Nebraska Looks to Continue Quick Start

The Nebraska men's basketball team will try to continue its fast start to the 2004-05 season when it plays host to Texas Southern at the Devaney Center on Saturday, Nov. 27. The game will tip off at 1:05 p.m.

The contest can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network with Randy Lee (play-by-play) and Matt Davison (color) calling the action together. The game will also be heard on the internet at Huskers.com, and live stats are available. Live streaming video will be carried on HuskersNside.com, the premium website of the Nebraska Athletic Department.

Nebraska returns to the court after a record-setting opener on Tuesday. After a sluggish start, the Huskers came alive over the final 30 minutes of the contest to cruise to a 97-40 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions are also in the same league as Texas Southern ? the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Nebraska now owns a 3-1 all-time record against SWAC teams with the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Huskers' success came as a result of a diverse offensive effort. Nebraska hit 54.4 percent from the field with four players finishing in double figures, including three with more than 16 points. NU also limited its turnovers to 13 and dominated the glass with a 55-19 rebounding advantage. The Huskers sent UAPB to the line just twice, with the Golden Lions failing to make a free throw in the game.

Freshman Joe McCray led the way with 23 points in his debut while senior Marcus Neal Jr. added a career-high 19 points. Junior Jason Dourisseau added 17 points and freshman Aleks Maric had a double-double with 12 points and 14 boards.

Meeting the Texas Southern Tigers
Texas Southern enters the weekend matchup with the Huskers with a 1-1 record. The Tigers earned their first victory of the year with a 63-57 victory at home over Chicago State on Wednesday. TSU dropped its season opener last Saturday, 71-62, at Florida State.

TSU has averaged 62.5 points per game and is allowing just 64.0 points per contest. The Tigers have held opponents to just 41.8 percent from the field, including 26.5 percent from three-point range. Texas Southern has also limited its turnovers to just 12.5 per game, but has not been successful from the field, where it is connecting on just 39.3 percent through the first two contests.

The Tigers are led by Sean Walker and Mike Sneed. Walker has gained 15.0 points per game to open the season while Sneed added 16 points in his first game of the year against Chicago State. Justin Wilson (12.0 ppg) and Virgil Hill (10.0 ppg) also add double-figure averages entering the weekend.

Walker paces the squad from the floor, as he has hit 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the field, although he is only 4-of-12 from three-point range. Hill and Sneed have each picked up 7.0 rebounds per game while Walker has added 6.5 rpg.

The Tigers are coached by Ronnie Courtney (McMurry, 1981), who is in his fourth season with TSU. Courtney has led Texas Southern to a 44-46 record as head coach, including a 14-15 mark in 2003-04.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Lincoln -- A record-setting defensive performance propelled the Nebraska men’s basketball team to a 97-40 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday in front of 6,645 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska’s 57-point margin was the largest in Devaney Center history, topping the 52-point margin of victory (98-46) against Southwest Missouri State in 1982-83. It was also the second-largest margin of victory in the program’s history, trailing only the 82-8 victory over Crete in 1906-07.

The opening minutes of the contest were not as successful as the final score indicated. Nebraska hit just six of its first 17 attempts from the floor before coming on strong late in the half. Nebraska finished the opening period hitting 45.9 percent from the field, while holding UAPB to just 38.5 percent.

Senior Marcus Neal Jr. got the Huskers rolling.

After UAPB pulled within two, 17-15, the Annapolis, Md. native hit three straight three-pointers and the Huskers never looked back. It jump started the Huskers, who rolled to 27 unanswered points. NU held the Goldent Lions without a point for more than seven minutes, from 9:42 to the 2:10 mark before intermission. Freshman Joe McCray added eight points in the span of one minute to put NU ahead 44-15 before William Byrd’s jumper ended the run.

McCray led the Huskers with 23 points in 22 minutes off the bench. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native hit 9-of-17 from the floor, but was just 3-of-11 outside the arc. He added six boards and three steals. McCray’s scoring effort is believed to be the most points scored by a freshman in his debut in school history.

McCray was not the only freshman off the bench to get noticed. Center Aleks Maric made his debut a remarkable one with a double-double by gaining 12 points and 14 rebounds. Maric hit 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. Maric’s effort on the glass helped NU gain a Collier-era record 55 boards, including 24 offensive. It was second straight season the Huskers had a double-double in the opener, as John Turek had 24 points and 13 rebounds last year against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Junior Jason Dourisseau also got into the act as he added 17 points and a career-high eight boards while Turek had eight points, seven boards and three blocks.

In the second frame, Nebraska hit 19-of-23 from inside the arc and finished the period hitting 64.5 percent overall. The Huskers extended their 24-point halftime margin by outscoring the Golden Lions 51-18 in the final period. UAPB hit just 26.9 percent in the second frame and was outrebounded 25-7.

Nebraska postgame notes
? Nebraska opened the season with a 97-40 victory. It was the fourth straight season-opening victory and 24th straight home-opening victory for the Huskers.

