Huskers Return Home to Face No. 13 Texas A&M

Game 20: vs. Texas A&M
Game Date: Jan. 29, 2011
Tipoff Time:  1:06 p.m.
Venue: Bob Devaney Sports Center
Capacity: 13,595

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS
Game: 20
2010-11 Record: 14-5, 2-3 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
 Record at Nebraska: 84-63 (5th year)
 Record at Division I: 132-81 (7th year)
 Career Record: 252-120 (13th year)

TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Game: 20
2010-11 Record: 17-2, 4-1 Big 12
Head coach: Mark Turgeon
 Record at Texas A&M: 90-33 (4th year)
 Career Record: 243-152 (13th years)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: None
Internet Video: None
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network
 Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
 Color: Matt Davison
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: Ch. 121 (Sirius), Ch. 141 (XM)

PROMOTIONS
Halftime Act: BMX Stunt Team
Hometown Husker Day: Ravenna, Neb.

Huskers Return Home to Face No. 13 Texas A&M
The Husker men's basketball team looks to bounce back from a one-point loss at Texas Tech this Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers host No. 13 Texas A&M at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.  Tipoff from the Bob Devaney Sports Center is slated for 1:06 p.m. and the game will not be televised.

Tickets for Saturday's game - which can also be used for GA seating for Saturday night's Nebraska-Texas Tech women's basketball game at 7:05 p.m. - can be purchased at Huskers.com, by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED or at the Devaney Center beginning 90 minutes prior to tipoff. For UNL students, this is the first game of the Sweet 6 Ticket Package, which is on sale for $20 at Huskers.com or by stopping by the Nebraska Ticket Office during business hours.

Saturday's 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 (14-5, 2-3 Big 12) missed a golden opportunity to pick up a road win, as D'walyn Roberts' put-back with 3.8 seconds left gave Texas Tech a wild 72-71 victory Saturday night.  Nebraska struggled on the boards against Texas Tech, as the Huskers were out-rebounded, 36-25, and allowed a season-high 17 second-chance points. Prior to Saturday's loss, NU had out-rebounded 15 of its first 18 opponents and were +16 in rebounding in the previous two contests against Kansas and Colorado.

Texas Tech also shot 51.9 percent from the floor in the win. Prior to Saturday, NU was second nationally in field goal defense and had not allowed an opponent to shoot over 50 percent in 21 games dating back to last season.

One positive sign from Saturday's loss was the play of Brandon Richardson. The junior guard totaled a career-high 20 points, as he hit 5-of-6 shots from the field and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line. Richardson gave the Huskers' their final lead at 71-70 with 11 seconds remaining with a trio of free throws.

Richardson is now averaging 9.8 points per game in Big 12 play after entering conference play with a 5.1 ppg average. He has been able to get to the free throw line more often recently, converting 16-of-17 from the charity stripe in Big 12 action after getting to the line just 15 times in non-conference play.

The Huskers will need to bounce back against a Texas A&M team that has enjoyed a strong start to the season. The Aggies are 17-2 on the season and 4-1 in Big 12 play following a 64-56 win over Kansas State last Saturday. Like Nebraska, Texas A&M has been strong defensively, ranking in the top-10 nationally in points allowed per game. The Aggies also feature one of the league's top performers in sophomore Khris Middleton, who averages a team-high 15.9 points per game.

QUICK LOOK AT TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M has enjoyed one of its best starts in program history and are ranked 11th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 13th in the AP this week. The Aggies are 17-2 on the season and tied for second in the Big 12 with a 4-1 record entering this week's action. Texas A&M had won 13 straight games before falling, 80-61, at Texas on Jan. 19. The Aggies regrouped on Saturday with a 64-56 win at Kansas State, holding Kansas State to just 40 percent shooting and out-rebounding the Wildcats, 39-30.

Texas A&M features one of the best defenses in the Big 12, as the Aggies are allowing just 58.8 points per game to rank second to Nebraska's 56.9 ppg while topping the league with a +10.5 rebounding margin. Offensively, the Aggies are ninth in the league in points per game (72.6) and in field goal percentage (.451), but make up for it by ranking second in the league in free throw percentage (.724) and free throws made (354).

The Aggies feature one of the league's most improved players in sophomore forward Khris Middleton, who is ninth in the Big 12 averaging 15.9 points per game. Middleton is shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range while adding 4.8 rebounds per night. Middleton had a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds against Kansas State.
He is one of two Aggies who averages double figures, joining junior forward David Loubeau, who chips in 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Senior Nathan Walkup leads Texas A&M in rebounding at 5.8 rebounds per contest while nearly cracking double figures at 9.9 points per game.

