%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
The Husker basketball team returns to action after one of its longest breaks of the season, as Nebraska travels to Georgia Tech for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge presented by Continental Tire Wednesday evening.
Tipoff at McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus is set for 6:15 p.m. (central) and the matchup between the Huskers and Yellow Jackets will be televised on ESPNU with Mike Monaco and Malcolm Huckaby on the call. The game will also be available on the ESPN app and on ESPN.com with authentication.
Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the Learfield-IMG Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers app and TuneIn radio. The pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff.
| GAME 8: vs. GEORGIA TECH Big Ten/ACC Challenge Date: Wed., Dec. 4 Time: 6:15 p.m. (CT) Location: Atlanta, Ga. Arena: McCamish Pavilion NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2019-20 Record: 4-3 Head coach: Fred Hoiberg Record at Nebraska: 4-3 (1st year) Career NCAA Record: 119-59 (6th year) GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS 2019-20 Record: 3-2 Head coach: Josh Pastner Record at Georgia Tech: 29-54 (4th year) Career Record: 195-127 (11th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: ESPNU Play-by-play: Mike Monaco Analyst: Malcolm Huckaby Online Broadcast: ESPN app Radio: Learfield-IMG Husker Sports Network, including 590 AM (Omaha), 1400 AM (Lincoln) and 880 AM (Lexington) Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka Analyst: Jake Muhleisen Online Radio: Available on Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn.com/Huskers and TuneIn App. |
Nebraska (4-3) put together a gutsy effort in its last outing, rallying from seven points down in the final 12:39 in posting a 74-67 win over South Florida in the third-place game in the Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 27. Haanif Cheatham capped a strong tournament performance with a career-high 26 points, while Dachon Burke Jr. added 21 points, including a pair of 3-pointers after the Bulls cut Nebraska's eight-point lead to one. The Huskers also turned in a strong defensive effort, holding USF to just 36 percent shooting in the second half.
Cheatham, who played in just 10 games last year at Florida Gulf Coast before shoulder surgery, has rebounded nicely after a slow start in his final collegiate season. He is averaging 16.0 points per game on 67 percent shooting over the Huskers' last five contests. He has four double-figure performances in that stretch, culminating with the performance against South Florida.
The Huskers have performed well in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, going 5-3 all-time, including a 3-1 mark in road games since joining the Big Ten prior to the 2011-12 campaign.
Georgia Tech is 3-2 on the season following a 68-65 win over Bethune-Cookman on Sunday. In that game, Michael Davoe had a game-high 27 points, while James Banks III (12 points, 10 rebounds, 8 blocks) and Moses Wright (12 points, 12 rebounds) both put up double-doubles for the winners. The Yellow Jackets have played their share of close games, as four of their five contests have been decided by four points or less.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
Dachon Burke Jr. is among the Big Ten leaders with steals at 1.3 per game. He has averaged 1.8 steals per game during his collegiate career including his two seasons at Robert Morris. Burke's five steals against George Mason marked the fourth time in his career he has had five-or-more steals in a game.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
4 - Double-digit performances from Kevin Cross, which is the most by a Husker freshman since 2016-17 (5-Jeriah Horne and 4-Jordy Tshimanga). Cross is fourth among Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 9.4 ppg entering this week's action.
5 - Three-pointers this season for Thorir Thorbjarnarson, as he is 5-of-12 from long range. In his first two seasons, he went a combined 6-of-28 behind the 3-point stripe.
6.0 - Assists per game for sophomore Cam Mack, which is on pace to be the highest average since Brian Carr averaged 6.7 assists per game in 1986-87.
7 - Nebraska has had seven players reach double-figures in the first seven games of the season. Nebraska has five players averaging at least nine points per game, including four in double figures.
50- Returning point total from last season, all by Thorir Thorbjarnarson. That is the lowest by any power conference team since the 2009-10 season.
80.5 - Nebraska's scoring average since the opening-night loss to UC Riverside. The Huskers have scored 70-or-more points in five of their last six contests.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech comes into Wednesday's game with a 3-2 mark after holding off Bethune-Cookman, 68-65 on Sunday. In that game, Michael Devoe's three-point play with seven seconds left broke a 65-all tie and capped a 27-point performance, only earning the win after Leon Redd's 3-point try at the buzzer bounced off the rim for Bethune-Cookman.
