NU Looks to Get Back on Track vs. Aggies

The Nebraska men's basketball team returns to action looking to snap a two-game losing streak when it plays host to North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee (play-by-play) and Matt Davison (color) calling the action.

The Huskers end a season-high four-game home stand when they take on the Aggies for the third time in the series history. Nebraska has been solid on the defensive end this season, as it ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense (53.2), seventh in rebounding margin (+13.2) and eighth in field-goal percentage defense (35.4) this week. But the Huskers will look for improvements on the offensive end against the Aggies as NU has averaged just 66.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting this season.

Nebraska, which has never lost three straight nonconference games at the Devaney Center in a season, last faced the Aggies in 2001, when N.C. A&T opened the season in Lincoln. It was the first career contest for NU's current fourth-year seniors Jake Muhleisen, John Turek and Corey Simms.

Turek's return engagement with the Aggies comes on a special day, as the Council Bluffs, Iowa native graduates Saturday. Turek, a marketing major, is completing his degree in just three and one-half years after having nearly a full semester of college credits before starting his freshman season.

Turek, who is a two-time academic All-Big 12 first-team honoree, will take graduate classes (MBA) in the second semester. The Huskers' other three seniors ? Muhleisen, Simms and Marcus Neal Jr. ? are all on pace to graduate from Nebraska in 2005.

Meeting the North Carolina A&T Aggies
North Carolina A&T enters the weekend matchup with a 1-8 record on the season, including an 0-7 mark away from home. The Aggies faced Louisville on the road Tuesday, falling to the Cardinals, 85-51.

Sean Booker led the way for N.C. A&T with 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Booker hit just 2-of-9 from three-point range but added a team-high six rebounds as the Aggies were outrebounded 58-40.

Booker leads North Carolina A&T with 19.0 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting. He is one of only two Aggies averaging at least six points per game, alongside Steven Koger (9.3 ppg). The Aggies have gained just 60.6 points per game on 35.1 percent shooting while allowing opponents to hit 47.8 percent with 76.7 points per game.

The Aggies are coached by Jerry Eaves (Louisville, 1982), who is in his second year guiding the program. Eaves owns a 4-33 career record as a head coach at North Carolina A&T.

The Series History
The Huskers and Aggies will be meeting for just the third time in the series, including the second time under Coach Collier. Nebraska owns a 2-0 mark against North Carolina A&T, including a 69-57 victory in the 2001 season opener, and a 65-47 win in 1998. Both contests came on the Huskers' home court.

Nebraska is 9-0 all-time against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools, including 1-0 this season. The Huskers defeated Morgan State, 64-34, in their last victory on Dec. 6.

The Last Time We Met
Lincoln (Nov. 20, 2001) --- Brian Conklin scored 18 points to lead four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska opened the 2001-02 season with a 69-57 victory over North Carolina A&T at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Conklin scored 13 of his 18 points before halftime, as he finished the evening hitting 6-of-12 shots from the floor, including four three-pointers.

Along with Conklin, guard Jake Muhleisen finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and added eight assists in 32 minutes of action. He committed just one turnover. Brennon Clemmons finished with 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Cary Cochran finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Huskers used an 11-0 run to erase a 13-9 North Carolina A&T lead midway through the first half and never looked back. The Aggies trimmed the NU lead to one on two occasions, the last being 28-27 on an Anthony Debro jumper with 4:26 remaining, but the Huskers closed the stanza on a 12-3 spurt to take a 40-30 lead into the locker room. Cochran highlighted the run with a pair of three-pointers, including a 25-footer to end the half. The Huskers connected on 7-of-14 from three-point range.

In the second half, the Aggies trimmed the NU lead to 54-49 on a Debro three-pointer with 6:37 remaining, but Muhleisen triggered an 11-2 run for the hosts with a pair of baskets. The Huskers then built their largest lead of the contest in the waning minutes before taking the 12-point victory.

