Huskers, Bluejays Set for Sunday Showdown

HUSKERS ON TV/RADIO/INTERNET
Television: Fox Sports Midwest (DirecTV Ch. 680, Dish Ch. 447, Ch. 37 on Time Warner Cable; Ch. 47 on Cox Cable) - also on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com
      Play-by-Play: Greg Sharpe
      Color: Eric Piatkowski
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network
      Play-by-play: Kent Pavelkal; Color: Matt Davison
Internet Video: ESPN3.com
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: None

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game: 8
2010-11 Record: 5-2, 0-0 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
    Record at Nebraska: 75-60 (5th year)
    Record at Division I: 123-78 (7th year)
    Career Record: 244-117 (13th year)

Creighton Bluejays
Game: 8
2010-11 Record: 4-3, 0-0 MVC
Head coach: Greg McDermott
    Record at Creighton: 4-3 (1st year)
    Career Record: 284-198 (17th year)

Huskers, Bluejays Set for Sunday Showdown
It will be a showdown between the state's two Division I programs, as the Huskers welcome Creighton to the Devaney Center this Sunday afternoon.

Start time for the match-up between the Huskers and Bluejays is set for 1:07 p.m. and the game will be carried across Nebraska on Fox Sports Midwest as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.  The telecast will feature Greg Sharpe (play by play) and Eric Piatkowski (analyst) and will be seen on channel 37 in Lincoln; channel 47 in Omaha; DirecTV channel 680; and Dish Network channel 447.

Sunday's game will also be carried across the state on the 32-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison on the call, including KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha, KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 in Lexington. Free audio will also be available on Huskers.com.

Tickets for Sunday's game are available at Huskers.com or at the Devaney Sports Center beginning at 11:30 a.m. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED. A large crowd is expected Sunday and are advised to arrive early. For fans coming to Devaney from the North, they should take 27th street to North Fair Park Drive, which winds around to the public cashier entrance into the north entrance of the lot.  Fans coming from the South should take the Salt Creek Expressway to the public cashier entrance and head north into public parking area.

The Huskers come into Saturday's game with a season-long three-game win streak after defeating Jackson State, 76-58, on Wednesday evening. The Huskers (5-2) used a strong offensive night, shooting 60 percent and posting five Huskers in double figures for the first time since November of 2009. In the second half, the Huskers hit a blistering 73 percent from the field, including 6-of-9 from long range.

One of the offensive keys for the Huskers was junior Brandon Richardson, who scored all 10 of his points in a 16-0 Husker spurt to put the game out of reach. Richardson, who was NU's leading returner at 8.9 ppg, was averaging just 3.3 points in his first six contests after suffering an ankle injury in NU's exhibition opener. A return to form by Richardson would give the Huskers an additional threat from the outside.

Creighton looks to bounce back from a two-game losing streak, as the Bluejays were beaten by No. 21 BYU, 77-65, on Wednesday night in Omaha. Freshman Doug McDermott led the Bluejays with 20 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort and is averaging 15.1 points per game as three Bluejays average in double figures.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton visits Lincoln looking to snap a two-game losing streak after losses to Northwestern (65-52) and No. 21 BYU (77-65) in the last week. The Bluejays were picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference after going 18-16 last year and reaching the CIT semifinals. Under former Iowa State Coach Greg McDermott, the Bluejays  returned four starters, including preseason Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr., who averages 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Bluejays top scorer in the early season has been freshman forward Doug McDermott (15.1 ppg., 5.9 rpg.), and he comes off a 20-point, 12-rebound effort against BYU on Wednesday.

Series History between Nebraska and Creighton
Nebraska and Creighton are meeting for the 44th time in series history on Sunday, with the Cornhuskers holding a 24-19 advantage. NU has split the last four meetings with Coach Doc Sadler on the Husker sideline, but has won just four of the last 14 overall since a seven-game win streak in the 1990s. The home team has won each of the last five meetings in the series.

Nebraska has controlled the series in Lincoln, going 15-5 against the Bluejays, including a 54-52 win over Creighton in the last meeting between the teams in Lincoln during the 2008-09 season. In that game, Ade Dagunduro hit the game winner with 2.7 seconds remaining, as Nebraska overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to earn the victory.

