Huskers Host Hoosiers for First Time since 1942

Game 18: vs. Indiana
Game Date: Jan. 18, 2012
Tipoff Time: 6:01 p.m. (central)
Venue: Bob Devaney Sports Center
Capacity: 13,595

Nebraska Cornhuskers
2011-12 Record: 9-8 (1-5 Big Ten)

Head coach: Doc Sadler
   Record at Nebraska: 98-79 (6th year)
   Record at Division I: 146-97 (8th year)
   Career Record: 267-136 (14th year)

Indiana Hoosiers
2011-12 Record: 15-3 (3-3 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Tom Crean
   Record at IU: 43-69 (4th year)
   Career Record: 233-165 (13th year)

Huskers on TV/Radio/Internet
Television: Big Ten Network 
(Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Chs. 439, 9500 on DISH; Chs. 24 and 333-SH, 1333-HD on Time Warner Cable; Chs. 80 SD, 1080-HD on Cox Cable)
  Play-by-play: Gus Johnson
  Color: Eddie Johnson

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: SIRIUS 91, XM 91

Huskers Host No. 11 Indiana Wednesday
The Nebraska men's basketba10ll team hosts one of college basketball's traditional powers Wednesday evening, as the No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers come to Lincoln for a matchup with the Huskers. Tipoff at the Bob Devaney Sports Center is set for 6:01 p.m. (central), as Indiana makes its first appearance in Lincoln since 1942.

Tickets are available for Wednesday's game between the Huskers and Hoosiers for as a little as $10 by visiting Huskers.com or calling 800-8-BIGRED. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive Husker rally towels courtesy of adidas.

Wednesday's game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network with Gus Johnson and Eddie Johnson on the call. The game will also be available on BTN.com and the BTN2Go App on select mobile devices.

The Nebraska-Indiana 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 (9-8, 1-5 Big Ten) turned in arguably its best defensive effort of the season Sunday night at Wisconsin, but it was not enough as the Huskers lost 50-45. Nebraska held the Badgers to a season-low 31.3 percent shooting, but could not capitalize on the offensive end, shooting just 35.2 percent from the field and getting to the foul line twice against UW. Bo Spencer led Nebraska with 13 points, but no other Husker finished in double figures.

Nebraska has run hot and cold offensively during conference play, as the Huskers had 70 points in Wednesday's win against Penn State, but has been held to under 50 points three times, including twice against a Wisconsin team that leads the nation in scoring defense. Nebraska had shot 50 percent in its previous two games prior to Sunday's loss.

The Husker defense will be tested on Wednesday, as Nebraska faces an Indiana team that is explosive on offense. The Hoosiers (15-3, 3-3 Big Ten) average a league-high 80.8 points per game and lead the conference in both field goal percentage (.497) and 3-point percentage (.450).  Freshman forward Cody Zeller paces five Hoosiers who average double figures with 14.8 points per game.

Husker Tip Off

29 & 2

Nebraska's last two games are best summarized by the Huskers' attempts at the free throw line.

Against Penn State on Wednesday, the Huskers went to the foul line a season-best 29 times, which was Nebraska's most in 45 games dating back to last year and most in regulation in a conference game since 2008. The Huskers went 19-of-29 from the line in picking up their first Big Ten win.

On Sunday at Wisconsin, the Huskers got to the line only twice - a pair of free throws by Brandon Ubel with 5:16 remaining - in a 50-45 setback. It was not only the Huskers' lowest total of the season. but the lowest in Doc Sadler's six years at Nebraska. The Huskers were outscored 18-2 from the foul line in the five-point loss.

Last Time Out
Nebraska whittled an 11-point deficit against Wisconsin to two in the second half, but the Huskers were unable to complete the comeback, falling 50-45 against the Badgers at the Kohl Center Sunday evening.

Nebraska trailed 36-25 midway through the second half, but rallied behind the shooting of Bo Spencer and Dylan Talley, as Nebraska fought back to make it a one-possession game down the stretch.

