Huskers Host Rutgers on Legends Weekend

GAME 24: VS. RUTGERS Date: Saturday, Feb. 6 Time: 1:05 p.m. (CT) Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2015-16 Record: 12-11, 4-6 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles Record at Nebraska: 59-60 (4th year) Career Record: 342-280 (21st year) RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS 2015-16 Record: 6-17, 0-10 Big Ten Head coach: Eddie Jordan Record at Rutgers: 28-59 (3rd year) Career Record: same BROADCAST INFO Television: ESPNU Play-by-play: Clay Matvick Expert Analysis: Sean Harrington Online: WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.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 119; XM-195 Also available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and TuneIn Radio

The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks to end a three-game losing streak Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers welcome Rutgers to Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tipoff for the Saturday afternoon matinee is set for 1 p.m. and as of Friday morning, a limited number of single tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com, calling 800-8-BIGRED or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office beginning Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Clay Matvick and Sean Harrington on the call. The game between the Huskers and Scarlet Knights will also be available on the WatchESPN app on laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

The tilt will also air across the state of Nebraska on the Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison on the call, 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 (12-11, 4-6 Big Ten) had ample opportunities to knock off No. 4 Maryland before falling 70-65 on Wednesday. The Huskers forced 18 Terrapin turnovers, but only turned those into nine points. Despite being held to a season-low 31 percent shooting, Nebraska had a chance to tie in the final 15 seconds, but a 3-point attempt from Andrew White III was off the mark. White led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points and nine rebounds.

While White (17.0 ppg) and senior Shavon Shields (15.6 ppg) give NU a solid 1-2 scoring punch, the Huskers have been balanced in conference play with four players averaging double figures. On Wednesday, Michael Jacobson became the eighth Husker to post double figures in Big Ten play, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds against Maryland.

Rutgers (6-17, 0-10 Big Ten) nearly picked up its first Big Ten win of the year, falling 110-101 in triple overtime against Illinois. Freshman Corey Sanders nearly posted a triple-double in the loss with 39 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds to place four Scarlet Knight players in double figures.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
87.6 -  The 1990-91 team, which is being honored as part of Legends Weekend on Saturday, set a school-record by averaging 87.6 ppg., including seven 100-point games. Six players, including Beau Reid, averaged at least 9.9 ppg that season.

.586 - Nebraska is 17-12 under Tim Miles in games decided by five points or less following Wednesday’s loss to Maryland. NU is 0-3 in those games against Maryland over the last two years.

14 - Points that Shavon Shields needs to reach 1,500 for his career. In addition, his first assist on Saturday will be a career high, as he had 67 during his junior year.

9 - Points off turnovers against Maryland on Wednesday, equalling NU’s lowest total in Big Ten play. On the year, NU is at 16.5 points off turnovers per game and had over 20 in the two previous games (Michigan, at Purdue).

12.2 - Nebraska’s scoring average is 12.2 points higher than last year’s total. It is on pace to be the largest single-season increase in school history.

Season #1	PPG	Season #2	PPG	Increase
2014-15	61.5	2015-16	73.7	+12.2
1950-51	52.6	1951-52	62.3	+9.7
1964-65	68.2	1965-66	77.2	+9.0

Scouting Rutgers
Rutgers enters Saturday’s game with a 6-17 record after falling in triple overtime to Illinois. The Scarlet Knights led by 12 in the first half and led for most of the game before Illinois rallied late in regulation. Corey Sanders led Rutgers with 39 points - matching the highest single-game effort in the Big Ten this year - along with 12 assists. Jonathan Laurent, who missed the first matchup with an injury, added 23 points and eight rebounds in the loss. 

Third-year head coach Eddie Jordan was one of the greatest players in program history, helping Rutgers to a Final Four in 1976. He finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in both assists (585) and steals (220) and was an honorable-mention All-American in 1977. Jordan, who was a former assistant at Rutgers and Boston College, did most of his coaching in the NBA, and coached nine years in the league with stints in Sacramento (1996-98), Washington (2003-09) and Philadelphia (2009-10).

The Scarlet Knights have shown the ability to be competitive, including a one-point loss to Wake Forest, a six-point loss to Monmouth and a seven-point loss to Indiana. Injuries have hampered the Scarlet Knights, as three players are out for the year with injuries, including Deshawn Freeman, who was second on the team in scoring at the time of his injury.  Sanders leads RU in both scoring (15.4 ppg) and assists (4.1 apg) while Mike Williams joins him in double figures at 12.3 ppg. 

Series History
Saturday’s matchup will be the sixth all-time meeting with the Scarlet Knights and the third conference meeting between the programs. Nebaska won the first meeting, 90-56, on Jan. 9, and has won both meetings in Big Ten action.  Prior to the Scarlet Knights joining the Big Ten, the two teams split a home-and-home series in 2006 and 2007, including a 63-51 win at the Devaney Center on Dec. 9, 2006. The only other meeting was a 19-point Rutgers win at the 1999 Hoop and Quill Classic in St. Charles, Mo.

Last meeting:  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 on Jan. 9. 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 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. 

Huskers Honor 1990-91 Team on Legends Weekend
The Nebraska basketball program will honor one of its greatest teams during the fourth-annual Legends Weekend against Rutgers Saturday afternoon.

