Huskers Looking For Road Victory at Minnesota

The Nebraska men's basketball team heads north for just its second road contest of the season when the Huskers take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena (capacity 14,625) on Monday, Dec. 29.

The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be heard live in Lincoln on KOOL 105 and on Huskers.com, with Randy Lee calling the action and Matt Davison adding color analysis. The rest of the Pinnacle Sports Network will carry the Huskers' bowl game (No. 22 Nebraska vs. Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl), which will kick off at 8 p.m. The contest between the Huskers and Golden Gophers will also be seen live on Minnesota's television package (Victory Sports 1/ESPN+).

Both the Huskers (8-1) and Gophers (6-2) are coming off a down week for the holiday. Nebraska last hit the court on Monday, Dec. 22, when the Huskers ran past Lipscomb, 75-52. Minnesota also saw its last action on Dec. 22, but it was a bit tougher contest, as the Gophers needed overtime to dispatch Duquesne, 74-69.

Nebraska is looking for its first road victory of the year, as all eight of its victories have come at home. The Huskers dropped their only other contest away from the Devaney Center this year when they fell to in-state foe Creighton, 61-54, on Dec. 10.

The task will be a difficult one for the Huskers, as UM has opened the season with six straight victories at Williams Arena. Three of its six victories have come by at least 20 points. NU trails in the series by a 47-14 margin, and has won just four times in Minneapolis with the last being a 70-66 NU victory in 1997.

Taking on tough competition from a major conference is nothing new to the 2003-04 Huskers. Nebraska has already played teams from the Pac-10, Southeastern (SEC) and Conference USA, coming away with a 3-0 record against those leagues this season.

About the Huskers
The Huskers are off to their best start to a season since going 11-1 to open the 1994-95 campaign, when the Huskers last broke in the national rankings.

The 8-1 start has helped Nebraska equal the mark for most victories in the non-conference season under Coach Collier. Nebraska won seven non-league games in each of Collier's first two seasons and added eight last year. The last time NU won nine games in non-conference play was 1997-98, when the Huskers finished 20-12 and reached the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers' hot start has come behind solid defensive play and an efficient offense. Five of Nebraska's top six scorers are hitting better than 50.0 percent from the field, while the Huskers are hitting 47.2 percent as a team. Nebraska has averaged 70.2 points per contest through nine games while gaining a plus-8.3 advantage (39.1-30.8) on the glass, the third-best rebounding margin in the Big 12 Conference.

Nebraska's efficiency has not been limited to field-goal shooting. The Huskers have taken advantage of their opportunities from the free throw line as well this season, converting at a 71.4-percent clip to rank second in the Big 12 standings. Last season, Nebraska hit just 63.8 percent from the foul line.

NU has moved the ball around well in its new read-and-react offensive scheme, with just two players averaging double figures.

Senior forward Andrew Drevo leads the team with 10.8 points per game while hitting 50.0 percent (35-of-70) from the field. The 6-8, 250-pounder leads Nebraska with 11 three-pointers and is second in assists (20), blocks (7) and steals (tied with 11), while ranking third on the team with 3.8 rebounds per game.

Along with Drevo, junior forward John Turek has added 10.0 points per contest on 44.2 percent (34-of-77) shooting from the floor. A Council Bluffs, Iowa native, Turek leads the team with 7.4 rebounds to rank 14th in the league rankings while producing a team-high 16 blocked shots. Turek has led the Huskers in blocks each of his first two seasons and is on pace to become just the fourth NU player to lead the team in blocked shots three consecutive seasons.

Complimenting Drevo and Turek's offensive output this season are guards Nate Johnson (9.8 ppg), Jake Muhleisen (9.4 ppg) and Jason Dourisseau (7.0 ppg).

Johnson paces the squad by hitting 55.3 percent (26-of-47) from the floor to rank 12th in the Big 12 despite coming off the bench in the past seven contests. Muhleisen, the Huskers' two-time captain who has returned to full health after missing half of last season with a fractured hip, has been a clutch performer on both ends of the court, hitting 51.6 percent (36-of-62) percent from the field while adding a team-high 12 steals. Dourisseau has really come on in the past two contests, as he averaged 17.5 points per game last weekend in wins over Bethune-Cookman and Lipscomb. A native of Omaha, Dourisseau has hit 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the field in his past two contests while adding 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest.

Defensively, the Huskers have been one of the best teams in the nation during the first six weeks of the season. Nebraska has allowed just 52.8 points per game, which would rank among the top 10 teams in the nation in the NCAA rankings (the next rankings are not available until Jan. 6).