Jordan Taylor led Wisconsin with 19 points, including 11-of-15 shooting from the foul line, while Josh Gasser added 12, including eight in the first half as Wisconsin built a 24-21 halftime lead .

Spencer led Nebraska with 13 points while Talley scored all nine of his points in the second half in the losing effort.

Trailing 36-25 with 11:35 left, a Toney McCray driving layup started an 8-0 Husker run, as Spencer connected on two straight 3-pointers to pull the Huskers within 36-33 with 9:44 left. Talley's basket moments later pulled NU within 38-35, but the Badgers scored the next five points to take a 43-35 lead.

Brandon Ubel broke the UW run with a pair of free throws before Spencer's 3-pointer made it 43-40 with 4:10 remaining.

Nebraska, which held Wisconsin to a season-low 31.3 percent from the floor and to one field goal in the final nine minutes, had a chance to get closer on its next possession, but a Jorge Brian Diaz miss with 2:58 gave Wisconsin the ball.

The Badgers then ran the clock and missed the shot, but got the offensive rebound and kept the possession alive. Wisconsin kept crashing the boards with four offensive rebounds on the possession before Gasser hit a pair of free throws with 1:20 left to make it 45-40.

On the Huskers' next possession, Talley's 3-pointer with 29 seconds left pulled the Huskers within 45-43, but were forced to foul. After Taylor hit a pair of free throws, Spencer got Nebraska within 47-45 with a driving layup with 18 seconds left. NU fouled Taylor, who made the first, but missed the second, but the Badger point guard got the offensive rebound and sank a pair of free throws for the final margin.

The Huskers, who never led, stayed in the game in the first half on the defensive end. Nebraska forced 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes in trailing 24-21 at the break.

Scouting Indiana
Indiana has been one of college basketball's biggest surprises this season, as the Hoosiers have bounced back after finishing 13-20 last year and come into Wednesday's game with a 15-3 mark and a No. 11 national ranking in this week's AP Poll. The Hoosiers entered Big Ten play with a 12-0 mark with 11 of the wins coming by double figures. IU lost at Michigan State before winning three straight, including wins over both Ohio State and Michigan. The Hoosiers look to snap a two-game losing streak, as Indiana was upset by Minnesota on Thursday before falling in a rematch at Ohio State on Sunday.

Tom Crean is in his fourth season at Indiana after spending the previous nine years at Marquette, including a Final Four appearance in 2002-03. A former assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, Crean's first three Indiana teams won a combined 28 games before this season. IU already has wins over No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Ohio State, the first time a Hoosier team has topped both a No. 1 and No. 2 ranked team in the same year.

Crean has faced Nebraska twice as a head coach during his time at Marquette, an 82-61 Golden Eagle win in 2004 and a 84-74 setback to the Huskers on Nov. 30, 2005.

Indiana brings a high-powered offense to town, as the Hoosiers average a BIg Ten-leading 80.8 points per game and lead the conference in both field goal percentage (.497) and 3-point percentage (.450). Freshman Cody Zeller has been a force inside, as he averages a team-high 14.8 points per game on 65 percent shooting while also grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game. On the perimeter, forward Christian Watford (12.9 ppg) and guard Jordan Hulls (12.3 ppg) are both shooting  over 47 percent from 3-point range. As a team, the Hoosiers have five players averaging in double figures.

Nebraska-Indiana Series history
Nebraska and Indiana meet for the 10th time in history and the first time in nearly 30 years on Wednesday night. It will be the first meeting in Lincoln since 1942, when the Hoosiers won 40-30 at the Nebraska Coliseum.

The Hoosiers lead the all-time series, 8-1, and have won seven straight meetings since 1937-38. The two teams split the first two meetings in Lincoln during the 1919-20 season, including a 38-18 Husker victory. Seven of the nine matchups were played before to the end of World War II.  The last meeting took place on Dec. 30, 1982, in the Hoosier Classic in Indianapolis. In that game, Randy Wittman's 19 points led all scorers, as the Hoosiers posted a 67-50 win. Dave Hoppen and David Ponce led the Huskers with 12 points apiece.

