With just four games left in the regular season, Texas was in dire need a bounce-back win after suffering their first conference loss of the season on Saturday. Fortunately for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns, the schedule-makers helped out in that department. Texas had the good fortune of hosting the Iowa State Cyclones, Big 12 cellar dwellers, and took care of business in fashion. The Longhorns turned in another brilliant defensive performance and stifled the short-handed Cyclones, coasting to a 76-53 win.

While fans shouldn’t get too excited about thumping the worst team in the conference, the win allowed the team a chance to iron out some wrinkles that had popped up in Lincoln. Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson took advantage of favorable matchups to have great games, while Dogus Balbay played out of his mind for 23 minutes. The Longhorns certainly have much bigger challenges waiting in the next three games, but it’s reassuring to see that the team was able to rebound quickly from one of their most disappointing performances of the season.

What looked good

Hamilton was the Texas player who most needed a shot in the arm, and he found it in a big way on Tuesday night. After shooting just 24% from the field in the team’s previous two games, Hamilton lit up the scoreboard against the Cyclones. He made 50% of his attempts, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. His two threes in the second half helped fuel a Texas run that extended the team’s lead from just nine at half to more than 20 in a matter of minutes. In the first half, Hamilton even added the rare four-point play after being fouled by Melvin Ejim on a made three.

Thompson also had a breakout night against a smaller Iowa State frontcourt that was without its big defensive presence, 6’11” Jamie Vanderbeken. Tristan posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while piling up the fouls on the Cyclone bigs. Calvin Godfrey fouled out of the game, while Ejim and Jordan Railey finished with four personals each. Most teams will provide a much stiffer test for Thompson in the post, but it’s a good sign that the team identified the mismatches and mercilessly exploited them.

Gary Johnson also had a double-double against Iowa State, scoring 14 points to go with his 12 rebounds. Perhaps most importantly, Johnson finally took the opportunity to step out and knock down a three-pointer in this game.

As we mentioned last month, Gary is one of the nation’s best shooters when it comes to shooting in the “danger zone,” located from 17-feet out to the three-point arc. It’s the furthest shot on the court that isn’t worth an extra point, so the risk is much greater than the reward. When we ran the numbers back on January 15th, Johnson was scoring 1.2 points per shot in that “danger zone.” It seems a natural progression for the senior to take a few steps back and earn an extra point for the team.

Another senior that chipped in with a quality outing was Dogus Balbay, who kept the Longhorn machine churning in the second half with hustle play all over the court. With the Cyclones sagging off of him in ways not seen since the 2009-10 season, Balbay attacked the paint off the dribble and contributed six points and two assists. More importantly, his active hands on defense deflected numerous passes out of bounds to disrupt the Cyclones, while he added a steal and a pair of impressive blocks late in the game.

As far as the numbers go, the Longhorn performance was absolutely dominant. Texas scored just 11 points in the final 11 minutes of the game, yet still finished with an impressive 23-point victory. The defense, meanwhile, squashed any hopes of an upset by holding the Cyclones scoreless for a combined 7:39 to open and close out the first half.

In terms of efficiency, the Longhorns put up the second-best outing against Iowa State all season. They held the Cyclones to just 0.767 points per possession, thanks largely in part to excellent perimeter defense. Although Iowa State had some open long-range looks early, they missed many of them, and Texas quickly adjusted to lock down the arc. The Cyclones, who were one of the nation’s top fifty teams from long range, managed to make just 25% of their three-point attempts against Texas.

Add in the fact that the Longhorns had a brief stretch in the first half where they were unable to stop Iowa State’s dribble-drive, and those stifling defensive numbers are even more impressive. After grabbing a 4-0 lead out of the gate, Texas allowed the Cyclones to score 13 points in just seven possessions, thanks to four layups and a dunk. Once the Longhorns made the effort to shut down the dribble penetration, Iowa State was limited to mostly contested jumpers. Excluding that four-minute stretch of porous defense, Texas held the Cyclones to an unbelievable 0.656 points per possession.

