CORNHUSKERS BASKETBALL GAME NOTES

Transcription

1 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS BASKETBALL GAME NOTES Game 14: at Ohio State Game Date: Jan. 3, 2012 Tipoff Time: 5:56 p.m. Venue: Value City Arena Capacity: 19,049 HUSKERS TAKE ON NO. 6 OHIO STATE The Nebraska men s basketball team returns to action Tuesday night, as the Huskers take on No. 6/7 (AP/ Coaches) Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. Tip off for the tilt between the Huskers and Buckeyes at Value City Arena is set for 5:36 p.m. (central). Tuesday s game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network with Dave Revsine and Jim Jackson on the call. The game will also be available on BTN.com and the BTN2Go App on select mobile devices. The Nebraska-Ohio State game will also be carried across Nebraska on the 30-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Andy Markowski calling all of the action. The game can also be heard on Huskers.com and season audio packages are also available for purchase on the Huskers App for your iphone or ipod Touch. Nebraska continues the early-season gauntlet though the Big Ten Conference, as Tuesday s contest with the Buckeyes will be the Huskers third straight game against a ranked opponent to start conference play. It is the first time in school history that Nebraska has began conference play with three straight games against ranked teams and also the third time since the PROBABLE STARTERS (BASED UPON LAST GAME) 5 - MOORE 1.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg 3 - RICHARDSON 6.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.1 apg 25 - WALKER 7.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg season that any Big Ten team has opened up conference action with three straight foes ranked in the AP Top 25. Following Tuesday s game at Ohio State, the Huskers will have played the top three teams in the league s preseason poll. Nebraska comes into Tuesday s game with an 8-5 record (0-2 Big Ten) following a loss to No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday. Bo Spencer came off the bench for a team-high 15 points, as the senior guard leads the Huskers in both scoring (15.1 ppg) and assists (4.2 apg). Spencer has been at his best away from Lincoln, averaging 24.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in Nebraska s three road games this season. While the Huskers are in their first season of Big Ten basketball, Ohio State (13-2, 1-1 Big Ten) is in its 100th season in the conference and looks to bounce back following a loss at No. 13 Indiana. The Buckeyes, who dropped from second to sixth in Monday s AP poll, feature one of the front-runners for national player of the year in Jared Sullinger. The 6-foot-9 forward averages 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to pace three Buckeyes who average at least 15 points per game. OSU has been exceptionally tough at home, as the Buckeyes have won 34 straight at Value City Arena dating back to MCCRAY 10.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg 13 - UBEL 7.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg NEBRASKA SCHEDULE Date Opponent (Television/Internet) Time/Result Nov. 11 South Dakota (BTN.com) W, Nov. 14 at USC (Prime Ticket) W, (2ot) Nov. 20 Rhode Island (BTN) W, Nov. 23 Oregon (BTN) L, Nov. 26 South Dakota State (BTN.com) W, Nov. 30 Big Ten/ACC Challenge vs. Wake Forest (ESPNU) L, Dec. 4 at Creighton (KMTV) L, Dec. 7 Florida Gulf Coast (BTN.com) W, Dec. 10 at TCU (the Mtn.) W, Dec. 17 Alcorn State (NET/BTN.com) W, Dec. 20 Central Michigan (NET/BTN.com) W, Dec. 27 No. 11 Wisconsin * (ESPN2) L, Dec. 31 No. 16 Michigan State * (BTN) L, Jan. 3 at No. 6 Ohio State * (BTN) 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at Illinois * (BTN) Noon Jan. 11 Penn State * (BTN) 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at Wisconsin * (BTN) 5 p.m. Jan. 18 Indiana * (BTN) 6 p.m. Jan. 21 Ohio State * (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at Iowa * (ESPNU) 6 p.m. Feb. 2 at Northwestern * (ESPN/ESPN2) 6 p.m. Feb. 5 Minnesota * (BTN) Noon Feb. 8 Michigan * (BTN) 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at Penn State * (ESPNU) Noon Feb. 18 Illinois * (BTN) 4 p.m. Feb. 22 at Purdue * (BTN) 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Michigan State * (BTN) 7 p.m. Feb. 29 Iowa * (ESPNU) 8 p.m. March 3 at Minnesota * (BTN) 11:30 a.m. March 8-11 Big Ten Tournament TBA March First Four TBA March Second/Third Rounds TBA March NCAA Regional Semifinals TBA March NCAA Regional Finals TBA March 31 National Semifinals TBA April 2 National Championship Game TBA All times are Central and subject to change. *Big Ten Conference game. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS Record: 8-5 (0-2 Big Ten) Head coach: Doc Sadler Record at Nebraska: (6th year) Record at Division I: (8th year) Career Record: (14th year) OHIO STATE BUCKEYES Record: 13-2 (1-1 Big Ten) Head Coach: Thad Matta Record at Ohio State: (8th year) Career Record: (12th year) HUSKERS ON TV/RADIO/INTERNET Television: Big Ten Network (Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Chs. 439, 9500 on DISH; Chs. 24 and 333-SH, 1333-HD on Time Warner Cable; Chs. 80 SD, 1080-HD on Cox Cable) Play-by-play: Dave Revsine Color: Jim Jackson Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network (including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln; KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha; KRVN 880 AM in Lexington) Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka Color: Andy Markowski Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com Satellite Radio (Ohio State Feed): XM 190, SIRIUS 92 SIRIUSXM 190 NEBRASKA MEDIA RELATIONS Associate Media Relations Director: Shamus McKnight Office: ; Cell: smcknight@huskers.com Address: One Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE FOLLOW THE HUSKERS ONLINE Web site: Huskers.com Facebook: Facebook.com/Huskers NU Hoops: Facebook.com/NebraskaBasketball

2 2 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS NUMERICAL ROSTER No. VL Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (High School / Previous Schools) 0 ** Toney McCray G/F Sr. Missouri City, Texas (Fort Bend Elkins) 2 David Rivers G/F Fr. Little Rock, Ark. (Hall) 3 *** Brandon Richardson G Sr. Los Angeles, Calif. (Hawthorne) 5 Josiah Moore G Fr. Norcross, Ga. (Norcross) 10 Trevor Menke G R-Fr. Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice) 11 Jordan Tyrance G R-Fr. Lincoln, Neb. (Southwest) 12 Corey Hilliard Jr. G Fr. Kansas City, Mo. (Raytown South) 13 ** Brandon Ubel F Jr. Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West) 14 * Christopher Niemann C Jr. Kühlungsborn, Germany (Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule) 15 ** Ray Gallegos G Jr. Salt Lake City, Utah (West Jordan) 21 ** Jorge Brian Diaz C Jr. Caguas, Puerto Rico (Colegio Bautista de Caguas) 23 Bo Spencer G Sr. Baton Rouge, La. (Glen Oaks/LSU) 24 Dylan Talley G Jr. Camden, N.J. (Life Center Academy/Binghamton Univ./Blinn College) 25 * Caleb Walker G Sr. Hutchinson, Kan. (Hutchinson/Butler CC) 32 * Andre Almeida C Sr. Sao Paulo, Brazil (Escola Sao Jose dos Padres de Sion/Arizona Western College) 33 ** Mike Fox F Jr. Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice/Northwest Missouri State) 44 Kye Kurkowski F R-Fr. Grant, Neb. (Perkins County) NEBRASKA COACHES AND STAFF Head Coach: Doc Sadler (Arkansas, 1982) Assistant Coaches: David Anwar (Fitchburg College, 1998), Jeremy Cox (Mesa State College, 1991) Wes Flanigan (Auburn, 1997) Director of Operations: Chris Croft Video Coordinator: Jim Shaw Basketball Strength Coach: Tim Wilson Equipment Manager: Pat Norris Assistant Athletic Trainer: R.J. Pietig Coordinator of Basketball Operations: Tony Schamber PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Christopher Niemann...NEE-man Brandon Ubel... YOU-bell Ray Gallegos... GUY-eh-goes Andre Almeida...AL-may-duh TALE OF THE TAPE Nebraska Cornhuskers Team Statistics (Record: 8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) NU OPP SCORING Points per game Scoring margin FIELD GOALS-ATT Field goal pct POINT FG-ATT point FG pct pt FG made per game FREE THROWS-ATT Free throw pct F-Throws made per game REBOUNDS Rebounds per game Rebounding margin ASSISTS Assists per game TURNOVERS Turnovers per game Turnover margin Assist/turnover ratio STEALS Steals per game BLOCKS Blocks per game Ohio State Buckeyes Team Statistics (Record: 13-2, 1-1 Big Ten) OSU OPP SCORING Points per game Scoring margin FIELD GOALS-ATT Field goal pct POINT FG-ATT point FG pct pt FG made per game FREE THROWS-ATT Free throw pct F-Throws made per game REBOUNDS Rebounds per game Rebounding margin ASSISTS Assists per game TURNOVERS Turnovers per game Turnover margin Assist/turnover ratio STEALS Steals per game BLOCKS Blocks per game HUSKER TIP OFF -Bo Spencer is looking to join an exclusive group at Nebraska, as he is bidding to become just the fifth Husker since the season to average more than 15 points and four assists per game. The last Husker to accomplish the feat was Cookie Belcher in the campaign. Year Player (Year) Ppg. Apg Bo Spencer Cookie Belcher Tyronn Lue Tyronn Lue Erick Strickland Nebraska will become the third Big Ten team since the season to open up with three ranked opponents (AP poll) when the Huskers take on No. 6 Ohio State on Tuesday. Indiana will be the fourth team to join the list later this week when they take on Michigan. School (Year) NEB ( ) Iowa ( ) NW ( ) Opponents No. 11 Wis.; No. 16 MSU; No. 6 OSU No. 23 Ill.; No. 2 OSU; No. 10 Purdue No 12 Purdue; No 18 MSU; No. 20 Ill. WEEKLY MEDIA PLANNER... Note: Availability before lifting, contact Shamus McKnight for details. Sunday Jan. 1 3 p.m. Monday Jan. 2 1:30 p.m. Depart for Ohio State following practice Tuesday Jan. 3 at Ohio State 5:30 p.m. (central) BTN Wednesday Jan. 4 1 p.m. Thursday Jan. 5 1 p.m. Friday Jan a.m. Depart for Illinois following practice Saturday Jan. 7 at Illinois Noon (central) BTN

3 3 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL LAST TIME OUT Toney McCray and Bo Spencer combined for 29 points, but Keith Appling scored eight of his 14 points in a decisive second-half run, as No. 16 Michigan State pulled out a win Saturday afternoon. McCray and Spencer led the Huskers comeback, as Nebraska chipped away at a 15-point lead to pull within after a Spencer 3-pointer with 8:43 remaining Appling then took over, scoring six straight points, as the sophomore hit a driving jumper and a layup on consecutive possessions before his two free throws with 4:39 left gave the Spartans a lead. Nebraska would make one last run, as a 3-pointer from McCray, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds before fouling out, and two Spencer free throws made it a four-point game with 3:57 left. That would be as close as Nebraska would get, as Appling found Austin Thornton for a 3-pointer before the sophomore guard hit two free throws with 1:07 left to put the Spartans up Appling finished with 14 points and four assists for MSU, which has won 13 straight games. The Spartans went 19-of-21 from the foul line, including a perfect 12-for-12 in the second half and enjoyed a advantage on the glass. Spencer came off the bench to lead Nebraska with 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, as Nebraska, playing without two of its top three scorers because of injuries, shot 36 percent from the field, including 7-of-25 from 3-point range. SCOUTING OHIO STATE Under Thad Matta, Ohio State comes into Tuesday s game with a 13-2 mark and a No. 6/7 ranking (AP/ Coaches) in the polls released Jan. 2. Matta, who served as an assistant to former Nebraska Coach Barry Collier at Butler, is in his eighth season at OSU and has guided the Buckeyes to five NCAA appearances, including an NCAA runner-up finish in 2007 and back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 showings in 2010 and The Buckeyes won their first eight games - including wins over No. 3 Duke and No. 7 Florida - before losing at No. 13 Kansas on Dec. 10, as All-American Jared Sullinger did not play because of a back injury. OSU then won its next five games before falling at No. 13 Indiana, 74-70, Saturday night. Offensively, the Buckeyes are second in the Big Ten in both scoring offense (78.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (.492) as Ohio State features three of the Big Ten s top 10 scorers in Sullinger (16.2 ppg), William Bufurd (16.1 ppg) and Deshaun Thomas (15.1 ppg). Sullinger, the media s choice as the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and a front-runner for national player of the year, is shooting 59 percent on the season and tops the Big Ten with 9.5 rebounds per game. Bufurd, a four-year starter, is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, while also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Sophomore point guard Aaron Craft guides the attack as he is second in the Big Ten in assists (5.3 apg) and first in steals (2.7 spg) while also chipping in 8.3 points per game. The Buckeyes are holding opponents to 40 percent shooting, including 32 percent from 3-point range, and are second to Michigan State in rebounding, grabbing 7.8 more rebounds per game then their opponents. Ohio State Probable Starting Lineup stats No. Name Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt. Pts. Rbs. Hometown 4 Aaron Craft So. G * Findlay, Ohio 32 Lenzelle Smith Jr. So. G Zion, Ill 44 William Buford Sr. G Toledo, Ohio 1 Deshaun Thomas So. F Ft. Wayne, Ind 0 Jared Sullinger So. F Columbus, Ohio *-Assists/gm NEBRASKA-MICHIGAN STATE NOTES -Nebraska starts conference play 0-2 for the first time since following back-to-back losses to No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 16 Michigan State. -Bo Spencer came off the bench to finish with a team-high 15 points, including three 3-pointers, as Nebraska bench totaled 18 points. In the prior three games, the Husker bench had combined for 11 points -Toney McCray reached double figures for the fourth straight game with 14 points. It is the only the second time in his career that he has been in double figures in four straight games (other was Feb. 26-March 9, 2011) -Josiah Moore made his first career start against Michigan State and is the first freshmen to start for the Huskers since the season (Jorge Brian Diaz vs. Texas A&M in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament). -Nebraska s 25 3-point attempts were a season high and the most since taking 31 against Creighton last season -Nebraska was out-rebounded against MSU. It was the first time NU had been out-rebounded by at least 10 rebounds since Jan. 22, 2011, against Texas Tech. The largest rebounding deficit NU had prior to Saturday s game was three at Creighton on Dec. 4. -Nebraska went 12 of 15 from the foul line, the fifth time this season the Huskers have shot at least 80 percent in a game. NEBRASKA-OHIO STATE SERIES Ohio State leads the all-time series, 4-2 in a series that dates back to 1936, but Tuesday s meeting will be the first between the teams since the 1989 NIT. Nebraska won two of the first three meetings, but Ohio State has a three-game winning streak, as the Buckeyes won at the Devaney Center on Dec. 5, 1987 and then won both meetings during the campaign. OSU won the regular-season matchup on Dec. 12, 1988, as Tony White (21) and Jay Burson (20) combined for 41 points for the Buckeyes. Pete Manning led Nebraska with 17 points to pace three Huskers in double figures. The two teams would meet in the second round of the NIT that same season, as Grady Mateen s 20 points led five Buckeyes in double figures. Eric Johnson paced NU with 23 points, while Dapreis Owens, a native of Mansfield, Ohio had finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. VS. OHIO STATE (OSU LEADS 4-2) In Lincoln: Tied 1-1 At Devaney Center: Ohio State leads 1-0 In Columbus: Ohio State leads 3-0 At Value City Arena: Never Played El Paso, Texas: Nebraska leads 1-0 HUSKER-BUCKEYE SUPERLATIVES Most consecutive wins (year ended): Nebraska 1 (1936, 1985); Ohio State 3 (1987-present) Most points scored: Nebraska, 76, at Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1988; Ohio State, 103, at Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1988 Highest combined score: 170, Ohio State, 103, Nebraska, 76, at Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1988 Biggest winning margin: Nebraska, 9, at Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 12, 1936; Ohio State, 33, at Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1988 SERIES HISTORY Year Site Result Score H W A L N W H L A L A L VISITING OHIO Tuesday s game against Ohio State is Nebraska s first against a team from Ohio since a win over Kent State in the semifinals of the 2000 San Juan Shootout. The NU-OSU game is also the Huskers first game in Ohio since the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament in Cincinnati and first regular-season game in the state since Nov. 27, 1989, at Miami (Ohio). BIG TEN LEADERS (AS OF JAN. 1) Scoring...Spencer (10th, 15.1) Rebounding... Ubel (9th, 6.2) Assists...Spencer (5th, 4.2) FG Pct...McCray (10th,.536) FT Pct...Spencer (3th,.875); Ubel (9th,.806) 3-pt Pct...McCray (9th,.433) 3-pt. Made...Spencer (8th, 1.8) Steals... Richardson (7th, 1.6); Spencer (8th, 1.5) Asst-to-Turnover Ratio (Richardson (8th, 2.0-1; Spencer (13th, 1.5-1) Minutes...Spencer (4th, 33.9) TEAM LEADERS Double-Figure Scoring Games Spencer 10, McCray 7, Diaz 5, Talley 5, Ubel 5, Walker 3, Richardson 3 Double-Figure Rebounding Games Ubel 1 Double-Doubles Ubel 1 20-Point Games Spencer 4, Diaz 1, McCray 1 Games Leading NU in Scoring* Spencer 8, McCray 2, Walker 1, Diaz 1, Talley 1, Richardson 1 Games Leading NU in Rebounding* Ubel 6, Diaz 4, Walker 3, Talley 2, McCray 3 Games Leading NU in Assists* Spencer 10, Richardson 4, Talley 1, Ubel 1 Games Leading NU in Blocks* Diaz 7, Talley 1, Ubel 3, McCray 2, Moore 1. Richardson 1, Walker 1 Games Leading NU in Steals* Richardson 6, Spencer 6, Walker 1, Talley 3, Diaz 1, Ubel 3; McCray 1, Niemann 2 *includes ties

4 4 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL Head Coaching Experience Nebraska, 2006-present UTEP, Arkansas-Fort Smith, DOC SADLER Sixth Season Alma Mater: Arkansas ( 82) Assistant Coaching Experience Arkansas, ; Lamar, ; Houston, 1986; Chicago State, ; Arkansas-Fort Smith, ; Texas Tech, ; Arizona State, ; Arkansas- Fort Smith, ; UTEP, Awards and Honors NJCAA Region II Coach of the Year, 2001, 2002 Career Highlights s Helped 14 teams to postseason appearances in 19 years as a Division I coach s Guided the Huskers to three postseason appearances in his first five years on the sideline s Nebraska led the Big 12 and ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense three times in the last four years ( , , ) s Led Nebraska to its first.500 finish in Big 12 play in a decade in s U.S. Under-19 National Team Trials Coach in 2007 s Recruited eight future NBA players s Coached and developed an additional 11 players who went on to play in the NBA s Reached the postseason following nine seasons as a head coach s Ranks ninth in NCAA Division I history with 27 wins in his first season as a head coach s Won at least 20 games in three of first seven years as Division I head coach s Guided four players to first-team all-conference honors in three leagues (Big 12, WAC, C-USA) over past six years s 11 of his 14 seniors (79 percent) who have finished eligibility at Nebraska have received their degrees Year-by-Year Totals Year Team W L Pct Arkansas-Fort Smith Arkansas-Fort Smith Arkansas-Fort Smith Arkansas-Fort Smith Arkansas-Fort Smith UTEP UTEP Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Career Totals (13 years) Division I Totals (8 years) At Nebraska (6 years) HUSKERS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS The Huskers will get their third crack at a ranked team Tuesday night, as they take on the sixth-ranked Buckeyes. Following losses to No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 16 Michigan State, Nebraska is now all-time against ranked teams, including a mark against teams ranked in the top 10 and an mark against top-five squads. The Huskers are 8-23 against ranked teams in Doc Sadler s six seasons at Nebraska and have won at least one game against a ranked foe in four of his first five years. -Nebraska is wrapping up a stretch of three straight games against ranked opponents, the first time the Huskers have faced three straight ranked foes since a school-record five-game stretch during the season (Feb. 2-17). -The Huskers went 3-3 against ranked teams last year, including a win over No. 3 Texas, which was the highest ranked foe NU had toppled since Nebraska s last road win over a top-10 team on the road was a win over No. 7 Iowa State on Feb. 22, The Huskers will have several more chances against ranked teams this month, as Nebraska opens Big Ten play with six ranked teams in its first eight Big Ten contests (two games against No. 7 Ohio State and No. 18 Wisconsin, as well as one each against No. 12 Indiana and No. 10 Michigan State). SPENCER MAKES THE POINT FOR THE HUSKERS While Nebraska returned four starters from a team that won 19 games last season, the loss of point guard Lance Jeter was a significant one. An All-Big 12 performer, Jeter led the Huskers in both scoring and assists in Luckily for the Huskers, they already had a veteran point guard on the roster, as senior Bo Spencer sat out last season after transferring from LSU. He has been a solid performer, averaging 15.1 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. Spencer has reached double figures 10 times, including four 20-point performances and joins Penn State s Tim Frazier as the only two Big Ten players averaging more than 15 points and four assists per game. He is also on track to be the first Husker since Cookie Belcher in to average 15 points and four assists per contest. He had his best offensive game of the year at Creighton on Dec. 4, pouring in 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting and adding five rebounds. Spencer led Nebraska at TCU on Dec. 10, hitting 7-of-12 shots, including four 3-pointers, in NU s win. At USC on Nov. 14, he had 22 points, including the tying basket in overtime and the go-ahead bucket in double overtime, and also tied a personal best with seven rebounds. Against Rhode Island on Nov. 20, he had a then-season high 23 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor, four assists and three steals. Against South Dakota State on Nov. 26, Spencer had a then-career-high eight assists along with 18 points and six rebounds. He enjoyed a strong night against Central Michigan on Dec. 20, when he dished out a career-high nine assists and tied for team-high honors with 15 points. Spencer came off the bench in Saturday s loss to No. 16 Michigan State, leading the Huskers with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Before coming to Nebraska, he started two seasons for the LSU Tigers, averaging 14.