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Nebraska Cornhuskers
2011-12 Record: 9-7 (1-4 Big Ten)
Head coach: Doc Sadler
Record at Nebraska: 98-78 (6th year)
Record at Division I: 146-96 (8th year)
Career Record: 267-135 (14th year)
Wisconsin Badgers
2011-12 Record: 13-5 (2-3 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Bo Ryan
Record at UW: 255-96 (11th year)
Career Record: 638-199 (28th year)
Huskers on TV/Radio/Internet
Television: Big Ten Network
(Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Chs. 439, 9500 on DISH; Chs. 24and 333-SH, 1333-HD on Time Warner Cable; Chs. 80SD, 1080-HD on Cox Cable)
Play-by-play: Brian Anderson
Color: Shon Morris
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network
(including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln; KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha; KRVN 880 AM in Lexington)
Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
Color: Matt Davison
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio (Wisconsin Feed): SIRIUS 92, XM 191
Huskers Face Wisconsin on Sunday
The Nebraska men's basketball team looks to build off its first Big Ten win of the season, as the Huskers travel to Wisconsin Sunday evening. Tip off for the tilt between the Huskers and Badgers from the Kohl Center set for 5:06 p.m. (central).
Sunday's game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network with Brian Anderson and Shon Morris on the call. The game will also be available on BTN.com and the BTN2Go App on select mobile devices.
The Nebraska-Wisconsin game will also be carried across Nebraska on the 30-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison calling all of the action. The game can also be heard on the Internet at Huskers.com and season audio packages are also available for purchase on the Huskers' App for your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Nebraska (9-7, 1-4 Big Ten) comes of its best effort in conference play, a 70-58 win over Penn State Wednesday evening. The Huskers shot 55 percent from the floor - their highest effort since November - and placed four players in double figures, as Bo Spencer's 19 points led a balanced attack.
Nebraska's been much crisper on offense the last two games following the return of Jorge Brian Diaz and Dylan Talley from injuries. The Huskers have shot 50 percent in each of the last two contests, the first time this year Nebraska has shot better than 50 percent in consecutive games this season. That is a stark contrast from the 32.5 percent the Huskers shot in their first three conference efforts.
The Huskers' offensive attack will get one of its stiffest tests of the season on Sunday, as they face a Wisconsin squad that is coming off a 67-62 win at Purdue on Thursday night to snap a three-game losing streak. The Badgers (13-5, 2-3 Big Ten) lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing 48.7 points per game, while opponents are shooting just 26 percent from 3-point range. Wisconsin is led by All-America point guard Jordan Taylor, who averages 13.5 points and 4.5 assists per game UW looks to snap a two-game home losing streak in the Kohl Center, as the Badgers lost to both Iowa and Michigan State at home in league play.
The two teams met on Dec. 27 in the Big Ten opener in Lincoln, as Ryan Evans scored a career-high 22 points in a 64-40 Badger win. UW shot 11-of-21 from 3-point range, while holding Nebraska to 31 percent.
Husker Tip Off
•-Nebraska's 29 free throw attempts against Penn State on Wednesday was not only a season best, but the Huskers' highest total since getting to the line 31 times against Davidson in the 2010 Honda Puerto Rico Tipoff (45 games).
In fact, it had been more than four years since the Huskers' got to the line that much in regulation in a conference game. On Jan. 19, 2008, Nebraska got to the line 34 times against Baylor.
- -Brandon Richardson has 123 career steals and enters Sunday's game needing five steals to break into Nebraska's career top-10 list. His 32 steals this season betters his entire 31-game total of a year ago and is three shy of his career best set in 2009-10.
|
No. |
Player (Year) |
Steals |
|
8. |
Larry Florence (1997-2000) |
137 |
|
9. |
Jaron Boone (1993-96) |
131 |
|
10. |
Eric Johnson (1988-89) |
128 |
|
Jack Moore (1979-82) |
128 |
|
|
- |
Brandon Richardson (2009-pres) |
123 |
Last Time Out
Bo Spencer's 19 points led four Nebraska players in double figures, as the Huskers picked up their first-ever Big Ten win, a 70-58 decision over Penn State Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Huskers shot 55 percent and got to the free throw line a season-high 29 times against the Nittany Lions in snapping a four-game losing streak.
Spencer was 10-of-12 from the charity stripe and 4-of-8 from the field while also dishing out a game-high five assists to pace the Big Red. Seniors Toney McCray (13 points) and Caleb Walker (12 points) joined Spencer in double figures, while junior Dylan Talley came off the bench to score 12 points and grab five rebounds, as the quartet accounted for 56 points in the win.
