Huskers Look to Pick up First Road Win

Game 19: vs. Texas Tech
Game Date: Jan. 22, 2011
Tipoff Time:  6:37 p.m.
Venue: United Spirit Arena
Capacity: 15,098

Broadcast Information
Television: ESPN Full Court (Texas Tech broadcast) and in Omaha on Cox Ch. 2
Also now available on DirecTV and DISH Network - Update
Internet Video: ESPN3.com
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network 
         Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
         Color: Matt Davison
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: Ch. 125 (Texas Tech feed)

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game: 19
2010-11 Record: 14-4, 2-2 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
      Record at Nebraska: 84-62 (5th year)
      Record at Division I: 132-80 (7th year)
      Career Record: 252-119 (13th year)

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Game: 20
2010-11 Record: 8-11, 0-4 Big 12
Head coach: Pat Knight
      Record at Texas Tech: 45-53 (4th year)
      Career Record:  same

Huskers Look to Pick up First Road Win
After an impressive home victory over Colorado on Tuesday night, the Nebraska basketball team hits the road this weekend, traveling to Texas Tech for an important game this Saturday, Jan. 22.

Tipoff from the United Spirit Arena is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be available on the ESPN Fullcourt package and on ESPN3.com and in Omaha on Cox Ch. 2. The broadcast is the Texas Tech Sports Network feed of the game.

In addition, the game will be available 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.

The Huskers (14-4, 2-2 Big 12) turned in their most complete effort of the season on Tuesday night, snapping Colorado's seven-game win streak and handing the Buffaloes their first conference loss to get back to .500 in Big 12 action.

Nebraska shot 57 percent on the night, including 64 percent in the second half, and placed four players in double figures. Junior guard Toney McCray continued his strong surge to open Big 12 action with team highs in both points (18) and rebounds (eight), while senior point guard Lance Jeter nearly had a double-double with 10 points and a season-high nine assists.

McCray has become a strong scoring threat for the Huskers in Big 12 action. He averages a team-high 14.0 points per game while shooting 54 percent while also chipping in 4.8 rebounds per game. He enters the weekend ranked 18th in scoring and in the top 10 in both field goal percentage (10th) and 3-point percentage (eighth).

Nebraska continued to shine defensively, holding a Colorado team that was in the top-10 nationally in scoring to just 67 points, its second-lowest output of the season, while the Buffaloes shot a season low nine free throws. Nebraska now ranks in the top three nationally in both field goal percentage and points per game allowed entering Saturday's game.

The Huskers will need another strong defensive performance as they look to pick up their first road win of the season in Lubbock. With a win on Saturday, the Huskers can improve to 3-2 in the Big 12 after five games, which would be their best mark after the first five contests in league play since the 1998-99 season.

Texas Tech (8-11, 0-4 Big 12) looks to snap a four-game losing streak following an 83-74 loss at Oklahoma Tuesday night. John Roberson had a game-high 21 points, including four 3-pointers while Brad Reese totaled 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

Despite the slow start, the Red Raiders are a veteran club that returned all five starters from a 19-win team that reached the third round of the NIT a year ago.

Quick Look at Texas Tech
Texas Tech has gotten off to a slow start this season and comes into Saturday's game with an 8-11 record, including winless in four Big 12 games. The Red Raiders come off their best performance in league action, falling at Oklahoma, 83-74 on Tuesday evening. In that game, the Red Raiders stayed in the game despite shooting 39 percent, hitting 7-of-13 from 3-point range and 21-of-26 from the foul line. John Roberson's 21 points led three players in double figures.

The Red Raiders were expected to be one of the most improved teams in the Big 12, returning all five starters from a 19-win team a year ago. They were picked seventh in the coaches poll, but have struggled in league play. The Red Raiders have allowed a league high 75.5 points per game and are 12th in the league in field goal defense (.458) and rebounding margin (-4.1).

Tech is a balanced offense with three players averaging double figures and five players averaging at least nine points per game. Mike Singletary leads the attack with 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Roberson is second on the team with 12.3 points per game. Brad Reese is the team's best 3-point threat, hitting 46 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging 12.1 points per game. One area where Texas Tech has performed well is at the free throw line, where the Red Raiders are shooting nearly 73 percent, including 45-of-5 5 by Roberson and 26-of-30 by Robert Lewandowski.

