Nebraska Set for First Matchup Against Ranked Squad

After picking up its second straight road victory to remain perfect in Big 12 play earlier in the week, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns home to face its first ranked opponent of the season when it plays host to the No. 10/9 Texas on Saturday, Jan. 15. The Huskers and Longhorns will tip off at 12:47 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The game can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee handling play-by-play duties and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The matchup will also be televised on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 package (KOLN 10/11 in Lincoln; Cox 2 in Omaha; KIIT in North Platte) with Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (color) calling the action.

Off to its best start in league play since before the formation of the Big 12 Conference (1993-94), Nebraska looks to extend its season-best win streak to five games when the Longhorns come to Lincoln.

The game will be NU's first of the season against a ranked squad and first in Lincoln against a top-10 team since sixth-ranked Texas earned a victory at the Devaney Center in 2003. Nebraska has dropped its past eight home contests against top-10 teams with the last win coming against Kansas in 1994.

Nebraska has won its last two home contests against ranked teams with a pair of impressive victories last season. NU earned a 72-44 victory over No. 25 Texas Tech ? the largest margin of victory over a ranked team in school history ? and a 74-55 win over No. 12 Kansas in 2004. Overall, the Huskers were 2-4 against ranked teams last season, with three of the losses coming by a combined eight points.

The first of those three close losses last season came in Austin against No. 18 Texas. The Huskers battled back from an eight-point deficit twice before losing on a Royal Ivey jumper in the final seconds. It was the first of consecutive two-point losses against ranked teams as Nebraska fell by a pair at home against No. 25 Oklahoma. NU also lost by four points in overtime on the road at No. 7 Oklahoma State before knocking off the Red Raiders.

While a pair of freshmen have bolstered the Husker attack in recent games, Nebraska will look to its senior class to push the Huskers past one of the nation's top squads. The four-man Nebraska senior class has 321 career games played, including 230 combined starts.

Forward John Turek leads the way as he will be playing in his 100th career game Saturday against the Longhorns. Turek needs just 12 points to reach 800 career points and only five rebounds to cross the 600-rebound plateau. Over the last six games, Turek has averaged 10.7 points while hitting 58.5 percent from the field, with 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

Along with Turek, guard Jake Muhleisen has picked up the pace while helping NU to a 5-1 record over the past month. Muhleisen has averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, but has been even more impressive while distributing the ball. He owns 25 assists against eight turnovers in the stretch, including a solid 19 assists in the past three games (after recording 20 assists in his first eight games).

Meeting the Texas Longhorns
Texas enters the weekend matchup looking to get back on the right track as the No. 10/9 Longhorns dropped a conference matchup Wednesday at Texas A&M, 74-63. Overall, UT carries a 12-3 record into the game against the Huskers, including a 1-1 mark in Big 12 action. Texas owns a 3-3 record away from Austin with a 1-2 mark in true road games.

The Longhorns will provide the Huskers with a stern test as UT entered the week ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense. UT averages 84.7 points per game while hitting 48.6 percent from the floor. The 'Horns have hit an impressive 42.0 percent from three-point range this year while leading the conference with 8.7 treys per game, one per game more than second-place Baylor (7.5).

Like Nebraska, Texas is one of the top rebounding teams in the country as it leads the league with a +10.0 rebounding margin. The Longhorns are averaging 41.9 boards per game, while the Huskers have gained 41.8 rebounds per game with a +7.9 margin.

Sophomore forward P.J. Tucker leads five Longhorns in double figures with 14.2 points per contest while hitting 54.3 percent from the field. Tucker leads the team and is third in the league in rebounding with 8.3 boards per game.

Along with Tucker, freshman Daniel Gibson adds 12.1 points and 4.3 assists per game while Kenny Taylor has recorded 11.5 points per game. Gibson and Taylor are tied for the team lead with 35 three-pointers apiece, while Gibson leads UT with 27 steals. Brad Buckman also adds 11.5 points with 6.3 rebounds while Jason Klotz comes off the bench to round out UT's double-figure scorers with 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

The Longhorns are guided by Coach Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne, 1977), who is in his seventh season at UT and 18th as a head coach. Barnes owns a 355-195 career record, including a 153-61 mark with the 'Horns.

