Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1996)
Tuesday, January 23, 1996 Page 5 Kansas State forward Tyrone Davis was named the Big Eight player of the week Monday. Davis, a 6-foot-8,23 5-pound senior, scored 25 points in the Wildcats’ 75-60 win at Oklahoma Saturday. Davis leads the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 61.1 percent. * * * During his days at Iowa State, Fred Hoiberg was known as The Mayor. On Thursday night, Hoiberg will receive even more recognition when he and Indiana Pacers’ team mate Reggie Miller are scheduled to appear on the “Late Show with David Lettcrman” to perform a skit. * * * Kansas State will play host to Oklahoma State on Wednesday night. The Cowboys are winless in Big Eight play at 0-3, but Wildcats coach Tom Asbury said he was still concerned. “The Cowboys are a dangerous team right now,” Asbury said. “We must be ready. We’re not good enough to take anyone lightly.” ivansas aiaie, j-i anu seconu place in the conference, leads the league in field goal percentage de fense, allowing, only 38 percent shooting a game. The Wildcats have not gone unnoticed by Cowboys coaoh Eddie Sutton. “I think they’re the surprise team,” Sutton said. “I was really impressed with how they played Oklahoma.” * * * Kansas’ 80-78 come-from-be hind victory Saturday over Colo rado was a surprise to some, but Jay hawk coach Roy Williams said it didn’t shock him. “Colorado was fired up,” Williams said. “If they play with that intensity, they’re go ing to cause a lot of problems.” * * * Nebraska will play host to Mis souri on Wednesday and Kansas on Sunday. Coach Danny Nee said the two games would be a good mea suring stick for the Cornhuskers, who are 2-1 in the Big Eight. “It’s very important to us,” Nee said. “If you’re going to be a factor, you have to control your home court.” ¥ ¥ ¥ The night before his coaching debut at Colorado, Ricardo Patton made like Gen. George Patton as he had his players spend the night at the Coors Events Center. “We haven’t protected our home court,” Patton said. “I told our guys that even the meekest of men protect their home.” Patton said he was still on good terms with Coach Joe Harrington, who resigned last Tuesday. Patton said Harrington called him after the two-point loss to the Jayhawks on Saturday. * * * Missouri coach Norm Stewart said he tried to recruit Nebraska point guard Tyronn Lue, a native of Mexico, Mo. Lue played his high school basketball at Raytown High School in Kansas City. “We knew he was a very good basketball player,” Stewart said. “We like him very much.” Notes compiled by staff reporter Vlace D’Adamo. Mitch Sherman/DN Eddie Sutton shows his frustration Saturday during the first half of Oklahoma State’s 66-57 loss to Nebraska at Gallagher-lba Arena. The Cowboys dropped to 0-3 in the Big Eight. Sutton falls on tough times at OSU Jites : •.. j * : i • 6 : . . : . . ? ■* : , . ' ■ By Gregg Madsen Staff Reporter STILLWATER, Okla. — Eddie Sutton has been a coach for 25 years. Sutton has a .725 winning percent age and is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four schools — Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State—to the NCAA Tour nament. But in 25 years, including the past five at Oklahoma State, he has never started conference play with an 0-3 record — until this season. “It doesn’t feel very good,” Sutton said. With a 66-57 loss to Nebraska Sat urday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena, the 10-5 Cowboys are struggling in several areas, Sutton said. “We just made too many mistakes,” Sutton said. “Wedidn’tplay as well as I’d hoped we would. In the second half, our defense was good enough to win the game and we pulled back into the contest. “But we can’t shoot the basketball. You shoot 34 percent and hit 11 -of-25 free throws, and it puts too much pres sure on your defense.” The Oklahoma State defense held the Comhuskers to only 11 shots and forced 15 turnovers in the second half, but Nebraska hit 14-of-21 free throws. And Oklahoma State could pull no closer than three points. Sutton called Nebraska’s guard tan dem of Jaron Boone and Erick Strickland the best in the conference. He said the development of a consis tent inside game was the main differ ence between this year’s Husker squad and last season’s team. With that newfound inside success, Sutton said Nebraska could go a long way, even deep into the NCAA Tournament. “I think they have the ability to be a contender in the Big Eight and do well in the tournament,” Sutton said. Last year, Sutton coached the Cow boys to a 27-10 record and a Final Four appearance. On their way to Se attle, they defeated