Nebraska has faced only one team from the state of Indiana in Sadler's tenure, a pair of non-conference matchups against IPFW in 2007 and 2008.

Healthier 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.  The Huskers shot 50 percent in each of their first two games back before being held in check at Wisconsin on Sunday. When NU shot 50 percent against Illinois and Penn State, it marked 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 11 points per game more with the two players in the lineup and shooting at 45 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 15.3 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       64.3       .452          33.3      +2.0
Without Diaz & Talley  53.4       .372          27.4       -5.0

A Rare Loss Holding Opponents Under 50 Points
Sunday's 50-45 loss at Wisconsin marked only the second time since 1985 that Nebraska held a team to 50 points or less and lost. The only other time in that stretch was a 50-48 loss to Creighton on Dec. 11, 2004. The Huskers had won their last 37 games when holding an opponent to 50 points or less, including 32-0 under Doc Sadler. Prior to the Wisconsin game, NU had not lost a conference game when allowing 50 points or less since 1984.

Huskers Against Ranked Teams
The Huskers will get their fourth crack at a ranked team Wednesday night, as they take on the No. 11 Hoosiers. Nebraska is 0-3 against ranked teams this season and 58-218 all-time against ranked teams, including a 20-115 mark against teams ranked in the top 10 and a 12-65 mark against top-five squads.

The Huskers are 8-23 against ranked teams in Doc Sadler's six seasons at Nebraska and have won at least one game against a ranked foe in four of his first five years.

Earlier, Nebraska opened  Big Ten play with three straight ranked opponents (No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 6 Ohio State),  the first time the Huskers have faced three straight ranked foes since a school-record five-game stretch during the 2009-10 season (Feb. 2-17).

The Huskers went 3-3 against ranked teams last year, including a win over No. 3 Texas, which was the highest ranked foe NU had toppled since 1994.

Taking Advantage at the Stripe
One area where the Huskers have been proficient is at the free throw line, where Nebraska's 75.5 percent rate leads the Big Ten and ranks 13th nationally in the latest NCAA rankings released Monday.

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 13 of 17 contests and 80 percent or better seven 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).
• Four Huskers are shooting over 80 percent from the line this season, Bo Spencer (86.8 percent), Dylan Talley (85.2 percent), Brandon Richardson (83.8 percent) and Brandon Ubel (80.0). 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 12.1 attempts in its eight losses, including twice against Wisconsin.

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, 3.7 assists and 3.4 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 14.8 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 14 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 15.0 ppg, including 37 percent from 3-point range, over the Huskers' last three contests. Spencer had 19 points, including 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line, and five assists in Wednesday's win over Penn State and had 13 points at Wisconsin on Sunday. Spencer did not commit a turnover in 34 minutes against Wisconsin, the second time this season and the fourth time in his career he has played at least 30 minutes and not committed a turnover.

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 that 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 (10.4 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (50.0 pct.), while also shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.

McCray, who averaged just 3.8 points per game in Nebraska's first four games, is averaging 12.5 points since then and has been in double figures in 10 of the last 13 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 (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.5) over the last eight games. He had been in double figures in seven straight games - the longest stretch of his career - before being held to seven points at Wisconsin on Sunday. 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 Jan. 7. He had 13 points and five rebounds in the win over Penn State last Wednesday.

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.

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 6.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, while he leads Nebraska and ranks third in the Big Ten in steals (1.9 per game).

Richardson enters this week's action in third place among active Big Ten players in career steals, and he is threatening 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 had averaged 2.7 steals over Nebraska's last six games before not recording a steal in Sunday's loss to Wisconsin.

He enjoyed a strong week two weeks ago, 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 four Huskers averaging at least nine points per game, as he comes into Wednesday's game averaging 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest. Diaz has come off the bench since missing five games with a foot injury and had six points and four rebounds against Wisconsin on Sunday. Against Penn State on Wednesday, he took a season-low four shots, 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 744 points and needs 14 points to reach the top 50.