Debro led three North Carolina A&T players in double figures with 16 points, including four three-pointers, while Bruce Jenkins picked up a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, as the Aggies finished with a 38-34 advantage on the glass. Landon Beckwith also chipped in with 10 points for the visitors.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Lincoln --- Marcus Neal’s three-point attempt came up just short, hitting the front of the rim at the buzzer as Creighton held on for 50-48 victory over Nebraska at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 13,602 fans, the Huskers and Bluejays both played great defense. The teams combined to hit just 33-of-95 from the floor, but Creighton edged past Nebraska for the third straight time in Lincoln by hitting 12-of-13 attempts from the foul line. NU converted on just 7-of-19 attempts.

Kellen Miliner hit a jumper with less than one second remaining to give the Bluejays the 50-48 advantage. Miliner’s shot came off an out-of-bounds play, as Nate Funk’s driving layup attempt with three seconds remaining was blocked out of bounds by Nebraska’s John Turek and Wes Wilkinson.

After Creighton took its third and final lead of the game, the Huskers nearly pulled off the comeback. Following a Nebraska timeout, Turek inbounded the ball with 0.7 seconds remaining on the clock. His long pass was on the money to Neal, who came clean off a screen and launched a good shot that came up just short.

Neal paced the Huskers for the second straight game as he had a team-high 14 points. Neal hit 4-of-6 three-point attempts to tie his career high for made treys despite missing his final attempt.

Neal’s three-pointer with 2:24 to go gave the Huskers the lead back at 45-42. The Huskers trailed 42-39 with 5:35 to play but held the Bluejays without a point for the next three minutes while running off six straight points. Turek hit a free throw with 3:21 left to make it 42-40 in favor of the visitors. After Turek missed his second free throw, Jason Dourisseau came up with the rebound and made a nice baseline drive to his right for a layup to pull Nebraska even at 42-all before Neal’s three-pointer brought the house to its feet.

Nate Funk connected on a layup and Dane Watts hit a pair of free throws for a 46-45 lead with 1:21 to play. Senior point guard Tyler McKinney put Creighton up by three with 38 seconds left on a jumper in the lane, but the Huskers were not finished. Dourisseau then banked in a three-pointer from an impossible angle just 13 seconds later to tie the game at 48-48. It was just Dourisseau’s second made three-pointer this season.

Funk’s drive in the lane resulted in a blocked shot by Turek before the winning inbounds play by Miliner. It was the third time this season Creighton has won a game on the last possession.

An exciting finish was set up from the start, as neither team was able to led by more than four points and they had combined for just 10 points in the first five minutes of the game. Nebraska started off poorly, hitting just two of its first 12 attempts before hitting stride in the final six minutes of the opening frame.

With the Huskers trailing 14-10, Neal hit a jumper and Wes Wilkinson drilled his second three-pointer of the game to give the Huskers a one-point advantage with 4:55 before intermission. Following a Turek block at the other end, Neal drained a long three-pointer to put NU ahead 18-14.

Turek added a free throw after a Miliner jumper and Joe McCray hit a free throw with 1:20 left for a 20-16 lead. Following a pair of Funk free throws, McCray then added a jumper for a 22-18 lead at the intermission.

Nebraska finished the game hitting 35.4 percent (17-of-48) from the floor, but held Creighton to 34.0 percent (16-of-47), the fourth time this year the Huskers have limited an opponent to less than 35 percent from the floor. The Huskers gained a 39-32 advantage on the glass and picked up eight blocked shots, including a season-high four blocks from Turek. It was the most blocks by the Huskers since recording nine against Murray State on Dec. 30, 2000.

