Lincoln – No. 21 Nebraska shook off a slow start in its exhibition opener and rebounded for an 83-61 win over Southwest Minnesota State Thursday evening.

The Huskers, who shot just 30 percent in the second half, rallied behind the play of sophomore Tai Webster, who scored nine of his 16 points in a 15-4 surge to open the second half.

Webster went 4-of-5 from the floor on the night, including a trio of 3-pointers as four Huskers finished in double figures. Junior Shavon Shields led all scorers with a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds, while Terran Petteway and Benny Parker added 10 points apiece for the Big Red.

The Huskers, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, were down 34-30 at the break before Webster took over. The sophomore hit consecutive 3-pointers during an 8-0 Husker run to give Nebraska its first lead since the opening minutes. The 6-foot-4 sophomore then capped the run with a conventional 3-point play, putting Nebraska ahead 45-38 with 15:06 left.

Southwest Minnesota State continued to hang around and was within 45-43 with 12:55 left, but a jumper by David Rivers and four Webster free throws capped a 6-0 spurt and put the Huskers ahead 51-43. SMSU pulled to within five at 51-46 on a Cole Martin 3-pointer, but the Huskers put the game away with a 16-3 run highlighted by eight straight points from Shields.

Martin, an Omaha native, led SMSU with 12 points, while Joey Bartlett added 11 in a losing effort.

Early on, the Mustangs gave the Huskers fits, using a 16-2 first-half run to build an 11-point lead after a 3-pointer from Bartlett. The Huskers were ice cold for the first 12 minutes, hitting just two of their first 15 shots from floor, as SMSU pushed the lead to 22-9 after Bartlett’s second 3-pointer of the half.

The Huskers roared back with increased intensity on the defensive end, as a Shields 3-pointer and a Petteway steal and dunk cut the margin to eight and forced SMSU to take a timeout. The Huskers kept chipping away and got a strong effort from Benny Parker off the bench, as he had six points and three steals and helped NU converted nine Mustang turnovers into 12 points in the half.

Nebraska trailed 34-25 before closing the half with five straight points, including Webster’s first 3-pointer of the night, to pull within 34-30.

The Huskers open the season on Sunday, Nov. 16, when they take on Northern Kentucky. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. and a limited number of tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com or calling 800-8-BIGRED.

The Nebraska basketball team puts the final touches on its preseason preparation Thursday night, as the No. 21 Huskers host Southwest Minnesota State at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Pinnacle Bank Arena and will be produced by the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary.  The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio.

Live video streaming of Thursday’s game will be carried on BTN Plus with Connor Happer and Michael Snow on the call. For more information on how to subscribe to BTN Plus, visitbtn2go.com. The exhibition and the season opener against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 15 will be exclusively available on BTN Plus.

A limited number of tickets for Thursday’s game, beginning at $7, are available by visiting Huskers.com, calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIG RED or visiting the Pinnacle Bank Arena box office beginning Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Not only does Thursday’s matchup pit Nebraska Coach Tim Miles against one of his own schools, but also against one of his former players. Southwest Minnesota State head coach Brad Bigler was the starting point guard for Miles for three seasons, helping the program to 28 wins and a berth in the 2001 NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Miles spent four seasons at the Marshall, Minn., school, going 78-39 and was selected to the SMSU Hall of Honor in 2011.

While Thursday’s head coaching matchup provides intrigue, the exhibition provides fans a first chance to see the Huskers in a competitive environment since practice began on Oct. 5. The Huskers, who had a closed scrimmage against Kansas State last month, return all five starters from a team that went 19-13 and reached the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The group is led by junior All-American candidate Terran Petteway, who averaged a Big Ten-best 18.1 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 2013-14. A first-team All-Big Ten performer, Petteway is joined by Shavon Shields, an honorable-mention All-Big Ten performer, and Walter Pitchford to give the Huskers a trio of sophomores who combined for 39.3 and 15.3 rebounds per game last season.

Nebraska is ranked 21st in both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls, as the Huskers’ preseason ranking is the program’s first since the 1992-93 season.

