Huskers Start Two-Game Road Swing at Marquette

The Nebraska men's basketball team hits the road for the second time this season when it travels to Milwaukee to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee calling the action.

The game can also be seen statewide on FSN Midwest (Channel 36 on Time Warner in Lincoln; Channel 47 on Cox Cable in Omaha; Channel 33 on Qwest Choice in Omaha) as part of Nebraska's local package. Fans in western Nebraska who only receive the FSNRockyMountain package will also be able to get the game, while the contest will also be carried on DirecTV (Channel 648) and Dish Network (Channel 446). Greg Sharpe will handle play-by-play duties while former Husker Matt Davison adds color commentary.

Nebraska ended a season-long four-game home stand with a 71-49 victory over North Carolina A&T, and the Huskers will look to carry the momentum into Tuesday's matchup with Marquette. The contest against the Golden Eagles will be the first of a two-game, nonconference road swing for the Huskers, as NU takes on Tennessee on Dec. 30 in Knoxville, Tenn.

Against the Golden Eagles, Nebraska will be looking for the same intensity and execution it displayed in the second half against the Aggies Saturday. NU hit 59.3 percent from the floor, including 57.1 percent from three-point range, in the second period to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 22-point victory.

Nebraska's offensive surge came behind a complete team effort. Two Huskers (Marcus Neal Jr., 6; Wes Wilkinson, 4) set career marks for assists, as Nebraska earned a season-high 18 assists on 26 baskets while committing just 11 turnovers, one off NU's season low. Joe McCray was the recipient of several of those assists, as the freshman connected on six three-pointers in the second half, including five straight at one point, while earning his third 20-point game of the season. He is just the fourth freshman in NU history with at least three 20-point contests in his first season.

The Huskers have been hard to beat when they get going on offense, as their defensive effort has been among the best in the nation this season. Nebraska has allowed opponents just 52.6 points per game, ranking among the national top 10 last week. Only once (at UAB) has Nebraska allowed more than 58 points in a game this season, as NU has held five teams to less than 37.0 percent shooting from the floor.

Meeting the Marquette Golden Eagles
One of five Husker opponents that has reached the Final Four in the past three seasons, Marquette enters the midweek matchup with an impressive 9-1 record. MU was ranked No. 25 last week in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, one of four Husker opponents in the national rankings last week.

The Golden Eagles are coming off a 48-43 setback against No. 16 Arizona at home. MU now owns an 8-1 record at home at the 19,105-seat BradleyCenter and is 1-0 on the road. The loss to the Wildcats snapped a 34-game nonconference home winning streak that dated back to the 2000 campaign.

Senior guard Travis Diener, a preseason All-American by several publications, leads the Golden Eagles and ranks among the top 15 scorers in the country by averaging 20.4 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting. Diener has hit 45.3 percent from three-point range and is second on the team with 29 treys. He also leads the squad with 55 assists (5.5 apg).

Diener trails only junior Steve Novak from long range, as the 6-10 Novak has hit 51.6 percent (32-of-62) from beyond the arc. Novak ranks second on the team with 14.9 points per contest and is third on the squad with 4.2 rebounds per game.

Marquette has only two others who average at least 4.0 points per game. Dameon Mason has averaged 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest while Joe Chapman has grabbed 7.9 points and 2.5 boards per game. Marcus Jackson leads MU with 9.2 rebounds per game but adds just 3.1 points per contest.

Marquette's numbers are similar to the Huskers, as it is generating just 69.7 points per game to NU's 67.4 ppg and the Golden Eagles are allowing just 60.2 points while the Huskers have given up only 52.6 ppg. The similarities continue in field-goal percentage defense (MU 38.0, NU 35.4), rebounding margin (MU +9.6, NU +12.0) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (MU 32.7, NU 29.0). The only significant statistical differences between the Golden Eagles and Huskers come in three-point field-goal percentage (MU 39.3, NU 31.7) and free throw percentage (MU 74.7, NU 60.3).

