Huskers Look to Bounce back against Incarnate Word

Game #8 Incarnate Word
Date: Wed., Dec. 10
Time: 7:02 p.m. (CT)
Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Capacity: 15,000

Nebraska Cornhuskers
2014-15 Record: 5-2, 0-0 Big Ten
Head coach: Tim Miles
Record at Nebraska: 39-33 (Third year)
Career Record: 322-253 (20th year)

Incarnate Word Cardinals
2014-15 Record: 5-1, 0-0 Southland
Head coach: Ken Burmeister
Record at Incarnate Word: 153-77 (Ninth year)
Career Record: 281-201 (18th year)

Broadcast Information
Television: None

Online: ESPN3.com and WatchESPN app
Announcers: Shawn Kenney and Mac McCausland

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KFAB (1110 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington. Also available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and on TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio App.
Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
Expert Analysis: Matt Davison

Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 134); XM (Ch.204)

Live Stats: Huskers.com

Huskers Look to Bounce back against Incarnate Word

For the first time in two seasons, the Husker men’s basketball team will look to rebound from a home non-conference loss, as the Huskers host Incarnate Word at Pinnacle Bank Arena Wednesday evening.

A limited number of tickets for Wednesday’s contest are available, beginning at $7, by visiting Huskers.com, calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIG RED or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office beginning Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Tipoff is set for 7:02 p.m. (central) and will be available on ESPN3 and on the WatchESPN app with Shawn Kenney and Mac McCausland on the call. For more information on WatchESPN and ESPN3, visit watchespn.com.

The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The Huskers are 5-2 on the season and are coming off a disappointing 65-55 loss to Creighton on Sunday. In that game, the Huskers let a 10-point first-half lead slip away, as the Bluejays shot 47 percent, including 44 percent from 3-point range, and held the Huskers to 38 percent shooting. It marked the first time in 2014-15 that NU had been outshot from the field and snapped the Huskers’ 12-game home win streak in the process.

While Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields have been among the Big Ten’s top scorers this season at 21.0 ppg and 18.1 ppg, respectively, Nebraska has been looking for a consistent third offensive option. In Sunday’s loss, senior forward David Rivers gave the Huskers a boost with nine points and season highs in both rebounds (eight) and assists (two). Rivers is averaging career bests in scoring (6.6 ppg), rebounding (5.1 rpg) and shooting percentage (.600), while he is third on the team in rebounding and fourth in scoring.

Incarnate Word is 5-1 on the season following an 81-65 loss at UTEP on Monday night. The Cardinals, who are in the second year as a Division I program, went 21-6 last year and finished fifth in the Southland Conference with a 9-5 record. The Cardinal are a high-scoring squad, averaging 86.2 points per game this season and have four players averaging double figures, including senior guard Denzel Livingston, who is averaging 20.7 points per game.

Numbers 2 Know
5.4 -  Moses Abraham is averaging 5.4 rebounds per game off the bench for the Huskers. The 6-foot-9 center has at least five caroms in six of NU’s first seven games.

1998 -The last time a Husker averaged at least 20 points per game (Tyronn Lue). Only six Husker players have averaged at least 20 ppg in a season.

26 -  Nebraska has gotten to the free throw line an average of 26 times per game in its five wins and only 15 times per game in its two losses.

18.1 - Nebraska is averaging 18.1 points per game off opponents turnovers this season. Nebraska enjoyed a 17-6 advantage in that category on Sunday vs. Creighton.

Scouting Incarnate Word
Incarnate Word comes to Lincoln with a 5-1 record as the Cardinals saw their seven-game win streak dating back to last season end with an 81-65 loss at UTEP Monday night. Incarnate Word is in its second year of transition to Division I and won 21 games in its first season as a Division I program. The Cardinals are an up-tempo club, averaging 86.2 points per game and shooting 47 from the field, including 43 percent from 3-point range. 

The Cardinals return three starters, including senior Denzel Livingston, a first-team preseason All-Southland Conference pick who averaged 20.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game in 2013-14. He is one of four Cardinals averaging double figures this season with 20.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Freshman guard Jontrell Walker is at 19.0 points per game, including a 30-point effort at UTEP, while Kyle Hittle is at 16.6 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game. 

Ken Burmeister is in his ninth season at Incarnate Word and coached the Cardinals to a pair of NCAA Division II tournament appearances during his tenure. Burmeister is an experienced coach as Incarnate Word is his third Division I program with prior stops at UTSA (1987-90) and Loyola (Ill.) (1995-98).