What needed work

In all honesty, there was very little to nitpick in Tuesday night’s game. The Longhorns had that four-minute stretch of weak defense which we just addressed, but otherwise they appeared impenetrable.

From the free-throw line, the team actually started 10-for-13 before finishing just 3-for-8 down the stretch. That gave the Longhorns a 61.9% success rate at the line, which has unfortunately become par for the course at this point. As usual, Thompson was the main offender, making just one of his six attempts.

Jai Lucas had a disappointing 1-of-7 night from the field, finally breaking through late in the game with a pull-up jumper a few feet inside the arc. Fortunately, the Iowa State game gave Jai a harmless opportunity to work on his shot at game speed. Unfortunately, the extra time didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

It’s essentially a given that Lucas will have to chew up some minutes down the stretch to give the starters some rest. Hopefully, he will be more of a floor manager and less of a shooter in games that are a little more tightly contested. Limiting his playing time to stints in which other scorers are on the floor should help to limit the damage during those stretches.

Up next: at Colorado (16-11 overall, 5-7 Big 12); Saturday, 3 P.M. CT

With just four games left in the regular season, the Texas Longhorns have the chance to be the first team not named Kansas to win an outright Big 12 title in the last seven years. Before losing to Nebraska on Saturday, that outcome seemed all but guaranteed for Texas. But with that pesky loss now on their record, the Longhorns have almost no margin for error down the stretch. Kansas has only one game left that seems like a possible loss, coming on the final day of the season when they travel to Columbia to take on Mizzou.

Texas, meanwhile, has a handful of tough games left on its plate. Road trips to Colorado and Baylor are certainly not guaranteed wins, and the Longhorns still have to host a Kansas State team that upset the Jayhawks last Monday. Tonight’s tussle with Iowa State is the only “easy” game left for Texas during these last two weeks, so they absolutely have to take care of business in this one.

By the numbers

Offensively, Iowa State ranks in the top third of Division I basketball, but it’s practically all thanks to their three-point shooting. The Cyclones are ranked 48th nationally with a 37.6% mark behind the arc, and they take nearly 38% of their shots from that distance.

Iowa State hardly ever gets to the line, and in fact the Cyclones have a team free-throw rate that is third-worst in the entire country. This is a product of their reliance on jump shots, particularly three-pointers. The low FTR for Iowa State is a welcome sight for the Longhorns, who suffered on Saturday when Gary Johnson had to sit with early foul problems. Against the Cyclones, very few Texas players should be in foul trouble tonight.

The Longhorns will also benefit from the lack of offensive rebounding by Iowa State. The Cyclones grab just 29.7% of their misses, and have struggled even more in conference play, where they have an offensive rebounding mark of just 26.4%. On Saturday, Texas allowed the Cornhuskers to have a field day on the offensive glass, despite the fact that Nebraska also had an offensive rebounding mark below 30% in Big 12 play. The Longhorns simply cannot fail to exploit this advantage in a second-straight game.

Although Iowa State has won just one game in conference play, they have competed in almost every contest. They have six conference losses by six points or less, and have been defeated twice in overtime. While Texas is certainly more talented than the Cyclones, don’t be surprised if Iowa State makes this a much closer game than most are expecting.

Meet the Cyclones

Fatigue is likely a big reason why the Cyclones have fallen short so many times this season. Iowa State has perhaps the thinnest rotation that Texas has faced all year, with only seven men seeing significant playing time. More importantly, the starting five accounts for 81% of the team’s minutes. If the bigger, more physical Longhorns manage to get the Iowa State starters into foul trouble, there isn’t much more in the cupboard for first-year coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Cyclones are led by Diante Garrett, a combo guard who can carry the team with his scoring when he isn’t dishing out assists. Garrett is really the only player on the Iowa State roster who can repeatedly break down opponents off the dribble, which allows him to both get to the rack and create openings for his teammates when defenses react.

