Nebraska Looks to Rebound at Missouri

Nebraska hits the road for the second time this week as it travels to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, Jan. 22, at the Mizzou Arena.

The game will tip off at 12:47 p.m. and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee (play-by-play) and Matt Davison (color) calling the action. The game will also be seen on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 package (Channel 10/11 in Lincoln; Cox 2 in Omaha; KIIT in North Platte), marking the fourth of six straight televised Husker games.

The Huskers look to snap a two-game losing streak after dropping a tough, 59-57 decision at No. 2 Kansas on Wednesday. Nebraska went the distance with one of the last remaining undefeated teams on its own floor and had a chance to win at the end but came up just short.

Nebraska continued playing its stifling brand of defense against the Jayhawks, holding them to just 59 points ? 18 points below their season average ? on 42.0 percent shooting from the floor. The Huskers have been outstanding defending the three-point shot during conference play, as Nebraska has allowed just 31.6 percent from beyond the arc. Over the past three games, NU has limited teams to 24.1 percent (14-of-58), including holding No. 10/9 Texas and No. 2/2 Kansas to a combined 8-of-35 (22.9 percent).

NU's effort and intensity against Kansas was much of the same that helped the Huskers win their previous two road contests, including the conference road opener at Colorado on Jan. 12. The last time the Huskers won two conference road games in a season was the 2000-01 campaign, when NU defeated Colorado and Kansas State away from Lincoln.

Along with playing tough defense, the Huskers have gotten big plays from freshman guard Joe McCray. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native has been outstanding on the offensive end this season as he leads the team with 15.4 points per game while adding 5.6 rebounds. McCray has averaged 19.7 points over the past three contests, including 19 points with seven boards Wednesday against the Jayhawks.

McCray added a trio of three-pointers at KU and now leads the Huskers ? and is tied for the top spot in the league ? with 44 treys on the season. McCray, who ranked 20th nationally in three-pointers per game entering the week, tied the Nebraska freshman season record Wednesday when he drilled No. 44 in just 14 career games. He tied the mark Eric Piatkowski set in 1991 while playing in 34 contests (see chart on page 10).

The rookie is on the verge of moving into the freshman top 10 for total points and is on pace to break the NU freshman scoring average mark set by Jerry Fort at 14.5 points per game in 1973. McCray is also on pace to break into the freshman record book for rebounds, as he is third on the team with 5.6 boards per contest.

McCray was not the only Husker who stepped up against Kansas, as junior forward Wes Wilkinson made his third start of the year and posted 16 points with five rebounds and one blocked shot. Wilkinson earned the starting nod as guard Jason Dourisseau was out with an ankle injury.

A Grand Island, Neb., native, Wilkinson is one of four Huskers (also McCray, 17.8; Marcus Neal Jr. 11.3; John Turek 10.3) averaging double figures in league play with 10.3 points per game while hitting 55.6 percent from the floor. Wilkinson has hit 5-of-15 attempts from three-point range against Big 12 teams this season after connecting on just 3-of-13 three-point attempts vs. the league in 30 games to start his career.

Meeting the Missouri Tigers
Missouri enters the weekend matchup with a 9-8 overall record and 1-3 mark in Big 12 action. The Tigers are looking to snap a three-game losing streak after dropping a 78-62 contest at home to Texas Tech on Wednesday. Missouri is 9-3 overall in its new home, the Mizzou Arena.

MU enters the game last in the Big 12 standings by averaging just 64.5 points per game while hitting a Big 12-low 40.0 percent from the floor. The Tigers are also 11th in the league in three-point field-goal percentage (31.6) while ranking next to last in field-goal percentage defense (43.2) and last in three-point field-goal percentage defense (36.4). MU also ranks eighth in scoring defense as opponents have gained 64.9 points per game.

Forward Linas Kleiza paces the Tigers with 15.5 points per game to rank eighth in the conference but is hitting just 39.1 percent from the field, including 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. Kleiza ranks 12th in the league in free throw percentage by draining 71.4 percent from the charity stripe. He adds a team-best 7.4 boards to rank sixth in the Big 12 standings while ranking third on the team with 36 assists.

