Huskers Return Home to Face Minnesota

GAME 18: MINNESOTA Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12 Time: 8:06 p.m. Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2015-16 Record: 9-8, 1-3 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles Record at Nebraska: 56-57 (4th year) Career Record: 339-277 (21st year) MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS 2015-16 Record: 6-10, 0-4 Big Ten Head coach: Richard Pitino Record at Minnesota: 49-38 (3rd year) Career Record: 67-52 (4th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: BTN Play-by-play: Kevin Kugler Expert Analysis: Stephen Bardo Online: BTN2Go and on BTN.com Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington.  Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka  Expert Analysis: Matt Davison Satellite Radio: Sirius-132; XM-195 Also available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and TuneIn Radio

The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks for its second straight win Tuesday evening, as the Huskers return home to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Tipoff from Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 8:06 p.m. and a limited number of tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com, calling 800-8-BIGRED or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The game will be televised nationally on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo on the call. The contest will also be available on BTN2Go on laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

Tuesday’s contest will also air across the state of Nebraska on the Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, KXSP 590 AM in Omaha and KRVN 880 in Lexington and is also available on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

The Huskers (9-8, 1-3 Big Ten) snapped an 11-game Big Ten losing streak in emphatic fashion with a 90-56 win at Rutgers on Saturday. The Huskers shot 56.9 percent from the field and put four players in double figures against the Scarlet Knights. Andrew White III led NU with a game-high 28 points, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. White had 19 first-half points as NU built a 20-point halftime lead.

Nebraska’s offense has been getting better since adjusting the lineup five games ago. In that stretch, NU is averaging 75.6 ppg and shooting 48 percent from the floor with four players (White, Shavon Shields, Tai Webster and Benny Parker) averaging at least nine points per game. 
Minnesota (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten) looks for its first Big Ten win following a home loss to Northwestern on Saturday. Minnesota has four players averaging double figures and features one of the Big Ten’s most productive freshmen in Jordan Murphy, who averages 10.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Tuesday’s game is also Red Cross Night, as student-athletes will be collecting donations for the Red Cross during halftime.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
100 - Shavon Shields will make his 100th career start on Tuesday, as he will join Dave Hoppen as the only two players in program history with 100 consecutive starts.

2000-01 - The last time a Husker averaged at least 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.0 apg in a season (Cookie Belcher), numbers which Shavon Shields is on pace for during the 2015-16 campaign.

10 - Nebraska has scored 70+ points 10 times this season, which tops the number of times the Huskers did it during the entire 2014-15 season (nine).

1995-96 - The last time a Husker team had more than three games with 90+ points.

10.0 - Number of turnovers that Nebraska has averaged in Big Ten action, well under the 14.5 turnovers the Huskers averaged in non-conference play.

11 - Number of 20-point games by the Huskers in 2015-16 (5-White III and Shields; 2-Webster). Prior to this season, the last time NU had three players with multiple 20-point games in a season was 2005-06.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Third-year Coach Richard Pitino and the Gophers enter Tuesday’s game with a 6-10 record and 0-4 in the Big Ten following a loss to Northwestern on Saturday. The Golden Gophers won five of their first seven games, but dropped eight of their last nine games. Minnesota has been in most of its four Big Ten games, including an eight-point loss to then No. 1 Michigan State.

The Golden Gophers returned two starters and seven letterwinners from a team that went 18-15 in 2014-15. Sophomore Nate Mason leads a balanced attack by averaging 13.0 ppg and 4.1 assists per game, while senior forward Joey King averages 12.8 points per game and is shooting 44.2 percent from 3-point range. Carlos Morris (11.5 ppg) and Jordan Murphy (10.4 ppg) give Minnesota four players who average double figures.

SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska and Minnesota will meet for the 72nd time on Tuesday, which is the most between the Huskers and any other Big Ten member. It is also NU’s longest-running series in the Big Ten, as it dates back to February of 1902. The Gophers lead the all-time series, 53-18, with Minnesota snapping NU’s three-game win streak in the last matchup. Prior to joining the Big Ten, NU and Minnesota met in non-conference action every year from 1995 until 2004 after not playing for 16 years. Minnesota is 4-3 against the Huskers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011-12.

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
Nebraska 52, Minnesota 49 (Jan. 20, 2015): Shavon Shields scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, while Nebraska withstood a trio of 3-point attempts in the final seconds to hold on for a 52-49 victory. Shields led the Huskers with 15 points, including 7-of-11 from the foul line, and added seven rebounds and three steals to lead a pair of Huskers in double figures. Terran Petteway added 11 points and five rebounds, as Nebraska held Minnesota to just 31 percent shooting, including 29 percent in the second half.