Defensively, he would lead the Big Ten in blocked shots, but is one game shy of qualifying for league rankings. He has had three or more blocks in six of his 12 games. 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, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in just 23.0 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. He scored all nine of his points in the second half in Sunday's five-point loss at Wisconsin.

 Talley, who is hitting 36 percent from 3-point range, is also proficient at the line where he is hitting at an 85 percent clip.  Talley is averaging 9.9 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.

Improving on Defense
One benefit to having Jorge Brian Diaz and Dylan Talley back has been on the defensive end. In the five games the duo missed, opponents shot 50 percent from the field. Since their return against Illinois, opponents are shooting just 38 percent and averaging 55.7 points per game.

Ubel Doing the Dirty Work Inside
One Husker who will benefit the most from the return of Jorge Brian Diaz is junior Brandon Ubel. The 6-foot-10 forward has been playing out of position, as Diaz was out with his foot injury. Ubel averaged 10.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in his first three games replacing Diaz, but has totaled just 26 points and 12 rebounds in Nebraska's last five games.

On the season, he is averaging 6.6 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game, ranking 13th in the league in rebounds. Ubel tops all Big Ten players on the offensive glass, grabbing 2.6 rebounds per game. His best performance of the season was against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7 when he had a career-high 11 rebounds and 10 points for his first career double-double. That began a five-game stretch where he averaged 9.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, including 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over Alcorn State,  11 points and seven rebounds against Central Michigan on Dec. 20 and eight points and nine rebounds against No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 27.

Ubel looks to regain the form he ended the 2010-11 season with when he averaged 10.0 points on 58 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds over the Huskers final four games - all against postseason teams. Those numbers were well above his 2010-11 season averages of 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.

Welcome to the Big Ten
Nebraska began its inaugural Big Ten slate with one of the toughest stretches in conference history. The Huskers opened conference action with No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 6 Ohio State in its first three conference contests. It marked the first time in school history that Nebraska has opened conference action with three straight ranked foes. In fact, it is only the fourth time in the last eight years that any Big Ten school has faced three straight ranked teams to start league play.

While Nebraska is 1-5 in the nation's top league according to the RPI, the Huskers will have several more opportunities to knock off ranked foes this week with games against No. 11 Indiana and No. 6 Ohio State. The Big Ten has five teams in the AP Top 25, equalling the most of any conference and nine teams in the top 50 of the most recent RPI.

Home Sweet Home
Nebraska has been strong on its home court over the years, and have enjoyed an impressive home run under Coach Doc Sadler. In the past six seasons under Sadler, Nebraska has dominated to the tune of a 78-24 record (.765 winning percentage). The Huskers are now 7-4 at the Devaney Center this season, snapping a two-game losing streak with a 70-58 win over Penn State on Jan. 11.

Last year, Nebraska tied a program record with 17 home wins, going 17-2 in the friendly confines of the Devaney Center. Facing non-conference opponents, the Huskers have been nearly unbeatable at home under Sadler, losing three times in 55 games, including a 26-game home win streak snapped on Nov. 23. 

Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler
Doc Sadler is in his sixth season on the Husker sideline after leading Nebraska to an NIT appearance in 2010-11. Sadler has guided the Huskers to postseason appearances in three of the last four seasons, and his 89 wins in his first five seasons was the most by any Husker coach in his first five years at Nebraska. He is now in fourth place on Nebraska's career wins list with 98. Sadler has guided teams to postseason berths in five of his seven years as a Division I head coach, as both of his UTEP squads reached postseason play before taking over the Nebraska program in August of 2006.

Huskers Look to Continue Defensive Excellence
One hallmark of Nebraska basketball under Doc Sadler is a stout defense, and the Huskers were among the nation's best in 2010-11. Nebraska allowed an average of 60.5 points per game to lead the Big 12 for the third time in the last four seasons and rank 18th nationally. It is the fourth time in Sadler's seven years as a Division I head coach that his teams have led a league in scoring defense.

The Huskers were also seventh nationally in field goal percentage in 2010-11, as the .389 field goal percentage defense was the lowest by a Husker team since the 1960-61 campaign.

