Huskers Ring in 2017 at Maryland

GAME 14: AT MARYLAND Date: Sunday, Jan. 1 Time: 11 a.m. (CT) Location: College Park, Md. Arena: XFINITY Center NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2016-17 Record: 7-6 Head coach: Tim Miles Record at Nebraska: 70-73 (5th year) Career Record: 353-293 (22nd year) MARYLAND TERRAPINS 2016-17 Record: 13-1 Head coach: Mark Turgeon Record at Maryland: 127-60 (6th year) Career Record: 377-219 (19th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: BTN Online: BTN2Go and on BTN.com Play-by-play: Tom Werme Expert Analysis: Dan Bonner 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: Ben McLaughlin Also available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and on TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio App.

Nebraska rings in 2017 on the road, as the Huskers travel to College Park, Md., to take on the Maryland Terrapins Sunday morning.

Tipoff from XFINITY Center is set for 11 a.m. (CT) and the game between the Huskers and Terrapins will be carried nationally on BTN with Tom Werme and Dan Bonner on the call. The game will also be available online on BTN2Go and on BTN.com.

Fans can listen to Sunday's game and all of the action throughout the 2016-17 season on the Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Ben McLaughlin on the call, including on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. The broadcast starts 60 minutes before tipoff and a complete list of HSN affiliates is on page 5 of the release.

The Huskers will look to go 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season and are coming off an 87-83 win over No. 16 Indiana at Assembly Hall Wednesday evening, snapping the Hoosiers' 26-game home winning streak. In that game, the Huskers shot 48.4 percent from the field - the highest Indiana has allowed this season - against an IU defense which was holding opponents to 38 percent shooting.

Sophomore Glynn Watson Jr. led four Huskers in double figures with 26 points, four assists and five steals, while Tai Webster added 21 points, four rebounds and four steals. Of equal importance was the performance of Husker freshmen Jeriah Horne, Isaiah Roby and Jordy Tshimanaga, who combined for 21 points and nine boards off the bench.

While the Husker guards provide much of the offense, sophomore Ed Morrow Jr. has been solid for the Huskers on the interior, as he averages 10.5 points per game while pacing the Huskers in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocked shots (1.4 bpg). Morrow posted his third double-double of the season with 12 points, 10 boards and five blocked shots against Indiana.

If the Huskers are to pick up another Big Ten road win, they will have to overcome a Maryland team which is 13-1 on the season and comes off an 84-59 victory over Illinois on Tuesday. Maryland, which is 17-1 at home in Big Ten play since joining the conference, is led by junior Melo Trimble, who had 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Illinois and leads Maryland in scoring at 18.1 points per game. The Terrapins have shown the knack to win lose games, going 6-0 in games decided by six points or less, including a trio of one-point wins.

OPENING NUMBERS

54 - NU's 54-point second half at Indiana was its highest-scoring half in a conference game since scoring 60 in the second half against Texas A&M on Feb. 28, 2001. Before Wednesday, NU had not scored 50 points in a half in conference play since 2006.

.750 - The Huskers are 3-1 in games decided by five points or less this season. The only loss came at Clemson when the Huskers had two shots to win or tie in the final minute.

7 - Nebraska is 7-1 when hitting at least six 3-pointers and 0-5 when being held to five 3-pointers or less. The only loss came to now-No. 2 UCLA.

9.9 - Rebounds per game by Ed Morrow Jr. over the last seven contests. In that stretch, he is also chipping in 9.6 points and 2.1 blocks per contest.

13 - Steals by the Huskers on Wednesday, the most by NU in 100 games (15 vs. Arkansas State on Dec. 14, 2013).

14 - Consecutive games in double figures for Tai Webster, dating back to last year's Big Ten Tournament. It triples the previous long stretch of his career.

2005-06 - The last time Nebraska scored 80 or more points in three straight games, as the Huskers will look to reach that plateau on Sunday.

SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland comes into Sunday's contest with a 13-1 record and riding a six-game win streak following an 85-59 win over Illinois on Tuesday. Maryland, which replaced four starters from a team that went to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year, opened the season with seven straight wins, including a comeback win over Georgetown, before falling to Pitt in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Since then, the Terps have won six straight games, including wins over Oklahoma State and Illinois. Maryland has been stout on defense, holding opponents under 40 percent shooting, and out-rebounding teams by 3.2 rebounds per game.