Series History: Wednesday’s matchup is the first between the two schools and will mark the third first-time foe on the Huskers’ 2014-15 slate. Nebraska is 7-1 against the current Southland Conference members, including an 82-56 win over Central Arkansas on Nov. 18.

Last Time Out
Despite a game-high 21 points from Terran Petteway, the Huskers saw their 12-game home win streak snapped with a 65-55 loss to Creighton Sunday night. 

Petteway finished with 21 points, but no other Husker finished in double figures, as Nebraska (5-2) struggled offensively in taking its first home loss since January. NU shot just 38 percent, including 6-of-23 from 3-point range, as Creighton overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to hand the Huskers their first home non-conference loss at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Austin Chatman led Creighton with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Isaiah Zierden added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench for the winners. The Bluejays shot 47 percent, a season high for a Husker opponent, including 10-of-23 from long range, and out-rebounded Nebraska, 36-33

Nebraska got off to a quick start, scoring seven of the first nine points as Petteway scored 11 of Nebraska’s first 15 points, while his third 3-pointer of the contest pushed the margin to 15-7 with 11:38 left in the half.

Nebraska pushed the lead to double figures 24-14 on consecutive baskets from David Rivers with 5:28 left. From there, Creighton rallied with seven straight points, pulling to within 24-21 after an Austin Chatman jumper with 3:35 left in the half. Creighton capped the 13-2 surge on Rick Kreklow’s 3-pointer with 1:10 left in the half, but Petteway’s jumper with three seconds left in the half spotted the hosts a 28-27 halftime lead.

Nebraska jumped out quickly in the second half, as Shavon Shields and Walter Pitchford, who were both held scoreless in the first half, scored NU’s first six points to help Nebraska build a 34-29 lead. Shields was held to seven points, but had five rebounds and a career-high five assists.

Nebraska led 36-31 before 3-pointers from Chatman and Kreklow gave CU a 37-36 lead. The Huskers would answer with a 3-pointer from Benny Parker to take a 39-37 lead, but Creighton would answer right back. The Bluejays came back with seven straight points from its bench, as Will Artino’s putback with 11:13 left gave Creighton a five-point lead.
Nebraska would not go away behind the play of Rivers, who finished with nine points and a season-high eight rebounds. The senior keyed a big sequence for NU, as he scored a basket and was fouled. The Huskers got the possession and Rivers found Petteway for a basket to cut the lead to 44-43.

Nebraska continued to hang around, pulling to within 48-47 after Parker’s second 3-poiter, but two big Zierden 3-pointers and an Artino tip-in made it 56-49 with 2:55 left. The Huskers made one last run, cutting the deficit to 56-53 on Petteway’s 3-pointer with 2:12 left, but baskets by Chatman and Artino put the Huskers at bay before the Bluejays sealed the game by going 5-of-6 from the line in the final minute.

Notes from the Creighton Game

• NU saw its 12-game home win snapped and fell to 19-2 all-time at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
• The loss to Creighton marks the first home non-conference loss for the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. NU had won its first 11 home non-conference games in PBA.
• Terran Petteway finished with 21 points – his fifth 20-point game this season and 17th in two seasons at Nebraska. Petteway has now scored in double figures in 18 straight games – the longest stretch of his career.
• David Rivers’ eight rebounds was a season high, as his previous best was six on two occasions.
• Shavon Shields set a career high with five assists, topping his previous best of four set on two occasions last season.
• Nebraska allowed Creighton to shoot 47.1 percent, a season high for a Husker opponent. It also marked the first time that Nebraska was out-shot in a game in 2014-15.
• Nebraska tied its season high with 14 assists (also set vs. Omaha) and had more assists than turnovers for the first time this season.

Miles, McDermott Team Up for Coaches vs. Cancer
For last Sunday’s Nebraska-Creighton game, Nebraska Coach Tim Miles and Creighton Coach Greg McDermott teamed up to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society, as fans donated on behalf of each coach. In all, a total of 5,760.02 was raised between the coaches, with Coach Miles ($3,335.02) edging out Coach McDermott ($2,425.00). Both teams also wore #Averystrong shirts during warmups in honor of Avery Harriman, the son of NU assistant coach Chris Harriman, who is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

20-20 Vision
For the seventh time in the last three seasons, Nebraska had multiple 20-point scorers in a game at Florida State on Dec. 1. Terran Petteway led NU with 25 points, while Shavon Shields added 21. NU is 5-2 under Miles when having two players score at least 20 points per game. Prior to the 2012-13 season, the feat had not happened at Nebraska since 2007.

