Huskers Host No. 13 Kansas Saturday Night

SHELTER INSURANCE SHOWCASE Date: Saturday, Dec. 16 Time: 7:01 p.m. Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena Tickets: Sold Out NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2017-18 Record: 7-4, 1-1 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles  Record at Nebraska: 82-90 (6th year)  Career Record: 365-310 (23rd year) 13/12 KANSAS JAYHAWKS 2017-18 Record: 7-2, 0-0 Big 12 Head coach: Bill Self   Record at Kansas: 423-90 (15th year)   Career Record: 630-195 (24th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: FS1   Play-by-play: Joe Davis                  Analysis: Donny Marshall Internet Video: Fox Sports Go Radio: Husker Sports Network, including CD 105FM (Omaha), 1400 AM (Lincoln) and 880 AM (Lexington)   Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka   Analysis: Jake Muhleisen Online Radio: Available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and SiriusXM (Sirius 119; XM 196, Internet 958) Note: Because of the NCAA Volleyball Championship, Nebraska's feed will not be on TuneIn Radio

Nebraska wraps up a grueling four-game stretch with one of the most anticipated non-conference home games in recent history, as the Huskers host No. 13 Kansas Saturday night.

Tipoff from a sold out Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 7 p.m., as a crowd well over 15,000 is expected for the Jayhawks' first-ever visit to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Pinnacle Bank Arena doors open at 5:30 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early to beat long lines for tipoff. Any returned tickets will be available for purchase at Pinnacle Bank Arena beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The matchup will be televised nationally on FS1 (DirecTV Ch. 219; DISH Ch. 150; Spectrum Chs. 75 and 400) with Joe Davis and Donny Marshall on the call. The game is also available on Fox Sports Go and the Fox Sports Go app.

Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, on the Huskers app and on SiriusXM. The radio broadcast begins one hour prior to tipoff.

Nebraska (7-4), which has been in final exams all week, comes off a tough 75-65 loss at Creighton on Dec. 9. The Huskers led by as many as eight in the second half and was within 66-63 until Marcus Foster's 3-pointer with under a minute remaining sealed the win for Creighton.

Despite the loss, which came on the heels of a win over then-No. 14 Minnesota earlier in the week, one encouraging development has been the play of junior Isaac Copeland. The 6-foot-9 forward led the Huskers with 20 points and 11 rebounds at Creighton for his first double-double as a Husker. Copeland has reached double figures in five of the last six games after reaching it once in his first five games. On the year, Copeland leads the Huskers in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and is in the top three in scoring (12.7 ppg, third) and blocked shots (1.2 bpg, second).

Kansas comes into the game with a 7-2 mark and looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Jayhawks feature five double-figure scorers, including three players who average at least 15.8 points per game.

It is only appropriate that Kansas is the first Big 12 team to visit Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers and Jayhawks were two of the founding members of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1907 and remained in the same conference, except for the 1919-20 season when the Huskers competed as an independent, until the 2010-11 campaign.

OPENING NUMBER
7.0 - Rebounds per game for Isaac Copeland over Nebraska's five contests. His 11 rebounds at Creighton marked the fourth time in his career he grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
.891 - Nebraska is 90-11 in its last 101 home non-conference games dating back to the start of the 2006-07 campaign. The Huskers are 27-6 (.818) since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14.

2.0 - Steals per game for Glynn Watson Jr., as he makes a bid to be the first Husker to average 2.0 or more steals per game since Cookie Belcher averaged 2.7 steals per game in 2000-01. Watson is currently second in the Big Ten in steals per game.

8.3 - Nebraska is averaging 8.3 3-pointers per game over the last eight contests and shooting .391 from beyond the arc in that stretch.

9 - Saturday will mark just the ninth time NU has faced a team ranked 13th in the AP poll. NU is 2-6 all-time against teams ranked 13th in the AP poll, posting wins in 1991 (vs. Oklahoma) and 2011 (Texas A&M).

15 - Nebraska has knocked off a ranked Kansas team 15 times in school history, most recently in 2004.

SCOUTING KANSAS
Kansas comes to Lincoln with a 7-2 record and ranked 13th in the AP poll, but looks to snap a two-game losing streak after home losses to Washington (74-65) and now No. 5 Arizona State (95-85). Hall of Famer Bill Self is in his 15th season at the helm of the Jayhawk program and has guided KU to 13 straight Big 12 titles and a national championship in 2007-08.

