Huskers Face Red-Hot Gophers

GAME 29: At MINNESOTA Date: Thursday, March 2 Time: 6:04 p.m. (CT) Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Arena: Williams Arena NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2016-17 Record: 12-16, 6-10 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles Record at Nebraska: 75-83 (5th year) Career Record: 358-303 (22nd year) MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS 2016-17 Record: 22-7, 9-6 Big Ten Head coach: Richard Pitino Record at Minnesota: 73-58 (4th year) Career Record: 91-72 (5th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: ESPN Online: WatchESPN Play-by-play: Clay Matvick Expert Analysis: Sean Harrington 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 Davision Also available online at Huskers.com, SiriusXM Radio, the Huskers App and on TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio App.

The Nebraska men’s basketball team looks to snap a two-game losing streak on Thursday, as the Huskers face Minnesota.
Tipoff from Williams Arena is set for 6:04 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN with Clay Matvick and Sean Harrington on the call. The game will also be available on the WatchESPN and ESPN apps, as well as online on WatchESPN.com.

Fans can listen to Thursday's game and all of the action throughout the 2016-17 season on the Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison on the call, including on Huskers.com, the Huskers app, on TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM Radio. The broadcast starts 60 minutes before tipoff and a complete list of HSN affiliates is on page 5 of the release.
The Huskers (12-16, 6-10 Big Ten) got 17 points and eight rebounds from Tai Webster, but Illinois used a blistering shooting performance to top the Huskers 73-57 on Sunday. The Fighting Illini hit eight of their first nine 3-point attempts to open the second half to break open a 32-all deadlock. In all, Illinois hit 13 3-pointers and took advantage of 18 Husker turnovers, converting them into 21 points.

Webster has put together a strong senior season and comes into the week among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (3rd, 17.8), assists (6th, 4.1) and steals (3rd, 1.4). The 6-foot-4 guard was one of the highlights for the Huskers last week, averaging 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

The Huskers enter the final week of the season in a four-way tie for 10th place in the Big Ten standings, and a win on Thursday evening would go a long way in helping Nebraska avoid playing on the first day of the tournament.
The Huskers will face one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten in Minnesota (22-7, 10-6 Big Ten). The Golden Gophers have won seven straight games following an 81-71 victory over Penn State on Saturday. In that game, Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy had 16 points apiece, while Reggie Lynch had nine points and 11 blocked shots, as he leads the Big Ten with 3.4 blocks per game. Mason's 15.1 points per game leads five Gophers who average double figures.

OPENING NUMBER
3- Senior Tai Webster is 3 points away from being the 10th senior in school history to score 500 points in a season. Only 14 players in school history have scored 500 or more points in a season.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
4 - Number of one-point games for Nebraska in 2016-17, all coming in Big Ten play. It is the most by a Husker team since 2011. The school record is seven set during the 1961-62 campaign.

2 - Tai Webster joins Josh Hart (Villanova) as the only power conference players to reach double figures in every game in 2016-17. Webster has reached double figures in 29 straight games dating back to last season.

5.0- Nebraska has out-rebounded its last eight opponents by an average of 5.0 rebounds per game. In the first eight conference games, NU was out-rebounded by 2.4 caroms per contest.

7.5 - Steals per game in Big Ten play, a total which is second in conference play.

7.6 - Rebounds per game for Ed Morrow Jr., which is on pace to be the highest average by a Husker since Aleks Maric in 2007-08.

8 - Glynn Watson Jr. needs eight points to move into 10th place on NU's sophomore scoring list.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Under Richard Pitino, the Gophers have enjoyed one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball this season. After going 8-23 last season, Minnesota is 22-7 heading into the final week of the season. The Golden Gophers are in a three-way tie for third with Michigan State and Maryland and looking to earn a double-bye in next week's Big Ten Tournament.

