Huskers Open 2005 at Home Against Bobcats

After a two-game road swing, the Huskers return to the Bob Devaney Sports Center to start the new year against Montana State on Sunday, Jan. 2. The game will tip off at 1:07 p.m. CST and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee calling the action.

For the third straight contest and sixth time overall this season, the Huskers will also be seen on television. The contest can be viewed statewide on FSN Midwest (Channel 37 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 FSN Rocky Mountain package will also be able to get the game, while the contest will be carried on DirecTV (Channel 646) and Dish Network (Channel 446). Greg Sharpe will handle play-by-play duties while former Husker Matt Davison adds color commentary.

The Huskers will be looking for their third win in four games when they take on Montana State for the first time since 1985. Nebraska will have its hands full with the Bobcats, who are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation. MSU has made 8.5 three-pointers per contest while hitting 34.9 percent as a team from beyond the arc this season.

But Nebraska was also tested in its last contest when it faced the nation's top three-point shooter in Tennessee's Chris Lofton, who came into the game hitting better than 61 percent from long range. Nebraska passed with flying colors by harassing Lofton into just 1-of-3 shooting outside the arc while clinching a last-second victory, 62-61, on Marcus Neal Jr.'s three free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining. The Huskers have allowed opponents to hit just 32.4 percent from three-point range in 2004-05, including only 30.0 from beyond the arc in the Devaney Center.

NU has hit 43.5 percent from the floor while winning two of its last three contests, including 35.7 percent from three-point range. The Huskers have averaged 8.3 treys per game during the past three games, with 25 of their 61 three-pointers on the season coming in that stretch. Nebraska has also been moving the ball much better as it has recorded 16.0 assists against just 11.3 turnovers in those contests. On the year, Nebraska owns 13.1 assists against 14.0 turnovers per game.

Neal has had a major hand in the Huskers' turnaround, as he has averaged 6.0 assists against just 1.3 turnovers in that three-game stretch. Neal has done more than dish it out, as he his second on the team with 11.0 points per game, including 17 against the Vols as NU improved to 1-2 on the road this season.

Meeting the Montana State Bobcats
The Huskers face a Montana State squad that has won four of its last five after a 1-6 start. All four of the victories were at home, as MSU has yet to win on the road. The Bobcats are 0-4 away from Bozeman, Montana, this season and have lost six straight road tilts dating to last season.

MSU enters the contest averaging just 66.3 points per game but has allowed only 65.8 points. The Bobcats are averaging 24.3 three-point attempts per game while making 8.5 treys per contest to rank among the national leaders. Montana State has been outrebounded by 3.2 boards per game (36.3-33.3) this season.

The Bobcats have four players averaging double figures, with guard Branden Miller leading the way with 12.8 points per game. Miller paces the squad with 29 three-pointers although he is hitting just 32.2 percent (29-of-90) from long range. Miller also leads the team in assists (41) and steals (16) while starting every game.

Center Al Beye has played just three contests but is averaging 12.7 points and is pacing the Cats with 7.0 rebounds per game. The 6-11, 210-pounder has hit an amazing 70.4 percent (19-of-27) from the floor to open his season, but has been unable to connect at the free throw line, where he has missed all seven of his charity shots.

Forwards Marvin Moss and Ja'Ron Jefferson round out the Bobcats' double-figure scorers by picking up 11.8 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Moss averages 6.7 boards and is tied with Jefferson for second on the squad with 15 steals. Jefferson is also third on the team with 18 three-pointers.

The Bobcats are coached by Mick Durham (Montana State, 1980), who is in his 15th year guiding the program. Durham owns a 222-190 record with the Bobcats as a head coach.

Series History
The Huskers and Bobcats are meeting for just the fifth time in the series with Nebraska owning a 3-1 all-time record against Montana State. The teams first met in 1930 with MSU taking its only victory, 61-30, in Lincoln. Nebraska then won the next three matchups, including the last meeting in 1985 in Bozeman when NU won 76-59.

Nebraska owns a 16-3 record against Big Sky Conference teams. The last time the Huskers faced a Big Sky opponent was in 2002, when the Huskers earned a 63-60 victory over Eastern Washington on New Year's Eve.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Knoxville, Tenn. --- Marcus Neal Jr. hit three free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining to ice Nebraska’s 62-61 come-from-behind road victory over Tennessee Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Neal helped Nebraska improve to 5-4 on the season with 17 points and career highs with four three-pointers and six assists. It was NU’s first road victory in three attempts this year, as NU improved to 3-4 in its last seven non-conference road games dating back to last season.

"I am really proud of our guys and the way they fought to the end," said NU coach Barry Collier. "We didn’t shoot that well and did not make free throws as well as we should have, but we did just enough. I did think our defense was good, but we were lucky to get to the line at the end. We have been on the other end of that before, so it’s good to be on this end."

