Huskers Travel to TCU For NIT Second Round

GAME 36: AT TCU Date: Sunday, March 24 Time: 8:35 p.m. (CT) Location: Fort Worth, Texas Arena: Schollmaier Arena NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2018-19 Record: 19-16 Head coach: Tim Miles   Record at Nebraska: 116-113 (7th year)   Career Record: 399-333 (24th year) TCU HORNED FROGS 2018-19 Record: 21-13 Head coach: Jamie Dixon   Record at TCU: 66-40 (3rd year)   Career Record: 394-163 (16th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: ESPNU Play-by-play: Mitch Holthus Analysis: Adrian Branch Internet: ESPN app and WatchESPN 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 and on the Huskers App.

The Husker men's basketball team looks to punch a ticket into the NIT quarterfinals on Sunday night, as the Huskers travel to TCU for the second round of the NIT.  Tipoff at Schollmaier Arena is set for 8:35 p.m. and Sunday's game will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Mitch Holthus and Adrian Branch on the call. The matchup will also be available on the ESPN app and WatchESPN app 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 and on the Huskers app.  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 (19-16) are coming off a spirited 80-76 win over Butler Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Junior forward Isaiah Roby scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead three Huskers in double figures. James Palmer Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr. added 23 and 17 points, respectively, as the Huskers shot 50 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 36-26, to pick up their fourth win in the last five games. 
The Huskers have battled down the stretch, dressing just eight players because of injuries, and have relied on its role players to make winning plays over the past two weeks. Against Butler, Johnny Trueblood came off the bench to set career bests in points (six), rebounds (seven), assists (five) and minutes (31). Thorir Thorbjarnarson, who moved into the lineup after injuries to Thomas Allen and Amir Harris, had four assists and three steals in 17 minutes of work. 
The Huskers are led by a pair of senior guards in James Palmer Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr., who combine to average more than 30 points per game. Palmer is third in the Big Ten, averaging 19.7 points per game, while Watson averages 13.5 points per game and a team-high 3.0 assists per game. 
TCU (21-13) tied for seventh in the Big 12 with a 7-11 mark and are coming off an 82-69 win over Sam Houston State on Wednesday. JD Miller's 15 points and eight rebounds led six TCU players in double figures as the Horned Frogs shot 54 percent from the floor, including 70 percent in the second half. 
The winner of Sunday's game will play either No. 2 Creighton or No. 3 Memphis in the quarterfinals either Tuesday or Wednesday. 

OPENING NUMBER 27 - Minutes per game for Johnny Trueblood over the last five games after playing a career-high 31 minutes against Butler. The senior walk-on played just 32 minutes all season prior to Senior Day on March 10.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
.925 - Nebraska is 37-3 under Tim Miles when shooting over 50 percent, including 15 straight wins dating back to the 2016-17 season.
+3.5 - Nebraska leads in the Big Ten in turnover margin, as the Huskers are third in fewest turnovers per game and third in forcing turnovers.

31 - Number of 20-point games for Husker players in 2018-19. James Palmer Jr. has 18 while Glynn Watson Jr. (five), Isaiah Roby (five), and Isaac Copeland Jr. (three) also enjoyed 20-point games this season.

+54 - Johnny Trueblood's plus/minus over the last four games, which spans 135 minutes of action. Prior to the Iowa game in the regular-season finale, Trueblood had played just 32 minutes all season and 61 minutes in his collegiate career

80 - Number of 3-pointers for Glynn Watson Jr., which ties for fourth on NU's single-season list. He needs just three 3-pointers to tie Ray Gallegos (2012-13) for third place.

280 - Number of free throws James Palmer Jr. has shot this year, a total that ranks second nationally as of March 21. Over the last 25 years, Reggie Evans (2000-01 and 2001-02) and Evan Eschmeyer (1997-98) are the only Big Ten players with more free throw attempts than Palmer this season.

689 - Points for James Palmer Jr., which ranks second on NU's single-season chart. He trails Dave Hoppen (704, 1984-85) by 15 points heading into the TCU game

2007- The last time Nebraska had three players with 20+ points in a game before it happened against Iowa with James Palmer Jr. (27), Isaiah Roby (23) and Glynn Watson Jr. (23). 