Neal had 14 points to pace Nebraska while Turek added a season-high tying 10 points, including hitting 6-of-10 from the line. Wilkinson added a season-high eight points and six rebounds while Dourisseau had seven points and freshman Aleks Maric added six. Maric and Dourisseau tied for game-high honors with seven rebounds each.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Creighton
? Nebraska held it third straight team to under 20 points in at least one period, as the Bluejays scored only 18 points in the first half. It was the lowest scoring output by Creighton in a half this season, less than the previous low of 26 in the first half at Xavier.
? The attendance mark of 13,602 was the highest since NU had 13,611 at home against Kansas last year. It was the sixth crowd of at least 10,000 in the Huskers’ last nine home games dating to last season.
? The last time Nebraska had a home non-conference sellout was during the 1993-94 season against Northern Iowa, when 14,012 fans were in attendance. The last time NU had at least 13,000 on hand for a non-conference game came during the 1996-97 campaign, when 13,205 were on hand as NU faced Minnesota.
? Marcus Neal Jr. tied his career high with four three-pointers. Junior forward Wes Wilkinson tied career high with two three-pointers. Wilkinson also set a career high with 24 minutes played.
? John Turek had a season-high four blocked shots, one off his career high. Nebraska had a season-high eight blocked shots in the game, the most since recording nine against Murray State on Dec. 30, 2000.
? The Huskers held Creighton to 50 or fewer points for the first time since 1981. It was the first loss by a Barry Collier-led team when holding an opponent to 50 or fewer points (42-1).
? Marcus Neal Jr. led the team in scoring for the second straight game. He hit 5-of-13 shots from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. He also
had a season-high three assists against just one turnover.
? Nebraska outrebounded its opponent for the fifth time in six games, earning a 39-32 advantage.
? The last two Nebraska-Creighton contests have been decided by a combined three points. NU won 71-70 in the 2004 NIT in Omaha, and Creighton won today 50-48. NU now leads the series by a 22-16 margin.

Wilkinson Starting to Round Back Into Form
Junior forward Wes Wilkinson raised expectations after his solid play in the Huskers' Australian Summer Tour in August. He averaged 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds over six games, including a pair of double-doubles.

Wilkinson's progress made him a candidate for a significant increase in playing time early in the year, but his efforts were hindered on the first day of fall practice when he suffered a broken bone in his left foot. After sitting out of practice for five weeks, Wilkinson returned to workouts before NU's second game.

Wilkinson saw limited minutes in the first four games after his return with mildly positive results. In his fifth contest last weekend against Creighton, he finally started to show that he was rounding back into the form expected of him at the start of the semester.

The Grand Island native recorded season highs with eight points and six rebounds over a career-high 24 minutes of action. He also picked up a pair of blocked shots and tied his career high with two three-pointers.

McCray Making a Splash
Freshman guard Joe McCray has played just six regular-season games, but the rookie is already showing signs that he could be among the most successful freshmen in the Big 12 Conference this season.

Through Dec. 13, McCray ranks 18th in the conference in scoring at 13.0 points per game and is sixth with 2.3 three-pointers per game.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native recorded a game-high 23 points in 22 minutes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in his first career game. McCray hit 9-of-17 shots from the floor, and added six rebounds and two steals. McCray's point total was the most by a freshman in a Nebraska season opener since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73. He came back with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting (3-of-6 from three-point range) with four rebounds, two assists and one steal against Texas Southern to earn co-Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 29.

In his third career game, McCray recorded 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including hitting 5-of-10 attempts from three-point range. The 24 points rank seventh on the NU freshman single-game scoring chart, and he became just the sixth Husker freshman to record two 20-plus point games in his rookie season.

With 14 three-pointers in six games, McCray needs just two more treys to move into a tie for 10th place on the Husker freshman three-pointer chart. Junior Jason Dourisseau recorded 16 three-pointers as a rookie in 2002-03 to rank 10th, while senior Jake Muhleisen ranks third with 35 treys in 2001-02. The NU freshman record is 44 three-pointers by Eric Piatkowski in 1990-91.

Maric in the Middle
Freshman Aleks Maric has also been making noise for the Huskers early in his rookie season. The 6-11, 265-pounder has been a workhorse in the paint, averaging a 8.8 points and 9.0 rebounds over the first six games of the season.

Maric ranks fourth in the league in rebounding and is also fifth in field-goal percentage by hitting 59.4 percent (19-of-32) from the floor.

Maric began his career in high fashion as he picked up a game-high 14 boards in the season opener while adding 12 points for his first career double-double. He was the first NU freshman since Ron Taylor in 1973-74 to record a double-double in his first career game.

Maric came back with eight points, three boards, an assist and two blocks against TSU, before adding 10 points and 15 rebounds on the road against UAB. Maric's two double-doubles pace the team this season and equal the most by a Husker last year.

The big man just missed a third double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds against Morgan State in his first career start. Maric needs one more double-double to tie the NU freshman mark of three set by Taylor in 1973-74.

