Huskers Travel to Iowa State

Game 28: at Iowa State
Game Date: Feb. 26, 2011
Tipoff Time:  12:47 p.m.
Venue: Hilton Coliseum
Capacity: 14,356

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game: 28
2010-11 Record: 18-9, 6-7 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
                Record at Nebraska: 88-67 (5th year)
                Record at Division I: 136-85 (7th year)
                Career Record: 256-124 (13th year)

Iowa State Cyclones
Game: 29
2010-11 Record: 14-14, 1-12 Big 12
Head coach: Fred Hoiberg
                Record at Iowa State: 14-14 (1st year)
                Career Record: same

Broadcast Information
Television: Big 12 Network and ESPN Full Court (complete list of stations)
                Play-by-Play: Brad Sham 
                Color: Stephen Howard
Internet: 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:  Sirius (Ch. 215)

Huskers Travel to Iowa State
Following a tough loss against Kansas State Wednesday evening, the Nebraska men's basketball team looks to bounce back Saturday afternoon as the Huskers travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on the Iowa State Cyclones.

Tipoff is set for 12:47 p.m. and the game will be televised across the region and throughout the nation on the Big 12 Network with Brad Sham and Stephen Howard on the call.  The game can be seen in Nebraska on KLKN (Ch. 8) in Lincoln, KXVO (Ch. 15) in Omaha and KIIT (Ch. 11) in North Platte. The game can also be seen on other markets around the region (complete list on the bottom of page 1), as well as on ESPN Full Court and on the Internet on ESPN3.com.

The Nebraska-Iowa State game will also 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 and available on the Internet at Huskers.com.

The Huskers (18-9, 6-7 Big 12) suffered just their second home loss of the season Wednesday night in falling to Kansas State, 61-57, to fall into a tie with Baylor and Colorado for sixth in the Big 12 standings.

Nebraska held  Kansas State to just 36.2 percent shooting and out-rebounded the Wildcats, 38-32, but shot a season-low 34.7 percent and turned the ball over 17 times. The miscues proved costly, as the Wildcats turned that into 24 points. During the Huskers' three-game win streak, NU averaged just 12 turnovers per game.

The Huskers will need to bounce back quickly against an Iowa State team that is looking to snap a 10-game losing streak. The Cyclones (14-14, 1-13 Big 12) have been in nearly every game in Big 12 play, especially at  Hilton Coliseum, where four of their five losses have come by six points or less. The Cyclones are coming off a 76-53 loss at No. 5 Texas on Tuesday, ISU's fourth straight game against a ranked opponent.

Nebraska will need a strong performance from senior Lance Jeter if the Huskers look to pick up their second straight road win. In addition to his ball handling duties, Jeter has been averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over the last four contests. On the season, he is averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game and is the only player in the Big 12 averaging at least 10 points, four assists and four rebounds per game.

Jeter was the hero in the first meeting between the teams in Lincoln on Jan. 8, hitting a free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining to give Nebraska a 63-62 win. Jeter had 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals in the first game against ISU and averages 14.3 points per game in three career meetings with Iowa State.

Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State looks to get above the .500 mark, as the Cyclones are 14-14 on the season and 1-12 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones are solid offensively with five players averaging in double figures, led by senior point guard Diante Garrett's 17.3 points per game. Garrett also leads the Big 12 in assists at 6.0 per contests. ISU ranks 12th nationally in 3-pointers per game and paces the Big 12 with 8.8 per contest, as they have made 245 3-pointers this season.  Junior guard Scott Christopherson is second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game, including 77-of-169 from 3-point range. ISU could get back a valuable member of their offense on Saturday in senior forward Jamie Vanderbeken (11.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg), who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury. He is second on the team in 3-pointers with 59, hitting 43.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Last Meeting:  Lance Jeter's free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining lifted Nebraska to a 63-62 win over Iowa State on Jan. 8. Jeter combined with Ray Gallegos to steal the ball from ISU's Diante Garrett before Jeter drove the length of the court and was fouled as time expired. The officiating crew ruled that he was fouled with 0.4 seconds remaining, and Jeter hit the second attempt to give the Huskers a one-point lead. Toney McCray then deflected ISU's inbounds pass, preserving the Huskers' 11th straight win. Nebraska trailed 62-58 with 3:40 remaining, but the Huskers held ISU scoreless the rest of the way and connected on 5-of-8 from the line to earn the win. Jeter had 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. Caleb Walker finished with a team-high 13 points, including 11 in the first half, as the Huskers raced out to an early 12-4 lead and led 39-29 at the break. Garrett scored a game-high 18 points for Iowa State, which saw its seven-game win streak snapped.

Nebraska-Iowa State Series
Nebraska leads the all-time series, 131-102, in a series that dates back to Jan. 15, 1909, a 42-20 win in Lincoln. The Huskers  are looking for their first win in Ames since a 73-63 win on Feb. 15, 2006, and are 15-24 at Hilton Coliseum.

• Nebraska looks for its first season sweep of Iowa State since the 1997-98 season, the only time in the Big 12 era where the Huskers have swept the Cyclones.
• Typically the games have gone down to the wire, as 20 of the past 37 matchups have been decided by six points or less, including each of the last three matchups (decided by a combined eight points).
• Former Husker Head Coach and 1991 NU Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Bush (81-132 record as NU's head coach from 1955 to 1963) is the grandfather of ISU coach Fred Hoiberg, who was born in Lincoln.