The Jayhawks, who returned two starters from a team that went 31-5 and reached the Elite Eight, possess one of the top offenses in college basketball, ranking in the top-20 nationally in scoring average (88.1, 16th), field goal percentage (52.0, seventh), 3-pointers per game (11.1, 12th) and assists per game (20.1, second). KU also ranks 37th nationally in field goal defense, holding opponents to 38.6 percent shooting.

Senior guard Devonte’ Graham paces the Kansas offense, as he averages 16.9 points per game while ranking sixth nationally in assists with 7.7 per contest. Graham also tops KU in steals (21) and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, while guiding a Jayhawk attack that features five players in double figures. Junior Lagerald Vick leads KU in scoring at 18.7 points per game and has three straight 20-point efforts, including a career-high 28 point effort against Washington.  Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is at 15.8 points per game and has made a team-high 30 3-pointers while shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc. Udoka Azubuike chips in 13.9 points on 78 percent shooting along with a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game. Kansas, which had just eight scholarship players available for the first semester, gains the services of Sam Cunliffe, who makes his Jayhawk debut on Saturday. Cunliffe, a 6-foot-6 guard, averaged 9.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg at Arizona State in 10 games before transferring to Kansas.

SERIES HISTORY
Kansas leads the all-time series, 171-71, in a series that dates back to 1900, and have won the last 18 meetings dating back to a 78-67 KU win on March 3, 2004. Nebraska's last win in the series was a 74-55 victory over No. 12 Kansas on Feb. 15, 2004, a victory that snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series.  Nebraska coach Tim Miles is 0-2 against Kansas, once at Nebraska and also in 2010-11, when his Colorado State team lost 76-55, to the Jayhawks at the Sprint Center.

LAST YEAR VS. KANSAS
Despite a game-high 22 points from Tai Webster, Nebraska ran into a hot-shooting Jayhawk squad, as the Huskers fell 89-72 to No. 3 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 10, 2016. Kansas shot 59 percent for the day, including a blistering 65 percent in the first half.

Webster finished with 22 points and five assists to pace three Huskers in double figures. Ed Morrow Jr. added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds while Jordy Tshimanga added career bests of 10 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort.

Frank Mason III led five Jayhawks in double figures with 18 points and seven assists, while Josh Jackson added 17 points and six rebounds for Kansas.

1957-58 HUSKERS TO BE HONORED
On the 60th anniversary of one of most memorable upsets in program history, several Husker players from the 1957-58 season will be honored during the first half of Saturday's game against Kansas. That season, the Huskers knocked off the No. 4 Jayhawks, led by Wilt Chamberlain, 43-41, at the Nebraska Coliseum, as Jim Kubacki hit the game-winning shot with two seconds to go. Kubacki, who was originally in street clothes because of a knee injury, entered the game as a sub in the final minutes after Gary Reimers suffered a calf injury. Kubacki, Bob Harry and Wayne Hester, as well as the families of head coach Jerry Bush and Tony Sharpe, will be honored. That Husker squad posted a pair of top-five wins that season, as they upset No. 1 Kansas State following the win over Kansas, and is one of only two teams in program history with a pair of top-five wins in a season.

LAST TIME OUT
Isaac Copeland had a team-high 20 points, but Marcus Foster’s 3-pointer with 47 seconds left gave host Creighton the cushion it needed in a 75-65 win over Nebraska at the CenturyLink Center.

Nebraska was within 66-63 after a James Palmer jumper with 1:04 remaining, but Foster’s long 3-pointer from the wing pushed the margin to 69-63, and Creighton sealed the win by going 6-of-6 from the line in the final 30 seconds.

The Huskers, who were without Glynn Watson, who had fouled out with 2:47 left, was able to keep it close before Foster’s 3-pointer started a game-ending 9-2 run for the Bluejays.

Copeland, who had 20 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals, was one of three to finish in double figures. James Palmer Jr. had 16 points, while Isaiah Roby had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting after playing just two minutes because of foul trouble.

 Foster’s 19-point effort led five Creighton players in double figures, as the Bluejays shot 50 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Huskers, 43-33.  Nebraska led 36-28 in the opening minute of the second half, but Creighton regained the lead with a 15-4 run to erase the Husker advantage.

 

ABOUT NEBRASKA

*-Nebraska comes into Saturday's game with a 7-4 record with all four losses coming to teams in the top 50 of the RPI. Saturday's game will be NU's eighth against a team currently in the top-100 of the RPI (3-4 record) and sixth against a team in the top 50 of the RPI.