Maric is only the sixth NU freshman to record a double-double since freshman eligibility was re-instated in 1972-73. Only Taylor, Rickey Harris and Andre Smith recorded more than one double-double as a rookie until Maric joined the group in only his third career game.

Neal Continues Steady Improvement
After finishing last season on a solid note by earning Big 12 All-Newcomer honors, guard Marcus Neal Jr. has continued to improve throughout the summer, fall and into the start of the regular season.

In NU's first six games, Neal has hit 24-of-63 shots from the floor while averaging 11.5 points to rank second on the team. He is second on the squad with 12 three-pointers and is shooting 40.0 percent (12-of-30) from three-point range, while adding 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists with a team-high 11 steals.

Neal is averaging more than twice as many points as last year (5.3) and nearly twice as many rebounds (1.8). He has averaged 10.5 field-goal attempts per game this year compared to 4.5 last season. Neal's 11 steals are just two less than he recorded in 31 games last season.

Neal has been an offensive spark for the Huskers this season. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Neal hit three consecutive three-pointers to start a staggering 27-0 Husker run. Then against Texas Southern, he combined with Joe McCray on back-to-back three-pointers to punctuate a 10-2 run that put NU ahead by double figures midway through the first half. Neal's career-high tying four three-pointers against Creighton helped push the Bluejays throughout the game.

Dourisseau Making Strides
Guard Jason Dourisseau has made significant progress in his overall game heading into the 2004-05 campaign. The results have been impressive.

A native of Omaha, Dourisseau is third on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.3 rpg), while ranking 10th in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding. He also ranks third on the team by hitting 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the floor and leads the squad minutes played (177).

After starting all six games this year, Dourisseau has 44 rebounds, eight steals and is pacing the squad with 14 assists. Last year he recorded 60 rebounds, 24 assists and 16 steals in 31 games.

Dourisseau opened the season with 17 points in 22 minutes during NU's 97-40 home-opening victory. He hit 8-of-13 attempts from the floor and added eight rebounds and two assists without a turnover.

Dourisseau followed with his best game as a Husker, as he posted 18 points and set a career high for the second straight game by grabbing 12 rebounds. He also set career highs with eight free throws and 11 free throw attempts after getting fouled repeatedly while slashing to the basket.

Huskers Hitting the Glass
Nebraska has been relentless on the boards early this season. The Huskers started on a strong note by pulling down 55 boards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and added 50 against Texas Southern and UAB. Nebraska grabbed 47 rebounds against Morgan State, with all 11 players recording at least one board, before suffering its first deficit on the glass against Minnesota.

Entering the week, the Huskers were second in the Big 12 Conference and ranked seventh in the nation in rebounding margin at +13.2. The Huskers are also second in rebounding average (45.0) and third in rebounding defense (31.8). NU has outrebounded five of its six opponents this season.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks fourth in the league with 9.0 rebounds per game. Maric has recorded 15- and 14-rebound games this season to pace the Huskers. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks 10th in the league in after gaining 7.3 rebounds per game over the first six contests.

Nebraska's three straight 50-plus rebound efforts to start the year came after NU had just two 50-rebound games in the past four years. In 2003-04, the Huskers pulled down 51 boards in a 72-44 victory over No. 25 Texas Tech and had 50 rebounds in a 70-26 win over Bethune-Cookman.

The last time NU had three straight 50-rebound games came in 1999-2000. Overall, the Huskers have had 67 50-plus rebound games since complete box scores have been included in NU record books (1972-73). Only 13 times during that period has NU recorded more than 55 boards.

The Huskers' +36 advantage (55-19) on the glass in the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff is the largest rebounding margin since at least 1972-73. The previous high was a +30 advantage (72-42) against Oklahoma in the 1991-92 campaign.

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.

Unprecedented Television Coverage
Nebraska can be seen on television more times this season than any other year in the program's history. The Huskers will play to a regional or national audience at least 18 times through the regular season, plus any games in postseason play.

Much of NU's added exposure comes from an agreement with FSN Midwest to televise 10 games as part of the Huskers' new third-tier package. The telecasts, including five games on the road and six against conference foes, will be produced and distributed by FSN Midwest throughout the state of Nebraska (channel 37 on Time Warner in Lincoln, channel 47 on Cox Cable in Omaha and channel 33 on Qwest Choice in Omaha).