Nebraska-Texas Tech Series
Nebraska and Texas Tech are meeting for just the 26th time in series history when they face off on Saturday night in Lubbock The teams first met in 1955-56 with a 69-63 overtime victory for the Huskers, who won the first four games in the series.

The Huskers hold a 16-9 edge in the all-time series, including a split of the six meetings in Lubbock. Nebraska has won the last four meetings, matching the longest win streak by either team in the series. NU is 9-6 in matchups between the two schools in Big 12 action. 

Coach Doc Sadler, who served as an assistant at Texas Tech from 1991-94, is 4-0 against Texas Tech while at Nebraska, including 3-0 against Texas Tech Coach Pat Knight.

Last Season vs. Texas Tech
Sek Henry scored 12 points in overtime and the Huskers overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to record an 83-79 double overtime victory over Texas Tech at the Devaney Center. Henry hit two free throws with 42 seconds remaining in regulation and TTU answered with a basket 13 seconds later to send it to overtime. The Red Raiders went ahead by five with 2:44 left in the first overtime before Henry answered and pushed the Huskers to a second extra period, where Henry scored seven straight points to push the Huskers to the win. Nebraska fell behind in the first half as Texas Tech reeled off a 17-0 run to take a 33-19 lead with 3:51 left to play before intermission. The Huskers turned the ball over 10 times in the opening half, but better ball control and execution in the second half turned the game in NU's favor. The Huskers did not have a turnover after the 9:45 mark of the second period, going the remaining 19:45 turnover free. Nebraska also hit 21-of-26 attempts at the free throw line in the second half and the overtime periods as they defeated Texas Tech for the fourth straight season. Henry led the way with 21 points while Brandon Richardson came off the bench for 15 and Brandon Ubel also came off the bench to add a career-high 14, including a pair of 3-pointers during the Huskers' 23-5 surge (18 straight at one point) to take the lead in the second half.

Last Time Out
Toney McCray tied his career high with 18 points, and Nebraska played one of its best second halves of the season, stopping Colorado's seven-game win streak in a 79-67 win Tuesday evening.

McCray scored five of his points in a 13-2 run, as the Huskers broke open a tight battle into an 11-point lead. The junior hit 8-of-14 shots from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds in helping to hand Colorado its first Big 12 loss.

Nebraska, which placed four players in double figures, shot 64 percent in the second half and 56 percent on the day to win their 13th straight home game. Jorge Brian Diaz hit 7-of-8 shots for 14 points while Lance Jeter totaled 10 points, a season-high nine assists and added six rebounds. Drake Beranek was the fourth Husker in double figures, chipping in 10 points off the bench.

The Huskers eventually built a 17-point lead in the second half before Alec Burks led a late Colorado comeback. He scored seven straight points to cut a 63-47 lead to nine points and his two free throws with 2:25 left made it an eight-point deficit at 67-59.

That would be as close as Colorado would get, as baskets by Brandon Richardson, McCray and Jeter pushed the lead back to 14 and ended the Buffaloes comeback bid. . The Huskers hit all six of their free throw attempts in the final 1:18 to maintain the double-digit margin, finishing the night 15-of-18 from the charity stripe.

Burks led all scorers with 22 points, but was just 7-of-17 from the floor.

Noting the Colorado Game

• The 56.6 percent shooting was Nebraska's best performance in Big 12 play and highest since hitting 60 percent against Jackson State on Dec. 1. The Huskers are 10-0 this season when shooting over 50 percent. Nebraska shot just 38 percent in its first three Big 12 games. Nebraska's 56.6 percent shooting was the second-highest total by a CU opponent this season (New Mexico 61.2).
• Toney McCray matched his career high with 18 points, hitting 8-of-14 shots from the floor. He had 18 points as a freshman at Baylor on March 7, 2009. McCray, who had one double-digit effort in Big 12 play prior to this season, has reached double figures three times in four games.
• Colorado was held under 70 points for just the second time this season and first since scoring 66 against Harvard on Nov. 28. Colorado entered the game ranked eighth nationally in points per game (83.9 ppg).
• Lance Jeter had a season-high nine assists against the Buffaloes, the second-highest total of his Husker career. His previous 2010-11 season high was seven against Iowa State. It is the sixth time he has had at least six assists in a game this season. His nine assists were also the most ever by a Big 12 player against Colorado.
• Drake Beranek matched his season high with 10 points, as he also had 10 vs. Jackson State on Dec. 1.
• Jorge Brian Diaz totaled 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Prior to tonight, he connected on just 9-of-32 shots in Nebraska's first three Big 12 games.
• Colorado's 7-of-9 shooting matched season lows in free throws made and attempted, both set against Oregon State on Dec. 4.
• Colorado's 12 3-pointers were a season best (previous high was 10) and matched the 3-pointers allowed by Nebraska this season (also 12 vs. Jackson State).

