Huskers Host Alcorn State on Wednesday

Broadcast Information
Television: None
Internet Video: HuskersNside (subscription required)
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network stations
      Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
      Color: Andy Markowski
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: None

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game: 9
2010-11 Record: 6-2, 0-0 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
    Record at Nebraska: 76-60 (5th year)
    Record at Division I: 124-78 (7th year)
    Career Record: 245-117 (13th year)

Alcorn State Braves
Game: 8
2010-11 Record: 0-7, 0-0 SWAC
Head coach: Larry Smith
    Record at Alcorn State: 8-61 (3rd year)
    Career Record: Same

Huskers Host Alcorn State on Wednesday
Nebraska looks to build momentum on its four-game win streak on Wednesday night, as the Huskers take on Alcorn State at the Devaney Center.

Tickets for Wednesday's game can be purchased for as little as $5 at Huskers.com or at the Devaney Sports Center beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED.

Start time for the match-up between the Huskers and Braves is set for 7:06 p.m. and the game can be watched on the Internet on HuskersNide (subscription required). It will be the second of six games shown on HuskersNside during the 2010-11 season. To sign up and watch Wednesday's game, go to Huskers.com and click on the HuskersNside icon on the right side of the page.

Wednesday's game will also be carried across the state on the 32-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Andy Markowski 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.

The Huskers (6-2) come into Wednesday's game with a four-game win streak, including three victories over teams that reached postseason play in 2009-10. On Sunday, the Huskers overcame an 11-point halftime deficit with strong shooting to down Creighton, 59-54. The Huskers hit 50 percent from the field in the second half, including 6-of-13 from 3-point range, to out-score Creighton, 38-25 in the final 20 minutes. Senior Lance Jeter had 10 points and five assists in the second half, while Brandon Richardson had 10 of his season-high 18 points after intermission.

The Huskers have gotten strong play from their starting backcourt on the homestand, as both Jeter and Richardson are averaging 10.3 ppg over the last three games. Jeter is also averaging 5.7 rebounds and sporting a 16-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Richardson is shooting 55 percent from the field, including 40 percent from 3-point range.

The third guard in NU's three-guard offense, junior Caleb Walker, has settled into his role since moving into the lineup against USC. In his last three games, he is averaging 9.7 points on 68 percent shooting and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Alcorn State (0-7) is on the back end of a two-game Big 12 swing, as the Braves lost to No. 5 Kansas State, 89-55, in Manhattan on Monday night. The Braves are in the midst of the 10-game season-opening road trip, which also included games at Texas A&M and Colorado.

Scouting Alcorn State
Alcorn State comes into Wednesday's game with an 0-7 record following an 89-55 loss at No. 5 Kansas State on Monday night. The Braves are in the midst of playing their first 10 games away from home, which includes contests at Texas A&M (88-56),  Purdue (103-48) and Colorado (91-51)  among others. Alcorn State's first home game is on Jan. 4, against Prairie View A&M. Against Kansas State, Marquiz Baker led the Braves with 17 points and seven rebounds, as they were held to just 26.6 percent shooting. Baker, a 6-foot-2 junior from Austin, Texas, averages a team-high 15.3 ppg and has three games of at least 20 points this year. His best effort came against Denver, where he had a season-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers.  He is the only player averaging in double figures, as the Braves feature 13 players who play at least 10 minutes per night. Offensively, ASU has struggled, hitting just 31 percent from the floor, including 25 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Michael Starks has grabbed a team-best 4.1 rebounds per game.

Alcorn State is led by third-year Head Coach Larry Smith, who has posted an 8-61 mark at his alma mater. He enjoyed a decorated playing career, spending 13 seasons in the NBA with the  Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. He was the No. 24 overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft and averaged 6.7 points and 9.2 rebounds in 883 career games. He served as an assistant on the NBA, NBA D-League (NBDL) and WNBA levels, including serving a stint with the Houston Rockets when they won back-to-back NBA titles in 1993-94 and 1994-95.

Nebraska-Alcorn State Series
This is the second time Nebraska and Alcorn State have met in basketball, as the Huskers posted a 77-53 win over the Braves on Dec. 29, 2007. In that game, Ade Dagunduro's 14 points led three Huskers in double figures, while Cookie Miller totaled eight points, 10 assists without a turnover and five steals. Aleks Maric had 13 points and nine rebounds, as Nebraska shot 49 percent and broke open a 36-23 lead in the second half. The Huskers are 14-1 all-time against SWAC opponents, with the only loss coming in a 71-68 overtime loss to Grambling on Jan. 6, 1988. NU is 2-0 against SWAC schools this year, posting victories over Arkansas Pine Bluff (83-40) and Jackson State (76-57).