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game in Spencer showed the ability to get to the basket, putting up 11 games of at least 20 points, including a season-high 28-point effort against Western Kentucky and back-to-back 25-point contests against Kentucky and Tennessee. In his LSU career, he reached double figures in 45 of 93 career contests, including 21 times as a junior. Spencer was the starting point guard on LSU s Southeastern Conference championship squad in , as the Tigers reached the second round before falling to eventual champion North Carolina. QUICK LOOK AT SPENCER Ranks among Big Ten leaders in scoring (15.1 ppg, 10th), assists (4.2 apg, 5th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5-1, 13th), free throw percentage (87.5, 3th) and minutes played (34.1, 3rd). Has 18 career games of at least 20 points, including four times in , and has been in double figures in 55 career contests. Spencer s four 20-point games this season is the most by a Husker since Ade Dagunduro had five in Scored a career-high 29 points and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss at No. 22 Creighton on Dec. 4. Became the first Husker since February of 2010 to score 20+ points in consecutive contests (USC, Rhode Island) and only the fourth Husker since to record back-to-back 20-point efforts. Had 22 points and set career highs in minutes (44) and rebounds (7) in a double OT win at USC on Nov. 11. Reached the 1,000-point mark against Wake Forest on Nov. 30. He is currently ninth among active Big Ten players in points with 1,110. Ranked in the top 15 in the SEC in points (14.5, 15th), minutes (36.2, 2nd) and free throw percentage (83.9, 3rd) at LSU in SPENCER YEAR BY YEAR TOTALS Year PPG APG Asst-to-Turnover Ratio RPG Freshman to Sophomore to Junior to Senior to-1 3.5

5 5 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL BIG TEN LEADERS - 20-POINT GAMES No. Player, School Games 1. William Buford, Ohio State 6 Tim Frazier, Penn State 6 3. John Shurna, Northwestern 5 4. Bo Spencer, Nebraska 4 Robbie Hummel, Purdue 4 BO S BOOST FROM THE BENCH While Bo Spencer has made 75 career starts in his collegiate career, seven of his 55 career double-figure efforts have come in a reserve role. His 15-point effort against No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday was his highest total in a reserve role, topping his 14-point nights against Arizona State at the 2007 Maui Invitational and against UL-Lafayette on Dec. 1, HUSKERS LOOK FOR IMPROVED HEALTH If the Huskers had one New Year s resolution, it would be for improved health as the season progresses forward. Injuries have depleted the Husker frontcourt, where Andre Almeida (5.3 ppg on 56 percent shooting; 3.3 rpg; 1.3 bpg in ) has not played this season because of a knee injury, while starting center Jorge Brian Diaz (10.9 ppg; 4.9 rpg, 2.6 bpg) has missed Nebraska s last four games because of a foot injury. In addition, junior guard Dylan Talley (9.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg) has not played in NU s last four games because of a thigh bruise. The injuries to Diaz and Talley have shifted around Nebraska s rotation. After NU s bench scored 11 points in a three-game span (after averaging 21 points per game over NU s first nine games), freshman Josiah Moore moved into the starting lineup while Bo Spencer came off the bench to give NU more offensive production. The Huskers did get some good news on the health front, as freshman Corey Hilliard Jr. returned to action on Dec. 27, after missing Nebraska s last seven games. He played a career-high 10 minutes in Nebraska s loss to No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday. MCCRAY ENJOYED STARTING ROLE After a slow start, Toney McCray has regained his form. The 6-foot-6 senior missed a significant part of the summer after surgery on his feet, and a toe injury the week of the exhibition game put him out of action for nearly a week, forcing him to play catch up during the first month of the season. McCray is making up for lost time in recent weeks, averaging 13.0 points per game on 56 percent shooting over the last nine contests after averaging 3.8 points per game on 38 percent shooting in Nebraska s first four games. He is now third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game and ranks 10th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (53.6 percent) and ninth in 3-point percentage (.433). He is one of only three players in the Big Ten to rank in the top 10 in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, joining Indiana s Jordan Hulls and Michigan s Evan Smotrycz. McCray moved into the starting lineup in the Huskers last four games after an injury to Jorge Brian Diaz and has averaged 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in that span. McCray began with a 20-point, seven-rebound effort against Alcorn State on Dec. 17, and had 16 points and nine rebounds effort against No. 11 Wisconsin. He comes off a 14-point, 6-rebound afternoon in Saturday s loss to No. 16 Michigan State. Earlier this season, McCray had three straight games where he tied or set season highs, including 15 points and five rebounds at No. 22 Creighton on Dec. 4. He also had 12 points in Nebraska s games against South Dakota and Wake Forest. McCray may have made his biggest contributions from the foul line in the win at USC on Nov. 14. A career 61 percent shooter from the line entering his senior year, McCray hit four clutch free throws at USC - two in the final minute of regulation and a pair with 2.8 seconds remaining in overtime - for his only points of the night in NU s double overtime win. McCray is up to 75 percent this season from the line. UBEL DOING THE DIRTY WORK INSIDE After a slow start offensively, junior Brandon Ubel has raised his level of play in the last month weeks. The 6-foot-10 forward has averaged 9.5 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game in Nebraska s last six contests, well above his season and career averages. He now ranks ninth Spencer s Top Bench Efforts Date Opponent Total Dec. 31, 2011 Michigan State 15 Nov. 21, 2007 vs. Arizona State 14 Dec. 1, 2009 UL Lafayette 14 March 4, 2009 Vanderbillt 14 Nov. 20, 2007 vs. Chaminade 11 Nov. 28, 2007 Nicholls State 11 Nov. 19, 2007 vs. Oklahoma State 10 FROM BENCH TO STARTER Games Pts. FG Pct. Reb. Off the Bench As a Starter B1G TOP 10 IN FG AND 3PT PCT. Player (School) FG Pct 3pt Pct. Evan Smotrycz (Mich.).547 (8th).545 (1st) Jordan Hulls (Ind.).547 (9th).544 (2nd) Toney McCray (Neb.).536 (10th).433 (9th) TRACKING UBEL Games Pts. Reb. First 7 Games Last 5 Games in the Big Ten in rebounding at 6.2 per game, including a league-leading 3.0 offensive rebounds per game. Ubel s performance on the glass has helped Nebraska out-rebound eight of its first 13 opponents this season. The stretch began against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7 when he had a career-high 11 rebounds and 10 points for his first career double-double. He has put together three double-figure scoring efforts in the last five games, including 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over Alcorn State and 11 points and seven rebounds against Central Michigan. Ubel was the first Husker since Aleks Maric in to have eight or more rebounds in three HUSKERS ON THE RADIO The IMG Husker Sports Radio Network is in its 17th year producing and marketing live broadcasts of University of Nebraska football, men s and women s basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball games. The Husker Sports Network has created a large network of state and national affiliates. All regular-season men's basketball games and any postseason contests will be broadcast on a 30-station basketball network in KFAB (1110 AM) is the Omaha affiliate, KLIN (1400 AM) is the Lincoln affiliate and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington also serves as a primary state affiliate. All games can be heard around the world for free on Huskers.com and a great number of Nebraska's games will also be heard live on SiriusXM Satellite Radio again this season. Veteran radio announcer Kent Pavelka leads the NU men's basketball broadcast in , along with former Husker letterwinners Matt Davison and Andy Markowski. Jeff Culhane serves as the host of Sports Nightly, a live daily call-in show. Culhane will also host the Doc Sadler Radio Show on Monday nights throughout the season beginning at 7 p.m