Along with Kleiza, Jason Conley is the only other Tiger averaging double figures. Conley has gained 10.4 points per game while hitting 45.9 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from long range. Conley adds 5.6 boards and 18 steals.

Jason Horton leads MU with 58 assists and 24 steals while Thomas Gardner leads the squad with 25 three-pointers. Gardner has hit just 26.3 percent from outside the arc.

The Tigers are guided by Coach Quin Snyder (Duke, 1989), who is in his sixth season at MU. Snyder owns a 109-71 career record.

Series History
The Huskers and Tigers meet for the 202nd time in the series that dates to the 1907-08 campaign when Nebraska won a pair of games in Lincoln. Missouri holds a solid 117-84 series advantage, including a 64-25 lead in Columbia. MU was 25-6 against the Huskers at the Hearnes Center.

Missouri has won eight of the past 10 matchups and has won nine straight in Columbia. NU's last win at Missouri came in 1995 when the Huskers earned a 78-75 victory.

The Huskers won the matchup between the teams in Lincoln last season, snapping a series-high six game win streak for the Tigers. Nebraska used a three-point explosion with Brian Conklin and Marcus Neal Jr. combining to go 9-for-9 from long range to run past the Tigers, 78-62.

In the most recent meeting in Columbia, the Tigers pulled away for a 72-51 win. The teams matched up evenly for the first 30 minutes before Mizzou rattled off a 17-0 run to put the game out of reach. The Tigers had started the game on a cold note, missing 14 of their first 17 field-goal attempts as Nebraska raced to a 10-point lead. MU battled back to take a one-point advantage into the locker room before the Tigers' four-minute run midway through the second frame iced the victory.

The Last Time We Met
Lincoln, Neb. (Feb. 28, 2004) --- Brian Conklin scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, as Nebraska snapped a six-game losing streak to Missouri with a 78-62 victory at the Devaney Center.

Conklin connected on all five of his three-point attempts to lead four Huskers in double figures. Nebraska downed the Tigers for the first time since an 85-79 victory in Lincoln on Jan. 24, 2001. The win was Nebraska’s largest over the Tigers since a 76-53 victory during the 1996-97 season.

Nebraska took advantage of long-range sharp-shooting by Conklin and point guard Marcus Neal Jr., who was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and scored 14 points. In all, the Huskers connected on 12 three-pointers on 21 attempts, and committed just nine turnovers.

Neal got the Huskers rolling early, hitting three consecutive shots from long range to give Nebraska a 10-point lead eight minutes into the contest. Neal had made just five three-pointers in his first 17 games before connecting on seven in a two-game span.

Nate Johnson, who was 8-of-9 from the foul line, and John Turek also finished in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively. The Huskers were out-rebounded 28-26, but took advantage of 12 offensive rebounds, converting them into 22 second-chance points.

After Missouri closed to within eight, the Huskers came back with a 9-0 run, pushing the margin to 25-8 on Andrew Drevo’s three-pointer off an offensive rebound. The Tigers pulled within 11 on two occasions, but were unable to slice the Husker advantage to single figures the rest of the first half.

The Huskers led 36-19 after a pair of Nate Johnson free throws with 1:28 left in the half before the Tigers scored the final five points of the stanza. Travon Bryant, who scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half, capped the run with a three-pointer with one second remaining to pull the Tigers within 12 at halftime.

Missouri closed the Husker lead to nine at 44-35 after a Thomas Gardner putback with 15:03 remaining in the second half. MU would get no closer, as the Huskers answered with an 8-0 run, capped by three-pointers from Johnson and Conklin that pushed the Husker lead to 52-35 with 13:10 left. Nebraska led by as many as 20 points, at 70-50 with 4:25 remaining.

