Huskers Look to Remain Undefeated at the Devaney Center

After a week away from the court to take final exams, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the Bob Devaney Sports Center to face Bethune-Cookman College on Saturday, Dec. 20. The game will tip off at 7:05 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.

The Huskers look to keep their home-court winning streak alive when they take on the Wildcats. Nebraska has run off six impressive victories at home this season, including wins over teams from the Southeastern and Pac-10 Conferences and Conference USA. Overall, the Huskers' winning streak at the Devaney Center stands at eight games dating back to last season, the longest home winning streak by Nebraska since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons, when it won 11 straight at home.

Nebraska will look for the same effort and intensity against the Wildcats that it showed in last weekend's victory over Tennessee. NU frustrated the Vols throughout the contest, with UT's cold shooting in the first half ? the Vols hit just 3-of-27 shots in the opening period ? leading to a 30-17 halftime edge for NU.

Nebraska has led by double figures at the intermission of each home game this season. NU already has four wins by at least 15 points this year, after recording just four by that many points last season.

The Huskers have scored at least 75 points on three occasions this season, equaling last year's total. NU is 22-3 in four years under Coach Collier when topping the 75-point plateau. In seven games, NU has had five players grab a share of the scoring lead, with John Turek and Andrew Drevo gaining at least a share in three contests apiece.

About the Huskers
Nebraska looks to pick up its second straight win after running past SEC opponent Tennessee last weekend. The Huskers will be facing the Wildcats for the first time ever on the hardwood, although NU already has an impressive win over another Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe this season.

The Huskers dismantled Delaware State, 68-39, on Dec. 8 at the Devaney Center, and own a 7-0 all-time record against MEAC schools. Nebraska held the Hornets to a Devaney Center opponent record-low 39 points, including only 17 in the second period, while limiting DSU to just 30.6 percent shooting from the floor. The Hornets hit just 3-of-24 (12.5 percent) from behind the three-point line.

In their last contest, the Huskers started a little sluggish but turned up the intensity midway through the first period to run past the high-scoring Vols. UT came into the contest among the national leaders by scoring 90.0 points per game, but were limited to just 62 points on 27.8 percent shooting. Tennessee trailed 30-17 at the intermission as Nebraska limited the Vols to just three field goals, including only one inside the arc. When UT turned up the pace in the second half, NU responded by hitting 52.2 percent from the floor in the period to pull away for its third straight home win by double figures.

Junior forward John Turek, who led NU in scoring the first two games before suffering through a 7-of-21 shooting slump over the next four contests, broke the Vols' defense down repeatedly before finishing with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Turek was a perfect 7-of-7 at the free throw line before fouling out and added five rebounds and three steals. He leads the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg) and blocks (2.1 bpg) entering the contest with the Wildcats.

Along with Turek, senior guard Nate Johnson got back on track while providing a tremendous spark off the bench. The Kansas City, Kan., native scored 14 points and grabbed a career- and game-high nine rebounds. Johnson iced the victory by hitting 10 straight free throws in the final three minutes after the Vols had gotten the lead down to 11 points. Johnson is now third on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) while adding 3.7 rebounds per contest.

Behind Turek and Johnson's perfect day at the line, the Huskers were 27-of-34 at the charity stripe (79.4 percent), and are now hitting 70.0 percent on the season. NU hit just 64.9 percent at the foul line last season.

The Huskers have allowed opponents to score just 56.7 points per game to rank among the nation's best scoring defenses this season. Opponents have hit just 35.4 percent from the floor, including a paltry 24.3 percent from three-point range, while NU has hit at a 47.1-percent clip from the field. The Huskers' offensive improvement ? Nebraska hit just 39.8 percent from the floor last year ? has helped the Huskers pick up 69.6 points per game for a +12.9 scoring margin.