NETWORK STATIONS Ainsworth KBRB-AM 1400 Alliance KCOW-AM 1400 Aurora KRGY-FM 97.3 Beatrice KWBE-AM 1450 Broken Bow KBBN-FM 95.3 Chadron KCSR-AM 610 Columbus KJSK-AM* 900 Fairbury KUTT-FM 99.5 Falls City KTNC-AM 1230 KLZA-FM Fremont KHUB-AM 1340 KFMT-FM Grand Island KRGI-AM 1430 Hastings KLIQ-FM 94.5 KHAS-AM 1230 Holdrege KUVR-AM 1380 BIG TEN WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE The Big Ten Conference men s basketball coaches will participate in a weekly media-only teleconference during the season. The calls begin in December, followed by weekly teleconferences beginning in January. The schedule is as follows: Monday, Dec. 12 Monday, Feb. 6 Monday, Jan. 9 Monday, Feb. 13 Monday, Jan. 16 Monday, Feb. 20 Monday, Jan. 23 Monday, Feb. 27 Monday, Jan. 30 Monday, March 5 The teleconference begins at 9 a.m. Central Time. Contact the Big Ten Communications Office at (847) for the call in and replay phone numbers as well as the weekly passcode. The calls will also be available for play back roughly two hours after each teleconference through Wednesday of the week and also on Bigten.org. 9 a.m. Tom Crean, Indiana 9:10 a.m. Fran McCaffery, Iowa 9:20 a.m. Bruce Weber, Illinois 9:30 a.m. Bill Carmody, Northwestern 9:40 a.m. Ed DeChellis, Penn State 9:50 a.m. Matt Painter, Purdue 10 a.m. Tom Izzo, Michigan State 10:10 a.m. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin 10:20 a.m. John Beilein, Michigan 10:30 a.m. Thad Matta, Ohio State 10:40 a.m. Tubby Smith, Minnesota 10:50 a.m. Doc Sadler, Nebraska Kearney KGFW-AM 1340 Lexington KRVN-AM 880 Lincoln KLIN-AM 1400 McCook KSWN-FM 93.9 Norfolk KNEN-FM 94.7 North Platte KODY-AM 1240 Ogallala KZTL-FM 93.5 Omaha KFAB-AM 1110 Scottsbluff KNEB-AM* 960 Sidney KSID-AM 1340 Superior KRFS-FM Valentine KVSH-AM 940 West Point KTIC-FM Atlantic, Iowa KWSI-FM 95.7 *will air only selected games

6 6 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL BIG TEN STANDINGS (AS OF JAN. 2) Team B1G Pct. Overall Pct. Michigan State Michigan Purdue Indiana Ohio State Illinois Wisconsin Northwestern Iowa Minnesota Nebraska Penn State UPCOMING SCHEDULE Jan. 3 Nebraska at Ohio State Michigan State at Wisconsin Jan. 4 Illinois at Northwestern Iowa at Minnesota Jan. 5 Purdue at Penn State Michigan at Indiana Jan. 7 Nebraska at Illinois Ohio State at Iowa Jan. 8 Indiana at Penn State Wisconsin at Michigan Purdue at Minnesota Jan. 10 Iowa at Michigan State Ohio State at Illinois Jan. 11 Northwestern at Michigan Penn State at Nebraska Jan. 12 Wisconsin at Purdue Minnesota at Indiana Jan. 14 Michigan at Iowa Michigan State at Northwestern Jan. 15 Minnesota at Penn State Indiana at Ohio State Nebraska at Wisconsin 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. Noon 3 p.m. 11 a.m. 12:30/3:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. Noon 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 12:30/3:30 p.m. 5 p.m. consecutive games. He opened Big Ten play with a game-high nine rebounds and eight points in the loss to the Badgers, equaling his highest rebound total in a conference game (also nine vs. Missouri on 3/1/11). Ubel looks to bounce back after being grabbing a season-low one rebound in the Huskers loss to No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday. Ubel s recent efforts are reminiscent of last year when he closed the year playing his best basketball, averaging 10.0 points on 58 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds over the Huskers final four games - all against postseason teams. Those numbers were well above his season averages of 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE STRIPE One area where the Huskers have been proficient is at the free throw line, where Nebraska s 76.6 percent rate leads the Big Ten and is 12th nationally in the latest NCAA stats. It is on track to be one of the best seasons in school history, as only two Husker teams have shot over 75 percent since 1948, led by the team was third nationally when they hit a school-record 76.5 percent from the line. Nebraska has shot 75 percent or better from the line in nine of the last 11 contests, hitting an impressive 78.4 percent from the line in that stretch. Prior to this season, NU s best season under Doc Sadler was 71.3 percent during the campaign. Four Huskers are shooting over 80 percent from the line this season, including senior guard Bo Spencer, who is 49-of-56 from the strip for an 87.5 percent rate to rank third in the Big Ten. Other Huskers above 80 percent include Brandon Richardson (87.0 percent), Dylan Talley (82.4 percent) and Brandon Ubel (80.6 percent). The Huskers have been at their best in the clutch, hitting 82 percent (49-of-60) from the line in the last five minutes of games this season. One thing Sadler has stressed is getting to the free throw line more often, as Nebraska has averaged 18.5 attempts in its eight wins, but just 14.0 attempts in its five losses. DIAZ BECOMING CONSISTENT INSIDE FORCE Junior center Jorge Brian Diaz has been a steady presence for the Huskers throughout his three-year career, but has missed the last four games with a foot injury. The 6-foot-11 center is one of three Huskers averaging double figures with 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game ahead. Offensively, he has been in double figures five times and now has 36 career games in double figures. He ranks 56th on Nebraska s career scoring list with 725 points. Defensively, he would lead the Big Ten in blocked shots, but has not played enough games to qualifty for league rankings, as has had three or more blocks in five of his first nine games. Diaz, who has 102 career blocked shots became the ninth Husker to record 100 blocks with this three blocks at TCU on Dec. 10. He tied his career high with five blocks in the one-point win over Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7, joining Illinois Meyers Leonard and Michigan State s Draymond Green as the only Big Ten players with two games with at least five blocked shots this season. Diaz enjoyed one of the best offensive games of his career against Oregon on Nov. 23, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks. He had eight of his points in a 22-7 run to help the Huskers erase a 15-point deficit before succumbing in the final minute. It was his third career 20-point effort and first since his freshman year. He nearly recorded a double-double at Creighton on Dec. 4 with 10 points and seven rebounds while also blocking a pair of shots. He turned in a strong effort at USC on Nov. 14 when he nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in a career-high 43 minutes. He also played a major role BEST FREE THROW PCT. SEASONS Rank Name FT% LEADING B1G SHOT BLOCKERS No. Player (School) Blocks 1. Ralph Sampson III (Minn.) Jorge Brian Diaz (NU) Draymond Green (Mich. St.) 100 DIAZ S 1ST NINE GAMES Year PPG RPG BGP RETURNING DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORERS SINCE 2007 Player Previous Year PPG Aleks Maric ( ) 18.5 Jorge Brian Diaz ( ) 10.5 Ryan Anderson ( ) 10.1 NU CAREER BLOCKED SHOT LIST No. Player Blocks 1. Venson Hamilton ( ) Mikki Moore ( ) Rich King ( ) John Turek ( ) Kimani Ffriend ( ) Aleks Maric ( ) Derrick Chandler ( ) Wes Wilkinson ( ) Jorge Brian Diaz (2010-present) 102 in holding USC s Dewayne Dedmon to four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Against South Dakota in the season opener, he finished with 11 points and a career-high five blocked shots, which equaled the highest single-game blocked shot total in the last six years. Throughout his career, Diaz has been a scoring threat, as the 6-foot-11 junior is only the third Husker returnee to average in double figures under Sadler, joining Aleks Maric and Ryan Anderson in He is now 275 points away from the 1,000 point mark and could become just the 15th Husker to reach the 1,000-point plateau in three seasons.

