2011 Nebraska Basketball Preview
Written by James Zerfoss - Google +
2010-11 Results
Overall: 19-13 (Home 17-2 Road 1-8 Neutral 1-3 Postseason 0-2)
Big 12: 7-9
Conference Tournament: Lost in the first round to Oklahoma State 53-52.
Postseason: First round NIT loss.
Doc Sadler led the Cornhuskers to a 19-13 record and the team tied for seventh in the Big 12. That was followed by an early exit in the NIT tournament in which they were destroyed by Wichita State 76-49. Nebraska was excellent at home going 17-2 and got off to a strong start with a 12-2 record in non-conference play. The team really needs to improve on the road after only winning a single road game last season.
Despite the unpleasant ending to the season, there were many positives for the 2010-2011 Cornhuskers. The team won 19 games which was their most since they won 21 in 1995. The team only allowed 60.5 points a game last year which lead the Big 12 and ranked 16th in Division I basketball. Nebraska only scored 66.4 points a game on offense last year which ranked eleventh in the conference. The team did shoot well from the field with a shooting percentage of 46.1. From beyond the arch the team only made 31 percent of their shots.
Roster
Returning Starters
Toney McCray
Jorge Brian Diaz
Brandon Ubel
Other Returning Players
Brandon Richardson
Bo Spencer
Christopher Niemann
Ray Gallegos
Dylan Talley
Newcomers
David Rivers
Head Coach
Doc Sadler
Key Losses
Lance Jeter has used up his eligibility after leading the offense a year ago. He was the team’s leading scorer averaging 11.6 points a game along with 4.6 assists. Developing a new point guard will be one of the keys to this year’s success.
Matt Karn and Drake Beranek also graduated. Beranek average 4.2 points per game and 2.4 boards off the bench. Karn only played in six games last season.
Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Fri, Nov 11 | vs South Dakota |
| Mon, Nov 14 | @ USC |
| Sun, Nov 20 | vs Rhode Island |
| Wed, Nov 23 | vs Oregon |
| Sat, Nov 26 | vs South Dakota State |
| Wed, Nov 30 | vs Wake Forest |
| Sun, Dec 4 | @ Creighton |
| Wed, Dec 7 | vs Florida Gulf Coast |
| Sat, Dec 10 | @ TCU |
| Sat, Dec 17 | vs Alcorn State |
| Tue, Dec 20 | vs Central Michigan |
| Tue, Dec 27 | vs #13 Wisconsin |
| Sat, Dec 31 | vs Michigan State |
| Tue, Jan 3 | @ #3 Ohio State |
| Sat, Jan 7 | @ Illinois |
| Wed, Jan 11 | vs Penn State |
| Sun, Jan 15 | @ #13 Wisconsin |
| Wed, Jan 18 | vs Indiana |
| Sat, Jan 21 | vs #3 Ohio State |
| Thu, Jan 26 | @ Iowa |
| Thu, Feb 2 | @ Northwestern |
| Sun, Feb 5 | vs Minnesota |
| Wed, Feb 8 | vs #17 Michigan |
| Sat, Feb 11 | @ Penn State |
| Sat, Feb 18 | vs Illinois |
| Wed, Feb 22 | @ Purdue |
| Sat, Feb 25 | @ Michigan State |
| Wed, Feb 29 | vs Iowa |
| Sat, Mar 3 | @ Minnesota |
2011-12 Preview
Nebraska’s first year in the Big Ten could be a challenging one. The Cornhuskers lost Jeter, their leading scorer, and had an inept offense last year with him in the lineup. They may challenge Penn State for the conference basement this year. Their only saving grace will be their excellent team defense.
Transfer Bo Spencer could make or break the team’s season. If he is eligible to play he could lead the team back to the NIT in 2012. Either way the Cornhuskers are looking to build a team that can compete in the Big Ten down the road. Don’t expect them to compete for a Big Ten title this year.
Backcourt
Brandon Richardson has been installed as the team’s new point guard. He will have a difficult time replacing Jeter. Last season he scored 6.4 points per game and averaged 1.8 assists. The senior point guard had some outstanding games and scored 20 points against Texas Tech, but his shooting is a problem. He only shot 25 percent from three point range last year. Richardson was also the worst shooter on the team last year out of players that played in 30 plus games, shooting just a hair over 40 percent from the field.
There is a good shot that Bo Spencer will finish as the Cornhuskers leading scorer this season. He averaged 14.5 points per game for LSU in 2009-2010. Spencer should provide Nebraska with the scoring threat that they have been missing.
Toney McCray will back up Spencer and provide leadership He averaged 8.3 points per game last year and shot 40 percent from 3-point range. Not to mention that he can come in and play tough defense off the bench.
Caleb Walker will also provide depth off the bench and averaged 6.0 ppg a year ago.
Junior transfer Dylan Talley is a big guard off the bench and should contribute as a scorer. He averaged 11.8 points per game as a freshman.
Frontcourt
Jorge Brian Diaz will lead the frontcourt after scoring 10.5 points per game a year ago. Look for Diaz to play an even bigger role in the offense this season. He had an excellent season last year shooting 53.8 percent from the field. To improve his scoring numbers he will need to work on his free throw shooting hitting on only 51.4 percent of his attempts a year ago.
Brandon Ubel will be the other starting forward. Last season he averaged 6.1 points per game and 3.7 rebounds. Look for him to average around 6 boards a game this season. He is a 6-10 junior who shot over 50 percent from the field a year ago.
Christopher Niemann will see time as the backup center. At 270 pounds he is a big and strong through he needs to work on his shooting.
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