SB Nation - Ryan Anderson

Husker Hardwood 2009 - Jackson State Preview/Open Game Thread

Mr. Corn — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:29:23 -0000

Nebraska's Sek Henry (5) vs. Creighton in Omaha.

As the football season winds down, and fans prepare for the last 60 minutes of Husker Football 2009, I'd like to introduce myself as your friendly Nebrsaka hoops "post-man". (Although I always played shooting guard). Covering NBA-D league action in Iowa has lost it's luster, so I have offered up my services to CornNation..writing about my beloved Big Red. Thanks to the managers and moderators for picking me up.

No doubt priorities are straight in Husker-Land...football first, everything else is secondary. But the off-season doesn't have to mean watching old tapes of Touchdown Tommie and the 1995 season. The 2009 Nebraska Basketball team has a lot of potential, anchored by Pelini-esque defensive efforts thus far. Lots of young talent on the mens team, and although it would be nice to cover womens as they keep playing well...most of my attention will be on the boys. Try to hang with me this winter, and I'll do my best to keep things interesting until the spring game arrives. Who knows, we may have something to watch in March?

Just to recap the season for those of you that are now starting to tune in, Nebraska is currently 7-2 with losses coming at Saint Louis (7-3) and at in-state rival Creighton(4-5). Impressive defensive showings lifted the team to wins over USC and Oregon State. Nebraska has been out-rebounded in each of their 2 losses, with Creighton's rebounding edge keying their 6 point win, while the loss to Saint Louis came after a poor effort all-around. With some better "glass-work", the Big Red could be knocking on the door of a top 25 ranking.

The season is still young, and the real deal begins on Jan. 9^th when conference play starts against Texas A&M. I'm predicting the next 6 games to yield 5 wins if they play solid fundamentally, which would leave us at 12-3 heading into conference play. Might be a good idea, however, to focus on holiday cheer during the Las Vegas Classic (Dec 22-23), as Tulsa(8-1) and BYU(9-1) are both very potent on offense. For now, lets start with a statistical comparison with Saturday nights 7PM CST game against winless Jackson State (0-8).

Probable Starters - Nebraska	Pts. per game	Probable Starters - Jackson State	Pts. per game
#5 Sek Henery - 6-4 Sr. Guard	8.0	#33 Garrison Johnson - 6-5 Sr. Guard	13.9
#34 Lance Jeter - 6-3 Jr. Guard	9.1	#23 De'Suan Dixon - 6-5 Jr. Guard	8.8
#44 Ryan Anderson - 6-4 Sr. Guard	11.1	#4 Tyrone Hansen - 6-7 Jr. Guard/Forward	10.9
#13 Brandon Ubel - 6-10 Fr. Forward	5.1	#32 Grant Maxey - 6-7 Sr. Forward	6.5
#21 Jorge Brian Diaz - 6-11 RFr. Center	8.8	#25 Davon Jones - 6-8 Fr. Center	4.0

	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
Jackson State Tigers	0-8	57.9	79.5	0-2	0-6	L8
Nebraska Cornhuskers	7-2	67.6	54.9	6-0	1-2	W2

Based on individual statistics, the Tigers look as if they could compete with Nebraska. Somehow they have managed to lose every game thus far. Winning on the road in Lincoln isn't likely, but only if the Huskers play fundamentally sound. Control the boards. Control the tempo. The Big Red should win easily, as Jackson State can't even get their logo right.

Tipoff: 7pm CST

Radio: www.Huskers.com

Television: None

Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump - 12.18.2009

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:00:17 -0000

The goal of the Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump is to help you ease into the weekend by giving you things to occupy your time at work until the clock strikes 5pm.

All the links available after the Jump

Big 12 North

Colorado Boulder Daily Camera - CU men's basketball team looks for consistency

Kansas Lawrence Journal World - Aldrich sets lofty goal: Junior wants to be Academic All-American

Kansas St Manhattan Mercury - Attention-grabbers No. 17 Wildcats now go from hunter to hunted

Iowa St GoCyclones.com - McDermott thinks ISU is "right there"

Missouri Columbia Daily Tribune - Tiller facing one-game suspension

Nebraska Lincoln Journal Star - Anderson gets double-double in Husker win

Big 12 South

Baylor Waco Tribune-Herald- John Werner: Baylor's Drew favors expanding March Madness

Oklahoma Norman Transcript - First-half woes irk Sooner women (Women)

Oklahoma St Stillwater NewsPress - Oklahoma State's Marshall Moses finding his own path

Texas Austin American-Statesman - For Horns' Jai Lucas, the wait is over

Texas A&M AggieSports.com - NBA experience made Sloan, Davis better

Texas Tech RedRaiders.com - Tech has learned from pressure situations

Non Big 12 Links

HogsHeaven.com The Revolution - On the 1st Day of Christmas, My Owner Gave To Me: A Future Without Vinny [NFL]

SI.com Bengals owner Brown on Henry: 'He was starting to blossom' [NFL]

CBSSports.com Rams cancel practice, term it swine flu 'precaution' [NFL]

CBSSports.com Bowl Rankings: Rating all 34, from Pasadena to pizza [College Football]

Yahoo! Sports Knight: college hoops lacks integrity [College Basketball]

ESPN.com Pitt coach Jamie Dixon sas move to the Big Ten would be a mistake [College Basketball]

Beyond The Boxscore Worth the Money? [MLB]

ESPN.com Seattle Mariners' Cliff Lee expresses disbelief, shock over trade [MLB]

Fantasy Football Projections - CBSSports.com | ESPN.com [Fantasy Football]

BtB 2009-10 Big 12 Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:10:30 -0000

With six NCAA entrants, all of whom won at least a game in the Tournament, with two reaching the Elite Eight, the Big 12 had a pretty good 2008-09 season.

Thanks to some returning star power and some high-profile recruits, 2009-10 could be a banner year for the conference.

Sure the Griffin brothers left Oklahoma, but Willie Warren is ready to turn into a star. Chinemelu Elonu may have shocked everyone by going to the NBA, but Bryan Davis could be a more than capable replacement at Texas A&M. Their archrivals, Texas, lost J.J. Abrams, but Damion James is back, and he'll be joined by McDonald's All-American Avery Bradley and the highly-touted Jordan Hamilton.

And then there's Kansas, where Cole Alrdich and Sherron Collins decided to return, the Henry brothers are now on board, and a star recruit named Elijah Johnson may struggle to see the floor.

But that's just the start of what should be a very exciting year in the Big 12. This year's league should be similar to the Big Ten in that while the bottom teams--three in the case of the XII--don't stand much of a chance at all, the remainder of the squads all have somewhat legitimate NCAA hopes. More on each team's specific chances after the jump.

Let's first take a look at the 2008-09 Big 12 standings.

