The Colorado Buffaloes and Nebraska Cornhuskers play each other for the second-to-last time as members of the Big 12 tonight in Lincoln. In the game the Buffs are looking to remain unbeaten in conference play, while the Huskers are hoping their good effort will pay off with a win.
CU is 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 1997 and Tad Boyle is the first first-year Buff head coach to start the conference season this fast since Henry Iba in the mid 1930s.
Alec Burks is grabbing all the headlines for the Buffs, and very much should be while averaging 22.7 points per conference game. But the real key to CU's winning ways has been that the team as a whole is contributing to their victories. In those games, CU (14-4) has seen three different game-high scorers, in Burks, Levi Knutson and Cory Higgins.
All along, people knew that Higgins and Burks were the keys to Buff victories, but they wouldn't be undefeated in conference play solely on their shoulders (though Mizzou fans might disagree). Instead, the Buffs are winning by the play of not only their superstars, but with their role players really stepping up into the limelight.
Nebraska, on the other hand, is 1-2 in conference, but has played tremendously well in all three of their games. In their two losses to the Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks, the Corn (13-4) played well enough to win, but ultimately lost out to Top 15 squads by a total of 11 points.
In conference play, NU is only giving up 67 points a game, and this includes playing two teams who rank in the top 10 nationally in points scored. They play tenacious and methodical defense and distribute the ball well.
The key tonight is to continue for the rest of the team to contribute while Burks and Higgins continue to shine.
The game tips at 5:00 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN2.