Minnesota opened the year by going 12-1 in non-conference action, with the only loss coming at Florida State. Minnesota went 3-1 to open Big Ten play, including a win at league-leader Purdue, before dropping its next five games. The Gophers have rebounded in February, winning its last seven games, including a 14-point win at Maryland. Minnesota has been tested with five overtime games in conference play.

Sophomore guard Nate Mason has led Minnesota, averaging 15.1 points and 5.3 assists per game, while Jordan Murphy is averaging 11.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Freshman Amir Coffey is the team's second-leading scorer at 12.2 points per game while guards Dupree McBrayer and Akeem Springs are also averaging double figures. Minnesota also has one of the best inside players in the conference in Reggie Lynch, who averages 8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska and Minnesota will meet for the 73rd time on Thursday, 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, 53-19, while the Huskers have won four of the past five meetings. The home team has won the last seven meetings and the teams have split eight meetings as Big Ten members.

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.

LAST MEETING vs. MINNESOTA
Shavon Shields’ 24 points and eight rebounds paced Nebraska to an 84-59 win over Minnesota.  Shields scored 19 of his points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting, as the Huskers raced to a 21-point halftime lead. Nebraska took control midway through the first half, using a 29-4 spurt to erase an early deficit, behind Shields, who scored nine points in the run to help NU take a 20-point lead in the first 14 minutes of the contest.  Andrew White III joined Shields in double figures with 15 points and seven rebounds, as Nebraska shot 51 percent from the field in the win and out-rebounded Minnesota, 40-22.

LAST TIME OUT
Nebraska ran into a hot-shooting Illinois team and fell, 73-57, at Pinnacle Bank Arena Sunday evening.

Tai Webster led Nebraska (12-16, 6-10) with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists, but Illinois went 13-of-26 from 3-point range, including 8-of-9 to open the second half to break the game open in the second half.

Malcolm Hill led Illinois (17-12, 7-9) with 19 points, including 4-of-6 from long range to pace three Fighting Illini players in double figures. Tracy Abrams added 13 points, including four 3-pointers while Maverick Morgan added 12 points for the victors.

Illinois took control with a 12-3 run early in the second half as Hill and Abrams combined for eight points to help the visitors build a 44-35 lead and force a Husker timeout.
Nebraska pulled to within seven, at 44-37, on a Jack McVeigh basket, but 3-pointers from Jalen Coleman-Lands and Abrams pushed the lead back to 13 and Nebraska was unable to slice the lead back into single figures the rest of the way.

WEBSTER LOOKS TO JOIN EXCLUSIVE HUSKER CLUB
Senior guard Tai Webster could become only the fourth player in school history to have 500 points and 100 assists in the same season Thursday. Webster, whose 114 assists are nearly double his previous best, enters Thursday's game at Minnesota needing three points to join Erick Strickland, Jaron Boone and Tyronn Lue as the only Huskers to score 500 points and dish out 100 assists in a season.