*-Of NU's typical starting lineup, Glynn Watson Jr. was the only one to start against Kansas last season. Watson is in his third year as a starter and is among NU's leaders in both scoring (13.9 ppg, second), assists (3.6, first) and steals (2.0, first). The 6-foot guard will make his 57th career start on Saturday and has a career best 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

*-Nebraska relies on a pair of transfers in James Palmer Jr. (Miami) and Isaac Copeland (Georgetown), as the pair combines for nearly 27 points per game. Palmer has reached double figures 10 times in 11 contests, while Copeland comes off his first double-double of the season (20 points, 11 rebounds) at Creighton. Copeland faced Georgetown as a freshman, and had six points, two rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 22 minutes of a 75-70 loss to the Hoyas on Dec. 10, 2014.

*-One of the main emphasis for Tim Miles and his staff in the offseason was improving the Huskers' 3-point efforts on both ends of the court. Last year, NU was in 300th or worse in both 3-point shooting and 3-point defense. This season, the Huskers have jumped to 75th nationally in 3-point defense (.312) and are closer to the national average in 3-point shooting (.360). NU has five players with at least 10 3-pointers, and that does not include Jack McVeigh, who was second on the team in 3-pointers last year. In 2016-17, NU had just four players hit 10-or-more 3-pointers.

*-Saturday's game against Kansas will be the third ranked opponent in a 14-day stretch for the Huskers, as NU took on No. 3 Michigan State and No. 14 Minnesota. In addition, Creighton was ranked the week prior and the week following its game with the Huskers.

BUILDING BLOCKS
One of the biggest differences between previous seasons and 2017-18 is the Huskers' interior size and it made a defensive impact in the Huskers' first seven games.

*-Nebraska ranks 24th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in blocked shots per game with 5.6 per outing entering the weekend. Last year, the Huskers averaged just 3.7 blocks per game.  NU's school record for blocks is 6.1 per game set by the 1996-97 team, as that team blocked a school-record 202 shots that season.

*-Nebraska has blocked five or more shots in eight of the first 11 games, including nine blocked shots against Minnesota, North Texas and Eastern Illinois.

*-The Huskers' nine blocked shots against Minnesota on Dec. 5 were the most against a conference foe since recording 12 against Colorado in 2005.

*-Nebraska has three players - Isaiah Roby (1.5 bpg), Duby Okeke (1.2 bpg) and Isaac Copeland (1.2 bpg) - currently averaging at least one block per game.  Over the past four seasons, only one Husker has averaged a block per game.

*-Isaiah Roby's six blocks against Eastern Illinois was the most by a Husker since the 2005-06 season. In fact, no Husker had totaled five or more blocked shots since the 2011-12 campaign.

HUSKERS LOOK FOR BALANCE
Tim Miles believes that the 2017-18 Huskers are the deepest roster he has enjoyed in his six-year tenure. With nine players averaging at least 9.0 minutes per outing, Miles has relied on the Huskers' depth early on. While Nebraska has had at least one player in the top five in scoring in the Big Ten the last four seasons, the 2017-18 squad does not have a scorer in the top-10 in the Big Ten, but does have three players averaging double figures and two others averaging at least 8.6 points per game.

*-The Huskers currently have three players averaging double figures. Under Miles, NU has had three double figure scorers twice in five seasons (2012-13 and 2015-16).

*-Nebraska is 7-1 this season when three or more players reach double figures.

*-Seven Huskers have already reached double figures in scoring this season, including 20-point efforts from Isaac Copeland, James Palmer Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr.

*-The last time Nebraska had more than three players average double figures was in 1993-94, when future NBA pros Eric Piatkowski and Erick Strickland highlighted five double-figure scorers for the Big Red.

SHARING THE BALL
For Tim Miles, a main offensive focus over the summer and during the preseason has been better ball movement to create better shot opportunities. Compared to the first 11 games of last year, Nebraska has raised its scoring average by more than five points per game (73.2-68.1) and the main reason has been better ball movement.

*-Nebraska's assists per game is on pace to be the Huskers' highest total in 11 seasons, as NU is up more than three assists per game compared to last season.

*-NU ranks in the top six in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3-to-1, sixth) and turnover margin (+3.1, sixth).

*-Nebraska has averaged assists on 57.6 percent of its baskets, which is the highest rate of Tim Miles 13-year tenure as a Division I coach. The last time a Miles-coached team assisted on 50 percent of its baskets came during the 2011-12 season at Colorado State (50.1). That team won 20 games and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

*-Nebraska has dished out 20 or more assists three times in the first 11 games. During the previous five years, it has occurred only once in 161 games. Nebraska had 22 assists against Marist, its highest total since the 2011-12 campaign.