Big Twelve Conference Standings

(updated 4.2.2009 at 10:13 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Kansas Jayhawks	14	2	27	8
Oklahoma Sooners	13	3	30	6
Missouri Tigers	12	4	31	7
Texas A&M Aggies	9	7	24	10
Texas Longhorns	9	7	23	12
Oklahoma St. Cowboys	9	7	23	12
Kansas St. Wildcats	9	7	22	12
Nebraska Cornhuskers	8	8	18	13
Baylor Bears	5	11	24	15
Iowa St. Cyclones	4	12	15	17
Texas Tech Red Raiders	3	13	14	19
Colorado Buffaloes	1	15	9	22

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a team's name appears in red, click the link to visit the school's SBN site for further analysis throughout the season. You can also visit Big 12 Hoops for more info and analysis.

Colorado (last NCAA: 2003) During the offseason, Jeff Bzdelik talked to the Minnesota Timberwolves about a coaching role but ultimately remained in Boulder, where he's won less than one-third of the games he's coached. This year may not be much better. The backcourt will be the Buffaloes strength, as Cory Higgins averaged over 17 points and nearly 3 assists a game, Dwight Thorne III was the team's only other player to average in double-digits (12 ppg), and Australian point guard Nate Tomlinson had a solid freshman campaign (7.4 ppg, 3 apg). The returning frontcourt players don't offer much in terms of anything, as last year's Big 12 rebounding and defensive statistics will tell you, but another Aussie, 6-11 C Shane Harris-Tunks, and 6-7 JC transfer Marcus Relphorde may be the prescription for those woes. The Buffs travel to Maui this year, where they seem destined for the consolation bracket, as they open with Gonzaga.

Nebraska (last NCAA: 1998) The Huskers had a respectable season last time around, finishing at .500 in the Big 12 and earning an NIT invitation. Neither of those results is likely for Doc Sadler's club this year, as he lost four key players from that team, including leading scorers Ade Dagunduro (12.8 ppg) and Steve Harley (10.8 ppg). Point guard Cookie Miller (7.3 ppg, 3.6 apg) transferred to Miami (OH), leaving another hole. Guards Sek Henry (8 ppg) and Ryan Anderson (7.1 ppg) lead the returnees, who are joined by a busload of newcomers. The theme of the class is size. 6-11 Puerto Rican C Brian Diaz will play after a redshirt year, and he'll be joined by two German big men, 6-11 Christopher Niemann and 6-8 Christian Standhardinger. Sadler even picked up 6-8 Quincy Hankins-Cole from the JC ranks. He's joined by his Polk State College (FL) teammate, G Lance Jeter, who is expected to bring a new dimension to the backcourt. NU will play Tulsa in the Las Vegas Classic in December, then either Nevada or BYU.

Texas Tech (last NCAA: 2007) The Red Raiders won only 3 Big 12 games last year, and Pat Knight will be counting on five new arrivals, including three JC transfers, to help improve that total. Leading scorer John Roberson is back to lead the offense. Roberson averaged nearly 14 points and more than 6 assists a game last year, so he's a pretty good building block. Senior Nick Okorie averaged 11.3 points a contest, so the starting backcourt is pretty well set. Knight may even go to a three-guard set, as JC transfer David Tairu, a former teammate of Okorie, is expected to boost the Double-T's defense. Frosh Nick Davis could be a bench scoring threat, especially outside, where the graduated Alan Voskuil will be missed. In the frontcourt, Mike Singletary (12.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Trevor Cook (7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), and C Robert Lewandowski (6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg) are all serviceable players. Two 6-6 JC transfers, Brad Reese and Theron Jenkins, will be expected to contribute immediately; however, as they give Knight some flexibility the current forwards don't offer. The Red Raiders will host the Duel in the Desert, a four-team round-robin tournament, where Oregon State figures to be their main opposition for the crown.

Baylor (last NCAA: 2008) The Bears had high hopes last year, and a 15-3 start, featuring a run to the 76 Classic final seemed to justify them. Then, the wheels came off completely. Baylor then dropped 10 of their next 12, a run that started with a six-game Big 12 losing streak. They nearly stole the league's auto bid, but fell to Missouri in the Big 12 final. Scott Drew's team then built on that momentum and reached the NIT final, which they lost to Penn State. Now Baylor will have to attempt to be more consistent without three of last year's prominent performers. Point guard Curtis Jerrells (16.3 ppg, 4,9 apg), the team's heart and soul is gone. So are F Kevin Rogers (12.76 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and guard Henry Dugat (9.4 ppg). Drew has a strong backcourt, even without Jerrells, as LaceDarius Dunn (15.7 ppg) and Tweety Carter (10.6 ppg) can both score, and Carter can do a decent job running the point (3.2 ppg). Expect freshman A.J. Walton to see some time running the offense as well. The arrival of Mark McLaughlin and Nolan Dennis means the Bears will be set at shooting guard for the next four years. Meanwhile, the frontcourt will be bolstered by 6-10 Michigan transfer Ekpe Udoh, who will be supported by returnees Quincy Acy, Josh Lomers, Anthony Jones, and Fred Ellis, none of whom averaged more than 5.4 a contest last year. Baylor plays in another tournament near a Disney park this year, featuring in the Old Spice Classic in Florida, where they'll open with Alabama.

Iowa State (last NCAA: 2005) Greg McDermott hasn't had much luck in his three seasons in Ames, but he must have felt like he found a four-leaf clover and horseshoe while a shooting star flew overhead when Craig Brackins announced he was foregoing NBA millions for at least one more season. Brackins very nearly averaged a double-double last year, scoring more than 20 a game and grabbing nearly 10 boards. While the Cyclones may not have enough besides him to challenge for a conference crown, his return makes them a serious postseason threat. ISU's biggest issue is scoring, as they ranked 10th in the league last year in offensive output, and Brackins was the only player to average in double-figures. Expect the two starting guards, Diante Garrett, who very nearly averaged 10 a game, and Lucca Staiger (8.2 ppg) to step up. 6-11 Canadian Jamie Vanderbeken (5.5 ppg) should also benefit from the attention opposition defenses will pay to Brackins. McDermott also has high hopes for his two JC transfers, 6-9 F LaRon Dendy and 6-6 Marquis Gilstrap. The Cyclones will play in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, facing St. Louis in the semifinal, then either Northwestern or Notre Dame.

Missouri (last NCAA: 2009) Considering that he was losing three starters to graduation, including his two leading scorers and rebounders, you couldn't have really blamed Mike Anderson if he left Columbia after reaching last year's West Regional final. Yet, Anderson spurned the advances of numerous suitors to stay at Mizzou. Now he has to figure out how to get more out of the many returnees on the roster, none of whom matched the contributions of the departed DeMarre Carroll (16.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Les Lyons (14.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), or Matt Lawrence (9.2 ppg). The Tigers two leading returning scorers and rebounders are both in the backcourt, J.T. Tiller (8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Zaire Taylor (6.7 ppg, 3 rpg). Both also averaged more than 3 assists per game, so Anderson can rest assured that his offense will be run well. Missouri's Mr. Basketball from last year, Mike Dixon, Jr., is the point guard of the future. 6-6 Kim English averaged 6.5 points in only about 14 minutes per contest, so his numbers should increase significantly with more action, especially if he continues to shoot well from the perimeter. The frontcourt is a major concern, however, as none of the returnees even cracked 4 ppg or 3 rpg last year. Junior Justin Stafford did average 3.4 points in 9-plus minutes of action, so he could turn into a consistent performer. The fact 6-10 freshman Keith Dewitt couldn't get eligible for this season was a major blow to MU. The Tigers will play in the South Padre Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend, opening with CAA contender Old Dominion, then facing either Mississippi State or Richmond.

