Nebraska aims to ignite offense vs. Saint Mary's

A pair of unbeaten programs will square off on a neutral floor on Sunday afternoon when Nebraska takes on Saint Mary's in a nonconference game in Sioux Falls, S.D.

It will be the third meeting between the schools -- the first since 1975 -- and will pit teams that each have started 3-0 on the young season.

Nebraska has done it mostly with defense, holding its three opponents to 61.7 points per game and 38.1 percent shooting, while Saint Mary's is scoring 83 points per game and shooting 49.4 percent.

The Cornhuskers are coming off an 86-60 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday. Nebraska's offense is still a work in progress, with only 42.4 percent shooting so far -- including 24.6 from 3-point range.

"I'm promising you guys at some point, we're going to take the lid off that basket," Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg said. "And when we do, it's going to be fun."

Scoring has been no problem for the Gaels, who despite having one of the slowest tempos in the country make the most of every offensive possession. And leading the charge are a pair of players from Lithuania, one in his first season with the program and another his fourth.

Sophomore forward Paulius Murauskas, an Arizona transfer, leads the Gaels in scoring (18) and rebounding (13), while senior guard Augustas Marciulionis is averaging 16.0 points and 8.7 assists.

Mikey Lewis, who is shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range, is averaging 14 points per game.

"We've got the pieces and experience and leadership to be good," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said.

The Cornhuskers are led by senior guard Brice Williams, who is averaging 15.7 points but only shooting 36.4 percent. Nebraska has had 10 players average at least 13 minutes through the first three games, better depth than the team has had in recent years.

--Field Level Media