*-Glynn Watson (3.6 apg), Evan Taylor (3.2 apg) and James Palmer (2.6 apg) all average at least 2.5 assists per game.

WATSON PACES HUSKER ATTACK
Glynn Watson Jr. may be one of the most underrated guards in the Big Ten Conference. Last year, the 6-foot junior averaged 13.0 points, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 2016-17.

This season, Watson has continued to improve, as he comes into Saturday's game against Kansas averaging 13.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

*-Watson is currently third in the Big Ten in steals per game, 12th in the Big Ten in assists and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5-to-1).

*-He was masterful in Nebraska's 78-68 win over No. 14 Minnesota on Dec. 5, totaling a season-high 29 points and a career-best nine rebounds. He hit 9-of-17 shots from the field, went a career-best 9-of-10 from the foul line and added three steals. 

*-Watson keyed the win over Long Beach State with a then-season best 26 points and a career-high six steals, as he helped force LBSU into 21 turnovers.

*-With 849 points entering Saturday's game, Watson sits in 43rd place in NU's career scoring list. He is now 31 points away from moving into 40th place on NU all-time scoring list.

*-Watson turned in a strong performance at the AdvoCare Invitational, averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.3 rebounds per game, while posting a 5.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition to his effort against Long Beach State, Watson also had 11 points and seven assists in the loss to UCF.

*-He has four career games with five or more steals, including a career-best six against Long Beach State on Nov. 26. Watson's six steals that game were the most by a Husker since 2012.

*-Watson already has a trio of 20-point efforts this season, including a season-high 29 against Minnesota on Dec. 5. He also had 26 points against Long Beach State and 21 points against Eastern Illinois in the season opener. He now has 10 career 20-point games.

*-He is on pace to be NU's 29th 1,000-point scorer later this season and would become NU's fourth 1,000-point scorer in Tim Miles' six seasons at Nebraska. He would also be the third Husker from Winchester St. Joseph High School to reach 1,000 points at Nebraska, joining Carl Hayes (1900-92) and Clifford Scales (1988-91). All three played for legendary coach Gene Pingatore, who is in his 49th season at the school.

*-Watson scored a career-high 34 points in Nebraska's 93-90 double OT win over Iowa last season. His 34-point effort tied for 10th on NU's single-game scoring list, while his seven 3-pointers was the second-highest single-game total in school history.

*-Watson has always been in the clutch, as he shot 40 percent from 3-point range, 85 percent from the foul line and had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last four minutes and OT last season. In his career, Watson is a career 85 percent shooter in the last four minutes, including 14-of-16 this season.

*-Watson’s 13.0 points per game entering the season was the second-highest returning average by a Husker guard in the last decade, trailing only All-Big Ten performer Terran Petteway’s 18.1 ppg entering the 2014-15 season.

*-Watson's older brother was Demetri McCamey, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior for the Fighting Illini in 2010.

COPELAND BREAKS OUT
For Isaac Copeland, his breakout game against North Dakota on Nov. 19 was nearly a year in the making.  Copeland, who transferred to Nebraska from Georgetown in January, had gotten off to a slow start offensively, averaging 7.0 points on 32 percent shooting in NU's first three games.

Against North Dakota, Copeland eclipsed that total in the first half, hitting eight of his first nine shots to score 19 first-half points as part of his 30-point effort. The performance marked Copeland's second career 30-point effort, as he scored a career-high 32 points against Marquette during the 2015-16 campaign. The performance jumped started Copeland's junior year, and he is averaging 12.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, setting career highs in all three categories.

*-Copeland is averaging 14.9 points per game on 51 percent shooting and he has been in double figures in six of the last eight games.

*-He comes of his second career double-double in the loss at Creighton, as he led NU with 20 points and 11 rebounds while adding two bocks and two steals.

*-He paced NU in both points (15) and rebounds (eight) in the win over Boston College and totaled 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks against No. 14 Minnesota.

*-Ranks 14th in the Big Ten in rebounding with a team-high 6.6 caroms per game, while also averaging 1.2 blocked shots per game.

*-Nebraska is 5-1 this season when Copeland reaches double figures.

GILL RETURNS BETTER THAN EVER
After a junior season where he battled a pair of knee injuries, including a ruptured right patella tendon on Christmas night, senior Anton Gill is healthy and showing the ability which made him a top-50 recruit coming out of high school. Gill missed NU's first two games because of a groin injury, but has returned with a flourish, averaging 9.4 points per game while coming off the Husker bench.

