No. 25/22 Huskers Return Home for Titans

GAME 12: vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON Date: Saturday, Dec. 22 Time: 1:03 p.m. Arena: Pinnacle Bank Arena Tickets: Sold out No. 25/22 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2018-19 Record: 9-2, 1-1 Big Ten Head coach: Tim Miles   Record at Nebraska: 106-99 (7th year)   Career Record: 389-319 (24th year) CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS 2018-19 Record: 3-8, 0-0 Big West Head coach: Dedrique Taylor   Record at Cal State Fullerton: 70-97 (6th year)   Career Record: Same BROADCAST INFO Television: BTN   Play-by-play: Wayne Randazzo   Analysis: Nick Bahe Internet Video: BTN2Go and Fox Sports Go Radio: Husker Sports Network, including 590 AM (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 on TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio App. Satellite Radio:  Sirius: 135 XM: 197 Internet: 957

The No. 25/22 Nebraska men’s basketball team returns home after two weeks, as the Huskers host Cal State Fullerton at Pinnacle Bank Arena this Saturday.  Tipoff at PBA is set for shortly after 1 p.m. and while Saturday's game is already sold out, any returned tickets, if available, will go on sale at the PBA Box Office at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Saturday's game will be televised nationally on BTN with Wayne Randazzo and Nick Bahe on the call. Saturday's game will also be available on BTN.com and the BTN2Go and Fox Sports Go apps with cable authentication.

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 pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff on many of the Husker Sports Network affiliates (affiliate list on page 7 of the game notes).

The Huskers are 9-2 on the season following a 79-56 win over Oklahoma State in Sioux Falls, S.D., last Sunday. The Huskers got a game-high 29 points and five assists from James Palmer Jr. to pace three Huskers in double figures, while Nebraska held Oklahoma State to 56 points, the Cowboys' second-lowest total of the season, and just 2-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. The win was NU's fourth over a power conference team (also Seton Hall, Clemson and Creighton) and moved the Huskers to No. 14 in the latest NET rankings. 

While Palmer is putting together another All-Big Ten caliber season (19.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.9 apg), senior Isaac Copeland Jr. has been a consistent force. He had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting vs. Oklahoma State and is averaging 16.0 points on 57 percent shooting along with a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game.

Saturday's game against Cal State Fullerton concludes a stretch of four straight games against postseason teams from a year ago (Clemson, Creighton and Oklahoma State). The Titans, who returned four starters from a 20-win team which made the NCAA Tournament, have gotten off to a slow start with a 3-8 mark, but have shown the ability to hang with the best teams they have faced, highlighted by a double overtime loss at Arizona State. Kyle Allman Jr. is a returning first-team All-Big West selection who has dropped a pair of 30-point games this season, including a 35-point effort against the Sun Devils.

OPENING NUMBER

12.3 - Sophomore guard Thomas Allen is averaging 12.3 points per game on 64 percent and 2.5 assists per game shooting during the month of December. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW 1 - Wins that Tim Miles needs to move past Moe Iba for sole possession of third on Nebraska's career wins list. Both Miles and Iba have 106 wins in their Husker coaching tenures.

.835 - Nebraska is shooting 83.5 percent from the foul line over the last five games, raising the Huskers season total to 74.1 percent. 

8 - Number of 20-point games for Husker players this season. James Palmer Jr. has five while Isaac Copeland Jr. (two) and Glynn Watson Jr. (one) also have accomplished the feat. 

14 - The Huskers have had 14 runs of at least 10-0 in 2018-19, including a 22-0 run against Southeastern Louisiana and a 19-0 run against Western Illinois. The Huskers have allowed three double-figure runs this season.

59.3 - Nebraska is 13th nationally in scoring defense, holding teams to 59.3 points per game. NU has held five of its 11 opponents to their lowest total of the season. 

2010-11 - Nebraska bids for a 10-2 start for the first time since the 2010-11 season on Saturday vs. Cal State Fullerton.

SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON Cal State Fullerton comes into Saturday's game with a 3-8 record and looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Titans have been off since a 68-54 loss to San Francisco on Sunday. In that game, USF held the Titans to 40 percent shooting, including 2-of-10 from 3-point range. Kyle Allman Jr. had 14 points while Jackson Rowe added 10 in a losing effort. The Titans returned four starters from a team that went 20-12 and made the NCAA Tournament for Head Coach Dedrique Taylor in 2018, marking the school's first NCAA appearance in a decade. Taylor increased the Titans' win total for four straight years, highlighted by postseason showings in each of the past two years. At times, Cal State Fullerton has played well, taking Arizona State to double-overtime along with a seven-point loss to Wake Forest. 

Senior guard Kyle Allman Jr. leads Cal State Fullerton and is second in the Big West in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Allman, a first-team selection last season, topped the conference in scoring as a junior at 19.5 ppg and scored 35 at Arizona State and a season-high 38 against Hofstra. Khalil Ahmad, who has come off the bench in the Titans' last two contests, is third in the Big West in scoring at 17.6 ppg, including 36 percent from 3-point range after earning second-team All-Big West honors last season. Ahmad had 40 points, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range, against Monmouth and 31 in the loss at Arizona State.  Jackson Rowe has been their top inside threat, as he averages 10.4 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game. 

Nebraska has played Cal State Fullerton only once, a 111-67 victory on Dec. 4, 1967. That game was the Huskers' 1967-68 season opener.

LAST TIME OUT James Palmer Jr. had a game-high 29 points to place three Huskers in double figures, while Nebraska clamped down in the second half, as the Huskers posted a 79-56 win over Oklahoma State at the Sanford Pentagon. 

The Huskers took control with a 22-4 run over an eight and half minute span, turning a seven-point deficit into a 43-32 lead with 15:07 remaining. 

Isaac Copeland Jr. had 16 points and five rebounds, while Thomas Allen came off the bench for 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Huskers shut down Oklahoma State defensively, holding the Cowboys to its second-lowest output of the season. NU also limited the Cowboys to 2-of-15 from 3-point range.

Nebraska trailed 28-21 before using an 11-2 run to take a two-point lead into the locker room. Isaac Copeland led the spurt, scoring five straight points to pull the Huskers within 30-26 before Palmer’s third 3-pointer of the half made it a one-point game. 

On OSU’s final possession of the half, Glynn Watson Jr. drew a foul on Michael Weathers on one end before hitting a corner 3-pointer with two seconds left to give the Huskers a lead they would not relinquish. OSU pulled to within 34-32 after a Yor Anei basket early in the second half before a pair of Palmer free throws started a 9-0 run that stretched the lead back to 11 after a 3-point play from Isaiah Roby.   The Cowboys cut the lead to under double figures one last time at 43-35, but Allen’s 3-pointer started a 9-2 run that stretched the lead to 52-37 after Tanner Borchardt’s basket with 11:30 left.

WORTH NOTING

• With wins in its final two non-conference games, the 2018-19 Huskers have an opportunity to put together one of its most successful non-conference slates in recent history. NU has finished non-conference play with one loss only three times (10-1, 2003-04;  12-1, 1991-92; 11-1, 1977-78) since World War II. 
• Nebraska looks to extend its home win streak to 18 games on Saturday. If the Huskers beat Cal State Fullerton, it would be Nebraska's longest home win streak since winning a school-record 20 games spanning 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons. 
• Nebraska is 99-12 (.892) in non-conference home games since the start of the 2006-07 season, including 36-7 (.837) since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013. 
• Nebraska is 37-20 all-time as a ranked team dating back to the 1949-50 season following the win over Creighton on Dec. 8. NU is 6-1 when ranked 25th in the AP poll.
• Saturday's game will be the Huskers' seventh contest against a postseason qualifier from last year (either NCAA or NIT). NU is 5-1 so far with the only loss coming to Texas Tech, which made the Eliite Eight in 2018.
• Glynn Watson Jr. comes into the Oklahoma State game in 19th place on NU's career scoring list with 1,192 points. He is just 13 points shy of passing Jack Moore (1,204) for 18th place on NU's scoring list. With 150 steals, he is also four shy of eighth place (154, Tyronn Lue) in that category.
• Isaac Copeland Jr. needs only four rebounds to reach 600 for his collegiate career. He has averaged 6.1 rebounds per game since arriving at Nebraska. 

