No. 25 Huskers Open Season vs. MVSU

Game 1: vs. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE Date: Tuesday, Nov. 6 Time: 7:01 p.m. Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena Tickets: Huskers.com/Tickets No. -/25 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2017-18 Record: 22-11, 13-5 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles Record at Nebraska: 97-97 (beginning 7th year) Career Record: 380-317 (beginning 24th year) MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 2017-18 Record: 4-28, 4-14 SWAC Head coach: Andre Payne Record at Miss. Valley State: 25-106 (beginning 5th year) Career Record: 171-210 (beginning 12th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: None Radio: Husker Sports Network, including 590 AM (Omaha), 1400 AM (Lincoln) and 880 AM (Lexington)   Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka   Color: Jake Muhleisen Online Radio: Available online at Huskers.com, on the Huskers App and on TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio App. Internet Video: BTN Plus and Flohoops.com Announcers: Brad Hilligoss and Allie Snow

The Nebraska basketball team opens the 2018-19 season Tuesday evening, as the Huskers take on Mississippi Valley State at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:01 p.m., and a limited number of tickets are available beginning at $7 by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling 800-8-BIGRED.

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, on TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio app and on SiriusXM radio.

The matchup between the Huskers and Delta Devils  will be streamed online on BTN Plus with Brad Hilligoss and Allie Snow on the call. The game is available on BTN2Go and online and on Flohoops.com. A subscription is required for both BTN Plus and Flohoops.

Tuesday's opener, as well as Sunday's game against Southeastern Louisiana, are the two Lincoln Regional round games of the Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker. The championship rounds will be at the Sprint Center in Kanas City on Nov. 19-20 with NU, Texas Tech, Missouri State and USC comprising the four-team field in Kansas City.

The Huskers, who are ranked 25th in the USA Today preseason coaches poll, used a balanced attack in putting away Wayne State, 75-40, in an exhibition game last Thursday. Isiaah Roby had 12 points and 10 boards in 21 minutes, as six Huskers had between eight and 12 points while no one played more than 20 mintues against the Wildcats. The Huskers also held Wayne State to 24 percent shooting, including just 5-of-22 from 3-point range.

The Huskers are led by Palmer, as the All-Big Ten performer led the Huskers at 17.2 points per game as a junior. The 6-foot-6 guard was fifth in the Big Ten in scoring and also chipped in 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He is joined by fellow seniors Isaac Copeland and Glynn Watson Jr. in the Huskers' starting lineup. Copeland, who garnered honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors, was second on the squad in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg) and blocked shots (1.0 bpg) as a junior. Watson, a three-year starter, averaged 10.5 points and paced the Big Red in assists (3.2 apg) and steals (1.4 spg).

Mississippi Valley State looks to bounce back after a disappointing 2017-18 campaign. The Delta Devils lost to Delta State, 70-67, in their second exhibition game Saturday afternoon.  MVSU returns three starters, including seniors Dante Scott (14.9 ppg) and Jordan Evans (14.7 ppg), as the duo combined for 100 3-pointers a year ago.

OPENING NUMBERS

2 - Nebraska features two returning 1,000-point scorers in seniors Isaac Copeland Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr.

10-2 - Assist-to-turnover ratio by guards Thomas Allen and Glynn Watson Jr. against Wayne State.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
10 - Number of times since WWII that Nebraska has returned a first-team all-conference performer. James Palmer Jr. became NU's first returning All-Big Ten player since Terran Petteway in 2014-15.

160 - Number of starts at Nebraska from its 2018-19 roster, including a team-high 77 by Glynn Watson Jr. In all, the eligible players at Nebraska have started 214 Division I games, as Isaac Copeland (49 starts at Georgetown) and James Palmer (five starts at Miami) both cracked the starting lineups at their previous schools before coming to Nebraska.

FOR OPENERS
Nebraska begins its 123rd season of basketball on Tuesday evening against Mississippi Valley State. Here are some facts and figures about season openers for the Husker basketball program.

• The Nov. 6 opening date is the earliest in school history.  The previous earliest start came in the 2013-14 season when Nebraska faced Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 8, 2013.
• Nebraska is 83-39 (.680) all-time in season openers and has won 17 straight season openers dating back to an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts to begin the 2000 season.
• Nebraska is 26-2 in its past 28 season openers dating back to the 1990-91 campaign.
• The last time Nebraska lost a season opener at home was 1980 when NU fell to Wyoming, 62-59, in overtime. The Huskers have won 28 straight season openers at home since that loss.
• Under Tim Miles, the Huskers have won all six of their openers by an average of 21.0 points. The 46-point win over Mississippi Valley State in 2015 was the 12th-largest margin in school history.
  