Series History
The Huskers and Longhorns will be meeting for just the 16th time in the series and eighth time in Lincoln. UT holds an 11-4 series lead, but Nebraska owns a 4-3 advantage in Lincoln. The series is tied at the Devaney Center, 3-3. Nebraska's only conference series shorter than the UT series are against Texas A&M (9-3 NU lead) and Baylor (9-5 lead).

Texas has won the past three matchups by an average of just 8.3 points per game (11 in 2002, 12 in 2003 and two in 2004). The Huskers' last victory over the 'Horns came in 2001 when NU earned an 80-67 victory over the 22nd-ranked Longhorns in the Devaney Center. It was the first time a Coach Collier-led Husker team downed a ranked opponent. Two of NU's wins in the series have come in the Devaney Center against a ranked UT squad (also 1995-96).

The Last Time We Met
Austin, Texas (Jan. 17, 2004) --- Nebraska rallied from an eight-point deficit twice in the second half before a last-second shot came up just short as No. 18/16 Texas held on for a 63-61 victory.

Nebraska led by three points with a minute to go when Brian Boddicker hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 61-61 with 59 seconds to play. After an NU miss, the Longhorns had a chance to take back the lead it held the majority of the game. Texas’ Royal Ivey did just that, as he hit a soft jumper with 2.4 seconds to play to give UT the final two-point margin.

The Huskers did not go out without a fight. Following a timeout, Jake Muhleisen received a nice inbounds pass and got off a shot before the buzzer, but the long game-winning attempt was just off the mark.

Nebraska put itself in position for a chance to win by battling back on the defensive end.

NU fell behind, 52-44, with 9:09 to play, but the Huskers clamped down and held Texas without a point for nearly seven minutes until Brad Buckman hit a jumper with 2:17 remaining in the game to pull UT within two. During NU’s defensive stand, in which Texas missed 14 straight shots, Nebraska reeled off 12 straight points to forge a 56-52 lead.

Following Buckman’s traditional three-point play that cut NU’s lead to 56-55, Drevo again came up big by hitting his fifth three-pointer of the game to extend Nebraska’s advantage back to four points. Drevo finished the game with 23 points, including hitting 5-of-7 three-point attempts.

The Longhorns finished the day hitting just 39.0 percent from the floor, but held NU at bay by draining 45.5 percent from three-point range. Texas entered the game first in the nation in scoring, averaging 90 points per contest. UT also held a slight, 33-30, advantage on the boards, although it outrebounded NU 17-8 on the offensive end.

The Huskers’ frontcourt led the way, with Andrew Drevo's 23 points leading all scorers while John Turek added 10 points and Muhleisen added nine points with four assists.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Boulder, Colo. --- Freshman Joe McCray scored a team-high 21 points and the Huskers held Colorado to just 34.6 percent shooting for the game as Nebraska earned a 68-61 victory at the Coors Events Center.

Nebraska improved to 8-4 on the season with its fourth straight victory while moving to 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Colorado dropped to 8-5 on the year and 0-2 in league action while watching its 15-game home court winning streak come to an end.

"I thought that with them being a little short in numbers, Coach Patton had them really rolling, especially in the second half," said NU coach Barry Collier. "We played well in the first half and they played a solid second half, but in the end we made some stops and rebounded some misses to get the win."

McCray caught fire early for the Huskers as he had 16 points in the first half, including Nebraska’s first eight points. Jake Muhleisen’s layup with 12:10 left before intermission cut the CU advantage to one, 11-10, and started an 18-5 run. McCray and Jason Dourisseau added six points apiece in the surge with McCray’s third three-pointer of the night giving Nebraska a 13-11 lead with 11:41 remaining in the first half.

