NU men have plenty of NCAA tourney connections

[Husker_Power]

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

 

Cookie Miller played AAU ball with USC's O.J. Mayo and Kansas State's Bill Walker. Ade Dagunduro was a high school teammate of Cal State-Fullerton's Ray Reed and Scott Cutley. Sek Henry and USC freshman Davon Jefferson played at the same Los Angeles high school.

 

Those are among several connections between Nebraska basketball players and players at this week's NCAA Tournament action in Omaha.

 

Huskers who watched their former teammates in action Thursday are hoping for a stronger connection to the tournament next season.

Say, participation.

 

"When I was watching the games, I was thinking, 'We were really good enough to play in that this year,'" said Henry, a sophomore. "But it just didn't work out for us."

 

Instead, Nebraska continues play in the National Invitation Tournament. The Huskers (20-12) play a second-round game Monday at Mississippi (22-10). The 8 p.m. tip-off will be televised on ESPNU.

 

"It inspires me," Henry said. "Since I know we were capable of playing in (the NCAA Tournament), I think we should show why I believe that and just try to win this whole thing out."

 

Henry, Miller, Dagunduro, Ryan Anderson and Aleks Maric attended the second session of Thursday's first-round games at Qwest Center Omaha.

 

"The USC-Kansas State game, I was like, 'Man, we should be here,'" Dagunduro said. "We know what it takes to get there now."

 

Dagunduro noted the reactions of seniors on the losing teams, particularly his friend Frank Robinson, a guard for Cal State-Fullerton.

 

His thoughts then turned to Maric, the Huskers' only senior.

 

"We want to continue to ride this thing out, especially for Aleks," Dagunduro said. "We've got to play every game like it's our last game."

 

With everybody but Maric expected to return next season, Henry said he's looking at the NIT as inspiration to prepare for 2008-09.

 

"It motivates me a lot," Henry said. "We're young still. Next year, we're going to be more experienced and know what we have to do.

 

"We should make the tournament next year. I won't have my eyes on nothing else but the NCAA."

 

Dagunduro sat in the Kansas State section alongside the mother of K-State guard Jacob Pullen.

 

How much did he cheer for the Wildcats?

 

"A clap here and there," he said, "just so nobody would give me the evil eye."

 

Dagunduro said he was surprised at the number of K-State and Kansas fans that recognized him throughout the day.

 

"The KU people were showing a lot of love to us," Dagunduro said. "That was kind of a shock. They were trying to shake our hands, showing us a lot of love. They were like, 'Good season, you guys played us tough in the Big 12 (Tournament), good luck in the NIT.'"

 

 

Briefly

 

* If Nebraska defeats Mississippi, the Huskers will play their quarterfinal game Wednesday — at Virginia Tech, if Virginia Tech defeats Alabama-Birmingham, or in Lincoln, if UAB wins. If the situation arises, Nebraska will travel directly from Oxford, Miss., to Blacksburg, Va.

 

* Nebraska coach Doc Sadler arrived just in time for Friday's afternoon practice. He'd left Thursday morning for a recruiting trip to California.

 

* Maric's parents have seen their son play for the final time in a Nebraska uniform. Stevan and Draginja Maric, who've been in Lincoln since Jan. 11, were scheduled to return home to Australia today.

 

* The Nebraska-Charlotte game was the third-highest attended game of the 16 first-round NIT games. The attendance of 9,427 trailed that from Morgan State at Virginia Tech (9,628) and Robert Morris at Syracuse (10,536).

 

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