Scouting the Wildcats
Nebraska returns to the court to face the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, as the Huskers try to extend their home-court winning streak to nine games. The Wildcats return six letterwinners and three starters from last season, when BCC went 8-22 on the year, including 5-13 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Wildcats will have four games under their belt entering the weekend, but it will be their third game in six days. After suffering a 69-49 loss at Creighton on Dec. 3, the Wildcats were off until this past Monday, when they fell to Texas Southern, 54-42, on the road. BCC then dropped its fourth straight game with a 56-45 loss at Houston on Wednesday.

Senior center Pape Ba is the Wildcats' leading returning scorer after picking up 10.7 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. Ba, a preseason all-league pick entering 2003-04, averaged 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in BCC's first four contests. A native of West Africa, Ba has hit 42.4 percent (14-of-33) from the floor after hitting 4-of-7 attempts against Houston. He was one of three players tied for the team high with eight points.

Senior guard Markey Picard also added eight points and leads the team with 8.5 points per game while adding 3.0 rebounds per contest. Picard also paces BCC with 3.0 assists per game. Sophomore forward Michael Williams leads the Wildcats with 4.8 boards per contest, although BCC has been outrebounded by 5.2 boards (34.5-29.3) through four games.

Senior forward Diondre Larmond is averaging 6.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Larmond is tied for the team high with seven steals, but has hit just 4-of-16 three-point field goal attempts. BCC is hitting just 23.0 percent (17-of-74) from beyond the arc as a team and 35.5 percent overall. The Wildcats are averaging just 49.8 points per game while allowing 61.8 points per contest.

The Wildcats are guided by Coach Clifford Reed (Bethune-Cookman, 1991), who is in his third year at BCC. Reed owns a 14-31 career record as a head coach, all with the Wildcats.

Last Time Out ? Nebraska 77, Tennessee 62
Lincoln ? John Turek scored a team-high 21 points, as Nebraska bounced back from its first loss of the season earlier in the week to post an impressive 77-62 victory over Tennessee at the Devaney Center Saturday afternoon.

Turek broke out of a slump by hitting 7-of-13 shots and all seven free throws to lead three Huskers in double figures. The 6-9 junior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, also chipped in five rebounds and three steals in 31 minutes.

Senior guard Nate Johnson had 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds, while Corey Simms added 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor. The Huskers improved to 6-1 with the win, their eighth straight at the Devaney Center dating back to last season.

The Huskers took advantage of Tennessee’s shooting woes. The Vols entered the game averaging 90.0 points per game, but shot just 27.8 percent from the floor, including 11.1 percent in the opening 20 minutes. UT was the sixth opponent that NU has held under 45 percent, as NU ranked seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense last week.

Playing its first game since Dec. 2, UT took a 6-4 lead on Stanley Asumnu’s three-pointer with 15:15 left in the half, but the Huskers took control of the game with a 26-8 run. Turek scored all 11 of his first-half points in the spurt.

The Vols, who dipped to 3-1 with the loss, hit just 3-of-27 from the floor in the first half, including a drought of 15:09 without a field goal. Tennessee also committed 10 turnovers before trailing 30-17 at the break. Brandon Crump’s dunk with 9.9 seconds left before intermission was UT’s only two-point basket of the entire first half.

Crump scored a game-high 25 points, including 18 in the second half, but was the only Tennessee player to finish in double figures. The Huskers held guard Scooter McFadgon, who was averaging a team-high 22 points per game, to just seven points on 3-of-22 shooting. McFadgon and C.J. Watson hit a combined 2-for-15 from three-point range in the loss.

The Huskers continued to build on the lead in the opening minutes of the second half. Nebraska took its largest lead of the day at 50-26 on Jason Dourisseau’s thunderous dunk with 12:37 remaining. The dunk caused a short delay as the support stand came crashing down, putting the 8,206 fans in attendance on their feet.

UT mounted a comeback, closing to within 11 points several occasions, but could not cut the lead into single figures. NU converted 21-of-25 from the foul line in the second half, including a 10-for-10 effort from Johnson.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Tennessee
** The Huskers improved to 9-19 all-time against Southeastern Conference teams. The last time NU played an SEC school was in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, when the Huskers lost to Arkansas. NU had lost three straight against SEC competition, with its last win coming in a 69-61 victory over Georgia in the first round of the 1995 National Invitational Tournament.