Minnesota 60: Nebraska 42 (Jan. 31, 2015): Nebraska could not overcome a slow first half in falling to Minnesota, 60-42. The Huskers battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit to cut it to four points with 9:22 left, but was unable to complete the rally down the stretch. Shavon Shields had 11 points and five rebounds, while Petteway had 10 points and five assists. The Huskers were done in by 20 turnovers and a strong performance by Maurice Walker. The Gopher center led all scorers with 19 points and eight rebounds, hitting seven of 10 shots from the field.

LAST TIME OUT
Behind 28 points and nine rebounds from Andrew White III, Nebraska broke into the win column for the first time in Big Ten play with a 90-56 win over Rutgers.

White hit 11-of-14 shots from the field, including 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, as Nebraska never trailed in posting its largest road win margin since 1920. White’s 28-point effort tied his second-highest performance of the year while his five 3-pointers matched a career high.

White was one of four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska’s 90 points was its highest total in a conference road game since 1999 and in any conference game since 2006. Glynn Watson Jr. added 10 of his 12 points in the first half, while Shavon Shields and Ed Morrow Jr. added 11 and 10 points respectively. Nebraska shot a season-high 56.9 percent, while 10 players broke into the scoring column.

Nebraska led from wire to wire after racing out to a 14-2 lead in the first four minutes and built a 20-point halftime cushion at 46-26.

DID YOU KNOW

• Andrew White III is one of only 19 players nationally averaging at least 15 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the foul line entering this week’s action.
• Nebraska is the only school in the Big Ten and one of four in the nation (Duke, Florida State and Washington) with multiple players averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, as both Andrew White and Shavon Shields have reached that plateau. Entering the week, only 57 players in Division I have averaged that in 2015-16.
• Nebraska’s ball movement has been better since putting freshman Glynn Watson Jr. into the starting lineup five games ago. NU has averaged 13.8 assists per game over the last five games, as compared to 12.1 for NU’s first 12 contests. Benny Parker and Watson have combined for 29 assists and just nine turnovers in that span, while Shavon Shields is averaging 3.4 assists per game.
• Nebraska is second in the Big Ten with 7.3 steals per game and features five players who average at least a steal per game.
• Much of Nebraska’s inconsistency can be attributed to youth, as freshmen account for 36 percent of the Huskers’ minutes in 2015-16. In Big Ten action, that number jumps to 38 percent of the Huskers’ total playing time.
• Nebraska's 3-point shooting has jumped from 28.4 percent to 36.6 percent this season, which is on track to be the second-highest increase for the Huskers since the 3-point line was instituted in the 1986-87 season. NU jumped from 27.6 percent to 38.9 percent between the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.
• Nebraska has three 90-point games this season, which matches the team’s total for the previous eight seasons.

IMPROVED OFFENSE
With the departure of three starters who played professionally, including Terran Petteway, who is with Fort Wayne in the NBA D-League, the biggest question entering the season was who could fill the scoring void for the Huskers. Nebraska’s newcomers have shown the ability to provide offense in the early going, as Nebraska’s 73.8 points per game entering Tuesday’s game with Minnesota is nearly nine points higher than NU’s average through its first 17 games of 2014-15 (65.2 ppg)

• NU’s 73.8 average is the highest scoring average after 17 games since the 1996-97 season (74.5 ppg).
• At this pace, it would be Nebraska’s highest scoring average since the 1995-96 team averaged 80.2 points per game. Since 2000, only the 2003-04 (70.5 ppg) and 2000-01 (71.1 ppg) teams have eclipsed the 70-points per game mark.
• Ten Huskers have reached double figures at least once while three players (Shields, Webster and White) have also recorded multiple 20-point efforts. It marks the first time in 10 years that NU had three players with multiple 20-point games.
• Nebraska has three 90-point games and two others with at least 80 points.
• The biggest improvement has come from the 3-point line, as the Huskers were 340th in that category last season (.284) and are 98th (.366) entering Tuesday’s game with Minnesota.
• Five of Nebraska’s top-eight scorers are in their first year of competition as a Husker, as newcomers have accounted for 53 percent of NU’s total offense in the first 17 games.
• Five of NU’s newcomers have already posted double-digit efforts, including a team-high 14 by Andrew White III and six by Glynn Watson Jr.

ANDREW IS WHITE HOT
Junior Andrew White III has become one of the Big Ten’s top newcomers in 2015-16. The 6-foot-7 wing is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.5 points per game, which leads all conference newcomers. He is also sixth in rebounding (5.9 rpg), pacing the Huskers in scoring and rebounding.