After a 10-0 run put Tennessee ahead by four, 61-57, with under a minute remaining, Jason Dourisseau made the Vols pay for a missed free throw by converting a dunk with 34 seconds left to pull NU within two points. The Vols missed four foul shots in the last 36 seconds, including the front end of two one-and-bonus situations.

Scooter McFadgon missed three free throws in the final 22 ticks and finished the game 2-of-6 at the line despite entering the contest hitting 45-of-50 free throw attempts on the year, including a school-record 31 straight at one point. McFadgon’s last two misses came with 9.8 seconds left, giving the Cornhuskers time to work for a final shot.

With time running out, Neal brought the ball across midcourt when the ball was knocked loose. John Turek tipped the ball to Neal, who grabbed it and was fouled by C.J. Watson while attempting a three-pointer. Neal hit the first two and drained the game-winner after a Vol timeout.

Neal led Nebraska with 17 points. Joe McCray and Jake Muhleisen each had 11 points with Muhleisen gaining a season-high total by hitting three treys. McCray’s two three-pointers moved him into a tie with Beau Reid for sixth place on the Husker freshman three-pointer chart.

The Huskers’ nine treys tied a season high as Nebraska hit 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. NU hit 38.2 percent from the floor overall, while UT hit 45.3 percent. The Vols hit 7-of-17 from long range (41.2 percent) but connected on just 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from the charity stripe.

"I was happy with almost all of our shots in the second half, but we had too many that were point blank that we did not finish," Collier said. "Tennessee came out and got in its fast break offense on a few baskets and you have to give them credit. But I thought our guys attacked and played hard on defense and made some tough shots too."

Brandon Crump led Tennessee with 19 points, including 15 after the intermission, while McFadgon had 15 and Watson added 11 points. Chris Lofton and Andre Patterson each added a game-high eight boards, although the Huskers took a 41-35 advantage on the glass. It was the seventh time in nine games -- and first time on the road -- the Huskers earned an edge in rebounds.

Neither team led by more than six points in the first half. Nebraska used an 8-0 run, capped by Muhleisen’s three-pointer with 4:58 left in the half, for a 24-18 lead - the biggest lead for either team in the opening frame. The Cornhuskers led 31-26 at halftime.

Tennessee regained the lead twice in the first seven minutes of the second half. With the score tied at 42, Nebraska went on an 8-0 run and took a 50-42 lead on Neal’s three-pointer with 10:03 left.

Nebraska was up 57-51 when the Vols started a 10-0 run capped by Crump’s shot on the baseline with 3:25 left. Patterson’s dunk in transition gave the Vols a 61-57 lead with 41 seconds to play.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Tennessee
? The Huskers improved to 5-4 on the season with their first road win of the year. NU is now 1-2 on the road this season and owns a 3-4 road record against non-conference teams dating back to last season. The Huskers are 2-0 against Tennessee in the series.

? The win was the first for the Huskers on the road against a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team since 1975 when NU defeated Vanderbilt 68-57 in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 22, 1975.

? Marcus Neal Jr. tied his career high with four three-pointers and six assists. He had just one turnover and has 18 assists against just four turnovers in the past three games combined.

? Jake Muhleisen recorded three three-pointers on the night after having made just two in the Huskers’ first eight contests. Muhleisen had a season-high 11 points.

? Wes Wilkinson grabbed a season-high seven rebounds, one off his career best, and notched a season-high three blocked shots. He has seven blocks in two games against Tennessee, after recording a career-best four blocks against the Vols last season in Lincoln.

? Nebraska hit a season-high tying nine three-pointers in the contest, equalling the mark it set against North Carolina A&T two games ago.

? The Huskers outrebounded their opponent for the seventh time in eight games by earning a 41-35 edge on the glass.

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 nine games, Neal has hit 34-of-88 shots from the floor while averaging 11.0 points to rank second on the team. He is second on the squad with 19 three-pointers and is shooting 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from three-point range, while adding 3.3 rebounds with a team-high tying 11 steals.

Over the past three games, Neal has done a terrific job of distributing the ball as he has had a career high with six assists in each contest. He recorded 18 assists against just four turnovers combined against North Carolina A&T, Marquette and Tennessee, after gaining only 13 assists and 14 turnovers in his first six games.

Neal, who played with an illness throughout the Marquette contest, has recorded 31 assists in nine games (3.4 apg) this season to pace the squad. His total is half of his mark (62) in 31 games last year.

Neal is averaging more than twice as many points as last year (5.3) and nearly twice as many rebounds per game (1.8). He has averaged 9.7 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 also 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. He came back with four threes against Tennessee, including two treys in an 8-0 surge before he iced the game with three free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining.