** The game marked the third time this season NU held its opponent to less than 20 points in the opening period. NU has led by double figures at halftime in every home contest this season, including 30-17 against Tennessee.

** Tennessee finished the first half hitting just 3-of-27, the fewest field goals the Huskers have allowed in a period since at least the 1993-94 season. NU had allowed five field goals in a half against Creighton in 1994-95, UNC Greensboro in 1997-98 and Centenary in 2002-03.

** Nebraska held Tennessee to just 11.1 percent (3-of-27) shooting in the first half, the lowest opponent percentage since at least 1993-94. The last time NU held an opponent to less than 15 percent shooting from the floor in one half was Nov. 16, 1997, when UNC Greensboro shot just 14.7 (5-of-34) percent in the first half.

** Freshman point guard Charles Richardson Jr. made his third career start, picking up a career-high nine assists, the most for any Husker this season. Richardson’s total is the most since Jake Muhleisen had a career-high 10 against Minnesota at home last season.

** The Huskers hit 27-of-34 from the charity stripe as a team, setting team season highs for attempts, made free throws and free throw percentage (79.4). Tennessee came into the game having made 69-of-99 free throws while allowing its opponents to hit just 23-of-37 at the line. NU made four more free throws than UT’s first three opponents combined.

** Nate Johnson added 14 points, and had a career-high nine rebounds. Johnson’s previous high was eight rebounds against Iowa State last season at home. Ten of Johnson’s points came at the free throw line, where he led the Huskers by hitting a team season high 10-of-10 from the charity stripe, all in the final three minutes of the game.

** John Turek went a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line, the best effort of his career after entering the season as a 41.9 percent shooter from the line. Nate Johnson’s 10-for-10 effort at the line was a team season high.

** John Turek finished with 21 points, marking his second 20-point contest this season and third of his career. Turek has led the Huskers in scoring three times this season. He added a season-high three steals, one of four Huskers with multiple steals.

** NU increased its home-court winning streak to eight games, the most since NU won 11 straight at home in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

** Nebraska held Tennessee to 62 points, 28 below its season average of 90.0 points per contest. The Vols entered the contest ranked ninth in the nation in scoring offense, and 14th in scoring margin at +20.0.

** NU has not allowed an opponent to score more than 64 points this season. Fairleigh Dickinson had 64 in the season opener against NU, and the Huskers have held three opponents to less than 60 points.

** Nebraska topped the 75-point plateau for the third time this season. NU reached 75 points in a game only three times all of last year. NU is 22-3 under Coach Collier when scoring at least 75 points, including the last seven straight dating to 2001-02.

Gaining Attention
It's just week five of the college basketball season, but the Huskers are starting to gain some national attention.

The Huskers were at the top of the list of 'Good Wins' on Andy Katz's Weekly Watch for their victory over Tennessee last Saturday. Katz, a senior writer at ESPN.com, noted: "This victory will have legs for the Huskers. Games like this one prove an Big 12/SEC Challenge can work -- if the event ever gets off the ground."

One player in particular grabbed Katz's attention, as junior forward John Turek was one of four players listed on the Weekly Watch's "On Our Radar" section. Turek led Nebraska with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting against the Vols while hitting 7-of-7 free throw attempts.

Gaining Attention II
While the Huskers' overall play against the Vols opened many eyes, it was a single play in particular that made it onto the national scene.

With Nebraska leading by a comfortable 22-point margin nearly midway through the second half, sophomore guard Jason Dourisseau cut into the paint where forward Brian Conklin got him the ball. Dourisseau then put down a solid dunk to give the Huskers' a 50-26 lead with 12:37 to play.

But the play was not over, as the basket standard came crashing down, throwing the home team and 8,206 fans in attendance into a frenzy. The stoppage to fix the basket lasted approximately six to seven minutes before play resumed. NU lost focus after the delay and let the lead slip to 11 points late in the game before cruising away with a 77-62 victory.