Junior guard Melo Trimble has keyed the Maryland attack, as he is averaging 18.1 points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 84 percent from the line. Trimble gets to the foul line an average of 6.2 times per game. Maryland has also relied on its freshmen, which are three of the team's top five scorers. Justin Jackson is second on the team in scoring at 10.9 points and a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game, while fellow freshman Anthony Cowan is at 10.7 points and a team-high 3.9 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday’s meeting with Maryland is the fifth meeting between the two teams, all since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten. Although NU is 0-4 against Maryland, three of the four losses have been by five points or less. The most recent meeting was Maryland's 97-86 win over the Huskers in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers do have some history with Mark Turgeon, going 2-3 against him when he served as head coach at Texas A&M from 2007-08 to 2010-11. Both of NU’s wins came over a ranked Texas A&M teams, including a 65-59 win over the No. 22 Aggies in College Station in 2008 and a 57-48 victory over No. 13 Texas A&M in Lincoln in 2011.

Feb. 4, 2016: 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 70-65 to No. 4/3 (AP/Coaches) Maryland. 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. White led a balanced Husker attack that saw four players in double figures. Shavon Shields had 11 points and four assists, while Michael Jacobson and Glynn Watson Jr. added 10 apiece. Diamond Stone carried Maryland on the inside, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

March 11, 2006: Nebraska’s frantic comeback fell just short, as the Huskers fell No. 18 Maryland, 97-86, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska rallied back from a 25-point deficit to within 92-86 after a 3-pointer from Andrew White III with 1:38 remaining. On the next possession, the Huskers got a miss from Damonte Dodd and had the rebound and a chance to make it a one-possession game, but a foul on Glynn Watson Jr. gave Maryland the ball. The Huskers would get no closer, as Maryland went 5-of-6 from the line in the final minute to hold on. NU was led by Andrew White III, who finished with 25 points, including five 3-pointers, to pace four Huskers in double figures. Shavon Shields added 19 points, while Tai Webster and Watson Jr. added 17 and 10 markers, respectively. Maryland shot 60.3 percent, including 13-of-22 from 3-point range, were led by Jake Layman’s 26 points, including 17 in the first half.

LAST TIME OUT
Glynn Watson Jr. and Tai Webster combined for 47 points, as Nebraska opened Big Ten play with an 87-83 victory over No. 16 Indiana at Assembly Hall. The Huskers shot 48 percent, including 9-of-18 from 3-point range, in snapping Indiana’s 26-game home win streak dating back to the 2014-15 season.

Watson scored 19 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, as Nebraska overcame a seven-point deficit with 56 percent shooting from the floor after halftime. Trailing 42-35, 3-pointers from Webster and Watson got the Huskers back into the contest before the Huskers turned the momentum.

Watson keyed a 10-2 spurt to give NU the lead, scoring five points and adding an assists, as his 3-pointer with 14:33 left staked NU to a 51-47 lead. The Huskers eventually got the lead to eight points on two occasions, the last after a Webster basket with 9:46 left to make it 63-55, but the Hoosiers would rally. Indiana used a 15-3 run to take a 70-68 lead and would eventually lead 73-70 after a Robert Johnson 3-pointer with 4:39 left before NU would come back behind its backcourt. A Webster basket after a Watson steal cut it to one before Watson’s 3-point play with 3:10 remaining gave the lead for good at 75-73. The Huskers stretched the lead to four on an Ed Morrow Jr. tip-in, as he finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. The Hoosiers cut the lead to one twice, but the Huskers held on in the final two minutes as they picked up their second win in Bloomington since 2014.

WORTH NOTING

• Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has several ties to Lincoln. His father, Bob, currently lives in Lincoln while his niece is Maddie Simon, who plays for the Husker women’s basketball team.
•  Nebraska has a trio of ties to the DMV area, as Kenya Hunter coached at Georgetown from 2007 to 2013 while Evan Taylor (Paul VI Catholic HS) and James Palmer Jr. (St. John's College HS) both played high school basketball in the area. Taylor has started the last three games for NU, while Palmer is sitting out this season after transferring from Miami.
• Nebraska is bidding for its first-ever 2-0 start in Big Ten play. Over the last two decades, the Huskers have started 2-0 in conference play on three occasions (2005-06, 2004-05 and 1996-97).

HUSKER YOUTH IS SERVED
With seven freshmen and sophomores in the Huskers' nine-man rotation, it is not surprising that most of the scoring and minutes have come from the underclassmen. Through the first 13 games, 66 percent of NU's minutes and points have come from the freshmen and sophomore classes. Against Indiana, NU played six freshmen and sophomores in its eight-player rotation.

