Nebraskan Qp^DT'C
Thursday, November 18, 1993 V 1 £ y ^
Huskers helpless to change polls, for now
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
Even though 10-0 Nebraska finds
itself in a position in the “bowl poll”
that could lock it out of the national
championship picture, Cornhusker
players are staying calm—at least for
now.
“It’s a good feeling to be 10-0,”
outside linebacker Trev Alberts said.
“But it doesn’t mean anything. We
don’t have any room to tal k right now.
I f we beat Oklahoma and go undefeat
i '
ed, then we can talk about where we
should be ranked.”
The issue of where the Huskers,
who are third in the coalition poll
behind undefeated Notre Dame and
once-beaten Florida State, should be
ranked has touched off a national
debate among writers, television ana
lysts and coaches.
On Jan. 1, the top two teams in the
coalition poll, which combines point
totals from the Associated Press and
USA Today/CNN coaches’ polls, will
meet in a national championship game.
Some say the Huskers do not de
serve a national-title chance because
of past performances in bowl games
against top-ranked teams. Writers have
argued that the nation would rather
see a Fiesta Bowl rematch between
Notre Dame and Florida State.
Others, like Iowa State coach Jim
Walden, said it was not the job of the
national media to set up rematches
and that the two undefeated teams
should play for the championship.
Nebraska quarterback Tommie
Frazier said the Huskers’ attitude was
busincss-as-usual because the players
couldn’t do anything to affect the
polls — except win.
“I can’t control the voters,” Frazier
said. “The way they vote is the way
they feel. We understand what we
have in front of us. And all we can
worry about right now is Oklahoma.”
IfthcHuskers beat Oklahoma, then
they may need help from Florida State
to vault into the No. 2 spot. The
Scminolcs are 67 points ahead of
Nebraska in the coalition poll.
Florida State plays host to North
- II
If they don ’t give us a
chance, we ll know
there’s something
going on with the
voters. — Frazier
Nebraska quarterback
-*» -
Carolina State on Saturday before
traveling to Gainesville to play Flor
See BOWL POLL on 8
--
NU disposes
of Cyclones,
looks to OU
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
A loss to Oklahoma on Oct. 9 dealt a
severe blow to the Nebraska v olleyball team’s
Big Eight title chances.
On Friday, the Cornhuskcrs will seek
revenge against the Sooncrs.
But the seventh-ranked Huskcrs first had
to take care oflowa State Wednesday night,
and they did in a three-game sweep, 15-8,
15-11,15-3 in frontofaNUColiseumcrowd
of 1,450.
It took the Huskcrs, 21-4 and 9-2 in the
Big Eight, a little longer than expected to
dispose of a pesky Iowa State team before
they could turn to their rematch with Okla
homa, Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said.
“All teams play hard at the end of the
season,” he said. “Iowa State’s fighting to
get into the Big Eight tournament. But play
ing hard isn’t good enough.”
The Cyclones started fast against the
Huskcrs, taking a 4-1 lead. But the Huskcrs
came back with six straight points to make
it 7-4.
Nebraska scored eight of the next 12
points to win the game 15-8. Sophomore
outside hitter Billie Winsctt put the game
away with one of her 14 kills in the match.
Pettit said it was encouraging to see
Winsctt, who had a team-high 16 digs, play
well as the Huskcrs approach the end of the
regular season.
“Winsctt hit .393, and that’s good to see,”
he said. “The left-side hitter has to be suc
cessful, and it’s good to see her taking
charge.
“Billie is instrumental in how we do the
rest of the season. She was much more
consistent (Wednesday night).”
The Huskcrs jumped out to a big lead in
the second game. They scored the first nine
points of the game and led 11-1. But the
Cyclones didn’t quit, storming back with
nine straight points of their own to make it
11-10. But the Huskcrs, led by Winsctt
who again ended the game with a kill — put
Iowa State away.
Pettit said his team had trouble adjusting
to the Cyclones’ defensive scheme.
“One of the things they did was they
Kiley Timperley/DN
Nebraska outside hitter Maria Hedbeck (left) stretches for a dig while teammate Stephanie Clerc looks on during
the Cornhuskers’ 15-8,15-11,15-3 win over Iowa State Wednesday niaht.
dropped everybody back to dig,” he said.
"They gave us the tip but we didn’t tip until
the third game. If you don’t catch that,
they’re going to dig some balls.”
Junior outside hitter Kelly Aspegrcn, the
Big Eight leader in service aces, said the
Huskcrs took a while to adjust to the defense
of the Cyclones.
“In the second game, we let up a bit,” she
said. "We weren’t digging balls. We needed
to tip the ball over the net, and we didn’t do
that until the third game. We should’ve
adjusted earlier.”