Ricky Paulding led the Tigers with 16 points to place four Mizzou players in double figures.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Lawrence, Kan. --- Despite giving up 10-0 run to start the second half, the Huskers kept their composure in one of the toughest arenas in the nation and had the final shot to win, but came up just short, letting No. 2 Kansas hold on for a 59-57 victory Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas missed 4-of-6 free throws in the final two minutes before Joe McCray’s layup with 25 seconds remaining pulled Nebraska within one point, 58-57. Aaron Miles’ free throw then made it a two-point KU advantage and set up the Huskers’ final play.

Following a NU timeout, Marcus Neal Jr. tried to work the ball around the top of the key, but the Jayhawks’ pressure slowed the play. Corey Simms ended up with the ball with less than four seconds remaining and sidestepped a Jayhawk before putting up a long-range attempt for the win that hit off the right side of the rim. KU’s Alex Galindo pulled down the rebound as time expired.

Nebraska got into contention to shoot for the win behind the play of McCray and junior Wes Wilkinson. McCray stepped up big with 10 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 19 points while Wilkinson added 16 in his third start of the year.

The Huskers led 24-21 at the intermission, but Kansas began the second half with a 14-2 run, including 12 straight points to open the frame. Wayne Simien, who was held without a point or rebound in the first period, scored seven points in the surge while Keith Langford, who had just one point in the opening stanza, added a pair of baskets to give KU a 35-26 lead with 12:23 to play.

Nebraska cut into the lead with three-pointers from Wilkinson and Neal. After a pair of Miles free throws put Kansas ahead 40-32, freshman Aleks Maric started a 9-2 Nebraska run with a bucket in the paint. NU pulled within one, 42-41, on a Maric basket with 9:19 to play.

Trailing 49-44 with 5:25 to left, McCray came up big with eight straight points. McCray hit a pair of foul shots and then drained two of three charity shots after being fouled outside the arc. After adding one more free throw to cut the lead to seven, 55-48, at the 4:10 mark, McCray drained his third trey of the game to make it 55-51 with 3:08 left.

McCray hit 3-of-7 three-point attempts on the game, with the final made trey tying the Nebraska freshman record. McCray, who leads the Big 12 with 3.1 three-pointers per game, picked up his 44th triple of the season to tie the mark set by Eric Piatkowski in 1991.

Nebraska opened the game on a 6-0 run behind a pair of baskets from John Turek and a jumper from Wilkinson. Kansas came right back with a 14-2 run over a six-minute span before McCray scored six straight to knot it at 14-all. Wilkinson gave Nebraska its biggest lead off the game at five points, 23-18, with a three-pointer at the 2:33 mark.

A native of Grand Island, Neb., Wilkinson finished with 16 points and five boards while Turek had five points and four boards. Maric led the Huskers with eight rebounds and McCray had seven boards as Nebraska earned an advantage on the glass for the 12th time in 14 contests, including all four Big 12 matchups.

The Huskers hit just 31.6 percent, including 29.2 percent from the line, but hit 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe while KU connected on just 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) of its free throws.

Nebraska held the Jayhawks to 42.0 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent from three-point range. Simien led the way with 12 points, all in the second frame, while Langford and J.R. Giddens had nine points.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Kansas
? Freshman Joe McCray had three three-pointers to lead Nebraska and now has 44 treys on the season. The 44 three-pointers puts McCray into a tie for first place on the NU freshman chart, equaling the mark set by Eric Piatkowski in 1991. Piatkowski reached the mark while playing in 34 games as a freshman.

? McCray recorded a game-high 19 points with seven boards. It was McCray's seventh contest with at least 19 points and third straight in conference play.

? Freshman Aleks Maric recorded eight rebounds in a career-high 27 minutes of action. Maric, who leads NU with 7.5 rebounds per game, improved his team-best total to 105 on the year, just one short of reaching the NU freshman top-10 list.

? Behind Maric and McCray, Nebraska outrebounded the Jayhawks by a 42-36 margin, marking the 12th time in 14 games NU has earned an advantage on the glass.

? Junior forward Wes Wilkinson made his third start of the season and first in league play with guard Jason Dourisseau out with an ankle injury. Wilkinson posted double-figures for the second time in four league contests with 16 points while adding five boards and a blocked shot.

