Huskers Continue Homestand Against Bulls

Lincoln --The Nebraska men’s basketball team continues its season-opening five-game homestand Saturday, Dec. 6, when it plays host to the South Florida Bulls at the Devaney Center. The contest will tip off at 2:05 p.m., marking NU's first afternoon contest of the year. Saturday's game will also be a collection day for the Toys for Tots program, which works to provide a brighter Christmas by securing gifts for area children. Fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift to drop off at donation areas around the Devaney Center.

The game between the Huskers and Bulls 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 avenge a loss from last season for the second game in a row. Nebraska downed Pac-10 foe Arizona State Wednesday, 66-60, after falling to the Sun Devils, 75-63, last season. NU also lost to the Bulls on the road last year, dropping a tough 65-60 decision to USF in front of an ESPN2 national television audience.

Nebraska's early season surge has come behind a solid defensive effort that has limited opponents to just 37.9 percent shooting from the floor, including 32.7 percent from three-point range. NU is allowing just 61.0 points per game while holding a +10.0 points per game scoring advantage.

Junior guard Corey Simms, NU's defensive player of the year last season, has played a large role in each of the past two victories. Simms helped shut down Eastern Michigan's Markus Austin, limiting him to just two points, 15 below his season average, and came back to help the Huskers hold ASU to just 42.6 percent shooting from the floor Wednesday. Though ASU's total was the best percentage NU has allowed this year, Nebraska did a solid job of keeping the Sun Devils' top threat, preseason All-American forward Ike Diogu, to 13 points below his season average.

Simms, who is the Huskers' second-most experienced player with 60 career appearances, also recorded a career-high four steals in the game, as Nebraska finished with 12 while forcing the Sun Devils into 16 turnovers. Nebraska recorded a season-low seven turnovers in the contest, including only two before the intermission.

Scouting the Bulls
Nebraska faces another tough opponent from a top-rated conference when it takes on South Florida. The Bulls, members of Conference USA, are off to a 3-1 start this season. USF won both of its home games this year and has a 1-1 road record, earning a 64-62 decision over Valparaiso while falling to Providence on Tuesday, 84-60.

The Bulls, coming off a 15-14 campaign in 2002-03, are averaging 69.2 points per game while hitting a solid 46.8 percent from the field. USF's opponents are also hitting well from the field, draining 40.0 percent of their field goal attempts while averaging 67.8 points per game.

South Florida, which has just 10 players on the roster, has nine players averaging at least 15.0 minutes of playing time through four games. USF has hit 39.6 percent from behind the arc, making an average of 5.3 three-pointers per game. South Florida has allowed opponents to hit 34.4 percent from downtown, with 5.5 treys per contest. USF has also turned the ball over 19.8 times per game while recording 15.0 assists, but has had just 6.8 steals per game. Opponents have had 14.8 turnovers while forcing 9.5 steals through four games.

USF is led by junior guard Bradley Mosley, who is averaging 13.5 points per game with a team-high 1.8 steals per game. Mosley is second on the squad with 3.8 assists per contest and has hit 48.9 percent from the field to help pace the Bulls.

Along with Mosley, senior Jimmy Baxter, a 6-5, 210-pound swingman who is averaging 13.5 points per game, is one of eight lettermen and two returning starters for the Bulls. Baxter is second on the squad in scoring and third with 5.5 rebounds per game. Baxter trails only forwards Terrence Leather and Gerrick Morris in rebounding, who are both averaging 7.5 rebounds per contest. Leather has added 9.5 points per game while Morris has chipped in 8.0 points and 4.3 blocks per contest.

The Bulls are led by Coach Robert McCullum (Birmingham-Southern, 1976), who is in his first year guiding South Florida. McCullum came to the Bulls from Western Michigan, where he accumulated a 44-45 record in three seasons. McCullum's staff includes assistants Frank Burnell, Tommy Deffebaugh and Steve Henson, a four-year starter for Kansas State from 1987 to 1990. Henson, the only player in KSU history to play in four NCAA Tournaments, still holds the Wildcats' career assist record with 582, and is the school record holder in career three-pointers made, starts and games played.

The Last Meeting ? USF 65, NU 60 (Dec. 5, 2002)
The Huskers fell to South Florida on the road last season, 65-60, in the team's first ever meeting. The loss left NU with a 14-23 all-time mark against current Conference USA schools.

NU limited the Bulls to just 36.5 percent shooting for the game, but USF hit 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from three-point range to seal the victory. NU hit just 38.7 percent from the field although it mounted a comeback in the second half by hitting 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from the floor in the final period.

Nebraska dominated the Bulls on the glass, 47-38, but USF's defense pressured the Huskers into 17 turnovers. South Florida had just eight turnovers to go with 15 assists.

