Undefeated Huskers and Bluejays Set to Collide

Lincoln -- The Nebraska men's basketball team will play its first road contest of the season Wednesday, Dec. 10, when it heads up Interstate 80 to collide with in-state rival Creighton. The game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. and can be seen in Lincoln and Omaha on KM3 with Travis Justice handling play-by-play duties and Greg Sharpe adding color commentary. The game will also be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network and on Huskers.com, with Randy Lee calling the action and Matt Davison adding color analysis.

The Husker-Bluejay matchup at the Qwest Center OMAHA is expected to draw the largest crowd to ever see a college basketball game in the state of Nebraska. All 15,500 seats were sold before Monday when the arena put standing-room-only tickets on sale. With a sellout Wednesday, the game would top the Huskers' mark for a largest crowd, which stands at 15,038 in a 1981 contest against Oklahoma State, a 62-54 Nebraska victory.

Getting ready for the game will not be hard for the Huskers who are in the middle of a three-game stretch in six days. NU has started the toughest stretch through the non-conference season on a high note, as the Huskers ran their record to 5-0 for the second time in three years with a pair of easy wins.

Nebraska cruised to a 75-52 victory over South Florida on Saturday and came back with an impressive 68-39 win against Delaware State on Monday. The games marked the first time since the beginning of the 1997 campaign that Nebraska had recorded back-to-back victories by more than 20 points. NU's win over DSU also was memorable as the Huskers set a Devaney Center record by allowing just 39 points. The previous opponent low was 41 points on two occasions, including by Delaware State in 1995, while the all-time record of 39 points was set by NU in a 41-39 loss to Kansas State in a Big Eight Conference Tournament game in 1984. The last time NU allowed fewer than 40 points came exactly 41 years ago to the day, Dec. 8, 1962, when Nebraska took a 43-39 win over Air Force in Lincoln.

About the Huskers
Nebraska's strong start to the season has come behind an outstanding defensive effort that has left opponents hitting just 35.3 percent from the field and averaging only 54.8 points per game, as NU ranks seventh nationally in field-goal percentage defense and 11th in scoring defense. Only two teams (Fairleigh Dickinson and Arizona State) have shot better than 40 percent against the Huskers this season, and no team has outrebounded Nebraska, which holds a 40.6-31.0 advantage on the glass (+9.6, 23rd nationally). NU has held three of its last four opponents to less than 13 percent shooting from three-point range, including the last two opponents (South Florida and Delaware State) to a combined 11.6 percent (5-of-43) from beyond the arc.

Offensively, Nebraska has been consistent and balanced with its new scheme. The Huskers have averaged 71.2 points per game (a plus-16.4 scoring advantage for Nebraska; 30th nationally) and have hit 47.7 percent from the floor. The Huskers' hard work in the offseason sprang to life Monday when Nebraska hit 70.8 percent from the floor in the first half while running to a 44-22 lead at the intermission.

With a daunting task of just a day off between each of three games, keeping players fresh was a concern. By taking care of business on the court, the Huskers have eased those worries, as only one player, Andrew Drevo, played more than 19 minutes on Monday with all 15 available players seeing action. It was the second straight game every player earned time on the court as no Husker had more than 24 minutes of action on Saturday.

As the Huskers have been able to get ample playing time for its whole roster, NU's scoring has become even more balanced. The Huskers have just two players (John Turek, 11.2 ppg; Nate Johnson, 10.8 ppg) averaging double figures, while five other players are pitching in at least five points per game.

Scouting the Bluejays
Nebraska plays its third game in six days when it squares off with the undefeated Bluejays in Omaha. Creighton owns the fourth-longest home-court winning streak in the nation at 21 games and is 48-3 in its last 51 contests at home. CU's lone loss in its last 23 home non-conference contests came against Xavier in 2001.

The Bluejays have gotten off to another hot start, as Creighton is 4-0 after outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 26.0 points per game, ranking second in the nation. CU has hit an impressive 49.3 percent from the field and limited foes to 39.4 percent shooting, including a paltry 25.0 percent from three-point range. CU has given up just 51.0 points per game to rank fourth nationally in scoring defense.

Like the Huskers, the Bluejays only have two players scoring in double figures. Senior forward Brody Deren leads a balanced Creighton scoring attack with 12.0 points per game on 64.3 percent shooting from the field. Deren paces the squad with 7.5 rebounds per contest, as CU has outrebounded its opponents 35.2-29.0 through four contests.

Along with Deren, sophomore guard Nate Funk has picked up 11.5 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting. Funk is tied for second on the squad with five three-pointers while junior guard Kellen Milliner (9.3 ppg) leads CU with six treys. Sophomore guard Johnny Mathies (8.5 ppg) also has five baskets from beyond the arc, but leads the team in three-point field-goal percentage by hitting 5-of-6 (.833) from downtown.

