Two for one days at The Devaney Center!!! Two for one!!...Two for one!!..... Anybody?......
Ticket buyers to the men's game will be treated to a free admission to the womens contest on the same day. Yep, just show your mens ticket, and you get in to see the #3 Womens team in the country make buffalo burgers out of visiting Colorado. Normally, the women's ticket would be the give away here, trying to entice fans to attend a ladies contest...something that normally doesn't grab much attention, even in Lincoln.
This year, I would guess that the opposite is true. Trying to keep fans in the seats for the 1-10 men's team is becoming increasingly difficult, so why not ride the women? (Man I love posting for both teams...so many adult innuendos available at my fingertips!) Wait, what's that you say? You're going home after the women kill Colorado to shovel your driveway? Oh yeah, I forgot that the women play first. Oh well.
(More after jump..)
The Men
Missouri travels to Lincoln today, for the second matchup of the year with Nebraska. The first meeting didn't go so well for the Big Red. I'm hoping our hands are still smoldering from the K-State game on Wednesday. Nebraska shot an impressive 58% from the field, whch included 14 bombs from downtown. Most of which coming late in the game in a furious comeback bid. We all know that Mizzou likes to press, for forty minutes, and supposedly that wears teams down and forces us to turn the ball over. Hey Tigers..we are on to your tricks! No way you'll be able to force turnovers on us...no way, uh-uh. We are waaaaay ahead of ya! We'll turn the damn thing over just fine on our own thank you very much! (Thumbs nose up at Mizzou fan).
While the turnover game is still a huge problem, the young-skers showed just how talented they are. We saw what they can do when they hit their shots, and although we came up short against the puddy-tats, it was a nice change of pace to see 87 points on the Husker side of the board. Rumor has it that Ryan Anderson is a CornNation follower, and decided to read my last game preview the night before the game. Thanks to this newly added Facebook Connect feature, Anderson must've learned of my distaste for 10 point leading scorers and how even the women are able to do much better than that. Way to step up Ryan.
The un-flattering endorsement must have lit a fire under Ryan's butt, or at least in his hand. Anderson went berzerk on Wednesday night, and scored a team high 22 points, including a critical 3-point flurry in the final two minutes. If it weren't for Sek Henry gift-wrapping the ball, again, in the final stretch...we might have had a chance to pull of the upset. Sek? Are you reading this buddy? Yes, you are an enigma to this team with your greasy hands. Get yourself a wet-nap, and start taking care of the pill. That's your job.
The game today will come down to all the same factors. We need to hit shots. As Doc Sadler said, "The offense looks pretty good when the shots are falling". Never agreed more. Just hold onto the rock, and if the shots go in...we can win. Missouri is looking to bolster their tournament resume with another conference win, and will try to avoid a letdown after "upsetting" the #17 ranked Texas Longhorns.
The Women
After taking out the Iowa State Cyclones, the only real threat to an un-defeated regular season is against Oklahoma at the end of the month. Of course, that is assuming that we don't overlook some crappy team, who's only real motivation at this point in the season is to upset a much-hated conference rival. Anyone come to mind?
Colorado comes into Lincoln this afternoon, looking to spoil the Huskers perfect season. What better team to do so, than our half-baked friends to the west. Yes, mountain girls are hot...but since women's basketball is not exactly on par with beach volleyball or womens tennis, I have no love for the Lady-Buffs in any way, shape, or form. Colorado sports a 2-9 conference record, and an overall mark of 12-12. Nothing that is immediately threatening to the Lady-Huskers, especially in the midst of a seven-game losing streak.
Perhaps Colorado's most note-worthy fact, is their players strange names. What is it with the odd names in sports these days anyway? (Keep an eye out for an off-season article on that topic later on). Introducing Colorado's leading scorer....Brittany Spears! Yes folks, she has traded in the (fake)microphone, the spandex, and the razor blade....and is now busting three's for the Colorado Womens basketball team! Actually, she's not...but I'd pay to see that game. "Hit that free-throw one more time!"
Next up, the Buffs second leading scorer...Chucky Jeffery! Um...come again? Did you say Chucky? Can you imagine that on a blind date? It may sound something like this:
Girl: "Hi, I'm Chucky and I play womens basketball for Colorado. So, where are we headed?"
Boy: "Um...I just forgot that my jeans are still in the dryer. I hate it when they shrink. I have to go."
Good Lord.
On the court, Nebraska will have to deal with these two in a serious way to avoid a surprise today. The odd-couple is one of the Big 12's best backcourts, contributing 17 and 10 points per game respectively. Luckily, our guards are playing at the top of their game right now, and have been instrumental in stopping late charges from both Kansas and Iowa State in the last two games. Colorado's front-court is a bit more soft, and I expect player of the year candidate Kelsey Griffin to take full advantage of that. The Huskers were out-rebounded by the Buffs in the first meeting, although posting a 16 point win at Boulder. If Griffin and Co. play their game, it's an easy win for the rolling Big Red.
Tipoff: (M) 5pm CST (W) 1:05pm CST
Venue: (Both) Bob Devaney Sports Center
Television: (M) ESPN Fullcourt, Big 12 Network (W) None
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network
Internet stats/radio: www.Huskers.com
Live game thread: www.CornNation.com