Garrett is averaging more than six assists per game, best in the Big 12 by a wide margin. His 17.3 points per game is fifth-best in the league, but his eye-popping numbers are overshadowed by Iowa State’s poor record.

Garrett is joined in the backcourt by sharpshooter Scott Christopherson. The junior from Wisconsin has hit more than 45% of his three-point attempts, a mark that is tops in the Big 12 and 23rd-best in D-I basketball. Christopherson has had four different games in which he’s made at least five three-pointers — including two games in which he sank seven triples — and has made at least one three in every game he’s played this year.

Another scorer in the backcourt is senior Jake Anderson, who arrived in Ames after three years as a starter at Northern Illinois, where he played for former Colorado coach Ricardo Patton. Anderson is actually the team’s best rebounder despite being just 6’2″, as he averages 7.5 boards per game. He can make aggressive moves off the dribble and is smart enough to identify mismatches when he has smaller guards isolated on defense near the paint.

The only other guard to play significant minutes for Coach Hoiberg is Bubu Palo, a sixth man who brings energy off the bench. Palo redshirted his freshman season after being recruited to Ames as a walk-on, and is now providing nearly 15 minutes per game. He can take over ballhandling duties when Garrett needs a breather, as Palo was the starting point guard for his high school team, which won the Iowa state championship in 2009. You may have even heard of one of Palo’s Ames High teammates, a kid by the name of Harrison Barnes.

In the frontcourt, the Cyclones counter Texas’ Toronto connection with their own Canadian product, Melvin Ejim. At 6’6″, the freshman has already shown the ability to defend bigger, more physical players. Unfortunately, he’s also revealed a tendency to get beat by more athletic forwards who can take him off the dribble, like Tech’s Mike Singletary and the Morris twins at Kansas.

Even with that knock against him, Ejim is a solid defender and rebounder, and can score easily inside or with his smooth mid-range jumper. Although he doesn’t shoot it as often as his teammates, Ejim has even shown the ability to occasionally knock down the three.

Also in the frontcourt is Jamie Vanderbeken, an excellent three-point shooter who can pull opposing big men out of the paint with his long-range threat. His ability to score from the perimeter opens up the driving lanes for Garrett and Anderson, and the guards often find Vanderbeken wide open behind the arc when defenses collapse on them in the paint.

Thanks to his prediliction for playing on the perimeter, Vanderbeken’s offensive rebounding numbers are unimpressive for a 6’11” guy. On defense, though, he plays like a big man. His 1.8 blocks per game are 3rd in the Big 12, and he’s third on the team in defensive rebounding.

Off the bench, Iowa State has two frontcourt options in Calvin Godfrey and Jordan Railey. While Godfrey plays nearly twice as many minutes as Railey, the Cyclones will likely call on both of them for extra minutes against a bigger Texas team tonight. Both forwards have had major issues with foul trouble so far this year, so they will likely have a tough time trying to contain the Longhorn frontcourt in this one.

Keys to the game

The quickest way for Texas to put away the Cyclones tonight is to lock down the perimeter. Besides Garrett, Iowa State lacks any true creators, so the Longhorns must make sure that the Cyclone sharpshooters aren’t getting open looks from behind the arc. Garrett simply cannot beat Texas on his own, and as long as his outlets are being covered, he also won’t be able to kill the Horns with well-timed kick-outs for three.

The Longhorns also need to control the defensive glass tonight. They did a terrible job of this on Saturday, and it ultimately cost them the game in Lincoln. With the Cyclones guaranteed to take a lot of long-range jumpers tonight, Texas cannot afford to let the long caroms get away from them. The Longhorns have to grab those missed shots and limit the number of chances Iowa State has to do damage from three-point range.