DOING IT WITH DEFENSE For Nebraska, the biggest thing over the last two seasons - a stretch where the Huskers are 31-13 - has been improvements on the defensive end.  Last season, NU went from 13th to sixth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense and from 14th to second 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.  That has continued in the early stages of the 2018-19 season. 

• After 11 games, Nebraska ranks in the top-25 nationally in scoring defense (59.3 ppg, 13th), field goal defense (.379, 22nd) and 3-point defense (.272, 17th). The Huskers are also second in the Big Ten in blocked shots (5.4 bpg) and is second in steals (8.5 spg).
• Nebraska is one of six teams in Division I ranked in the top 25 nationally in field goal defense, 3-point defense and scoring defense through Dec. 18.  The list of schools are Nebraska, Texas Tech, Houston, Georgia Tech, San Francisco and Murray State.
• Only one opponent - Minnesota - has shot over 50 percent against Nebraska in the last 36 games dating back to last season. In 2018-19, NU has held 10 of its 11 opponents under 50 percent shooting. 
• NU limited six of its 10 opponents to under 0.85 points per possession. Mississippi Valley State and Southeastern Louisiana were held to 0.47 points per possession, the lowest number in Tim Miles' seven years at NU. On the season, the Huskers are 32nd in Kenpom's adjusted defense through Wednesday's games. 
• The Huskers have held five opponents to their lowest offensive total of the season.
• Nebraska held its first two opponents this season under 40 points, the first time the Huskers held consecutive foes under 40 points since 1949.
• Under Miles, the Huskers are 48-5 (.906) when holding opponents under 60 points. 

HUSKER OFFENSE GETS INTO HIGH GEAR Nebraska comes into the Cal State Fullerton game averaging 79.7 points per game after averaging 72.3 points per game last year.  NU has scored at least 70 points in nine of 11 contests, including four games of at least 80 points. 

• Nebraska is 16th nationally in offensive efficiency according to KenPom through Tuesday's games. In the KenPom era, only the 2003-04 team (25th) ranked in the top 50 nationally in offensive efficiency.
• Nebraska's 79.7 points per game would rank 10th in school history and is on pace to be the Huskers' highest single-season average since 1994-95 (78.4 ppg).
• The Huskers scored 106 points in the opener against Mississippi Valley State. It was the Huskers' highest total since scoring 107 against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 19, 2005.
• Nebraska opened the season with four straight games scoring at least 80 points, marking the first time NU has accomplished that since the 1996 NIT.
• Nebraska scored 94 points in the win over Creighton, its third-highest total in 52 meetings in the series.
• NU has already had seven players score in double figures, including six against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 11 and three players -  James Palmer Jr., Isaac Copeland Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr. - with 20-point performances.

The quick start is not surprising based on what the Huskers brought back from last year's team that went 22-11, as Nebraska brought back its top four scorers for the first time in 15 years, including three players who averaged double figures. 

• Nebraska returned 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). 
• Nebraska returned 73 percent of its scoring and 72 percent of its assists from last season. It marked the third time in the last 15 seasons that Nebraska returns at least 70 percent of its scoring from the previous season.
• Nebraska's 3,432 returning points ranked 13th nationally entering the 2018-19 season. Among Big Ten programs, only Iowa, which has 4,246 returning points, had more.

NEW NUMBER, SAME GAME FOR PALMER 

While senior guard James Palmer Jr. switched from No. 24 to No. 0 in the offseason, the All-American candidate continues to produce at a high level. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