Nebraska owns an 86-40 record all-time against teams currently in the Missouri Valley Conference. The 126 games against current MVC teams is the second most for Nebraska against any conference, trailing only the 159 matchups with teams from the Big Ten Conference. Nebraska has not faced any other conference even 85 times.

Last Year's Game vs. Creighton
Nebraska turned the ball over 20 times while Creighton capitalized on 32 free throw attempts, making 26 as the Bluejays held off the Huskers for a 67-61 victory at the Qwest Center Omaha in front of a crowd of 16,739. The Huskers had 12 first-half miscues but stayed in the game as they shut down the Bluejay offense that came into the contest averaging 25 3-point attempts to open the season. Nebraska's improved perimeter defense harassed the Bluejays who finished 1-of-10 from long range. But Nebraska's struggles holding onto the ball were too much to overcome even while hitting 50.0 percent (24-of-48) from the floor. NU was outrebounded 31-25 and committed 25 fouls, helping CU to 26 free points. Lance Jeter scored 13 points and Sek Henry had 10, while the bench hit 11-of-13 shot attempts for 26 points. Kenny Lawson Jr. had his first career double-double for Creighton as he posted 25 points and 10 rebounds to help CU snap a three-game losing streak.

Last Time Out: Huskers Shoot Past Jackson State
Nebraska used a 16-0 second-half run and had five players in double figures, as the Huskers cruised to a 76-57 win over Jackson State Wednesday night at the Devaney Center. Caleb Walker and Eshaunte Jones led Nebraska with 13 points each, while Drake Beranek, Brandon Ubel and Brandon Richardson added 10 apiece, as Nebraska placed five in double figures for the first time since November of 2009. Walker played his best game of the season, hitting 6-of-7 shots and adding five rebounds and a season-high five assists for the Big Red. Richardson's 10 points all came at a critical time in the second half, as the Huskers turned a 36-32 game into a 20-point lead. The junior hit back-to-back 3-pointers and scored all 10 points in a span of 4:54, as the Huskers took control of the contest.

The Huskers shot 60 percent from the floor (30-for-50), including 9-of-19 from 3-point range. In the second half, the Huskers went 19-of-26 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.

Quick Notes from the Jackson State Game
Nebraska placed five players in double figures for the first time since Nov. 21, 2009, against TCU and for only the third time in Doc Sadler's five seasons at Nebraska...The Huskers shot over 50 percent for the third straight game and fourth time this season. NU hit 60 percent on Wednesday, marking the second time this season and eighth time in Sadler's five seasons at Nebraska....Nebraska hit 73 percent from the floor in the second half, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range...Nebraska's 16-0 second-half run equaled the Huskers' largest of the season (vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff)...Brandon Richardson set season highs in both points (10) and rebounds (four) in the win...Richardson was 1-for-12 from 3-point range before hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the second half...Nebraska held Jackson State without a two-point field goal the entire first half, as all five of JSU's baskets were 3-pointers...Caleb Walker has now been in double figures in three games this season, as he matched his season high with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and had a season-high five assists....Eshaunte Jones finished with a team-high 13 points coming off the bench, easily topping his previous season high of six points.

Huskers Take 5 Against Jackson State
Nebraska had five players in double figures in Wednesday's win over Jackson State, marking only the third time in Doc Sadler's five seasons that the Huskers had placed five players in double figures, and the first time since Nov. 21, 2009 against TCU. NU nearly had a sixth player reach double figures, as sophomore Jorge Brian Diaz finished with eight points in just 19 minutes of action.

Five in Double Figures under Sadler

Opponent	Date	Score	Double Figures
vs. Jackson State	12/1/10	W, 76-57	Walker-13, Jones-13, Ubel-10, Beranek-10, Richardson-10
vs. TCU	11/21/09	W, 90-77	Diaz-22, Richardson-15, Anderson-15, Henry-11, Hankins-Cole-10
vs. Savannah State	1/3/07	W, 81-53	Henry-18, Perry-17, Maric-14, White-14, Velander-10

Huskers Prove to Be Second Half Team
One trait which has been shown during the first quarter of the season is the Huskers ability to improve as the game goes on. When looking at the Huskers' stats, Nebraska has shot significantly better from the floor in the final 20 minutes than in the first halves of contests. Against USC, Nebraska overcame a 13-point halftime deficit while against Jackson State on Wednesday, NU broke open a seven-point game in the final 20 minutes.