Finally, Texas must abuse Iowa State inside. Kansas absolutely decimated the smaller Cyclone lineup behind great performances by the Morris twins, who averaged a combined 40 points and 23 rebounds in their two games against Iowa State. If Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson can get going early against the Cyclones, the Longhorns will rack up the points and also hang some fouls on a thin ISU frontcourt.

TEAM W L FINAL FOUR GAMES Texas 11 1 vs. ISU (2/22), at CU (2/26), vs. KSU (2/28), at BU (3/5) Kansas 10 2 vs. OSU (2/21), at OU (2/26), vs. A&M (3/2), at Mizzou (3/5) Texas A&M 8 4 vs. OU (2/23), at BU (2/26), at KU (3/2), vs. TTU (3/5) Missouri 7 5 vs. BU (2/23), at KSU (2/26), at Neb (3/1), vs. KU (3/5) Baylor 6 6 at Mizzou (2/23), vs. A&M (2/26), at OSU (3/1), vs. UT (3/5) Kansas State 6 6 at Neb (2/23), vs. Mizzou (2/26), at UT (2/28), vs. ISU (3/5) Nebraska 6 6 vs. KSU (2/23), at ISU (2/26), vs. Mizzou (3/1), at CU (3/5) Colorado 5 7 at TTU (2/23), vs. UT (2/26), at ISU (3/2), vs. Neb (3/5) Oklahoma 4 8 at A&M (2/23), vs. KU (2/26), at TTU (3/2), vs. OSU (3/5) Oklahoma State 4 8 at KU (2/21), vs. TTU (2/26), vs. BU (3/1), at OU (3/5) Texas Tech 4 8 vs. CU (2/23), at OSU (2/26), vs. OU (3/2), at A&M (3/5) Iowa State 1 11 at UT (2/22), vs. Neb (2/26), vs. CU (3/2), at KSU (3/5)

The big picture

While the top two teams in the Big 12 stumbled last week, a quartet of other schools continued their winning ways to charge into consideration for the league’s final two tournament byes. Texas A&M knocked off Iowa State and Oklahoma State to keep their hold on third place, while Missouri handled Tech at home and followed it up by picking up their first conference road win of the year in Ames. Baylor’s inexplicable loss to Texas Tech allowed surging Nebraska and Kansas State to force a three-way tie for fifth, just one game out of the coveted top four.

With only four games left in the regular season, there’s still a lot to be sorted out. Kansas and Texas are still battling it out for the league crown, while the muddled bunch of Mizzou, Baylor, Nebraska, and K-State will start to sort things out with head-to-head games on Wednesday.

Of course, the most important thing to play for is a spot in the NCAA tournament. In today’s Bracketology, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Big 12 with 5 bids. Baylor has just missed the cut as one of the “Last Four Out,” while Nebraska is not far behind as one of the “Next Four Out.” Both teams have a few chances to pick up statement wins coming down the stretch. If not, the league many once believed to be incredibly deep may turn out to be nothing more than a little wheat and a whole lot of chaff.

Mid-week games

Oklahoma State at Kansas; Monday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
Oklahoma State comes into this one with little left to play for. A foul in the backcourt gave Texas A&M the winning free throw attempts in the waning seconds on Saturday night in Stillwater, tagging the Cowboys with their third straight conference loss. All three losses have come following the suspension of Darrell Williams, who had posted an 18-point, 12-rebound game in his last outing before rape allegations were levied against him.

Kansas has its own suspension to deal with in this one, but the much deeper Jayhawk squad should be just fine. Guard Tyshawn Taylor has been suspended indefinitely by Coach Bill Self, for undisclosed reasons. Taylor has been the subject of off-the-court issues since arriving in Lawrence, whether it be his fight with football players or his Facebook status expressing a desire to transfer. The timing of this latest incident couldn’t be worse for the junior, who was averaging four assists and more than 11 points in his last four games.

Kansas suffered its only conference loss last season against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, but things should be very different tonight. Vegas has pegged the Jayhawks as 18 point favorites.