Nebraska ranked in the national top 10 last week in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and rebounding margin. Marquette ranked 10th nationally in rebounding margin last week, 37th in field-goal percentage defense and 59th in scoring defense.

The Golden Eagles are coached by Tom Crean (Central Michigan, 1989), who is in his sixth year guiding the program. Crean has helped MU to two NIT and two NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2003 Final Four, and owns a 111-54 career record as a head coach at Marquette. Crean was also an associate head coach on MichiganState's 1999 Final Four team, as he spent four years as an assistant at MSU, one at Pittsburgh and four at Western Kentucky.

The Series History
The Huskers and Golden Eagles meet for the seventh time in the series and first time since the first round of the 1987 National Invitation Tournament. Overall, the series is tied as each team has won three games with the home team winning every time.

Nebraska has won the past two meetings, each by two points in Lincoln. The Huskers pulled out a first-round victory, 78-76, in the 1987 NIT in the last matchup. The Huskers went on to reach New York and finish third in the postseason tournament. Bernard Day led the way for Nebraska with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists against MU, while Derrick Vick and Brian Carr added 14 points and 12 points, respectively.

Nebraska and Marquette began the series in 1933 with an MU victory in Milwaukee, and followed with single games in 1940 (Lincoln) and 1945 (Milwaukee). The teams then played a home-home series starting in Milwaukee in 1957.

The Huskers own a 15-23 record against current Conference USA schools. It will mark the third consecutive season NU has faced a C-USA foe. The last time the Huskers played a C-USA opponent was Dec. 6, 2003, when the Huskers defeated South Florida 75-52 in Lincoln.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Lincoln --- Joe McCray scored 18 of his game-high 20 points after the intermission and Nebraska rolled to a 71-49 victory in front of 5,611 fans at the BobDevaneySportsCenter Saturday. McCray became just the fourth freshman in Nebraska history to record at least three 20-point contests in his first season.

McCray hit six three-pointers following the intermission, as the Huskers hit 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc after the break. He now has 20 treys on the season, tying Tyronn Lue for eighth place on the Nebraska freshman three-point chart.

McCray’s long-range accuracy propelled the Huskers to a 30-8 run midway through the second frame as the Huskers snapped a two-game losing streak. Nebraska improved to 4-3 with the victory while North Carolina A&T fell to 1-9 on the season, including 0-8 on the road.

Both teams came out flat in the opening minutes of the game before the Huskers used a quick 8-0 run in less than one minute to forge a 12-2 lead with 12:26 to play before intermission. Wes Wilkinson completed a three-point play to start the run and Marcus Neal Jr. added a three-pointer. John Turek, who earned his undergraduate degree in just 3 1/2 years on Saturday, capped the run with a jumper to put the Huskers up by 10 points.

Nebraska extended its lead to 13 points, 22-9, on Aleks Maric’s dunk with 7:27 remaining. From there, the Huskers went cold as they hit just four free throws and no field goals over the final seven minutes of the half. North Carolina A&T used NU’s scoring drought to its advantage as the Aggies went on a 16-4 run to end the period down by just one point, 26-25. Nebraska hit just 34.5 percent from the floor in the opening half.

The Huskers were inspired after the break as they hit 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the floor, including 8-of-14 from long range. Nebraska also had 11 assists in the second period and finished with a season-high 18 assists against just 11 turnovers, one off its season low.

Jason Dourisseau showed the first signs of life in the second period as he drove up the left side of the baseline for a two-handed dunk for a 28-25 lead and, after Sean Booker’s three-pointer for the Aggies tied it at 28-all, Dourisseau came back with a jumper to put the Huskers in the lead for good. McCray then started to heat up as his first trey gave Nebraska a 33-28 advantage with 16:46 to play. After a Wilkinson jumper and Dourisseau dunk put the Huskers ahead 37-30 lead, McCray hit his next five three-point attempts to help the Huskers to a 63-38 lead with 5:16 to play.