Petteway and Shields Carry Husker Attack
Nebraska features two of the Big Ten’s most dynamic wing players in juniors Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields. Although we are just seven games into the season, the pair has been a prolific scoring duo, combining for 39.1 points per game and ranking among the Big Ten’s top five scorers. In Nebraska’s 119-year history, only five duos have combined to average more than 36 points per game.

Digging Out of big Deficits
Nebraska showed its ability to come back against Omaha on Nov. 25. The Huskers trailed 23-7 in the first five minutes before regrouping in the 80-67 win.

• The 16-point deficit Nebraska overcame was the third double-digit comeback for the Huskers under Tim Miles and the first since also overcoming a 16-point deficit to Indiana last season.
• The largest comeback under Miles came during the 2012-13 season when the Huskers trailed by 19 against Iowa before rallying for a 64-60 victory.

Defense Keys Husker Turnaround
Nebraska’s turnaround last year was keyed by an emphasis on the defensive end of the court and that has continued during the early portion of the 2014-15 season.
The Huskers entered Big Ten play last in field goal defense and eighth in scoring defense, but dramatically improved during conference action. Over the final 16 games of the 2013-14 season, NU held 10 opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field, including eight straight foes in one stretch. The eight consecutive foes under 40 percent was the longest streak by a Husker defense in at least four decades. The Huskers finished Big Ten play second in conference games in field goal percentage (.415) and third in scoring defense (63.4).

In 2014-15, the Huskers have continued to shine on the defensive end, holding its first seven opponents to a combined 39 percent shooting and 63.4 points per game.

• Nebraska is 24-6 over the past three seasons when holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting.
• Nebraska climbed from 102nd in defensive efficiency to 25th in 2013-14 and is currently 29th entering Wednesday’s game with Incarnate Word.
• Nebraska held its first six opponents to under a point per possession, but Creighton averaged 1.08 points per possession in Sunday’s loss.
• Nebraska has been stout at home over the last two seasons, as only four teams have shot over 45 percent against the Huskers, while 11 of 21 opponents have been held to under 40 percent shooting.

Sharing is Caring
Nebraska has done a better job of ball movement since switching its lineup four games ago and moving Benny Parker to the starting point guard spot. In that stretch, Nebraska is averaging 13.3 assists per game, up from 10.7 assists per game in the first three contests. Parker is one of four Huskers who is averaging at least two assists per game for Nebaska during that stretch.

Petteway Leads Husker Returnees
Junior wing Terran Petteway comes into 2014-15 as one of the nation’s premier players. The 6-foot-6 junior wing is a candidate for every major award and was chosen as second-team preseason All-American by The Sporting News and CBSSports.com.

As a sophomore, he led the Big Ten in scoring at 18.1 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest, while starting all 32 contests. Not only did he lead the Huskers in scoring, but also was second on the team in rebounding and third in assists.
Early on, Petteway has been a force for the Huskers, ranking second in the Big Ten in scoring at 21.0 points per game, while also adding 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In addition to scoring, he is fifth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (2.7 per game) and 13th in blocked shots (1.3 per game).

He opened the season with the best long-distance shooting of his career, hitting 6-of-9 from 3-point range on his way to scoring a game-high 25 points against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 15. He followed up with a 23-point effort against Central Arkansas and collected his third career double double with 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against Omaha. Petteway had 18 points and dished out a career-high eight assists against Tennessee-Martin before scoring a game-high 25 points at Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Petteway had 21 points in Sunday’s loss to Creighton.

• Petteway has been in double figures in 18 consecutive games dating back to last year and 37 of 39 career games at Nebraska. The 18 straight games is the longest streak for a Husker in a decade, as the previous best in the last 10 years was 17 by Petteway last year and Aleks Maric during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.
• He has five 20-point games in 2014-15, including a season-high 25 points against Northern Kentucky and at Florida State, and now has 17 career games at NU with 20 or more points.
• With 726 points over the last two years at Nebraska, his career scoring average of 18.6 points per game is second only to Dave Hoppen (19.5 ppg)
• Petteway looks to become the first player since Ohio State’s Evan Turner (2009-10) to lead the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons. Over the last 30 years, only three players - Turner, Purdue’s Glenn Robinson (1993-94) and Michigan’s Glen Rice (1988-89) - have accomplished the feat.
• On Nov. 16, he was chosen for the Wooden Award Men’s Preseason Top 50. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor. Petteway is the first Husker on the list since Aleks Maric in the 2007-08 season. He is also a candidate for the Naismith Trophy and on the Oscar Robertson and Lute Olson Player of the Year watch lists.

