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The Sports Network TSN
Lincoln, NE (Sports Network) - Making their first trip to Lincoln in 70 years,
the 11th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers will play a Big Ten Conference game against
the Nebraska Cornhuskers tonight at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Indiana had been cruising along with a 12-0 record, which included a win over
then No. 1 Kentucky back on December 10. But it's funny how the start of Big
Ten play can have an impact on those positive vibes, as the Hoosiers have
split their six league tilts thus far, and they are currently mired in a two-
game losing streak. The most recent outing for coach Tom Crean's club took
place on Sunday at Ohio State, and the Buckeyes played the role of rude host
as they dismantled the Hoosiers in an 80-63 final.
Nebraska's first foray into Big Ten play has been anything but enjoyable thus
far, as the team has dropped five of its first six league encounters, and is
currently just a game over .500 on the year at 9-8. Coach Doc Sadler's squad
has won seven of its first 11 home bouts, but the Huskers have just one win
overall to their credit since Christmas, that being a 70-58 decision over Penn
State last Tuesday. Nebraska's most recent outing was on Sunday at Wisconsin,
and although the Huskers kept in close, they came out on the short end of a
50-45 final.
Indiana has won eight of the previous nine meetings with Nebraska, and the two
teams last met in December of 1982.
Cody Zeller scored 16 points to lead three players in double figures, but
those efforts went for naught as the Hoosiers dropped a 17-point decision at
Ohio State over the weekend. Indiana shot 43.6 percent from the floor, but the
Buckeyes were 54.4 percent accurate, and they took full advantage of 17
Hoosiers turnovers. Zeller continues to pace Indiana in scoring for the
season, netting 14.8 ppg in hitting a sizzling 65.3 percent of his field goal
attempts. He also leads the team's effort on the glass with 6.4 rpg, as the
Hoosiers are +2.7 in rebounding margin. Indiana is shooting a solid 49.7
percent from the floor this year, while its three-pointers are falling at an
astounding 45.0 percent. As a result, the Hoosiers are lighting up the
scoreboard to the tune of 80.8 ppg, and they have done a decent job at the
defensive end as well, yielding 65.4 ppg on typical shooting outputs of 42.1
percent overall and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc. IU goads the opposition
into an average of 16 turnovers per tilt.
Nebraska's problem for the most part this season has been its inability to
consistently produce at the offensive end, and that was once again the issue
in the recent loss at Wisconsin. Bo Spencer (13 points) was the only player to
score in double digits for the Cornhuskers, who shot just 35.2 percent from
the field, missing 14 of their 19 three-point tries along the way. They also
attempted just two free throws in the game, but they did turn the ball over
only seven times. With the offense severely lacking, the Huskers dialed up the
defense by limiting the Badgers to 31.3 percent success from the floor, which
included a woeful 2-of-18 showing from long range. Spencer continues to lead
NU in scoring for the season, checking in with 14.8 ppg, despite his rather
poor 38.4 percent effort from the field. Toney McCray is the only other Husker
hitting for double figures at the moment, as he brings 10.4 ppg to a team that
averages just 61.1 ppg. Nebraska allows only 61.3 ppg.
The Sports Network