Josh Pastner is in his fourth season at the helm of the Georgia Tech program and guided the Yellow Jackets to an NIT finals appearance in his first season at the school, but the 22 wins that season were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The Yellow Jackets went 14-18 in 2018-19 and finished 10th in the ACC with a 6-12 mark. Prior to taking over at Georgia Tech, Pastner led Memphis to five postseason appearances in seven years at the school, including a pair of appearances in the round of 32.
Georgia Tech returns its top three scorers from last season and its starting lineup from its final two games of the 2018-19 season. In all, 11 letterwinners returned and the program added a pair of transfers to the lineup. The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 12th in the preseason ACC poll. In the first month of the season, Georgia Tech been in its share of close games, as the two losses are by a combined five points, while GT also has a one-point overtime win over North Carolina State.
For Georgia Tech, it starts with a pair of guards and one of the ACC's top defensive players. Devoe has been one of the ACC's most prolific scorers in the first month of the year, averaging a conference-best 23.4 points per game, including a national-best 62 percent from 3-point range. He has four 20-point games already, including a season-high 34-point performance against Georgia. Junior point guard Jose Alvarado led Georgia Tech in scoring (12.5 ppg), assists (3.4 apg) and steals (1.8 spg) last season, but was averaging just 6.0 ppg in the first two games while playing through an ankle injury. His status for Wednesday's game is unknown. Senior forward James Banks III is a force in the middle, averaging 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game to lead the nation in that category. Banks already has three double-doubles in Georgia Tech's first five games.
Series History: The teams have met only once previously, a 66-49 Georgia Tech win in the first round of the Cotton States Classic in Atlanta. Dave Hoppen led NU with 19 points, but was the only Husker to finish in double figures.
LAST TIME OUT
Haanif Cheatham scored a career-high 26 points while Dachon Burke Jr. hit two crucial 3-pointers in the final 3:34, as Nebraska took third place in the Cayman Islands Classic with a 74-67 win over South Florida on Nov. 27.
Cheatham hit 8-of-11 from the field and 9-of-11 from the line as he eclipsed his previous career best of 24 set as a freshman at Marquette. Cheatham, who averaged 19.3 ppg on 70 percent shooting in three games, earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
While Cheatham enjoyed a career night, Burke stepped up after South Florida ran off seven straight points to trim an eight-point Husker lead to 63-62. The junior guard hit a long 3-pointer from the wing to snap the run and stretch the lead to four. South Florida was within 66-63 before Burke's second 3-pointer with 1:59 left made it a six-point cushion, capping a season-high 21-point performance for the junior guard.
USF made one last charge and was within 71-67 before the Huskers sealed the win by going 3-of-4 from the line with Cheatham icing the game with a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left. In all, the Huskers were 14-of-19 from the foul line in moving to 4-3 on the season.
Nebraska shot 55 percent from the floor, including 6-of-14 from 3-point range, while holding South Florida (3-4) to 39 percent, including 36 percent in the second half.
NEBRASKA BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE PRIMER
The 2019-20 season marks the 21st edition of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge presented by Continental Tire. The Big Ten is 5-12-3 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but 5-2-3 over the last decade. In case of a tie, the Cup remains with the conference that won the event most recently (in this case the ACC in 2017). The two conferences went 7-7 last season.
• Nebraska is 5-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since joining the Big Ten in the 2011-12 season and joins Purdue (10-8) as the only two Big Ten programs with winning records.
• Nebraska has won five of its last seven challenge games, including road wins at Wake Forest (2012), at Florida State (2015) and Clemson (2018) along with the home wins over Miami (2013) and Boston College (2017).
• Of Nebraska's three losses, two have been by two points (55-53 to Wake Forest in 2011; 60-58 at Clemson in 2016) while the other one was a 77-72 overtime loss to Miami in 2015.
• Nebraska's current two-game win streak is the longest of any Big Ten program.
• NU's three road wins ranks second among Big Ten programs, despite not joining the conference until 2011.
