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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1989)
Sports NU to close basketball season Saturday David f-amaaon/Daily Naorasxan Kansas State’s LaKeith Humphrey applies defensive pres sure to Nebraska’s Clifford Scales. By Nick Hodge Senior Reporter _ Despite having to play the 1989 Big Eight champions and the nation’s No. 4-rankcd team on the road to close out the season, Nebraska men’s basketball coach Danny Nee hasn’t given up. Nee said he believes the Corn huskers can compete with the high powered Oklahoma Sooners Satur day at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. Tip-off is set for 4:05 p.m. * ‘We’re going to play it all the way out,” Nee said. “I still feel we’re determined.” Nebraska enters its last regular season game in sole possession of 7th place in the Big Eight with a 16-13 overall record and a 4-9 league mark. Oklahoma, which won the confer ence title Wednesday by defeating Oklahoma State 111-108 at Norman, Okla., is 25-4 and 11-2. Nee said Oklahoma offers Ne braska a tremendous challenge. ‘‘I know we will have to handle their pressure defense and transition offense,” Nee said. ‘‘I think we’ll be OK.” Oklahoma coach Billy Tubbs said he was impressed by the Huskcrs in the first meeting. “We caught Nebraska when they were playing good,” Tubbs said. “I haven’t seen them in a while. They’re another young team with some talent that is on the move.’’ Oklahoma defeated Nebraska 89 81 earlier this season in Lincoln. Husker center Rich King scored a team-high 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Nebraska. Nee said King continues to im prove. “I think the guy has shown his ability and full potential in the last two to three weeks,” Nee said. “He’s also shown his weaknesses. He needs to start playing within his own strengths.” King has averaged 13 points per game in Nebraska’s last six outings. His season average is 11 points per game. Nee said he’s not looking forward to facing another team that will be closing out its home schedule. The Huskersdropped an 80-71 decision to Kansas Wednesday night in Law rence, Kan. The Jayhawks were inspired be cause the game marked the last home appearance for four seniors. They were also inspired by the presence of former Kansas coach Larry Brown and former All-America Danny Manning. “It’ll be really hard,’’ Nee said. “We’re going to get to say goodbye to Stacey King and Mookie Blay lock.’’ King, a senior center, and Blay lock, a senior guard, are both finalists for the national player of the year award and are All-America candi dates. King averages 26 points and 10 rebounds per game, while Blaylock averages 20 points, seven assists and four steals. Sooner senior forward Tyrone Jones averages 13 points per game to balance the scoring. Oklahoma could sweep post-sea son honors. Tubbs is also a finalist for national coach of the year. Nee said the Huskers have played respectable away from home this season. “We haven’t played real raunchy on the road,’’ Nee said. “We’ve been pretty competitive.” Nebraska has lost 11 straight con ference road games, including six this season. Nee said he thinks the Huskers will play hard. * ‘They showed me a lot of heart (in the Kansas loss),” Nee said. “I want to build on that.” NU to wrestle for 2nd spot at championship By Steve Sipple Staff Reporter The big battle at Sunday’s Big Eight wrestling championships ap parently will be for second place. Conference coaches agree that 2nd-ranked Oklahoma State, which owns a 22-2 dual record, will be the favorite at.the meet at James H. Hil ton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. In a Big Eight wrestling coaches’ poll, the Cowboys, 6-0 against league foes, received ail four lst-place votes. Coaches couldn ’t vote for their own teams. “Going in, they’re the favorite,’’ Nebraska coach Tim Neumann said. “Sad enough to say, the only team that could beat them is Oklahoma the way the seeds are shaping up. (Okla homa) could get eight (wrestlers) in the finals.’’ Oklahoma coach Stan Abel agreed. “That could be true,’’ Abel said. “But the key words are ‘if anybody is.* To beat Oklahoma State, we’d have to wrestle well and they’d have to get upset at a couple weights.*’ Like Neumann, Abel said he ex pects the real war to be waged for second place. “There’s the race,’’ Abel said. “We’re probably the only team that could catch Oklahoma State. But Nebraska and Iowa State are the only teams capable of catching us.’’ In the coaches’ poll, points were awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis. No. 8 Nebraska, 12-6-2, was picked to fin ish fourth among the Big Eight’s five teams, tallying eight points. No. 12 Iowa State, 8-9-1, had 10 points and No. 6 Oklahoma, 13-5-1, had 12 points. Unranked Missouri, which is 6 10-1 and starts five freshmen, re ceived four points. Oklahoma State coach Joe Seay said he’s wary of his team’s role as the favorite. ‘ ‘Being picked first is nice, but it’s like being ranked No. 1 during the season - you have to go out and prove you deserve it,” Seay said. Oklahoma State has proved it’s one of the nation’s best teams. The Cowboys only losses have been to top-ranked Iowa (26-10) and national power Arizona State (20-15). Oklahoma State will wrestle Sun day with four of the meet’s No. 1 seeds. The Cowboys’ list of top seeds includes 126-pound wrestler Kendall Cross, 26-2-1 and ranked No. 3; Mike Farrell, 32-2-1 and No. 2 at 167; Chris Barnes 30-1-1 and No. 2 at 177; and Kirk Mammem, 10-4-2 at heavy weighL Neumann said having top-seeded wrestlers will be a key to winning Sunday’s meet. He said “10 out of 10’’ top-seeded wrestlers will reach the finals at most meets. Nebraska and Missouri have no top-seeded wrestlers. Oklahoma and Iowa State are expected to have three each. Nebraska 134-pounder Mike Hemann will be the Cornhusker’s highest seed, Neumann said. He mann, a fifth-year senior with an 11 4-1 record, is seeded second. Okla homa’s T.J. Sewell, 28-1-2 and ranked No. 3, will be the No. 1 seed at 134. Sewell defeated Hemann 5-0 during Oklahoma’s 17-15 dual win against the Huskers last Friday night. Seven Nebraska wrestlers will probably be seeded third, which isn’t all bad, Neumann said. “We’re going in with a good shot at doing well,’’ he said. Two Nebraska starters return that placed among the top four at last season’s Big Eight meet. Third-seed Jeff Coltvet, 25-7-1, finished second last year at 158 and will wrestle again at that weight this year. At 167, Scott Chenoweth, 21-8-2, will enter as the No. 3 seed after placing fourth at that weight last year. Nebraska finished fourth last year with 32 points. Oklahoma State grabbed the title with 86 points. “I’d be really disappointed if we got fourth, and we may,” Neumann said. “We’ll score more points than we did last year, but I think the points will be more spread out this year.” Five Huskers in Sunday’s finals would probably lead to a 2nd-placc finish, Neumann said. “We’re capable of doing that,” Neumann said. Iowa State will have something to See CHAMPIONSHIPS on ii Williams claims two Big Eight titles on opening day By Jeff A pel Senior Editor A nagging shoulder injury and some tough competition could not keep Nebraska’s Peter Williams from claiming two Big Eight titles during the opening day of the Big Eight swimming and diving championships Thursday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Williams used rest and a cortisone shot in his right shoulder to defeat Kansas’ Allan Chaney in the 50-yard freestyle, then teamed with Mike Irvin, Sean Frampton and Marie Nieuwenhuis to form Nebraska’s winning 400-yard medley relay team. Those performances helped the Nebraska men take an early lead in the three-day meet. The Comhuskers finished Thursday’s competition with 206 points, while Kansas was second with 167. Iowa State is third in the men’s race with 137 points, fol lowed by Missouri with 67. In the women's competition, Kansas used four gold-medal per formances to take an early lead. The Jayhawks amassed 207 Doints, com pared to Nebraska’s 192. Iowa State is also third in the women’s competi tion with 122 points, while Missouri is fourth with 59. Williams said his first Big Eight championship in the 50-yard frees tyle was nice because he was disr qualified in the event last year be cause of a false start He said he was pleased by his time of 20:54 because tendonitis in his shoulder forced him to sit out for three weeks this season. The injury, which sidelined Williams few two months last season, also re quired a cortisone shot, he said. Williams said he was also pleased by his time because he did not shave for the meet. He said he will not be fully rested until Nebraska competes in the NCAA championships on March 30 through April 1 in Indian apolis. “It’s a nice race to win,’’ Wil liams said. “It’skindofan intermedi ate step.’’ Nebraska men’s swimming coach Cal Bentz praised the effort of Wil liams. He said Williams and Irvin did a nice job despite not tapering for the meet. Tapering is a process in which swimmers hope to reduce their times by resting and shaving. Bentz said he was not surprised by the performance of either Williams and Irvin. Irvin bettered his own Big Eight record en route to winning the 200-yard individual medley in 1:49.98. Irvin said he was surprised by his performance. 4 ‘That’s a pretty good time for me right now,’’ Irvin said. “I’m not very . 7 SeaTHUEonll. -- Alton &c*nb»fi /PaMy N*bra«k*n Neventeid1 plunges towards the finish in the 200-yard medley. Nevenfekft