Huskers Travel To No. 19 Iowa Tuesday Night

GAME 16: AT IOWA Date: Tuesday, Jan. 5 Time: 8:06 p.m. Location: Iowa City, Iowa Arena: Carver-Hawkeye Arena NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2015-16 Record: 8-7, 0-2 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles Record at Nebraska: 55-56 (4th year) Career Record: 338-276 (21st year) No. 19/23 IOWA HAWKEYES 2015-16 Record: 11-3, 2-0 Big Ten Head coach: Fran McCaffery Record at Iowa: 106-78 (6th year) Career Record: 357-255 (20th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: BTN Play-by-play: Dave Revsine Expert Analysis: Shon Morris Online: BTN2Go 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 (Iowa feed): Sirius-83; XM-195 Also available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and TuneIn Radio

The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks to snap a two-game losing streak Tuesday evening, as the Huskers travel to Iowa City to take on the No. 19/23 (AP/Coaches) Hawkeyes.

Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City and the game will be televised nationally on BTN with Dave Revsine and Shon Morris on the call. The game between the Huskers and Hoosiers will also be available on BTN2Go on laptops, tablets and mobile devices.
Tuesday’s contest will also air across the state 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 (8-7, 0-2 Big Ten) had a golden opportunity to knock off Indiana before falling, 79-69, on Saturday afternoon. Andrew White III and Jack McVeigh had 16 points apiece for Nebraska, but Yogi Ferrell and Thomas Bryant combined for 43 points and Indiana shot 55 percent from the field, including 9-of-18 from 3-point range.

One encouraging sign for the Huskers in Saturday’s loss was the play of the Husker freshmen. After combining for 13 points in Wednesday’s conference opener, the quartet of McVeigh, Glynn Watson Jr., Michael Jacobson and Ed Morrow Jr. combined for 30 of the Huskers’ 69 points against the Hoosiers. McVeigh tied his career high with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added six rebounds in 24 minutes.

Nebraska will need strong performances from Andrew White III and Shavon Shields to snap a four-game losing streak against the Hawkeyes. The pair combines for over 32 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game.

Iowa (11-3, 2-0 Big Ten) comes into the week on a roll after knocking off No. 1 Michigan State in its Big Ten opener before going into West Lafayette and beating No. 14 Purdue Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, the Hawkeyes erased a 17-point halftime deficit behind a 25-point performance from Jarrod Uthoff while holding Purdue to 31 percent shooting in the second half.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
.909 - Shavon Shields free throw percentage over the last seven games, hitting 30 of 33 free throws. He has raised his free throw percentage from 65.7 percent to 77.9 percent in that stretch.

5 -  Shavon Shields needs five rebounds to become the eighth Husker with 1,300 points and 600 rebounds. The other seven players are Dave Hoppen, Eric Piatkowski, Andre Smith, Aleks Maric, Rich King, Venson Hamilton and Carl McPipe.

5 - Jack McVeigh became the fifth different Husker to lead NU in scoring with his 16-point effort against Indiana. McVeigh also became the ninth different Husker to tie or lead the team in rebounds, as he had six rebounds against IU.

5 - Five Huskers are averaging at least one steal per game, as NU is second in the Big Ten with 7.5 steals per game.

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

9 - Nebraska looks to snap a nine-game losing streak against ranked opponents when they take on the No. 19 Hawkeyes. The Huskers are 0-3 against ranked foes in 2015-16.

SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa comes into Tuesday’s game with a wave of momentum following a pair of wins over nationally ranked Michigan State and Purdue last week. The Hawkeyes, who are 11-3 on the year, became just the second Big Ten team in the last 20 years to go 2-0 with a pair of wins over ranked teams. Iowa is 11-3 on the season and comes in riding a four-game win streak. Iowa’s three losses came against Dayton, Notre Dame and at Iowa State.

The Hawkeyes are a veteran squad which starts four seniors and a junior. Iowa averages 81.7 points per game and is holding opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor and 30 percent from the 3-point line. Senior forward Jarrod Uthoff has been one of the Big Ten’s best players, as he averages 18.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. The 6-foot-9 junior is shooting 45 percent from the 3-point line and nearly 50 percent from the floor. Junior guard Peter Jok also averages double figures at 13.5 points per game, while seven Hawkeyes average at least six points per game.