WORTH NOTING

• Nebraska will look for its fourth Big Ten road win on Thursday. It would be the first time since the 1998-99 season that the Huskers won four conference road games in a season. It would also mark the Huskers' first win in Minneapolis since a 77-60 win in 2003.
• Tai Webster is one of only two power conference players in the country currently averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The other is Washington's Markelle Fultz, who is listed as the top prospect on Draft Express' 2017 draft board.
  To put Tai Webster's season averages (17.8 ppg; 5.1 rpg; 4.1 apg) in perspective, only one other Big Ten player - Michigan's Derrick Walton Jr. - currently averages at least 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game entering the final week of the regular season.
• Two members of the Husker coaching staff have strong ties to Minnesota. Tim Miles served as the head coach at Southwest Minnesota State for four seasons (1997-98 to 2000-01), guiding the program to a Division II Elite Eight in 2001. Jim Molinari worked at Minnesota for three seasons (2004-05 to 2006-07), serving as the interim head coach for part of the 2006-07 campaign.
• Tai Webster has reached double figures in 29 straight games dating back to last year. If he reaches that total on Thursday, he will join Terran Petteway (30, 2013-14 and 2014-15) and Tyronn Lue (36, 1996-97 and 1997-98) as the only Huskers to reach double figures in 30 straight games over the last 20 years.
• The Huskers have played much better since the return of Ed Morrow Jr. on Feb. 9. The 6-foot-7 sophomore played NU's first four Big Ten contests before being sidelined for a month with a foot injury. Morrow is NU's leading rebounder (7.6 rpg) and shot blocker (1.2 bpg) while ranking third on the team in scoring at 9.3 ppg.
• 10 of the Huskers' 16 Big Ten games this season have been decided by eight points or less, including eight games by four points or less. In seven of its 10 Big Ten losses, Nebraska has been within five points during the last five minutes.
• The Huskers have played four one-point games in Big Ten play, which is the most by a Husker team since 2010-11. It is just the sixth time in 120 years that NU has played four or more one-point games in a season.
• Nebraska is averaging 71.3 points per game in Big Ten action, the Huskers' highest average since averaging 71.4 points per game in 2001-02.
• Nebraska's strength of schedule is second nationally according to the NCAA entering the final week of the regular season. The Huskers have played 13 games against teams in the top-50 of the RPI, a total which is fourth nationally. In addition, NU has played a national-best 21 games vs. top-100 RPI teams.
• Nebraska's non-conference strength of schedule is third nationally entering this week. No Big Ten team in the last 10 years (2008-present) has had a top-five non-conference strength of schedule heading into Selection Sunday.

FINDING WAYS TO WIN ON THE ROAD
The Huskers have shown the ability to win in tough places this season, posting a trio of Big Ten road wins in 2016-17. Two of the victories have come when NU has faced a double-digit deficit.

• Nebraska's 87-83 win at No. 16 Indiana in the Big Ten opener snapped Indiana's 26-game home winning streak, which was one of the longest in the nation at the time.
• The Huskers' 67-65 win at Maryland on Jan. 1 marked just the second time the Terrapins had lost a home conference game since joining the Big Ten. Maryland was 18-1 in its first 19 Big Ten home games before Nebraska closed the game on a 14-0 run to earn the win.
• Nebraska's 58-57 win at Ohio State was not only the Huskers' first-ever win in Columbus in eight tries, but also just the 10th time in the past 201 games that Ohio State had lost at home to an unranked team. Nebraska, which trailed by 11 in the second half, scored six points in the final 30 seconds, including a 3-point play by Glynn Watson Jr. with 11.3 seconds remaining, to overcome a 57-52 deficit.

TAI MAKES HIS CASE IN 2016-17
Senior Tai Webster has emerged as one of the Big Ten's top performers in 2016-17. The Auckland, New Zealand, native comes into the weekend averaging 17.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

• He is one of six players in Division I currently averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Among power conferences, he joins Markelle Fultz (Washington) as the only players currently at those plateaus.
• No Husker has averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In fact, the last Husker to average 16.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 assists per game was Cookie Belcher in 2000-01 (16.4 ppg; 5.1 rpg; 4.4 apg).
• Webster is making a strong bid to join an elite club of Big Ten players. Since 1993-94, only eight Big Ten players have finished the season averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, a list which includes D'Angelo Russell, Michael Finley, Evan Turner and Denzel Valentine among others.
• Webster is among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (third), steals (sixth) and assists (seventh). He is one of three players in the top-10 in both scoring and assists (also Minnesota's Nate Mason and Michigan's Derrick Walton Jr.) and is also one of only three in the top 10 in both steals and assists (Mason and Maryland's Anthony Cowan).
• Webster became Nebraska's 28th 1,000-point scorer on Feb. 5, and enters Thursday's game in 26th place on NU's career scoring list. He is 40 points away from tying Ryan Anderson for 25th place on the scoring list.
• In Big Ten play, Webster is third in scoring at 18.3 points per game while also ranking third in steals (1.6 spg) and seventh in assists (4.1 apg).
• He leads the Huskers with nine 20-point games, highlighted by career bests in both points (28) and rebounds (nine) at Michigan on Jan. 14. Prior to this season, he had just two 20-point games in three seasons.
• He is the only Husker to score double figures in each of NU's 28 contests in 2016-17 and has been in double figures in 20 straight games dating back to last season.
• Webster has been exceptional against the Huskers best foes, as he is averaging 19.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game in NU's six games against ranked opponents this season.
• Webster earned his first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week award on Jan. 2, as he averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game in helping NU to wins over No. 16 Indiana and Maryland. He keyed NU's comeback at Maryland with 18 points, including the Huskers' final seven points, in a 67-65 win.

