Nebraska Returns Home to Face Volunteers

Lincoln -- After playing its first away game of the season Wednesday, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the familiar confines of the Bob Devaney Sports Center to take on the University of Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The game will tip off at 2:05 p.m. and can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network and on Huskers.com, with Randy Lee calling the action and Matt Davison adding color analysis. Live stats and streaming video are also available on Huskers.com, while Comcast Sports Southeast will televise the game back to Tennessee (Randy Smith, play-by-play; Bill Justus, color).

Nebraska will need another strong defensive effort to reel in the Vols' explosive offense. Tennessee is one of the nation's top scoring teams, averaging 90.0 points per game and winning by an average of 20 points per contest. The Volunteers have made better than 51 percent of their shots from the field while hitting the boards especially hard, pulling down 42.7 rebounds per game.

Tennessee enters with a 3-0 record behind its offensive outburst. The Vols will come in with an 11-day rest, as they have not played since a Dec. 2 victory over Texas A&M. NU has been at the other end of the spectrum, as it will be playing its fifth game in the same span.

The Huskers bring in a tenacious defense that has not allowed an opponent to score more than 64 points in a regular-season game this year. In its last outing, a seven-point road loss, Nebraska's defensive effort limited Creighton to a season-low 61 points, nearly 20 points below its season average.

Nebraska and Tennessee will be meeting for the first time ever Saturday, although it will be the 28th time NU has played a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Nebraska holds an 8-19 mark against the SEC, with its last meeting coming against Arkansas in the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

About the Huskers
The Huskers are off to a solid 5-1 start, but will be in an unfamiliar position Saturday as they look to rebound from their first loss of the year.

Nebraska will try to get back on the right track behind the solid defensive play that has helped the Huskers hold opponents to 37.2 percent shooting from the floor, including 25.0 percent from three-point range. NU's field-goal percentage defense ranked among the top 10 teams nationally before Wednesday's game, and still ranks in the top 30 heading into the Tennessee matchup.

With the Huskers denying opponents any offensive success, NU's scoring defense ranked 11th nationally in the first compilation of NCAA statistics (Dec. 8), and still ranks in the top 15 at 55.8 points per game.

Offensively, senior forward Andrew Drevo leads the Huskers for the second consecutive year. The former walk-on transfer from Division II Morningside (Iowa) College has scored 11.3 points per game this season, including pouring in a season-high 21 points against Creighton on Wednesday. It was Drevo's team-high seventh 20-point performance of his career. Drevo nearly made it his seventh career double-double by adding a season-high nine rebounds.

Nebraska has shot at a 47.8-percent clip in 2003, nearly 10 points higher than last season. Drevo has played a large role in that improvement, as he is hitting 52.1 percent from the floor, including 70.4 percent (19-of-27) from two-point range. Last season, Drevo hit just 41.1 percent from the field.

Along with Drevo, forward John Turek and guards Jake Muhleisen and Nate Johnson are each averaging just under 10 points per game.

Turek had a tremendous performance in the season opener with a career-high 24 points. He has been more focused on the defensive end recently, where he is averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has had four blocked shots in each of the past two games, and now ranks sixth in the NU career record book with 106 blocks in two-plus seasons.

Muhleisen has been proficient throughout the early season while rounding back into top form after sitting out nearly all of the Big 12 campaign last year with a fractured hip. The Lincoln product is second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg), assists (12) and steals (8). Muhleisen and Johnson are tied for the team leading in field-goal percentage by hitting at a 54.8 percent clip. A starter in 28 games last year, Johnson has come off the bench the past four games to average 9.6 points while draining 5-of-11 three-point attempts.

Scouting the Volunteers
Nebraska enters the weekend matchup against a Volunteer team that owns a perfect 3-0 record after grabbing convincing wins over Wofford (81-70), Tennessee State (81-56) and Texas A&M (108-84).

In their last contest, the Volunteers dismantled a Big 12 foe, running up 108 points against the Aggies. The solid offensive outburst helped UT rank ninth nationally in scoring offense (90.0 points per game) and 14th in scoring margin (+20.0).

