Huskers Go for 10 vs. Savannah State

Broadcast Information
Television:  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: 14
2010-11 Record: 11-2, 0-0 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
        Record at Nebraska: 81-60 (5th year)
        Record at Division I: 129-78 (7th year)
        Career Record: 249-117 (13th year)

Savannah State Tigers
Game: 18
2010-11 Record: 5-12
Head coach: Horace Broadnax
        Record at Savannah State: 55-110 (fifth year)
        Career Record: 97-196  (10th year)

Huskers Go for 10 vs. Savannah State
The Nebraska men's basketball team continues a busy week to open 2011 Wednesday night, as the Huskers wrap up non-conference action against the Tigers of Savannah State. The Huskers will be looking for their 10th straight win, which would be just the 10th double-digit win streak in program history and first since the 1994-95 campaign.
Tipoff for the matchup between the Huskers and Tigers is slated for 7:06 p.m. Central and tickets are available for as little as $5 at Huskers.com or at the Devaney Center beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. In addition, seating in the Red Zone is available for just $15 ($2 for UNL students with ID) and can be purchased on Huskers.com or by calling 800-8BIGRED.

Wednesday's Nebraska-Savannah State game can be watched on the Internet on HuskersNide (subscription required). It will be the last of six games shown on HuskersNside during the 2010-11 season. To sign up and watch the game, go to Huskers.com and click on the HuskersNside icon on the right side of the page.

The matchup 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 and stats will also be available on Huskers.com.

The Huskers (11-2) shook the rust off after a 13-day layoff, defeating North Dakota, 77-46, Monday night. Nebraska used strong interior play, as post players Jorge Brian Diaz, Brandon Ubel and Andre Almeida combined for 31 points on 12 of 16 shooting and 16 rebounds.

The Huskers shot 55.4 percent, marking the fourth straight game the Huskers have been above the 50 percent mark, while holding North Dakota to just 27.6 percent shooting, including 7-of-29 from 3-point range. Nebraska is second nationally in both field goal percentage defense (33.7 percent) and points per game (53.3) in the latest NCAA stats released Monday.

Another encouraging sign in Monday's win was the emergence of sophomore guard Eshaunte Jones, who tied for game-high honors with 11 points after coming off the bench. Jones hit 4-of-7 shots from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, in his second-highest scoring game of the season. Jones was hitting just 30 percent from 3-point range heading into Monday's game after connecting on 43.5 percent in 2009-10.

Savannah State (2-15) wraps up the back end of a two-game Big 12 swing, as the Tigers lost to Kansas State, 92-61, Monday night. The Tigers have played 12 of their  17 games away from home, including losses to Cincinnati, Indiana, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Scouting Savannah State
Savannah State comes to Lincoln with a 2-15 record following a 92-61 win loss to No. 17 Kansas State Monday night. In that game Preston Blackmon led thhe Tigers with 19 points, three assists and two steals, while Jovonni Shuler totaled 15 points and seven rebounds. The Tigers, who trailed 46-35 at the break, shot just 38 percent, including 5-of-16 from 3-point range, and committed 17 turnvoers. The Tigers, who do not compete in a conference in basketball, are battle tested, taking on Jacksonville (54-64), Dayton (59-61), Cincinnati (41-54),  Indiana (57-79), Georgia Tech (59-69) and Clemson (40-61) among others. Savannah State returned six letterwinners, including a trio of starters, from a team that went 11-15 last season. Shuler is the Tigers' leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is one of three SSU players in double figures, joining Blackmon (12.8 ppg) and Joshua Montgomery (10.4 ppg).  As a team, Savannah State allows just 62.8 points per game on 41 percent shooting, but scores 54.8 points per game and shoots 38 percent. Head Coach Horace Broadnax is in his fifth season at the school after serving as a head coach at Bethune-Cookman College from 1997 to 2002. He starred at Georgetown University, leading the Hoyas to a national title in 1984 and a runner-up finish in 1985 as the team's starting point guard.

Nebraska-Savannah State Series
Nebraska has won all three meetings in the series, including the most recent encounter, a 82-37 win on Dec. 11, 2007. In that game, Shang Ping came off the bench to score a game-high 11 points in 18 minutes, while Aleks Maric added 10 points and six rebounds. The Huskers jumped out to a 13-2 lead and held the Tigers to 26.4 percent shooting. Jovonni Shuler is the only player from either team who played in the contest, as he totaled two rebounds in six minutes off the bench.

Last Time Out: Huskers Take the Fight out of UND
Sophomores Eshaunte Jones and Brandon Ubel each produced a team-high 11 points to pace for Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska rolled to a 77-46 victory over North Dakota Monday night at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers were effective on both ends of the floor in playing their first game in 13 days.  Nebraska shot 55 percent from the floor, including strong efforts from Ubel, Jorge Brian Diaz and Andre Almeida. The trio combined to hit 12 of 16 shots from the floor, including a 5-of-6 effort from Diaz. Almeida and Diaz had 10 points apiece, as the Huskers held a 34-14 advantage in points from the paint. It was the fourth straight game NU shot above 50 percent.