Along with the FSN games, the Huskers will be seen on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN Regional an additional eight times in the regular season. The Huskers have averaged more than 12 televised contests (national, regional and local) each of the past four years.

Stealing the Show
Nebraska has shown a knack for the theft this season as the Huskers have averaged 8.2 steals per game. Last season the Huskers averaged just 6.3 steals per game.

Senior Marcus Neal Jr. has led the way with 11 steals to rank 10th in the Big 12 Conference heading into the weekend. Neal's numbers are especially pleasing considering he had just 13 steals in 31 games last year.

Huskers Face Loaded Schedule in 2004-05
Nebraska will take on a tough slate in 2004-05 as it looks for back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since the 1997-98 and 1998-99 campaigns. Along the way, the Huskers will face: ? 12 teams that reached the postseason last year, including: NCAA Tournament teams UAB, Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, and NIT participants Creighton, Marquette, Tennessee, Colorado, Missouri, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

? two opponents that reached either the NCAA Tournament Final Four (Oklahoma State) or the NIT Final Four (Iowa State) last year. The Big 12 Conference has had at least one team in the NCAA Final Four each of the past three seasons, including two teams twice.

The Huskers play 16 regular-season home games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this season, where NU earned a 15-3 record in 2003-04. Nebraska renewed series with Minnesota and Creighton at home, and opened a new non-conference series on the road against UAB, which made the Sweet 16 last year. The Huskers also open a new series at Marquette, which reached the 2003 Final Four, and complete a home-home series at Tennessee this season in Knoxville. The Blazers and Golden Eagles return the game in Lincoln in 2005-06.

Home Sweet Home
The Huskers have a strong record of success playing in front of their home crowd the past 29 seasons. Nebraska started the season with three wins at home before dropping the past two games.

Nebraska earned a perfect 10-0 mark at home last year in non-conference games, including a 78-70 win over Niagara in the NIT first round. NU won three consecutive games to end the non-conference slate in 2002-03 and had a 16-game nonconference home winning streak come to an end against Minnesota on Dec. 8.

Nebraska has been outstanding at home since moving into the Devaney Center in the 1976-77. The Huskers own a 335-105 home record over that span, including a 15-3 mark at home last year. The 15 wins tied for second most in Devaney Center history. Overall, the Huskers are now 47-21 at home under Coach Collier with nine of the losses coming against ranked teams.

Turek Making Mark on Record Books
Senior forward John Turek has a chance to put his name in elite company this season.

After finding great improvement each of his first three seasons, Turek is leaving his name among Nebraska's best rebounders and shot blockers while climbing the NU scoring chart. With numbers similar to last season, Turek can top the 1,000-point plateau this winter while moving into Nebraska's career top 10 for rebounds. Turek enters Saturday's contest with North Carolina A&T with 724 career points and 572 rebounds, just 89 boards shy of moving into the Nebraska top 10.

Already one of the top shot blockers in Nebraska history, Turek has a chance to do something this year that no Husker has ever accomplished. Turek, who ranks sixth in NU history with 137 blocked shots and needs just seven blocks to move into the top five, has led Nebraska in blocked shots each of the past three years, including tying the NU freshman record with 39 blocks in 2001-02.

By leading the team in blocks this season, Turek would be the first Husker ever to lead the squad in four consecutive seasons. Dave Hoppen, the Huskers' career scoring leader, also had a share of the team lead for blocked shots all four years, but tied Ronnie Smith for the team high during Hoppen's junior season.

Turek is within reach of becoming just the third Husker ever with 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 100 blocks. If he reaches those totals, he will join a pair of players who were taken in the NBA Draft ? Rich King, a first-round selection, and Venson Hamilton, a second-round draft pick and the 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Muhleisen Shows All-Around Game
Senior guard Jake Muhleisen has proven to be one of the top all-around players in Nebraska history over the past three seasons.

Muhleisen, who has played all three guard positions during his career, looks to join elite company this year as he has the chance to become only the fourth player in program history to record at least 1,000 career points, 350 rebounds, 250 assists and 100 steals. If he reaches those marks, Muhleisen would join Eric Piatkowski, Erick Strickland and Cookie Belcher on the elite list.