NU has held opponents to just 35.4 percent shooting from the field and only 23.7 percent from behind the arc. Nebraska has held five of its first nine opponents to under 25.0 percent shooting from three-point range, including three to under 13.0 percent. The Huskers have allowed only four opponents to top the 60-point plateau, including a season high of 64 points in the season opener.

Scouting the Golden Gophers
Nebraska makes its first trip out of the state Monday to take on a talented Minnesota squad that owns a 6-2 record, including a perfect 6-0 mark at home in Williams Arena. The Gophers return six lettermen including two starters from last year's 19-14 squad that reached the NIT semifinals.

Minnesota is the Huskers' fourth non-league opponent from a major conference this season. NU already owns victories over Arizona State (Pac-10), South Florida (Conference USA) and Tennessee (SEC), all at home at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln.

The Gophers have averaged 81.1 points per game, helping them to three victories of at least 20 points. Twice this year Minnesota has needed overtime to pick up the win (against Furman and Duquesne), while its only losses have come on the road at Utah (66-54) and Virginia (86-78). UM's opponents have averaged 71.8 points per contest.

Minnesota has hit 44.6 percent from the field while allowing its opponents to hit 43.4 percent. The Gophers have made 6.4 three-pointers per game while hitting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc, and have taken a plus-5.6 (42.2-36.6) rebounding advantage.

Minnesota is led by a freshman who is quickly earning a reputation as one of the top players in the country. Kris Humphries, a 6-8 forward who originally signed with Duke out of high school last fall before being released from his letter of intent, is averaging 23.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in his rookie season. Both totals lead the Big Ten Conference and are among the top five in the nation. He has scored less than 20 points in a game just once this season and has six double-doubles while being named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice early in the season.

Humphries has hit 52.9 percent from the floor this season, making 74 of 140 shot attempts. His 74 made field goals are more than double the next closest Gopher, and they account for 31.6 percent of UM's total made field goals.

Along with Humphries, guards Maurice Hargrow and Ben Johnson are averaging 13.5 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Hargrow has hit 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from three-point range, but has converted on just 26-of-72 (36.1 percent) attempts from inside the arc and 63.0 percent (29-of-46) from the free throw line. Johnson leads the team by hitting 53.0 percent (35-of-66) from the field and is 13-of-14 at the free throw line.

Guard Adam Boone, a transfer from North Carolina, leads UM with 13 three-pointers, 39 assists (4.9 apg) and 14 steals (1.8 spg), while forward Michael Bauer is one of UM's all-time best three-point shooters. Bauer has struggled some early this season, hitting just 31.4 percent (11-of-35) from long range, after recording a school-record 71 treys last season.

The Gophers are coached by Dan Monson (Idaho, 1985), who is in his fifth season at Minnesota and seventh season as a head coach. Monson owns a 72-59 record with the Golden Gophers and 125-76 record overall. Before taking over the Gopher program, Monson spent two seasons as head coach at Gonzaga, where he led the Zags to a 52-17 record, including a 4-2 mark in postseason play.

The Series
The Huskers and Golden Gophers will square off for the 62nd time in the series which dates back to the 1901-02 campaign. The Gophers won that first contest by a 52-9 margin, and now own a 47-14 series advantage against the Huskers. This will be the ninth consecutive season the teams have met after facing off just seven times between 1954 and 1994. The teams played every year from 1931 to 1953 (22 meetings).

UM won 40 of the first 47 meetings, but the series has been much more competitive in recent years. The teams have each won three times in the past six meetings, with Nebraska taking the latest matchup. NU won 80-60 over the No. 20-ranked Gophers in Lincoln last December, the Huskers' lone win over a nationally ranked opponent in 2002-03.

Nebraska dominated the game from the start and pulled away for the 20-point victory behind the outstanding play of forward Andrew Drevo. The Lincoln native had a career game, scoring 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor while grabbing 14 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 30 minutes.

Drevo's effort helped the Huskers to a 44-25 advantage on the glass, and the Huskers limited UM to just 31.1 percent shooting. Guard Jake Muhleisen also added a career-high 10 assists against just one turnover, while forward John Turek had seven points and a career-high tying five blocked shots.

Last Time Out ? Nebraska 75, Lipscomb 52
Lincoln, Neb. -- Sophomore guard Jason Dourisseau scored a career-high 21 points and the Huskers forced 21 turnovers with their pressure defense, as the Nebraska men’s basketball team improved to 8-1 on the season with a dominating 75-52 victory over Lipscomb at the Devaney Center.