Tennessee's strong start comes behind an offense that is hitting an incredible 51.4 percent from the floor, which ranks ninth in the country. UT has shot the ball well from all over the court, as the Vols are hitting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc and 69.7 percent from the charity stripe.

The Vols have four players scoring in double figures, including one of the top transfers in the nation in guard Scooter McFadgon. A transfer from the University of Memphis, McFadgon ranks 17th nationally in scoring average at 22.0 points per game while hitting 55.6 percent (20-of-36) from the floor. McFadgon leads the team with six three-pointers and has hit 90.9 percent (20-of-22) from the charity stripe while adding 5.7 boards per game.

McFadgon will be the second sensational scorer the Huskers have faced this season. NU has already played, and defeated, Arizona State and its star forward Ike Diogu, who ranks 15th nationally with a 22.5 points-per-game average. Diogu came away with just 13 points and six rebounds as the Huskers pulled out a 66-60 victory.

Joining McFadgon in the rotation, forward Brandon Crump is averaging 14.0 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game. Crump has hit 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the floor, but is converting on just 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from the foul line.

Guard C.J. Watson has added 12.3 points while leading the offense, where he has picked up 22 assists (7.3 apg) against just eight turnovers. Guard Stanley Asumnu averages 10.0 points per game off the bench, and is one of six players hitting better than 50.0 percent (minimum of three attempts per game) from the field.

The Volunteers are guided by Coach Buzz Peterson (North Carolina, 1986), who is in his third year at Tennessee and eighth season overall as a head coach. Peterson owns a 140-78 career record, including a 34-28 mark at UT.

Last Time Out ? Creighton 61, Nebraska 54
Nebraska and Creighton put on a show in front of the largest college basketball crowd in state history, but the Huskers fell 61-54 to the Bluejays in front of 15,561 fans at Qwest Center OMAHA Wednesday evening.

The Huskers, who dropped to 5-1, showed tremendous heart by rallying from a 10-point second-half deficit to within 57-54 on Andrew Drevo’s three-pointer with 18.8 seconds remaining. Nate Funk hit a pair of free throws with 17.4 seconds remaining before Johnny Mathies’ steal and layup provided the final margin.

Drevo had his best performance of the season, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds while single-handedly keeping the visitors within striking distance in the second half. The 6-8 senior from Lincoln hit 9-of-16 shots from the floor and also blocked a pair of shots, nearly duplicating his double-double performance against Creighton a year ago.

The Bluejays, who improved to 5-0 on the season and won their 22nd straight home game, took control of the contest in the final minutes of the first half. CU used a 10-0 run over the final 3:38 of the half to break a 23-all tie and give the Bluejays a 33-23 halftime cushion.

Drevo, who scored the Huskers’ first nine points of the second half, kept the visitors in the contest, but Creighton had a balanced attack. Three players finished in double figures, to keep the lead between seven and 10 points for most of the half.

Trailing 50-40, baskets by Corey Simms and Jake Muhleisen and a free throw by Drevo put NU within five with just over seven minutes remaining. NU went scoreless over the next 4:13 as the hosts built the lead back to 10 points at 55-45 with 3:23 remaining. Nebraska came right back with a final run of its own, scoring the next six points to get within 55-51 on a three-pointer by Muhleisen with 43 seconds. The Lincoln product finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, but Creighton kept NU at bay by hitting its final four free throws in the last 30 seconds. CU finished by hitting 13-of-18 attempts from the foul line,

Brody Deren and Nate Funk tied for team-high honors with 13 points apiece for Creighton, which out-rebounded NU by a 28-25 margin and committed only 11 turnovers.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Creighton
** Nebraska fell for the first time this season, snapping a five-game winning streak to open the year. It marked the second time in three years the Huskers started the season with five straight wins and just the second time since 1997-98.

** Nebraska hit 47.8 percent from the floor, marking the fifth time in six games, and third consecutive contest, the Huskers shot better than 45.0 percent. Last season, NU hit better than 45.0 percent just seven times in 30 games.

** The Huskers recorded a season-high seven blocked shots in the game, including four by forward John Turek. Turek, who had all of his swats in the second half, recorded four for the second game in a row and now has 15 of NU's 25 blocks on the season.