Last Time Out
Nebraska overcame a seven-point first-half deficit and was within one point with 1:31 remaining, but Kansas State point guard Jacob Pullen scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, lifting the Wildcats to a 61-57 win over the Huskers on Wednesday night at the Devaney Center.

Nebraska, which held its last lead at 38-37 with 14:31 left, trimmed a six-point deficit to 54-53 after Lance Jeter's basket and had an opportunity to tie the score, but Jeter's free throw on the 3-point play bounced off the rim. The Wildcats extended their lead to 55-53 after Will Spradling split a pair of free throws with 1:04 left, and after a missed Husker 3-point attempt, hit the free throws down the stretch.  KSU went 7-of-10 from the foul line in the final 1:04, as Pullen was a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.

The Huskers pulled to within 58-56 on Eshaunte Jones' 3-pointer with 13 seconds left and had a chance trailing 59-56 after Martavious Irving split two free throws. KSU fouled Jeter with eight seconds left before he was able to get a good look at a 3-pointer. The senior hit the first attempt and intentionally missed the second, but Nebraska was unable to get a rebound as the ball didn't hit the rim and Pullen hit two free throws with four seconds left to ice the game.  It was a defensive struggle for both teams, as both squads were held under 40 percent, but Nebraska was doomed by 17 turnovers which were converted to 24 points, while KSU had just 10 turnovers.

Jeter led Nebraska with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while juniors Brandon Richardson and Caleb Walker chipped in nine points apiece, as the Huskers saw their three-game win streak snapped and lost for just the second time at home all season.

Noting the Kansas State game

• Kansas State becomes the second team to win at the Devaney Center this year, as Nebraska falls to 16-2 at home this season.
• Seven of Nebraska's 13 Big 12 games this season have been decided by five points or less, and the Huskers fall to 3-4 in those contests.
• The Huskers have been within five points with 2:30 remaining in six of nine losses this year.
• Nebraska was held to a season-low 34.7 shooting from the field, as the Huskers' previous low was 35.3 percent against Vanderbilt.
• Nebraska out-rebounded Kansas State, 38-32, after KSU came into the game ranked second in the Big 12 in rebounding margin. Nebraska has out-rebounded three of its last four opponents.
• Nebraska committed 17 turnovers, its third-highest total of the season, against Kansas State, and those turnovers led to 24 Kansas State points. The Huskers had committed a total of 22 turnovers in the previous two contests
• Nebraska held Kansas State to just 36.2 percent shooting, the 15th opponent that Nebraska has held to under 40 percent this season.
• Jorge Brian Diaz's four blocked shots were a career high, topping his previous high of three set on several occasions. Diaz now has 12 games with multiple blocked shots this season and is now 10th on Nebraska's career blocked shots list with 73.
• Brandon Ubel's seven rebounds were his highest total in Big 12 play this season, topping his previous high of five on three occasions.

A Win against Iowa State Would...

• Give Nebraska a 19-9 record, matching the program's best record after 28 games in the Big 12 era. The last time NU went 19-9 or better over the first 28 games was 1993-94.
• Would give Nebraska 19 regular-season wins, its highest regular-season win total (not counting conference tournament and postseason) since also winning 19 regular-season games in 1997-98.
• Give Nebraska its first sweep of Iowa State since the 1997-98 season.
• Extend Nebraska's road winning streak to two games, marking the first time the Huskers won back to back road games since Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2009.
• Give Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler his 89th win at Nebraska, tying Barry Collier for fourth place on Nebraska's career wins list.

Huskers Enjoying Strong Season
Nebraska comes into the Iowa State contest with an 18-9 record, already topping last season's victory total. Of the Huskers' six losses this season, five are teams currently in the top 30 in the NCAA's latest RPI rankings (2 vs. Kansas and K-State, 1 each vs. Vanderbilt, and Missouri).

• The record is the Huskers' best 27-game record in the Big 12 era and Nebraska's best record after at that point of the season since 1993-94.
• Nebraska has two wins over ranked teams, victories over No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 3 Texas, the first time Nebraska has defeated a top-three team since 1994.
• The Huskers swept the two Oklahoma schools for the first time since 2005-06 and only the second time in the Big 12 era.
• Nebraska's quick start was recognized on Jan. 10, when the Huskers received four points in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. It was first time since Jan. 16, 2006, that Nebraska had received any points in the coaches poll. NU received votes in both the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll on Jan. 30, the first time that has happened in Doc Sadler's five seasons.

Down to the Wire
One of the keys to Nebraska's success this season has been the ability to get into close contests. Nebraska has played 10 games decided by five points or less (5-5 record). That is a change from last year, where Nebraska played just 10 games decided by 10 points or less.

• Seven of the Huskers' 12 games in conference action have been decided by five points or less and NU is 3-4 in those games.
• Nebraska has been within five points with 2:30 left 11 times this season, including seven times in conference play. NU has a 5-6 mark in those games following Wednesday's loss to Kansas State.
• In six of NU's nine losses (Vanderbilt, Davidson, Kansas, Texas Tech and Baylor), Nebraska was within five points with 2:30 remaining. In addition, at Missouri, Nebraska used a late run and cut a nine-point deficit to four points with 31 seconds left. Against Texas, Nebraska let an 11-point lead evaporate in the final two minutes before winning by three points.
• 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; 59-58 win at Oklahoma on Feb. 16).