Last Time Out: Huskers Surge Past Creighton
Nebraska overcame an 11-point first-half deficit with a hot-shooting second half to defeat Creighton, 59-54, at the Devaney Center on Sunday afternoon. Brandon Richardson led the Huskers with a season-high 18 points, while junior Caleb Walker grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, including a critical offensive board with 35 seconds remaining with the Huskers holding on to a one-point lead.  Walker's rebound eventually led to a pair of Lance Jeter free throws to put NU up 57-54. Creighton was unable to connect the tying 3-pointer in the final seconds, as both Kenny Lawson Jr., and Antoine Young missed contested shots from long range. Jeter pulled down the rebound and found a wide open Drake Beranek for a layup for the final margin. Trailing 29-21 at halftime, the Huskers exploded out of the locker room, hitting 6-of-8 3-pointers in the first seven minutes to take a 43-37 lead. The 22-8 run included three consecutive treys on NU's first three possessions of the second half from Richardson, Jeter and Walker. Richardson scored 10 of his game-high 18 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. He shot 6-of-12 from the floor, including a career-best 4-of-10 from long range in addition to three rebounds to help the Huskers improve to 6-2 with their fourth straight win. Jeter turned in an all-around strong performance with 12 points, six assists and six rebounds.  The win marked Nebraska's third-straight victory over Creighton at the Devaney Center, all under head coach Doc Sadler, its longest stretch since winning 12 straight in Lincoln against the Bluejays from 1977 to 1998.

Quick Notes from the Creighton Game
Nebraska improves to 42-1 against non-conference foes at home under Doc Sadler and has won 18 straight dating back to the 2008-09 season...NU has won the last three home games against Creighton and improves to 16-5 all-time against CU at home. NU's three-game home-win streak against Creighton is the Huskers longest since a 12-game home win streak from 1977 to 1998....Brandon Richardson's 18 points was a season high andh his four 3-pointers were a career high, besting his previous high of three, done on three other occasions, most recently against Kansas on Jan. 12, 2010...Richardson is shooting 52 percent (13-for-25) from the floor over Nebraska's last four games after shooting 23 percent (3-for-13) in Nebraska's first four contests...Nebraska committed a season-low eight turnovers against Creighton, as the Huskers' previous low was 12 against Jackson State. The last time NU committed 10 or fewer turnovers in a game was three against Baylor on Feb. 10, 2010...Lance Jeter had six assists and no turnovers in the Creighton win and has a 16-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in his last three games...Nebraska overcame an 11-point 1st-half deficit (27-16 with 2:49 left in the first half), marking the ninth time under Sadler and second this season the Huskers have overcome a double-digit deficit...Caleb Walker pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, topping his previous best of 7 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 15. Walker is averaging 6.7 rebounds since moving into the starting lineup on Nov. 27...Nebraska's 31 3-point attempts is the 4th-most by a Sadler coached team at NU and the most since shooting 33 vs. Baylor on 2/21/07.

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.  In Sunday's win over Creighton, the Huskers trailed 29-21 at halftime, but regrouped in the second half, outscoring Creighton, 38-25.

Opening December on the Right foot
With wins over postseason qualifiers Jackson State and Creighton, Nebraska has opened the month with a 2-0 record. It marks the first time under Sadler that NU has won its first two games in December, and the first time it has happened in the Husker program since 2003.  In fact, it is only the fourth time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska has opened the month 2-0 (also 1996 and 2001). Sadler-coached team at Nebraska are 21-9 in the month of December.

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.

Comeback Kids
Nebraska showed its resilience early, overcoming two double figure deficits this season. It marked the first time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska has overcome a pair of double-digit deficits in the same season.

Against USC on Nov. 27, NU overcame 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. Last Sunday against Creighton, NU trailed by 11 points in the first half, only to roar back to a 59-54 win.

-The 20-point deficit against USC 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.
-Nebraska now has 14 double-digit comebacks in the Big 12 era, including five under Coach Doc Sadler. Four of the top five comebacks by NU in the Big 12 era have come under Sadler.

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 2010-11. In the history of the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Nebraska has posted a 415-131 record for a .760 winning percentage. In the past five seasons under Sadler, Nebraska has dominated to the tune of a 59-17 record (.776 winning percentage) against all teams. Facing non-conference opponents, the Huskers have been nearly unbeatable at home under Sadler. During his tenure, the team have a 42-1 record at the Devaney Center, with the lone loss coming in the 2008-09 season. The Huskers have won 18 straight home non-conference games heading into Wednesday's game with Alcorn State.