NEBRASKA-TEXAS A&M SERIES
Saturday's meeting with the Aggies will be the 20th matchup between the teams all-time, Nebraska's shortest series with any of the Big 12 programs (second-shortest series is with Baylor, 21 meetings).

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 11-8, including an 8-7 advantage during the Big 12 era. The Aggies have had the better of the series in recent years, winning five of the last six matchups after winning just twice in the previous nine matchups. The Aggies' three-game win streak is their longest in series history.  The streak began in 2008-09, when Josh Carter hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 57-55 win over the Huskers at the Devaney Center. Last season, the Aggies won both meetings, including a 70-64 win in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

The Huskers have fared well at home, winning six of the nine previous meetings between the two programs and the series has featured solid defense as the winning team has cracked 70 points once in the last five seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
Brandon Richardson scored a team-high 20 points, but a tip-in by Texas Tech's D'walyn Roberts with 3.8 seconds left lifted the Red Raiders to a 72-71 win over Nebraska.

The Huskers led 71-70 after Brandon Richardson converted all three free throws after he was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Texas Tech got the ball to Mike Singletary in the lane, but he missed a contested drive, but Roberts got the carom and converted to give Texas Tech a one-point lead.  The Huskers had a chance to get one final attempt, but the ball was deflected out of bounds with 0.4 seconds. NU set up for a final shot, but was unable to get an attempt before the buzzer.

John Roberson led Texas Tech with 25 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a closely contested games that featured 14 lead changes and eight ties. Singletary added 14 points, as Texas Tech shot 51.9 percent from the floor, the highest percentage against the Huskers all season and out-rebounded Nebraska, 36-25.

Richardson had a career-high 20 points for the Huskers in the loss, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the floor and all eight free throws, while Lance Jeter had a season-best 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting.  Nebraska was down by as many as eight points in the second half before Lance Jeter led a 15-4 surge that tied the score at 57 on a Jeter basket before Toney McCray's 3-pointer gave the Huskers a 62-57 lead. The advantage was short lived, as Singletary scored seven of his 14 points in a 10-0 spurt and Tech took a 67-62 lead after Roberson's seventh 3-pointer of the game. The Huskers responded as a McCray free throw and a Jeter 3-pointer put NU within 67-66 and the teams traded points until Richardson's free throws gave NU a one-point lead.

NOTING THE TEXAS TECH GAME

• The loss snapped Nebraska's four-game win streak against Texas Tech that dated back to the 2006-07 season.
• Nebraska has had two one-point games for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Prior to this season, Nebraska had only one other game decided by a point in Doc Sadler's first four seasons at Nebraska.
• Brandon Richardson's 20 points was a career high, topping his previous best of 19 against Missouri in the 2010 Big 12 Tournament. It was his first game in double figures since scoring 18 against Creighton on Dec. 5, and equaled Nebraska's highest individual total this season.
• Nebraska was out-rebounded 36-25, just the fourth time this year the Huskers had been out-rebounded. Prior to tonight, NU's largest rebound deficit was four and NU had been out-rebounded by a total of seven rebounds in the games it had been out-rebounded in.
• Lance Jeter had a season-high 19 points, hitting 7-of-10 shots from the floor. His previous high was 18 against Davidson on Nov. 19.
• Texas Tech became only the second team to score more than 70 points against Nebraska this season, joining Missouri, which scored 77 points on Jan. 12. Nebraska ranked third nationally in points per game allowed entering the Texas Tech game.
• Texas Tech's 51.9 percent shooting was the first time NU, which ranked second nationally in field goal percentage, had allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent this season. It was the first time in 21 games that an opponent hit better than 50 percent of its shots.
• Texas Tech had 17 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds, as NU had just four second-chance points on seven offensive rebounds.
• John Roberson's seven 3-pointers were a season-high by a Nebraska opponent this season.

COACHES VS. CANCER SUITS AND SNEAKERS AWARENESS WEEKEND
The Nebraska coaching staff will be wearing sneakers with their suits to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. It is part of Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend and basketball fans are also encouraged to also wear sneakers to games that weekend to show their support. For more on the initiative, visit coachesvscancer.org.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
Nebraska comes into the Texas A&M  game with a 14-5 mark, and the Huskers have been in a number of close contests this season.

• Seven times this season, it has been five points or closer at the 2:30 mark, including three of Nebraska's five Big 12 games.
• In four of NU's five losses (Vanderbilt, Davidson, Kansas and Texas Tech), Nebraska was within five 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.
• The 2010-11 season marks the first time in six years that Nebraska has been involved in multiple one-point games (63-62 win over Iowa State on Jan. 8; 72-71 loss at Texas Tech on Jan. 22).