Big Ten/ACC Challenge History
| Year | Opponent | Result |
| 2017 | at Clemson | W, 68-66 |
| 2017 | Boston College | W, 71-62 |
| 2016 | at Clemson | L, 58-60 |
| 2015 | No. 21 Miami | L, 72-77 (ot) |
| 2014 | at Florida State | W, 70-65 |
| 2013 | Miami | W, 60-49 |
| 2012 | at Wake Forest | W, 79-63 |
| 2011 | Wake Forest | L, 53-55 |
DID YOU KNOW
• Wednesday's game begins a stretch of three straight road games, as the Huskers travel to Omaha for the annual in-state matchup with Creighton on Saturday before opening Big Ten play at Indiana on Friday, Nov. 13. Including last week's Cayman Islands Classic, Nebraska will go 24 days between home games. The six-game stretch is the longest since the 1997-98 season.
• Through the first seven games, 76.9 percent of the Huskers' offense has come from players who were added in the offseason, including six of Nebraska's top seven scorers.
• Only one player on Nebraska's roster has played in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and that is sit-out transfer Shamiel Stevenson. He played 13 minutes against Penn State in 2017 when he was at Pittsburgh, recording two points and dishing out three assists against the Nittany Lions.
• One of the biggest points of emphasis for Hoiberg and his staff has been to shoot better from 3-point range, and that work has paid off in the last two weeks. Over the last four games, NU is shooting nearly 45 percent from 3-point range and averaging 9.3 3-pointers per game after shooting just 23 percent in the first three games of the season.
Huskers' 3-Point Improvement
| Category | First 3 Games | Last 4 Games |
| 3 Pt. Pct. | .231 | .446 |
| 3-Pointers/Gm | 6.0 | 9.3 |
| Att./Gm | 26.0 | 20.8 |
• As a team, the Huskers have shot 49 percent or better from the floor in four of their last five contests after shooting 34 percent in the first two games of the year.
• Wednesday's win over South Florida marked the first time since the season opener where the Huskers didn't have four players in double figures, but also was the first time that NU had multiple 20-point scorers in a game under Fred Hoiberg. The Huskers put five players in double figures against Washington State, the first time Huskers accomplished the feat since a win over Creighton last December.
• The Huskers have averaged more than 80 points per game since the opening night loss to UC Riverside, including 90+ points in consecutive games against South Dakota State (90) and Southern (93). That marked the first time that the Huskers have scored 90 or more points in consecutive games since the 1999-2000 season.
• Senior guard Haanif Cheatham earned a spot on the Cayman Islands Classic All-Tournament team, as he averaged 19.0 ppg on 70 percent shooting, inclding 5-of-8 from 3-point range, in helping the Huskers to a 2-1 mark. Cheatham had 19 points and seven boards in the win over Washington State and a career-high 26 point night against South Florida. He needs just 73 to reach 1,000 points for his career.
• Nebraska enters Wednesday's game second in the Big Ten in turnover margin at +3.0 per game as Nebraska's 11.9 turnovers per game ranks second to Michigan State. During his tenure at Iowa State, Hoiberg's teams ranked in the top three in fewest turnovers per game in four of his five seasons at the school.
• Nebraska's 14 first-year players on the roster matches TCU for the most in the nation in research done by the Utah SID John Vu. Only four teams (TCU-14, Nebraska-14, East Carolina-13 and Utah-12) have at least 12 newcomers on their 2019-20 rosters. Nebraska returns a national-low 1.9 percent of its scoring from last season and the 50 returning points is the lowest by any power conference team since 2009.
Fewest Returning PPG from 2018-19
| No. | School | Returning PPG | Pct. of Scoring |
| 1 | Nebraska | 2.0 PPG | 1.9% |
| 2. | Tulane | 10.8 PPG | 12.2% |
| 3. | South Dakota St. | 15.8 PPG | 16.9% |
| 4. | Virginia Tech | 13.3 PPG | 18.1% |
| 5. | Washington | 13.9 PPG | 19.8% |
| Courtesy: Virginia Tech SID office | |||
• Nebraska has already played two overtime games in the first month of the season. The school record for OT games is four, set most recently during the 2007-08 campaign.
• Cam Mack's 13-point, 11-assist performance vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 9 marked just the sixth time in the last 30 years that a Husker has had a points-assist double-double. Mack is third in the Big Ten with 6.0 assists per game and has three games with at least seven assists.