7 7 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL THIS DAY IN NEBRASKA BASKETBALL HISTORY Nebraska is 10-9 all-time on Jan. 3, and has won its last four games on this date, including a win over North Dakota last seson. Tuesday s conference game at Ohio State will be the Huskers first conference game and first game versus a ranked foe since a loss at Kansas in NU is 1-2 against ranked foes, falling to No. 11 Arkansas in 1983 and topping No. 23 Texas, in The only other time NU has faced a Big Ten foe on this date was a loss at Illinois in On this Date (Since 1983) Date Opponent Score 1/3/83 vs. Arkansas (11) L, /3/85 at Evansville L, /3/87 Creighton (OT) W, /3/94 at Iowa State W, /3/96 Texas (23) W, /3/98 at Kansas (2) L, /3/06 Northern Colorado W, /3/07 Savannah State W, /3/09 Maryland Eastern Shore W, /3/11 North Dakota W, TALLEY PROVIDES INSTANT OFFENSE When Doc Sadler talked about the addition of Dylan Talley, the thing he constantly mentioned was his ability to score. Talley has lived up to the billing, coming off the bench to average 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in just 21.9 minutes of action. Talley has been out of the lineup the last four games with a thigh bruise and played just eight minutes in his last game at TCU on Dec. 10. Talley has shown the knack for the heriocs, hitting a game-winning basket with 10.4 seconds remaining against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7, as part of a 14-point effort. The 6-foot-5 guard reached double figures in three straight games earlier this season, including a season-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, four rebounds, four assists and three steals against Oregon on Nov. 23. Talley had 12 points and three rebounds against South Dakota State on Nov. 24, and totaled 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and five rebounds in 18 minutes against Rhode Island on Nov. 20. Talley s adjustment may have been helped by the Division I experience he had when playing at Binghamton (N.Y.) University in That season, he was the America East Rookie of the Year and averaged 11.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Last year, he was an honorable-mention All-American at Blinn College, ranking sixth in the NJCAA in scoring at 23.0 points per game while also chipping in 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. RICHARDSON IS HUSKERS GLUE GUY While senior Brandon Richardson doesn t lead the Huskers in any offensive category, his versatility is his greatest asset. The fifth-year senior averages 6.4 points, 3.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, while also leading the Huskers in steals (1.6 per game) where he ranks eighth in the conference in that category. His 112 career steals entering Tuesday s game with Ohio State also ranks fourth among active Big Ten players. While Richardson has struggled with his shooting recently, he has taken more of a role in running the Husker attack. Over the last six games, he is averaging 3.7 assists per game and has a 3.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE No. Player (Years) FT-FTA Pct. 1. Jack Moore ( ) Tom Baack ( ) Brandon Richardson (2008-present) Brian Carr ( ) BIG TEN ACTIVE STEALS LEADERS No. Player, School Steals 1. Draymond Green, Michigan State Matt Gatens, Iowa 116 Robbie Hummel, Purdue Brandon Richardson, Nebraska 112 The 6-foot senior came up big in his return home to Los Angeles on Nov. 14, totaling 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range in the Huskers overtime win at USC. He matched his career best with four 3-pointers and dished out a pair of assists, including the game-tying basket in double overtime. Against Rhode Island on Nov. 20, he keyed a Husker defense which held Jamal Wilson to 14 points after averaging 31 points in the Rams first two games and set career highs in both assists (eight) and steals (four) in 25 minutes. Richardson had his best offensive game of the year in the non-conference finale against Central Michigan on Dec. 20, finishing with a season-high 15 points and three assists. In Saturday s loss to Michigan State, Richardson had six assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Throughout his career, Richardson has been clutch from the free throw line, as he ranks third in school history with an 83.3 career percentage from the charity stripe and is one of only four players in program history to shoot over 80 percent for a career. This year, he is hitting a career-best 89.5 percent from the foul line and has had one miss since the season opener. Last year, he was second in Big 12 action in league play, hitting 87.8 of his free throws, including a stretch of 25 consecutive from the line. Throughout his career, he has been his best in late-game situations, going 73-of-78 from the foul line in the final five minutes of games, a remarkable 93.6 percent. HENDRICKS TRAINING COMPLEX -Opened on Oct. 13, 2011 after 17 months of construction -84,000 square feet (80,000 new and 4,000 renovated in athletic medicine) home for the men s and women s basketball programs and wrestling team -Two-level facility includes separate practice areas for the men s and women s basketball programs, expanded locked rooms and team lounges. -$18.7 million facility also features a 5,000-square foot weight room, a completely renovated athletic training area that tripled the size of the previous area at the Devaney Center and a nutrition station. -The facility features a two-story abstract net sculpture, as well as a granite fountain imported from China. The facility also features two video walls and 63 televisions throughout the building. -It is named for Tom and Mary Hendricks of Pipe Creek, Texas, and their children, Jennifer and Brandon, as they provided the lead gift in this project BASKETBALL FEATURES -Both the men s and women s basketball practice gyms are a court-and-half with six baskets, allowing additional work while the main floor is being used. - The courts themselves are made with premium maple flooring with sleeper cushions that absorb shock to minimize injury. Both gyms have advanced acoustics as well as 103-inch plasma screens for breaking down film during practices. -Men s court is named in honor of Bus Whitehead, who led the Huskers to a pair of conference titles in 1949 and 1950 and passed away in June of A two-time all-conference performer, he was named captain of Nebraska s All- Century Team for his efforts on the court. -The men s players lounge, which is named in honor of Neal and Jamie Hawks, features a 5x8-foot video wall, over 400 inches of televisions, custom seating, a pool table with a court design and a kitchenette. -Locker room features custom built lockers with ipads built into the lockers, as well as custom back-lit displays and audio jacks, allowing players to play their music in the gym, lounge, training area or in the hydro-therapy area.

8 8 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL HUSKERS SIGN FIVE IN FALL University of Nebraska basketball coach Doc Sadler on Nov. 11 announced that five student-athletes have signed National Letters-of-Intent to play basketball at the University of Nebraska. The class includes junior college transfers Fahro Alihodzic, Keith Coleman and Jerran Young as well as high school seniors Benny Parker and Shavon Shields. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown Fahro Alihodzic C Vlasenica, Bosnia Keith Coleman F Philadelphia, Pa. Benny Parker G Kansas City, Kan. Shavon Shields G Olathe, Kan. Jerran Young F Cedar Hill, Texas One of two post players in the Huskers recruiting class, Fahro Alihodzic (pronounced Fa-ROO Ali-HOEDzick) is originally from Vlasenica, Bosnia, and is in his first season at Southeastern (Iowa) Community College. Rated by Van Coleman as one of the top-50 junior college players in the country, Alihodzic spent two seasons at Fordham, but was a medical redshirt in As a freshman, he made 14 starts, averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 16 points, including 8-of-13 shooting from the field, and added eight rebounds at Saint Joseph s. Coleman is in his first season at Marshalltown CC and will have three years of eligibility at Nebraska. The 6-foot-9, 250-pounder is considered one of the top-25 junior college players in the class, according to Van Coleman of Hot100hoops.com. Coleman a threestar prospect by Rivals.com. Following his time at Lee (Maine) Academy, he was rated as the No. 23 center in the country by Scout.com and No. 37 by ESPN.com. Parker has led Sumner Academy of Arts and Science to consecutive Class 4A state titles in Kansas and is a returning first-team all-state pick. In , Parker averaged 19.8 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 steals and 3.7 rebounds for Coach Dan Parra as Sumner posted a 23-3 mark en route to a state crown. A first-team all-metro selection by the Kansas City Star, Parker was also a third-team all-state pick as a junior and is a three-star selection by Rivals.com. Shields has made a name for himself as one of the top players in the Kansas City area. The 6-foot-6 wing player averaged 18 points per game at Olathe Northwest High School and Coach Mike Grove in , earning Sunflower Conference Player of the Year and second-team all-class 6A honors. A threestar selection by Rivals, he was rated as the No. 6 prospect in Kansas this year by ESPN.com. Young attends McLennan Community College where he is a two-year starter for Coach Kevin Gill. Rated among the nation s top 50 junior college recruits by Van Coleman and No. 39 nationally by Rival s JucoJunction site, the athletic 6-foot-5 forward was the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. Young was a first-team all-conference pick in , averaging 10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, as the Highlanders went 28-5 and won the NTJCAC crown. WALKER SHOWING EXTENDED RANGE The work that senior Caleb Walker put in to improve his shooting has paid off early in the season. After shooting 35.7 percent from long range in his first season at Nebraska, the 6-foot-4 wing is shooting nearly 40 percent from long range this season in Nebraska s first 13 games. Walker has made the most of his opportunities, as the senior is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.6 points per game. He had the best offensive game of his career against Rhode Island on Nov. 20, scoring a career-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. Walker was also 3-of-4 from 3-point range, the second game this year where he has hit at least a trio of 3-pointers. Against South Dakota in the season opener, he paced Nebraska with a then-career best 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Walker went 3-for-3 from 3-point range, as he set career highs in points and three-pointers in the season opener. He turned in a solid effort against TCU on Dec. 10, scoring nine points and grabbing a season-high eight rebounds to help the Huskers to their second road win of the season and had 11 points and five rebounds in the win over Central Michigan on Dec. 20. Walker had nine points against No. 15 Michigan State, but was 1-of-5 from 3-point range. Walker, who played both football and basketball as a freshman in junior college, is one of Nebraska s most athletic players and led Nebraska in rebounding last year. So far this season, he is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game to rank fourth on the team. HOME SWEET HOME Nebraska has been strong on its home court over the years, and have enjoyed an impressive home run under Coach Doc Sadler. In the past six seasons under Sadler, Nebraska has dominated to the tune of a record (.762 winning percentage). The Huskers are now 6-4 at the Devaney Center and will look to snap a two-game home losing streak on Jan. 11, against Penn State. Last year, Nebraska tied a program record with 17 home wins, going 17-2 in the friendly confines of the Devaney Center. Facing non-conference opponents, the Huskers have been nearly unbeatable at home under Sadler, losing three times in 55 games, including a 26-game home win streak snapped on Nov. 23. NEBRASKA COACH DOC SADLER Doc Sadler is in his sixth season on the Husker sideline after leading Nebraska to an NIT appearance in Sadler has guided the Huskers to postseason appearances in three of the last four seasons, and his 89 wins in his first five seasons was the most by any Husker coach in his first five years at Nebraska. He is now in fourth place NU S LONGEST NON-CONFERENCE HOME WIN STREAKS No. Gm. Dates Dec. 8, 2005 to Dec. 20, Jan. 18, 1963 to Dec. 1, Dec. 30, 1989 to Nov. 27, Dec. 30, 2008 to Nov. 23, Dec. 3, 1993 to March 16, 1995 CAREER WINS LIST No. Coach, Years Wins Record 1. Danny Nee, (.572) 2. Joe Cipriano, (.562) 3. Moe Iba, (.599) 4. Doc Sadler, 2007-present (.561) on Nebraska s career wins list with 97. Sadler has guided teams to postseason berths in five of his seven years as a Division I head coach, as both of his UTEP squads reached postseason play before taking over the Nebraska program in August of WINNING ON THE ROAD In Doc Sadler s first five seasons, the Huskers were 2-8 in non-conference road games, but have turned it around this season. Nebraska went 2-1 in road games during non-conference play, posting a doubleovertime win at USC on Nov. 14, before ending non-conference action with a win at TCU on Dec. 10. It marked the first time since that Nebraska has won a pair of non-conference road games. The 12-point margin at TCU matched the Huskers largest non-conference road win since a win at Minnesota on Dec. 29, Nebraska s win at USC on Nov. 14 was a long time coming, as it was the program s first overtime road win since an win at Colorado on Feb. 17, Prior to the USC win, the Huskers had won one overtime road game in that span. The win at USC, which featured comebacks in the final minutes of both regulation and overtime, was the second time since 1995 that Nebraska won its road opener. HUSKERS LOOK TO CONTINUE DEFENSIVE EXCELLENCE One hallmark of Nebraska basketball under Doc Sadler is a stout defense, and the Huskers were among the nation s best in Nebraska allowed an average of 60.5 points per game to lead the Big 12 for the third time in the last four seasons and rank 18th nationally. It is the fourth time in Sadler s seven years as a Division I head coach that his teams have led a league in scoring defense. The Huskers were also seventh nationally in field goal percentage in , as the.389 field goal percentage defense was the lowest by a Husker team since the campaign. -The Huskers held 17 opponents under 60 points and only six opponents have scored more than 70 points in That is made more impressive when you consider that Nebraska has played 11 games against teams which rank in the top 40 nationally in scoring offense during the season. -Nebraska allowed only four teams to eclipse its season scoring average in 32 games and held seven teams to season lows in points. -Nebraska held 10 straight opponents to under 60 points earlier, the longest stretch by a Nebraska team since

9 9 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL a 21-game stretch covering the and seasons. Team Scoring Defense Under Doc Sadler Year School Ppg. Allowed Conf. NCAA UTEP nd 81st UTEP st 15th Nebraska th 63rd Nebraska st 18th Nebraska st 22nd Nebraska th 103rd Nebraska st 16th The injuries to Diaz, Talley and Almeida, who has not played this season because of a knee injury, have hurt the Huskers defense early on. Despite the injuries, Nebraska is allowing 61.8 points per game entering Tuesday s game at Ohio State, but are allowing opponents to hit nearly 37 percent from 3-point range to rank 12th in the conference. -Dating back to the start of the season, Nebraska has held 33 of its past 45 opponents to under 45 percent shooting. -Nebraska has held three opponents to 50 points or less this season, allowing just 46 points to Alcorn State on Dec Nebraska held South Dakota to 48 points, its second-lowest point total since the Coyotes moved to Division I prior to the season. The Huskers allowed just 49 points in regulation at USC before winning in double overtime and held Florida Gulf Coast to 50 points on Dec IS THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR DEFENSE Nebraska s success has been predicated on clamping down on the opposition. Last year, the Huskers held 17 of 32 opponents under 60 points, compiling a 15-2 mark in those games. Counting the five games this season, Nebraska has held 75 opponents to 60 points or less in Doc Sadler s tenure at Nebraska, compiling a 66-9 record in those games following the win over Alcorn State on Dec. 17. NEW CONFERENCE, OLD FOES Nebraska s addition to the Big Ten Conference provides Husker fans a new set of rivals to get acquainted with this season. While Nebraska has squared off with every Big Ten member in its history, it has been a