** Senior forward Andrew Drevo set season highs with 21 points and nine rebounds. He averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds in two career contests against the Bluejays. Drevo just missed his first double-double of the year. He owns the most career double-doubles of any current Husker after recording six last season.

** Drevo's 21 points mark the second-highest scoring total of the season for the Huskers. Turek opened the year with a 24-point performance against Fairleigh Dickinson.

** Freshman Charles Richardson Jr. hit a three-pointer late in the second half for his only bucket of the game. Richardson has now hit both of his three-point attempts this season and is 3-for-8 from the field on the year.

Going Deep
For the first time in recent years, the Cornhuskers have a deep bench that has proven valuable to the Huskers in the early season contests. The Huskers have gotten at least 10 players into every contest in 2003-04, including all 15 available players in two of the past three contests. Nebraska's bench has outscored its opponents by a 150-78 margin this year, while helping NU to a 5-0 record at home.

Making Some Noise
Forward Wes Wilkinson has taken his play to a new level early in his sophomore season. After averaging just 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds as a true freshman last season, Wilkinson has produced 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while playing 12.5 minutes per game in 2003-04.

Wilkinson is one of eight Huskers averaging at least 4.0 points per game, as he is among the team leaders in field-goal percentage by hitting 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the floor. Wilkinson set a career high with a pair of three-point field goals against Arizona State and now has three treys in six games, after finishing last year with three three-pointers in 30 games.

Wilkinson picked up career highs for points (13), rebounds (8), field goals (6) and field-goal attempts (10) in just 18 minutes of action against Delaware State on Monday. Wilkinson added one assist and one steal against the Hornets, giving him five assists and five steals on the season. Last year, Wilkinson had nine assists and three steals in 30 games.

And the assist to . . .
With the addition of a pair of true point guards to the roster in the offseason, Nebraska expected to find better distribution of the ball while running its offense this season. That is exactly what has happened early in 2003-04. The Huskers have averaged 14.3 assists, against 13.7 turnovers, through the first six contests this season, while their opponents have averaged just 12.0 assists against 12.8 turnovers. Last year, NU averaged 11.2 assists with 14.4 turnovers.

NU has had at least six players with an assist five times this season, with eight or more recording an assist in four contests. Nebraska set a season high with nine players recording one or more assists against Fairleigh Dickinson, Arizona State and Delaware State. Five players recorded at least two assists against the Sun Devils, as NU had 15 assists against just seven turnovers. In 2002-03, Nebraska had at least eight players record an assist in a game only twice, with a season-high nine getting an assist in the season opener against Centenary. NU also had eight players earn assists in a come-from-behind victory over UC Santa Barbara.

Making the Play
It's still early in the season and a couple of Huskers have already stepped up to provide a big boost down the stretch in tight games.

Junior guard Jake Muhleisen made the first big play before the season officially began. In its final preseason game of the year, NU trailed Athletes in Action by two points with less than 20 seconds remaining. In just his second game back from a hip fracture that sidelined him for nearly all of the Big 12 season last year, Muhleisen hit a running jumper to tie the game and completed a traditional three-point play to give NU the lead for good with 17.4 seconds remaining. Nebraska went on to win 78-73.

After running past Fairleigh Dickinson in the season opener, NU looked to be on its way to a second straight blowout victory against Eastern Michigan before the Eagles made a late run. EMU eventually cut a 27-point deficit to just seven points but junior guard Corey Simms stepped up to help turn the Eagles away.

One of the Huskers' top defenders, Simms had shadowed EMU's top scorer, Markus Austin, all night, limiting him to two points, 15 points below his season average, before turning on the offense and putting NU over the top. Simms scored nine straight points in a four-minute span (7:37 to 3:26) to lead Nebraska to a 67-59 victory. Simms gained his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds.

Simms kept up the heroics against Arizona State when he pitched in a season-high 13 points with a career-best four steals. He recorded nine points with one rebound, one steal and one blocked shot in the final six minutes after Arizona State pulled within four points.

Home Sweet Home
After running past Delaware State, 68-39, on Monday, Nebraska now holds a seven-game home-court winning streak and is 34-16 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center under Coach Barry Collier.