Southwest Minnesota State is a Division II program located in Marshall, Minn. The Mustangs are rebuilding after also winning 19 games last year, as the school has only one returning starter and six letterwinners.

Nebraska begins the 119th season of basketball on Sunday, Nov. 16, when the Huskers host Northern Kentucky. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.

Scouting Southwest Minnesota State

Brad Bigler begins his sixth season at the helm of the Southwest Minnesota State program in 2014-15. He has compiled an 83-63 mark, guiding the Mustangs to a pair of 19-win seasons over the past three seasons. Bigler started at point guard at SMSU for then SMSU coach Tim Miles, helping the Mustangs to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title and an appearance in the Division II Elite Eight in 2001.

The 2014-15 Mustangs are rebuilding after graduating four of the team’s top five scorers from a 19-win squad. Sophomore forward Mitch Weg is the only returning starter, as the 6-foot-7, 235-pounder averaged 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season. Senior Shaun Condon is the top returning scorer, as he averaged 11.0 points per game and led the Mustangs with 49 3-pointers. Condon, a 6-foot-2 guard, shot 44 percent from 3-point range in 2013-14. In all, SMSU returns just six letterwinners from a team that had five players average in double figures in 2013-14.

Exhibition History

Nebraska is 52-6 all-time in exhibition games dating back to the 1966-67 season and have won their last 10 exhibition games since a 54-50 loss to SIU-Edwardsville prior to the start of the 2006-07 season.

Thursday’s game against Southwest Minnesota State is the first time since 2009, that Nebraska has played a team from outside the state in exhibition action. That year, the Huskers posted an 86-66 win over Arkansas Fort Smith.

Opening as a Ranked Team

The Huskers will open the 2014-15 season in the national rankings for the first time since the 1994-95 season, as the Huskers are 21st in both the AP and coaches polls. It marks the first time since Jan. 2, 1995, that Nebraska is nationally ranked and just the second time in AP poll history and first since 1992 that the Huskers opened the season as a ranked team. Nebraska is 34-18 when ranked all-time in program history. In addition to the AP and Coaches polls, other publications have taken notice of the Huskers as well.

How The Huskers Spent the Summer

Several Husker basketball players were busy over the summer working on their game. In addition to the players who were in Lincoln, several others represented the program and their respective home countries.

•-Tai Webster: Played for the New Zealand National Team over the summer, including the FIBA World Cup in Spain. He joined the team for its pre-tournament tour, playing in 12 of 13 games before the FIBA World Cup, where he helped New Zealand reach the round of 16.  He averaged 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game despite being the fourth-youngest player in the tournament, finishing second among all teenagers in both points per game and assists per game. Webster had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists in a win over the Ukraine and added seven points and five rebounds against Turkey. Against Team USA, he had four points and a pair of blocked shots in 15 minutes against the eventual gold medalists.

•-Leslee Smith: Represented the British Virgin Islands at the 2014 FIBA Caribbean Basketball Championships in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Smith averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game before suffering a torn left ACL on July 3 against the Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands was 2-1 with Smith in action and went winless without the 6-foot-8 forward. Smith is hoping to return to action in time for Big Ten action.

•-Terran Petteway: Competed at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy, which featured the top 15 collegiate wing players in the country, and served as a camp counselor at the adidas Nations camp.

•-Shavon Shields: Joined Petteway as a camp counselor at the adidas Nations camp, an event which featured high school, college and professional players.

PEtteway Leads Husker Returnees

Junior wing Terran Petteway comes into 2014-15 as one of the Big Ten’s premier players. The 6-foot-6 junior has been featured on several lists of top players in college basketball and was a second-team preseason All-American by The Sporting News.  As a sophomore, he led the Big Ten in scoring at 18.1 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest, while starting all 32 contests.

This season, Petteway looks to become the first player since Ohio State’s Evan Turner (2009-10) to lead the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons. Over the last 30 years, only three players – Turner, Purdue’s Glenn Robinson (1993-94) and Michigan’s Glen Rice (1988-89) – have accomplished the feat.