Dourisseau, who was coming off a then-season-high 14 points against Bethune-Cookman, shot lights outs from the floor, hitting 8-of-11 attempts, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. The Omaha native had missed his first six attempts from downtown this season before converting against the Bisons. Dourisseau added six rebounds, two steals and an assist in 27 minutes.

Along with Dourisseau, forward Andrew Drevo (14) and guards Jake Muhleisen (12) and Nate Johnson (10) each scored in double figures for the Huskers, who topped the 70-point plateau for the third straight game. Drevo added a career-high seven assists and two steals.

Nebraska opened the game on a 9-0 run, including three-pointers by Muhleisen and Drevo, and never looked back. The Huskers increased the lead to 18-2 on a trey by Charles Richardson Jr. with 13:52 left in the opening period before using a 14-6 run over the final eight minutes to open a 40-18 lead at the intermission.

The Huskers never let up despite a short charge by the Bisons. Lipscomb came out hot in the second period and used a 9-2 run to cut NU's lead to 13, 42-29, with 14:27 to play. Nebraska then jumped back ahead by 17 on a Dourisseau three-pointer just three minutes later. LU never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way as NU limited the Bisons to just two points over the final 6:37.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Lipscomb
**The Huskers improved their home winning streak to 10 games dating to last season, the third-longest home winning streak for the Huskers since 1993-94.

**Nebraska held Lipscomb to just 18 points in the opening period, and led by double-figures at the intermission for the eighth straight game at home this season. The 75-52 victory marked NU’s fourth victory by at least 20 points this season.

**NU hit 50.0 percent from the floor for the game, its second-highest total of the season. NU’s 45.0 percent from three-point range was also the second highest of the year.

**Nebraska allowed LU to hit an opponent season-high 53.8 percent from the floor, although the Huskers limited the Bisons to just 52 points. NU came into the game allowing 52.9 points per game.

**Nebraska’s 90.9 percent (10-of-11) shooting from the free throw line was its highest since Nov. 26, 1995, when the Huskers hit 95.2 percent (20-of-21) against Minnesota. It was also the first time NU had hit at least 90.0 percent from the charity stripe since Jan. 6, 2001, at Missouri, when the Huskers hit 9-of-10 free throws.

**Senior forward Andrew Drevo had a career-high seven assists in the contest, nearly half of NU’s 16 total assists. Guard Corey Simms tied his season high with four assists.

**Nebraska forced Lipscomb into 21 turnovers, marking the second straight game NU has forced at least 20 turnovers.

**Sophomore guard Jason Dourisseau scored a career-high 21 points to lead four Huskers in double figures. Dourisseau hit a career high eight shots from the floor on 11 attempts. It was his second straight double-figure scoring effort after scoring more than six points just once in NU’s first seven games.

**Nebraska topped the 70-point plateau for the third straight game and the fifth time this season. Nebraska reached 70 points in just six games last season.

**The Huskers outrebounded their opponent for the seventh time this season, taking a 31-16 advantage on the glass. The 31 rebounds were a season low for the Huskers.

Highlight Reel
While the Huskers' overall play in a 77-62 win over Tennessee 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.

Dourisseau Catching Fire
Coming into the season, the Huskers knew they would have depth in the backcourt. Early in the season, that depth has been even more beneficial ? and productive ? than expected.

Nebraska's two new point guards, freshman Charles Richardson Jr. and junior Marcus Neal Jr., have combined for 3.4 assists and 6.7 points per game while junior captain Jake Muhleisen, who has played at the point, shooting guard and on the wing, has been a consistent force, adding 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Junior Corey Simms, who was named the team's top defender last season, has again been a defensive stopper while showing improvement offensively (6.1 ppg on 51.2 percent shooting), and senior Nate Johnson has been outstanding off the bench (9.8 ppg on 55.3 percent shooting) after starting 28 games last season.

But the biggest surprise may be the recent play of Jason Dourisseau. The sophomore from Omaha is averaging 7.0 points per game on 52.2 percent shooting from the floor while adding 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals. Last season, Dourisseau averaged 4.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 30 contests.

In the two games since his highlight reel dunk against Tennessee, Dourisseau has averaged 17.5 points while hitting 63.6 percent from the field. He added a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Lipscomb, including hitting his first two three-pointers of the season. Dourisseau has also averaged 6.0 rebounds in those two contests, with eight of the boards coming on the offensive end.

Gaining Attention
It's still early in 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 on Dec. 13. 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.

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 three times. Nebraska's bench has outscored its opponents' bench by a 252-120 margin this year, while helping NU to an 8-0 record at home.