Oklahoma State (last NCAA: 2009) I saw the Cowboys drop two of three at the Old Spice Classic last year, and not look terribly good doing it. (They managed to beat Siena in the 7th/8th place game that was delayed by a leaky roof caused by a freak November thunderstorm.) In the end, Travis Ford's squad improved enough to win 9 league games, beat Tennessee in the NCAA tournament, and scare Pittsburgh in round two. This time around, Ford will have to run his four-guard offense without two key cogs, as point guard Byron Eaton (14.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, and 2.2 spg) and Terrel Harris (13.9 ppg, 1.7 spg) graduated. Swingman James Anderson (18.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg), a challenger for all-Big 12 honors, is back, as is Obi Muonelo (12.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg). Keiton Page (8.6 ppg), a sharpshooter who's 5-10 on a very good day, will see more action this time around. Eaton's spot at the point will probably be filled by a freshman--most likely Ray Penn. 6-6 Marshall Moses (7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is the only frontcourt player to see significant time last year, so Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim will be asked to contribute immediately. The Cowboys will play in the Thanksgiving Las Vegas Invitational. Bradley will be their first opponent, followed by either Illinois or Utah.

Texas A&M (last NCAA: 2009) The Aggies easily knocked BYU out of the tournament for the second year in a row, part of one of the dreariest NCAA sessions I've ever experienced. Somehow, the Aggies are one of only six schools to win an NCAA game in each of the past four seasons, but that's a streak they may have trouble extending without C Chinemelu Elonu, who decided to go to the NBA, despite only averaging 9.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg, and swingman Josh Carter (13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg). The good news for Mark Turgeon is that just about everyone else is back, led by 6-9 Bryan Davis (10.8 ppg, 6.5 apg), who should move over to the center spot., and point guard Donald Sloan (11.8 ppg, 3.2 apg). With sophomore Dash Harris averaging 2 assists per game, while seeing only 13 minutes a contest, Turgeon could even move Sloan off the point to give himself another scoring option. 6-7 freshman Khris Middleton could be a replacement for Carter. The fact that 6-9 Kourtney Roberson won't be eligible for the Aggies is a major blow to a thin frontcourt, however. A&M will have a good idea of how they'll fare nationally after their three games in Anaheim at the 76 Classic, where they open with Clemson.

Kansas State (last NCAA: 2008) The Wildcats lost four contributors after last season, most prominently F Darren Kent (9 ppg, 5.8 ppg). but hopes are high in Manhattan. The starting backcourt is highly-regarded, in a league full of highly-regarded backcourt performers. Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen are the team's two leading scorers, averaging 15 and nearly 14 points per contest respectively, but both were equally adept at dishing the ball to their teammates, combining to average nearly 7 dimes a game. But the depth of the backcourt will be tested after Buchi Awaji and Fred Brown both left the program. Incoming freshmen Martavious Irving and Nick Russell will be expected to replace them. Frank Martin also expects big things from two other newcomers in the frontcourt, 6-9 F Wally Judge, another highly-touted recruit from the DC area and 6-8 UConn transfer Curtis Kelly. They'll join a unit led by returnees Jamar Samuels (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Dominique Sutton (7.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg). Martin will hope his team will gel enough for the Puerto Rico Tip-off, where the Wildcats open with Boston University.

Oklahoma (last NCAA: 2009) Look for the Sooners to play a completely different style this year, without Blake and Taylor Griffin manning the frontcourt. The Willie Warren-led (14.6 ppg, 3.2 apg) backcourt will be the focus this time around. Warren will have to take on more of a leadership role now that Blake Griffin and point guard Austin Johnson (8.6 ppg, 3.9 apg) is gone. Expect him to not spend as much time on the perimeter this season. Tony Crocker (9.6 ppg) and Cade Davis (4.7 ppg) will be expected to take on more of the scoring load as well. In the frontcourt, Orlando Allen and Ryan Wright averaged under 2 points a contest each in very limited action, so who knows if they can adequately fill in for the Griffins. 6-9 300 pound freshman Keith "Tiny" Gallon, a big man who can shoot the ball well will see a lot of action. The Sooners head north for Thanskgiving, where Jeff Capel's men will face at least San Diego and Houston in a six-team Great Alaska Shootout field.

Texas (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Barnes has few question marks this year. Unlike the Sooners, his frontcourt is pretty well set, thanks to the return of 6-7 swingman Damion James (15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg). James will again team up with 6-6 Gary Johnson (10 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and 6-10 Dexter Pittman (10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) to form one of the most formidable frontcourts in the college game. While Texas has three returning guards who saw significant time last season, their roles will undoubtedly diminish because of three newcomers. 5-9 junior Jai Lucas will be eligible after sitting out last year after transferring from Florida. He'll run the offense. Lucas will be joined by two highly-regarded freshmen, 6-3 Avery Bradley and 6-7 swingman Jordan Hamilton, both of whom should challenge for more than just All-Freshman honors. The Longhorns will get to showcase their old and new talent at the CBE Classic in Kansas City, where tjhey should make the final, as they face rebuilding Iowa in the semifinals. Pittsburgh or Wichita State awaits them on night two.

Kansas (last NCAA: 2009) The Jayhawks fell five points short of a regional final appearance last year, but this time around such a result would be considered a major disappointment, when you consider all that Bill Self has coming back and coming in. Sherron Collins (18.9 ppg, 5 apg) and Cole Aldrich (14.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg) will obviously lead the way, but the Morris brothers, Marcus (7.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Markieff (4.6 ppg. 4.4 rpg) should be better in their second go-round, as should Tyshawn Taylor, who nearly averaged 10 points a contest. 6-6 Xavier Henry, one of the top recruits in the country, will provide even more scoring punch to the backcourt. His brother C.J, a Memphis transfer, even came along for the ride. Another transfer, Jeff Withey, got to practice against Aldrich last year, so the 7-footer who left Arizona could turn into another force inside. In the early season, the Jayhawks will be tested by games against Memphis (in St. Louis), La Salle (in Kansas City); at UCLA, Temple, and Tennessee, and in Lawrence against California and Michigan.

As the Jayhawks are virtually everyone's preseason number 1, they'll hold the Big 12 auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. The conference should have a big presence in this year's tournament, so check back in then to see how many at-large bids I'm predicting at the start of the year.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big 12 team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Player of the Year: Sherron Collins, 5-11 G, Sr. (Kansas)

Remainder of the Team
Cole Aldrich, 6-11 C, Jr. (Kansas)
Craig Brackins, 6-10 C, Jr. (Iowa State)
Damion James, 6-7 F, Sr. (Texas)
Willie Warren, 6-4 G, So. (Oklahoma)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big 12 this season?