Nebraska has had eight All-Americans in program history, most recently Carl McPipe during the 1977-78 season.

Last season, Petteway became the first player to earn unanimous first-team all-conference honors since Venson Hamilton in 1999, and also earned first-team all-district honors by the NABC (coaches) and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (writers). Petteway finished Big Ten play as the conference scoring leader, averaging 18.6 points per game. He became the fifth Husker in the last century to lead a conference in scoring in conference games and first since former Big Eight Player of the Year Andre Smith in 1980-81. He also led the conference at 18.1 points per game in all games and became the first Husker since 1950 (first year the Big Seven Conference kept records) to ever lead the league in scoring for all games.

Shields Keys Husker Attack
While Petteway was one of the best players in the Big Ten last season, Shavon Shields may be one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten. The 6-foot-7 wing started all 32 games and averaged 12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game to earn honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. As a sophomore,

Shields was second on the team in scoring and led Nebraska in rebounding.
This season, Shields has continued his emergence, averaging 18.1 points on 57 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds per game heading into Wednesday’s game with Incarnate Word. He is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring, eighth in rebounding and 10th in field goal percentage entering Wednesday’s game. Shields has scored 20 or more in three of the Huskers’ last five contests, including 25 points and nine rebounds at Rhode Island, a career-high 35 points against Omaha and 21 points and eight boards at Florida State.

• Over his last 12 games dating back to last year, Shields is averaging 17.9 points per game on 54 percent shooting along with 6.8 rebounds per game.
• His 35-point effort against Omaha on Nov. 22 tied for the most in a Big Ten game this year and ties for 10th in school history. It was his second career 30-point game, as Shields had 33 against Illinois in 2013-14.
• With his 35-point game against UNO, he became one of only 14 players in school history - including Petteway - with multiple 30-point games in school history.
• Collected his fourth career double-double against Central Arkansas with 16 points - all in the first half - and 11 rebounds while matching his career best with four assists.
• Scored 18 points on just four field goal attempts, hitting all four shots from the floor while going 10-of-10 from the charity stripe. It was the third time in his career he has gone 10-of-10 or better from the foul line in a game.
• Shields is one of four returnees to rank in the top 15 in both scoring and rebounding in Big Ten play last year, joining Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Rayvonte Rice (Illinois) and Aaron White (Iowa).
• Has started a team-high 58 consecutive games dating back to his freshman year.

Pitchford Poses Problems for Opponents
Junior forward Walter Pitchford became one of the focal points to the Huskers’ attack in Big Ten play last season. The 6-foot-10, 237-pounder is one of the toughest matchups in college basketball, as he is a skilled shooter who hit 41 percent from 3-point range. Last season, Pitchford averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while starting 31 games.

An outstanding athlete with a 42-inch vertical leap, Pitchford played some of his best basketball of the season over the Huskers’ second-half surge, averaging 11.0 points per game on 53 percent shooting over the last 14 games. Pitchford reached double figures 11 times in that stretch including a career-high 18-point effort along with five rebounds and a pair of steals in a win at No. 9 Michigan State on Feb. 16. Pitchford sparked NU’s win at Indiana with 17 points and nine rebounds, as he scored the Huskers’ first nine points and then delivered a 3-pointer with 1:55 left to give Nebraska a four-point cushion.

Pitchford, who was averaging just 3.5 points per game on 21 percent shooting in his first four games, broke out against Tennessee-Martin. The junior set personal bests in both points (19) and 3-pointers (six) in the Huskers’ 11-point win. He battled foul trouble against Florida State, but had six points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in 17 minutes before being held to two points in 17 minutes against Creighton. Despite his offensive struggles early, Pitchford found other ways to make an impact. Against Northern Kentucky, he had four rebounds and matched his career high with three blocked shots in 26 minutes of work and had four rebounds in 20 minutes vs. Central Arkansas.