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 before 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.

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 Lipscomb, 75-52, last week, Nebraska now holds a 10-game home-court winning streak dating back to last season and is 37-16 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 325-100 (.765) 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 (168-of-475) from the floor and 23.7 percent (40-of-169) 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 six games, NU has allowed just 22 three-pointers on 114 attempts (19.3 percent).

NU's defensive performance against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 20 ended in record-setting fashion. The Huskers limited BCC to just 26 points for the game, the lowest point total allowed by NU since a 33-23 victory over Kansas State in 1941. It was the second time in two weeks Nebraska's defensive effort had set or tied the Devaney Center record for lowest opponent point total. Delaware State tied the previous building low of 39 points on Dec. 8.

Bethune-Cookman was held to 14 points in the first period and just 12 points in the second frame, tying the building record low for points a period. BCC also shot a Devaney Center record low 21.2 percent (11-of-52) from the field.

Nebraska was also efficient on defense the previous game 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 the fewest NU has allowed in one period since the 1987 NIT, when the Huskers gave up just three field goals while holding Arkansas to a Devaney Center-low 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 has hit 7-of-20 treys in the past eight games to leave him among the league leaders by hitting at a 40.0-percent (10-of-25) clip on the year. Conklin's 10 three-pointers through nine games is second on the squad, and is nearly half of his total (22) in 30 games last year.

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 120, just 26 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 38.2 (120-of-314). 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 in the starting lineup for the third straight season after leading the team in blocked shots the past two years. Turek, who has added 16 of NU's 38 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. He also added four in the next game against Creighton.

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. During 2003-04, 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 is no different. Nebraska has already played teams from some of the top leagues in the nation in non-conference play, including teams from the Pac-10, Southeastern and Missouri Valley conferences, and Conference USA. NU still has a road contest remaining in non-league play at Big Ten foe Minnesota.

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 the past two years, with Big 12 teams producing a 500-299 record.

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. NU currently owns a 10-game home winning streak dating back to last season.

**The Huskers have hit 47.2 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 52.4 percent (177-of-338) from inside the arc.

**Nebraska's new offensive scheme has helped the Huskers put up 70.2 points per game, much higher than last season's 63.3 points per game. NU has reached the 70-point plateau five times in the first nine games, after reaching 70 points just six times in 30 games last season.

**Nebraska has hit 71.4 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 71.0 percent (22-of-31) 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 (22) and attempted (31) free throws this season.

**The Huskers have allowed just 51.8 points per game in eight home victories this season, including an average of only 46.7 points in the last three contests.

**Nebraska has held its opponent to less than 40 points twice this season, including a Devaney Center-record low 26 points against Bethune-Cookman. The last time NU held at least two opponents to less than 40 points in the same season was 1950-51, when Nebraska defeated Northwest Missouri State 61-39 and Santa Clara 53-38.

**Nebraska is now 7-0 under Coach Collier when holding opponents to 50 points or less, including 2-0 this season. Collier’s teams have gone 37-0 when allowing 50 or fewer points over the past 14-plus years.

**The Huskers recorded at least 50 rebounds in a game for the first time since 2001 when they grabbed 50 boards against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 20.

**NU has outrebounded seven opponents in nine games this season, after outrebounding just 12 opponents in 30 games last year. NU also tied in rebounding once last season.

**Nebraska has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in a half six times this season. Of those six occurrences, four have been in the first period.

**The Huskers have allowed five or more three-pointers just once in the past six games (Tennessee had six). NU has given up more than seven treys only once in 2003-04, when Arizona State hit 10-of-25 three-point attempts. ASU was 10-of-22 from inside the arc.

**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 97 contests in his fifth 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 the number of Huskers reaching that mark climb to five this season as Andrew Drevo (currently 499 points), John Turek (464) and Nate Johnson (451) are all within reach of the mark.

**Nebraska has used four different starting lineups in the first nine games of the season. Only Muhleisen and Turek have started every game this year. Muhleisen has now started 50 of 51 career games played, with his only game not in the starting lineup coming on Senior Day during his freshman campaign.

**Andrew Drevo needs just one point to reach 500 for his career (38 career games) and only four boards to reach 250 rebounds.

**Jake Muhleisen needs 23 points to reach the 600-point plateau (51 career games) and 33 assists to reach 200 career assists.

**Corey Simms needs 27 points to reach 400 career points (66 career games) and two rebounds to reach 250 career boards.

**John Turek needs 24 boards to reach the 450-rebound plateau (65 career games).