IU to play in new Nebraska environment

Indiana, welcome to Pinnacle Bank Arena — Nebraska’s $179 million basketball facility that opened for the 2013-14 season.

The Hoosiers lost their only road game against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. In January 2012, the No. 11 Hoosiers left Bob Devaney Sports Center on a three-game losing streak after squandering a 13-point lead in a 70-69 loss.

Two years later, Nebraska (10-9, 2-5) has a 9-1 home record to go along with its new arena.

IU sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell said the Cornhuskers are one of the hardest playing teams in the Big Ten.

“Nebraska plays very hard, especially at home,” he said. “They’ve gotten a lot better over the years, so it’s definitely going to be tough to go in there and play in that environment.”

The Cornhuskers have been a different team at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

After losing by 31 points at then-No. 3 Ohio State on Jan. 4, Nebraska upset the Buckeyes 68-62 at home Jan. 20.

The Cornhuskers’ lone home loss this season was a one-point defeat at the hands of Michigan, who is undefeated in the Big Ten and hasn’t lost since Dec. 14.

Senior forward Will Sheehey said Nebraska doesn’t do anything differently schematically when playing in Lincoln, Neb. Instead, he attributes the Cornhuskers’ success to their comfort level at home.

“A majority of teams would say they play better being at home than they do on the road,” he said. “They’re a hard-playing team, they shoot the ball well — so obviously being at home helps your shooting percentages a little bit.”

Offensively, sophomore guard-forward Terran Petteway paces Nebraska. The transfer from Texas Tech averaged 3.1 points per game off the bench for the Red Raiders in the 2011-12 season. Now he’s the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten at 18.2 points per game.

Petteway recorded the best stat line of his career on Sunday against Minnesota. He scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists in an 82-78 victory against the Golden Gophers.

IU Coach Tom Crean described Petteway is a versatile scorer.

“He is a wrecking crew when it comes to having the ball in his hands and he can find people,” Crean said. “He can really get to the rim and he can shoot threes.”

On Monday, Nebraska dismissed its third-leading scorer, junior guard Deverell Biggs, for disciplinary reasons. The team used Biggs on more than 30 percent of the Cornhuskers’ possessions, according to kenpom.com.

When he was on the floor, the guard ended almost one-third of Nebraska’s possessions with a shot attempt or turnover.

Without Biggs, even more of the offensive load will fall on Petteway’s shoulders.
Petteway has been a nightmare to defend because of his 6-foot-6 frame and outside shooting ability.

“There’s not a single spot on the court that he can’t score from so he’s got the confidence as well,” Sheehey said. “When we got a guy who can score from all over, it makes it tough to defend.”

Sheehey, who is arguably IU’s most versatile defender and will be assigned to defend Petteway on Thursday, said the best way to defend a talented scorer like Petteway is to make his touches hard.

The Stuart, Fla., native is the only player on the Hoosiers’ roster who played in IU’s loss to Nebraska in 2012. Sheehey said Cornhusker fans had the Bob Devaney Sports Center “packed and jumping for us” and that he expects a similar environment Thursday.

“The atmosphere is going to be big time, as it should be,” he said.

Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.