"Joe is an aggressive, offensive-minded player who can also play physical," Collier said. "He did a good job of making better shot selections (against CU). I have thought over the past couple games that he has done a better job taking care of the ball and really helped us."

The Huskers did not trail again as they steadily built their lead to double figures in the final minutes of the opening frame.

After Martane Freeman cut the Huskers’ advantage to eight, 26-18, Nebraska used a 10-0 run fueled by four points from Aleks Maric to open a 36-18 lead with just over a minute left before half. Marcus Hall hit a pair of free throws for the Buffs to cut NU’s halftime lead to 15 points, 37-22. The 37 points were the most the Huskers had scored in a period on the road this season.

After the break, Colorado looked to cut into the lead but Nebraska countered each shot for the first nine minutes and lead 53-38 with 10:30 remaining before going cold. From that point, it would be another seven minutes before the Huskers recorded a basket, as CU went on an 11-1 run.

Freshman Richard Roby provided most of the firepower in CU’s outburst, as he scored nine points in the surge, including a pair of three-pointers. Roby finished with 20 points while Chris Copeland had a game-high 22 points, including hitting 8-of-9 from the free throw line, to pace the Buffaloes. CU came into the contest 12th in the league in free throw percentage but stayed in the game by hitting 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the line.

Roby’s free throw with 3:54 remaining brought the Buffs within five, 54-49, before the Huskers got back on the scoreboard.

John Turek got free in the paint for a dunk off a nice assist from Muhleisen to put NU back up by seven. CU then capitalized on a basket and pair of free throws to cut the lead to three, 56-53, with 2:18 left, but that was as close as it would get as Turek added a layup and, after a Copeland basket, McCray came up with his fifth three-pointer of the night with 1:23 to play to put NU back up by seven, 61-54.

Marcus Neal Jr. hit four free throws in the final minute and Corey Simms added a layup as the Huskers snapped a three-game losing streak in Boulder. McCray led the way with his fourth 20-plus point game of the season, while Dourisseau added 11 points and seven boards, including six rebounds in the second half. Maric led the Huskers with 11 rebounds for his third double-figure rebound effort of the season, as Nebraska outrebounded the Buffs 42-37.

Turek hit 3-of-5 field-goal attempts and Simms hit all three of his shots from the floor as the Huskers hit 44.1 percent from the field, including 31.3 percent from long range. McCray was 5-of-8 from downtown while the rest of the squad was a combined 0-of-8.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Colorado
? Freshman Joe McCray recorded 21 points to lead the Huskers, joining only Jerry Fort and Dave Hoppen on the elite list of Husker freshmen with at least four 20-plus point games in their rookie season.

? McCray finished with all five of Nebraska’s three-pointers, as he now has 36 treys on the season to rank third in the NU freshman record book. McCray passed Erick Strickland (32) and Jake Muhleisen (35) and now needs three treys to tie Cary Cochran for second place. The NU record is 44 by Eric Piatkowski.

? Aleks Maric recorded his third double-figure rebounding game of the season with a team-best 11 boards, including five offensive. Maric just missed his third double-double as he scored eight points.

? Nebraska outrebounded its opponent for the 10th time in 12 games as it held a 42-37 advantage.

? Jason Dourisseau recorded his fourth double-figure scoring game of the year as he gained 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting with seven boards. Dourisseau had his first three double-figure scoring contests in the first four games of the year, and has not reached at least 10 points in his past six games.

? Jake Muhleisen recorded at least five assists for the third straight game, as he had a game-high five assists against two turnovers. As a team, the Huskers had 13 assists against 15 turnovers, while CU had nine assists and 12 turnovers.

? John Turek recorded three blocked shots to pace the Huskers and move into a tie for fifth place on the Nebraska all-time list with 144 career blocks.

? Nebraska held its 12th straight opponent to less than 50.0 percent from the floor, as CU hit just 34.6 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three-point range. It was the seventh time the Huskers held an opponent to less than 40.0 percent shooting this season.

? Nebraska scored 37 points in the first half, the most points by the Huskers on the road in any period this season.