Nebraska has been outstanding at home since moving into the Devaney Center in the 1976-77 season. The Huskers hold a 322-100 (.763) record at home during that span, including 21 seasons (of 27) of at least 10 home wins. Last year, Nebraska went 9-6 at the Devaney Center, including a pair of three-game winning streaks in the non-conference season. Nebraska has defeated a ranked team at home 21 times during that span, including once in each of the past three seasons.

Doling out the 'D'
Nebraska was one of the top defensive units in the rugged Big 12 Conference in 2002-03 and is making it a trend this season.

The Huskers have gotten off to a good start, as they are allowing opponents to hit just 37.2 percent (116-of-312) from the floor and 25.0 percent (27-of-108) from behind the arc. NU held South Florida to just 2-of-19 shooting from three-point range, the lowest single-game opponent three-point field-goal percentage (.105) in four years under Coach Collier. Over the past three games (South Florida, Delaware State and Creighton), NU has allowed just nine three-pointers on 53 attempts (.170).

NU's defensive effort in the first 20 minutes against Eastern Michigan was nearly perfect, as the Huskers limited the Eagles to just 16 points on 17.6 percent (5-of-28) shooting. EMU came to life in the final 15 minutes of the game but still finished the contest hitting only 31.7 percent (19-of-60) and just 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from three-point range.

The Huskers finished last year ranked first in the league in three-point field-goal percentage defense by allowing opponents to hit just 30.2 percent (193-of-639) from behind the arc. The total was a Nebraska single-season record, breaking the previous mark of 30.3 percent (154-of-508) set by the 1992-93 squad.

The overall defensive effort by the Huskers in 2002-03 was also outstanding. Nebraska limited opponents to just 40.8 percent shooting from the field for the season to rank seventh in the league statistics. The top six in the conference were also among the top 30 nationally. The total was the third-lowest at Nebraska since 1960-61, which is the last time the Huskers limited their opponents to less than 40 percent from the field for a whole season. Nebraska held 13 opponents to less than 40 percent from the field in 2002-03, including six to less than 35 percent.

Hitting 100
One of the most prolific long range shooters in Nebraska history, forward Brian Conklin is getting back on track in his final year in Lincoln, starting the regular season on a tear.

The 6-11, 240-pounder came off the bench to produce 13 points and grab three rebounds in NU's 80-64 season-opening victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. Conklin hit 5-of-8 attempts from the floor, including 3-of-5 three-point field goal attempts, while playing with great intensity on both ends of the court. Conklin hit 5-of-10 in the past five games to leave him among the league leaders by hitting at a 53.3 percent (8-of-15) clip on the year.

The hot start is a good sign for Conklin and the Huskers after he finished second on the squad with 22 treys last year while hitting just 25.9 percent from three-point range. Despite the sub-par performance, Conklin became only the ninth Husker in history to record at least 100 career three-pointers last season. He finished the year with 110 career treys and currently ranks seventh on the NU career list with 115, just 32 three-pointers shy of moving into the school's top five. Cary Cochran owns the NU career mark with 268 three-pointers in his four-year career.

Conklin hit his 100th career three-pointer against Oklahoma State last season, when he recorded three triples. Two weeks later, Conklin hit a season-high five three-pointers against Baylor. The five treys tied the team season high, which Jake Muhleisen established in the second game of the year against Alaska-Fairbanks.

While Conklin hit 25.9 percent (22-of-85) in 2002-03 as opponents keyed on him outside the arc, he ranks sixth in the NU record book for career three-point field-goal percentage at 38.6 (114-of-295). Conklin set the NU sophomore record when he drained 65 treys while helping NU set the school record with 267 three-pointers as a team. He also ranks seventh on the NU freshman chart with 23 in 2000.

Lead Blockers
Junior forward John Turek is back in the starting lineup for the third straight season after leading the team in blocked shots the past two years. Turek, who has added 15 of NU's 25 blocked shots in the Huskers' first six games, could become just the fourth player to lead NU in blocked shots for three straight seasons. Only one Husker (Dave Hoppen) has ever had at least a share of the team lead for four straight years.

Turek ranks sixth in the NU record book for career blocks with 106. He became just the sixth player in NU history to record 100 blocked shots, reaching the mark when he recorded a season-high four against Delaware State.

