Huskers Begin Final Week of Regular Season at KU

Lincoln -- The Nebraska men's basketball team starts the final week of the regular season in Lawrence, Kan., where it will take on No. 21/18 Kansas on Wednesday, March 3. The game between the Huskers and Jayhawks will tip off at 6:30 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse and can be seen on the Jayhawk Television Network in the state of Kansas. The contest can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com, with Randy Lee calling the action and Matt Davison adding color analysis.

After an exciting win over Iowa State, 68-65, on Senior Day in Lincoln, Nebraska travels to Lawrence to take on the Jayhawks in their final home game of the 2003-04 campaign. Nebraska defeated the nationally ranked Jayhawks, 74-55, in Lincoln on Feb. 15, but gaining a repeat of that performance will be difficult as KU owns a 12-1 home mark, including a perfect 7-0 home record in conference play.

Nebraska has executed well on the road this season despite a 2-6 record away from the Devaney Center. The Huskers have been at their best in their last two road games while picking up an 83-77 victory at Texas A&M and suffering an 87-83 overtime loss at No. 7 Oklahoma State.

NU hit 52.0 percent from the field and 82.8 percent from the free throw line in those games. Nebraska held the Aggies and Cowboys to a combined 40.3 percent shooting, including just 23.1 percent from three-point range. Seniors Andrew Drevo and Nate Johnson paced NU against A&M and OSU, averaging 19.5 and 18.5 points per game, respectively. The pair also combined for 13.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Following Wednesday's contest, the Huskers end the regular season with a road contest at Colorado. The game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder will tip off at 3 p.m. (CST) and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network.

About the Huskers
Nebraska enters the final week of the regular season on a two-game winning streak after knocking off No. 25 Texas Tech, 72-44, on Feb. 24 and Iowa State, 68-65, on Feb. 28. The Huskers have won five of their last seven games to move into a tie for seventh in the league standings with a 6-8 Big 12 mark. The last time NU won at least five conference games in a seven-game stretch came in 1998-99, when the Huskers won six of seven league contests (and nine of 10) before finishing with a 20-13 record.

Overall, Nebraska owns a 16-9 record this season, a five-game improvement in the win column over last season. The 16 wins are the most under fourth-year coach Barry Collier, and with just two regular-season games remaining, the Huskers are assured of their first winning season since 1998-99.

Nebraska has played well on the road this year, where it has hit 46.0 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from three-point range while averaging 68.0 points per game. The Huskers have limited opponents to 43.7 percent shooting, including 34.2 percent from three-point range, but have allowed 73.4 points per game. Opponents have also held a slight +2.3 rebounding advantage (34.1-31.8) over the Huskers.

Seniors Nate Johnson and Andrew Drevo have led Nebraska away from Lincoln in 2003-04 by averaging 14.9 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Johnson has hit 49.4 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent from the foul line on opponents courts while grabbing 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Drevo has led the Huskers by hitting 51.8 percent from the field and grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game on the road. Senior Brian Conklin has also been efficient, hitting 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from beyond the arc in road games. Drevo is second with 13 three-pointers in eight road games (1.6 per game), after hitting just 17 treys in 17 home games (1.0 per game).

On the season, Nebraska's improvements have been dramatic. The Huskers have moved into the national top 25 in three statistical categories, including three-point field-goal percentage (39.4), field-goal percentage defense (38.5) and scoring defense (60.2), while ranking in the top 50 in field-goal percentage (46.9), free throw percentage (72.7) and rebounding margin (+4.6).

Who's Hot?
*- Guard Nate Johnson has been on fire the past seven games, averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game while hitting 46.8 percent from the floor. Inside the arc, the senior from Kansas City, Kan., has hit 59.9 percent (29-of-57) during that span while connecting on 90.5 percent (38-of-42) from the charity stripe.

Johnson has focused his intensity on the court in his final games as a Husker. That determination has translated into outstanding numbers on the glass recently, as he has averaged a team-high 6.9 rebounds in the past seven contests, including recording his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-44 thumping of No. 25 Texas Tech. Johnson added a second straight double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in NU's exciting 68-65 victory over Iowa State Feb. 28.