? The Huskers increased their home-court winning streak against non-conference teams to 14 games with the victory. NU won 11 straight against non-conference foes at the Devaney Center last year, and the final two of the 2002-03 season.

? Freshmen Aleks Maric and Joe McCray made their Husker debut on Tuesday. Maric finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds in 24 minutes while McCray added 23 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes for Nebraska.

? Marcus Neal Jr. continued his torrid pace, hitting 6-of-12 from the field for 19 points. Neal was 3-of-5 from the three-point line, including three straight three-pointers in a 1:16 span in the first half.

? Neal’s 19 points were a career high, surpassing the 15 points he put up on two occasions last year. In his last two games, Neal has scored 34 points, after gaining 15 points in the season finale at Hawaii in the 2004 NIT.

? Junior Jason Dourisseau finished with 17 points, including 12 in the first half. It was the ninth double-figure scoring effort of his career and was four points off his career high of 21 last year against Lipscomb.

? Dourisseau added career-high eight rebounds as Nebraska outrebounded the Golden Lions, 55-19. The Huskers’ 55 rebounds were the most ever in the Collier era.

? Nebraska held UAPB without a field goal for 7:32 in the first half while going on a 27-0 run. The Huskers led 17-15 with 9:42 before intermission and finished the run with a 44-15 advantage at the 2:10 mark. Longest run last year was 21-0 vs. Bethune-Cookman from late first half to second half.

? Maric collected his first career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Nebraska had five double-doubles last season, including two by Nate Johnson and John Turek, and one by Corey Simms.

UAB Gametime Change
Nebraska's contest at UAB on Dec. 2 will tip off at 8:35 p.m. CST, instead of the originally announced 8 p.m. The game will still be carried on ESPN2 and will be the second contest of a double-header.

It will be the Huskers' first televised game of the season, and first contest against a team that earned a postseason berth last year. The Blazers made a surprise trip to the Sweet 16 as they knocked off Washington and Kentucky before falling to Kansas.

Freshmen Make Quick Impression
Nebraska has a pair of newcomers turning heads in the early season. Center Aleks Maric and guard Joe McCray have played just one regular-season game but are already showing signs that they could be among the most successful freshmen in the Big 12 Conference this season.

McCray and Maric each add a different dimesion to the Huskers (see chart page 5).

McCray has already proven to be one of Nebraska's best shooters and someone who is not afraid to take a big shot. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native recorded a game-high 23 points in 22 minutes his debut against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. McCray hit 9-of-17 shots from the floor, although he hit just 3-of-11 from three-point range. He added six rebounds and two steals. McCray's point total is believed to be the most by a freshman in a season opener in Nebraska history.

Maric has great footwork and hands for a big man and has shown the ability to get up the court well. Maric proved he can get to the glass as he picked up a game-high 14 boards in his first career game while adding 12 points for his first career double-double. He is the first freshman to record at a double-double in a season-opener for Nebraska since Ron Taylor in 1973-74. 

Neal Continues Steady Improvement
Senior guard Marcus Neal Jr. struggled from the floor in the Huskers' Australian Tour, but he has been back to his form of late last season since returning to the court this fall.

Neal ended 2003-04 hitting 50.0 percent from the floor over the final five regular-season games. He came back to hit 12-of-18 in 2004 exhibition play, including 7-of-8 from long range to lead the team with 18.0 points per game in the exhibition season. He paced the squad in scoring just once all last season.

In the Huskers' regular-season opener, Neal finished second on the team with 19 points while hitting 6-of-12 attempts from the floor. He connected on 3-of-5 attempts from long range, including three straight treys that sparked a 27-0 run in the Huskers' 57-point victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Dourisseau Making Strides
Junior guard Jason Dourisseau has been one of the most improved Huskers throughout NU's Australian Summer Tour and fall practice. On Tuesday in the season opener, he showed Husker fans exactly what his coaches and teammates were talking about.

A native of Omaha, Dourisseau recorded 17 points in 22 minutes during NU's 97-40 home-opening victory. He hit 8-of-13 attempts from the floor but was 0-of-2 from three-point range. He added a career-high eight rebounds and had two assists without a turnover.

Dourisseau finished last season hitting 48.1 percent from the field and 27.0 percent from three-point range while averaging 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds. He had 17 assists against 41 turnovers on the year.

Muhleisen Gains Spotlight in Sports Illustrated On Campus
Three-year captain Jake Muhleisen has not received much national credit despite the outstanding way he runs the team, both on and off the court. That changed on Nov. 11 when Sports Illustrated On Campus, the collegiate version of the popular sports magazine, named him one of nine men's basketball players who are unsung heroes because they do "the little things that don't show up in a box score." The 'Glue Guys' are "the ties that bind their respective teams," according to the article. Along with Muhleisen, SIOC named Josh Pace (Syracuse), Roger Powell (Illinois), Chuck Hayes (Kentucky), Isma'il Muhammad (Georgia Tech), Jamal Levy (Wake Forest), Alando Tucker (Wisconsin), Ellis Myles (Louisville) and Nick Robinson (Stanford) to the 'Glue Guys' list.