Nebraska took control early, using a 14-2 spurt after Penn State jumped to a quick three-point lead. Baskets by Walker and Brandon Ubel got the Huskers going before a McCray 3-pointer and three foul shots by Spencer capped a run of 10 straight points to give NU a 13-6 advantage. After a Sasa Borovnjak basket, Walker and Ubel came right back for NU, closing the run with a pair of hoops to stake Nebraska to a 17-8 advantage.
Penn State (9-9, 1-4 Big Ten) fought back and was within 19-15 after a Tim Frazier 3-pointer, but Nebraska responded with another 8-0 spurt, building a 27-15 lead after a McCray 3-pointer with 5:49 left in the first half. The Huskers shot 52 percent in the first half and enjoyed a 19-10 advantage on the glass to build a 34-22 halftime lead.
Frazier, who scored 19 of his career-high 30 points in the second half, kept Penn State within striking distance as PSU was within 37-27 after his layup with 18:22 left before Nebraska broke the game open with eight unanswered points, making it a 45-27 lead after consecutive 3-pointers from Talley and Walker.
Penn State, which shot just 33 percent from the field, pulled to within 11 points on several occasions, but Nebraska kept a comfortable double-digit lead down the stretch, getting to the foul line 22 times in the second half and holding PSU to just 3-of-24 from long distance.
Scouting Wisconsin
Under Coach Bo Ryan, Wisconsin has been one of the Big Ten's best programs over the past decade. The Badgers have won five Big Ten titles and come off a Sweet 16 appearance in 2010-11. Wisconsin is 13-5 on the season, but just 2-3 in Big Ten play entering Sunday's game. Wisconsin opened league play with a win over the Huskers on Dec. 27, but dropped three straight, including home setbacks to Iowa and Michigan State, before rebounding on Thursday night against Purdue. In that game, Wisconsin jumped out to a 22-4 lead in the first eight minutes and was forced to hold on as Purdue pulled within two points in the second half. The Badgers put five players in double figures, led by Ben Brust's 13-point effort, and went 20-of-24 from the foul line.
Wisconsin's calling card has been its defense, as the Badgers lead the country in scoring defense (48.7) and are the only school in the country holding opponents to under 50 points per game. UW also ranks second nationally in field goal percentage defense (.351) and in 3-point percentage defense (.259).
All-America guard Jordan Taylor keys the Wisconsin attack, as the Badgers lead the nation in fewest turnovers per game. Taylor averages 13.5 points per game and is fourth in the Big Ten with 4.5 assists per game. A Wooden Award candidate and consensus All-American, Taylor has become more of a scorer in Big Ten action, averaging 16.8 points per game in league play. Taylor is one of three UW players averaging double figures, as Jared Berggren is second on the team with 11.0 points per game, while Ben Brust comes off the bench and averages 10.1 points per game, including a team-high 41 3-pointers. Ryan Evans, who had a career-high 22 points in the first matchup, is at 9.9 points per game and leads Wisconsin in rebounding at 6.7 per outing.
Nebraska-Wisconsin Series
The Huskers make their first trip to Madison since 1990 on Sunday and just the eighth visit all-time. The Huskers lead the all-time series, 10-7, but look to snap a two-game losing skid to the Badgers. Nebraska had won eight straight meetings in a series that dates back to the 1903-04 season. Nebraska won the first meeting, 25-22 over the Badgers in Lincoln before Wisconsin took five of the next six meetings from 1907 to 1955. Nebraska then won eight straight matchups before Wisconsin snapped the streak with a 78-41 win at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Last Meeting: Toney McCray scored a team-high 16 points, but the Nebraska basketball team dropped its Big Ten opener against No. 11 Wisconsin, 64-40. McCray hit 6-of-15 shots from the floor, but was the only Husker in double figures, as Wisconsin held the Huskers to their lowest point total since the 2006-07 season and snapped NU's four-game win streak. Ryan Evans led Wisconsin with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while All-American Jordan Taylor added 15 points and five assists, as Wisconsin shot 51 percent on the night, including 11-of-21 from 3-point range.
Healthy Players, Healthier Offense
Not only have the Huskers faced a rough Big Ten schedule to open conference play (vs. No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 6 Ohio State), but did so without two of their top four scorers in Jorge Brian Diaz and Dylan Talley. Diaz, who was averaging 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, missed five games because of a foot injury. At the time of his injury, he was leading the Big Ten in blocked shots and was second on the team in rebounding. Talley, who was NU's sixth man, was third on the squad in scoring at 9.1 points per game while also chipping in 3.6 rebounds per game prior to missing the last five contests with a thigh injury.