• White is one of the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooters, ranking fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.8) while shooting 44.3 percent from long range.
• White has been in double figures in 14 of NU’s 17 games, including five 20-point efforts.
• White recorded his first career 30-point effort against Abilene Christian on Dec. 5, finishing with 30 points, including 14-of-16 from the foul line, seven rebounds and four steals.
• He has two double-doubles on the year, posting them against Creighton (28 points and 10 rebounds) and Samford (17 points and 11 rebounds).
• White nearly picked up his third double-double of the year at Rutgers on Jan. 9, finishing with 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting and nine rebounds.
• White has five games with at least four 3-pointers, including a career-high five 3-pointers against Northwestern on Dec. 30 and at Rutgers on Jan. 9.
• He made an impressive debut against Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 14, totaling 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in just 16 minutes. It was the most points by a Husker making his debut since Andre Almeida’s 20-point effort in his debut in 2010-11.
• White looks to continue a trend of high-impact transfers under Miles who have gone on to first-team all-conference honors, including Terran Petteway (2014) at NU and Andy Ogide (2011) and Wes Eikmeier (2012) during Miles’ tenure at Colorado State. White was ranked as one of 20 Impact Transfers by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports prio­r to the start of the season.

SHIELDS IS HUSKERS' JACK OF ALL TRADES

One of the most efficient players in school history, senior Shavon Shields has a chance to finish his career on NU’s top-10 list in both points and rebounds. The 6-foot-7 forward has 1,382 points to rank 12th on NU’s career scoring list. Shields has climbed from 24th to 12th during his senior year and sits in 18th place with 603 career rebounds. 
On the season, the 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 15.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Shields ranks 11th in the Big Ten in scoring and seventh in steals, and is first or second on the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

• He became the eighth Husker to total 1,300 points and 600 rebounds at Iowa on Jan. 5.
• Shields is one of only 16 players nationally averaging 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.2 spg, a list that also features Kris Dunn of Providence, Ben Simmons of LSU, Malcolm Hill of Illinois and Gary Payton III of Oregon State. No Husker has finished the year with those numbers since Cookie Belcher in 2000-01.
• He has reached double figures in 14 of NU’s 17 games, including a season-high 28-point, five-rebound effort against No. 21 Miami on Dec. 1.
• Shields has 69 career games in double figures, including 18 career 20-point performances and a pair of 30-point efforts. He scored a career-high 35 against Omaha (11/25/14) and had 33 points against Illinois (2/14/14) and is one of just 14 players in school history with multiple 30-point games.
• Shields has four 20-point games this season, including a 25-point effort against Samford on Dec. 20 and 21 points against Delaware State (Nov. 19) and Abilene Christian (Dec. 5).
• Shields is just the second player in school history to be a three-year captain and is a returning first-team Academic All-American. In 2014, he was also one of 16 national finalists across all of Division I athletics for the 2014 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award.

As a junior, he may have been one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten, as the 6-foot-7 wing averaged 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He led NU in rebounding for the second straight year and was second on the team in both scoring and assists. He ranked among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (ninth), rebounding (14th) and free throw percentage (.827, fifth).

• Shields was one of only three players from a power conference to average 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 2014-15, joining National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) and Tyrone Wallace (Cal).
• Shavon is also a nominee for the Senior Class Award and the NABC Good Works Team and is active in the community. That should be no surprise as his father, Will, is a former NFL Man of the Year for his efforts in the Kansas City Community. The elder Shields was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame last August and was already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

TAI’S TAKING CHARGE
After a slow start, junior Tai Webster has played some of the best basketball of his career over the last six weeks. The 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game over the last 14 games after averaging just 3.0 points in NU’s first three games

• Webster has been in double figures eight times in his last 14 games after reaching it a total of seven times in his first 65 games at Nebraska.
• He has been effective as a scoring guard off the bench, averaging 10.2 points per game on 51 percent shooting over the last five games, adding an experienced scorer to the Huskers’ second unit.
• He collected his second 20-point game of the year at No. 19 Iowa on Jan. 5, finishing with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and five rebounds.
• Webster had 10 points, three steals and two assists in 21 minutes off the bench against Prairie View A&M and had 11 points against Northwestern.
• He had 15 points and three assists at Creighton on Dec. 9.
• Webster scored all 10 of his points in the second half against Abilene Christian on Dec. 5 while adding five boards and a pair of blocked shots.
• Webster earned all-tournament honors at the Barclays Center Classic in November, averaging 19.5 points on 56 percent shooting and 5.0 rebounds per game against No. 24 Cincinnati and Tennessee.
• He enjoyed his breakout performance in the loss to No. 24 Cincinnati on Nov. 27, posting a then-career highs in points (21) and rebounds (eight) while battling a stomach virus that kept him out of shootaround earlier that day. One day later against Tennessee, he added 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting against Tennessee.