SERIES HISTORY
The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 17-9 in a series that dates back to 1907. It is NU’s third-oldest series against a Big Ten foe, as only NU’s series with Minnesota and Wisconsin have been around longer. The teams had not met since 1976 before NU joined the Big Ten. Nebraska won two of the first three meetings, including a six-point win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 26, 2012, but Iowa has won the last four matchups. Tuesday’s meeting, the only one of the regular season, will mark the fourth game in Iowa City in the last five matchups.

Last meeting: Iowa silenced a sellout crowd with a 21-2 run to close the first half in posting a 74-46 victory over the Huskers. The Hawkeyes led wire to wire, shooting 50 percent from the field and placing three players in double figures. Aaron White led Iowa with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Peter Jok and Jarrod Uthoff chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively. Iowa’s 50 percent shooting not only was a season high, but snapped a streak of 37 straight games holding an opponent under 50 percent shooting. Terran Petteway led NU with 16 points.

LAST TIME OUT
Despite a team-high 16 points from both Jack McVeigh and Andrew White III, Nebraska fell to Indiana, 79-69, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday. The Huskers led 39-36 at the break, but Indiana shot 60 percent in the second half, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, to earn the victory.

Yogi Ferrell led all scorers with 24 points, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Thomas Bryant added 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to pace the Hoosier attack. Indiana shot 55 percent from the field and went 9-of-18 from 3-point range.

McVeigh shined off the bench for the Big Red, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the floor and grabbing a career-high six rebounds, while White also finished with 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers.

Indiana took the lead in the back-and-forth contest with a 16-3 run after Nebraska got to within 50-49 after a White 3-pointer. Ferrell scored eight of his 15 second-half points in the spurt that was capped by his 3-pointer with 9:09 left to make it 65-53.

DID YOU KNOW

• Nebraska has one native of Iowa on the roster in freshman forward Michael Jacobson. The 6-foot-8 forward is from Waukee, which is 126.7 miles from Iowa City. Jacobson is averaging 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while averaging 14.1 minutes per contest.
• Tuesday’s game at Iowa begins a tough road stretch for the Huskers, who play four of their next five games on the road. Following the Jan. 20 game at Michigan State, Nebraska will not play consecutive road games the remainder of the regular season. Tuesday also marks the Huskers’ first road trip since defeating Tennessee at the Barclays Center Classic on Nov. 28.
• Nebraska’s ball movement has been better since putting freshman Glynn Watson Jr. into the starting lineup three games ago. NU has averaged 15.3 assists per game over the last three games, as compared to 12.1 for NU’s first 12 contests. Benny Parker and Watson have combined for 20 assists and just five turnovers in that span.
• Andrew White III is one of only 17 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.
• Nebraska is the only school in the Big Ten 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 65 players in Division I have averaged that in 2015-16.
• Much of Nebraska’s inconsistency can be attributed to youth, as freshmen account for 34.5 percent of the Huskers’ minutes in 2015-16.

HIGHEST SCORING AVG (Last 20 Years)
Year	1st 15 Games
1995-96	87.5
1996-97	74.4
1997-98	73.9
2015-16	73.3
2006-07	72.9

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 73.3 points per game entering Tuesday’s game at Iowa is nearly seven points higher than NU’s average through its first 15 games of 2014-15 (66.7 ppg)

• NU’s 73.3 average is the highest scoring average since the 1997-98 team averaged 73.3 points per game through the first 15 games of the season.
• Ten different Huskers have reached double figures at least once while three players (Shields, Webster and White) have also recorded 20-point efforts.
• Nebraska has two 90-point games, the first two times in Miles’ four seasons that Nebraska has scored at least 90 points in a game, 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 88th (.366) entering Tuesday’s game at Iowa.
• Four of Nebraska’s top-seven scorers are in their first year of competition as a Husker, as newcomers have accounted for 52.9 percent of NU’s total offense in the first 15 games.
• Five of NU’s newcomers have already posted double-digit efforts, including a team-high 13 by Andrew White III and five by Glynn Watson Jr.