Junior guard Tyler McKinney has added just 4.5 points per game, but is efficient at running the offense. McKinney leads CU with 22 assists (5.5 apg), double the next closest Bluejay.

The Bluejays are led by Coach Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980), who is in his 10th year guiding Creighton. Altman owns a 179-100 record at CU, and is 262-167 overall in his 15th season as a head coach. Altman has been honored as coach of the year on four occasions at the Division I level, twice in the Missouri Valley Conference (2001, 2002) with Creighton, once in the Big Eight Conference (1993) while at Kansas State and once in the Southern Conference (1990) when guiding Marshall.

The Series
The Huskers and Bluejays will square off for the 36th time in the series which dates back to the 1922-23 campaign. This year's contest will mark the 29th consecutive season the team's have met.

Creighton has gotten the better of the Huskers recently, winning each of the past four contests and five of the last six. Before CU's recent run, the Huskers had won seven straight games between 1990 and 1997 to take command of the series, which now stands at 21-14 in favor of the Huskers. Nine of the Nebraska's 14 losses in the series have come away from Lincoln.

Last year, Nebraska cut a 17-point deficit to eight late in the game but could not get over the hump, as CU held on for an 81-73 victory. It was just CU's second win in 14 tries in Lincoln.

Andrew Drevo picked up his third straight double-double with a 23-point, 13-rebound performance against the nationally ranked Bluejays (No. 20/19), who improved to 9-0 with the victory. NU dominated the glass, collecting a 45-28 rebounding advantage, but allowed Creighton to shoot 50 percent from the field, as the Huskers fell to 4-4 on the year.

Last Time Out ? NU 68, DSU 39
Wes Wilkinson scored a career-high 13 points, as Nebraska tuned up for Wednesday’s showdown at Creighton with a 68-39 rout of Delaware State Monday evening at the Devaney Center.

The Huskers, who improved to 5-0 for just the third time in seven seasons, blistered the net in the first half, shooting 70.8 percent from the floor, including a remarkable 80 percent from three-point range, to build a 44-22 halftime lead.

Wilkinson, one of three Huskers to finish in double figures, came off the bench to set career highs with 13 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, and eight rebounds. The 6-9 sophomore from Grand Island topped previous career highs of seven points and seven rebounds last season.

Marcus Neal, who scored 10 points and added three assists, keyed the Huskers’ decisive 20-8 spurt with a pair of three-pointers, as the Huskers turned a two-point lead into a 16-point cushion with 7:49 remaining in the first half. The Huskers were 8-of-10 from long-range in the first half as the outcome was never in doubt after the Huskers’ first-half surge.

Andrew Drevo was the third Husker to finish in double figures, scoring 10 points in just 20 minutes of work. All 15 players who dressed played in the second half. Nebraska shot 56 percent from the field and also enjoyed a 34-23 advantage on the glass against the Hornets.

Aaron Matthews led Delaware State with eight points, as the Hornets (1-3) were held to 31 percent shooting from the field.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Delaware State
** The Huskers improved to 5-0 for the second time in three years, and the second time since 1997-98. The Huskers increased their home-court winning streak to seven straight dating back to last season.

** NU’s 29-point victory marked its second straight 20-plus point victory, after defeating South Florida 75-52. The last time NU won by at least 29 points was in 2001, when the Huskers defeated Texas A&M, 97-69. The last time NU won back-to-back contests by at least 20 points was Nov. 16 and 19, 1997, when NU defeated UNC Greensboro 75-51 and Western Illinois 86-57, respectively.

** The 39 points scored by Delaware State tied the Devaney Center record low point total of 39 set by Nebraska in 1984. It was also an opponent all-time low in the Devaney Center, breaking the previous record of 41 points by Kansas State in 1984 and Delaware State in 1995.

** Junior forward John Turek picked up his 100th career blocked shot against DSU. Turek blocked a shot at the 14:07 mark of the first half to pick up No. 100 of his career. Turek finished with four blocked shots and now has 102 in his career, just the sixth Husker in history to top the 100 plateau.

** Sophomore forward Wes Wilkinson recorded a career-high 13 points, finishing the night 6-of-10 from the floor. Wilkinson tied his previous career high of seven points just 11 minutes into the game, as he hit three of his first four shots from the field, including a one-handed dunk off a steal and a three-pointer. Wilkinson’s made field goals and attempts were both career highs as well, surpassing his previous highs of three and nine.

** Wilkinson continued his stellar night by adding a career-high eight rebounds. Senior Brian Conklin added a season high six rebounds.

** Nebraska’s 44 points at the intermission were the most in any half since NU scored 44 in the second half against Colorado on the road last year (3/8/03). The last time NU scored at least 44 points in the first half was Feb. 9, 2002, when the Huskers put up 49 points in the opening period at home against Kansas State in a 99-82 victory.

** The Huskers have lead by double figures at halftime in every game this season, including a season-high 22-point lead against the Hornets.