Muhleisen enters the North Carolina A&T contest with 758 points, 269 rebounds, 220 assists and 77 steals.

All About Defense
Under Coach Barry Collier, the Huskers have continued to rewrite the Nebraska defensive record book over the past four seasons. Nebraska got off to a strong start again this year, as the Huskers: ? limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 40 points on 32.7 percent shooting in a 97-40 victory. NU forced 20 turnovers in the largest victory in Devaney Center history. NU improved to 11-0 under Coach Collier when holding teams to 50 or fewer points, and overall, Collier-coached teams moved to 41-0 when holding opponents to 50 or fewer points.

? defeated TSU by 20 points while holding the Tigers to just 32.8 percent shooting from the floor and forcing 19 turnovers.

? held UAB to just 24.0 percent shooting (6-of-25) from three-point range, including just 3-of-14 in the opening frame.

? allowed just 12 points in the second half of a 64-34 victory over Morgan State. NU held the Bears to 23.5 percent shooting, including 15.0 percent from three-point range, as they recorded the third-fewest points by an NU opponent since 1947. It was the third time NU has held its opponent to less than 40 points in the past two seasons.

? limited Creighton to 34.0 percent shooting, including 31.6 percent from three-point range while holding the Bluejays to their lowest total in the series in more than 20 years.Last year, the Huskers posted some of the best defensive numbers at NU in the last four decades, including:

? allowing opponents to hit just 40.0 percent from the field to rank 20th nationally in field-goal percentage defense. It tied NU's lowest mark since 1961.

? a team scoring defense of 62.9 points per game, the program's best defensive mark since the 1982 campaign.

Among the other outstanding single-game marks the Huskers posted last year were:? limiting 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.

? holding Bethune-Cookman to just 26 points in the game, the lowest point total allowed by NU since a 33-23 victory over Kansas State in 1941. BCC also shot a Devaney Center record low 21.2 percent (11-of-52) from the field while setting a Big 12 single-game opponent record low point total.

? holding Tennessee to three field goals in the first half ? including one from two-point range ? the fewest NU has allowed in one period since the 1987 NIT against Arkansas.

? limiting No. 12/13 Kansas to a season-low 55 points and 36.2 percent shooting from the floor, including just 27.8 percent from three-point range.

In 2003-04, Nebraska's defense held opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage total since 1961, as it gave up just 40.0 percent shooting from the field, including 32.7 percent from three-point range. The previous year, the Huskers ranked first in the league in three-point field-goal percentage defense by allowing opponents to hit a school-record low 30.2 percent from behind the arc.

Filling the House
The Huskers look to continue the momentum gained at the end of last season when Nebraska had five straight games with at least 10,000 fans in attendance. NU averaged more than 9,900 fans per game during the 2004 Big 12 home slate. The total was an increase of nearly 1,200 from the previous season and was the Huskers' highest conference attendance total since 1997-98.

That late-season support has carried over to 2004-05. The Huskers sold 7,033 season tickets before the start of the regular season, including 976 new season tickets. Add in the 1,888 student season tickets sold and the Huskers had sold 8,921 season tickets ? up 608 or a total of seven percent from last year's 8,313 season tickets sold ? before the first game of the year.

Nebraska's biggest non-conference in more than a decade showed up for the Creighton game on Dec. 11, as 13,602 were on hand for the instate showdown. It was the first nonconference home sellout since the 1993-94 campaign against Northern Iowa, and was the largest nonconference crowd since 13,205 were in the Devaney Center against Minnesota in 1996-97.

Huskers' 2005 Recruiting Class Among Top 25 Nationally
Five highly rated players signed national letters-of-intent during the early signing period and will join the Nebraska basketball team and attend the University of Nebraska starting in 2005-06. The group is ranked among the top 30 recruiting classes nationally according to at least one service. The Huskers have one scholarship still remaining for next season.

Among the four signees on the first day of the early signing period (Nov. 10) were Will Harris, Jamel White, Chris Balham and Kyle Marks, while Marcus Walker signed his scholarship papers on Nov. 16.

