Huskers top Colorado to end regular season

The day was supposed to be a one-man show, a commemoration to Nebraska's only senior.

There was the playing of Australia's national anthem, the one Aleks Maric grew up hearing. There were hugs from family and NU Athletic Director Tom Osborne and rabid cheers from the crowd. Tears even trickled down the 6-foot-11 center's face.

But there was a basketball game, too. That part involved more than Maric. The Cornhuskers (18-11 overall, 7-9 Big 12 Conference) throttled Colorado at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday afternoon, closing the regular season with a 68-49 win.

Throw out the crying and cheering. The crowd remained eerily silent as they watched the Huskers dismantle the Buffaloes (11-19, 3-13 Big 12). On the day when one man was supposed to steal the spotlight, defense and teamwork trumped the individual.

"It's been this way pretty much the whole season for us," NU Coach Doc Sadler said. "Our guys have really bought into what we have to do to the best of our ability, and that is defense."

Nebraska held the Buffs to just 34.1 percent shooting from the floor, forcing the visitors into awkward shots and one-on-one moves on multiple possessions. Colorado's score - what they managed to muster - showed the results. Nebraska had a 36-14 lead by halftime.

On the other side of the court, three Huskers scored in double figures. Maric led with 17 points and was flanked by junior guards Paul Velander and Steve Harley, who finished with 16 and 14, respectively.

"What more can you ask of (Maric)," Sadler said. "It was a tremendous effort on his part, and some other guys stepped up and made some plays."

And for the first time in a long time, Cookie Miller joined that group. NU's freshman point guard entered the game midway through the first half. It was his first appearance since spraining his right shoulder at Texas A&M on Feb. 23.

The Charleston, W. Va., native's initial steps on the court were followed by an explosion of noise, the first sign of life from a crowd of 10,915 since the pre-game ceremonies for Maric.

"I told Cookie when he came on later in the second half, I was like, 'just pretend you're at the West Virginia state fair,'" Maric said. "'Just have fun.' He turned around and started laughing at me."

The Huskers could have laughed to the finish. It didn't take long for them to secure the win.

They opened the game with a 15-2 run and outran their opponent the rest of the way. The highlight came with five minutes left in the first period, when Maric drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. That one drew a couple smiles from teammates.

But Velander outdid him from behind the arc, burying three treys in the first half and a career-high five overall. It was a far cry from those dark days in February, when Velander found iron more than net and spent ample time on the bench.

"I think it's just confidence, really," Velander said. "Sometimes you shoot the ball hoping to make it instead of having the confidence of knowing it's going to go in. I'm sure a lot of shooters say that."

The second half was more of the same - lockdown defense and contributions from everyone. Early in the period, NU sophomore guard Cole Solomon stuffed a CU shot and the ball rolled toward mid-court. In an instant, Miller picked it up and launched a no-look pass to Harley, who galloped down the floor for an easy jam.

Maric could only watch in approval. It was that sort of day for the Huskers.

"We're having fun," Velander said. "We're playing confident and having fun."

MICHAELMCHALE@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM