Coatney's Call: UCLA/Northern Colorado Preview

#15 Nebraska at UCLA
Friday, Nov. 28, 3 p.m. (central)
Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, Calif.)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com

#15 Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado
Sunday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m. (central)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Video: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha; 880 AM, Lexington; 1230 AM, Hastings; 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff; 93.9 FM, McCook; 1340 AM, Sidney; 1400 AM, Ainsworth
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com

No. 15 Huskers Battle Bruins on Black Friday; Return Home to Face UNC Bears       

Last Sunday was a fun day at the Devaney Center. As soon as Nebraska ran onto the floor in the throwback uniforms that honored the 1988 Big Eight Champion Huskers, the crowd had a little extra buzz and returning to Nebraska’s home of 37 years for one game put a little extra excitement into the air.

Once the ball went into the air, the 2014-15 Huskers looked like a team that liked wearing the old-style uniforms. Senior Emily Cady posted a career-high 25 points and added nine rebounds and junior point guard Rachel Theriot added 20 points to lead Nebraska to a 66-43 win over Utah. Theriot was named a candidate on the Wooden and Wade Award Watch Lists for National Player of the Year earlier this week.

Nebraska is 4-0 to start the season and ranked 15th in both the AP and USA Today polls. The Huskers will face their third consecutive Pac-12 Conference team when they head to UCLA this Friday before returning home to face Northern Colorado Sunday.

Nebraska starts the weekend with a Black Friday game at UCLA in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. (central). The game will be televised nationally on the Pac-12 Network. The Huskers finished last season on the UCLA campus competing in the NCAA Tournament at the Pauley Pavilion. You may remember UCLA as Nebraska’s opponent in the first-ever regular season game played at the Pinnacle Bank Arena last season. They were a very injury-depleted squad that the Huskers defeated 77-49 on Nov. 8, 2013.

UCLA entered the 2014-15 season with renewed optimism having signed the program’s first-ever No. 1 recruiting class in the country, featuring three McDonald’s All-Americans (Recee’ Caldwell, Jordin Canada and Lajahna Drummer) and five newcomers all ranked in the Top 30 in the country. The three incoming McDonald’s selections will join another McDonald’s All-American,5-9 junior guard Nirra Fields, giving the Bruins four for the first time in program history.

Through three games this season, Fields leads the team in scoring (22.0 ppg), three-pointers (8), and rebounding (7.3 rpg). Canada, a 5-6 guard, is second on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg) and adds 6.7 rebounds per contest.

The Bruins return three starters from a year ago, including Fields (17.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg in 2013-14) and the only UCLA player to start all 31 games last year, 6-3 senior center Luiana Livulo (4.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

Returning from the sidelines of an injury-plagued 2013-14 season is 5-9 redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver, the 2012 high school three-point shooting champion and cousin of 10-year NBA pro Kyle Korver. She tore her right ACL and lateral meniscus in a workout in September 2013 and missed the season due to a medical redshirt. In 2012-13, Korver was one of only three UCLA players to play in all 34 games, making eight starts and earning honorable mention status on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. In 2012-13, Korver led the team in three-pointers made (38) and attempted (110), shooting 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, and also led the team in free throw percentage (.920, 23-for-25) and made at least one three-pointer in 21 games, including 10 games with multiple treys.

Kacy Swain, a 6-3 redshirt junior forward, is another Bruin who returns this season from injury. Swain tore her right ACL at practice on Oct. 2, 2013 and missed the season due to a medical redshirt. She was a key reserve from the 2012-13 team that won 26 games and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Swain rounds out UCLA’s probable starting lineup along with Fields, Korver, Canada and Livulo. Swain is averaging 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds this season.

UCLA is 0-3, but has played one of the toughest schedules in the country so far. They have five players foul out in a season-opening 91-87 overtime loss at James Madison. Fields had a team-high 26 points in a losing effort. Two days later, Fields had a game-high 21 points, but UCLA fell at No. 13 North Carolina, 84-68. The Bruins dropped their home-opener Sunday to a Texas team that had just knocked off Stanford the game after the Cardinal upset then-top ranked UConn. Fields had 19 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort, as the Longhorns prevailed 75-65.

The Bruins were outscored 22-9 in points off turnovers against Texas and have a minus-6.3 turnover margin through three games this year.