Both players missed nearly a month of action because of injuries before returning to action at Illinois on Jan. 7. Their return has helped the Husker offense greatly, as the Huskers have shot at least 50 percent in each of the last two games. It is the first time the Huskers have shot 50 percent in consecutive conference games since a four-game stretch in 2008 (Feb. 20-March 1).
On the season, Nebraska has averaged 13 points per game more with the two players in the lineup and shooting at 46 percent from the floor, compared to just 32 percent without the two players. It has also helped NUs depth, as the Husker bench finished with 15.5 points since the return after averaging just 6.6 points from their bench in the previous five contests.
|
Games |
PPG |
FG Pct. |
RPG |
Reb, Diff. |
|
With Diaz & Talley |
66.1 |
.462 |
33.8 |
+3.5 |
|
Without Diaz & Talley |
53.4 |
.372 |
27.4 |
-5.0 |
Two Teams Which Pride themselves on Defense
Both Wisconsin and Nebraska have been traditionally two of the best defensive teams in their conferences. Nebraska led the Big 12 in scoring defense in three of its final four years in the league, while Wisconsin has led the Big Ten in scoring defense three times in the past four year and leads again in 2011-12.
|
Year |
Team |
PPG |
Big 12 |
Team |
PPG |
B1G |
|
2007-08 |
Neb. |
60.7 |
1st |
Wis. |
54.4 |
1st |
|
2008-09 |
Neb. |
60.4 |
1st |
Wis. |
50.0 |
2nd |
|
2009-10 |
Neb. |
65.7 |
4th |
Wis. |
56.9 |
1st |
|
2010-11 |
Neb. |
60.5 |
1st |
Wis. |
58.6 |
1st |
|
Year |
Team |
PPG |
B1G |
Team |
PPG |
B1G |
|
2011-12 |
Neb. |
62.0 |
7th |
Wis. |
48.7 |
1st |
Taking Advantage at the Stripe
One area where the Huskers have been proficient is at the free throw line, where Nebraska's 75.4 percent rate leads the Big Ten and ranks 15th nationally.
It is on track to be one of the best seasons in school history, as only two Husker teams have shot over 75 percent since 1948, led by the 1967-68 team which was third nationally when they hit a school-record 76.5 percent from the line. Prior to this season, NU's best season under Doc Sadler was 71.3 percent during the 2006-07 campaign.
Here are some quick facts on Nebraska's prowess from the line.
- Nebraska has shot 70 percent or better from the line in 12 of 16 contests and 80 percent or better six times. The Huskers have shot under 70 percent in consecutive games once this season.
- Nebraska has ranked in the top-10 nationally in free throw percentage two times in school history (1993-94 and 1967-68).
- Three Huskers are shooting over 80 percent from the line this season, Bo Spencer (86.8 percent), Dylan Talley (85.2 percent) and Brandon Richardson (83.8 percent).
- Spencer is on pace to be Nebraska's best free throw shooter since Cary Cochran led the nation at 92.2 percent in 2001-02.
- The Huskers have been at their best in the clutch, hitting 78 percent (63-of-81) from the line in the last five minutes of games this season.
One thing Sadler has stressed is getting to the free throw line more often, as Nebraska has averaged 19.7 attempts in its nine wins, but just 13.5 attempts in its seven losses.
Spencer Makes the Point for the Huskers
While Nebraska returned four starters from a team that won 19 games last season, the loss of point guard Lance Jeter was a significant one. An All-Big 12 performer, Jeter led the Huskers in both scoring and assists in 2010-11.
Luckily for the Huskers, they already had a veteran point guard on the roster, as senior Bo Spencer sat out last season after transferring from LSU. He has been a solid performer during the first half of the season, averaging 14.9 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-high 86.8 percent from the foul line.
Spencer has been an iron man for the Huskers, averaging 33.6 minutes per game which is the highest total by a Husker since Charles Richardson in 2006-07 (36.3 minutes per game) and his 14.9 ppg is on pace to be the highest scoring average by a Husker guard in seven years.
Spencer has reached double figures a team-high 13 times, including four 20-point performances, which is the most by a Husker since the 2008-09 season.
He got off to a slow start in Big Ten play, averaging 10.0 points per game while shooting 26 percent in NU's first three games, but is averaging 16.5 ppg on 50 percent shooting in Nebraska's last two contests. Spencer had 19 points, including 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line, and five assists in Wednesday's win over Penn State.