Baylor

4 votes

Colorado

1 votes

Iowa State

2 votes

Kansas

31 votes

Kansas State

2 votes

Missouri

12 votes

Nebraska

1 votes

Oklahoma

3 votes

Oklahoma State

2 votes

Texas

74 votes

Texas A&M

3 votes

Texas Tech

1 votes

136 votes | Poll has closed

A KenPom Preview: Nebraska (Again)

rockchalk — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:32:41 -0000

Boom.

For the first time, we're going to get a repeat of a KP preview that was actually done well. It took me awhile to get into a groove of how to do it, but I found it right before the trip up to Lincoln. So, with it being as late as it is, I'm going to simply update the numbers, otherwise simply quoting the stuff. New Opening Thoughts, Background will deal with content since the last Kansas game, Offense and Defense will be virtually identical and the Players section will be a straight copy. Sorry, but that's just the facts. Homes.

Oh, here is that original KP Preview for Nebraska. And just for fun, here's the postgame recap.

Opening Thoughts

The final, just-get-through game before the Epic Showdown in Norman. And, that's all this game is about. Well, it's about impressing some big-time recruits, too. But, that's secondary. Just pick up a W. That's all we need. We nearly lost to the Huskers up in Lincoln, but we were able to expect. And that was with a Cole Aldrich zero-and-zero performance in the first half. Yikes.

So, really, this game is entirely about not screwing up. It's about hitting the wide-open jump shots, and limiting turnovers, and playing fine D. We don't have to do anything special to pick up our third straight win; just can't screw up too bad. Nebraska's a much better team than Iowa State, though, so we can't afford to go on five-minute stretches where we completely suck. If that's the case, we really could lose this game. It isn't out of the question; not by a longshot.

Plenty more (mostly copied) stuff after the jump...

The Background

Their slim-to-none chances of making the NCAA Tournament that existed when we travelled to Lincoln are now almost entirely non-existent. However, a win in Lawrence and they're back in the game. They've won four-of-five since we narrowly beat 'em, but their one loss was a 23-point beatdown at the hand of the Tigers, and two of the wins were against Colorado. So, it isn't like we're freaking the world out, or anything.

The Offense

Like I said, I'll mostly be just copying what I wrote the first time. A couple of switches have been made, but for the most part, we're sticking to the same stuff.

Four Factors

Effective FG% (97th) -- Not terrible, but actually worse than I expected. They have the reputation, at least from my point of view, of a shot-making team that plays tough defense. This isn't entirely true, though. Sure, they can knock down shots plenty fine, but it isn't necessarily their offensive strength.

Turnover % (48th) -- This does make sense. They don't turn the ball over, which is a must when you aren't overflowing with athletic ability and natural talent. They rank 5th in the Big 12 in this, so again, not spectacular, but better than most.

Offensive Rebounding % (338th) -- Yikes. This, this right here is where their complete lack of size comes in to play (we'll talk about that in a second). Without any bodies to compete for the boards, they are essentially left with only being able to pick up the long rebounds, or the ones that fortuitously bounce straight into their hands. This is both a good and bad thing, for us. On one hand, this would seem to indicate that we won't killed on the offensive glass. But if we still don't box out, and they do have an abnormally good day with the second chance points, then they are that much better on O, and we are that much more likely to lose.

FTA/FGA (102nd) -- This makes sense, I suppose. They have some slashers (Cookie Miller, Ade Dagunduro) letting them get to the line some, but most of the rest are three-point shooters, which limits their chances from the free throw line.

Other Random Tidbits
Really, there is only one 'random tidbit' worth mentioning about Nebraska's offense, and it's an obvious one; they like the 3. Not as much as Iowa State (36.5% of Nebraska's field goal attempts are threes, compared to 39% for the Cyclones), but they are more accurate from long range than the Clones. As a team, they shoot nearly 38% from three, which is ridiculous. So, yeah, just like last game, we have to keep an eye on the three-point arc.

So, just for some quick remarks on the already-written content. Their eFG% has freefalled, somewhat, dropping from 59th to 97th, now. But, more importantly, we need to talk about tempo. You see, the Cornhuskers are the 305th slowest team in all of Division 1, the slowest in the Big 12. This is general knowledge, basically, but whatever. So, we need to speed it up. They can't run with us.

The Defense

The Defense

Four Factors

Effective FG% (124th) -- Surprisingly, with how good of an overall defensive team the Cornhuskers are, they aren't very good at limiting shots. Not terrible, but you can make shots on them.

Turnover % (2nd) -- However, they will turn you over a helluva lot. I mean, only one team (Nichols State) turns you over on more possessions. That is ridiculous. Missouri has the reputation of being the hassling, turn-you-over defense, but Nebraska more accurately fits that description. Holy hell. We are going to have to be extra careful not to make careless mistakes; I'm not as worried about Sherron, but Tyshawn, and the Morris twins scare me. Especially Marcus and Markieff. I love 'em, and I'm more positive on them than most, but they are both good for at least a couple of freshmen mistakes a game.

Off. Reb % (77th) -- Again, nothing special, but they are good enough to get away. They will give up some bunnies occasionally, but usually do a pretty good job of keeping you off the boards, which is impressive given their lack of height (again, more on that later).

FTA/FGA (208th) -- See what I mean about the hacktastic, Missouri-like D? They will put you on the free throw line a bunch, so if you can hit the freebies, you should be in good shape. I'm telling you all, though, this should be the team we think about with that whole 40 Minutes of Hell nonsense. They are the team that turns you over non-stop, without being particularly averse to fouling.

Other Random Tidbits

Like I mentioned, this team's effective height (explanation and more here) is awful. In fact, according to the measurement, Nebraska is the shortest team in all of Division 1. No, seriously. For real. And as much as I love Doc Sadler as a coach, I pray that this is merely because he can't lure a talented big man to Lincoln, and not because he doesn't think it's necessary. You can get away with a lot of stuff without a big guy, but having Alexs Maric back there got them a lot of extra points and a lot of offensive rebounds and a lot of altered shots. Size is often overrated, but not to the point where you can throw out an entire team under 6'7" and expect to seriously compete. It's more correlated to defensive performance, so that's why it's here. In fact, the article states that the four things that effective height most correlates to are, in order: Block percentage, 2-pt FG% defense, eFG% defense and Adj. Defensive Efficiency. In other words, almost your entire non-3pt FG% defense is greatly affected by height. This makes sense. So, uh, Doc; you gettin' any height soon? This is why they have to be so dependent on getting turnovers; their height prevents them from being particularly good at anything else.