It has Been a While
With a 14-4 start heading into the Saturday's game at Texas Tech, the Huskers are enjoying one of their best season starts in program history.

• Nebraska comes into Saturday's game at Texas Tech at 14-4, its best record after 17 games in the Big 12 era and is the best start since also going 14-4 in 1995-96.
• The last time a Nebraska basketball team had a better mark after its first 18 games was in 1990-91, when the Huskers were 16-2 en route to a school-record 26 wins.
• It is only the 13th time in school history - and seventh time since 1922 - that Nebraska has won at least 14 of their first 17 contests. The list includes two completed seasons with less than 18 games (1911-12, 1915-16)
• Nebraska's quick start was recognized on Jan. 10, when the Huskers received four points in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, the first time since Jan. 16, 2006, that the Huskers have received at least one vote in the coaches poll.

Down to the Wire
Nebraska comes into the Texas Tech game with a 14-4 mark, and the Huskers have been in a number of close contests this season.

• Six times this season, it has been a four points or closer at the 2:30 mark, including two of Nebraska's three Big 12 games.
• In three of NU's four losses (Vanderbilt, Davidson and Kansas), Nebraska was within four points with 2:30 left. In the loss at Missouri, Nebraska used a late run and cut a nine-point deficit to four points with 31 seconds left.

High School Teammates Battle This Weekend
One interesting matchup this weekend could be a battle between former high school teammates. Husker sophomore Brandon Ubel and TTU junior Robert Lewandowski both played high school ball together for coach Donnie Campbell at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kan. Both players are regulars in the rotation on the inside, and Ubel had a season-high 14 points in the matchup last season.

Getting Defensive
As is typical with Doc Sadler-coached teams, the Huskers' forte is on the defensive end. Nebraska is in the top three nationally in both opponent field goal percentage (.356) and points per game (56.1) following Wednesday's action.

The Huskers have held 12 opponents under 60 points and only one opponent has scored more than 70 points through the first 18 games.

That is made more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has played six teams ranked in the top 40 nationally in points per game, including all four of its Big 12 contests.

• The Huskers have held all 18 opponents below their current 2010-11 season averages, while six teams (Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Vanderbilt, Hofstra, Eastern Washington, Grambling State and Kansas) scored their season low against Nebraska. Colorado nearly became the seventh team to join the list, as the Buffaloes 67 points were one over their season low.
• Nebraska held 10 straight opponents to under 60 points, the longest stretch by a Nebraska team since a 21-game stretch covering the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons.
• The Huskers held four straight foes to under 50 points - the first time since February of 1949 that has happened at Nebraska.
• The biggest beneficiary to the Huskers defense has been the fans at the Devaney Center. In 10 of 13 home games, fans have earned products from Runza Restaurants, whether its a Runza or burger (50 or less), chili or soup (51-55) or an order of fries or onion rings (56-60).
• Nebraska opponents have been held to 25 percent shooting three times this season, including 21.1 percent by Eastern Washington on Dec. 18.
• Nebraska's defensive excellence has been established under Sadler, as the Huskers led the conference in defense twice in his first four years at NU (2007-08, 2008-09).
• Nebraska's defense has been put to the test during a two-week stretch to open Big 12 play. The Huskers first four opponents are among the top five scoring offenses in the Big 12. The list features three teams (Missouri, Kansas and Colorado) all ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense entering the weekend action. In those games, NU allowed an average of 67.2 points per game.