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 Min game averaging 13.4 points, 2.7 assists and 1.7 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 Watson 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 (third).
• Reached double figures 19 times this season, including seven 20-point efforts. His most recent 20-point effort came at Michigan on Jan. 14, when he had 20 of his 22 points in the second half. Watson looks to break out on Thursday after being held out of double figures in each of the last two games, the first time that has happened since early December.
• In Big Ten action, Watson is 15th in the Big Ten in scoring (13.9 ppg) and is also among the Big Ten leaders in steals (1.6 3rd), 3-pointers per game (2.0, 9th) and 3-point percentage (.451, 6th). Most of Watson's numbers have improved since the start of conference action.
• Came up with the go-ahead basket at Ohio State, hitting a 3-point play with 11.3 seconds left, as NU rallied from a five-point deficit in the final 30 seconds.
• Carried the Huskers with a career-high 34-point effort against Iowa on Jan. 5. In that game, Watson went 11-of-18 from the field, including a blistering 7-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. His seven 3-pointers was one off NU's single-game record, while his .875 percentage was the fourth-highest total in school history.
• Keyed NU's win over No. 16 Indiana with 26 points, five steals and four assists, as he had 19 second-half points.
• Scored a then-career high 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.

TAKING ON A CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
Nebraska has faced a daunting 2016-17 non-conference schedule. The Huskers are 12-16 on the season and have played the third-toughest schedule in the country according to the NCAA's RPI as of Feb. 28.

• Nebraska's non-conference schedule ranks second nationally and was the hardest in the Big Ten. Minnesota is second with a No. 13 strength of schedule.
• Of the 27 Division I games on the schedule, 21 are against teams in the top-100 of the RPI, including 14 against teams currently in the top-50 of the RPI.
• The Huskers' Division I opponents are a combined 402-223, as the .643 winning percentage is first nationally.
• In December, 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).

A TALE OF TWO OFFENSIVE SEASONS
After the Gardner-Webb game in December, the Huskers have reworked their offensive playbook. Despite having one senior and one junior in the primary rotation, NU has averaged 68.1 points per game over the last 17 games despite missing Ed Morrow Jr. and Anton Gill for significant stretches because of injuries.

• Nebraska is eighth in scoring offense in conference play at 71.3 points per game after entering Big Ten play 14th in scoring offense. NU is also ninth in field goal percentage (.427) and eighth in 3-point percentage (.353) after entering conference play 14th in both categories.
• For the Husker offense, 70 points has been a magic number in recent years, as Nebraska is 45-13 (.776) in Miles' four-plus seasons at NU, including 9-5 this season.
• The Huskers are 22-3 under Miles when scoring at least 80 points following the 82-66 win over Penn State on Feb. 14. NU is 7-1 this season when scoring 80 points and are 15-2 over the last two years when reaching 80 points.
• In 2015-16, Nebraska averaged 72.2 points per game, the highest total since the 1996-97 team averaged 72.9 points per game. It marked the first time since 2003-04 that Nebraska averaged over 70 points per game.

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 9.3 points per game on 54 percent shooting, while pacing the Huskers in rebounds (7.6) and blocked shots (1.2).