Given the lack of height, they are unsurprisingly bad at Block%. Shocking. However, also noteworty is that they force you to take a boatload of threes. Their average opponent shoots 38.9 threes a pop; a ridiculous number. They do this, naturally, by packing in the lane, making up for their lack of height in pure bodies. This is what they did to Oklahoma and Blake Griffin, and this is what they are going to do against us and Cole Aldrich.

Not a whole lot to add, here. Same old stuff.

Finally, the players. Here we go...

The Players

OK, this is the section that always takes way too long. So, I'm going to try and shorten it.

G Cookie Miller - He's known for being 5'7". However, he's more than that. He's their assists guy, the drive-and-kick-or-float-it-up player, and is also a really good defedner. Ed. note -- Also known for "acting like a punk"...

G Paul Velander - Long. Range. Bomber. Has taken 104 threes, and only 9 twos. He is damn good at it, too, shooting 47% from three. That's Mario Chalmers territory, folks. Brady, meet Paul. Paul, meet Brady. He's the one who'll keep you from hitting a meaningful three all game.

G Steve Harley - Harley sees more minutes than anyone else, and is the veteran presence on this team. He is short, as well, only 5'11", but he is a really good defender. He is never called for fouls (1.6 per 40 minutes), steals the ball plenty and never, ever turns the ball over on offense. He's their primary slasher, primarily twos, although he can shoot from three too.

G/F Sek Henry - Welcome to Nebraska, where at 6'3" you're the effective power forward. It doesn't matter much, as they play almost exclusively zone, but still. Sek has the highest eFG% on the team, can drain it from three, is another solid defender and has a frickin' amazing first name.

F Ade Dagunduro - Dagunduro, probably, is the best basketball player on the Huskers. He's a senior, which is disappointing for Cornhusker fans, but does everything right, pretty much. Draws a bunch of fouls, is a halfway decent shot-blocking presence, steals the ball a bunch, is their lone presence on the offensive glass. Everything.

G Ryan Anderson - Their other primary three-point shooter. He isn't nearly as good, though, so shoot away, Ryan. He is the best on the team as stealing the ball on Nebraska, and is the best, statistically, defensive rebounder on the team. Sees plenty of time; effectively the sixth starter.

G/F Toney McCray - The best shot-blocking presence on the team, and he seems to be the player destined to replace Dagunduro. Only a freshman, he is of the same build and all of that good stuff, and appears to be an awesome player. He's the next Ade; I'm telling you.

Again, not a whole lot to add. Just watch the hell out for Ade Dagunduro; he scares the shit out of me.

Finally, after all of that cutting-and-pasting, we get to the Keys. These are, naturally, likely going to be the differences between winning and losing. People.

The Keys

1) Speed it Up -- As we mentioned earlier, they like slowing the ball down. They don't want to deal with an up-and-down game. When we run, we're hard as hell to beat. It isn't that difficult to see what we should do. Not. At. All. Run, run, run.

2) Don't Turn it Over -- They turn you over a bunch. We turn it over a bunch. Yeah, not a good combination. Really, unless they just go crazy and make absolutely everything, we're going to win this game. Unless, we can't hold on to the ball and turn it over a bunch. If we give away that many possessions, with the already-low count, then we could be in for a painfully slow, low-scoring game. And the lower-scoring it is, the worse it is for us. Simple as that.

Run, run, run.

That's the key. Run, run, run.

If we can get out and run, we win. If not, we probably still pull off the victory, but it will be painstakingly more nerveracking.

Run.

Nebraska: Know Your Rival

Bill C. — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:00:11 -0000

Alright, now that I've done this preview thing once, I'm into it. Let's do it again!

And as with last time, all of these stats are based solely off of conference play.

vs Big 12
Nebraska: 5-4

	NU	Opp
Points Per Minute	1.57	1.53
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.01	0.99
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.26	1.31
2-PT FG%	44.6%	51.7%
3-PT FG%	37.7%	35.8%
FT%	69.2%	66.9%
True Shooting %	53.3%	55.9%

	NU	Opp
Assists	112	105
Steals	73	48
Turnovers	105	153
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.76	1.00

	NU	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds	103	91
Offensive Rebounds	71	85
Difference	-32	-6

This is a huge game for Nebraska. With a relatively unimpressive RPI, you figure they probably have to get to 10-6 to make the NCAA Tournament, meaning they have to win 5 of their final 7. They have three winnable home games against Colorado, ATM and Iowa State, but they'll need to snag at least one road game, probably two. Their remaining road slate? Mizzou, Kansas, Kansas State, and Baylor. Winning two of those probably means winning at Baylor and either MU or KSU. Expect their best effort.
Fortunately for Mizzou, it's going to be another sellout crowd, and we've seen in the last two home games just how much that crowd can get into Mizzou opponents' heads and wear them down along with Mizzou's pressure. In the last 5:30 against Baylor, Mizzou outscored the Bears 21-5. In the last 3:50 against KU, Mizzou outscored the Beakers 11-2.
To figure out how Mizzou lost to Nebraska the first time around, look no further than everybody's favorite new stat, BCI. I doubt anybody in the conference can touch Mizzou's 2.25 to 1.03 BCI ratio, but I'm pretty sure NU would be in the top 3 or 4. They use exactly the same formula as Mizzou to win games--steals, good passing, solid shooting accounting for iffy rebounding.
Really, the main reasons Mizzou is 8-2 and NU is 5-4 are a) NU allows a higher shooting %, and b) NU is worse at rebounding. That, and Mizzou's faster pace likely allows them to maximize their BCI advantage and get more points out of it.

Stats by StatSheet.com

Player	AdjGS*	GmSc/Min	Line
Ade Dagunduro (Sr)	15.41	0.59	14.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2.3 TOPG
Cookie Miller (So)	11.15	0.34	9.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.7 SPG, 2.3 TOPG
Ryan Anderson (Jr)	8.83	0.33	7.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.6 SPG
Steve Harley (Sr)	7.22	0.23	8.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 2.1 SPG
Sek Henry (Jr)	6.33	0.22	7.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.7 APG
Paul Velander (Sr)	4.85	0.20	6.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG
Toney McCray (Fr)	4.69	0.42	4.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Brandon Richardson (Fr)	3.52	0.31	4.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG
Cole Salomon (Jr)	2.13	0.27	1.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Chris Balham (Jr)	1.41	0.12	1.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Ben Nelson (Jr)	0.00	0.00	1 minute
Nick Krenk (Sr)	0.00	0.00	1 minute
Alonzo Edwards (Fr)	-0.50	-0.50	2 minutes

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It does the same thing my previous measure of choice did (it takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's "score" for a given game), only the formula is more used and accepted. The "adjustment" in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

With basically five players averaging between 7 and 10 points per game, and another two averaging between 4 and 5, this is clearly a pretty balanced team. Ade Dagunduro, the 6'5 senior, is the star from the points perspective.
NU has one of the littlest backcourts you'll ever see. Their starting guards are 5'7, 165 (Miller) and 5'11, 180 (Harley). They are good at the ball control game, with both averaging better than a 2-to-1 BCI (Miller 2.19, Harley 2.50). Ryan Anderson (2.80) is also solid in the BCI category, but he's taller (6'4, 205), so who cares.
One thing to note: both Miller and Harley average over 30 minutes per game (with Sek Henry coming in at 29.2), so there will be some wear-down potential there.
This team basically has two shooters: Dagunduro (0.35 shots per minute) and Harley (0.31). Nobody else averages more than 0.23 shots per minute--it's clear the offense runs through them. Meanwhile, it's all about team rebounding for NU, as none of the major six players in the rotation average even 0.20 rebounds per minute (for perspective: DeMarre Carroll averages 0.32, Leo Lyons 0.24).