EXHIBITION RECAP
Behind 12 points and 10 rebounds from Isaiah Roby and a solid defensive effort, Nebraska cruised to a 75-40 win over Wayne State at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Nov. 1.

Roby, who nearly had a double-double in the first half with eight points and eight boards, led a balanced attack that saw James Palmer Jr. reach double figures with 10 points. In addition, four other players had at least eight points while all 12 players who saw action broke into the scoring column. The Huskers limited Wayne State to just 23.5 percent shooting, including 5-of-22 from 3-point range, and enjoyed a 56-35 advantage on the glass.

Wayne State was within 14-9 midway through the first half before Glynn Watson Jr. sparked a 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer to give NU a 21-9 cushion after a basket from Amir Harris. The Wildcats pulled to within 30-19 after a basket from Nate Thayer, but Nebraska closed the half on a 9-2 run to build an 18-point halftime cushion. 

In the second half, the Huskers quickly pushed the lead to 22 after baskets from Palmer and Roby before the Wildcats trimmed the lead back to 19, the last time at 45-26 after a Kendall Jacks basket. NU took over, using a 9-1 run capped by consecutive baskets from Watson, the last of which doubled up the Husker lead at 54-27 with 13:05 left. 

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Under fifth-year Head Coach Andre Payne, Mississippi Valley State looks to rebound after going 4-28 last season. The Delta Devils return eight letterwinners, including four players who made at least 13 starts last year. 

Before taking over the MVSU program, Payne spent seven seasons at Wiley College, an NAIA program in Texas. He guided the school to three 20-win seasons, including a 25-7 mark in his final year at the school. Payne's squad returns a pair of high scoring guards in Dante Scott and Jordan Evans. Scott, a first-team All-SWAC pick, paced MVSU in both scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg) and shot 37 percent from 3-point range last year. Evans was second in scoring at 14.7 ppg while topping the Delta Devils in both assists (64) and steals (33). In all, four of the top five scorers return for MVSU this season. 

Nebraska won the only previous matchup, a 97-51 victory to open the 2015-16 season. Glynn Watson Jr., Tanner Borchardt and Johnny Trueblood are the only Huskers who played in that matchup.

WHAT'S BACK FOR THE BIG RED
The Huskers enter the 2018-19 season welcoming back three starters and nine letterwinners from a team that went 22-11 and finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten with a 13-5 mark. The group includes All-Big Ten performers James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland and three-year starter Glynn Watson Jr., all of whom averaged double figures in 2017-18. NU also returns junior forward Isaiah Roby, who started 13 of NU’s final 14 games and led NU in both rebounding (6.3 rpg) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg). Nebraska returns 73.4 percent of its scoring, 61.4 percent of its rebounding, 71.5 percent of its assists and 67.2 percent of its blocked shots from last year. Last year, NU averaged 72.3 points per game, its highest average since the 1996-97 season (72.9 ppg). It is only the third time in the last 15 seasons that Nebraska returns at least 70 percent of its scoring from the previous season.

HUSKERS LOOK TO CONTINUE BLOCK PARTY
Nebraska's looks to continue a trend from last season when the Huskers were second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in blocked shots at 5.5 per game. It is the highest total since the 1996-97 team blocked a school-record 6.1 shots per game. Nebraska totaled 183 blocked shots last season, which was third on NU’s single-season list.

Nebraska returns a pair of players who averaged at least one block per game last year in Isaiah Roby (2.0 bpg) and Isaac Copeland (1.0 bpg). Roby’s 63 blocked shots were the most by a Husker since 2001, while Copeland had 33 blocked shots after recording just 39 in two-plus seasons at Georgetown. NU blocked six shots in the exhibition win over Wayne State.

IT (DOUBLE) FIGURES
Nebraska returns three double-figure scorers (James Palmer Jr., 17.2, Isaac Copeland Jr., 12.9 and Glynn Watson Jr. 10.5) for the first time since the 1992-93 season (Eric Piatkowski, 14.3; Derrick Chandler, 12.3; Jamar Johnson, 11.2). In Tim Miles' first six seasons, the Huskers returned a total of six double-figure scorers. During the 1992-93 season, the Huskers won 20 games and finished tied for second in the Big Eight Conference. With the return of junior Isaiah Roby, Nebraska brings back its top-four scorers for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.