McCray Making a Splash
Freshman guard Joe McCray has played just nine 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. He has already been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on two occasions this year, the first Husker freshman to earn more than one rookie of the week honor in a season.

Through Dec. 31, McCray ranks 13th in the conference in scoring at 14.0 points per game ? the third-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference ? while hitting 41.3 percent from the floor. He is first in the conference with 2.89 three-pointers per game by leading the Huskers with 26 three-pointers, and is 10th in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 37.1 percent beyond the arc.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native began his career in high style as he 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, while adding six rebounds and two steals. McCray's point total was the most by a freshman in an NU season opener since freshmen regained eligibility 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 the strong performance, McCray earned his second Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor on Dec. 20.

With 26 three-pointers in nine games, McCray is tied for sixth on the Husker freshman three-pointer chart. McCray had two treys in his last game to tie Beau Read (26 in 1988) for sixth place. He needs four more three-pointers to move into a tie for fifth with Cookie Belcher (30 in 1997). 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-pound native of Sydney, Australia, has been a workhorse in the paint, averaging 8.0 points and 7.8 rebounds over the first nine games of his career.

Through Dec. 30, Maric ranks sixth in the league in rebounding, including fifth in offensive rebounding. He is hitting a team-best 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the field, but is not eligible for conference or national ranking as he has not averaged the required 5.0 made field goals per game.

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 and three boards against Texas Southern, 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 in 31 games 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 just his third career game.

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 eight points and six rebounds over 24 minutes 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 in his first start of the season. He had not recorded an assist in his first five games before gaining four against the Aggies without a turnover.

In possibly his best outing of the season, Wilkinson recorded a season-high 12 points (just one off his career high) on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from long range, at Marquette. Making his second straight start as junior Jason Dourisseau was out with an illness, Wilkinson added three assists and two blocks in a career-high 30 minutes. He came back with a season-high seven rebounds and three blocks while scoring eight points in a road victory against Tennessee.

Over the past three games, Wilkinson has recorded seven assists against one turnover. In his previous five games to open the year, he had zero assists against seven turnovers. Last year, he had just 15 assists on the season, and only 23 in his first two years combined.

Wilkinson has added 11 blocked shots in eight games to rank eighth (1.38 bpg) in the Big 12 Conference. He had just 13 blocks in 29 games last year.

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

Dourisseau is third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.4 rpg), while ranking 14th in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding. He also ranks third on the team by hitting 44.3 percent (31-of-70) from the floor.

After starting eight games this year, Dourisseau has 51 rebounds, 10 steals and is third on the squad with 18 assists. Last year he recorded 60 rebounds, 17 assists and 13 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 third in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin at +7.7. In the Dec. 20 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked seventh in the nation in rebounding margin. NU has outrebounded seven of its nine opponents this season.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks sixth in the league with 7.8 rebounds per game to lead the Huskers. Maric has recorded 15- and 14-rebound games this season. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks 14th in the league after gaining 6.4 rebounds per game over his first eight games.

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.

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 Sunday's contest against Montana State with 750 career points and 582 rebounds, just 79 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 139 blocked shots and needs just five 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 (he is currently tied with Wes Wilkinson for the top spot with 11 each), 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. Currently, King, Hamilton, Turek and Mikki Moore are the only players with at least 600 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in their Husker career.

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 enters the matchup with Montana State with 778 points, 277 rebounds, 226 assists and 78 steals in his career.

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:

? ranked sixth in scoring defense in the most recent NCAA statistics (Dec. 20) and seventh in field-goal percentage defense and rebound margin.

? 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.? held Marquette to just 39.7 percent shooting, including 34.3 percent (11-of-32) inside the arc.

Last year, the Huskers posted some of the best defensive numbers at NU in the last four decades, as they allowed 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. NU also had a scoring defense of 62.9 points per game, the program's best defensive mark since the 1982 campaign.

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.

Among the outstanding single-game marks the Huskers posted in 2003-04 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; 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; and 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.

Quick Shots
? Nebraska owns an 8-9 all-time record on Jan. 2. The Huskers are 1-1 on this date under Coach Barry Collier, with NU picking up a 66-47 victory at home against Savannah State in 2002.

? 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 four three-pointers to tie for fifth on the NU freshman chart with 30 treys. Cookie Belcher also had 30 three-pointers as a frosh in 1997. The NU freshman record is 44 by Eric Piatkowski in (1991).

? Marcus Neal Jr. has recorded 11 steals in nine 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 18 assists against 18 turnovers this season in eight games played. Dourisseau had just 17 assists against 41 turnovers in 30 games last season.

? Aleks Maric owns 70 rebounds to lead the team, and is more than 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.