Neal also got into the action as he hit a pair of three-pointers and had eight points in the second half. Neal finished with 13 points and added a career-high six assists against just one turnover. Wilkinson added eight points and five rebounds while Dourisseau had nine points and four rebounds.

The Huskers finished the game hitting 46.4 percent from the floor, Nebraska’s best shooting night since the season opener. NU held a 37-32 advantage on the glass.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. North Carolina A&T

? Nebraska improved to 3-0 in the series with the Aggies, with all three games coming in Lincoln. The Huskers have won by an average of 17.3 points per game in the series.

? Nebraska forward John Turek had nine points, four rebounds and one blocked shot against the Aggies on his graduation day. A marketing major, Turek earned his undergraduate degree in 3 1/2 years on Saturday. He did not walk in the commencement procession.

? Junior Wes Wilkinson earned his first start of the season and third career start. Wilkinson’s last start came at home against OklahomaState in 2003. He made his first career start against Texas Tech in 2003.

? Wilkinson finished with a career-high four assists, after not recording an assist in his first five games of the year. Wilkinson’s previous best was three assists against St. Francis (Pa.) last season.

? Freshman Joe McCray set a career high with six three-pointers ? all in the second half ? while giving him at least one trey in six of the Huskers’ first seven games this season. He moved into a tie for eighth place on the Nebraska freshman three-point chart. McCray passed Jason Dourisseau (16 in 2002) and Jaron Boone (17 in 1993) and tied Tyronn Lue for eighth on the freshman list with 20 on the season. The NU freshman record is 44 by Eric Piatkowski in 1991.

? Finishing with 20 points, McCray has recorded double figures in five of the Huskers’ first seven games this season. McCray also set a season high with seven rebounds, surpassing his previous high mark of six set on three occasions, while also setting a season high with 34 minutes played.

? McCray recorded his third 20-point game of the season, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. McCray is just the fourth Husker freshman to have at least three 20-point games in a season, joining Jerry Fort (6), Dave Hoppen (5) and Eric Piatkowski (3).

? The Huskers held their opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the field for the fifth time in seven games. It was the sixth time in seven game NU has held its opponent to less than 60 points.

? Nebraska outrebounded the Aggies 37-32, the sixth time in seven games the Huskers have held an advantage on the glass.

? Nebraska had a season-high 18 assists on the game, including 11 in the second half. Wes Wilkinson had a career high with four assists and Marcus Neal Jr. tied his career high with five assists.

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 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 against the Bluejays. He also picked up a pair of blocked shots and tied his career high with two three-pointers.

Wilkinson came back with eight points, five rebounds and a career-high four assists against North Carolina A&T on Saturday in his first start of the season. Wilkinson had not recorded an assist in his first five games before gaining four against the Aggies without a turnover.

Wilkinson has added six blocked shots in six games to rank 13th (1.0 bpg) in the Big 12 Conference. He had just 13 blocks in 29 games last year.

McCray Making a Splash
Freshman guard Joe McCray has played just seven 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. 18, McCray ranks 16th in the conference in scoring at 14.0 points per game, the third-highest scoring freshman in the league, and is first with 2.86 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 an NU season opener since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73. He came back with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting (3-of-6 three-pointers) with four rebounds 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. Tyronn Lue owns the NU freshman record with 30 points in his second career game.

McCray became just the fourth Husker freshman to record three 20-plus point games in his rookie season when he had 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting against North Carolina A&T. McCray had just two points at halftime but came back with 18 points in the second frame on six treys. He hit five straight three-pointers in one stretch and added a career-high seven rebounds in the contest.