Nebraska three times, 82-65 in Lincoln, 93-53 in Stillwater and 68-48 in Kansas City, Mo. But offensive weapons Bryant Reeves and Randy Rutherford are gone, and Sutton said his team had to improve its shooting if it expected to bounce back from a dismal confer ence start. The Cowboys have not begun con ference play 0-4 since the 1979-80 season, under then-first-year coach Senior shines in reserve role By Gregg Madsen Staff Reporter For the past Five years, Terrance Badgett has been on a roller-coaster ride with the Nebraska basketball team. The 6-foot-6 se nior started 31 games last year and 16 two seasons ago. During that time, he helped the Corn huskers win their first Big Eight Tournament title in 1993 and had to p . .. enuure a season uaagen ending collapse last year, when the Huskers lost 10 of their final 14 games. But in his last season as a Husker, Badgett is back where he was as a redshirt freshman, coming off the bench and playing both power and small forward for Nebraska. Badgett said losing his starting spot hadn't diminished his value to the team and could not erase his largest accomplishment. In May, he will graduate with a degree in family science, becoming the first member of his family to earn a college diploma, an accomplishment he attributed to his mother and his faith in God. “I thank God that I’ve been able to go to college,” Badgett said. “I will be the first person in my family to gradu ate from col lege, so that ’ s a blessing in itself. “I have a wonderful mom that has given me all the joy and all the happi ness, and I love her. Because I’m in college now, we’ve become best friends, and I thank God for that, too. “My dad wasn’t around, so my mom raised five kids. I think she did a pretty good job.” Badgett, a graduate of Omaha South High School, said he had taken the lessons from his mother and made the most of an adverse situation this sea son. Against Creighton, he exploded for 17 points in only 15 minutes, scoring 10 consecutive points in the second half and leading the Huskers to an 88 67 victory over the Bluejays, a team that recruited him along with the Husk ers in 1991. On Saturday against Oklahoma State, he scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in the first half, helping Nebraska get its first win in Stillwater, Okla., since 1987. “I just try to help the team in any way possible,” Badgett said. “I like coming off the bench because I get to see what’s going on before I get in, and what areas we need help in.” Badgett said being a part of the 77 68 victory over Oklahoma State in the 1993 Big Eight Tournament champi onship game was one ofhis best Husker basketball memories. He said that year’s senior class of Eric Piatkowsici, Bruce Chubick, Jamar Johnson and Tom Best was an inspiration for him as a senior this season. “I want our senior group to step up like that,” he said. “I want us to go out in style like that.” Badgett said he was optimistic about the Huskers’ chances in the Big Eight this season after a 2-1 confer ence start. “I think all the Big Eight teams are equal,” Badgett said. “In the stretch, whoever gets that continuity, that co hesiveness going into February and March, that’s the team that’s going to have the success. “We have to really worry about ourselves. We beat ourselves at times; we have to be mature and stick to our jobs.” Paul Hansen. And the schedule won’t get any easier for Oklahoma State. The Cow boys must travel to Kansas State Wednesday, and then they face fourth ranked Kansas on Jan. 31 at Allen Field House, where Sutton is 0-5. With those games upcoming, Sutton said he told his coaching staff before the game Saturday that his team needed to beat Nebraska. “I thought this game was probably one of the most important games that we have played since I have been here,” Sutton said. “From the standpoint that you look down the road to where we have to go the next two road trips, I felt by win ning we could gain some confidence. And I really thought probably we would win this ball game.” Huskers lead East to victory From Staff Reports Former Nebraska comerback Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass Sunday night in the Hula Bowl, helping the East to a 17 10 victory over the West in Ho nolulu. Williams was one of five former Cornhuskers to play for the East. Quarterback Brook Berringer completed 2-of-3 passes for 13 yards. He was sacked twice for 15 yards in losses. Clinton Childs, the only other Husker on the offensive squad, was the East’s second-leading rusher with 22 yards on three carries. Phil Ellis had two tackles and one pass break-up, and Tony Veland contributed four tackles and one pass break-up.