When it comes to playing the MasterCard National Invitation Tournament, the Nebraska Cornhuskers say they're in it to win it.
"We were a little disappointed that we didn't make the NCAA Tournament, but obviously, we're not going to put our heads down," Nebraska junior guard Ade Dagunduro said. "We're going to try to make a run at this thing."
Husker teammate Jay-R Strowbridge shared a similar goal.
"At the beginning of the season, we wanted to get to the NCAA Tournament," Strowbridge said. "But now, we're taking it one game at a time, but we would like to be NIT champions."
Nebraska (20-12) will try to take the next step on its quest to reach New York and the NIT semifinals when the No. 3-seeded Huskers play at No. 2 seed Mississippi (22-10) Monday night. ESPNU will televise the second-round game at 8 p.m. from Oxford, Miss.
While some teams might not be all that interested in prolonging a second-tier version of March Madness in the NIT, sophomore guard Sek Henry the Huskers want to keep playing as long as possible. He said that by winning the NIT, Nebraska could both gain experience and send senior center Aleks Maric on a high note.
"(It's) more games and it's big for us," said Henry, whose team opened NIT play with a 67-48 home win over Charlotte last Wednesday night. "For me, this is my first time playing in a tournament as a Nebraska player, so this is really big for me.
"For (Maric), this is his last year. I know he'd want to finish with something."
Mississippi enters Monday's game having won four of its last five, including an 83-68 first-round win over UC Santa Barbara. The Rebels won 13 consecutive games to open their season, but were likely knocked out of NCAA Tournament consideration by a stretch that saw them lose eight of 11 in Southeastern Conference play.
Ole Miss hasn't lost to a non-conference opponent this season, going 15-0 against non-SEC foes. The Rebels are also 9-0 against non-conference opponents at Tad Smith Coliseum, going 15-2 overall at home.
"Obviously, it's going to be a very difficult ballgame," Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said. "But again, it's going to be one that I'm glad we're getting to play. It beats the alternative."
Said Strowbridge: "It's always fun to compete. We were successful (Wednesday night) and just keep moving on to our road to New York."
Game notes
& The NU-Mississippi winner will play the Virginia Tech-UAB game in the quarterfinals. That contest will be played Wednesday on the home court of the highest seed with a tipoff time of either 7 or 9 p.m. and be televised by ESPN2.
& The 48 points allowed by the Huskers against Charlotte marked a program postseason record for Nebraska. The previous low was 52 points in an NCAA playoff game in 1949.
& Nebraska and Ole Miss last matched up on the basketball court in 1978. The teams split their only two meetings with the Huskers winning the 1978 meeting 80-70 in Lincoln, while the Rebels won 70-67 in 1979 at Biloxi, Miss.
Starting Lineups
Nebraska (20-12) Yr. Ht. Ppg. Rpg.
G- -Sek Henry So. 6-3 5.9 3.4
G- -Steve Harley Jr. 5-11 8.9 2.5
G- -Ade Dagunduro Jr. 6-5 8.7 3.7
G- -Ryan Anderson So. 6-4 8.5 5.3
C- -Aleks Maric Sr. 6-11 15.7 10.2
Mississippi (22-10) Yr. Ht. Ppg. Rpg.
G- -Chris Warren Fr. 5-11 15.5 *4.5
G- -Zach Graham Fr. 6-5 5.9 2.7
G- -David Huertas So. 6-5 10.5 3.7
F- -Kenny Williams Sr. 6-8 8.3 6.5
C- -Dwayne Curtis Sr. 6-8 15.1 9.5
WHEN: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m.
WHERE: Smith Coliseum - - Oxford, Miss.
TV: ESPNU
RADIO: KRGI (1430 AM)
SATELLITE RADIO: None
WEB: Huskers.com (live radio)
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