He enjoyed his best offensive game of the year at Creighton on Dec. 4, pouring in 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting and adding five rebounds in the highest scoring effort by a Husker since 2007-08.
Spencer led Nebraska to a road win at TCU on Dec. 10, hitting 7-of-12 shots, including four 3-pointers, in NU's 69-57 victory. That performance was highlighted by a 65-footer to beat the halftime buzzer. At USC on Nov. 14, he had 22 points, including the tying basket in overtime and the go-ahead bucket in double overtime, and also tied a personal best with seven rebounds. Against Rhode Island on Nov. 20, he had 23 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor, four assists and three steals. Against South Dakota State on Nov. 26, Spencer had a then-career-high eight assists along with 18 points and six rebounds as he out-played Nate Wolters. He enjoyed a strong night against Central Michigan on Dec. 20, when he dished out a career-high nine assists and tied for team-high honors with 15 points. Spencer came off the bench against No. 16 Michigan State on Dec. 31, leading the Huskers with 15 points.
Before coming to Nebraska, he started two seasons at LSU, averaging 14.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game in 2009-10. Spencer showed the ability to get to the basket, putting up 11 games of at least 20 points, including a season-high 28-point effort against Western Kentucky and back-to-back 25-point contests against Kentucky and Tennessee.
In his three-year LSU career, he reached double figures in 45 of 93 career contests, including 21 times as a junior. Spencer was the starting point guard on LSU's Southeastern Conference championship squad in 2008-09, as the Tigers reached the second round before falling to eventual champion North Carolina.
McCray Enjoyed Starting Role
Fifth-year senior Toney McCray has overcome a slow start to play some of the best basketball of his career in 2011-12. The 6-foot-6 senior was hampered by surgery on his feet over the summer and a toe injury in October, but has rebounded to enjoy a breakout senior year. He is setting career bests in scoring (10.6 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (51.1 pct.), while also shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. He is one of four players in the Big Ten in the top 15 in both field goal and 3-point percentage.
McCray, who averaged just 3.8 points per game in Nebraska's first four games, is averaging 12.9 points since then and has been in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games.
He has really excelled since he moved into the starting lineup after an injury to Jorge Brian Diaz in mid-December, leading the Huskers in scoring (14.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.6) over the last seven games. He has been in double figures in each of those games, which is the longest stretch of his career. Prior to this season, his longest stretch of games in double figures was four games (Feb. 26-March 9, 2011).
The stretch began with a 20-point, seven-rebound effort against Alcorn State on Dec. 17, and had 16 points and nine rebounds against No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 27. McCray led NU with 13 points and five rebounds at No. 6 Ohio State and totaled 12 points and six rebounds at Illinois on Saturday. He had 13 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's win over Penn State.
Earlier this season, McCray had three straight games where he tied or set season highs, including 15 points and five rebounds at No. 22 Creighton on Dec. 4. He also had 12 points in Nebraska's games against South Dakota and Wake Forest and 16 points against No. 16 Michigan State last Saturday.
McCray may have made his biggest contributions from the foul line in the double overtime win at USC on Nov. 14. A career 61 percent shooter from the line entering his senior year, McCray hit four clutch free throws at USC - two in the final minute of regulation and a pair with 2.8 seconds remaining in overtime - for his only points of the night in NU's 65-61 double overtime win. McCray is up to a career-best 69 percent this season from the line.
Richardson is Huskers' Glue Guy
While senior guard Brandon Richardson doesn't lead the Huskers in any offensive category, his versatility is his greatest asset. The fifth-year senior averages 6.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, while he leads Nebraska and ranks third in the Big Ten in steals (2.0 per game).
Richardson enters this weekend's action in second place among active Big Ten players in career steals, and he is on pace to become the first Husker since Cookie Belcher in 2000-01 to average more than two steals per game. Belcher, who holds three of the top four totals in school history, still ranks fourth in NCAA history with 353.
Richardson, who had four points and three rebounds in Wednesday's win over Penn State, enjoyed one of his best weeks of the season last week, averaging 10.5 points per game on 60 percent shooting and 5.0 steals per game in the losses to No. 6 Ohio State and Illinois. Richardson was in double figures in both contests, the first time he has done that since the opening two games of the season. At Ohio State, he totaled 11 points and a career-high seven steals, the league's single-game high in 2011-12.