Keys to the Game

Why, BCI, of course! In Mizzou's trip to Lincoln ten games ago, NU put up a 1.18 BCI and Mizzou put up a 1.00. It's been made crystal clear by now that if Mizzou loses this battle, it's really hard for them to win the game.
Mizzou Arena. This sets up for another perfect "Mizzou pulls away down the stretch" situation, as a) NU's two main ball handlers average well over 30 MPG in conference play, b) MU surged in the second half in Lincoln, and c) Mizzou Arena has been amazing the last two games. Mizzou's going to need it, as their lack of natural scorers was a major problem in Lincoln. NU plays smart, tough defense and forces you to take shots out of your comfort zone (against Mizzou, anyway...their True Shooting % allowed certainly isn't very good). Mizzou has proven that it doesn't have much of a shooting comfort zone, so they're going to have to rely on pressure, tempo and home court to deliver the knockout blow.
Focus. Last time Mizzou beat KU at home, they proceeded to lose 9 of 10. That's not going to happen this time, as...well, this team is much, much better than that 2004-05 team. I feel like I'm insulting this team to even make that comparison. That said, while Mizzou deftly avoided a potential trap game last weekend in Ames, they'll need to make sure not to lapse against Nebraska. NU's not good enough to beat a Mizzou A-game, but they're crafty and resourceful (like their coach), and they'll take you out if you're not ready.

Prediction

Hold onto the ball, make some shots, don't give NU hope on the boards, lean on the home crowd (and Hustle & Flow) down the stretch, wear down the guards, win the game. Mizzou 77, Nebraska 65.

A KenPom Preview: Nebraska #1

rockchalk — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:27:57 -0000

OK, these KenPom previews are just too long. That's what I've decided. Far, far too long. So, instead, I'm going to keep all of the same categories and stuff; just shorten the hell out of them. Instead of rambling on about something for a pargaraph, like I'm prone to do, we'll bullet-point 'em, then go back and talk analysis later on. Hopefully, this works out better.

Opening Thoughts

In 2006, Kansas and Nebraska played twice, like every year, and again in the Conference Tournament. In the regular season, Kansas won at home by 42 points and in Lincoln by 21. The Big 12 Tournament game was only 14, but still. The next year, 2007, we beat them in Lincoln by 20, and then again by 53 in Lawrence. Then, last season, we beat them by 21, again, in Lincoln, and by 35 in Allen. Again, we faced them in the Big 12 Tournament, and again, it was much closer than in the regular season (10 points), but that's not important.

So, if you're keeping track, that's a list of the last 8 times Nebraska and Kansas haven faced each other in the sport called basketball. Kansas has won all eight games, by an average of 27 points. You take out the two Big 12 Tournament games, and the average margin of victory is 32 points. Of course, that is including the games in Allen Field House, and the games are clearly tougher up in Devaney. Or, more accurately, aren't as soul-crushing for the Huskers. Fine. Average margin of victory up in Lincoln is 20.66 points.

And yet, for some reason, I go in to every single Nebraska game up in Lincoln nervous as hell. I can't really explain it; there's no rhyme-or-reason. It's just, I always remember Nebraska being a tough place to play. Maybe it was that one game where Keith Langford had to hit that three (and our family car pulled over to the side of the road to listen to the end; we were road-trippin' somewhere, can't remember where, and we wanted to be able to listen to the last, intense seconds without the pressures of not getting into an accident, but yeah, the car got quite loud when Keith hit that shot), or maybe it was the year before, when we snuck away with that two-point victory and Drew Gooden wasted away the last few seconds by tossing the ball into the air (that's all I can remember about the game). Whicheve one it is, that memory of those orange-basketball-free-throw-lanes has always stuck with me; that's a dangerous place to play.

And despite that ridiculous average margin of victory, I still find myself nervous about the game tomorrow. Scared, even.

More thoughts, less-memory-related and more statistically relevant, after the jump...

The Background

Nebraska, this year's unit at least, is the reason for the creation of the NIT. Not really, but they just fit the profile perfectly. They have plenty of good players, solid depth, play really good D, hit the 3, have an awesome coach. But, they don't have enough talent, not enough all stars, don't play quite good enough D or don't hit quite as many 3's as necessary to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It sucks, because the Cornhuskers are the team you love to root for (when they aren't playing your team, at least), but that's just life in competitive D-1 basketball. Suck it up.

Still, they are a dangerous team. They are definitely playing postseason ball this year, and it could be NCAA ball if not for a couple of bad losses. Honestly, if they would have found a way to beat UMBC at home, and to edge out Oregon State in Corvallis (two losses by a combined three points), they would be 14-4, with losses @ Arizona State, @ Iowa State, @ Oklahoma and vs. Oklahoma State. Not the best or resumes, and without any solid wins (best win is probably against Missouri, with Creighton being a Top 100 win as well, but that's it) they would assuredly be on the outskirts currently, but not within striking distance. I don't think the three points they couldn't score in those games, though, makes them any worse of a team, so we have to treat them as if they were a NCAA-type team. On the road. Put aside the ridiculous average margins of victories, and just focus on this current group. The best Nebraska team under Doc Sadler yet, easy.

The Offense

OK, here's how this will work. I am going to have two sub-headings to 'The Offense' and 'The Defense'; one for the Four Factors, or the four main keys to any team, and another on any other random things the team is particularly good at. You'll see what I mean as I get to them...

Four Factors - (For an explanation, click here)

Effective FG% [(FGM + 0.5*3PM)/FGA)] - 52.5% (59th) -- Not terrible, but actually worse than I expected. They have the reputation, at least from my point of view, of a shot-making team that plays tough defense. This isn't entirely true, though. Sure, they can knock down shots plenty fine, but it isn't necessarily their offensive strength.
Turnover % - 18.2% (42nd) -- This does make sense. They don't turn the ball over, which is a must when you aren't overflowing with athletic ability and natural talent. They rank 5th in the Big 12 in this, so again, not spectacular, but better than most.
Offensive Rebounding % - 24% (338th) -- Yikes. This, this right here is where their complete lack of size comes in to play (we'll talk about that in a second). Without any bodies to compete for the boards, they are essentially left with only being able to pick up the long rebounds, or the ones that fortuitously bounce straight into their hands. This is both a good and bad thing, for us. On one hand, this would seem to indicate that we won't killed on the offensive glass. But if we still don't box out, and they do have an abnormally good day with the second chance points, then they are that much better on O, and we are that much more likely to lose.
Free Throws Attempted / Field Goals Attempted - 38.5 (113th) -- This makes sense, I suppose. They have some slashers (Cookie Miller, Ade Dagunduro) letting them get to the line some, but most of the rest are three-point shooters, which limits their chances from the free throw line.