Johnson leads Nebraska with 13.5 points per game in 2003-04, while hitting 49.5 percent from the floor. He ranks third in the league in free throw (87.6) and three-point field-goal (45.2) percentage.

*- Forward Brian Conklin is on pace to shatter the Big 12 Conference and Nebraska school records for three-point field-goal percentage by hitting 54.7 percent (47-of-86) from beyond the arc this season, including 58.8 percent (30-of-51) in league-only games. Only one player in league history (Kirk Hinrich, Kansas; 50.5 percent, 2000-01) has topped 50 percent beyond the arc for a whole season.

Over the past seven games, Conklin has hit 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from three-point range. Conklin has hit 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from three-point range on the road this season. At home, Conklin has hit 33-of-59 (55.9 percent), including a streak of 13 straight made three-point attempts over four games from Jan. 21 to Feb. 15.

*- Sophomore guard Jason Dourisseau has picked up his play in the past week, averaging 9.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in the past two games. Dourisseau, who has hit 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point range (3-of-7), is second on the team in that span in scoring, only behind Nate Johnson's 19.5 points per game.

Dourisseau gained 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting Saturday against Iowa State, including hitting both of his three-point attempts. It was just his second double-figure scoring game against a conference opponent this season, and fourth overall in 2003-04.

On the year, Dourisseau has averaged 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds while hitting 49.1 percent from the field, but just 31.3 percent from long range. Dourisseau's three treys last week represent 30 percent of his three-point total (10) this season.

*- Guard Marcus Neal Jr. has been on a tear from long range the past eight games. Neal has hit 17-of-40 (42.5 percent) from three-point range to tie Brian Conklin for the team lead in treys in that span.

Neal started the season by hitting just 8-of-31 (25.8 percent) three-point attempts in his first 18 games. After hitting a three-pointer in just three of the first 16 games of the year, he came on to hit a trey in seven straight games, a streak that was snapped against Texas Tech. On the year, Neal has averaged 4.8 points and 1.7 assists per game.

*- Nebraska's three-point defense has been outstanding the past six games, as the Huskers have held opponents to just 25.0 percent shooting (20-of-80) from outside the arc. The only team to hit better than 30.0 percent from long range during that stretch was Kansas State, which hit just 33.3 percent (2-of-6).

On the season, Nebraska leads the Big 12 in three-point field-goal percentage defense by allowing just 30.4 percent. NU has held opponents to below 30 percent from downtown 12 times this year, including four times to 15.0 percent or less.

*- The Huskers have played well against ranked teams this year while earning a 2-3 record including winning home games against No. 12/13 Kansas (74-55) and No. 25 Texas Tech (72-44). NU is 0-2 against ranked teams on the road, but has lost the two games by a combined six points, including a two-point loss at No. 18/16 Texas (61-63) and an overtime loss at No. 7 Oklahoma State (83-87).

Nebraska has hit 48.8 percent from the floor against ranked teams, including 42.2 percent from three-point range, while averaging 68.0 points per game. NU has held ranked opponents to 37.9 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three-point range while averaging just 60.2 points per game. The Huskers have also held a +3.6 rebounding advantage (35.6-32.0) while averaging 5.2 blocks per game.

Scouting the Jayhawks

Kansas enters the week ranked No. 21 (AP) and 18 (Coaches) nationally with an 18-7 overall record while sitting third in the Big 12 standings with a 10-4 mark. KU has won three of its last four contests since falling to the Huskers in Lincoln. The Jayhawks' only loss in that stretch was an 82-67 setback at nationally ranked Texas.

Overall, KU has won six straight games at Allen Fieldhouse, including a 79-58 victory over Oklahoma on Sunday. Wednesday's contest in Lawrence will be Senior Day for the Jayhawks in their final home game of the season. KU ends the regular-season on Sunday, March 7, at Missouri.

The Jayhawks have been stingy on defense, allowing opponents just 66.7 points per game while hitting only 39.2 percent from the floor. KU's field-goal percentage defense ranks second in the league behind the Huskers, who have allowed foes to shoot just 38.5 percent from the field.