With 20 three-pointers in seven games, McCray is tied for eighth on the Husker freshman three-pointer chart. McCray had six treys in the last game to pass Jason Dourisseau (16 in 2002-03) and Jaron Boone (17 in 1992-93) and tie Tyronn Lue (1995-96). Current senior Jake Muhleisen ranks third on the list with 35 treys in 2001-02 while 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 8.4 points and 8.3 rebounds over the first seven games of the season.

Through Dec. 18, Maric ranks fourth in the league in rebounding and is also seventh in field-goal percentage by hitting 56.8 percent 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 MorganState 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 just 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 seven games, Neal has hit 29-of-75 shots from the floor while averaging 11.7 points to rank second on the team. He is second on the squad with 15 three-pointers and is shooting 38.5 percent (15-of-39) from three-point range, while adding 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists with a team-high 11 steals.

Neal is averaging more than twice as many points as last year (5.3) and twice as many rebounds (1.8). He has averaged 10.7 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, while his six assists against just one turnover helped jump start the offense after halftime against North Carolina A&T.

Dourisseau Making Strides
Guard Jason Dourisseau 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 (10.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.9 rpg), while ranking 14th in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding. He also ranks third on the team by hitting 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the floor and is second on the squad minutes played (205).

After starting all seven games this year, Dourisseau has 48 rebounds, nine steals and is second on the squad with 16 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 are second in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin at +12.0. Last week, the Huskers ranked seventh in the nation in rebounding margin. The Huskers are also second in the conference in rebounding average (43.9) and third in rebounding defense (31.9). NU has outrebounded six of its seven opponents this season.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks fourth in the league with 8.3 rebounds per game. Maric has recorded 15- and 14-rebound games this season to pace the Huskers. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks 14th in the league after gaining 6.9 rebounds per game over the first seven 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 8.0 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. 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 takes 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.

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 Tuesday's contest against Marquette with 733 career points and 576 rebounds, just 85 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 138 blocked shots and needs just six 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, entered the year with a 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 reached those marks, Muhleisen would join Eric Piatkowski, Erick Strickland and Cookie Belcher on the elite list.

Muhleisen, who did not suit up against North Carolina A&T, enters the Marquette contest with 758 points, 269 rebounds, 220 assists and 77 steals in his career.

Home Sweet Home
The Huskers have a strong record of success playing in front of their home crowd the past 29 seasons.

Nebraska, which is 4-2 at home this season, 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 its nonconference home winning streak reach 16 games before coming 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 336-105 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 48-21 at home under Coach Collier with nine of the losses coming against ranked teams.

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.

? 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 DwyerHigh 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 ArchbishopO’HaraHigh 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 10-16 all-time record on Dec. 21. The Huskers are 1-1 on this date under Coach Barry Collier. NU and Marquette played on this date in 1957, with MU earning a 79-64 victory in Milwaukee.

? Freshman Joe McCray's six three-pointers against North Carolina A&T ranks as the individual game high among all Big 12 Conference players this season. Freshman Aleks Maric's 15 rebounds against UAB ranks second in the league in that category.

? McCray needs three three-pointers to tie for seventh on the NU freshman chart with 23 treys. Brian Conklin also had 23 three-pointers as a frosh in 2001. The NU freshman record is 44 by Eric Piatkowski in (1991).

? Marcus Neal Jr. has recorded 11 steals in seven games this season to lead Nebraska. The mark is just two less than he recorded all of last season in 31 appearances.

? Jason Dourisseau has 16 assists against 17 turnovers this season through seven games. Dourisseau had just 17 assists against 41 turnovers in 30 games last season.

? Aleks Maric owns 58 rebounds to lead the team, and is half way to moving into the NU freshman top 10. Jerry Fort and Tyronn Lue are tied for 10th with 106 rebounds. The NU freshman record is 162 rebounds by John Turek in 2002.

? The Huskers start a two-game road swing against Marquette on Tuesday. The last time the Huskers had back-to-back nonconference road games was in 1998, when Nebraska won at UMKC and San Francisco.