Husker Points/Assists Double-Doubles (Last 30 years)
| No. | Pts. | Asst. | Opponent |
| Cam Mack | 13 | 11 | vs. Southern Utah, 11/11/19 |
| Glynn Watson Jr. | 10 | 10 | vs. Cal State Fullerton, 12/20/18 |
| Lance Jeter | 10 | 10 | vs. Kansas, 2/5/11 |
| Lance Jeter | 12 | 12 | at Kansas State, 2/7/10 |
| Sek Henry | 11 | 11 | at TCU, 11/21/09 |
| Tom Wald | 11 | 11 | vs. Appalachian State, 12/31/94 |
SETTING A FAST PACE
Not only are the Huskers adjusting to a whole new roster, but playing at a significantly faster pace than in previous years. The Huskers are 57th nationally in adjusted tempo, averaging 72.6 possessions per 40 minutes. NU is third in the Big Ten in tempo after ranking eighth in the Big Ten and 238th nationally in 2018-19.
• Hoiberg's first Iowa State team in 2010-11 jumped from 93rd to 34th nationally in tempo and ranked in the top 40 nationally in tempo in four of his five seasons in Ames, including top-15 nationally in his last two campaigns.
• In the KenPom era (1997-present), only one Husker team has ranked among the top 100 nationally in tempo - the 1999-2000 Huskers under Danny Nee.
• While playing at a fast pace, the Huskers are also second in the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per game at 11.9.
JUCO ADDITIONS AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Two of the cornerstones of the Huskers' recruiting class were junior college transfers Cam Mack and Jervay Green. Mack (third) and Green (eighth) were both ranked in the top 10 nationally by JUCORecruiting.com in the 2019 recruiting class and have played a crucial role for the Huskers early in 2019-20.
Mack, who was listed as the top JC point guard recruit in the country, enters the Georgia Tech averaging 12.6 points per game while leading the Huskers in assists (6.0), steals (1.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2-to-1). He is also second in rebounding at 4.9 caroms per game.
• Mack is the only Big Ten player who ranks in the top five in both assists (third) and steals (fifth)
• He has reached double figures five times, including a season-high 24-point performance against South Dakota State on Nov. 15. He had 11 points and nine rebounds in the opener before nearly pulling a triple-double against Southern Utah on Nov. 9 with 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds on Nov. 9. His 11 assists against the Thunderbirds were the most by a Husker since the 2009-10 campaign. Green had 16 points and eight assists in the win over Southern.
• Last season at Salt Lake CC, Mack averaged 19.1 points, 7.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game, ranking fifth nationally in assists per game. He totaled nine double-doubles and three triple doubles as a freshman and dished out 10-or-more assists nine times.
Green was rated as the No. 2 combo guard nationally after a stint at Western Nebraska CC, has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Big Red, averaging 10.3 points along with 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He ranks on the top three on the squad in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks and 3-pointers.
• He nearly posted a double-double against Washington State with 16 points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes.
• Green turned in his best performance of the year against Southern on Nov. 22, scoring 22 points and dishing out six assists in the win overtime win. His two 3-pointers helped key a 10-0 spurt in overtime to
seal the win.
• He nearly had a double-double against Southern Utah with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds, as he sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
• Green garnered NJCAA All-America honors at WNCC, averaging 23.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He was eighth nationally in scoring and had six 30-point games, including a school-record 51-point outburst.
CHEATHAM MAKES IMPACT ON BOTH ENDS
Fifth-year senior Haanif Cheatham has been one of the leaders for a young Husker team. The guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is NU's most experienced player, as he played in 80 games between Marquette and Florida Gulf Coast before transferring to Nebraska for his final year. Cheatham's biggest impact has been on the defensive end, where he has the ability to guard multiple spots.
Cheatham got off to a slow start in the first two games, but enjoyed a breakout performance against South Dakota State on Nov. 15, finishing with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. Since that performance, Cheatham has been averaging 16.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while also shooting nearly 50 percent from 3-point range. He was in double figures all three games of the Cayman Islands Classic, averaging 19.0 ppg including a career-best 26-point effort against South Florida.
A former top-100 recruit out of high school, he was named Marquette's top defensive performer in each of his two full seasons at Marquette.
BURKE SHOWS SCORING TOUCH
The other returnee from the 2018-19 season, Dachon Burke Jr. waited in the wings after transferring from Robert Morris. A 6-foot-4 guard, Burke has quickly shown the skills to flourish in Fred Hoiberg's attack, averaging a team-high 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Burke has reached double figures five times, including a 17-point, seven-rebound effort against South Dakota State on Nov. 15 and a 21-point performance against South Florida on Nov. 27. Two years ago, Burke was one of the best players in the Northeast Conference, averaging 17.6 points per game while adding 5.8 rebounds and a conference-best 2.1 steals per contest.