Iowa State at Texas; Tuesday, 7:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
A full preview of the Iowa State/Texas game will be available on Tuesday.

Oklahoma at Texas A&M; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Oklahoma has seriously outperformed expectations this season, and has been very close to winning even more than the four conference games they have claimed so far. On Wednesday, Cade Davis missed tying the game by mere inches, as he stepped on the three-point line while knocking down a last-second basket. The blunder allowed Nebraska to escape with a one-point road victory. On Saturday, the Sooners were within five of K-State before an ill-timed technical foul by Carl Blair allowed the Wildcats to go on a 14-0 run and ice the game.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M has simply been winning the games it is supposed to win. During their four-game winning streak, the Aggies have defeated Colorado, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State by a combined total of just 12 points. While none of the wins are headline-grabbers, they have allowed A&M to maintain a firm hold on third place in the conference. With this game and another home date versus Tech still on the schedule, things are setting up nicely for the Aggies to claim a bye in the Big 12 tournament.

Colorado at Texas Tech; Wednesday, 6:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Colorado missed a big chance to keep itself in the NCAA hunt when they were embarrassed on Saturday in Lawrence. At this point, even an upset of Texas on Saturday likely won’t save the post-season hopes of the Buffaloes, but they certainly will be out of the picture if they drop Wednesday night’s contest with Tech. SI’s Andy Glockner still has the Buffs alive in his latest Bubble Watch, but he believes that only a perfect 4-0 mark down the stretch will do the trick.

Baylor at Missouri; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPN2)
One of the two intriguing match-ups on Wednesday night is between the Bears and Tigers, although Baylor certainly took some of the shine off this game by losing at home to Tech on Saturday. The Tigers are 16-0 at Mizzou Arena so far this season, where the hometown crowd makes Mike Anderson’s pressure defense even more intimidating. Baylor desperately needs to stop the bleeding to keep their NCAA hopes alive, but stealing a road win in Columbia will be a tough order.

Kansas State at Nebraska; Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
Two weeks ago, this game seemed all but meaningless. But after the Wildcats and Huskers knocked off Kansas and Texas last week, both teams are in the mix for a conference tournament bye and even an NCAA bid. K-State handled Nebraska easily in Manhattan at the beginning of the month, logging a 69-53 win.

Lincoln is a tough place to win, though, as the Longhorns discovered on Saturday. The Huskers are 16-1 at the Devaney Center this season, with the only loss coming to KU in a game where the Jayhawks sank 13 three-pointers. The Red Zone will be fired up and looking for revenge on Wednesday night.

Saturday was the day the streaks died. The Longhorns came into Lincoln, Nebraska boasting a perfect 11-0 mark in the Big 12, a streak of 264 minutes without trailing, and a seven-game winning streak on the road. The Cornhuskers wiped away all of that with an incredible second-half performance, neutralizing the vaunted Texas defense en route to a 70-67 win.

For the Cornhuskers, the win was the marquee victory they have needed to pad their NCAA tournament résumé. At 18-8 overall, they now have wins over Texas and Texas A&M, plus upcoming opportunities to knock off Kansas State and Missouri at home. While Nebraska was on the fringes of the bubble discussion before Saturday, now they find themselves squarely in the middle of a very soft bubble. The Cornhuskers have not made the NCAA field since 1998, and have not won a game in their six tournament appearances.

For Texas, the loss was simply a speedbump. Quality teams often lose on the road in college basketball. In fact, the Longhorns’ loss was the third road loss this week by a team ranked in the top five of both major polls. While Texas certainly has big tests ahead in Kansas State and road trips to Colorado and Baylor, if they can recover and once again play up to their potential, they should be just fine.

What looked good

Perhaps the only thing that looked good for the Longhorns yesterday were the first and last few minutes of the game. Texas built an eight-point lead over the first twelve minutes of the game, powered by 47% shooting from the field, including 57% behind the arc. After that, Texas would shoot only 33% from three-point range, and 31.5% from the field.