Andrew Drevo led three Huskers in double-figures, scoring 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. Jake Muhleisen added 14 points with seven boards and three assists, while Nate Johnson had 12 points. John Turek and Corey Simms each recorded career-high rebounding marks, which they have since tied but not surpassed. Turek had 16 rebounds including 11 defensive boards, while Simms had his first double-figure rebounding effort with 10 boards.

The Last Time Out ? NU 66, Arizona 60
Lincoln ? Corey Simms scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, as Nebraska improved to 3-0 on the season with a 66-60 win over Arizona State in front of 6,995 fans at the Devaney Center Wednesday evening.

Simms led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska used a balanced attack, took advantage of every opportunity on the offensive end and held preseason All-American Ike Diogu in check to stay undefeated. Simms, who added six rebounds and four steals, tied Andrew Drevo for team-high honors with 13 points while Jake Muhleisen and Nate Johnson added 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Huskers committed only seven turnovers, while turning 16 ASU miscues into 25 points.

Behind a 13-rebound effort from John Turek, NU out-rebounded ASU 39-38 - including a 16-10 cushion on the offensive end ? to propel the Huskers to a 21-7 advantage on second-chance points. Turek, who was held to a season-low four points on 1-for-8 shooting, was a major factor in the paint, grabbing seven offensive rebounds to keep several critical possessions alive. Turek also played a major role in holding Diogu to just 13 points, half his season average of 25.7 ppg, and six rebounds before fouling out. Diogu also was forced into a game-high five turnovers.

While Turek was held in check, the Huskers found an unexpected star in Wes Wilkinson, who hit a pair of big three-pointers in 14 quality minutes off the bench. Wilkinson’s pass to a cutting Muhleisen for a back-door layup with 6:49 remaining broke a 48-all tie, triggering a decisive 9-2 run that gave the Huskers the lead for good.

ASU, which fell to 3-1 with the loss, led only once in the second half, at 46-45 on a Diogu driving floater with 10:03 remaining. Wilkinson came right back on the Huskers’ next possession, drilling a three from the wing to put the Huskers ahead by two.

The Huskers trailed early on before Johnson sparked a 21-5 run to end the first half, as Nebraska overcame an early five-point deficit to take a 36-25 halftime lead. Johnson, who missed Saturday’s win over Eastern Michigan with an illness, came off the bench to score seven quick points to knot the score at 22. Johnson finished the game with nine points and grabbed four rebounds in nine minutes of action.

The Huskers regained the lead on a five-point possession, as the Huskers grabbed two offensive rebounds off free throws. Muhleisen capped the sequence with a 3-pointer from the wing to give NU a five-point lead. The Sun Devils closed to within 27-24, but NU scored the next nine points, including a three-pointer from Wilkinson and an alley-oop to Drevo that gave NU its largest lead of the half at 36-24.

A Drevo three-pointer extended the Husker lead to 39-25 in the opening minute of the half, but ASU used long-range shooting to get back into the contest. Steve Moore hit back-to-back three-pointers before Tron Smith’s trey on the next possession trimmed the NU lead to 39-34 with 18:19 remaining.

Moore, who scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, continued to bring ASU back, scoring six straight points to put the visitors within 41-40 with just under 12 minutes remaining. The teams traded baskets until Diogu’s basket gave ASU its short-lived lead. Wilkinson’s second three-pointer of the game helped NU regain momentum.

Nebraska Postgame Notes vs. Arizona State
*** The Huskers are 3-0 for the second time in three years under Coach Barry Collier. NU has now won five straight home games dating back to last season.

*** Nebraska opened the game with its third different lineup in as many games, with forwards John Turek and Andrew Drevo, and guards Jake Muhleisen, Corey Simms and Charles Richardson Jr. Only Jake Muhleisen and John Turek have started all three games.

*** The Sun Devils were the first of nine teams the Huskers will face this season that received votes in this week’s USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

*** Nebraska had eight steals in the first half after entering the game averaging 6.5 per contest. NU finished with 12 steals on the game, the most by the Huskers since 2001-02, including a career-high four by Corey Simms.

*** Sophomore forward Wes Wilkinson had a solid all-around night, chipping in six points ? one off his career high ? while hitting two three-pointers. Last season he had just three three-pointers all year.

*** Junior forward John Turek had tied his season high with 13 rebounds, his second double-figure rebounding performance of the year. NU has had at least one double-figure rebounder in each of its first three games, and has now outrebounded its opponent in each contest. Turek leads the Big 12 in rebounding at 11.3 rebounds per game.

*** Senior Nate Johnson came off the bench for the first time in his Husker career after sitting out most of the previous week with an illness. Johnson sparked the Huskers, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds with two assists and two steals.

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 16.7 assists, against just 12.0 turnovers, through the first three contests this season, while their opponents have averaged just 13.3 assists against 13.7 turnovers this season. Last year, NU averaged 11.2 assists with 14.4 turnovers.

At least eight players have had an assist in each of the three games so far this year, with nine players recording one or more assists against Fairleigh Dickinson and Arizona 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 tying10 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 holding on for a 66-60 victory over Arizona State Wednesday, Nebraska now holds a five-game home-court winning streak and is 32-16 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 320-100 (.762) 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 37.9 percent (61-of-161) from the floor and 32.7 percent (18-of-55) from behind the arc. 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 2-of-5 in the past two games to leave him among the league leaders by hitting at a 50.0 percent (5-of-10) 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 five blocked shots in the Huskers' first three 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 96 blocks, putting him in line to become only the sixth player in NU history to record 100 blocked shots. He finished last season as only the second sophomore in NU history with at least 90 blocks.

Turek 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 returns 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 107-109 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 site 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.

Huskers in the Pros
Nebraska has had 24 players selected in the NBA draft since 1949, with Venson Hamilton being the latest selection in 1999 (2nd round, 50th pick). There were three former Huskers on opening-day rosters this season, including Eric Piatkowski (Houston Rockets; injured list), Tyronn Lue (Orlando Magic; 14.9 ppg, 4.2 apg) and Erick Strickland (Milwaukee Bucks; 9.0 ppg, 3.5 apg). Mikki Moore was also on the Seattle SuperSonics preseason roster, but was released in October before the start of the season.

The three Huskers on opening-day NBA rosters tied for the third-most representatives of any team in the Big 12 this year. Kansas led the way with eight former players opening the season in the NBA, while Iowa State was second with four former Cyclones in the league. NU and Missouri had three players apiece, while Texas and Texas Tech each had two on the list. Baylor, Colorado, Oklahoma and Oklahoma each had one while Kansas State and Texas A&M were the only league members without a former player on an opening-day roster. Former Husker Eric Piatkowski has the second-longest tenure of current Big 12 players in the league with nine years, trailing only Anthony Peeler (11 years).

Nebraska also has had several players playing overseas in recent years. This season, Cookie Belcher is playing his third season with Laurentia Biella in Italy's 'A' League (17.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg), while Kimani Ffriend is playing with the Yugoslavian team Reflex (10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Eric Johnson (Galicia; 12.4 ppg, 2.0 apg) and Venson Hamilton (Bilbao; injured list) are playing in Spain, while Richard van Poelgeest is playing in Denmark (Weert; 8.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg). All stastics are through Nov. 14.

Quick Shots
*** Senior forward Brian Conklin hit one three-pointer against Arizona State for his only points of the game, but it was enough to put him over the 500-point plateau for his career. A native of Hubbard, Ohio, Conklin now has 502 career points. He became the second Husker this season to top the plateau, as junior guard Jake Muhleisen also topped the mark in the previous game against Eastern Michigan.

*** Conklin also look to top a special plateau this season, as he is on pace to become the second Husker to reach 100 career games played in the past four years under Coach Collier. Guard Cary Cochran is currently 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 the Huskers' career leader in three-point field goals with 268.

*** While Conklin and Muhleisen have already topped the 500-point plateau this season, NU could see that number climb to five this season as Andrew Drevo (currently 428 points), John Turek (418) and Nate Johnson (401) are all within reach of the mark.

*** Nebraska's two new point guards, Marcus Neal Jr. and Charles Richardson Jr., are still looking to find their comfort zone when it comes to scoring, as they are a combined 0-for-12 from the field, but they have done exactly what they were brought in to do ? run the offense and distribute the ball. Neal and Richardson have combined for 16 of NU's 50 assists (32 percent) through three games, and have been reliable at the charity stripe where they have combined to hit 10-of-14 attempts (71.4 percent).

*** Turek has also played a large role in NU's early season improvement at the foul line, where he is hitting 73.7 percent (14-of-19) after entering the season as a career 41.9-percent shooter at the charity stripe. Nebraska is hitting 66.7 percent (48-of-72) from the line as a team, with Turek leading the way in free throws attempted and made. In fact, Turek has more made free throws than any other Husker has attempted.

*** Sophomore Wes Wilkinson has seen his playing time increase as he has become more comfortable with the Huskers' offensive scheme and the results have been positive. Wilkinson has averaged 4.7 points through three games while ranking second the team with four steals. He averaged just 1.7 points last season while recording three steals in 30 games.

*** Wilkinson also hit a pair of key three-pointers to lead NU to a victory over Arizona State, the first time he hit more than one trey in a game in his career. Wilkinson had just three three-pointers all of last season.