OUEDRAOGO ADDS NAME TO SHORT LIST OF TRUE FROSH
Freshman Yvan Ouedraogo became the first true freshman to start a season opener at Nebraska since 2013 when he started against UC Riverside on Nov. 5.
• Ouedraogo, who became the first true freshman to start in the frontcourt since Brandon Ubel in 2009, had nine points, three rebounds and a pair of steals and a blocked shot in 21 minutes of action.
• He is just the 11th true freshman and 13th freshman overall to start a season opener in the last 25 years at Nebraska, joining a group which includes 1,000-point scorers Tai Webster, Ryan Anderson, Cookie Belcher and Tyronn Lue.
• Ouedraogo has started all seven games for the Huskers, averaging 5.7 points and a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game in just under 20 minutes per game.
• He enjoyed his offensive effort of the season with 11 points, including six in overtime, and four rebounds against Southern on Nov. 22. He snared a team-high 12 rebounds against South Dakota State on Nov. 15.
Ouedraogo, who doesn't turn 18 until after the 2020 Big Ten Tournament, played for the French U-18 squad at the 2019 European Championships in July, averaging 4.0 points, 3.6 rebounds per game as France went 6-1 and finished fifth in the competition.
CROSS LIFTS BENCH PRODUCTION
Freshman Kevin Cross has been an early contributor for the Huskers. The 6-foot-8 freshman from Little Rock, Ark., has been the first Husker off the bench in all seven games and ranks fifth on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game while chipping in 3.6 rebounds per game.
• Cross has found his shooting touch in recent games, shooting 55 percent (26-of-47) in his last six contests. He had shot 50 percent or better from the field in five straight games before being held scoreless against South Florida.
• He played a complete game in the win over Washington State, scoring 14 points, grabbing a season-high eight rebounds and blocking two shots in 27 minutes
• Cross played a big role in NU's comeback against Southern, scoring all eight of his points in the second half as the Huskers overcame an eight-point deficit.
• He was efficient against South Dakota State, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and two blocked shots.
• Against Southern Utah, he had a team-high 19 points, becoming the first freshman in 73 games to pace the Huskers in scoring. His 19 point effort was the highest by a Husker rookie since Shavon Shields in 2013.
• Cross has lost nearly 20 pounds since arriving on campus this summer, and showed glimpses of his potential during NU's trip to Italy, reaching double figures twice in four contests.
KAVAS IS ONE OF NATION'S TOP SHOOTERS
Senior transfer Matej Kavas comes to Nebraska with a reputation as one of the nation's top 3-point shooters. The 6-foot-8 guard is a career 44 percent shooter from 3-point range, and has shot 40 percent or better in all three of his seasons at Seattle. Kavas' .440 career percentage ranks seventh among active Division I players. As a sophomore at Seattle, Kavas led the WAC in both 3-point percentage (.464)
and 3-pointers per game (2.8).
• To put Kavas' shooting in perspective, Nebraska's career mark for career 3-point percentage is .432 by Brian Conklin (2001-04) and only five players in school history have shot 40 percent in their Husker career with a minimum of 100 3-pointers.
• Kavas' 183 career 3-pointers would ranks sixth on NU's career list while his 91 3-pointers as a sophomore would top NU's single-season mark (Cary Cochran, 89, 2001-02).
• He is shooting just 30 percent so far this season from 3-point range, but has enjoyed three double-figure efforts, most recently against George Mason on Nov. 26.
Top Active 3-Point Shooters in Division I (as of Dec. 1)
| No. | Player, Schools | Yr. | GP | 3pt. | Att | Pct. |
| 1. | Luke Avdalovic, Northern Ariz. | So. | 34 | 89 | 178 | .500 |
| 2. | Ladan Ricketts, Montana St. | Sr. | 38 | 87 | 185 | .470 |
| 3. | Tyrell Gumbs-Frater, Coastal Carolina | Sr. | 56 | 119 | 254 | .469 |
| 4. | Justin Jaworski, Lafayette | Jr. | 65 | 162 | 352 | .460 |
| 5. | Storm Murphy, Wofford | Jr. | 75 | 111 | 250 | .444 |
| 6. | Jordan Dartis, Ohio | Sr. | 100 | 258 | 586 | .440 |
| 7. | Matej Kavas, Nebraska | Sr. | 91 | 183 | 416 | .440 |
WHAT'S BACK FOR THE HUSKERS
Nebraska returns one letterwinner and one other player from last year's team that went 19-17 and reached the second round of the NIT. Junior guard Thorir Thorbjarnarson was the only player who has seen regular-season action for the Huskers entering the 2019-20 campaign. He averaged 2.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last year.