In the final minutes, Texas refused to quit. Down 11 points with just 2:35 left, the Longhorns took advantage of missed free throws by Nebraska and a terrible job by the towel boys to tie the game just 1:25 later. Jordan Hamilton made three free throws after being fouled on an attempt in the corner, then added a three from the wing after Jorge Brian Diaz missed a pair of free throws for the Huskers.

Following a made free throw by Houston product Toney McCray, Texas then scored six straight points to force the tie. During that run, a Nebraska player slipped on the inbounds pass, allowing Alexis Wangmene to grab the ball and make two free throws after he was fouled inside. That was the end of the Longhorn rally, though, as Brandon Richardson made a pair of free throws just 28 seconds later to put Nebraska up for good.

In all honesty, the Longhorns had no business being in the game at that point. They were flat-out whipped during the second half, but showed tenacity in refusing to give up. Texas even had a shot to go ahead with 33 seconds left, and another attempt to tie it at the buzzer. While there was very little to take away from Saturday’s game, fans can at least rest assured that Texas is far more resilient than a year ago, when the team crumbled in the face of any adversity.

What needed work

The most glaring deficiencies for Texas on Saturday afternoon came on the defensive side of the ball. The Longhorn bigs were absolutely abused inside by Diaz and Andre Almeida, who combined to score 21 points. A big part of this was the early foul trouble for Gary Johnson, which forced Matt Hill and Wangmene to play a combined 16 minutes even though they couldn’t contain the Nebraska frontcourt.

With Diaz and Almeida playing so well inside, the Cornhuskers isolated the Texas bigs on the blocks and let their guards go to work. Eight of Nebraska’s 15 second-half baskets came in the form of layups or dunks, as Richardson and Lance Jeter were able to drive to the rack with hardly any resistance, while Diaz and Almeida provided seals on the Longhorn forwards.

All told, the defensive performance by Texas was the worst against Nebraska all season. The only teams who posted poorer defensive efficiency numbers against the Cornhuskers this year were North Dakota, Jackson State, and Arkansas Pine Bluff. To say that the Longhorns are more talented than those three teams would be a gross understatement. The Texas defense that pundits have been raving about for the last two months was nowhere to be found on Saturday.

Another big reason for Nebraska’s success on the offensive end was the fact that Texas could not grab a rebound when it mattered. The Cornhuskers grabbed a whopping 43.3% of their misses in this game, a stat made even more shocking when you consider that they were reclaiming just 28% of their misses in conference play coming into the game.

Connecticut beat Texas on the strength of their offensive rebounding, and Nebraska did the same thing on Saturday. Add in the fact that Texas nearly lost to North Carolina thanks to offensive putbacks, and it’s easy to see what the plan of attack will be for teams playing the Longhorns in the future.

Offensively, the performance by the Texas players was nothing to write home about. Hamilton had a terrible shooting day, making just 3-of-16 from the field. You can give him some credit for making it to the line 11 times to earn points, but it also has to be noted that he only attempted six free throws in the first 38 minutes of the game.

Hamilton put up 11 three-pointers on the afternoon and missed all five of his two-point attempts. Many of those misses were good looks that just weren’t falling, but he needs to recognize when it’s just not his day and then make the effort to attack off the dribble and manufacture points.

In addition, this game underscored early-season concerns about the frontcourt depth. While Hill and Wangmene will never be confused with Johnson, the fact that they had to play extended minutes also hurt the Texas defense in an unexpected way.

The Cornhuskers were packing the lane defensively, a tactic made even more effective because Hill and Wangmene are generally non-threats on the offensive end. The Longhorns simply could not afford to also have Balbay on the floor, because it would leave them with only three scorers. Without Dogus limited to just 15 minutes, the Nebraska guards found it even easier to drive the lane with impunity. In a domino effect, losing a post player to foul trouble actually weakened the perimeter defense.