The dunk turned into an instant hit on television, as it was played in the opening segment of SportsCenter that night, and was a Play of the Day nominee. While it did not make that day's Top 10 Plays, it was No. 9 on Chris Berman's Weekly Top 10.

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 twice. Nebraska's bench has outscored its opponents by a 179-89 margin this year, while helping NU to a 6-0 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 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing 12.4 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 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the floor. Wilkinson set a career high with a pair of three-point field goals against Arizona State and has four treys in seven 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. Wilkinson added one assist and one steal against the Hornets, giving him five assists and five steals on the season. He came back with a career-high four blocked shots against Tennessee, tying the team season high set twice by John Turek. Wilkinson had just eight blocked shots in his first 36 career 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 14.4 assists, against 13.6 turnovers, through the first seven contests this season, while their opponents have averaged just 12.3 assists against 13.0 turnovers. Last year, NU averaged 11.2 assists with 14.4 turnovers.

The Huskers' point guards have played a large role in the turnaround. Freshman Charles Richardson Jr. leads the team with 24 assists against just 14 turnovers, while junior Marcus Neal Jr. has added 12 assists with eight turnovers. NU's other point guard, junior Jake Muhleisen, has added 13 assists with 13 turnovers. Senior forward Andrew Drevo has also proven his versatility, as he is tied for second on the team with Muhleisen with 13 assists against just five turnovers.

NU has had at least six players with an assist six 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.

Last weekend, Nate Johnson added to that list has he nailed 10 consecutive free throws ? all in the final three minutes ? to wrap up a 77-62 victory over Tennessee. Johnson had just four points before the stretch run, but put up the best numbers at the free throw line of any player in the Big 12 Conference this year. Johnson also added a game- and career-high nine rebounds in the winning effort.

Home Sweet Home
After running past Tennessee, 77-62, on Saturday, Nebraska now holds an eight-game home-court winning streak and is 35-16 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center under Coach Barry Collier. The winning streak is the longest at home since recording 11 straight between 1996-97 and 1997-98.

Nebraska has been outstanding at home since moving into the Devaney Center in the 1976-77 season. The Huskers hold a 323-100 (.764) 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 has been just as successful early this season.

The Huskers have gotten off to a good start, as they are allowing opponents to hit just 35.4 percent (136-of-384) from the floor and 24.3 percent (33-of-136) 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.

Nebraska was just as efficient on defense against Tennessee when the Huskers held UT to just three field goals in the first half, including only one from two-point range, a dunk with 9.9 seconds remaining in the half. UT shot 27.8 percent for the game. The three field goals is believed to be the fewest NU has allowed in one period since 1987 NIT, when the Huskers gave up just three field goals while holding Arkansas to 12 points in the first half.

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 6-of-14 treys in the past six games to leave him among the league leaders by hitting at a 47.4-percent (9-of-19) clip on the year. Conklin's nine three-pointers through seven games leads the Huskers.

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 119, just 27 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 (119-of-308). 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 33 blocked shots this season, 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.

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 at Creighton. NU still owns an eight-game, home-court winning streak dating back to last season.

** While it's still early, the Huskers have hit 47.1 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 52.6 percent (134-of-255) from inside the arc.

** Nebraska's new offensive scheme has helped the Huskers put up 69.6 points per game, much higher than last season's 63.3 points per game. NU has topped the 70-point plateau three times in the first seven games, after reaching 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 95 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 476 points), John Turek (453) and Nate Johnson (435) are all within reach of the mark.

** Nebraska has hit 70.0 percent from the free throw line this season after converting on just 64.9 percent from the foul line last year. Junior forward John Turek has played a prominent role in that turnaround, as he is hitting 72.4 percent (21-of-29) from the line after entering the season as a 41.9 percent free throw shooter in his first two years. Turek leads the team with made (21) and attempted (29) free throws this season.

** Nebraska has used four different starting lineups in the first four games of the season, but there has not been a change in the past four 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, Delaware State and Creighton, although the lineup again shifted against Tennessee with Charles Richardson Jr. taking over the starting duties for Neal.