• He is first or second on the Huskers in scoring (first) and assists (second), while he ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring.
• Palmer has shown the ability to get to the free throw line often, as he ranks in the top-25 nationally in both free throws (72, seventh) and attempts (87, 14th).
• His Husker career scoring average of 17.8 points per game is eighth among all power conference players over the last two seasons. The Big Ten has three of the top eight with Purdue's Carsen Edwards and Wisconsin's Ethan Happ. 
• Palmer has reached double figures in 41 of 44 career games at Nebraska, as he saw his streak of 17 straight games in double figures snapped against Missouri State on Nov. 19. 
• Since the loss to Texas Tech, Palmer has been on a tear, averaging 22.0 points per game over the Huskers' last six contests, including 45 percent from 3-point range and 92 percent from the free throw line.
• Palmer shouldered the scoring load in the win over Oklahoma State with a game-high 29 points, including 14-of-15 shooting from the foul line. 
• Palmer enjoyed one of the best performances of his career, scoring 30 points against Creighton. The effort included a career-high six 3-pointers. With that effort against the Bluejays, he became just the 16th player in school history to record multiple 30-point games. 
• Palmer opened Big Ten play against Illinois with a game-high 23 points, including 12-of-14 at the foul line and a team-high four assists.
• He turned in a strong performance in the Huskers' win at Clemson, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the second half and also snaring a career-high nine rebounds. 
• Finished with a season-high 29 points against Seton Hall, the second-highest scoring night in his career, as he scored 18 of his points in the second half. 

Last season, Palmer 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. Palmer joins Purdue's Carsen Edwards as returning first-team All-Big Ten selections by the conference coaches. 

• Palmer averaged 18.8 points per game in Big Ten play last year, which is the highest average in conference play since Aleks Maric averaged 18.9 ppg in 2006-07. It is also the most by a returning Big Ten player since Tim Frazier in 2012-13.
• He is one of only five returning power conference players who averaged 17.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.0 apg last season. 

WATSON KEYS HUSKER ATTACK Senior Glynn Watson Jr. is in his fourth year as Nebraska's starting guard and is putting together his best season as a Husker. He comes into the Cal State Fullerton game averaging 13.7 points per game on 48 percent shooting, including 45 percent from 3-point range. He is also averaging career bests in assists (3.5 apg), rebounds (4.2 rpg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6-to-1).

• Watson has been in double figures in nine of 11 contests and has had multiple 3-pointers nine times. 
• He guided the Husker attack in the win over Creighton with 13 points, five assists and a season-high three steals, while holding Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander to just 2-of-10 shooting.
• Watson led NU with 20 points and a career-high nine boards against Western Illinois.
• He showed his playmaking ability by dishing out eight assists and totaling 14 points in the win over Seton Hall. 
• Watson has a career 2.11-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and has more steals (150) than turnovers (146) in his career. 
• His older brother Demetri McCamey was an All-Big Ten guard at Illinois during the 2009-10 season.
• 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). All three played for legendary high school coach Gene Pingatore, who is in his 50th year as coach at St. Joseph and has won over 1,000 games at the school. 

ISAAC MAKES IT TOUGH FOR OPPONENTS TO COPE Isaac Copeland Jr. is back to make the most of his senior year. The 6-foot-9 forward joined the program in January of 2017, but then was unable to practice because of a herniated disc that eventually required surgery.  Despite not being able to practice until school started, Copeland finished 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 and earning honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors.  Copeland has improved his numbers across the board in 2018-19, as he averages 15.0 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent from the field. 

• Copeland has reached double figures 10 times in 11 games, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
• Copeland had 16 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists in the win over Oklahoma State, keying the Huskers' comeback in the first half with five straight points as part of an 11-2 run.
• He topped NU in points (17) and rebounds (seven) at Minnesota, including hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
• The senior carried NU to a win at Clemson with 16 points, six boards and three assists while his biggest play was a blocked shot which led to James Palmer's dunk after Clemson closed to within five. 
• He earned a spot on the Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team, averaging 21.5 points per game on 61 percent shooting, 7.5 blocks and 3.0 assists per game. He was in double figures in both contests, including a season-high 23 points against Missouri State and 20 points and eight boards against Texas Tech. 
• Copeland collected his fifth career double-double in Nebraska's win over Seton Hall with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He had one during his redshirt year at Georgetown (2016-17) and three in 2017-18. 
• He has 11 career 20-point games (7 at Nebraska, 4 at Georgetown), including a pair of 30-point games. Copeland had 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting against North Dakota last year and a career-high 32-point night against Marquette during his sophomore year at Georgetown. 
• A top-20 recruit coming out of high school, his 2014 Brewster Academy team also featured Donovan Mitchell (Utah), Devonte' Graham (Charlotte) and Jonah Bolden (Philadephia).
• Copeland earned his undergraduate degree in sociology last May and is working on his Master's Degree. He comes from a basketball family, as his father (Ike) played collegiately at East Carolina. As a senior, he helped East Carolina make the NCAA Tournament.