Nebraska was also solid on the perimeter, hitting seven 3-pointers, including three by Jones, while holding North Dakota (5-9) to 27.6 percent shooting overall - 24.1 percent from long range - and 46 points - 14 below their season average.  Jones, who reached double figures for the second time this year, hit 4-of-7 shots from the floor in the win.

The Huskers took control with a 26-8 spurt covering both halves to turn a 26-18 lead into a commanding 26-point bulge. Jones scored all eight of his first-half points in a 12-2 run to close the half with a 36-20 lead before the Huskers began the second half on a 16-6 run to stretch its lead to double up the Fighting Sioux at 52-26 with 10:25 remaining.

Quick Notes from the North Dakota Game
Nebraska has now won nine straight games, the longest winning streak by the program since a 10-game win streak during the 1994-95 season * Nebraska's 11-2 record is the best since the 2003-04 team also went 11-2 in its first 13 games, while the last team to post a better mark after 13 games was the 1991-92 squad which opened the season with a 12-2 mark * Nebraska has won 23 straight non-conference home games and is 47-1 at home in non-conference games under Doc Sadler * Nebraska's bench out-scored North Dakota, 44-4, on Monday night. The 11 points off the bench by Brandon Ubel and Eshaunte Jones marked the seventh time in 13 games that Nebraska's leading scorer came off the bench * Nebraska held North Dakota to 27.6 percent shooting, the fourth opponent in the last five games the Huskers have held under 30 percent * Nebraska held South Dakota to just 46 points, the ninth straight foe to be held under 60 points. It is the longest stretch since a 21-game span covering the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons * NU has held each of its last three opponents under 50 points * Nebraska connected on 55.6 percent shooting in the win, the fourth straight game NU has shot over 50 percent. The Huskers have shot 50 percent or better eight times in 13 games (and 10 of 15 dating back to the end of the 2009-10 season) * Eshaunte Jones reached double figures for the second time this season with 11 points, including 3-of-6 from the 3-point line. It is the second time he has led NU in scoring (also vs. Alcorn State with a season-high 13 points) * Brandon Ubel's 11 point effort was his fifth double-figure effort of the season and first since Dec. 8 against Alcorn State * Jorge Brian Diaz posted his fifth straight game in double figures with 10 points, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the floor. He has shot 50 percent or better in 12 of NU's games and is connecting on 62 percent for the year * NU's 10 turnovers was its second-lowest total of the season, trailing only the eight turnovers against Creighton on Dec. 5 *  Andre Almeida's four blocked shots is a single-game high for any Nebraska player this season.

Huskers Are Streaking
Nebraska comes into the Savannah State game riding an nine-game winning streak, which is the longest by Nebraska since a 10-game streak in November and December of 1994. Prior to this season, Nebraska's longest win streak under Doc Sadler was six games on two occasions. If Nebraska can win Wednesday night, the win streak would become the 10th double-digit win streak in the program's 115-year history and just the fifth since 1920.

Getting Defensive
As is typical with a Doc Sadler-coached team, the Huskers are strong on the defensive end, leading the Big 12 and ranking second nationally in scoring defense (53.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (.337) entering Wednesday's game. The Huskers have held 11 of 13 opponents under 60 points, including all nine opponents on their current win streak.  Nebraska has held all 13 teams under its season average, while five of the teams were held to season lows against Nebraska.
The Huskers enter the Savannah State game holding their last nine opponents under 60 points, which is the longest stretch since a 21-game stretch covering the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons.

No Holidays for Husker Foes
Nebraska has been at its best during the holiday break, holding its last three opponents to a combined 24.6 percent (44-179), including 16-of-84 (.190) from 3-point range. The Huskers held both Eastern Washington and Grambling State to its lowest shooting numbers of the season and has now held three opponents to 25 percent shooting or below in 2010-11. Eastern Washington's 21.1 percent shooting was the second-lowest total in Sadler's five seasons at Nebraska.

Getting Good Shots, and Limiting Good Shots
Entering Wednesdsay's game with Savannah State, the Huskers are one of only four teams in the country (out of 335) ranked in the top 20 in both field goal percentage and field goal defense, joining Kansas, Central Florida and Maryland.

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 420-131 record for a .762 winning percentage. In the past five seasons under Sadler, Nebraska has dominated to the tune of a 64-17 record (.789 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 a 47-1 record at the Devaney Center, with the lone loss coming in the 2008-09 season. The Huskers have won 23 straight home non-conference games heading into Wednesday's game with Savannah State.