50-50 CLUB
Junior forward Isaiah Roby is one of only two returning power conference players to total 50 blocks and 50 assists last season, joining Missouri’s Jontay Porter, who will miss the 2018-19 season with a torn ACL. Roby led the Huskers in blocked shots and was fourth in assists despite starting just 13 contests. Roby is also one of four Huskers to ever have 50 blocks and 50 assists in a season, joining Aleks Maric, Venson Hamilton and Rich King.

WATSON RETURNS AS 1,000-POINT SCORER
For just the second time this decade, Nebraska returns a 1,000-point scorer to the lineup, as Glynn Watson Jr. enters his senior year with 1,041 career points. It is the 10th time in program history that the Huskers had a returning 1,000-point scorer and the first since Shavon Shields in the 2015-16 campaign. Watson is one of two Huskers with 1,000 career points, as Isaac Copeland enters his senior year with 1,053 career points between his time at Georgetown and Nebraska. James Palmer Jr. is just 174 points away from joining the 1,000-point club

• Nebraska 3,432 returning points ranks 13th nationally entering the 2018-19 season. Among Big Ten programs, only Iowa, which 4,246 returning points has more points returning that the Big Red.
• Watson is one of three alumni of St. Joseph to reach 1,000 points at Nebraska, joining Carl Hayes (1,136, 1990-92) and Clifford Scales (1,136, 1988-91).
• Watson is also ninth on NU’s career steals list with 137 and needs 74 assists to crack the Huskers’ career top-10 list in that category.

PALMER RECEIVES PRESEASON HONORS
Nebraska guard James Palmer Jr. has been lauded as one of the top returning players in college basketball. The 6-foot-6 guard comes off a junior season where he averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in leading the Huskers to a 22-11 record and an NIT berth.

Palmer reached double figures in 31 of 33 games in his first season at Nebraska, including eight 20-point efforts. Palmer’s junior year was highlighted by a career-high 34-point effort at Ohio State. He is one of only five returning power conference players who averaged 17.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.0 apg last season.

COPELAND RETURNS TO ANCHOR FRONTCOURT
Isaac Copeland Jr. made a successful return to action following back surgery and put together a strong junior season. The 6-foot-9 forward was second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg) and blocked shots (1.0 bpg), setting personal bests in all three areas. In all, he reached double figures 23 times, including five 20-point performances.

A top-20 recruit coming out of high school, Copeland earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors by averaging 13.5 points on 51 percent shooting, including 43 percent from 3-point range, and was in double figures in eight of his final nine Big Ten contests. Copeland graduated from Nebraska in May and is working on his Masters Degree.

HUSKERS RECEIVE FIRST RANKING SINCE 2014
For the first time since 2014, the Nebraska men’s basketball team is nationally ranked, as the Huskers are ranked No. 25 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll released Oct. 25.

The Huskers return three starters, including All-Big Ten selections James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland Jr, and their top four scorers from a team that went 22-11 and reached the NIT last season. In 2014-15, the Huskers were ranked in the first two coaches polls and were ranked 21st on Nov. 17, 2014.

Nebraska is one of four Big Ten teams in the preseason coaches poll, joining Michigan State (10), Michigan (18) and Purdue (22). In addition, the Huskers’ ACC/Big Ten Challenge opponent is also ranked as Clemson enters the poll at No. 23. The Huskers were receiving votes in the AP poll released earlier this month.

FILLING UP PINNACLE BANK ARENA
Pinnacle Bank Arena will be full once again in 2018-19, as the NU Athletic Ticket Office announced on September 25 that general public season tickets are sold out for the upcoming season. It is the fourth time in the past six seasons that the Huskers have sold out their entire season allotment of tickets at Pinnacle Bank Arena. In all, nearly 15,000 season tickets have been sold for the 2018-19 season, including the Red Zone student section.

Since moving into PBA in 2013-14, the Huskers have ranked in the top-15 in attendance nationally all five years, and are one of only nine schools in the country to average 15,000+ fans per contest in that span. 

A limited number of single-game tickets went on sale on Oct. 25, and to purchase tickets, visit Huskers.com/Tickets or call the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours.

PROTECTING THE VAULT
The Huskers have been strong at protecting its home court at Pinnacle Bank Arena since it opened in 2013-14.

