, hitting a jumper with 5:45 remaining before capping the run with a pair of free throws to with 3:05 left to extend the margin to 51-47.

Jenkins hit 8-of-13 shots and 5-of-6 from the foul line for 22 points, while the Huskers limited preseason All-SEC performer Jeffery Taylor to 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting.

The Huskers (2-1) made it a one-possession game after Lance Jeter split a pair of foul shots with 2:43 left, but Vanderbilt delivered a costly blow on its next possession, as Steve Tchiengang's three-pointer from the wing pushed the lead to 54-48.  Nebraska was held without a field goal for the final 7:49 and shot just 35.8 percent, including 0-for-10 from 3-point range.

Sophomore Brandon Ubel led the Huskers with 10 points, hitting 3-of-4 shots from the field and all four foul shots, but the Huskers shot just 29 percent in the final 20 minutes. Sophomore Jorge Brian Diaz also chipped on eight points and a game-high eight rebounds, as NU enjoyed a 37-34 advantage on the boards, including 11 offensive rebounds.

The Huskers fell behind early, as Vanderbilt led 10-6, only to see Ubel come off the bench to lead the comeback. The sophomore scored six straight points to give the Huskers a two-point lead at 12-10. From there, the teams were within a possession of the lead until NU got some breathing room late in the first half. NU ran off six straight points to take its largest lead of the day at 23-17 after a Lance Jeter layup.

Vanderbilt came back, using an 9-2 spurt to pull even at 26-all on a Taylor foul shot, but the Huskers regained the lead right before the half as Drake Beranek's jumper put NU ahead 28-26 at the break.  NU quickly pushed the lead back to four points, on Jeter's layup with 19:41 remaining, but Vanderbilt would score the next three points to get within 31-30 on Brad Tinsley's basket at the 15:27 mark. From there, the two teams remained within three points until the Commodores' late run in the final minutes.

Postgame Notes vs. Vanderbilt
*-Sophomore forward Brandon Ubel led Nebraska with 10 points, marking the first time in 35 career games that he has led the Huskers in scoring. He has reached double figures twice in three games after accomplishing the feat four times in 32 contests in 2009-10.
*-Ubel's game-high effort marked the third time in as many contests that Nebraska's leading scorer has come off the bench. Overall, Nebraska's bench out-scored Vanderbilt's 23-10, marking the third straight game the Husker bench has out-scored its opposition. NU's bench is averaging 40.0 points per game this season.
*-Nebraska falls to 49-7 under Doc Sadler when holding an opponent to under 60 points, as the Huskers held Vanderbilt to 39.1 percent shooting. The Huskers have held all three opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field.
*-Jorge Brian Diaz pulled down a season high eight rebounds in the loss to Vanderbilt. It marked the fourth time in his two seasons he has had at least eight rebounds in a game. Diaz also tied his season high with eight points in the loss.
*-NU shot a season-low 35.3 percent, its lowest output since 34.8 percent in a double-overtime win over Texas Tech on Feb. 27, 2010.
*-Nebraska has out-rebounded its last five opponents dating back to the end of last season, matching the longest stretch of out-rebounding opponents under Doc Sadler. NU also out-rebounded five straight opponents from Feb. 27 to March 13.