ROBY FILLS STAT SHEET Isaiah Roby compliments the Husker attack with a unique skill set. The 6-foot-8 junior comes into the Cal State Fullerton game averaging 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.  He leads the Huskers in blocked shots and is second in steals and rebounding. Roby is the only Big Ten player in the top-10 in blocks and steals while he is one of only three power conference players to average 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. 

• Among Big Ten players since 1992, only two other players (Purdue's Brad Miller and Minnesota's Damian Johnson) averaged 1.5 steals and blocks per game. 
• While Roby had just five points vs. OSU, he led the Huskers in rebounding (seven) and steals (four), matching his career best in that category.
• Roby put together his most complete game in the win over Creighton, setting season highs in points (15), rebounds (eight) and assists (four) along with a pair of blocks against the Bluejays. 
• Roby played well in the loss at Minnesota, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
• His dunk against Seton Hall on Nov. 14 marked the fourth time he's had a top-10 play on SportsCenter at NU, including highlight dunks vs. Rutgers (2018) and at Indiana (2016). 
• Nebraska is 20-6 since moving Roby into the starting lineup midway through Big Ten play last season. Roby has all four of his career double-doubles in that stretch.
• 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 is also one of four Huskers to have 50 blocks and 50 assists in a season, joining Aleks Maric, Venson Hamilton and Rich King. 

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 were sold out for the 2018-19 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. Most of the available single-game tickets for the entire season have been sold as well.  

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.  

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

• NU has won its last 17 games at home following the 94-75 win over Creighton on Dec. 8. The win streak is the longest among power conference schools and seventh-longest home win streak nationally. It is NU's longest home win streak since a school-record 20-game streak spanning the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons.
• Of the 17 wins in the current streak, 12 have come by double-digits, including all six in 2018-19.
• NU has posted a 65-24 (.730) record in Pinnacle Bank Arena since it opened in 2013.
• Nebraska went a perfect 9-0 at home in Big Ten play in 2017-18, the first time NU went unbeaten in conference play at home since the 1965-66 season. 

MILES CLIMBS UP WINS LIST Nebraska Coach Tim Miles became the fifth Husker coach to win 100 games when the Huskers topped Seton Hall on Nov. 14. Miles can move into sole possession of third place with a victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.

HUSKERS LOOK TO ADD TO 2018-19 ACCOMPLISHMENTS The Huskers have had a productive non-conference slate so far heading into Saturday's game with Cal State Fullerton. The Huskers are 14th in the NCAA's current NET rankings (through Tuesday) while ranked in both polls. 

• Nebraska has four non-conference wins over power conference foes (Seton Hall, at Clemson, Creighton and Oklahoma State), marking the first time since 1995-96 that has occurred. 
• If NU can win its final two non-conference games (Cal State Fullerton and Southwest Minnesota State), it would be the first time since 2003-04 that the Huskers finished non-conference action with one loss. 
• The win over Seton Hall snapped a seven-game losing streak to Big East teams and was the Huskers' first over a Big East team since 2007. It also helped the Big Ten win the Gavitt Tipoff Games by a 5-3 count. 
• Nebraska snapped a six-game losing streak to Big 12 teams with its 79-56 win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 16. It was the first time NU has topped a Big 12 team since joining the Big Ten in 2011. 
• Nebraska's road win at Clemson marked just the Tigers' second home loss in the last 20 contests dating back to the start of 2017-18. NU improved to 3-1 on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, posting wins at Wake Forest (2012) and Florida State (2014). 
• Nebraska went 2-0 in conference challenges, joining Michigan and Wisconsin as the only Big Ten teams to win games in both challenges this season. 
• Nebraska snapped a seven-game losing streak to Creighton with its 19-point win on Dec. 8. The 19-point margin tied for the third largest in the 52-game history of the series. 
• The Huskers earned its first national ranking since November of 2014 earlier this month when the Huskers were 24th in the Dec. 3 Associated Press poll. NU returned to the AP poll on Monday ranked 25th and is up to 22nd in the coaches poll.