Fourth-year UCLA Head Coach Cori Close was an Associate Head Coach at Florida State for seven seasons before accepting her first head coaching assignment. Previously, Close was an assistant for nine years at her alma mater, UC-Santa Barbara.

UCLA leads the all-time series with Nebraska 4-2, but the Huskers have won the last two games between the two teams. In addition to last year’s opener in Lincoln, NU advanced to the first Sweet 16 in school history with an 83-70 win over the Bruins in Minneapolis in 2010. The Huskers are 0-2 against UCLA in Los Angeles.

Nebraska has a quick turnaround and heads home from L.A. to face Northern Colorado in Lincoln at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Sunday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. You’ll have to forgive me if I mistakenly refer to Northern Colorado as ‘Kansas State” during our radio broadcast.

The Bears' coaching staff all were together at KSU, with current UNC Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on staff for 18 years. Wildcat Head Coach Deb Patterson was relieved of her duties last March, but the entire staff ended up at Northern Colorado and just switched chairs on the bench.

Ethridge is the head coach with former outstanding K-State and WNBA point guard Shalee Lehning now the Associate Head Coach and Patterson and Kelly Moylan now assistant coaches. Ethridge, widely recognized as one of the top point guards in the history of women’s college basketball, earned a gold medal with the United States at the 1988 Olympics and won an NCAA Championship as a player at Texas in 1986. It was the first team to have an undefeated season in women's college basketball. Ethridge was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

UNC is 3-0 on the season and will be on the road at the Omaha Mavericks Friday night before facing the Huskers Sunday afternoon. The Bears defeated Division II Western State Monday night 85-37 in their home opener. Northern Colorado opened the season with two games in Texas, besting SMU, 57-44, and North Texas, 53-48.

The Bears are led by 5-10 senior point guard D’Shara Strange. She sat out last season after suffering a knee injury in the 2012 WNIT win over Wyoming. Strange is a two-time Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time first-team all-conference honoree. She has returned strong this season and leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounds (6.7) and steals. The all-time steals leader at UNC, Strange also ranks in the top 10 in school history in scoring (8th) rebounding (7th), field goals made (9th), and free throws made (5th).

Stephanie Lee, a 6-1 senior, broke the single-season Northern Colorado record for blocked shots last year (61). She led the team in scoring (19.0 ppg) while starting 25 of 27 games. Lee averages 12.7 points per game this season.

Kyleigh Hiser, a 5-9 junior, has started all three games this year after drawing seven starts in 2013-14. The 2012 Wyoming High School Player of the Year ranks third on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg).

Amber Deudekom, a 5-11 senior, has also started all three games this year and averages 4.7 points. Lindsay Mallom, a 6-0 senior, rounds out the probable Northern Colorado starting lineup. Her 105 assists last season were the third-best in school history. She started every game last season and has drawn the start for each of the three games this year, averaging 3.7 points.

Kourteney Zadina, a 6-2 sophomore and former high school teammate of Nebraska's Emily Cady at Seward, comes off the bench and ranks third on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg). Zadina also leads the team with six three-pointers. Zadina had 16 points and four three-pointers while Cady had a game-high 19 points and three three’s in Seward’s 70-54 2011 Class B State Championship win over Elkhorn at the Devaney Center.

Northern Colorado finished 14-15 last season and 8-12 in Big Sky Conference play. They were picked to finish fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media in this year’s pre-season league poll.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 4-0 with the Bears. NU is 3-0 all-time in Lincoln, including a 66-53 win at the Devaney Center in the last meeting between the two teams in 2010.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women’s basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Friday afternoon at UCLA begins with the pre-game show at 2:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network including KBBK (B107.3) in Lincoln and KFFF 93.3 in Omaha.

Sunday’s broadcast against Northern Colorado begins with the pre-game show at 1:45 p.m. with the tip-off scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on great stations such as KBBK (B107.3) in Lincoln, KFFF 93.3 in Omaha, KRVN 880 in Lexington, KBRB 1400 in Ainsworth, KHAS 1230 in Hastings, KNEB 94.1 in Scottsbluff, KSWN 93.9 in McCook, KSID 1340 in Sidney and many others. All Husker Women’s Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com. I hope you can join us.

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker Women’s Basketball via social media. You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women’s Basketball Facebook page or follow the team on their official Twitter page @huskerswbb. I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red! Matt