TAI'S TAKING OVER
Last season, Tai Webster was one of the most improved players in the Big Ten, and the 6-foot-4 guard has taken another leap as a senior. Webster comes into the week sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.3 points per game and also chipping in 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

• Webster is the only Big Ten player - and one of 15 players nationally - averaging at least 17 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Among power conference teams, the list includes Washington's Markelle Fultz, Pittsburgh's Jamel Artis and Villanova's Josh Hart. Since 1993-94, only nine Big Ten players have finished the season at those thresholds, a list which includes Jalen Rose Evan Turner, Denzel Valentine, D'Angelo Russell and Michael Finley among others.
• Webster's 17.3 points per game is on pace to be the highest by a Husker senior since Eric Piatkowski in 1994.
  
• He has been exceptional against NU's best foes, as he is averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in NU's four games against ranked opponents this season.
  
• Webster ranks 48th on NU's career scoring list with 813 points and needs just 208 points to become Nebraska's 28th 1,000-point scorer.
  
• He is the only Husker to score double figures in each of NU's 13 contests in 2016-17 and has been in double figures in 14 straight games dating back to last season.
  
• He leads the Huskers with six 20-point games, including a 21-point effort with four rebounds and four steals in the win over No. 16 Indiana.
• Webster led NU with 22 points and five assists at No. 3 Kansas on Dec. 10. His other 20-point games this season have come against Sacramento State, Virginia Tech, Louisiana Tech and No. 10 Creighton. Prior to this year, he had just two 20-point efforts in his first Husker career.
• He turned in a strong performance at the Wooden Legacy, averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three games. Webster had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists vs. No. 14 UCLA and had 23 points and eight rebounds against Virginia Tech.
  

As a junior, Webster put together one of the largest one-season scoring jumps by a Husker in recent years during the 2015-16 season. He improved his scoring average from 3.9 ppg to 10.1 ppg from his sophomore to junior campaigns, marking the largest one-season jump by a Husker in nine seasons. Webster reached double figures 16 times in 2015-16 after accomplishing the feat just seven times in his first two seasons and closed the year by averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game at the Big Ten Tournament.

MORROW ENJOYS BREAKOUT SEASON
Sophomore Ed Morrow Jr. has enjoyed a breakout season. One of the "Five Most Improved Players" in the Big Ten by BTN analyst Shon Morris, Morrow has raised his scoring average from 4.1 points to 10.5 points per game on 56 percent shooting, while ranking among the Big Ten leaders with 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Morrow comes into Sunday's game at Maryland ranked sixth in the Big Ten in rebounding, eighth in blocked shots and 12th in field goal percentage.

? Morrow's 8.5 rebounds per game is on pace to be the highest average by a Husker sophomore since Leroy Chalk averaged 9.9 caroms per outing in 1968-69. Only seven Husker sophomores since the 1953-54 season have averaged at least eight rebounds per game.

• Reached double figures seven times this year after reaching double figures just four times in 2015-16.
• Earned his third double-double of the season with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in the win over No. 16 Indiana on Dec. 28. In that game, Morrow had two big offensive putbacks in the final two minutes to preserve NU's lead.
• Grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds vs. Gardner-Webb on Dec. 18. It was the highest total by a Husker since the 2006-07 season. He also matched his then-career high with four blocked shots in the game.
• Turned in a strong effort at No. 3 Kansas, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds.
• Snagged a then-career-high 13 rebounds against No. 10 Creighton on Dec. 7.
• Earned his second career double-double at Clemson on Nov. 30, grabbing a then-career-high 12 rebounds and adding 10 points and three blocked shots.
• Collected his first career double-double against Dayton, scoring 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds in the 80-78 win.
• Reached double figures in the loss to Virginia Tech, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven boards, as he averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds during the three games at the Wooden Legacy.
• Morrow's mother, Nafeesah Brown, was a standout basketball player for the Huskers in the mid-1990s, as she averaged 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during her Husker career. As a senior, she averaged 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in earning first-team All-Big Eight honors.

WATSON IS POINT OF IT ALL
Glynn Watson Jr. has continued his emergence as one of the best young guards in the Big Ten. The 6-foot sophomore enters the Maryland game averaging 13.6 points, 2.9 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.2 steals per game. Watson comes from a basketball family, as his older brother Demetri McCamey was a first-team All-Big Ten performer at Illinois, but has quickly made his own name at Nebraska.