GETTING DEFENSIVE
As is typical with Doc Sadler-coached teams, the Huskers' forte is on the defensive end. Nebraska is in the top five nationally in both opponent field goal percentage (.364) and points per game (56.9) following Wednesday's action.  The Huskers have held 12 opponents under 60 points and only two opponents have scored more than 70 points through the first 19 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 four of its first five Big 12 games.

• The Huskers have held all 19 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.
• 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.
• Nebraska's defense has been stingy at home, allowing just 53.4 points per game in 13 home contests.
• 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 was 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.

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, as 10 players have averaged at least 13 minutes per game and no player is averaging at least 30 minutes per game. While the Huskers do not have a player in the top 20 in the league in either scoring or rebounding, they rely on a balanced attack with nine players averaging between 4.5 and 10.6 points per game and six players grabbing at least 3.5 rebounds per game.

• NU has had 10 different players lead the team in scoring at least once, as the only regular who has not accomplished the feat is senior Drake Beranek.
• A total of 11 players have scored in double figures at least once, while Nebraska has had just two current players score 20 or more points this season (Andre Almeida vs. South Dakota; Brandon Richardson at Texas Tech).

JETER IS MAKING POINTS
While the Huskers' strength is their balance,  the leader of Nebraska's attack is senior point guard Lance Jeter, who has started every game over the last two years since arriving from Polk (Fla.) Community College. Jeter, who began his collegiate career as a wide receiver at the University of Cincinnati, has made his mark in two years at Nebraska and now ranks 20th on Nebraska's career assist list. He is one of only three players on the top-20 assist list who will play two seasons or fewer at Nebraska.

Last season, the 6-foot-3, 222-pounder was named to the Big 12's All-Newcomer team by the media after averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He was among the league leaders in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio and fell one assist shy of Nebraska's single-season top-10 list. He also played a team-high 1,024 minutes last season, the highest number of minutes by a Husker in three seasons and second-highest total by a Husker this decade.

In 2010-11, Jeter has been instrumental in the Huskers' success. He leads the team in scoring (10.6 ppg), assists (4.4) and steals (2.0). He is shooting at a 49 percent clip after hitting just 41 percent from the floor as a junior. He tops the Big 12 with a 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and is third in steals and sixth in assists.  He is the only player in the Big 12 currently averaging 10 points with at least four rebounds and four assists per game.

Jeter has been even better in Big 12 action, averaging 10.5 points, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game, ranking first in assists and second in both assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1-to-1) and steals.  More importantly than his numbers, his leadership has been influential in helping the Huskers when they needed him the most.

• Against Iowa State, he totaled 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. His steal and drive in the final six seconds put him on the free throw line, where he sank the go-ahead free throw with 0.4 seconds left in NU's one-point win.
• Against USC, he may have enjoyed his best game as a Husker in leading Nebraska from a 20-point first-half deficit. He totaled 13 points, a career high eight rebounds and had five assists without a turnover.
• Against Creighton, he scored 10 of his 12 points and had five assists after intermission, as the Huskers overcame a nine-point halftime deficit in a 59-54 win. He finished with 12 points, six assists and six rebounds.
• Jeter showed his shooting touch against TCU, draining a trio of 3-pointers as part of a 15-point performance.
• In NU's win over Alcorn State, he nearly broke the school record for steals, recording a career-high seven steals and added 16 points and six assists in the win. His seven thefts were one shy of Nebraska's single-game mark.
• He totaled 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and added five assists and four steals in a 70-67 loss to Davidson.
• He nearly helped the Huskers to an upset at No. 3 Kansas with 13 points and a game-high six assists.
• Jeter keyed the win over Colorado, dishing out a season high nine assists while adding 10 points and six rebounds in helping NU snap the Buffaloes seven-game win streak. His nine assists against CU was the most-ever against the Buffaloes in Big 12 action.
• He nearly led Nebraska on a comeback against Texas Tech, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the second half, as Nebraska erased an eight-point deficit before falling by one to the Red Raiders.

THE QUEST FOR THEFTS
Lance Jeter enters Saturday's game with Texas A&M averaging 2.0 steals per game to rank third in the Big 12. He has 38 steals on the year after totaling just 29 in his first season at Nebraska. He has two or more steals in six of Nebraska's last eight games, including five against Iowa State on Jan. 8. Earlier this season, he had a personal best seven against Alcorn State, which was one shy of the school record. The last Husker to average better than 2.0 steals per game was Cookie Belcher (2.7, 2000-01) while only two Huskers have averaged 2.0 steals per game in the Big 12 era.