ABOUT TCU
Under the direction of third-year coach Jamie Dixon, the Horned Frogs are making their third straight postseason appearance. TCU, which won the NIT in 2017, is 21-13 on the season following Wednesday's win over Sam Houston State. Dixon, who graduated from TCU in 1987, spent the previous 13 seasons at Pittsburgh, helping the Panthers make 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in that span. The Horned Frogs won 12 of their first 13 games following a win over Baylor on Jan. 5, but finished 9-12 down the stretch. Their most impressive non-conference win was a three-point win over Florida in the Big 12/SEC showcase on Jan. 25. In conference play, TCU's season was highlighted by sweeps of both Iowa State and Texas. TCU, which tied for seventh in the Big 12, lost to Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

TCU, which is down to only eight scholarship players available, is led by its backcourt of Desmond Bane and Alex Robinson. Bane, a second-team All-Big 12 selection, averaged a team-high 15.2 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range. Robinson, a third-team All-Big 12 pick, is at 12.7 points per game while dishing out a conference-high 7.1 assists per game. Kouat Noi averages nearly 14 points a game, while Kevin Samuel anchors a Horned Frog defense with more than two blocks per game. As a team, TCU is third in the Big 12 in scoring a 74.3 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field. The Horned Frogs are near the bottom of the conference in field goal defense and scoring defense, but rank third in steals (7.1) and fourth in blocked shots (4.4).

Series History: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 7-2, and this will be the first meeting between the two teams since a 69-57 Husker win during the 2011-12 season. Of the nine previous meetings, two have been in the NIT, a 67-57 win in the 1983 NIT quarterfinals in Lincoln and a 101-89 loss in Fort Worth in the second round of the 1999 NIT. NU is 1-1 against Big 12 teams this year, falling to league co-champion Texas Tech in the finals of the Hall of Fame Classic in November before posting a 79-56 win against Oklahoma State in Sioux Falls in December.

NEBRASKA POSTSEASON HISTORY
The 2019 NIT marks Nebraska’s 26th postseason appearance in school history (seven NCAAs, 19 NITs) and second straight NIT appearance. It is the first time since 2007-08 and 2008-09 that Nebraska has made consecutive postseason appearances.

Nebraska is 24-17 in 18 previous NIT appearances, winning the 1996 championship in Madison Square Garden. NU also reached Madison Square Garden in 1983 (semifinals) and 1987 (3rd place).

Tim Miles is making his third appearance in the NIT, as he also reached the NIT at Colorado State in the 2010-11 campaign.

EXPERIMENTAL RULES FOR 2019 NIT
The 2019 National Invitation Tournament will feature experimental rules intended to give the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, the Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee and the Division I Men's Basketball Competition Committee data as well as feedback to assist in making decisions regarding rules changes. The NCAA playing rules process operates on a two-year cycle, with the next approval of rules changes coming this May, effective potentially for the 2019-20 season. The 2019 NIT features four rules modifications. The first three experimental rules also were used during the 2018 NIT:

The 3-point line will be extended by approximately 1 foot, 8 inches to the same distance used by FIBA for international competition (22 feet, 1.75 inches).

• The free throw lane will be widened from 12 feet to 16 feet, consistent with the width used by the NBA.

• The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound instead of the full 30 seconds.
  
  
• Team fouls will reset at the 10-minute mark of each half for the purpose of determining free throws and one-and-one free throws will be eliminated. Teams will shoot two bonus free throws after the fifth team foul of each 10-minute segment.  Additionally, teams will be awarded two bonus free throws after the second team foul committed under two minutes remaining in each half if that foul occurs before the fifth team foul of the segment. In each overtime period, team fouls will reset, and teams will shoot two free throws beginning with the fourth team foul or the second team foul committed under two minutes remaining if that comes before the fourth team foul of the overtime period.

LAST TIME OUT
The Nebraska men’s basketball team erased an early 12-point deficit and behind a big second half, the Huskers posted their first postseason victory in 11 years Wednesday night with an 80-76 win over Butler in a first-round NIT matchup at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The Huskers (19-16) trailed midway through the second half before a game-changing 14-2 run turned a one-point deficit into a 12-point lead. Nebraska then made enough plays down the stretch, winning by four points after Butler cut the lead to one with 1:31 remaining.

Isaiah Roby paced the Huskers with a career-high 28 points, and he just missed a double-double after grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. James Palmer Jr. added 23 points, while Glynn Watson Jr. scored 17 points, as Nebraska’s big three combined for 68 of NU’s 80 points. Tanner Borchardt and Johnny Trueblood added six points each to account for Nebraska's other 12 points. The Huskers’ 80 points were their most in eight postseason games, dating back to the 2004 NIT, when Nebraska scored 83 points in a one-point loss at Hawaii.

Sean McDermott had 14 points for Butler, which had four players in double figures. Paul Jorgensen chipped in 12 points, while Jordan Tucker and Aaron Thompson each scored 11 points, with Thompson adding a career-high 12 assists for his first career double-double.