• According to research by noted basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy, the 50 returning points on Nebraska's 2019-20 roster is the lowest total for a power conference team since 2009, when Indiana returned just 28 points from the previous season.
• Since 2000, it is only the fourth time where the Huskers have returned less than 40 percent of the team's scoring output from the previous year (also 2012-13, 2009-10 and 2001-02). In that stretch, the lowest was 24 percent in 2012-13.
• The seven returning starts are the lowest in the last 20 years (41 entering 2001-02).
What's Returning (Last Five Seasons)
| Category | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | 2016-17 | 2015-16 |
| Pct. of scoring | 1.9 | 73.4 | 50.0 | 45.8 | 40.0 |
| Pct. of rebounding | 4.2 | 61.4 | 44.9 | 51.9 | 33.3 |
| Pct. of assists | 6.2 | 71.5 | 48.9 | 52.6 | 51.1 |
| Pct. of blocked shots | 3.3 | 67.2 | 47.4 | 64.3 | 15.6 |
| Pct. of steals | 5.4 | 68.0 | 61.1 | 51.6 | 52.6 |
| Pct. of minutes | 4.2 | 74.5 | 55.4 | 52.4 | 42.4 |
RETOOLING A ROSTER IN SIX WEEKS
Fred Hoiberg and his staff retooled the Nebraska roster following his introduction in early April. The Huskers signed a recruiting class that was in the top 50 nationally in just six weeks. The 14-member class includes 11 scholarship players and three walk-ons and is a mixture of grad transfers, transfers, JUCOs and freshmen.
2019 Recruiting Class Highlights
• Ranked No. 41 nationally by 247Sports, the program's second-highest class ranking since joining the Big Ten.
• Features two of the top-10 recruits nationally by JUCORecruiting.com, the highest two JC signees NU has signed this decade.
• Includes five Division I transfers who have combined for more than 2,300 points, 1,000 rebounds and 350 assists at their previous schools.
• Has two Division I transfers (Dalano Banton and Haanif Cheatham) who were top-100 recruits in high school and two freshmen who were both top-150 recruits in 2019 by 247Sports (Kevin Cross and Ivan Ouedraogo).
• Contains two high school state players of the year (Akol Arop and Samai Curtis) and two others who were first-team all-state in 2019 (Cross and Charlie Easley).
• Includes players from seven states (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas) and three countries (Canada, France and Slovenia).
FROM COLLEGE TO THE NBA AND BACK AGAIN
Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg is in an exclusive club, as he is one of just 10 current Division I coaches to coach in Division I and in the NBA. He spent three-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls, guiding the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs in 2016. Hoiberg's 270 regular-season NBA games are the most of the 10 former NBA coaches in the collegiate ranks. Hoiberg also brings five years of NBA front office experience, as he worked with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2005 to 2010.
| Coach, School | NBA Head Coach, Years |
| Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska | Chicago, 2015-18 |
| Larry Krystkowiak, Utah | Milwaukee, 2007-08 |
| Terry Porter, Portland | Milwaukee, 2003-05; Phoenix 2008-09 |
| Lon Kruger, Oklahoma | Atlanta, 2000-03 |
| Eric Musselman, Arkansas | Golden State, 2002-04; Sacramento, 2006-07 |
| Mike Dunlap, Loyola Marymount | Charlotte, 2012-13 |
| Darrell Walker, Ark. Little Rock | Toronto, 1996-98; Washington, 1999-2000 |
| John Calipari, Kentucky | New Jersey, 1996-99 |
| Leonard Hamilton, Miami | Washington, 2000-01 |
| Lindsey Hunter, Miss. Valley State | Phoenix, 2013 |
HUSKER FAMILY TIES RUN DEEP FOR HOIBERG
While Fred Hoiberg grew up in Ames and played his high school (Ames High School) and college basketball (Iowa State) there, he was born in Lincoln and has numerous ties to the city and to the University of Nebraska.
