Nebraska (11-16) at (5) Oklahoma (20-5)
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, March 4th, 8:00 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) -- Norman, Oklahoma.
Television: Local. Home Record: Nebraska 9-6, Oklahoma 14-0. Away Record:
Nebraska 0-8, Oklahoma 5-3. Neutral Record: Nebraska 2-2, Oklahoma 1-2.
Conference Record: Nebraska 3-11, Oklahoma 11-3. Series Record: Oklahoma
leads, 98-78.
GAME NOTES: The Oklahoma Sooner put the nation's longest home-winning streak
on the line tonight as they welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the Lloyd
Noble Center in Norman for a Big 12 Conference showdown. The Sooners, who are
ranked fifth in the nation, have been on the road for their last two contests
since beating nationally-ranked Kansas in Norman back on February 23, which
ran the win streak to 36 games. On Saturday, the squad posted a hard-fought
68-64 victory over Texas A&M in College Station, which helped the Sooners
bounce back from a disappointing and unexpected defeat versus the Missouri
Tigers a week ago. With the most recent victory, Oklahoma ran its league mark
to 11-3, tying the team with Texas for second place and leaving them a game
behind the aforementioned Jayhawks for the top spot with this and one more
game to play before the start of the conference tournament. While the Sooners
are chasing the leaders in the conference, the Huskers are trying desperately
to lift themselves from the depths of the standings which currently finds them
at 3-11 and in a tie with Kansas State for last place. Nebraska has been
looking a bit better in the last week though, claiming victory over those same
Wildcats and then a 69-63 triumph versus Iowa State over the weekend, giving
the Cornhuskers their first back-to-back wins since the first week of January.
As far as the all-time series between these two schools is concerned, the
Sooners hold a 98-78 advantage over Nebraska to this point. Oklahoma has won
three straight meetings and has a strong presence in Lincoln which has allowed
it to post a 56-20 mark against the Cornhuskers over the years.
The Nebraska defense held the Cyclones to just 30 percent shooting from the
field, which included only 1-of-13 from three-point range, after the break on
Saturday, which allowed the Cornhuskers to record the six-point win at home.
Nate Johnson tallied a game-high 20 points, on 7-of-17 shooting from the
floor, and also grabbed eight rebounds in the victory for Nebraska. John Turek
added 17 points, six boards, and three blocked shots, while Andrew Drevo added
12 points and seven rebounds on the day as well. The Huskers dominated the
glass, 49-35, and had 20 rebounds at the offensive end, which helped to offset
just 3-of-12 shooting from three-point range for the unit. Johnson may be the
leading scorer for the team after 27 games with 13.6 ppg, but his 41.2 percent
field goal shooting looks all the more impressive when compared to his 23.1
percent accuracy beyond the arc. Drevo is the only other active player who is
scoring in double digits for the program with 13 ppg and is tops on the glass
with 7.3 rpg. Overall the entire squad is struggling from the field at just
40.4 percent, has made a meager 28.2 percent behind the three-point line, and
also has trouble at the charity stripe while making only 65.5 percent of their
opportunities.
It was the Oklahoma defense that gave the team its eight-point lead at
intermission on Saturday, holding Texas A&M to just 33.3 percent shooting from
the field and 1-of-8 behind the three-point line. Luckily the offense made
that stand up after the second period finished, as the Sooners claimed the
five-point win at College Station. Hollis Price was once again the star for
the squad, posting a team-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field,
which also included 4-of-5 from the perimeter, to go along with his five
assists. Ebi Ere added 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench, while De'Angelo
Alexander contributed a strong all-around effort with 11 points, six boards,
and four dishes in the win. Price currently leads the team in scoring with
19.3 ppg, thanks to his 43.6 percent three-point shooting and his 92.6 percent
accuracy at the charity stripe, which ranks him among the nation's top-10. Ere
adds 14.1 ppg while Kevin Bookout, who has converted 57 percent of his field
goal attempts, contributes 9.5 ppg and is the leading rebounder for the
program with just over six boards per contest. In holding opponents to 40.2
percent shooting from the floor, Oklahoma has managed to give itself a scoring
advantage of more than 11 ppg.
This is a case of the haves versus the have-nots in the Big 12, and with a
showdown against the Longhorns looming around the corner, there's little room
for the Sooners to be sloppy and carefree in this contest. Expect Oklahoma to
live up to its ranking and leave the Huskers in the dust.