? NU snapped a three-game losing streak in Boulder and snapped the Buffs’ 15-game home court winning streak. The Huskers improved to 14-12 against CU in the Coors Events Center.

Spreading the Wealth
Nebraska has picked it up on the offensive end the past six games and much of the success has come from something as simple as making an extra pass.

Over the past six games, Nebraska has averaged 72.7 points per game versus 66.8 points over the first six contests. NU has hit 45.5 percent from the floor including 35.7 percent from three-point range and averaged 17.0 assists per game during the past six contests ? after hitting 41.3 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from long range while collecting just 11.7 assists per game over the first six games of the year.

Senior guards Jake Muhleisen and Marcus Neal Jr. have set up their teammates well recently. Muhleisen has 25 assists against eight turnovers since Dec. 18 after gaining just 14 assists against seven turnovers to open the season. Muhleisen has led NU in assists each of the past three games, including a season-high nine assists in 48 minutes in the Huskers' Big 12 opener against Kansas State.

Neal's numbers have been just as impressive, as he gained 13 assists versus 14 turnovers in the first six games and has 28 assists against 15 miscues in the past six games. Neal recorded three straight games with a career-high six assists during his recent surge.

John Turek and Wes Wilkinson have benefited the most during the recent run. Turek is hitting 58.5 percent from the field in the last six games after opening the season by connecting on 44.4 percent from the floor. Wilkinson has been just as impressive, hitting 52.8 percent over the last six contests after nailing 41.7 percent from the field in the opening six games.

Hitting the Long Ball
After losing Brian Conklin (55.6 percent from three-point range in 2003-04) to graduation last year, the Huskers knew they would need to find more consistency as a team from long range in 2005. Nebraska struggled from beyond the arc early in the season but has picked up the pace over the past six games.

NU has hit 46-of-129 (35.7 percent) of its three-point attempts in the past six games, after opening the season hitting just 36-of-116 (31.0 percent) in its first six contests. During the recent surge, freshman Joe McCray has led the way, hitting 22-of-54 (40.7) while Marcus Neal Jr. is second by hitting 12-of-34 (35.3). Jake Muhleisen has seen an improvement as well, hitting 5-of-16 after draining just one of his first 14 attempts in the Huskers' first six games. Wes Wilkinson has also hit 35.3 percent (6-of-17) over the last six contests.

With 36 three-pointers in 12 games, McCray ranks third on the Husker freshman three-pointer chart and is more than halfway to reaching the NU single-season top 10 (10th place is 59 treys). Nebraska has had a player hit at least 65 treys in three of the past four seasons, including four of the top six marks in school history.

McCray had five treys in his last game against Colorado to pass Erick Strickland (31 in 1993) for fourth and current senior Jake Muhleisen (35 in 2002) for third. Cary Cochran is up next on the list for McCray, as Cochran had 39 in 1998-99 to rank second on the list. The NU freshman record is 44 three-pointers by Eric Piatkowski in 1990-91.

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 regular season.

Neal has hit 43-of-112 shots from the floor while averaging 11.3 points to rank second on the team. He is second on the squad with 24 three-pointers and is shooting 47.5 percent (24-of-64) from three-point range to rank seventh in the league statistics, while adding 3.3 rebounds with a team-high tying 13 steals.

Over the past six games, Neal has done a terrific job of distributing the ball as he has had a career high with six assists three times while gaining 4.7 assists per game overall. He recorded 28 assists against 15 turnovers combined in those six games, after gaining only 13 assists against 14 turnovers in his first six games.

Neal, who played with an illness throughout the Marquette contest, has recorded 41 assists in 12 games (3.4 apg) this season to rank second on the squad and 15th in the Big 12 Conference. His total is more than 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 9.3 field-goal attempts per game this year compared to 4.5 last season. Neal has already equaled his total from last season with 13 steals despite playing 19 fewer games this year.

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.

Neal came back to hit 2-of-3 free throws with 1.3 seconds left in regulation against KSU, sending the game to overtime where he scored 13 of his career-high tying 19 points to help NU to a 95-85 double-overtime win.