First-Year Huskers w/15.0 PPG
No.	Player	PPG	Year
1.	Terran Petteway	18.1	2013-14
-	Andrew White III	17.3	2015-16
2.	Joe McCray	15.5	2004-05
3.	Tom Baack	15.4	1965-66
	Bo Spencer	15.4	2011-12
	Albert Maxey	15.4	1958-59
6.	Fred Hare	15.2	1964-65

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 17.3 points per game, which leads all conference newcomers. He is also 21st in rebounding (5.5 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 (2.7) while shooting 43.5 percent from long range to rank 12th in the Big Ten.
• He has been in double figures in each of the Huskers’ last nine contests dating back to Nov. 28, averaging 19.0 ppg on 53 percent shooting and 6.2 rebounds per game.
• White has four games with at least four 3-pointers, including a career-high five 3-pointers against Northwestern on Dec. 30.
• White has been in double figures in 13 of NU’s 15 games, including a trio of 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).
• 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
For the first time since 2007, Nebraska returned a 1,000-point scorer to the lineup, as Shavon Shields now has 1,358 points to rank 12th on NU’s career scoring list. Shields has climbed from 24th to 12th during his senior year and is in position to finish his career in the top-10 all-time at Nebraska.

On the season, the 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Shields ranks 11th in the Big Ten in scoring and fifth in steals, and is first or second on the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

• He enters Tuesday’s game needing five rebounds to become just the eighth person in school history with 1,300 points and 600 rebounds.
• Shields is one of only 13 players nationally averaging 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.25 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.
• He has reached double figures in 12 of NU’s 15 games, including a season-high 28-point, five-rebound effort against No. 21 Miami on Dec. 1.
• Shields has 67 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).
• He turned in a strong performance against Rhode Island with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the 70-67 win.
• 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 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game over the last 12 games after averaging just 3.0 points in NU’s first three games.

• Webster has been in double figures seven times in his last 12 games after reaching it a total of seven times in his first two seasons.
• He has been effective as a scoring guard off the bench, averaging 7.7 points per game on 57 percent shooting over the last three games, adding an experienced scorer to the Huskers’ second unit.
• 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 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.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
With only five returning players who saw time for the Huskers last year, Nebraska is one of the youngest teams in the country in 2015-16. Nebraska’s 10 newcomers, which includes Andrew White III, who did not play last year, ties for third most nationally. The Huskers also have seven freshmen, which ties for fourth nationally. Of the nine programs with seven or more freshmen in 2015-16, three (Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin) are in the Big Ten.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Nebraska’s freshman class has provided an early impact for the Big Red. The class, which was ranked among the nation’s best, has accounted for nearly 30 percent of Nebraska’s point production. Glynn Watson Jr., Jack McVeigh, Ed Morrow Jr. and Michael Jacobson have played in all 15 games, while Bakari Evelyn has appeared in eight contests.

• Three of the freshmen have started at least one game, while Michael Jacobson has started NU’s last six games. During the last three games, Glynn Watson Jr. has joined Jacobson in the Huskers’ lineup. In addition, Ed Morrow started at center against Abilene Christian on Dec. 5.

Watson has seen time at both guard spots, averaging 7.1 points and 2.6 assists per game while posting a team-best 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is also third on the team with 1.1 steals per game.

• He has been in double figures five times, including a season-high 17 points in the win over Rhode Island on Dec. 13. In that game, he scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to rally the Huskers from an 11-point deficit.
• Watson had 11 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, in the overtime loss to No. 21 Miami on Dec. 1, and tallied 14 points against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 22.

Jacobson, who missed nearly two months with a foot injury, has averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in just 14.1 minutes per outing. He had 11 points and seven rebounds against Southeastern Louisiana and totaled a season-best eight caroms against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

• Jacobson moved into the starting lineup the past six games and is averaging 5.3 points on 52 and 3.3 rebounds in that stretch, including 11 points in the win over Rhode Island on Dec. 13.

McVeigh has been one of the primary scorers for the second unit, averaging 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He is third on the team with 13 3-pointers while shooting 35 percent from long range.

• He comes off his best game of the year, totaling 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and six rebounds against Indiana on Jan. 2, tying or setting personal bests in points and rebounds.
• McVeigh has scored eight or more points six times, and had eight points and five rebounds in the win over Tennessee on Nov. 28.
• McVeigh made a quick first impression, coming off the bench for 16 points, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range, in just 13 minutes of action against MVSU. His 16-point effort was the highest total by a true freshman since Joe McCray had 23 points in his collegiate debut in 2004 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Ed Morrow Jr. joins Jacobson in adding depth on the post. Morrow has played in all 15 games and averages 3.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while matching the team lead with 11 blocked shots.

• Morrow has provided a strong rebounder in his limited action, totaling four or more rebounds eight times while averaging 13.0 minutes per game.
• Morrow had a season-high 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting against Southeastern Louisiana and had seven points against Mississippi Valley State.