Next up: vs. Iowa State (14-13 overall, 1-11 Big 12); Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT

At 11-0 in the Big 12 and a full two games ahead of the Kansas Jayhawks in the league standings, the Texas Longhorns now have their eyes on bigger prizes ahead. The Longhorns are still firmly in the discussion for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and are jockeying for preferential placement in the nearby San Antonio regional.

To reach those goals, Texas has to win the games it is supposed to win on paper. They will likely be favored in each of their last five regular season games, but the three remaining road tests certainly provide the biggest danger of tripping up the streaking Longhorns. This afternoon, Texas will tackle the first of those road challenges as they face a Nebraska team that is looking desperately for marquee wins to pad their tournament résumé.

For the fans, there’s also an element of intrigue with Nebraska’s impending move to the Big 10. There was a fair share of political stumping going on during the off-season realignment, with the Huskers receiving a large chunk of the blame for fracturing the conference. Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osbourne scoffed at the notion, instead pointing his finger at the six teams, including Texas, who were considering a retaliatory move to the Pac 10. It’s fairly safe to say there is no love lost between the two schools.

By the numbers

Since arriving from UTEP, Doc Sadler has coached his Cornhuskers into a defensive machine. In terms of defensive efficiency, Nebraska’s 0.892 points allowed per possession is 14th in the nation. In conference play, that number has ballooned to 1.013 points every time down the floor, but the Huskers are still 2nd in the Big 12. The only team ahead of them, of course, is Texas and its nearly impenetrable defense.

Offensively, it’s a completely different story for Nebraska. They rank near the bottom of the conference in three of the four offensive factors, and are even near the bottom nationally in offensive rebounding and free-throw rate. Against Big 12 competition, the Cornhusker offense turns the ball over 20.2% of the time, grabs rebounds on just 28% of their missed shots, and posts a free-throw rate of only 34.7%.

The low offensive rebounding numbers are very interesting, because the Cornhusker defense does a great job cleaning the glass and limiting opponents to one-shot possessions. They are holding opponents to a 26.3% offensive-rebounding mark on the season, a number that is actually 5th in the entire country. If the Cornhuskers could translate that rebounding performance to even a slightly better output on their own end, they would be a much tougher team to beat.

Meet the Cornhuskers

Just like last season, the team Nebraska has on the floor is nothing like the one they anticipated having back in August. Oregon transfer Kamyron Brown was suspended 10 games for undisclosed reasons before ultimately being dismissed from the team. Big man Christopher Niemann has taken longer than expected coming back from his third surgery, and has played only a handful of minutes in conference play. And in January, German forward Christian Standhardinger — arguably the best player on the team — elected to transfer to La Salle.

Even with all of the departures and the slow pace that Nebraska employs, Coach Sadler still has a deep rotation that spreads the minutes out. The Cornhuskers typically play 10 different guys, with no players averaging more than 30 minutes a game. The roster isn’t full of stars, but it is full of interchangeable parts, something which works well in Sadler’s fundamentally-sound system.

The unquestioned leader of Nebraska is senior point guard Lance Jeter. Short and stocky, this former football player is truly a coach on the floor, and knows how to use his strength to finish inside. He’s currently leading the team with 11 points per game, but it’s his solid 2.4-to-1 assist-to-TO ratio that keeps the Nebraska offense churning. On the defensive end, he has really quick hands, and can swipe the ball at a moment’s notice. His steal percentage of 3.6% is 65th in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy.

The other main man for Nebraska is 6’11” Jorge Brian Diaz. With Standhardinger’s mid-season departure, Diaz is now the best post option that the Huskers have. They often run a four-out, one-in look rotating around the big man, which is part of the reason why they struggle so much on the offensive glass. Diaz is a quality scorer, who can knock down jumpers out to 17 feet, has a nice hook shot, and can easily post up against opposing bigs.