** Nebraska has outrebounded its opponent in every contest this season. The Huskers took a 34-23 rebounding advantage over DSU but had their fewest rebounds of the season. NU came into the game averaging 42.2 rebounds per game.

** Nebraska shot 70.8 percent (17-of-24) in the first period, the highest percentage of any half this season. The last time NU hit 70.0 percent from the field in any half was Dec. 20, 2000, when NU hit 13-of-17 from the field in the second period against Iona College in the first game of the 2000 San Juan Shootout.

** Nebraska tied its season high with five blocked shots on the night, matching the mark NU had against Eastern Michigan.

** The Huskers hit a season high 56.5 percent from the field for the game. NU also set a season high by hitting 56.3 percent from three-point range.

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 11 players into every contest in 2003-04, including all 15 available players in each of the past two contests.

The quality depth has helped NU average 71.2 points per game, as 13 players have scored so far this season. Nebraska's bench has outscored its opponents by a 135-63 margin this year, helping NU to a 5-0 record at home.

Making Some Noise
Forward Wes Wilkinson has taken his play to a new level early in his sophomore season. After averaging just 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds as a true freshman last season, Wilkinson has produced 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds while gaining 13.8 minutes per game in 2003-04.

Wilkinson is one of seven Huskers averaging at least 5.0 points per game, as he is among the team leaders in field-goal percentage by hitting 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the floor and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from three-point range. Wilkinson set a career high with a pair of three-point field goals against Arizona State and now has three treys in five games, after finishing last year with three three-pointers in 30 games.

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

And the assist to . . .
With the addition of a pair of true point guards to the roster in the offseason, Nebraska expected to find better distribution of the ball while running its offense this season. That is exactly what has happened early in 2003-04. The Huskers have averaged 15.8 assists, against 13.4 turnovers, through the first four contests this season, while their opponents have averaged just 12.0 assists against 13.2 turnovers. Last year, NU averaged 11.2 assists with 14.4 turnovers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Huskers have gotten off to a good start, as they are allowing opponents to hit just 35.3 percent (94-of-266) from the floor and 23.5 percent (23-of-98) 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 two games (South Florida and Delaware State), NU has allowed just five three-pointers on 43 attempts (.116).

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 4-of-8 in the past four games to leave him among the league leaders by hitting at a 53.8 percent (7-of-13) 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 11 of NU's 18 blocked shots in the Huskers' first five 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 102, as 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 112-109 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.

Quick Shots
** NU's five consecutive wins to open the season are the most since 2001-02, when the Huskers opened the year with a 6-0 record. It is the second time in four seasons under Coach Collier than NU opened with at least five straight wins, although it is only the third time since 1997-98.

** Nebraska now owns a seven-game home-court winning streak after defeating Delaware State, 68-39, its longest streak since winning seven straight from the end of 2000-01 (one game) and the beginning of 2001-02 (six games). The last time NU won at least eight straight on its home court was 1997-98, when it won 10 consecutive home games.

** While it's still early, the Huskers have hit 47.7 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 51.0 percent (98-of-192) from inside the arc.

** Nebraska's new offensive scheme has helped the Huskers put up 71.2 points per game through five contests, much higher than last season's 63.3 points per game. NU has topped the 70-point plateau twice in the first five games, after reach 70 points just six times in 30 games last season.

** Senior Brian Conklin looks to reach a special plateau this season, as he is on pace to become the second Husker to play his 100th career game under Coach Collier. Conklin has currently played in 93 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 the Huskers' career leader in three-point field goals with 268.

** 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 449 points), John Turek (430) and Nate Johnson (416) are all within reach of the mark.

** Nebraska's two new point guards, Marcus Neal Jr. and Charles Richardson Jr., have combined for 24 of NU's 79 assists (30.3 percent) through five games, while giving up just 15 turnovers (combined 1.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio). They have also been reliable at the charity stripe where they have combined to hit 18-of-23 attempts (78.2 percent). The pair, along with Muhleisen, lead the team with 12 assists apiece while 10 players have at least three assists.

** Turek had seven rebounds against South Florida on Saturday, and now has 400 for his career. Turek now has 430 points, 400 rebounds and 102 blocked shots in his career.

** Turek has also played a large role in NU's early season improvement at the foul line, where he is hitting 70.0 percent (14-of-20) after entering the season as a career 41.9-percent shooter at the charity stripe. Nebraska is hitting 68.2 percent (73-of-107) from the line as a team, with Turek leading the way in free throws attempted and made. In fact, Turek has made as many free throws (14) as any Husker has attempted except Andrew Drevo (15).

** Nebraska has used four different starting lineups in five games this season. Only Muhleisen and Turek have started every game this year. NU started the same lineup for consecutive games for the first time when Muhleisen, Turek, Simms, Neal Jr. and Drevo were in for the opening tip against South Florida and Delaware State.