Comparing Halves

Half	FG Pct.	3-pt. Pct.	Ft. Pct	Points
First Half	44.9	31.6	68.2	29.7
Second Half	54.8	34.1	70.2	37.9

Comeback Kids
Nebraska showed its resilience in its win against USC on Nov. 27, overcoming a 20-point first half deficit on two occasions (the last being at 37-17 with 2:05 left in the first half) to win 68-58.

• -The 20-point deficit equaled the largest deficit the Huskers have overcome in a game in the Big 12 era (1996-97 to present) and is believed to equal the largest deficit NU has overcame in a win. The Huskers also overcame a 20-point deficit in an 87-77 overtime win against Kansas State on Jan. 15, 1997.
• -It was the 13th double-digit comeback for an NU win in the Big 12 era, and the fourth under coach Doc Sadler, whose teams now own four of the top five largest comebacks by Nebraska since the formation of the Big 12 (complete list is on the right).
• -The Huskers trailed by 16 points with 18:13 left before using a 14-3 run over the next 5:20 to pull within 46-44 with 12:53 left. NU finally took control late, using an 11-0 run to turn a 55-49 deficit into a five point lead with 2:21 left. NU held the Trojans to just one field goal in the final 7:46, a three-point play by USC's Maurice Jones with seven seconds left.
• -It marked just the second time in 57 games under Sadler that Nebraska had trailed with 5:00 left and came back to win.

Home for the Holidays
When Nebraska returned to Lincoln from San Juan on Nov. 21, the Huskers began the longest homestand in program history. Nebraska is currently in the middle of a 10-game stretch at the Devaney Center, as the Huskers will not hit the road for 51 days when the Huskers leave for Missouri in the Big 12 road opener. Prior to this season, NU's longest homestand was seven games, done three other times, most recently in 2007-08. 

Holding Court
Nebraska has been strong on its home court over the years, and will try to continue an impressive run at home under Coach Doc Sadler. In the history of the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Nebraska has posted a 414-131 record for a .760 winning percentage.

In the past five seasons under Sadler, Nebraska has dominated to the tune of a 58-17 record (.773 winning percentage) against all teams. Facing non-conference opponents, the Huskers have been nearly unbeatable at home under Sadler. During his tenure, the team has earned a 41-1 record at the Devaney Center, with the lone loss coming in the 2008-09 season. The Huskers have won 17 straight home non-conference games heading into Sunday's game with Creighton.

The Sum is Greater than the Parts
When talking about the 2010-11 Huskers, Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler mentioned that this is the deepest team he has had in his five seasons. The Huskers have relied on the depth during the first three weeks of the season, as 11 players have averaged 10 minutes per game. The Huskers don't have a player in the top 20 in the league in either scoring or rebounding, but have been balanced offensively. NU has had seven different players lead the team in scoring in the first seven games, as only Jorge Brian Diaz has topped NU more than once. Against Jackson State, the Huskers placed five players in double figures, marking the third time that has happened in Doc Sadler's five seasons.

Huskers Rely on Bench Support
If it seems like Nebraska's bench has been more productive in recent years, it has been the case in 2010-11. The  Huskers are averaging 32.0 points per game from their bench in the first seven games while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor. NU has doubled the opposition in bench scoring in five of the seven contests this season, while the USC game marked the only time NU's bench has been out-scored in 2010-11.

Both of NU's individual 20-point efforts have come off the bench (Almeida vs. South Dakota; Standhardinger vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and NU's leading scorer has come off the bench in four of Nebraska's first seven contests.  The highest points per game average from NU's bench this decade is 27.9 points per game, set during the 2003-04 season. Here is a look at the bench production during Sadler's five years at Nebraska.

Controlling the Boards
Nebraska's size on the interior has helped the Huskers control the backboards during the early portion of the season. The Huskers have out-rebounded six of its first seven opponents and rank 64th nationally in rebound margin (+6.5 per game). NU had out-rebounded seven straight opponents dating back to last season before USC had a 32-40 edge on the glass, one shy of the Huskers' longest stretch this decade.