Old Man Rivers
Senior forward David Rivers has been through a lot during his Nebraska career. The 6-foot-7 forward signed when Nebraska was still a member of the Big 12 Conference back in the fall of 2010, and has quietly developed during the last three seasons under Tim Miles. This season, Rivers is averaging 6.6 points per game while 60 percent from the field and 4.8 rebounds per game, posting career best in all three categories. He scored a season-high 12 points in the season opener against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 16 and had nine points and a season-high eight rebounds against Creighton on Sunday. Rivers, who averaged 3.0 points per game as a junior, has also raised his shooting percentage during each of his last three seasons.

Point Guard by Committee
The Huskers have looked to find the right combination at lead guard early in 2015, as Tai Webster, Benny Parker and Tarin Smith have shared the spot. Currently, Parker and Smith handle most of the work, while Webster has become a scoring combo guard off the bench.

Parker, who has started NU’s last four games is averaging 6.9 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game on the season, topping the Huskers in steals and ranking second in assists. Parker, who averaged just 2.6 points over his first two years, has scored seven or more points in five of the last six contests. He matched his career high with nine points against Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 28 and had eight points and three assists against Creighton on Sunday. He had seven points and tied his career high with four steals in NU’s win at Florida State on Dec. 1.

Smith, the only freshman among NU’s top eight players, comes in off the bench and is averaging 3.6 points per game while posting a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He made two big plays in the final two minutes at Florida State, finding David Rivers for a layup after the Seminoles cut the deficit to one and then draining a 3-pointer - just the second of the season - on the following possession to make it a six-point game. He dished out a season-high three assists at Rhode Island.

Webster, who is the first guard off the bench, has seen his scoring average jump from 3.9 points to 6.1 points per game, while averaging 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He has been in double figures twice this season, including a season-high 13 points and four steals against Central Arkansas.

New Faces in Huskers’ Rotation
Despite having five returning starters and seven of the top eight players back from a year ago (counting Leslee Smith, who looks to return from knee surgery during Big Ten play), a pair of newcomers - senior Moses Abraham and freshman Tarin Smith - have found their way into the Huskers’ rotation.

*-Abraham is a graduate transfer who spent the past four years at Georgetown. He provided physicality in the wake of Leslee Smith’s injury and is the first post player off the bench. He is averaging 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 points per game, while playing just 15.3 minutes per game. Abraham has grabbed five or more rebounds in six of NU’s first seven games. His best effort of the season came against Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 28, when he had seven points and five rebounds. Against Omaha, he had seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in 17 minutes. He also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a shot in 15 minutes at Rhode Island. Last year, Abraham averaged 1.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while ranking second on the team with 23 blocked shots. The 6-foot-9, 252-pound forward earned his degree from Georgetown in May and has one year of eligibility remaining. He is the first graduate transfer the Huskers have added since the rule went into effect.

*-Smith has become one of the Huskers’ first guards off the bench during the preseason and averages 3.6 points and 1.1 assists per game. His best performance came against Northern Kentucky when he had six points and an assist in 16 minutes of work and he had three points and three assists in the loss at Rhode Island. Smith was a two-year starter at St. Anthony (N.J.) High School, one of the premier high school basketball programs in the country playing for Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley. As a senior, he was a first-team all-state pick by the AP and a third-team honoree by the Newark Star-Ledger, as he averaged 15 points, four rebounds and four assists per game, as St. Anthony finished with a 25-5 record and a state runner-up finish.

Another freshman who could see more action as the year progresses is post player Jake Hammond. He is a 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward who averaged 26.2 points, 14.8 rebounds, 5.7 blocks and 3.1 steals per game as a senior at Comanche (Okla.) High School. He was rated as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Oklahoma by both ESPN.com and 247Sports as a senior, and was considered one of the top 150 seniors in the country by Hoop Scoop. Hammond has played in four games, including at Florida State on Dec. 1 when the Huskers were in foul trouble.

In addition, two other Husker newcomers will not suit up this season, as freshman B.J. Day will not play after suffering a torn ACL in practice in October, while Andrew White is sitting out the season after transferring from Kansas. White, who was a top-50 recruit coming out of high school, played two seasons at Kansas, playing behind NBA lottery picks Andrew Wiggins (2014) and Ben McLemore (2013). White was the state player of the year in Virginia in 2012, averaging 22.9 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.