Turek finished last season as only the second sophomore in NU history with at least 90 blocks. He recorded 52 of Nebraska's 96 blocked shots in 2002-03 and ranked sixth in the Big 12 Conference for blocked shots with 1.73 per game. Overall Nebraska returned 98.9 percent of its blocked shots from last season, including Turek and Andrew Drevo (19).

Tough Schedule Ahead
Nebraska’s schedule will again be one of the toughest in the nation, as it has been the past three years when the Huskers ranked among the top 60 nationally in schedule strength. NU will face a slate of teams that posted a 407-280 record last year, including 12 teams that reached postseason play (eight NCAA, four NIT).

The Huskers' non-league slate is normally set to help Nebraska get ready for the Big 12 season, and this year will be no different. Nebraska plays teams from some of the top leagues in the nation in non-conference play, including teams from the Big Ten, Pac-10, Southeastern and Missouri Valley conferences, and Conference USA.

NU begins its eighth season in the Big 12 Conference in 2003-04. Nebraska has a 112-110 overall record since the start of Big 12 play, including a 47-65 mark against league foes. Nebraska has defeated eight ranked league opponents since the start of Big 12 play, but has not been ranked in the top 25 since joining the Big 12. The league has sent two teams to the NCAA Final Four in each of the past two years, with Big 12 teams producing a 500-299 record during that time.

Huskers Succeed On and Off the Court
Forward John Turek and center Tony Wilbrand were among 15 student-athletes named to the 2003 academic All-Big 12 Team last spring, something that is becoming a common occurrence for the Husker basketball team. Turek, who became the 33rd Husker to be named to the academic all-conference first team, was the third Husker to be selected to the first team under Coach Barry Collier, joining Cary Cochran and Brian Conklin who earned the honor in 2002. Over the previous 10 years, only five Huskers had been named to the first team.

Behind Turek and Wilbrand’s effort, the Huskers succeeded in the classroom as the team held a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0 through the spring. Eight Huskers were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for their academic achievement in the 2002 fall and 2003 spring semesters, including one with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Overall, six Huskers have accounted for 23 honor roll certificates over the past four years.

The academic all-conference team was made up of student-athletes who competed in at least 60 percent of their team’s games and held at least a 3.2 GPA (cumulative or the past two semesters) for the first team and between a 3.0 and 3.19 for the second team.

There Is No Place Like Nebraska
The Huskers have set out to keep the best players in the state at home and the results have been positive. Nebraska has two state players of the year (Jake Muhleisen, 2001; Wes Wilkinson, 2002) on its current roster, and now have eight in-state players on the roster. Last season, NU had nine players from the Cornhusker state, the most in 30 years.

NU Signs Three to National Letters of Intent
Shooting guard Joe McCray (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Laurinburg [N.C.] Institute), center Aleks Maric (Sydney, Australia; Life Center [N.J.] Academy) and forward Dillion Sneed (Chicago, Ill.; Colby [Kan.] CC) have signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Nebraska and play basketball beginning in the 2004-05 season, Nebraska Coach Barry Collier announced during the early signing period.

McCray was tabbed No. 53 among high school seniors by The Sporting News, and among the top 100 seniors by ESPN.com, Athlon and Lindy’s. McCray was rated the country’s best scoring guard by Rivalhoops.com and the No. 20 shooting guard by Athlon.

The 6-5, 185-pound McCray had a breakout performance at the ABCD Camp in New Jersey. He was ranked as the second-best wing forward at the camp by HoopMasters.com and No. 24 overall out of 250 elite high schoolers.

McCray led Dillard (Fla.) High School to four straight state titles in Florida’s largest class (6A) under Coach Darrel Burrows. McCray, a third-team all-state selection as a senior, helped Dillard move into the USA Today Top 25 as a senior, when the team went 32-1. He was a two-time all-tournament team selection in the state playoffs and was the state finals MVP as a junior.

McCray is attending prep school at the Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute this year under Coach Chris Chaney. A versatile athlete, McCray was also a top prospect at wide receiver before receiving interest in his basketball talents from several top schools, including Connecticut, Michigan State, Alabama and Miami.

