Kearney, Neb. - For the first time as an MIAA member, the Nebraska Keanrey men's basketball team will play at Lindenwood (St. Charles, Mo.) and Lincoln (Jefferson City, Mo.).
The Lopers (6-2, 2-0) are LWU on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. while playing the Blue Tigers Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Check the
schedule page for media links.
Tied for first place in the MIAA along with Central Oklahoma, UNK is 2-1 vs. Lindenwoood the past two years with each contest taking place in the friendly confines of the Health & Sports Center. Last winter, the Lopers won a shootout, 98-96, in December and then ended the Lions season in the first round of the MIAA tournament, 86-80.
The Lopers will certainly have senior guard Darris Smith in the scouting report. He tallied 31 in the December setback and another 21 in the MIAA tourney game. He's currently at 10.7 points and 2.7 assists per game.
Veteran head coach Brad Soderberg, formerly the head man at Wisconsin and St. Louis U., has a roster with five Division I transfers. Ranking second in the league in blocks (3.6), third in 3's made (8.6) and fourth in rebounding margin (+ 3.3), LWU has three in double digits and thee others between 6.3-8.3 points per game.
Six-five junior wing Cory Arentsen, from D1 Austin Peay (Tenn.) State, is at a team-best 14.2 points per game. He has sunk 23 3's thanks to shooting 46% from downtown. Next, Northern Illinois transfer Sam Mader (6-9, 225 lbs.) has a team-best 15 blocks and pulls down 4.2 rebounds per game.
UNK is just 1-4 all-time vs. the Blue Tigers (4-7, 1-1) with the lone win coming last winter, 84-58, in the H & S Center. The 1962-63 Lopers are the only other team to venture into Jeff City and they left with a 115-73 setback.
First-year head coach John Moseley has his team off to a .500 start in MIAA play as Lincoln won at Northeastern State, 75-69, two weeks ago. The Blue Tigers, who host Washburn Thursday, are averaging 65.8 points per game on 43% shooting. They also are getting out rebounded by nearly seven per night.
Drury transfer Joshua Buie is at 17.7 points per game, fourth best in the league. The 6-1 senior guard shoots 50% from the field and 77% at the line while also having 20 steals (1.8 per game). Bronx native Mike Smith (14.1 ppg) and Chicago State transfer Victor Scott (10.3 ppg) both shoot over 70% at the line as well.
Lincoln, coming off a 3-24 season, lists 11 players on its roster and all 11 have played at least four games this winter.
Coming off his second 30 point game of the season, Loper junior forward
Ethan Brozek already has four double doubles in 2014-15, pushing his career total to 13. Dating back to last year, over his last 14 games, he's had eight double doubles and gone over 20 points seven times.
Brozek has seen his free throw shooting improve, going from 62% last year to 74% so far this year. That's one reason why he entered the week as the MIAA's third leading scorer (18.6). After Monday's win over Hastings, Brozek is now averaging an even 20.0 points.
Besides Brozek and junior
Connor Beranek (16.3 ppg), LWU and LU will have freshmen
Ty Danielson (York) and
Lane Rohrich (Pierce) in their scouting report. Through eight games, Rohrich had made 13 of 18 shots, including 9 of 13 from behind the arc (69%). Danielson, a starter, is shooting 46% (17 of 37) from the triple line.
After Saturday, UNK won't practice until Monday, December 29th. Defending national champion and current No. 3 Central Missouri (10-0, 1-0) visits on Saturday, January 3rd, with Missouri Western State (4-4, 0-1) coming to won on Monday, January 5th.