The class is tied with seven teams for No. 23 nationally with 18 points by hoopscooponline.com. Nebraska's class is fourth among Big 12 schools, trailing only Baylor (No. 10), Kansas (No. 12) and Oklahoma State (No. 13). It marks the Huskers’ second top-25 recruiting class in four seasons.

Harris and White have each been ranked among the national top 100 by separate recruiting services, giving Nebraska four top-100 signees over the past two seasons. Current freshmen Joe McCray and Aleks Maric were each also ranked among the top 100 before joining the Huskers.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Harris leads the way among the Husker signees after earning a top-100 ranking by several publications. The 6-7, 230-pound swingman was ranked No. 94 nationally by recruiting expert Bob Gibbons and the No. 25 wing/forward by hoopmasters.com. Harris, who currently attends Maine Central Institute, was ranked 15th nationally among fifth-year players by hoopscooponline.com after ranking No. 119 last year as a senior at Troy (N.Y.) Redemption Christian Academy. Harris averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists as a senior, after playing at Christ the King the previous two years.

Following his senior season, Harris had a breakout summer in 2004 on the AAU circuit. Harris, who has played for the New York Gauchos and New York Elite, was ranked the No. 1 wing/forward at the 2004 National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp by Gibbons. His strong performance also helped him rank No. 66 nationally in Lindy’s.

The addition of White gives the Huskers a pair of New Yorkers on next year’s roster. A native of New York City, White is considered one of the top prep school guards in the country while playing for Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute this season, the No. 1 prep school team in the nation with a 7-0 record. The 6-3, 175-pounder has averaged 12 points and nearly nine assists per game for Laurinburg, after gaining 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists per contest at Grady High School last season.

White was recently ranked 91st in the country among breakdownmagazine.com’s top 100, a national ranking that includes all classes. He was also ranked No. 33 among fifth-year players by hoopscooponline.com. White was the first commitment to the Huskers’ 2005 class.

Along with Harris and White, the Huskers added two other athletic players in Balham and Marks. Balham, a 6-8, 225-pounder, has been playing basketball for less than four years since coming to the United States from France before his freshman season. Balham, who is from Lenexa, Kan., has played two seasons at Shawnee Mission West, where he averaged 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while helping the Vikings to an 11-10 record. Despite finishing one game above .500, West was the leading defensive team in the state as it allowed only 41.9 points per game while holding opponents to just 38 percent shooting from the floor. Balham, who is as a preseason all-state selection before his senior season, helped West outrebound opponents by seven boards per game.

Marks is an athletic forward who was the Huskers’ most recent commitment. The 6-7, 205-pound native of Riviera Beach, Fla., averaged 12 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots for Dwyer High School as a junior. He helped Dwyer to a 25-3 record last year and the Class 5A state title.

While he had already caught the Huskers’ attention, Marks burst onto the summer circuit with the Tallahassee Wildcats where he was one of five Division I signees. The other four were scheduled to join the programs at Florida, Florida State, Cincinnati and Virginia. Marks helped the Wildcats win tournament titles at the Charlie Weber Classic, Coast-to-Coast Invitational and the adidas Showtime National Championships.

Walker, who has a four-star ranking and is listed among the top 25 point guards nationally by theinsiders.com, is top-150 recruit according to hoopmasters.com. At Archbishop O’Hara High School in Kansas City, the 6-2, 165-pounder this season with 1,818 career points and owns the school records for single-season scoring (754 points) and single-game scoring (54).

Last year, Walker led O’Hara to a 20-8 record and helped the Celtics advance to the Class 4 quarterfinals of the Missouri state tournament. Walker averaged 26.9 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals per game in 2003-04. Walker attended the 2004 Rebook ABCD Camp, where he tied for the tournament lead with 3.9 assists per game and was named one of the top 10 point guards in attendance.

Quick Shots
? Nebraska owns a 12-5 all-time record on Dec. 18. The Huskers have not played on this date under Coach Barry Collier. ?
? Freshman Joe McCray's five three-pointers against UAB are tied for the individual high among Big 12 Conference players, while freshman Aleks Maric's 15 rebounds against the Blazers ranks second.
? McCray needs just two three-pointers to move into 10th on the NU freshman chart.