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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1997)
Mitch Sherman Sutton, OSU can turn dream into nightmare If ever Nebraska needed extra in centive to play inspired basketball, it’s there tonight. If ever a one-game letdown could kill an entire season, it’s tonight. If ever one victory could send the Bob Devaney Sports Center into a frenzy four days later, it’s tonight. And if ever one man could ruin the whole thing, it’s Eddie Sutton. The Oklahoma State coach makes a living by winning when he’s not sup nosed to A college legend with 584 victo ries in 27 seasons, Sutton’s team ap pears out-matched tonight against the Comhuskers. But if the Huskers look ahead to Sunday’s mega-game with No. 1 Kansas — and a possible spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line — they’ll never get past OSU. A loss tonight and NU might as well start Mike Johnette and Ryan Hinckley on Sunday to ensure a No. 10 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and prevent a second round rematch with the Jayhawks. “Nebraska is a very, very talented basketball team,” Sutton said Tues day. “They’ve had their ups and downs, but after beating Iowa State, they’re going to be up for us.” Danny Nee and staff had better hope so. The NU coach of 11 years needs a strong finish this season to relieve mounting pressure that began to form two years ago when NU missed the NCAA Tournament after four straight invitations to the dance. These Huskers play better as a unit than any group since the 1993 94 team that won the Big Eight Tour nament. This team possesses the chemistry to win tonight and push Kansas to the wire. umy aunon, wno s won in inree of his last four trips to Lincoln, stands between Nebraska and a scintillat ing Sunday at the Devaney Center. With a win tonight, lines will form early Sunday morning as fans wait to feel the thunder missing from Lin coln since 1994. The Cowboys hobble into Ne braska one week after 6-foot-7 for ward Maurice Robinson broke his left finger in a win over Texas A&M. Also missing from the OSU lineup are center Alex Webber, forward Ja son Skaer, forward Scott Robisch and guard Estell Laster, leaving the Pokes with one player taller than 6-6. “I’ve got seven scholarship play ers left,” Sutton said. “This is not a problem we foresaw, but consider ing the circumstances, our players have handled things well.” Tied for seventh place in the con ference standings at 6-8, both teams need a victory tonight. Nebraska had better be ready because Oklahoma State certainly will be. Sherman is a senior news-edi torial major and a Daily Nebras kan senior reporter. First step: Conal Cowboys Wins tonight, Sunday may put Huskers in the NCAA Tournament. By Sam McKewon Staff Reporter For the Nebraska basketball team, the road to the NCAA Tournament will be paved with its final two home games starting tonight at 7:05 against Oklahoma State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. If NU (15-12 overall and 6-8 in the Big 12 Conference) can win tonight and upset top-ranked Kansas on Sun day, the Huskers would finish the regu lar season with an 8-8 conference record and a 17-12 overall mark. No former Big Eight school was denied entrance into the tournament after posting an above .500 conference mark and having at least 17 wins over 1 Division I opponents. NU Coach Danny Nee declined to say whether two victories this week will guarantee a spot among the field of 64. But Nee and the Husk ers know one thing for sure: They need to cor ral the Cowboys, a team that has won in its last two vis its to the Devaney Center. Lue “If we lose, we are out. Period,” Nee said. “We’ve got to win to even be considered.” The Cowboys are coming off an 80-64 setback at Oklahoma on Satur day. OSU sits in a similar position to Nebraska with a 6-8 conference record and a 14-12 overall mark. Nee said OSU Coach Eddie Sutton will have the Cowboys ready for tonight's game. “You don't like to play Oklahoma State late in the season because they execute their offense and play sound defense,” Nee said. “It’s a typical Eddie Sutton team.” The Cowboys are led by senior for ward Chianti Roberts and sophomore guard Adrian Peterson. Roberts aver ages 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and is considered OSU’s defen sive stopper. Peterson leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game. Nee said shutting down Roberts will be the key. “Chianti is an excellent player,” Nee said. “We’re going to put Larry Florence on him to try and shut him down.” Like NU, which usually plays eight players, Oklahoma State does not have a deep bench. Injuries have left the Cowboys with only seven scholarship Please see OSU on 8 Men's Basketball Starters Today, 7:05 p.m. Devaney Center Nebraska 1512 (6 8) Pos Name Ht. Wt. Yr. F 4 Venson Hamfiton 6-9 240 So. F 5 Larry Florence 6-5 225 So. C 32 Mikki Moore 6-11 220 Sr. G 30 Cookie Belcher 6-3 200 Fr. G 10 Tyronn Lue 6-0 170 So. Oklahoma St. 1412(6 8) Pos Name Ht. Wt. Yr. F 23 Chianti Roberts 6-6 229 Sr. F 34 Desmond Mason 6-6 207 Fr. C 31 Brett Robisch 6-11 255 Jr. G 10 Marlon Dorsey 6-4 193 Sr. G 20 Adrian Peterson 6-4 197 So. NUtoend bad month at Kansas By Shannon Heffelfinger Staff Reporter Nebraska entered the month of February riding a seven game win streak and looking at challenging for the inaugu ral Big 12 Conference title. B u t the end of the snonesi monm couldn’t come quickly enough for the Cornhuskers, Beck who have compiled a 2 5 record in February and lost three of their last four games by a total of five points. Now after struggling for the past three weeks, the Huskers (18 6 overall and 8-6 in the Big 12 Conference) face their stiffest chal lenge yet, playing conference leader Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse tonight at 7 in Lawrence. “It’s going to take a Hail Mary and a holy prayer to get a win at Kansas,” Nebraska Coach Angela Beck said. “We need to perform. We just have to keep continuing to improve.” The Huskers will be limited in their attack without their speedy point guard LaToya Doage. Doage had surgery on her right knee Sun day to repair cartilage and is out for 10 to 20 days. In the first contest between the two at the Bob Devaney Sports Center earlier this month, Doage held All-America candidate Tamecka Dixon to seven points for the games’ first 34 minutes. But when Doage fouled out at the 5:31 mark, Dixon went on to score eight points and directed the Jayhawks as they scored on 16 of their final 20 possessions. Kansas (21-4 and 12-2) erased a 12-point Matt Miller/DN BROOKE SCHWARTZ reaches for the bail against Iowa Stated Janel Grimm. Schwartz has the task of guarding Tamecka Dixon tonight. second-half NU lead to post a 67 59 victory. Dixon — a strong candidate to become the first Big 12 player of the year — averages 21.3 points per game and leads KU in points, assists, steals and free-throw per centage. “I think Dixon is the Big 12 player of the year,” Beck said. “She’s given me nightmares for four years, and I can’t wait until she graduates. She has everything the game needs to have, and we’ve had a hard time stopping her.” Defensively, NU is harassing opponents into 27.9 turnovers per game while limiting teams to just 39.9-percent shooting from the field. i But without Doage — who started the first 23 games of the Please see KU on 8 Women's Basketball Starters Today, 7 p.m. Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kan. Nebraska is e Pos Name Ht. Yr. F 22 Tiflft Mdgsift F 30 Anna DeForge 5-11 Jr. C 33 ChsWe Jfcgws 6-2 Fr. G 24 Jami Kubik 5-11 Jr. G 32 Nicole Kubik 5-16 Fr. Kansas 21-4 (12-2) Pos Name Ht. Yr. F 34 Lynn Pride 6-2 Fr, F 51 Jennifer Trapp 6-1 Sr. C 43 Nakia Sanford 5-10 So. G 30 Angie Halbleib 5-10 Sr. G 33 T6nwd»0beq*t 56 Sr. swimmer worthy of chance By Shannon Heffelfinger Staff Reporter Fortunately for the Nebraska women’s swimming team, Rick Paine is a man of his word. Paine, the re cruiting coordina tor and associate head coach for the Cornhusker men and women, promised a scnoi arship to an un known commod ity last spring af ter taking advice from a friend of Jowsey Australian Sara Jowsey’s coach. Jowsey committed before swimming for Paine and before she visited Nebraska. In just six months at Nebraska, Jowsey, a freshman from Strathfield, Australia, has become one of the quickest success stories in recent memory, recording top-three times for the Huskers in six different events. But Jowsey knows how close she came to missing her chance. Paine couldn’t have predicted her success last summer. While recruiting other prospects at the Australian Olympic Trials, Paine watched his recruit swim firsthand. After Jowsey failed to place, second thoughts immediately filled his mind. ‘To tell you the truth,” Paine said, “everybody I saw was impressive but Sara. She just didn’t have a good meet. I was really questioning myself as to what I had done. I’m just glad I’m an honest man, or she might not be here right now.” Jowsey appreciates Paine’s com mitment to his recruit. “The last few years,” Jowsey said, “I hadn’t been swimming as well as I’m able to. When Coach Paine came over to watch me swim, it wasn’t good — it wasn’t good at all. He was wor ried, and I’m just glad he overcame his doubts about me.” The versatile freshman has posted top times for NU in the 400-meter in Please see JOWSEY on 8