Other Random Tidbits

Really, there is only one 'random tidbit' worth mentioning about Nebraska's offense, and it's an obvious one; they like the 3. Not as much as Iowa State (36.5% of Nebraska's field goal attempts are threes, compared to 39% for the Cyclones), but they are more accurate from long range than the Clones. As a team, they shoot nearly 38% from three, which is ridiculous. So, yeah, just like last game, we have to keep an eye on the three-point arc.

The Defense

Four Factors

Effective FG% [(FGM + 0.5*3PM)/FGA)] - 47.4% (110th) -- Surprisingly, with how good of an overall defensive team the Cornhuskers are, they aren't very good at limiting shots. Not terrible, but you can make shots on them.
Turnover % - 27.7% (2nd) -- However, they will turn you over a helluva lot. I mean, only one team (Nichols State) turns you over on more possessions. That is ridiculous. Missouri has the reputation of being the hassling, turn-you-over defense, but Nebraska more accurately fits that description. Holy hell. We are going to have to be extra careful not to make careless mistakes; I'm not as worried about Sherron, but Tyshawn, and the Morris twins scare me. Especially Marcus and Markieff. I love 'em, and I'm more positive on them than most, but they are both good for at least a couple of freshmen mistakes a game.
Off. Reb % - 30.3% (73rd) -- Again, nothing special, but they are good enough to get away. They will give up some bunnies occasionally, but usually do a pretty good job of keeping you off the boards, which is impressive given their lack of height (again, more on that later).
Free Throws Attempted / Field Goals Attempted - 38.5 (216th) -- See what I mean about the hacktastic, Missouri-like D? They will put you on the free throw line a bunch, so if you can hit the freebies, you should be in good shape. I'm telling you all, though, this should be the team we think about with that whole 40 Minutes of Hell nonsense. They are the team that turns you over non-stop, without being particularly averse to fouling.

Other Random Tidbits

Like I mentioned, this team's effective height (explanation and more here) is awful. In fact, according to the measurement, Nebraska is the shortest team in all of Division 1. No, seriously. For real. And as much as I love Doc Sadler as a coach, I pray that this is merely because he can't lure a talented big man to Lincoln, and not because he doesn't think it's necessary. You can get away with a lot of stuff without a big guy, but having Alexs Maric back there got them a lot of extra points and a lot of offensive rebounds and a lot of altered shots. Size is often overrated, but not to the point where you can throw out an entire team under 6'7" and expect to seriously compete. It's more correlated to defensive performance, so that's why it's here. In fact, the article states that the four things that effective height most correlates to are, in order: Block percentage, 2-pt FG% defense, eFG% defense and Adj. Defensive Efficiency. In other words, almost your entire non-3pt FG% defense is greatly affected by height. This makes sense. So, uh, Doc; you gettin' any height soon? This is why they have to be so dependent on getting turnovers; their height prevents them from being particularly good at anything else.
Given the lack of height, they are unsurprisingly bad at Block%. Shocking. However, also noteworty is that they force you to take a boatload of threes. Their average opponent shoots 38.9 threes a pop; a ridiculous number. They do this, naturally, by packing in the lane, making up for their lack of height in pure bodies. This is what they did to Oklahoma and Blake Griffin, and this is what they are going to do against us and Cole Aldrich.

The Players

OK, this is the section that always takes way too long. So, I'm going to try and shorten it.

G Cookie Miller - He's known for being 5'7". However, he's more than that. He's their assists guy, the drive-and-kick-or-float-it-up player, and is also a really good defedner.

G Paul Velander - Long. Range. Bomber. Has taken 104 threes, and only 9 twos. He is damn good at it, too, shooting 47% from three. That's Mario Chalmers territory, folks. Brady, meet Paul. Paul, meet Brady. He's the one who'll keep you from hitting a meaningful three all game.

G Steve Harley - Harley sees more minutes than anyone else, and is the veteran presence on this team. He is short, as well, only 5'11", but he is a really good defender. He is never called for fouls (1.6 per 40 minutes), steals the ball plenty and never, ever turns the ball over on offense. He's their primary slasher, primarily twos, although he can shoot from three too.

G/F Sek Henry - Welcome to Nebraska, where at 6'3" you're the effective power forward. It doesn't matter much, as they play almost exclusively zone, but still. Sek has the highest eFG% on the team, can drain it from three, is another solid defender and has a frickin' amazing first name.

F Ade Dagunduro - Dagunduro, probably, is the best basketball player on the Huskers. He's a senior, which is disappointing for Cornhusker fans, but does everything right, pretty much. Draws a bunch of fouls, is a halfway decent shot-blocking presence, steals the ball a bunch, is their lone presence on the offensive glass. Everything.

G Ryan Anderson - Their other primary three-point shooter. He isn't nearly as good, though, so shoot away, Ryan. He is the best on the team as stealing the ball on Nebraska, and is the best, statistically, defensive rebounder on the team. Sees plenty of time; effectively the sixth starter.

G/F Toney McCray - The best shot-blocking presence on the team, and he seems to be the player destined to replace Dagunduro. Only a freshman, he is of the same build and all of that good stuff, and appears to be an awesome player. He's the next Ade; I'm telling you.

The Keys

Going back to the Keys; I didn't like the Gameplan.

For this game, there really are only two keys. And they both have a lot to do with that three-point line. Really, I don't want to oversimplify anything, but I think it all depends on the three.

Shut Down Velander and Company - Honestly, with Brady on Velander, I'm not too worried about him. Not to sound cocky, or anything, but put Brady on Michael Jordan, and I'm confident he could hold him under 20. Dude is just ridiculous. However, their entire team can drain the three, so we can't just say it's done and move on. Tyshawn and Tyrel and Sherron and even the bigs, like Mario, Marcus, Markieff and maybe even Quintrell, are going to have to stick their ass on their guys and not let them get open looks. If they get open threes, they're going to drain 'em. If they don't, their offense isn't the same unit, and will struggle to keep up with ours.
Make Open Threes - It is no secret as to what the Cornhuskers are going to do on defense; pack the hell in. It's ridiculous how many they leave in the lane, preventing any opportunity to pass it in to Cole and have him slam it home. Sure, he'll get his 16 and 12, or whatever, but that will mostly be on fast breaks and put backs. However, when they all crowd in on Cole, that leaves the three point line wide, wide open. Brady, Tyrel, Tyshawn, Sherron. I'm looking at all of you. I'm not worried about Sherron, he always makes his threes (or at least, so it seems), but the other three can sometimes be-hot-and-cold. Hell, even Mario will get some three attempts, probably. If we hit our open threes, we win the game. I promise. If not, well, we could be in a major dog fight.