The 6-foot senior came up big in his return home to Los Angeles on Nov. 14, totaling 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range in the Huskers' overtime win at USC. He matched his career best with four 3-pointers and dished out a pair of assists, including the game-tying basket in double overtime. Against Rhode Island on Nov. 20, he keyed a Husker defense which held Jamal Wilson to 14 points after averaging 31 points in the Rams first two games and set then-career highs in both assists (eight) and steals (four).
Richardson had his best offensive game of the year in the non-conference finale against Central Michigan on Dec. 20, finishing with a season-high 15 points and three assists. He has been aggressive at getting to the foul line in recent games, taking 16 free throw attempts in the last five games after having 15 in the Huskers' first 10 games.
Throughout his career, Richardson has been clutch from the free throw line, as he ranks third in school history with an 83.3 career percentage from the charity stripe and is one of only four players in program history to shoot over 80 percent for a career. This year, he is hitting a career-best 89.5 percent from the foul line.
Last year, he was second in Big 12 action in league play, hitting 87.8 of his free throws, including a stretch of 25 consecutive made free throws. Throughout his career, he has been his best in late-game situations, going 77-of-82 from the foul line in the final five minutes of games, a remarkable 94 percent.
Diaz Becoming Consistent Inside Force
Junior center Jorge Brian Diaz has been a steady presence for the Huskers throughout his three-year career, and his presence was felt in his absence over the last month. The 6-foot-11 center is one of three Huskers averaging double figures with 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and made his return to action on Saturday after missing the last five contests with a foot injury. Diaz took just four shots against Penn State on Wednesday, but grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots, helping the Huskers hold PSU to 33 percent shooting.
Offensively, he has been in double figures five times and now has 36 career games in double figures. He ranks 53rd on Nebraska's career scoring list with 738 points and needs 20 points to reach the top 50.
Defensively, he would lead the Big Ten in blocked shots, but has not played enough games to qualify for league rankings, as he has had three or more blocks in six of his 11 games. Diaz, who has 106 career blocked shots became the ninth Husker to record 100 blocks with his three blocks at TCU on Dec. 10. He tied his career high with five blocks in the one-point win over Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7, joining Illinois' Meyers Leonard and Michigan State's Draymond Green as the only Big Ten players with two games with at least five blocked shots this season.
Diaz enjoyed one of the best offensive games of his career against Oregon on Nov. 23, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks. He had eight of his points in a 22-7 run to help the Huskers erase a 15-point deficit before succumbing in the final minute. It was his third career 20-point effort and first since his freshman year. He nearly recorded a double-double at Creighton on Dec. 4 with 10 points and seven rebounds while also blocking a pair of shots. He turned in a strong effort at USC on Nov. 14 when he nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in a career-high 43 minutes. He also played a major role in holding USC's Dewayne Dedmon to four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Against South Dakota in the season opener, he finished with 11 points and a career-high five blocked shots, which equaled the highest single-game blocked shot total in the last six years.
Throughout his career, Diaz has been a scoring threat, as the 6-foot-11 junior is only the third Husker returnee to average in double figures under Sadler, joining Aleks Maric and Ryan Anderson in 2007-08. He is now 262 points away from becoming the 26th Husker to score 1,000 points.
Talley Provides Instant Offense
When Doc Sadler talked about the addition of Dylan Talley, the thing he constantly mentioned was his ability to score. Talley has lived up to the billing, coming off the bench to average 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in just 22.9 minutes of action. Talley returned to action against Illinois Jan. 7, and had a solid performance in the win over Penn State, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds. Talley, who is hitting 39 percent from 3-point range, is also proficient at the line where he is hitting at an 85 percent clip. Talley is averaging 10.0 points per game off the bench, but went scoreless in his only start of the season against Creighton on Dec. 4.
Talley has shown the knack for the heroics, hitting a game-winning basket with 10.4 seconds remaining against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7, as part of a 14-point effort. The 6-foot-5 guard reached double figures in three straight games earlier this season, including a season-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, four rebounds, four assists and three steals against Oregon on Nov. 23. Talley had 12 points and three rebounds against South Dakota State on Nov. 24, and totaled 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and five rebounds in 18 minutes against Rhode Island on Nov. 20.
Talley's adjustment may have been helped by the Division I experience he had when playing at Binghamton (N.Y.) University in 2009-10. That season, he was the America East Rookie of the Year and averaged 11.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Last year, he was an honorable-mention All-American at Blinn (Texas) College, ranking sixth in the NJCAA in scoring at 23.0 points per game while also chipping in 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.