Huskers Looking for an Encore after Biggest Win Since '94

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It's hard to imagine anyone who enjoyed Nebraska's biggest basketball win in 17 years more than Doc Sadler, his coaching staff, his players and his support staff, which includes an athletic director who has stuck firmly behind his head coach's efforts to resurrect the program.

That's why Tom Osborne was asked to visit a jubilant locker room last Saturday, so he could remind the Huskers how quickly they need to come back to earth after they reached heights they haven't seen in nearly two decades with a 70-67 win over Big 12 leader Texas.

"That's why he's a Hall-of-Fame coach," Sadler said of Osborne. "He's had lots of big wins like that, and he knows how hard it is to come back and get the same kind of focus and emotion from everyone involved."

Osborne said Monday that he only speaks from experience. "Sometimes, you can get so caught up celebrating a big win that you don't take care of business the next game," he said. "It's happened to teams I've coached, and I just wanted to let them know how important it is to refocus and understand why you need to take advantage of what you worked so hard to achieve in the first place."

Next up for the Huskers, of course, is Wednesday's 8 p.m. ESPNU nationally televised game against Kansas State at the Devaney Center. Possible NCAA Basketball Tournament bids are on the line, not to mention separation between two teams with identical 6-6 records in the Big 12.

Home games can be killers after emotional highs, and Osborne will never forget how his team upset top-ranked Oklahoma, 17-14, in 1978, only to come back the next week and drop a 35-31 decision to Missouri in Lincoln.

"It's not that we didn't try hard or give great effort in that game," he recalled. "We did. It's just important to re-channel whatever emotion you have left into the next week's practices. You always play like you practice."

Sadler agrees. "There is no doubt that Coach Osborne is right," he said. "The K-State game will not be won on Wednesday night. It will be won on how well we practice Monday and Tuesday. I appreciated him coming into our locker room and making that point."

Double the Post Double the Pleasure

Everyone seems to love Nebraska beginning the second half of the Texas game in a double-post offense that changed the tempo and created a decisive Husker edge in the paint.

No one loved it more than Dave Hoppen, a 6-foot-10 post who was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference player and still ranks as the Huskers' all-time leading basketball scorer.

"I don't know what Doc said to them at halftime, but the big men really came out and played well in the second half," Hoppen said. "Andre Almeida was the one who really set the tone. He was big. So was Brandon Richardson, taking the ball to the basket and not just settling for jump shots. That was the key."

On his way out the door of the Devaney Center last Saturday, Hoppen volunteered an important observation. "I don't think this team knows how good it can be offensively," he said. "If they keep playing aggressively and going to the basket like they did against maybe the best defensive team in the country, they can make the NCAA field and ..."

Hoppen stopped short. He didn't finish the sentence because he doesn't want to put pressure on his favorite team. But it was clear that he thinks the Huskers not only can qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but win its first-ever NCAA game, perhaps even more.

Fellow Nebraska Hall-of-Fame post player Bruce Chubick wasn't afraid to make the statement in an emotional celebration on press row before sitting down to talk to Husker play-by-play announcer Kent Pavelka, who had described the celebration in front of him waving his arms like he was conducting an orchestra. Hit the button in the photo at the top of this column and watch the video highlights with Pavelka's calls. It's worth it to hear him shout: "Sign your name, Doc. There's your signature win!" near the end.

Matt Davison, the Husker Sports Network's color analyst, was shooting video of Pavelka on his smart phone immediately after the win. "Like so many others, Kent has made a huge emotional investment in this team, and I wanted to help him remember it," Davison said.

Formally inducted into the Nebraska Basketball Hall of Fame, Chubick didn't need air time with Pavelka. He went out on the limb for Huskers.com eight days before the Texas upset, boldly predicting that Nebraska had the heart to get on a run and win an NCAA Tournament game, even though the Huskers were only 3-6 in the Big 12 at the time.

Saturday, addressing the Devaney Center crowd moments before both teams took the floor, Chubick acknowledged how Texas was coming into the game with an 11-0 Big 12 record. "Let's send them home 11-1!" he said.

The crowd roared and got into the game quickly - something it will need to do again Wednesday night when K-State, the nation's preseason No. 3 team, visits the Devaney Center for the final time. Save yourself some time. Buy your tickets here, print them on your computer and make sure you're in your seats at least 30 minutes before the later than usual 8 p.m. tipoff so you're part of the pregame atmosphere.

Greg Sharpe, who calls Nebraska basketball play-by-play on Fox Sports Network, said the win was the Huskers' biggest since they upset No. 3 Missouri in the semifinals of Kansas City's Big Eight Post-Season Tournament in 1994. "Nebraska also upset No. 3 Kansas here in 1993," Sharpe recalled. "Bruce Chubick was big in both of those games." The second Sharpe made that observation, Chubick was right next to him. "They had a little bit of your spirit in them today, Bruce," Sharpe told Chubick, patting him on the back. "Your pregame speech was great, and your Hall of Fame Day has to be one of the most memorable ever."

Mitch Holthus Calls Almeida 'The Bouncer'

Mitch Holthus, the Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs, called Saturday's Nebraska-Texas game on television and ended up as a cut-in across the country to describe the monumental upset for ESPN. We caught up with Holthus in between those bursts of national coverage, which included interruptions during the Kansas-Colorado nationally televised game.

"It was astonishing," Holthus said. "Texas not only had won 11 games in the league in a row. They had pulverized people. I mean, 10 of the 11 wins were by double-digits and the only one that wasn't was beating Baylor by nine. That was our thesis going into the broadcast ... the way Texas was wiping out everybody they played.