• NU begins the 2018-19 season with the longest home winning streak among power conference schools and the ninth-longest home win streak in Division I.
• With a win over Mississippi Valley State, Nebraska would tie its longest winning streak since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena. NU won 12 straight between Jan. 20-Nov. 18, 2014.
• NU has posted a 59-24 (.711) record in Pinnacle Bank Arena since it opened in August of 2013, including a 16-1 mark in 2017-18. Against non-conference foes, NU is 31-7 in PBA (.816). Since the start of the 2006-07 season, NU is 94-12 against non-conference foes (.887)
• Nebraska went 16-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2017-18 with the only loss coming in a one-point setback against then-No. 13 Kansas on Dec. 16.  NU's .941 home winning percentage is the best since the 1982-83 campaign, while the 16 home wins was one shy of the school record.
• Nebraska went a perfect 9-0 at home in Big Ten play and won its two Big Ten home games against ranked teams by an average of 15.0 points per game. NU's 9-0 mark - the only unbeaten mark in the Big Ten - marked the first time the Huskers went unbeaten in conference play at home since the 1965-66 season. All of the other eight seasons with a perfect conference home record were between 1908 and 1921.  

GATES JOINS HUSKER STAFF
The only new face on the Husker bench is a familiar one to Big Ten fans, as Armon Gates joined the Husker coaching staff this past May.  Gates, a native of Chicago, returns to the Big Ten after recently serving as associate head coach at the University of Florida under Mike White.  Gates has coached and developed all-conference performers at three schools during his coaching career. 

For the past five seasons (2013-18), Gates was at Northwestern under Chris Collins, helping the Wildcats to a pair of 20-win seasons, including the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017. He also helped bring a top-30 recruiting class to Northwestern in 2014, while the 2018 class is listed as high as 24th nationally by 247Sports.

THORBJARNARSON REPRESENTS ICELAND AT EUROPEAN U-20 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Husker sophomore Thorir Thorbjarnarson spent part of the summer representing his native Iceland for the U-20 National Team. At the FIBA U-20 European Championships, he averaged 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, ranking second on the team in scoring and first in assists. He closed tournament action with three straight double figure efforts and averaged 18.5 points on 67 percent shooting, including 55 percent from 3-point range, in Iceland’s final two contests.

MILES CHASES WIN NO. 100
Nebraska Coach Tim Miles is poised to become just the fourth Husker coach to win 100-or-more games at Nebraska in the coming weeks. Miles enters his seventh season needing only 10 wins to pass both Doc Sadler and Moe Iba for third place on NU’s career wins chart.

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
Nebraska’s biggest improvements came on the defensive end in 2017-18, going from 13th to 6th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense and from 14th to 2nd in 3-point percentage defense. NU ranked in the top-75 nationally in both field goal defense (74th) and 3-point percentage defense (32nd) last season.

ALLEN MAKES IMPACT FOR KIDS
Sophomore guard Thomas Allen coordinated a back-to-school drive for the kids of Everett Elementary School in Lincoln. Allen spearheaded the efforts, using traditional and social media to get the word out on the event, which took place on Aug. 4. In all, more than five vans of materials were donated that day with other Husker team and university staffers making contributions for the event.

NOTING THE 2018-19 SCHEDULE
With Tuesday marking the 2018-19 season opener, here are some quick notes on the Huskers' 2018-19 schedule.

• The Huskers’ non-conference schedule features only two first-time opponents. NU will take on Seton Hall at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the Gavitt Tipoff Games on Nov. 14, and will face Southwest Minnesota State on Dec. 29. The NU-Seton Hall game is the first Gavitt Games matchup in Lincoln, as the Huskers travelled to Villanova (2015) and St. John’s (2017).
• Nebraska will play six of its 10 Division I non-conference games against teams which made either the NCAA Tournament or NIT last season. The list includes NCAA Tournament qualifiers Seton Hall, Clemson, Creighton and Cal State Fullerton, as well as NIT participants Oklahoma State and Southeastern Louisiana.  NU will also face either Elite Eight finisher Texas Tech or NIT qualifier USC in Kansas City.
• The Huskers will play a trio of neutral-site games during non-conference play. NU will travel to the Sprint Center in Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker and play Missouri State in the opening round and either Texas Tech or USC the following evening. On Dec. 16, the Huskers will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a matchup with former conference rival Oklahoma State at the Sanford Pentagon. It is the first matchup between the Huskers and Cowboys since 2011.
• The 2018-19 schedule features 20 Big Ten games, the most conference games that NU has ever played in a season. NU will have seven double-play opponents (Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue). The Huskers’ home single plays are Northwestern, Ohio State and Wisconsin, while the Huskers will travel to Indiana, Michigan and Rutgers.