Last season, Petteway became the first player to earn unanimous first-team all-conference honors since Venson Hamilton in 1999, and also earned first-team all-district honors by the NABC (coaches) and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (writers).

Petteway finished Big Ten play as the conference scoring leader, averaging 18.6 points per game. He became the fifth Husker in the last century to lead a conference in scoring in conference games and first since former Big Eight Player of the Year Andre Smith in 1980-81.  He also led the conference at 18.1 points per game in all games and became the first Husker since 1950 (first year the Big Seven Conference kept records) to ever lead the league in scoring for all games.

Petteway finished seventh on Nebraska’s single-season scoring list with 579 points, as only Dave Hoppen, Tyronn Lue, Eric Piatkowski, and Andre Smith have scored more points in a season. He also finished second on the Huskers’ single-season free throw list with 167.

 

Defense Keyed Second-Half Improvement

In 2013-14, the Huskers’ biggest in-season improvements came on the defensive end. The Huskers entered Big Ten play last in field goal defense and eighth in scoring defense, but dramatically improved during conference action.

Over the last 16 games of the season, NU held 10 opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field, including eight straight foes in one stretch.  The eight consecutive foes under 40 percent was the longest streak by a Husker defense in at least four decades.  The Huskers finished Big Ten play second in conference games in field goal percentage (.415) and third in scoring defense (63.4).

 

Shields  Keys Husker Attack

While Petteway has become one of the best players in the Big Ten, the emergence of junior Shavon Shields is equally vital to the Huskers attack. The 6-foot-7 wing started all 32 games and averaged 12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game to earn honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. As a sophomore, Shields was second on the team in scoring and led Nebraska in rebounding.

Shields is one of four returnees to rank in the top 15 in both scoring and rebounding in Big Ten play last year, joining Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Rayvonte Rice (Illinois) and Aaron White (Iowa).

Shields played some of his best basketball since moving to his natural wing position in February, averaging 15.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 49 percent from the field over NU’s last 12 contests. The Huskers went 8-4 over that stretch.

Shields earned Big Ten Co-Player of the Week for his efforts during the last week of the season, averaging 21.5 points per game in wins over Indiana and Wisconsin, as he had 26 points against the ninth-ranked Badgers and 17 points and eight rebounds in the win at Indiana.

His best offensive effort came against Illinois on Feb. 12, when he scored a career-high 33 points, hitting 8-of-12 shots from the field and all 15 of his free throws. Shields tied Nebraska’s single-game record for free throws without a miss and became only the 11th Big Ten player to hit at least 15 free throws without a miss and the first since 1997.

 

Pitchford Poses Problems for Opponents

Junior forward Walter Pitchford became one of the focal points to the Huskers’ attack in Big Ten play last season. The 6-foot-10, 237-pounder is one of the toughest matchups in college basketball, as he is a skilled shooter who hit 41 percent from 3-point range. Last season, Pitchford averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while starting 31 games.

An outstanding athlete with a 42-inch vertical leap, Pitchford played some of his best basketball of the season over the Huskers’ second-half surge, averaging 11.0 points per game on 53 percent shooting over the last 14 games. Pitchford reached double figures 11 times in that stretch including a career-high 18-point effort along with five rebounds and a pair of steals in a win at No. 9 Michigan State on Feb. 16. Pitchford sparked NU’s win at Indiana with 17 points and nine rebounds, as he scored the Huskers’ first nine points and then delivered a 3-pointer with 1:55 left to give Nebraska a four-point cushion.

 

Newcomers Set for Husker Debuts

Newcomers Moses Abraham, Tarin Smith and Jake Hammond are set to make their Husker debuts on Thursday night.

•-Abraham is a graduate transfer who spent the past four years at Georgetown. Last year, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while ranking second on the team with 23 blocked shots. The 6-foot-9, 252-pound forward earned his degree from Georgetown in May and has one year of eligibility remaining.