• Morrow's 7.6 rebounds per game is on pace to be the highest average by a Husker since Aleks Maric averaged 10.2 rebounds per game in 2007-08.
• Morrow has come off the bench since missing seven games with a foot injury earlier in conference play. He is averaging 6.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in just under 19 minutes of action.
• Reached double figures for the first time since his return at Ohio State on Feb. 18, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes.
• Has reached double figures in scoring eight times this year after doing it just four times in 2015-16.
• Grabbed 13 rebounds - his highest total in a conference game - against No. 7 Wisconsin on Feb. 9.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

COMEBACK KIDS
Nebraska has shown the ability to come back throughout the year. NU has a pair of double-digit road comebacks, overcoming a 13-point deficit at Maryland on Jan. 1, and an 11-point deficit at Ohio State on Feb. 17.

• Nebraska has come back from seven points down on four occasions in BIg Ten play (7 at Indiana; 13 at Maryland; 9 vs. Purdue; 11 at Ohio State).
• The Jan. 1 comeback over Maryland marked the fifth time that Nebraska has overcome a double-digit deficit under Tim Miles, but the first one on the road. The 13-point deficit NU overcame was its largest away from home since overcoming a 13-point deficit at Texas Tech in a 61-59 win on Feb. 6, 2007.

HUSKERS ARE A BIG DRAW AT PBA
Nebraska basketball has become one of the toughest tickets in the Big Ten since the program moved into Pinnacle Bank Arena, a $179 million dollar facility in downtown Lincoln, in 2013-14.

• Nebraska is currently 11th nationally in attendance, averaging 15,419 fans per game as of Feb. 26. Four Big Ten teams (Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana and Nebraska) are among the top 11 teams in the country in attendance.
• Nebraska is one of only nine programs in the country to average 15,000 fans per game over the past three seasons, a list which also includes Kentucky, Syracuse, Louisville, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas and Creighton.
• Last year, Nebraska averaged 15,430 fans per game and finished 11th nationally in average attendance.
• In 2014-15, the Huskers broke their own single-season record for average attendance for the second straight year, averaging 15,569 fans per game. Nebraska finished the 2014-15 season ranked 10th nationally in attendance, the highest Nebraska has finished in national attendance since the NCAA began its rankings 1977-78.
• Nebraska has enjoyed success in Pinnacle Bank Arena, posting a 43-22 (.662) record in the building.

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE, OI, OI, OI
After falling out of the rotation during the first part of conference play, sophomore Jack McVeigh has found his niche as a scorer off the bench for the Huskers. McVeigh, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from Cabarita Beach, Australia, is averaging 7.9 points per game, but has averaged 9.9 points per game over the last 13 contests, becoming one of the Big Ten's best sixth men in the process.

• Keyed NU's comeback at Ohio State, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half in the Huskers' 58-57 win.
• Tied for team-high honors with 15 points, including a half-court shot to beat the buzzer, and added three assists against Penn State.
• His best performance of the season came in the Huskers' win over No. 20 Purdue where he tied his career high with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and added two blocked shots.
• At Rutgers on Jan. 21, McVeigh nearly led the Huskers to victory, hitting four 3-pointers in the second half, including three in a two-minute span to erase a deficit and put the Huskers up 64-59.

McVeigh started NU's first 10 games and averaged 7.8 points per game before playing just 16 minutes in a four-game stretch between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5.

• ? Led NU with a game-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds against South Dakota on Dec. 3.
• ? He posted his first career 20-point effort in Nebraska's win over Louisiana Tech on Nov. 19, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the second half against the Bulldogs.
• ? McVeigh attended the Australian Institute of Sport, a program which has produced numerous NBA players, as well as former Husker Olympian Aleks Maric.

JACOBSON EMBRACES VETERAN ROLE
Despite being a sophomore, Michael Jacobson is one of the elder statesman on the 2016-17 Husker roster. He has started the last 53 games dating back to early in his freshman year. In 2015-16, he became the first Husker freshman to start every conference game since Cookie Belcher in 1996-97.