WORTH NOTING

• Nebraska will be seeking consecutive 20-win seasons for just the third time in school history (also 1992-93 and 1993-94; 1997-98 and 1998-99).
• Husker assistant coach Armon Gates spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at TCU.
• Nebraska Coach Tim Miles will be looking for his 400th career win on Sunday against TCU. Miles is 399-333 in 24 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
• The Huskers have been battle tested in 2018-19, playing 25 of its 33 Division I games against opponents in Quad 1 or Quad 2 entering the postseason. In fact, only Kansas (27), Villanova (27) and Auburn (26) played more games against Quad 1 and 2 opponents entering the postseason. NU entered the postseason with a NET ranking of 48, one of eight Big Ten teams in the top 50 on Selection Sunday. NU played 20 of its 34 regular-season games against NCAA or NIT qualifiers.
• Nebraska set a single-season school record with 11 ranked opponents during the season, breaking the mark which had been set four other times, most recently in 2015-16. Of the top five seasons against ranked opponents, three have come in the last seven seasons.
• 12 of Nebraska's 16 losses have been to teams who have been ranked in the top-15 at some point in the season (Texas Tech, Maryland-2x, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin-2x, Purdue-2x and Michigan).
• According to Kenpom, Nebraska's strength of schedule is eighth nationally as of March 21, as five of the 10 toughest schedules (and 11 of the top 20) are by Big Ten teams. That is part of the reason why the Big Ten got 10 teams into postseason play (eight NCAA and two NIT). Entering Friday's action, the Big Ten is 7-0 in postseason play (5-0 NCAA, 2-0 NIT).
• Since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12, this year will mark the fifth time in eight years that Nebraska has had a top-20 schedule according to the Kenpom rankings.
• Nebraska is 31st nationally in offensive efficiency according to Kenpom through March 21. Only the 2003-04 team (25th) has had a more efficient offense in the Kenpom's rankings since the site began tracking data in 2000-01.
• Nebraska is 17-7 when averaging at least one point per possession this season, but 2-9 when held under one point per possession.
• James Palmer Jr. is the only Big Ten player and one of six power conference players nationally averaging 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game as of March 20. The last Big Ten player to do it was Denzel Valentine of Michigan State in 2015-16.
• Palmer Jr. has four 30-point games at Nebraska a total that ranks fifth in school history. Only four players in school history have had more 30-point games at NU (Dave Hoppen - 7; Tyronn Lue - 7; Aleks Maric - 6 and Jerry Fort - 5).
• Palmer Jr. also has a team-high 18 games of at least 20 points this season. That ranks third in the Big Ten in 2018-19. The school record for 20-point games in a season is 21 by Dave Hoppen in 1984-85.
• Palmer Jr. also has the distinction of being one of the few Big Ten players to have 200 field goals and 200 free throws in the same year. It has happened only 13 times (among just 10 players) in conference history, including five times in the last 50 seasons. Palmer is the first Big Ten player to accomplish it since Carl Landry of Purdue in 2006-07.
• Palmer Jr. holds school records for free throws and attempts and now ranks in the top-10 in Big Ten history in free throws made (213, 10th) and attempts (280, eighth).
• Glynn Watson Jr. has been playing some of his best basketball down the stretch, averaging 19.1 ppg on 45 percent shooting over the last eight games dating back to Feb. 23. Watson is also shooting 45 percent from 3-point range (29-of-64) in that stretch.
• Watson Jr. is one of only six players in school history with at least 1,500 points and 300 assists, joining Eric Piatkowski, Jaron Boone, Erick Strickland, Tyronn Lue and Cookie Belcher.
• Watson Jr. is one of six players currently on NU's top-10 list in both assists and steals, joining Brian Carr (1984-87), Cookie Belcher (1997-2001), Tyronn Lue (1996-98), Erick Strickland (1993-96) and Clifford Scales (1998-91). Watson is currently in eighth place on NU's assist list (376) and fourth on NU's steals list (177).
• Isaiah Roby is currently the only Big Ten player who ranks in the top 10 in both steals (1.3, eighth) and blocked shots (1.8, third). If he continues through the postseason, he will be just the fifth Big Ten player in the last 25 years to average at least 1.3 steals and blocks per game. Roby joins Duke's Zion Williamson and Washington's Matisse Thybulle as the only power conference players to average 1.3 blocks and steals per game.
• Roby is the second Husker to record 50 blocked shots and 50 assists in consecutive seasons, joining Venson Hamilton (1997-98, 1998-99). In all, only four Huskers - Roby, Hamilton, Aleks Maric and Rich King - have had 50 blocks and 50 assists in a season.
• Former walk-on Tanner Borchardt has stepped into a crucial role for the Huskers following Isaac Copeland's injury. Borchardt is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game over the Huskers' last 16 contests and is averaging 27.8 minutes per game. Prior to Copeland's injury, Borchardt averaged just 2.9 rebounds per game in 12.3 minutes per contest and had never played more than 20 minutes in a game in his college career.
• Nebraska has been reduced to eight healthy players, as Amir Harris (knee) and Thomas Allen (ankle) missed the Big Ten Tournament and the NIT opener because of injuries.