•-Hammond is a 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward who averaged 26.2 points, 14.8 rebounds, 5.7 blocks and 3.1 steals per game as a senior at Comanche (Okla.) High School.  He was rated as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Oklahoma by both ESPN.com and 247Sports as a senior, and was considered one of the top 150 seniors in the country by Hoop Scoop.

•-Smith was a two-year starter at St. Anthony (N.J.) High School, one of the premier high school basketball programs in the country playing for Hall of Fame Coach Bob Hurley. As a senior, he was a first-team all-state pick by the AP and a third-team honoree by the Newark Star-Ledger, as he averaged 15 points, four rebounds and four assists per game, as St. Anthony finished with a 25-5 record and a state runner-up finish.

Two other Husker newcomers will not suit up Thursday, as freshman B.J. Day will not play after suffering a torn ACL in practice in October, while Andrew White is sitting out the season after transferring from Kansas. White, who was a top-50 recruit coming out of high school, played two seasons at Kansas, playing behind NBA lottery picks Andrew Wiggins (2014) and Ben McLemore (2013). He was the state player of the year in Virginia in 2012, averaging 22.9 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

On the Bench

The Husker coaching and support staff has a new look this season with the hiring of Jim Molinari as an assistant coach, as well as several support staff changes. In all, the Husker coaching staff now includes a pair of coaches with over 300 wins apiece in Molinari and Head Coach Tim Miles, the reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year.

•- One of the most well-respected teachers in college basketball, Molinari brings over three decades of Division I coaching experience to Nebraska, including 20 years of head coaching experience. He is a three-time conference coach of the year during his career, while he has guided nine teams to postseason play. In addition, he has been a member of 10 NCAA Tournament staffs during his 12 season as a Division I assistant coach.  Prior to joining the staff, he served as head coach at Western Illinois for the past six seasons. He replaced Craig Smith, who was named head coach at South Dakota in April.

•-Other changes on the staff included moving Teddy Owens to director of basketball operations and the hiring of Brett Sapp (administrative coordinator) and Ali Farokhmanesh (graduate manager).

A Hot Ticket

Nebraska basketball has become one of the toughest tickets in the Big Ten since the program moved into Pinnacle Bank Arena last season. The Huskers established a school record for average attendance with 15,419 fans per game, breaking the previous mark of 13,357 set in 1992-93.

*-Nebraska ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 13th nationally. In all, seven of the top 17 nationally in average attendance are in the Big Ten.

*-Nebraska averaged 5,067 more fans per game than in 2012-13, the largest single-season increase in college basketball in seven years. It is only the eighth time since 2000 that a school has increased its attendance average by at least 5,000 fans per game from the previous season.

*-The Huskers rewarded the fans by going 15-1 in the first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena, its best home mark since the 1982-83 campaign.

*-For the 2014-15 season, ticket renewals were above 97 percent while the Red Zone season tickets were completely sold out in May.

Quick Notes

*-Under Tim Miles, one major emphasis is taking care of the basketball, and the Huskers have been solid at that over the last two years. NU’s two lowest turnover averages in school history have come under Tim Miles, as NU finished 10th nationally with 10.7 turnovers per game in 2012-13 and averaged 10.9 turnovers per game last season.

*-Terran Petteway’s 18.1 ppg scoring average is the highest by a Husker returnee since Aleks Maric averaged 18.5 ppg as a junior. Since World War II, only six returnees have averaged more points per game than Petteway’s sophomore season (Aleks Maric, Tyronn Lue, Dave Hoppen, Andre Smith, Jerry Fort and Stu Lantz).

*-With the return of Petteway and junior wing Shavon Shields (12.8 ppg), Nebraska welcomes back a pair of double-figure scorers for the first time since the 2003-04 season and for only the third time since 2000.

*-Nebraska and Duke are the only programs currently ranked in the top 25 in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball.

Up Next

The Huskers open the 2014-15 season against Northern Kentucky from the Atlantic Sun Conference on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1:05 p.m. The game will be carried online on BTN Plus and on the Husker Sports Network. A limited number of tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com or calling 800-8-BIGED