Nebraska’s proud football defenders are known as the “Blackshirts.”

Perhaps the nickname should be loaned to NU’s ball-hawking basketball players.

Sixth-year coach Barry Collier’s Cornhuskers (12-4 overall, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) rank fourth in the Big 12 and ninth in the country in field-goal-percentage defense (.386) entering today’s clash at Kansas University (10-6, 1-2).

Tipoff is 3 p.m. with a live telecast on ESPN (Sunflower Broadband Channel 33) and a replay at 10:30 p.m. on Channel 6.

The Jayhawks check in with a field-goal-percentage defense mark of .361, second-best in the league and second in the U.S. behind Texas (.358).

“I think we can play good defense,” Collier told the Lincoln Journal-Star, adding, “we’re not a tremendous shot-blocking team. We don’t have better quickness than everybody in our league, but we’re on a par, I think, with our opponents, physically.”

The Huskers turned in a strong defensive effort just 10 days ago in Manhattan. NU held Kansas State to 23.4 percent shooting – and zero two-point field goals in the second half – in a 57-42 victory over the Wildcats in Bramlage Coliseum.

It was the fewest points NU had allowed in a conference road game in 40 years.

“Our offense is coming along,” NU freshman Marcus Walker told the Journal-Star. The Huskers have allowed 63.6 points a game while scoring 69.9.

“Defense has been the main thing that’s been helping us,” Walker said. “Sometimes you get that break when the team misses the open shot, but sometimes you’re pressuring them to where they feel they’ve got to rush shots. I think anybody would say we’re playing pretty good defense right now.”

KU’s players and coaches definitely would say that after seeing tapes of the Huskers, who had one of their worst outings Tuesday when Iowa State hit 52.7 percent of its shots in an 88-75 victory in Lincoln, Neb.

The Huskers figure to play some zone defense against the Jayhawks.

“Their defense is good. They guard differently than most teams in our league,” KU coach Bill Self said. “They really guard the scouting report. They take what you do and adjust and tweak how they play based on the scouting report best of anybody in the league.

“We have to do a good job of preparing our guys to be defended a way Nebraska hasn’t even defended yet.”

KU had big-time problems attacking the zone in a home loss Saturday to Kansas State.

“They get in your face,” KU senior Christian Moody said. “We’ve got to be ready for their zone, and I think we’ve got to come out with a lot of energy and move the ball quick. We need to do that against a tough team.”

What’s more …

Kansas university's christian moody, right, fights for a rebound with Nebraska's Wes Wilkinson. Moody, shown during KU's 78-65 victory Feb. 5 in Lincoln, Neb., and the Jayhawks will play host to the Huskers at 3 p.m. Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.

“We have to get in the gaps and penetrate, not be selfish and only look for our own shot. We have to be able to create and try to get everybody else a shot,” senior Jeff Hawkins said.

Freshman Brandon Rush said the Jayhawks had been preparing hard in anticipation of the zone.

“I think we can beat a zone,” Rush said. “We came up with something other than our motion. We’ve got a couple new plays for zone. I look forward to seeing how the plays work out.”

The Huskers are led by 6-foot-10 senior forward Wes Wilkinson, 6-6 senior Jason Dourisseau and 6-5 sophomore Joe McCray, who average 12.7, 10.8 and 10.7 points.

“They create matchup problems,” Self said. “McCray is a big two guard who made a couple big shots against Oklahoma to win the game (59-58, Jan. 7 in Lincoln). Wilkinson … how many guys lead the league in three-point percentage (.541) and also block shots? He’s had a great year.”

Both teams enter coming off losses: NU’s at home to ISU; KU’s Monday night at Missouri.

“We’re never dead. We fight until the end no matter what,” Hawkins said of KU’s situation. “Good or bad, we’ll fight until the end. Our spirits are not down. They are still up. It’s not like we can’t win any more games, not like we’re only playing with two players.

“We’ve still got our whole team. Everybody, basically, is healthy. We’ve got to go fight. We can still win the Big 12, we’ve just go to focus every game.”

¢Talented McCray: McCray set the Nebraska and Big 12 freshman record with 80 threes a year ago. He scored 434 points (15.5 ppg) – the eighth-highest scoring total by a league freshman since the formation of the Big 12 Conference. He was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice last year and was a Freshman All-Big 12 pick by the media and a third-team Freshman All-American by Rivals.com.

¢Blackshirts explanation: Huskerhoopscentral.com explained the origin of the “Blackshirts” to the J-W.

“Back when Bob Devaney was coach, the coaches weren’t able to differentiate between the first-team defense and the rest of the defense, so an assistant coach went to a sporting-goods store and bought some black practice jerseys, and they’ve been known as the Blackshirts ever since. It became a tradition to hand out black shirts to the first-string defense. It’s an honor to keep one, but you can also lose it.”

¢KU takes two: KU defeated Nebraska twice last season – 59-57 in Lawrence and 78-65 in Lincoln.

“I remember from last year they are a good team, physical,” KU center Sasha Kaun said. “We have to stay aggressive, not too passive against the zone.”

“They will play zone,” KU’s Russell Robinson said. “We’ve got to stay aggressive. We had little trouble with K-State’s zone. We’ve got to prepare better for Nebraska.”

¢Thomas switches uniforms: Former KU guard Billy Thomas has been traded for the CBA’s Dakota Wizards to the Sioux Falls SkyForce. The 27-year-old Thomas averaged 15.6 points a game off 39.8 percent shooting in 21 games for the Wizards. He hit 50 of 144 threes. Thomas was acquired for guards Al Neale and James Wright, plus future considerations.