A 6-11, 269-pounder, Maric (pronounced MAR-itch) is a talented post player who is a physical presence in the paint. He also possesses a solid shooting touch and range with tremendous strength and has the ability to run the floor well for a big man.

A native of Sydney, Australia, Maric came to the United States in late October, and was quickly ranked among the top 70 prep players nationally by Hoop Scoop. Playing at the Australian Institute for Sport under Coach Marty Clarke last year, Maric averaged 10 points and 13 rebounds last season, and helped his team to the gold medal at the Under-19 World Championships in Greece in 2003. Under the guidance of Coach Rob Beverage, Maric helped his New South Wales team to the silver and gold medals in his state the previous two years, respectively. Maric is enrolled at Life Center Academy, an independent private Christian high school in Burlington, N.J., where he will complete his high school requirements this season.

A 6-7, 230-pound forward, Sneed significantly boosted his rating with his solid play at the King of the Court All-American Junior College Challenge and Rick Ball’s Elite Eighty Camp this past summer. Sneed helped Colby (Kan.) Community College to a top-10 national ranking and a 7-0 start in 2003-04. He averaged 8.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 19 minutes per game to start the season, while hitting 26-of-34 shots (.765) from the floor.

The Chicago native averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a freshman, but has displayed a tenacious presence on the boards while showing solid ability to finish inside in 2003. Sneed averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Gordon Tech High School in Chicago for Coach Scott Bogumil. Sneed, who led the team with 2.4 blocks per game, hit 49.8 percent from the floor while helping Gordon Tech to a 23-5 record in 2002. Sneed was named to the All-Catholic League team before leading his squad to the regional title in the state playoffs, where he recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds in the regional championship game.

Quick Shots
** Nebraska opened the season with five consecutive wins for the second time in four seasons under Coach Collier before falling on Wednesday at Creighton. NU still owns a seven-game, home-court winning streak dating back to last season. It is the Huskers' longest home-court streak since winning seven straight from the end of 2000-01 (one game) and the beginning of 2001-02 (six games). The last time NU won at least eight straight on its home court was 1997-98, when it won 10 consecutive home games.

** While it's still early, the Huskers have hit 47.8 percent from the field, a much-improved percentage over last year's 39.8 percent. NU's percentage is even greater when considering just two-point baskets, as the Huskers have hit 52.0 percent (115-of-221) from inside the arc.

** Nebraska's new offensive scheme has helped the Huskers put up 68.3 points per game through six contests, much higher than last season's 63.3 points per game. NU has topped the 70-point plateau twice in the first six games, after reach 70 points just six times in 30 games last season.

** Senior Brian Conklin looks to reach a special plateau this season, as he is on pace to become the second Husker to play his 100th career game under Coach Collier. Conklin has currently played in 94 contests in his fourth year with the Huskers. Guard Cary Cochran is the only Husker to play his 100th career game under Collier, reaching the mark in his senior season in 2001-02 when he finished as NU's career leader in three-point field goals .

** While Conklin and junior guard Jake Muhleisen have already topped the 500-point plateau this season, NU could see that number climb to five this season as Andrew Drevo (currently 470 points), John Turek (432) and Nate Johnson (421) are all within reach of the mark.

** Nebraska's two new point guards, Marcus Neal Jr. and Charles Richardson Jr., have combined for 27 of NU's 86 assists (31.4 percent) through six games, while giving up just 20 turnovers (combined 1.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio). They have also been reliable at the charity stripe where they have combined to hit 18-of-23 attempts (78.2 percent). Richardson leads the team with 15 assists, while Neal, Muhleisen and Drevo each add 12 assists apiece to rank second. Overall, 10 players have at least four assists this season.

** Turek had seven rebounds against South Florida last Saturday to reach the 400-rebound plateau. He is the team's current career rebounding and blocked shot leader with 404 rebounds and 106 blocked shots. Turek has also added 432 points in the past two-plus years.

** Nebraska has used four different starting lineups in the first four games of the season, although there has not been a change in the past three contests. Only Muhleisen and Turek have started every game this year. NU started the same lineup for consecutive games for the first time when Muhleisen, Turek, Simms, Neal Jr. and Drevo were in for the opening tip against South Florida and Delaware State.