• Watson is second on the team in scoring and assists and ranks among the conference leaders in scoring (16th) and steals (first).
• Reached double figures eight times, including five 20-point efforts, after not scoring more than 17 points in a game as a freshmen.
• Keyed NU's win over No. 16 Indiana with 26 points, five steals and four assists, as he had 19 second-half points.
• Paced NU with 20 points, matched his career high with six rebounds and added four steals and four assists at Clemson.
• Played well at the Wooden Legacy, averaging 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3.0 assists per game.
• Established a career high with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting against No. 14 UCLA, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the second half as Nebraska rallied back and cut a 15-point deficit to two.
• Keyed NU's win over Dayton with 20 points, a career-high five steals and three assists while hitting a pair of game-winning free throws with 8.8 seconds left when the Huskers trailed 78-77.
• He opened the season with a then-career-high 23 points along with six assists and five rebounds in NU's win over Sacramento State on Nov. 13.
• Prior to Watson's effort in the opener, Shavon Shields was the last Husker with a 20-point, six-assist effort as he had 21 points and seven assists against Delaware State on Nov. 19, 2015. The last Husker guard to do that was Jamel White against Western Kentucky during the 2006-07 season.

As a freshman, Watson played in all 34 games and made 16 starts for the Huskers. He averaged 8.6 points per game and was in double figures 15 times.

• Watson was one of five Husker freshmen to finish his initial campaign on NU's top-10 list for both freshmen points and assists, joining Eric Piatkowski (1991), Tyronn Lue (1996), Cookie Belcher (1997) and Jake Muhleisen (2002).
• Finished fourth among Big Ten freshmen in both assists and steals per game in 2015-16.
• His 2.44-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2015-16 was the best by a Husker guard in nearly a decade and the fourth-best over the last 30 years.

TAKING ON A CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
Nebraska has faced a daunting 2016-17 non-conference schedule. The Huskers are 7-6 on the season and have played the fifth-toughest schedule in the country according to the NCAA's RPI as of Dec. 28.

• Nebraska's non-conference schedule ranks ninth nationally and is only Big Ten team in the top-10.
• The Huskers' Division I opponents are a combined 90-38, as the .703 winning percentage ranks fourth nationally.
• In addition, NU's remaining opponents have a .761 winning percentage which is the second-best winning percentage among Big Ten teams.
• The Big Ten currently has 13 of its 14 teams in the top-100 of the RPI through Dec. 29.
• Earlier this month, Nebraska completed a week where the Huskers played consecutive top-10 teams in non-conference play for the first time in program history (No. 10 Creighton, No. 3 Kansas)
• The 2016-17 season marks the third time Nebraska has faced multiple top-10 teams prior to the start of conference play. In both of the other two instances (1950-51 and 1954-55), NU played a conference opponent as part of the Big Seven Holiday Tournament in Kansas City.
• It is the second straight season that NU will face multiple ranked teams during non-conference action. Prior to last season, it has not happened since the 2002-03 season.

JERIAH'S BREAKOUT GAME
The biggest highlight of Nebraska's win over Southern was the breakout performance by freshman Jeriah Horne. The freshman from Overland Park, Kan., had averaged just 1.4 points per game in NU's first 11 contests before scoring 18 points in the 81-76 win.

• In the performance vs. Southern, Horne set season highs in points (18), field goals (seven), 3-pointers (four), assists (two) and blocked shots (two) while playing just 18 minutes.
• Entering the Southern game, he had not scored in his last seven appearances dating back to the Dayton game on Nov. 24, and had played only 21 minutes in that stretch.
• Horne's 18-point performance was the most by a Husker reserve since Tai Webster scored 22 points at No. 19 Iowa on Jan. 5, 2016.
• Horne's 18-point outburst was the most by a Husker freshmen since Shavon Shields had 19 points against Purdue in the 2013 Big Ten Tournament.
• Horne continued to play well at Indiana, scoring 11 points off the bench, including eight during a crucial first-half spurt that gave NU a 12-point lead.

Horne was a prolific scorer in high school, totaling more than 2,000 career points at the Barstow School, including a 39-point, 14-rebound effort last year against Washington signee Michael Porter Jr. in the Missouri Class 3 State title game. A three-time all-state pick, Horne was the co-recipient of the DiRenna Award as the top player in the KC area in 2016, joining a list which includes Alec Burks and Wayne Simien among others.