*-He is fourth among Big Ten reserves in scoring and ranks among the Big Ten in leaders, and third among conference players who have yet to start a game in 2017-18.

*-Gill ranks sixth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (2.3) and in 3-point percentage (.500) while his 20 3-pointers this year nearly matches his total for his first three collegiate seasons (25).

*-Gill has reached double figures three times this season and has connected on multiple 3-pointers in six of his nine appearances.

*-His first double figure effort came against North Dakota on Nov. 19, when he set then-personal bests in points (16), field goals (six), 3-pointers (four) and assists (three) in 24 minutes.

*-He scored a career-high 17 points against Marist on Nov. 24, hitting 5-of-7 3-pointers against the Red Foxes and added 13 points in the win over Long Beach on Nov. 26, marking the first consecutive double-figure performances of his college career.

*-All nine of Gill's career double-figure performances have come off the bench, as he had four during his tenure at Louisville and two last year.

 

COPELAND, PALMER TRANSFER INTO HUSKER STARTERS

A pair of transfers have added experience and scoring punch to Nebraska's lineup. Isaac Copeland and James Palmer Jr. look to continue the success of transfers who have enjoyed success under Miles. Copeland and Palmer look to join Andy Ogide (CSU, 2009), Terran Petteway (NU, 2014) and Andrew White III (NU, 2016), as players who earned all-conference recognition in their first season under Miles.

Copeland started 49 games in two-plus seasons at Georgetown, helping the Hoyas to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. In his last full season in 2015-16, Copeland started 33 games, averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. A former top-20 recruit, Copeland was a preseason All-Big East selection last year before he was sidelined with his back injury. This season, Copeland leads NU in rebounding at 6.6 per game while ranking third in scoring (12.7 ppg) and in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).

Palmer Jr. has quickly made his mark in his first season of action at Nebraska, averaging a team-high 14.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is also second on the team in steals and third in assists.

*-Palmer has reached double figures a team-high 10 times, including a season-high 22 points in the loss to UCF on Thanksgiving. In his two seasons at Miami, Palmer reached double figures six times in 72 contests. 

*-Palmer battled foul trouble in the loss against Creighton, but finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, in just 21 minutes.

*-He was one of three Huskers in double figures against No. 14 Minnesota, finishing with 11 points, a team-high four assists and three rebounds in 34 minutes of work.

*-He averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game during the AdvoCare Invitational, reaching double figures in all three games.

*-He played a key role in the win over Boston College, scoring a team-high 15 points and adding a career-high five steals.

*-Palmer keyed the win over North Texas with a then-career-high 18 points, including 11 points in NU's game-opening 25-2 run.

*-A former top-100 recruit, Palmer played at the University of Miami for two seasons, averaging 3.4 points on the Hurricanes' Sweet 16 team in 2015-16.

TAYLOR SUPPLIES STEADINESS
Senior Evan Taylor has quietly put together a solid start to his senior year. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 8.6 points per game while usually guarding the opponent's top scoring threat. Taylor has raised his number in nearly every category and has reached double figures four times in 11 games after having six double-figure games in his first season at NU. The biggest improvement in Taylor's game has been his shooting, as he is at nearly 43 percent from the field, including 10-of-17 from 3-point range. Last year, he had just six 3-pointers in 31 contests. Over the last four games, Taylor is averaging 7.5 points per game, but chipping in 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists with an 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

STRONGER ROBY EMERGES AS STAT STUFFER
After serving as a role player as a freshman, Isaiah Roby spent the summer bulking up to prepare for the rigors of the season. Now, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound sophomore has the strength to match his skillset and it is paying off in 2017-18

*-He enters the Kansas game averaging 6.8 points on 56 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds and a team-high 1.5 blocks per game. He had missed the Boston College game and played just four minutes vs. Long Beach State because of an ankle injury.

*-Since returning from his ankle injury, Roby is averaging 7.0 points per game on 73 percent shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. His four 3-pointers in the last three games matched his entire freshman year total.

*-Roby had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in just 13 minutes at Creighton last Saturday.

*-He has reached double figures four times in 10 games after hitting double figures once in 30 contests as a freshman.

*-He opened the year with the best performance of his career, an 11-point, 13-rebounds, six-block performance against Eastern Illinois, setting personal bests in all three categories. His six blocks were the most by a Husker since 2011.

*-Roby had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots in the win over North Dakota.