There are other important things to remember, like not turning the ball over and forcing turnovers and all of that general stuff you always need to do, but the three-pointers are the key. Make 'em and contain 'em on D, we win. The opposite, we lose. Somewhere in between, and it'll be a fun game to watch, but we probably come out on top.

I'm pumped.

And, yeah, a little nervous. But, oh well. That's just what happens whenever we go up to Lincoln. It's inevitable. At least for me.

Husker Hoops 2008-09 Season Preview Day Two: The Players

huskerlibrarian — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:05:56 -0000

In the third season under Doc Sadler, Husker Basketball will once again be sporting a new look. Only one senior left the program, but that one player was Aleks Maric, the first All-Big XII selection for the Huskers in nearly a decade. Backup center Shang Ping (whose performance and playing time both steadily faded as the season went on) has transferred to a Division II school, and guard J.R. Strowbridge transferred closer to home.

The Huskers had hoped to add some impact players in the incoming class, but 6-11 German center Christopher Niemann was ruled ineligible for this season by the NCAA because his club team paid some of its players (but not him) beyond living expenses. 6-5 combo guard Roburt Sallie was denied eligibility by the Big XII because of an oversight when he first tried to come to NU in 2006, and he found himself a home with last year's national runner-up Memphis Grizzlies. A late big man was almost added with 7-foot Puerto Rican Jorge Diaz, but a computer glitch with his TOEFL prevented him from getting admitted for the fall (though he may find his way back in December).

That's not to say there aren't new faces. There's five, in fact. One true freshman -- former Indiana recruit, 6-4 guard Eshaunte "Bear" Jones, and four redshirts who Doc opted to sit out last year so that they could contribute long-term: 6-0 G Brandon Richardson, 6-7 F Alonzo Edwards, 6-6 G Toney McCray, and 6-9 F Alex Chapman (who is a sophomore, after 1 year of junior college ball). Each of them should contribute this year.

Returning players

Guards

If Nebraska is going to succeed this year, it will be based on the play of its guards. The Huskers don't have a lot of standout guards, but they are very, very deep.

Cookie Miller(6.1 ppg, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals), a 5-7 sophomore, will likely return as the Huskers' starting point guard. Cookie was 6th in the Big XII in assists last year and 4th in steals, the highest marks by a freshman in either category (he is second in both amongst returning players). Cookie will need to improve on his shooting from last year, especially from beyond the arc, where he was 16-65 last season.

Ryan Anderson (8.4 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals), a 6-4 junior, will likely be one of the shooting guards that start for the Huskers. A two-year starter, Anderson is one of the most complete defensive players on the team (10th in the conference in steals) and the most prolific 3-point shooter (136 attempts). Ryan has been forced to play power forward because of the Huskers' size problems, but has fared well defending larger players.

Steve Harley (9.1 ppg), a 5-11 senior, emerged in the latter part of the season as a consistent scoring threat, with his ability to drive to the basket and create off the dribble, after struggling early on. If he can continue to produce the way he did late in Big XII play, he should be a valuable tool for the Huskers. He was the most consistent shooter on the team besides Maric, making 40.8% of his 3-pointers.

Ade Dagunduro (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rebounds), a 6-5 senior, was another solid contributor from last year's team, and one of the better defensive stoppers on the team. Ade had a tendency to foul in bunches last year, and led the team in violations. Besides Maric, Ade was the best 2-point shooter on the team.

Paul Velander (4.2 ppg, .818 FT%), a 6-2 senior walk-on, has been the Huskers' most consistent 3-point shooter over the last three years, although his playing time has diminished as other guards have joined the team. He will likely continue to see time as a shooter coming off the bench.

Sek Henry (5.9 ppg, 3.5 rebounds), a 6-3 junior, is looking to be one of the most improved players this year, if his summer league performance is anything to judge by. Sek has always been a hard worker, and hit several clutch shots down the stretch. If he can develop some consistency, he has a chance to earn a lot of playing time.

Forwards

Chris Balham (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg), a 6-8 junior, has incredible athletic ability, but injuries and bizarre numbness in his legs have limited his playing time and effectiveness in his two years in Lincoln. Balham figures to be the starting center so long as his legs hold up. He has been effective in limited action, but only time will tell if he can put in extended minutes.

Newcomers

Eshaunte "Bear" Jones (Hargrove (Va.) Military Academy) -- Bear averaged 16 ppg and 10 rebounds at prep school, and an astonishing 28 ppg as a senior in high school. Said Doc on Jones: “The one thing he can do is score, and you can never have too many of those guys.”

Alex Chapman (Sheridan (Wyo.) College) -- Alex averaged 9.8 ppg and 6.8 rebounds in his one season of junior college. He has suffered some knee injuries, and will miss the beginning of practice following surgery.

Toney McCray (Ft. Bend (Tex.) Elkins) -- Toney averaged 16 points, 6 boards, and 2.5 assists a game as a senior in high school, and looks to be a solid swing player, though he'll likely play some forward for the undersized Huskers. Said Doc on McCray: "[H]e’s probably the most talented kid we’ve got on our team. … If he gets some of Brandon [Richardson]’s toughness, Toney McCray could be great.”

Brandon Richardson (Hawthorne (Los Angeles, CA) HS) -- A first-team All-California and a Nike All-American, Brandon averaged over 20 points and 7 rebounds as a senior. Says Doc on Richardson: “Brandon Richardson is probably as competitive and mentally tough a player as anybody I’ve ever coached. He may not always make the play, but I can promise you you’re going to leaving knowing he gave everything he had.”

Alonzo Edwards (Klein Forest (Houston, TX) HS) -- A power forward prospect who averaged 16 points and 10 boards as a high school senior, Alonzo will likely give the Huskers some depth in the post. He may not be playing up to his potential yet, and his emergence will be key for the Huskers.

Six walk-ons are also on the roster for the Huskers, but will probably not see extended playing time: Nick Krenk (6-0 Sr G), Matt Karn (6-3 Jr G), Ross Ferrarini (6-2 Fr G), Andrew Wicklund (6-5 So G), Ben Nelson (6-8 Jr F), and Cole Salomon (6-4 Jr G).

SB Nation - Ryan Anderson

Husker Hardwood 2009 - Jackson State Preview/Open Game Thread

Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump - 12.18.2009

Big 12 North

Big 12 South

Non Big 12 Links

BtB 2009-10 Big 12 Preview

Big Twelve Conference Standings

Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Who is your pick to win the Big 12 this season?

Baylor

Colorado

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

A KenPom Preview: Nebraska (Again)

Opening Thoughts

The Background

The Offense

The Defense

The Defense

The Players

The Keys

Nebraska: Know Your Rival

vs Big 12Nebraska: 5-4

Keys to the Game

Prediction

A KenPom Preview: Nebraska #1

Opening Thoughts

The Background

The Offense

The Defense

The Players

The Keys

Husker Hoops 2008-09 Season Preview Day Two: The Players

vs Big 12
Nebraska: 5-4