In the backcourt, former JuCo All-American Caleb Walker is making a quick impact. At 6’4″, he’s second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game. He also brings athleticism and the ability to drive to the rim, along with an average three-point shot. The Huskers have been abysmal from behind the arc so far this season, so Walker’s 34.8% three-point mark is actually one of the best on the team.

Junior guard Brandon Richardon was the leading scorer to return from last year’s team, but this year has seen his output dip from 8.9 to 6.3 points per game. Richardson earns his minutes with hard-nosed defensive play and hustle, two attributes that are highly valued by Coach Sadler. Don’t look for the junior to light up the scoreboard this afternoon, but he will likely make his impact doing the little things.

Houston product Toney McCray is back on the court for Nebraska this season after elbow surgery caused him to miss all but three games last year. He’s the only true three-point threat for the Huskers, having knocked down more than 42% of his long-range attempts this year. He’s a catch-and-shoot guy with an incredibly quick release, so Texas must work hard to fight through the screens set for him. McCray is also athletic and can attack off the dribble, so having the bigs switch on those screens could provide some less-than-stellar results.

Off the bench, Nebraska has a pair of big men to compliment Diaz in Brandon Ubel and Andre Almeida. Ubel is a tall, skinny guy who brings some range to the four spot, but his lack of heft has made it tough for him to play solid defense inside. He’s constantly had his minutes limited by foul trouble this season, and will probably have issues against the likes of Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson this afternoon.

Almeida has also struggled with foul trouble, but his is certainly not an issue of being undersized. After needing an appendectomy just before the season, the 6’11” Almeida reported to campus at a hefty 310 pounds. Even at Nebraska’s slower pace, he has a hard time keeping up for extended minutes, and he’s often fouling opponents when he gets out of position and can’t recover in time.

In the backcourt, Drake Beranek is providing about 18 minutes per game off the bench. A transfer from Division II Nebraska-Kearney, Beranek is a quality shooter who also plays fiesty defense. This year, he’s made 38.5% of his three-pointers, and he sank more than 42% in his previous season at the D-II level. Although the Huskers hardly ever get to the foul line, Beranek is nearly automatic when he does make it there. He was 82% at the line in D-II, and is 81.8% from the stripe so far this season.

Coach Sadler also has a pair of guards in Ray Gallegos and Eshaunte Jones who are chipping in 13 minutes each per game. Jones was a madman behind the arc last season, where he hit 43.5% of his attempts. This season, the book is out on Jones, and defenses have held him to just a 31.7% three-point mark.

Gallegos, meanwhile, is still learning the game as a sophomore. He has issues turning the ball over and has made just six of his 41 three-point attempts. If he can find his long-range shot, he’ll be a great role player for Nebraska. As it is right now, he’s simply a guy who can give the starting guards a quick breather.

Keys to the game

As they did against Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, the Longhorns need to attack the Huskers inside-out. This serves two purposes, as it can lead to a lot of fouls on a thin Nebraska frontcourt, and also opens up the perimeter for the Longhorn shooters. Kansas absolutely decimated Nebraska in the second half of their last meeting by employing this attack. The Huskers love to double down on the blocks, so if the Texas bigs are ready to make the quick pass back out, it should lead to a bevy of threes.

On defense, Texas will want to force Diaz off the blocks. He can certainly knock down the midrange jumper, and even has a salty turnaround in his aresenal. But, he’s much more difficult to defend if he’s catching the ball in or near the paint. In addition, Diaz is one of just two consistent offensive rebounders, so having him away from the blocks when the guards put up shots should make it even easier for Texas to dominate the defensive glass.

Finally, the Longhorns need to reclaim their own misses. The biggest part of Nebraska’s defensive success is their ability to clean the glass and force opponents into one-shot possessions. If Texas can take advantage of their greater talent inside, they can really cripple a typically-stout Husker defense.