• The Huskers held 17 opponents under 60 points and only six opponents have scored more than 70 points in 2010-11. That is made more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has played 11 games against teams which rank in the top 40 nationally in scoring offense during the season.
• Nebraska allowed only four teams to eclipse its season scoring average in 32 games and held seven teams to season lows in points.
• Nebraska held 10 straight opponents to under 60 points earlier, the longest stretch by a Nebraska team since a 21-game stretch covering the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons.

The injuries to Diaz, Talley and Almeida, who has not played this season because of a knee injury, have hurt the Huskers' defensive presence. Despite the injuries, Nebraska is allowing 61.3 points per game entering Wednesday's game with Indiana. The Huskers allowed 11 3-pointers to Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener, but have held its last four conference foes to a combined 13 3-pointers on 16 percent shooting.

• Dating back to the start of the 2010-11 season, Nebraska has held 35 of its past 49 opponents to under 45 percent shooting.
• Nebraska has held four opponents to 50 points or less this season, allowing 46 points to Alcorn State on Dec. 17 and 50 against Wisconsin on Jan. 15.
• Nebraska held South Dakota to 48 points, its second-lowest point total since the Coyotes moved to Division I prior to the 2007-08 season. The Huskers allowed just 49 points in regulation at USC before winning 64-61 in double overtime and held Florida Gulf Coast to 50 points on Dec. 7.

60 Is the Magic Number for Defense
Nebraska's success has been predicated on clamping down on the opposition. Last year, the Huskers held 17 of 32 opponents under 60 points, compiling a 15-2 mark in those games. Counting the eight games this season,  Nebraska has held 77 opponents to 60 points or less in Doc Sadler's tenure at Nebraska, compiling a 67-11 record in those games following Sunday's loss at Wisconsin.

New Conference, Old Foes

Nebraska's addition to the Big Ten Conference provides Husker fans a new set of rivals to get acquainted with this season. While Nebraska has squared off with every Big Ten member in its history, it has been a while since NU has played any of its new conference members. Prior to the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on Dec. 27, Nebraska's last contest with a Big Ten team was a 58-47 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 8, 2004.

Coming into 2011-12, current Big Ten members have only played at the Devaney Center 17 times since the facility opened in 1976 with the Gophers (seven times) and Michigan State (three times) accounting for more than half of the total. Indiana, Michigan and Illinois all make their first-ever trips to the Devaney Center this winter, leaving Northwestern as the only Big Ten team to never play the Huskers at the Devaney Center.

Huskers Take 5 Against Central Michigan
Nebraska had five players in double figures in the win over Central Michigan, marking only the fifth time in Doc Sadler's five seasons that the Huskers had placed five players in double figures, and the first time since Dec. 1, 2010, against Jackson State.

Huskers Announce Upcoming Promotions
The Nebraska Athletic Department announced a series of upcoming promotions for the remainder of the 2011-12 men's basketball season.

• Free Husker rally towels will be distributed to the first 3,000 fans in attendance at the Indiana game on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
• For fans who want to watch both the Husker men and women play, current season ticket holders and fans who have purchased tickets to Nebraska's games against Ohio State (Jan. 21), Michigan (Feb. 8) and Illinois (Feb. 18) will be able to use those tickets for free admission for the women's games the following day. Those women's games are against Minnesota (Jan. 22), Michigan (Feb. 9) and Wisconsin (Feb. 19).
• Celebrate Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 6 when the Huskers host Minnesota at Noon, as all upper bench tickets will be discounted to $5.
• The Minnesota game on Sunday, Feb. 5, has been designated as Red Zone bring a friend day, as current Red Zone members can bring another UNL student with them for free (must have a valid UNL Student ID).
• Select games will feature discounted concession items, including $2 Wimmer's hot dogs for the Feb. 5 game against Minnesota.
• For families who have children enrolled in the Nebraska JV Team (kids club), each JV team member will receive a free ticket to the game against Minnesota (Feb. 5) while having the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets for their families. For more information on those games, visit the Husker JV team website at Huskers.com/jvteam.