McCray Making a Splash
Freshman guard Joe McCray has played just 12 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. At his current pace, McCray will contend for all-freshman honors on the conference and national levels.

McCray has already been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on two occasions this year (Nov. 29 and Dec. 20). He is the first Husker freshman to earn more than one rookie-of-the-week honor in a season.

Through Jan. 13, McCray ranks 11th in the conference in scoring at 14.7 points per game ? the third-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference ? while hitting 41.9 percent from the floor. He is tied for the lead in the conference with 3.0 three-pointers per game by leading the Huskers with 36 three-pointers, and is sixth in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 37.9 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 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.

McCray became just the third Husker freshman to record four 20-plus point games in his rookie season when he gained 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-8 from long range, to help Nebraska improve to 2-0 in league play with a 68-61 win over Colorado on the road.

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 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds over the first 12 games of his career.

Through Jan. 13, Maric ranks fourth in the league in rebounding, including fourth in offensive and seventh in defensive rebounding. He is hitting 49.3 percent (34-of-69) from the field.

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 double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds against Morgan State in his first career start. He also had eight points and 11 rebounds against Colorado on the road to help NU to a 2-0 mark to open conference play. 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 Rounding 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. In his fifth contest against Creighton, he finally started to show that he was rounding back into form as he recorded eight points and six rebounds over 24 minutes. He 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 without a turnover against North Carolina A&T in his first start of the season. He had not recorded an assist in his first five games.

Wilkinson recorded 12 points 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 30 minutes. He came back with seven rebounds and three blocks while scoring eight points in a road victory against Tennessee.

Wilkinson had 13 points and eight rebounds against Montana State, adding three blocks and a career-high three steals in 26 minutes. He came back with a career-high 22 points with four boards, three assists and a block in a career-high 34 minutes against Kansas State.

Over the past five games, Wilkinson has averaged 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while adding seven assists with four steals. He has hit 54.3 percent from the floor in that span, and is second on the team this season by hitting 50.8 percent overall this season.

In his first five games to open the year, Wilkinson averaged 3.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while recording 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 15 blocked shots in 11 games to rank ninth (1.4 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 (9.3 ppg) and second on the team and 13th in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding with 6.2 boards per game. He also ranks fourth on the team by hitting 44.0 percent (37-of-84) from the floor.

After starting 11 games this year, Dourisseau has 68 rebounds, 10 steals and is third on the squad with 26 assists. Those number are quite favorable considering he had 60 rebounds, 13 steals and 17 assists in 31 games last season.

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.

In the Huskers' road victory over Colorado, Dourisseau had his best game in nearly a month, as he recorded 11 points with seven rebounds and an assist in 26 minutes. It was his fourth double-figure scoring game of the season, but first since the fourth game. He slashed past the Buffs at will while recording eight points in the opening frame as NU opened a 15-point halftime lead on the road.

Huskers Hitting the Glass
Nebraska has been relentless on the boards this season. Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 10 of 12 games, including the last four straight.

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. The Huskers nearly added another 50-board game as they had 49 rebounds against Montana State in their last non-conference contest.

The Huskers are third in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin at +7.9 and second in rebounds per game with 41.8. In the Jan. 10 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 14th in the nation in rebounding margin.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks fourth in the league with 7.8 rebounds per game to lead the Huskers. Maric has recorded three double-figure rebound games (15, 14, 11) this season. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks 13th in the league after gaining 6.2 rebounds per game over his first 11 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 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff is NU's the largest rebounding margin since at least 1972-73. The previous high was +30 (72-42) against Oklahoma in 1991-92.

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.

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 against Texas with 788 career points and 595 rebounds, just 66 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 is tied for fifth in NU history with 144 blocked shots, has led Nebraska in blocked shots each of the past three years, including tying the NU freshman record with 39 blocks in 2001-02. He currently paces the squad with 16 rejections, one ahead of Wes Wilkinson's 15 blocked shots.