In the third game, the Huskers refused to
let Iowa State back in. Nebraska took a 7-1
lead but then the Cyclones looked to get
back in the match. They scored two points to
make it 7-3 but that’s the closest they got as
Nebraska scored the final eight points of the
game.
Even though the Huskcrs won in three
games, Pettit said he thought his team looked
a little tired after some intense practices the
last two days.
“We showed a little fatigue out there,” he
said. “The last couple of practices have been
intense and hard.
“We practiced for two hours the day
before the match.”
Now, Pettit said, it’s time to prepare for
Oklahoma. The Huskcrs will play the Soon
ers Friday at the NU Coliseum, and they
most likely will play them again in the first
round of the Big Eight Tournament.
The Big Eight’s second- and third-place
teams face each other and the first- and
fourth-place teams square off in the tourna
ment, Nov. 26 and 27. Unless Colorado
loses, Nebraska and Oklahoma will be either
the second- or third-place teams in the Big
Eight and will face each other.
Wacky preseason game sets stage for wild season
A bus driver gets more of an ova
tion than the opposing team’s players
combined.
A center named Pavel gets his fifth
loul before halftime—and continues
to play.
A pep band actually bellows
“Whoomp, there it is.”
A 6-foot-11,195-pound freshman,
whose shadow doesn’t fill up a crack
in the sidewalk, is perfect from the
field and line. And he even throws
down the first dunk of the year.
It could only happen in prescason
basketball. And it all happened Tues
day night, during Nebraska’s 122-59
exhibition win over the Spartak Club
of Kiev, Ukraine.
Unfortunately for Mikki Moore,
the 6-foot-ll, 195-poundcr from
Gaffney, S.C., and Nebraska basket
ball fans, the Huskerswill never again
face a team like the Spartak Club,
whose players’ names were 10 times
longer than any of their defensive
stands.
Nec and Moore decided before
Tuesday night’s exhibition that Moore
would not redshirt this season. Now.
instead of having time off to put about
100 pounds on. Moore will have to
battle the behemoths of the Big Eight
before he’s ready.
Unfortunately for Moore, Nee had
little choice. Nee said he would have
preferred to throw a redshirt and about
60 pounds on Moore this season.
But look down Nebraska’s lineup
and you literally have to look down.
The next tallest Huskcr, Tom Best,
stands 6-foot, 9-inches, when he’snot
slouched in pain from the back prob
lems that have hampered his career.
And Melvin Brooks, a junior col
lege transfer from Chowan (N.C.)
College, is a generous 6-8.
So Nec was forced to ask: Who
else is there?
Todd
Cooper
And after seeing Moore come from
a small town in South Carolina, after
witnessing his enthusiasm for the
game, after hearing him answer every
reporters’ question with the word ‘sir,’
Nebraska onlookers have to ask:
What’s there not to like about the
^ (jnfortunately later in the season,
Kansas center Greg Ostcrtag and
Oklahoma State center Bryant Reeves
will ask: What’s there? Moore will
become another stripe on the court
after those mcatheads comc-a
stompin’.
But Moore, who just turned IK
earlier this month, will grow up —
and hopefully out — this season.
And he may not have to worry too
much about banging with the big guys.
Senior 6-7 forward Bruce “Blue
Collar” Chubick looks like he has
done his best to fill up the'middle of
the court—and his gut—on his own.
Chubick’s 232 pounds—up from 215
last year — will help clog the gaping
hole left in the middle by the depar
ture of last year’s centers. Derrick
Chandler and Amos Gregory.
With a new flattop, Piatkowski
looked like he belonged on the Ukrai
nian team Tuesday night. But when
he shot, he was the old, dependable
Polish Rifle.
Unfortunately, Piatkowski will feel
more like a Polish sausage in a bun
this season when he’s double-teamed
by every Husker opponent. The
Ukraine will be Nebraska’s only op
ponent that doesn’t double-team —
or, for that matter, play defense against
— Piatkowski. But the Rifle’s will
ingncss Tuesday night to share a round
of ammunition with his teammates
should keep some of the pressure off
of him.
Guards Jamar Johnson, Jaron
Boone, Erick Strickland and forward
Terrance Badgctt will benefit from
Piatkowski’s unselfish play.
And with a quick release from
downtown, Jason (dock, the sopho
more from Wahoo who redshirted last
season, could become the Midwest
ern version of the three-point bomb
ing California pretty boy of two years
ago, Chris Cresswell.
Throw all of those players into
Nee’s pressurercooker offense and
Huskcr basketball this year is bound
to be wilder than one of the coach’s
signature ties.
At loast it was Tuesday night.
Cooper is a senior news-editorial and
political science major and is the Daily Ne
braskan sports editor.