Offensively, the Jayhawks rank fifth in the league by averaging 74.4 points per game while hitting 45.2 percent from the floor, although KU ranks 11th in the conference standings for three-point shooting at 32.3 percent. KU paces the Big 12 with 17.7 assists per contest and ranks second in blocked shots with 5.5 per game.

Kansas is led by Wayne Simien, who is averaging 17.2 points per game to rank second in the conference. The junior forward has hit 53.0 percent from the floor and 79.3 percent from the charity stripe in 2003-04. He also adds 9.3 rebounds per game to place third in the conference while ranking second on the squad with 24 blocks and third with 20 steals. Simien has scored at least 20 points in three of the past four games, and is averaging 18.6 points per game over the past eight games.

Simien is one of three Jayhawks averaging double figures, along with Keith Langford and J.R. Giddens.

Langford has averaged 16.3 points per game, and joins Simien as the highest-scoring duo in the league as Langford is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring. Langford has hit 48.3 percent from the field and connected on 38.3 percent from beyond the arc. He is second on the squad with 85 assists and 27 steals, and is averaging 4.6 rebounds. Over the past three games, Langford has averaged 18.8 points.

Giddens, a freshman guard, is averaging 10.5 points per game while hitting 45.8 percent from the field. He leads KU with 54 three-pointers and has hit a team-best 39.4 percent from downtown, while adding 3.7 rebounds.

Junior guard Aaron Miles paces the league and ranks among the national leaders with 7.4 assists per contest. He has averaged 9.2 points with 3.9 rebounds and recorded a team-high 47 steals. Miles is hitting just 38.3 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from long range. Freshman center David Padgett has added 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds while leading KU with 39 blocked shots.

The Jayhawks are coached by Bill Self, who is in first season at Kansas after spending time as head coach at Illinois, Tulsa and Oral Roberts. Self owns a 225-112 career record in his 11th season as a head coach.

Series History
The Nebraska-Kansas series is the oldest conference series for the Huskers, dating back to a 48-8 NU victory in the 1899-1900 campaign. Nebraska trails in the series by a 153-71 mark after ending a nine-game losing streak to the Jayhawks earlier this year in Lincoln.

Kansas owns an 80-23 series lead in Lawrence, including a 41-7 advantage in Allen Fieldhouse. Overall, KU has won 18 of the past 21 meetings since the 1994-95 campaign, and has taken 19 of the past 20 matchups in Lawrence since 1983-84. The only Husker road win over KU in the past two decades came in 1998-99, when Nebraska swept the regular-season series by taking an 84-69 victory in Lincoln and a 64-59 win in Lawrence.

In their last meeting on Feb. 15, Nebraska exploded for a 47-point second half to pull away from No. 12/13 Kansas for a 74-55 victory. After trailing by one, 28-27, at the intermission, the Huskers hit 63.0 percent from the floor in the second period while limiting the Jayhawks to just 36.0 percent. For the game, KU hit just 36.2 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from three-point range, while NU nailed 56.3 percent of its shots and was perfect (12-of-12) at the free throw line. Nate Johnson, Andrew Drevo and John Turek each recorded 14 points to lead NU, while Turek added seven rebounds and three blocked shots off the bench.

The last meeting in Lawrence was not as pleasing for the Huskers, as NU suffered a 92-59 setback against the Jayhawks in the 2003 conference opener. It was the fourth straight double-figure road loss to KU, but NU's biggest loss was Jake Muhleisen. Muhleisen fractured his left hip in a hard fall to the floor just eight minutes into the contest and was sidelined for the remainder of the season, totaling 16 games including 15 conference contests.

Forward Andrew Drevo has led Nebraska with 12.0 points per game against the Jayhawks while hitting 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from the field with 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. Guard Nate Johnson has added 11.3 points and 3.7 assists per game vs. KU, while Jake Muhleisen and John Turek have each added 8.0 points per contest. Muhleisen has hit 59.0 percent (13-of-22) from inside the arc in four games against Kansas.