• His numbers have improved in Big Ten play, as he is averaging 6.3 points per game and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game in Big Ten play. He ranks eighth in the Big Ten in rebounding at 6.9 per game while his 3.6 offensive boards per game is second in conference play.
• Posted his seventh double-figure scoring effort of the season with 10 points against No. 7 Wisconsin on Feb. 9, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in regulation.
• Played a key role in the Huskers' win over No. 20 Purdue on Jan. 29 despite battling the flu, totaling nine points, seven rebounds and two assists, while his steal in the final minute set up NU's go-ahead basket.
• Recorded his second double-double of the season vs. Northwestern on Jan. 8 with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
• Keyed the win over Iowa on Jan. 5 with seven points, a career-high 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
• Nearly posted a double-double in the win over Maryland, finishing with 10 points and a game-high nine caroms.
• Jacobson recorded his first career double-double against South Dakota on Dec. 3, finishing with 11 points and setting career bests in both rebounds (10) and assists (five). He also hit a pair of 3-pointers in the win.

JORDY MAKES STRIDES INSIDE
Freshman Jordy Tshimanga has become a force for the Huskers during the second half of his freshman campaign. The 6-foot-11, 275-pounder has moved into the starting lineup during the second half of the Big Ten season and has made an impact. He is averaging 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while playing 28 games, but has been much better since moving into the lineup on Jan. 29.

• Since moving into the lineup, he is averaging 7.6 points on 52 percent shooting and 6.4 rebounds per game.
• Reached double figures three times in the last eight games after accomplishing the feat once in his first 20 contests.
• Totaled 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes in the win over Penn State.
• Grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards, in just 14 minutes vs. No. 7 Wisconsin.
• Put together his best offensive effort of the season vs. Michigan State on Feb. 2, totaling 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and nine rebounds in 24 minutes, setting season bests in points, rebounds and minutes.
• Enjoyed a strong performance at No. 3 Kansas on Dec. 10, where he established then-season bests in points (10), rebounds (eight) and blocked shots (two) in 19 minutes of work.

FRESHMEN FINDING ROLES
Nebraska's three-member freshmen class of Jordy Tshimanga, Isaiah Roby and Jeriah Horne have all found ways to make contributions for the Huskers this season. Tshimanga, who was highlighted earlier in the notes, has played in all 28 games, while Roby (27) and Horne (25) have both seen significant time.
Horne has developed into a valuable scoring threat off the bench, averaging 4.2 points per game. He has seen significant action since mid-December, averaging 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game over NU's last 17 contests.

• Horne provided a major spark in Nebraska's win over No. 20 Purdue on Jan. 29, with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and a season-high seven rebounds in 24 minutes. It marked his fourth double-figure effort since Dec. 20, and NU is unbeaten in those contests.
• Has been in double figures three times in Big Ten play, coming off the bench to score 11 against Indiana and he chipped in 12 points and adding three boards in a season-high 27 minutes in the double OT win over Iowa.
• Horne put together his best performance against Southern on Dec. 20, setting season highs in points (18), field goals (seven), 3-pointers (four), assists (two) and blocked shots (two) while playing just 18 minutes.

Roby has made four starts for the Huskers and played in NU's first 26 games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He is third on the team in blocked shots with 23 despite playing just 14.9 minutes per game. Roby missed the Ohio State game because of an ankle injury, but has played in NU's last two contests.

• Had six points and a pair of rebounds in the win over Penn State on Feb. 14
• Shined in the overtime loss against No. 7 Wisconsin, finishing with eight rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of steals.
• Put together his best performance of the year in NU's win over No. 16 Indiana, scoring eight points, including a slam dunk which was the No. 5 play on SportsCenter, and adding six rebounds and three assists against the Hoosiers.
• Established career highs in both rebounds (eight) and blocked shots (four) against Ohio State on Jan. 18.