Husker men face tough task at ISU
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Johnny Orr will be in the house. So, too, will Jeff Grayer, Fred Hoiberg, Julius Michalik and dozens of former Iowa State basketball players and coaches.
Hilton Magic, anyone?
Iowa State’s centennial celebration of Cyclone basketball probably isn’t the best situation for a wounded Nebraska team visiting sold-out Hilton Coliseum today.
“I was talking to McDermott yesterday,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said, referring to ISU coach Greg McDermott. “I said, ‘Dang, Greg, back in the summer, y’all scheduled us, I guess you picked out the team you thought you could beat.’ He laughed.
“It’s kind of like we’re their homecoming team.”
Nebraska would seem to fit that role well this week.
The Huskers are coming off Wednesday’s home overtime loss to Missouri, which severely damaged their hopes of attaining a .500 record in Big 12 Conference play. Nebraska is 14-8 overall, and 3-6 in the league.
“It’s not one of those things that you just forget about, but you’ve got to move on,” Sadler said. “It’s not going to affect the way we play.”
Even so, just equaling last year’s 6-10 Big 12 record would appear a tough task, what with games remaining at Texas A&M and Texas, and home games with Kansas State and Oklahoma.
“It’s definitely hard to swallow, especially when you lose at home in overtime,” Nebraska senior center Aleks Maric said. “It’s a game we needed if we wanted to do something down the stretch. So it’s tough.”
Maric had 32 points and 16 rebounds against Missouri, his fifth straight double-double. He’s averaging 19.4 points and 14.2 rebounds while shooting 56.7 percent in that stretch.
But Maric touched the ball only once in overtime, and Nebraska lost its third Big 12 game by single digits, including two at home.
“I think all losses in conference, you look back and so many times you see the games that you think you might have a chance to win,” Sadler said, “and when (you don’t), obviously, you think about them.”
Iowa State (13-12, 3-7) has lost four straight and six of seven, including a 64-56 defeat two weeks ago at Nebraska. Wesley Johnson sat out that game with a foot injury but has since returned. The Cyclones’ leading scorer, Johnson averages 13.5 points.
The Cyclones have lost two straight home games, and a third in a row would seem hard to fathom, especially with history revisiting. Orr will coach in the noon Alumni Game that features 50 former players. Seven players of ISU’s 15-member All-Century team will be honored at halftime.
At least they won’t be suiting up. Nebraska’s challenge is stiff enough.
“Our character has shown time and time again this season,” Maric said. “I don’t think we’re down and out yet.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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