Basketball team wants one more first
uy jonn AQKisson
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska men’s basketball
team wants to nail down one more
first before seeing the last of its sea
son.
More specifically, the 1 lth-ranked
Comhuskers will be seeking the first
NCAA Tournament win in school
histoi7 when they play Xavier in the
opening round of the Midwest Re
gional in Minneapolis.
Husker coach Danny Nee, whose
team is seeded third in the Midwest,
said he is optimistic about Nebraska’s
chances entering the 9:30 p.m matchup
at the Hubert H. Humphrey Met
rodome.
“Our philosophy is that we’re going
to concern ourselves with winning
the first game,” Nee said. "I’m confi
dent. We’re playing well, and we’re
playing a team we know something
about.”
Husker center Rich King said
Nebiaska is not happy just to be in the
tournament.
“I think we could go a long way,”
King said. ‘‘We don’t want to sell
ourselves short. We’re just like any
other team, we’re trying to make it to
the Final Four.”
Nebraska has won three of its last
four games, including a second-place
finish in the Big Eight Tournament
last weekend. The wins and a 26-7
overall record, have the Huskcrs tak
ing momentum into tonight’s game,
Nee said.
“How we are playing is of a very
I qual ity level,” Nee said. “We’re play
I ing our best basketball of the year
right now.”
The Huskers will need a quality
effort to defeat 21-9 Xavier, which
brings a five-game winning streak of
its own into the game. The Musket
eers have not beaten a team iri the
NCAA Tournament, but last week
won the Midwestern Collegiate Tour
nament with a win over Saint Louis in
, the final game.
More than anything, however,
Xavier’s NCAA history concerns
Comhusker coaches and players.
Last year, the Musketeers played
spoiler by knocking off Kansas State
and Georgetown, and advanced to the
tournament’s Sweet 16. Xavier was
beaten by eventual national cham
Nebraskan
Nebraska’s Tony Fanner falls back onto Oklahoma’s Bryan Sallier after attempting a shot at the Big Eight tournament. Farmer
was named to the ail-tournament team after scoring 56 points in the three games.
pion Michigan in 1989, and lost to
tourney winners Kansas in 1988.
King conceded that Xavier has an
edge over Nebraska in tournament
experience.
“We have to be aware that their
guys have been there before,” King
said. “They’re not worried about their
season, and I expect them to play with
that type of confidence.”
Guard tandem Jamal Walker and
Jamie Gladden and forward Michael
Davenport are Xavier’s leaders. The
trio averages a combined 44 points a
game.
On paper, the Huskers match up
well with the Musketeers. Xavier’s
tallest starter, 6-foot-9 forward Aaron
Williams, is five inches shorter than
King.
But Nee said since Xavier is a
team that likes to run (the Musketeers
are scoring an average of 82 points a
game), the Huskcrs’ height advan
tage won’t be a major difference in
the game.
‘They’re a mini-Oklahoma — they
like to score and get up the court,”
Nee said. “When you’re playing a
team like that, matchups are irrele
vant.”
With a victory, Nebraska will play
the winner of the Louisiana State
Connecticut game at 6:30 p.m. Satur
day. Although Nee said Nebraska will
scout both teams, King said he and
the team are focused on Xavier.
‘‘I know it’s a clichd, but we’re
taking one game at a lime,” King
said. “The five seniors arc going to
try and lead by example. If we lose,
we’re out of the tournament. That’s
the tone we’re tiding to set for the
whole team.”
\Neumann likes wrestlers’ chances at NCAA s
I By Chuck Green
j| Senior Reporter
Thus far, the 1990-91 wrestling season has
been one of injuries, unmet expectations and
uncertainty for the Comhusker wrestling team.
But Nebraska coach Tim Neumann is hop
ing his seventh-ranked Huskers can answer
questions, silence critics and even finish high
in the final team rankings at this year’s NCAA
wrestling championships in Iowa City, Iowa.
The meet will begin Thursday and end with
the championship finals Saturday night.
Nebraska heads into the championships
ranked ninth in the final Amateur Wrestling
News coaches’ poll and in the NCAA Division
I Tournament poll. Iowa, the Big Ten cham
pion, is ranked No. 1 with a 25-0-1 dual record.
Big Eight champion Oklahoma State is second.
“Iowa and Oklahoma State are heavy, heavy
favorites for first and second,’’ Neumann said.
“But I think any one of six or seven other teams
have a good chance to finish third through
sixth, including us. The team that gets a couple
of guys into the finals and gets the All-America
performances is going to end up third our
fourth.
“I like our chances.”
Nebraska has qualified nine wrestlers for
the meet, the same number as last year when
the Huskers finished fifth. Jason Kelbcrat 126
pounds, Scott Chcnowcth at 177 and Chris
Nelson at 190 are reluming All-Americans.
Kelber finished second last year.
One All-American who won’t be returning
to the NCAAs is Corey Olson, the regular
starter at 190 who underwent knee surgery last
month. Last season as a freshman, Olson fin
ished third.
Neumann said that motivation is not a prob
lem.
“Because this is the NCAA championships,
I’m really anticipating this to be our best meet
of the year,” he said. “Where that puts us in the
final standings, 1 don’t know. 1 don’t think we
have had a bad performance all year, and I do
know that this team is ready to show w hat it is
capable of doing.
“There is no belter place to do this than at
the national championships.”
Neumann said Olson’s absence cost the
Huskers some points at the Big Eight champi
onships, where Nebraska finished third.
“We may have lost a little spark in the
team,” he said of Olson’s absence. “But at the
national championships, it becomes every man
for himself, and I anticipate a good showing
because of our experience.”
Much of that experience was hampered
throughout the season by injuries. At one point
in the dual season, only four of the Huskers’
original 10 starters were in the lineup.
But despite the injuries, Neumann said,
Nebraska still is a team of high expectations.
“I was looking at the Big Eights as a chance
for redemption to show where I thought we
should’ve been throughout the season,” he
said. “1 don’t think we were quite ready then.
The guys who had been hurt did a reasonably
good job at the Big Eights, but now, I’m
expecting their performance lo be better.”
Neumann also said that while it is important
for Nebraska to get repeat performances from
the returning All-Americans, a lot of the team’s
success will depend on the luck of the draw' for
the unseeded Huskers.
Those draws will be made today.
“If we get decent draws — not great ones —
we’ll be fine,” Neumann said.
Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State top
the meet’s list with 10 qualifiers each, while
Nebraska and Iowa State each have nine. This
is the third consecutive season Nebraska has
qualified nine wrestlers in the 10 weightclasscs
for the NCAA championships.
Nebraska’s NCAA qualifiers:
118 — John Buxton (21-5-2, ranked No 0 in the
country)
126 — Jason Kolber (29-2, No 2)
134 — Dave Droegemueller (18-7, No 10)
142 — Layne Billings (10-6)
150 — Todd Enger'(21-14 1)
167 — Tommy Robbins (12-12-5)
177 — Scott Chenowoth (12 4-1, No 11)
190 — Chris Nelson (18 4, No 7)
Hwt. — Sonny Manley (18 9-2)