If he were to lead 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. 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 Texas with 795 points, 291 rebounds, 245 assists and 82 steals in his career.

In the Big 12 opener, Muhleisen set a season high with nine assists against three turnovers in a caeer-high 48 minutes in NU's double-overtime victory. He came back with five assists and seven points in a win at Colorado, and has now recorded at least five assists in each of the past three games.

Overall, Muhleisen now has 39 assists against just 15 turnovers this season to rank fifth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6:1). He is second on the team in assists, two behind senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr.

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 12th in field-goal percentage defense (37.6) in the NCAA statistics of Jan. 10, 13th in scoring defense (58.2) and 14th in rebound margin (+8.2).

? 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.

? allowed Montana State just 45 points on 30.0 percent shooting, including 21.7 percent from beyond the arc.

? limited Colorado to 34.6 percent (18-of-52) from the floor, including 27.3 percent in the first half, as Nebraska won its conference road opener for the first time since 1993-94 with a 68-61 victory at Colorado.

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.

Home Sweet Home
The Huskers have a strong record of success playing in front of their home crowd the past 29 seasons. Nebraska is 6-2 at home this season, with the losses against Minnesota (now 12-3) and Creighton (10-6).

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 had its nonconference home winning streak reach 16 games before coming to an end this season 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 338-105 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 50-21 at home under Coach Collier with nine of the losses coming against ranked teams.

Quick Shots
? Freshman Joe McCray's six three-pointers against North Carolina A&T is tied with OSU's John Lucas' six treys against Texas Tech as the individual game high among all Big 12 Conference players this season. Freshman Aleks Maric's 15 rebounds against UAB ranks third in the league in that category.

? McCray needs three three-pointers to tie for second on the NU freshman chart with 39 treys. Cary Cochran also had 39 three-pointers as a frosh in 1999. The NU freshman record is 44 by Eric Piatkowski in (1991).

? Marcus Neal Jr. has recorded 13 steals in 12 games this season to lead Nebraska. His total equals the mark he set last season in 31 appearances.

? Jason Dourisseau has 26 assists against 23 turnovers this season in 11 games played. Dourisseau had just 17 assists against 41 turnovers in 30 games last season.

? Dourisseau also has 68 rebounds in 11 games played after gaining just 60 in 30 games last year.

? Wes Wilkinson has 15 blocks in 11 games this season after gaining 13 blocked shots in 29 games last year. Wilkinson has had at least two blocks in a game five times this season, including four times in the past seven contests.

? Wilkinson also has 11 assists in 11 games this year after gaining just 23 assists in his first 59 games.

? Aleks Maric owns 93 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.

? John Turek will be playing in his 100th career game when NU faces Texas on Saturday, the most of any current Husker. He is second on the team after having played 2,405 minutes ? behind only Jake Muhleisen who has played 2,428 minutes in 84 games. Muhleisen leads the Huskers in games started with 83 in his career. Only 17 former Huskers have recorded at least 2,500 minutes while only 30 have played in 100 career games.

? Turek needs 66 rebounds to move into the Nebraska career top 10, and just five to become the 14th player in Nebraska history with at least 600 boards.

? The last time a freshman led the Huskers in points scored was 1983, when NU's career scoring leader Dave Hoppen recorded 445 points (13.9 ppg in 32 games) as a rookie to pace the Huskers. Freshman Joe McCray currently paces the Huskers with 14.7 points per game over 12 contests.

? Nebraska's 95 points in a double-overtime victory to open Big 12 play were the most it has scored in a league game since putting up 99 against Kansas State in 2002. NU is now 5-0 under Coach Collier when recording at least 90 points in a game, and 20-4 when scoring at least 80 points.

? The Huskers are 6-2 in overtime under Coach Collier.

? Nebraska has held seven of 12 opponents to 60 or fewer points this season. NU held 12 of 31 opponents to 60 or fewer points last season.

? The Huskers are 3-2 in games decided by 10 or fewer points this season, after going 6-9 last season. NU has won three straight games decided by 10 or fewer points.