"Doc deserves a ton of credit for his game plan and the way his guys carried it out," Holthus said. "I think the biggest part of the game early on was the courage Nebraska showed, particularly (Lance) Jeter and Richardson going after the basket. They didn't settle for jump shots. They went right at the rim against the best shot-blocker in the league. They beat Texas off the dribble - something no one had done in league play all year. Nebraska started the game that way and just sequentially kept adding on."

Holthus thought it was "memorable" the way Nebraska's "bigs" outplayed Texas in the paint. "They made some big-time plays and were able to finish inside against one of the best defensive teams in the country," he said. "I think we should call Almeida 'The Bouncer' because today, even his friends weren't getting in unless they showed ID."

A Kansas State graduate who's married to a former K-State women's basketball player, Holthus couldn't help acknowledging the irony of Nebraska upsetting Texas in basketball.

"We all know everyone wanted this win in football. They just had to wait until February to get it," he said with a wink and a smile.

No wonder Osborne was more than willing to visit the Husker locker room. He wants one of the school's greatest wins in history followed Wednesday night by another major victory, which in turn, could set the stage for more big wins down the stretch.

Buckle up. It's almost March, and the Huskers, for the first time in a long time, feel like dancing.

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Voices from Husker Nation

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed broadcasting the win over Texas. The crowd and game environment was unbelievable. Regarding that, I must say that the Devaney Center takes a backseat to no Big 12 venue we've been at this year. It's been, at least, the equal of KU (we had them stunned into silence at times), on par with K-State (they save their best stuff for KU & Missouri), decidedly better than Missouri, and tons better than Tech, Baylor and OU. Put the Texas talk on the shelf for reminiscing purposes after the season. Next up is Kansas State Wednesday night in Lincoln. This is bigger than Texas because in the end, it might well be an NCAA play-in game. Radio broadcast with Matt (Davison) starts at 7:04; tipoff just after 8 p.m. This is a big-deal game. You all should come! I can't wait. Kent Pavelka, Omaha, Nebraska

I'm an old friend of Kent P's. Did the game site producing for football with him for a few years, grew up in Lincoln and share his love of Nebraska basketball. Am trying to find the link to the video of the post-game Texas celebration where you said the video is linked to his audio call. I'd LOVE to see/hear that! But there's not a button in the top photo as your column describes. Can you send me the link? Great separate article on Kent's award, too. Wow, what great memories of Husker hoops. Thanks much. Tim Roesler, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Editor's note: The black arrow button in the white circle is centered in the photo, right at the top of Brandon Richardson's jersey. Hit it and after a brief commercial, a familiar voice will describe an historic win.

I will admit it. I stayed home Saturday thinking we would be overmatched playing Texas. I was so wrong and knew it in the first minute of the second half. Watching the game on TV was fun, but nothing like being there, I'm sure. I am not making the same mistake twice. I will be in the stands Wednesday night for K-State. A friend who made the same mistake I did will be with me. I would sign my name, but I don't want to embarrass either one of us. We will support the Huskers, win or lose, from here on out. This team is for real, and they deserve every fan that can make it to the Devaney Center.

Fantastic article on the Huskers' win against Texas. I'm a sophomore member of the Red Zone, and I haven't missed a game from the front row while being here at the U. The atmosphere at the game was one of the best I've ever experienced, and we need a repeat performance tomorrow night. I think a few of my Red Zone buddies and I will be making an Andre "Bouncer" Almeida poster this evening. Great insight ... we'll see you at the Bob tomorrow. GBR Joel Hunter-Pirtle, Lincoln, Nebraska

35 years ago, on February 8, 1976, as a 16-year-old high school junior, I arrived at the NU Coliseum at 4:30 p.m. -- for a 7:35 p.m. tipoff -- to secure my seat on a wooden plank 10 feet in front of Kent Pavelka's KFAB perch. It was the perfect vantage to scream for the NU men's basketball team as it prepared to battle Kansas State. The Huskers, sporting a 7-2 Big 8 record at the time, were in a three-way race with Missouri and Kansas State for the Big 8 lead. Unfortunately, a guy by the name of Mike Evans burned the nets that night for KSU, and NU fell to the Wildcats, 65-53, and the Big Red finished the 1976 conference season in third place. Well, Kent, I'll be 375 miles northwest of you Wednesday night, but my radio, which is certainly a comparable vantage to being at the arena's courtside, will only be 10 feet away. I'll hang on your every word as I await Husker redemption from blowing that game 35 years ago. I'm smelling NCAATournament!  Please, Big Red, and Devaney Center, crowd into those red cushion seats and make it happen vs. KSU!! Kevin Horn, Alliance, Nebraska

Love the columns. Also love listening to Kent and Matt call the games and hearing their enthusiasm!! Living out here in the western end of the state and working on most game days, I don't get to many games. I love watching this team play. They seem to be hitting a groove, and if they get on a roll offensively with this defense, they can beat anyone anywhere! Hope the stands are packed tomorrow night! This team could go a long ways still!! GO BIG RED!!!! Andrew Gamble, North Platte, Nebraska

I live in a football-crazy state, but I'm a Husker through-and-through and have never enjoyed listening to Nebraska basketball more than this season on Huskers.com. Kent, you are a treasure, and even when Nebraska is on TV, I tune into you. Everyone should turn their TV down and let you describe what's going on. It's fast, fun and the best way to experience Nebraska basketball. Larry Nelson, Huntsville, Alabama

Probably the best Husker team in the last 17 years ... by far. Michael Sexton

I'm lucky to have been at four of the top six victories in the last 20 years - wins over #2 Oklahoma State, #5 Michigan State, #2 Texas and #2 KU. Those are the games Nebraska needs to build on for success every year. Jay Jasinski, Omaha, Nebraska