The Nebraska basketball team returns to the Devaney Center to close out 2009 when it takes on Southern Utah on Tuesday, Dec. 29. The Cornhuskers and Thunderbirds will tip off at 7:06 p.m. with the game being heard live on the IMG Husker Sports Network and for free around the world on the Internet at Huskers.com. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka will call the action while former Husker Andy Markowski adds color commentary.

Nebraska’s last three non-conference games of the regular season will not be televised, but each will be available online. Fans looking to watch the streaming video can sign up for a subscription at HuskersNside.com.

The Huskers will be looking forward to getting back onto their home court as they completed a five-game non-conference road schedule last week before Christmas. Nebraska went 2-3 in those contests with wins over USC and Tulsa.

Nebraska hopes to see the same defensive spark at home as it has had in its last three games on the Devaney Center floor. NU has held each of its last five opponents at home to under 55 points, including the last three to 44 or fewer points. That scoring defense has helped the Huskers rank first in the league by allowing just 57.8 points per game.

The Husker offense, which had stalled in its last two contests at home, picked up a bit of speed in the recent road trip, averaging 70 points per game against Tulsa and BYU. Redshirt freshman Eshaunte Jones, who has been battling foot problems the previous few games, was a big part of that increased offensive pace as averaged 16.5 points per game to earn all-tournament honors at the Las Vegas Classic.

Against BYU in the title game, Jones hit 6-of-11 attempts from the field, including an impressive 5-of-7 shots from 3-point range. He has now drained 18-of-34 from beyond the arc for a stellar 52.9 percentage to lead the Big 12 Conference and rank among the national leaders.

Jones is not the only Husker to rank among the league’s best freshmen as Jorge Brian Diaz is fourth in the Big 12 in blocked shots (1.75 bpg). He leads all freshmen in blocks and has already moved into third place on the Nebraska freshman chart. Only one other freshman ranks in the top 10 for blocks (10th place) in the Big 12 this season.

Courtesy: NU Media Relations