The 1990-91 team will be honored, as this season marks the 25th anniversary of their record-breaking season. The Huskers won a school record 26 games that season and were ranked for 14 consecutive weeks, reaching as high as 11th in the AP poll. The 1990-91 Huskers are considered one of the greatest offensive teams in school history, averaging a school-record 87.6 points per game and featured five players who averaged double figures. The team, which featured three future NBA players in Eric Piatkowski, Rich King and Tony Farmer, set 20 school team records, including 13 which still stand a quarter of a century later. The 1990-91 team started a run of four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the Huskers. 

Legends Weekend has quickly become a popular event on the schedule, as over 30 former players are expected to attend this weekend. The weekend’s activities include a team reception with the Husker coaches and staff on Friday night, halftime recognition during the Rutgers game as well as opportunities to watch the Huskers practice and interact with the current Husker team.

As part of Legends Weekend, the Huskers will wear special 1990-91 throwback jerseys created by adidas. The white jersey tops feature red and silver lettering and piping, while the shorts feature the script Husker logo that was used during that era. In addition, the first 500 students at Saturday’s game with Rutgers will receive a special Legends Weekend shirt courtesy of adidas. It is the fourth year that the Huskers have worn a throwback jersey as part of Legends Weekend.

Last Time Out 
For the second straight year, Nebraska had a chance to tie in the final seconds against a top-10 Maryland team, but the Huskers fell just short, 70-65 to No. 4/3 (AP/Coaches) Maryland Wednesday evening in front of a crowd of 15,693 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska trailed 68-65 after Diamond Stone’s missed free throw with 33 seconds left. The Huskers missed a first attempt by Shavon Shields, but the ball went off Maryland, giving the Huskers another chance with 18 seconds left. NU ran a play for Andrew White III, who finished with a game high 19 points and nine rebounds, but his 3-pointer from the wing was off the mark.

Melo Trimble capped a 20-point effort with a pair of free throws for the final margin, as all three Big Ten games between Nebraska (12-11, 4-6 Big Ten) and Maryland (20-3, 9-2 Big Ten) have been decided by five points or less.

White led a balanced Husker attack that saw four players in double figures, even though NU shot a season-low 32 percent from the floor. Shavon Shields had 11 points and four assists, while freshmen Michael Jacobson and Glynn Watson Jr. added 10 apiece in the losing effort.

Diamond Stone carried Maryland on the inside, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots, matching a Husker opponent record. Rasheed Sulaimon and Jared Nickens finished with 11 points each for the Terrapins.

The story of the game for the Huskers was its inability to convert Maryland mistakes into points. The Huskers forced 18 Terrapin turnovers, but could score just nine points off it. Combined with a 43-35 deficit on the boards, it allowed Maryland to earn its third straight win over the Huskers.

Worth Noting

• Saturday’s game features the top-two scoring newcomers in the Big Ten in Nebraska junior transfer Andrew White (17.0 ppg) and Rutgers freshman Corey Sanders (15.3 ppg). They are the only newcomers in the top-10 in scoring in the Big Ten in 2015-16.
• Nine of the Huskers’ 11 losses have come to teams currently rated in the top 50 in the KenPom rankings, including five to teams in the top 20. Three of NU’s last four games have been against teams in the top-13 of the KenPom rankings.
• Nebraska’s 73.8 ppg in Big Ten play is not only a 16-point improvement on NU’s conference scoring average (57.1 ppg), but is the first time NU has averaged at least 70 points in conference action since the 2001-02 campaign. 
• The Huskers have been much better handling the basketball in Big Ten play. In conference action, NU is second in the Big Ten with 9.6 turnovers per game. In non-conference action, NU averaged 14.5 turnovers per game. 
• Nebraska has scored 70+ points six times in Big Ten play, which already matched the most 70+ point games since joining the Big Ten (also 2013-14).
• One of the biggest differences between the Huskers’ wins and losses in Big Ten play has been defending the 3-point line. In the Huskers’ four wins, opponents are shooting 30 percent from long distance, while that number jumps to 48 percent in the Huskers’ six Big Ten losses.
• Since moving Glynn Watson Jr. into the starting lineup and shortening the rotation on Dec. 22, Nebraska has been efficient, averaging 74.5 ppg while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor. Watson has flourished as well, averaging 9.4 points and 1.4 steals per game. 
• Glynn Watson Jr. has been one of the Big Ten’s best newcomers at point guard this season. The Bellwood, Ill., product is averaging 8.6 ppg and 2.4 apg while his 2.62 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best by a Husker since Jamar Johnson had a 2.73 assist-to-turnover ratio in 1993-94.

• Nebraska is one of three programs in the nation (joining Florida State and Tulsa) 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 reached those averages.
•  Despite getting out-rebounded in the last four games, including the top-two teams in the country in rebounding margin (No. 1 MSU, No. 2 Purdue), NU is sixth in the conference in rebounding margin at +3.7 per game. NU has not finished with a positive rebounding margin since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12.  
• Much of Nebraska’s inconsistency can be attributed to youth, as freshmen account for 37 percent of the Huskers’ minutes in 2015-16. The 37 percent is the most in the Big Ten. In conference action, the number jumps to 40.0 percent of the Huskers’ total playing time and 33 percent of NU’s offense.
• Nebraska's 3-point shooting has jumped from 28.4 percent to 35.3 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.