while since NU has played any of its new conference members. Prior to the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on Dec. 27, Nebraska s last contest with a Big Ten team was a loss to Minnesota on Dec. 8, Coming into , current Big Ten members have only played at the Devaney Center 17 times since the facility opened in 1976 with the Gophers (seven times) and Michigan State (three times) accounting for more than half of the total. Indiana, Michigan and Illinois all make their first-ever trips to the Devaney Center this winter, leaving Northwestern as the only Big Ten team to never play the Huskers at the Devaney Center. NEBRASKA VS. THE BIG TEN School Meetings Last Matchup Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Northwestern Ohio State Penn State Purdue Wisconsin HUSKERS TAKE 5 AGAINST CENTRAL MICHIGAN Nebraska had five players in double figures in the win over Central Michigan, marking only the fifth time in Doc Sadler s five seasons that the Huskers had placed five players in double figures, and the first time since Dec. 1, 2010, against Jackson State. Five in Double Figures under Sadler Opponent Date Score Double Figures vs. Central Michigan 12/20/11 W, Spencer-15, Richardson-15, Ubel-11, McCray-11, Walker, 11 vs. Jackson State 12/1/10 W, Walker-13, Jones-13, Ubel-10, Beranek-10, Richardson-10 vs. TCU 11/21/09 W, Diaz-22, Richardson-15, Anderson-15, Henry-11, Hankins-Cole-10 vs. Savannah State 1/3/07 W, Henry-18, Perry-17, Maric-14, White-14, Velander-10 NOTING THE SCHEDULE With a new conference, including 18 Big Ten games, the Huskers will face a challenging road in Here are a couple of nuggets on the upcoming season slate. Nebraska will play 13 of its 29 games this season against teams that made the NCAA Tournament in In Big Ten action, seven squads qualified for the Big Dance, including No. 1 seed Ohio State, as the conference was second in the RPI. The Huskers will open their first season of Big Ten Conference action with six straight games against NCAA Tournament teams (Wisconsin, Michigan State,. Nebraska s three true road games in non-conference play (at USC, at Creighton, at TCU) equaled the Huskers highest total since making four road trips in the season. Nebraska s schedule features 18 conference games, compared to only 16 games in Big 12 action. The Huskers single-play opponents in are Indiana and Michigan at home and Northwestern and Purdue on BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL LEADERS - ALL GAMES (1/2) Category Rk. Player Avg, Scoring Offense 11 Nebraska 63.8 Scoring Defense 8. Nebraska 61.8 Scoring Margin 11. Nebraska +2.0 FT Percentage 1. Nebraska.766 FG Percentage 11. Nebraska.433 FG Pct. Defense 10. Nebraska Point FG Pct. 8 Nebraska Point FG Pct. Def 12 Nebraska.368 Rebounding 11 Nebraska 33.3 Rebound Margin 9 Nebraska +2.8 Blocked Shots 8. Nebraska 3.4 Assists 10. Nebraska 13.1 Steals 10. Nebraska 6.0 Turnover Margin 12 Nebraska -0.4 Asst/TO Ratio 10. Nebraska Point FG/GM 7. Nebraska 6.2 BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL LEADERS - CONFERENCE GAMES (1/2) Category Rk. Player Avg, Scoring Offense 12 Nebraska 47.5 Scoring Defense 5. Nebraska 66.0 Scoring Margin 12. Nebraska FT Percentage 4. Nebraska.792 FG Percentage 12. Nebraska.333 FG Pct. Defense 12. Nebraska Point FG Pct. 12. Nebraska Point FG Pct. Def 10. Nebraska.400 Rebounding 12. Nebraska 26.0 Rebound Margin 11. Nebraska -8.0 Blocked Shots 10. Nebraska 1.0 Assists 10. Nebraska 10.5 Steals 4. Nebraska 6.0 Turnover Margin 8. Nebraska 0.0 Asst/TO Ratio 7. Nebraska Point FG/GM 9. Nebraska 5.0 BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL LEADERS - LEAGUE ONLY (1/2) Category Rk. Player Avg, Scoring 11 Toney McCray 15.0 Scoring 9 Toney McCray 7.5 FG Pct. 15 Brandon Ubel.500 Assists 2. Lance Jeter Bo Spencer 3.5 FT Pct. 1. Bo Spencer Brandon Richardson.833 Steals 8. Brandon Richardson Bo Spencer Pointers Made 8 Toney McCray Bo Spencer 2.0 Asst-to-TO Ratio 2. Brandon Richardson 9.0 Offensive Rebounds 3. Brandon Ubel 3.0 Defensive Rebounds 15. Toney McCray 4.5

10 10 NEBRASKA BASKETBALL PINNACLE BANK ARENA SET TO OPEN IN 2013 In May of 2010, Lincoln voters passed a measure for the Pinnacle Bank Arena in the Haymarket District in downtown Lincoln. Ground was broken on the 15,500-seat facility in September of 2011 and it is set to open in the fall of The $180 million dollar Pinnacle Bank Arena will be the home of the Husker men s and women s basketball programs, as well as concerts and other programming throughout the year. Fans can sign up for information on arena seating and get on a wait list by visiting Huskers.com/arena. the road. The Huskers will face the remaining seven teams (Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State and Minnesota) home and home. Every Nebraska game this year will be available on television or the internet, including 22 games broadcast nationally on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) or on the Big Ten Network. Nebraska also had its non-conference road games against TCU (The Mountain), Creighton (KMTV) and USC (Prime Ticket) televised, while the Huskers games against Alcorn State and Central Michigan were televised statewide on NET. NEW FACES ON THE BENCH There are two new faces on the Husker staff in , as Jeremy Cox joins the program as an assistant coach, while Tim Wilson is the Huskers new strength coach. Cox has nearly two decades of coaching experience, including stops at Kentucky, Texas A&M, and South Florida. He is reunited with Sadler, as he was an assistant under the Huskers head coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith in During his coaching tenure, he has had 10 players reach the NBA and had two first-round draft picks (Patrick Patterson, Kentucky; Dominique Jones, South Florida) in Tim Wilson comes to Nebraska after serving as the strength coach at Oregon for the last three seasons. Prior to that, the Falls City, Neb., native worked for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA for 11 years, helping the franchise make six playoff appearances, including the Eastern Conference Finals. He also worked at Pittsburgh and UNLV as well as the Chicago White Sox. SEASON TICKET AND PICK SIX MINI PLANS ON SALE NOW Several ticket options are available for fans who want to see the Huskers first season of Big Ten basketball this winter at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. For fans who want to see all of the exciting action at the Devaney Center this winter, season tickets are available for as little as $99, including Big Ten matchups with Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana as well as non-conference games with Oregon and Wake Forest. Season tickets range from $99 in the Hy-Vee Value Seats to $198 In the C-Level Upper Reserved Seats. New this year is the flexible Pick Six Mini Plan, which gives fans the option of creating their own personalized ticket package. For $50, fans can choose selected games from different groups, as every regular-season home game is featured in one of three groups. All fans who purchase any Pick Six plan will have tickets to one of four premium games (Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois) on the schedule, as well as other Big Ten and non-conference games for less than $8.50 per game. For more information, visit Huskers.com/Tickets or call BIG RED. MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS In the Paint NU 28, South Dakota 22 NU 14, USC 20 NU 40, Rhode Island 18 NU 24, Oregon 18 NU 36, SDSU 22 NU 30, Wake Forest 20 NU 30, Creighton 36 NU 14, FGCU 16 NU 22, TCU 26 NU 26, Alcorn St. 16 NU 20, Cent. Mich. 24 NU 18, Wis. 14 NU 16, Michigan State 30 Points Off Turnovers NU 18, South Dakota 14 NU 12, USC 14 NU 27, Rhode Island 6 NU 12, Oregon 19 NU 13, SDSU 15 NU 15, Wake Forest 8 NU 13, Creighton 14 NU 11, FGCU 15 NU 12, TCU 15 NU 19, Alcorn St. 7 NU 15, Cent. Mich. 14 NU 4, Wis. 21 NU 22, Michigan State 15 Second Chance Points NU 22, South Dakota 5 NU 7, USC 8 NU 5, Rhode Island 10 NU 12, Oregon 10 NU 13, SDSU 14 NU 4, Wake Forest 0 NU 16, Creighton 15 NU 11, FGCU 8 NU 10, TCU 9 NU 14, Alcorn St. 5 NU 6, Cent. Mich. 10 NU 11, Wis. 4 NU 9, Michigan State 16 Bench Points NU 18, South Dakota 8 NU 13, USC 13 NU 29, Rhode Island 21 NU 18, Oregon 23 NU 32, SDSU 18 NU 19, Wake Forest 13 NU 22, Creighton 14 NU 23, FGCU 35 NU 17, TCU 30 NU 2, Alcorn St. 16 NU 9, Cent. Mich. 13 NU 0, Wis. 13 NU 18, Michigan State 19