• Fred's father (Eric) and mother (Karen) both earned their undergraduate degrees from Nebraska in 1966. In fact, Eric earned his undergraduate degree, Master's degree, and Ph.D. in sociology from the university. His 1973 dissertation was "Socio-economic status, residential location, and intrametropolitan mobility: a longitudinal analysis".
• His maternal grandfather was former Husker basketball coach Jerry Bush. Known as the "Big Bear of the Coliseum," Bush guided NU from 1955 to 1963, and directed two of the greatest upsets ever – a 43-
41 victory over top-ranked Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain, and a 55-48 victory over No. 4 Kansas State and Olympian Bob Boozer during the 1957-58 campaign.
• His paternal grandfather (Otto) received his Master's Degree and Ph.D from Nebraska. He joined the faculty of the University of Nebraska in 1948, where he taught sociology and served as director of the community development program in the University of Nebraska Extension Division.
YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN: PART 2
Assistant Coach Doc Sadler brings a unique perspective to the Husker basketball staff, as he returns to Lincoln after serving as the head coach at Southern Miss for the last five seasons. Sadler helped Southern Miss improve its win total in each of the last four seasons, including a 20-13 mark and Conference USA semifinal appearance in 2018-19. Sadler returns to a program that he served as head coach
for six seasons, guiding the Huskers to 101 wins and three postseason appearances in his six-year tenure.
It is rare for a coach to return to a program as an assistant coach, as the only other known example is Marty Wilson, who was the interim head coach at Pepperdine in 1996 before returning to the school as an assistant coach in 2008.
PINNACLE BANK ARENA SOLD OUT FOR 2019-20 SEASON
Since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013, the Huskers have ranked in the top 15 in attendance nationally in each of the past six seasons. The streak will likely continue into 2019-20, as all available season tickets were sold out in August.
• Last season, Nebraska averaged 15,341 fans per home game to rank 10th nationally in attendance, matching the highest rank in school history.
• Nebraska is one of nine schools in the country to average 15,000+ fans per contest in each of the last six seasons, joining Kentucky, Syracuse, Louisville, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas and Creighton.
• The Big Ten Conference has led NCAA Basketball in attendance for 43 straight years, dating back to the 1976-77 season. Last season, Big Ten schools drew more than a combined three million fans for the fifth straight year.
Filling Up Pinnacle Bank Arena
| Season | Average | NCAA Rank |
| 2013-14 (1st year of PBA) | 15,419 | 13th |
| 2014-15 | 15,569 | 10th |
| 2015-16 | 15,430 | 11th |
| 2016-17 | 15,427 | 11th |
| 2017-18 | 15,494 | 11th |
| 2018-19 | 15,341 | 10th |
| 2019-20 | 15,863 | 9th |
TWO HUSKERS REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRIES
Thorir Thorbjarnarson and Yvan Ouedraogo spent part of the summer representing their home nations. Thorbjarnarson played in three games for Iceland's Senior National Team during the Games of the Small States of Europe, averaging 10 points per game. Ouedraogo played for France's U-18 team at the FIBA European Championships, as the team went 6-1 and earned a fifth-place finish. He averaged 4.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game as the second-youngest member of the team.
In addition, former Huskers Tai Webster (New Zealand) and Jorge Brian Diaz (Puerto Rico) represented their nations in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Diaz started all five games in helping Puerto Rico reach the second round, while Webster averaged 13.4 points and 4.8 assists as New Zealand's starting point guard.
STEVENSON DENIED NCAA WAIVER
Nebraska Athletics announced Nov. 26 that men's basketball player Shamiel Stevenson was denied a waiver and will not be eligible to compete until the start of the 2020-21 season.
Stevenson, a junior guard/forward from Toronto, Canada, will have two full years of eligibility remaining. He joins fellow transfers Dalano Banton and Derrick Walker as being eligible for the start of the 2020-21 season.
Stevenson transferred to Nebraska in May of 2019 from Nevada after Head Coach Eric Musselman took the Arkansas head coaching position. Stevenson began his career at Pittsburgh, where he played as a freshman, as well as four games as a sophomore before transferring at the end of the 2018 fall semester. Stevenson averaged 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 36 games at Pittsburgh, and did not play at Nevada.