Nebraska draws the daunting task of trying to slow down Michael Beasley for the second time in two weeks Wednesday night as the Cornhuskers host No. 24-ranked Kansas State.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the equation is that Beasley isn't exactly a one-man show for the Wildcats. While the 6-foot-10 freshman averages a Big 12 Conference best 25.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, he gets plenty of support from fellow freshman Bill Walker, who averages 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds.
"Most of us would like to have one guy, but they've got two guys averaged over 40 points a game (combined)," Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said. "As a team, we have a hard time scoring 40 points, so to have two guys doing that speaks for itself."
Nebraska (14-9, 3-7 Big 12) will be trying to end a two-game losing skid when it hosts the Wildcats (18-6, 8-2) at the Devaney Sports Center. ESPN2 will televise the 8:05 p.m. game.
Sadler and the Huskers found out just how good of a one-two punch Beasley and Walker can be on Feb. 6 when Kansas State beat Nebraska 74-59 at Manhattan, Kan. NU was able to chop an 18-point deficit to five midway through the second half, but Beasley had 35 points and 13 rebounds, while Walker chipped 17 points and nine boards to help the Wildcats maintain control.
"They're two pros," Sadler said of Kansas State's top two scorers. "Any time you're going to have a chance to win in this league and have a chance to be at the top of the league, you've got to have two pros.
"If you look at the teams that are at the top of this league Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State they all have at least two guys that are going to be in the NBA, so that separates them from the rest of us."
Nebraska obviously hasn't been the only team to have difficulty shutting down Beasley. The national player of the year candidate is coming of a 40-point, 17-rebound performance in 100-63 home victory over Missouri last Saturday.
Beasley's 35 points in the first meeting were the most ever scored by a Wildcat against Nebraska in a series that began in 1905-06.
The publicity for Beasley has ramped up to the point to where Kansas State coach Frank Martin was asked point-blank if Beasley is the best player in the country.
"That's not for me to decide," Martin said. "But I can tell you, I wouldn't want to coach anyone other than him."
Martin said one of the things he thinks makes Beasley so special is that he's a star player who doesn't believe that he has all the answers. He remains very coachable, Martin said.
"He's always listening, so he can be best prepared for the next challenge," Martin said. "I've tried to make it known that if every coach would have a chance to coach a player like Mike Beasley every year, then coaches would have long, successful careers not because of how talented he is as a player, but because he's such a great kid."
Beasley's also unselfish.
"We've asked Mike to pretty much become a full-time guy in the low post on offense and defense, and that's not something he was when we started the year," Martin said. "He's more of a combo forward, but for the good of the team, he's sacrificed who he is as a player to help us as a team."
Game notes
Nebraska freshman point guard Cookie Miller and Kansas State's Walker played AAU basketball together in West Virginia, along with Southern California star freshman O.J. Mayo. Huskers' senior center Aleks Maric scored a career-high 41 points last year during NU's 74-63 home win over the Wildcats. He enters Wednesday night's game with a career-best six consecutive double-doubles. The Wildcats lead the all-time series against Nebraska 122-91, winning three of the last four meetings overall. The Huskers are 58-33 against K-State in Lincoln, including a 22-10 mark in the Devaney Sports Center.
Starting Lineups
Kansas St. (18-6, 8-2) Yr. Ht. Ppg. Rpg.
G Blake Young Sr. 6-2 6.3 3.3
G Clent Stewart Sr. 6-4 7.7 *3.1
G Jacob Pullen Fr. 6-1 10.2 *3.3
F Bill Walker Fr. 6-6 16.4 6.7
F Michael Beasley Fr. 6-10 25.7 12.6
Nebraska (14-9, 3-7) Yr. Ht. Ppg. Rpg.
G Cookie Miller Fr. 5-7 7.0 *4.1
G Steve Harley Jr. 5-11 7.7 2.6
G Ade Dagunduro Jr. 6.5 8.8 3.9
G Ryan Anderson So. 6-4 9.2 6.0
C Aleks Maric Sr. 6-11 16.2 9.7
*-Assists per game
WHEN: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m.
WHERE: Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln
TV: ESPN2
RADIO: KRGI (1430 AM)
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius channel (158)
WEB: Huskers.com
[an error occurred while processing this directive]