? Nebraska led at halftime for the 11th time this season and third time on the road. NU is now 2-1 away from Lincoln when leading at the break and 8-3 overall.

? It was the second straight game Nebraska was held to less than 35 percent shooting from the floor.

? KU hit just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from long range, marking the third straight game and fourth time in the last five games NU has held its opponent to less than 27 percent from outside the arc.

Spreading the Wealth
Nebraska has picked it up on the offensive end the past eight games and much of the success has come from something as simple as making an extra pass. Over the past eight games in which NU has earned a 5-3 record, Nebraska has averaged 15.6 assists per game after 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 29 assists against 10 turnovers since Dec. 18 after gaining just 14 assists against seven turnovers to open the season. Muhleisen has led NU in assists in three of the past five 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. He gained 13 assists versus 14 turnovers in the first six games but has 36 assists against 18 miscues in the past eight games. Neal recorded four games with a career-high six assists during his recent surge, including six assists without a turnover against Texas.

John Turek and Wes Wilkinson have benefited the most during the recent run. Turek is hitting 54.5 percent from the field in the last eight games while averaging 10.3 points per game after opening the season by connecting on 44.4 percent from the floor. Wilkinson has been just as impressive, hitting 51.6 percent over the last eight games for 10.3 points after nailing 41.7 percent from the field in the opening six games.

Hitting the Long Ball
After losing Brian Conklin (66 treys on 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.

NU has hit 61 three-pointers in the past eight games (7.63 per game), after opening the season hitting just 36 (6.0 per game) in its first six contests. During the recent surge, freshman Joe McCray has led the way, averaging 17.3 points per game while hitting 30-of-73 (41.1) from long range. Marcus Neal Jr. is second with 17 three-pointers while hitting 30.4 percent from long distance.

With 44 three-pointers in 14 games, McCray has tied the NU freshman record and is nearing the NU single-season top 10 (10th place is 59 treys). In fact, at his current Big 12-leading pace of 3.14 treys per game, McCray could challenge for the NU single-season record of 89 set by Cary Cochran in 2002. 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 consecutive games against Colorado and Texas. He then tied the NU freshman record of 44 three-pointers by Eric Piatkowski in 1990-91 when he recorded three treys at No. 2/2 Kansas. McCray has four games with at least five three-pointers this season.

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 averaging 11.1 points per game this season to rank second on the team. He is also second on the squad with 29 three-pointers, while adding 3.5 rebounds with 14 steals.

Over the past eight games, Neal has done a terrific job of distributing the ball as he has had a career high with six assists four times while gaining 4.5 assists per game during that stretch. He recorded 36 assists against 18 turnovers combined in those eight games, after gaining only 13 assists against 14 turnovers in his first six games.

Neal has recorded 49 assists in 14 games (3.5 apg) this season to rank first on the squad and 15th in the Big 12 Conference. Last year Neal had 62 assists in 31 contests (2.0 apg).

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 10.0 field-goal attempts per game this year compared to 4.5 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.

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 14 regular-season games, but the rookie is already showing signs that he will 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. 19, McCray ranked ninth in the conference in scoring at 15.4 points per game ? the second-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference ? while hitting 40.6 percent from the floor. He leads the conference with 3.14 three-pointers per game and paces the Huskers and Big 12 with 44 three-pointers. He is also fourth in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 38.6 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 five 20-plus point games in his rookie season when he gained 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-12 from long range, against No. 10/9 Texas. It was his second straight 21-point contest, as he also hit 5-of-8 three-pointers to score 21 points in a 68-61 win over Colorado on the road as NU opened the league slate 2-0 for the first time since 1993-94.

McCray has also added a pair of 19-point contests, including a game-high 19 points with seven rebounds at No. 2/2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

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 7.7 points and 7.5 rebounds over the first 14 games of his career.

Through Jan. 19, Maric ranked fourth in the league in rebounding, including fourth in offensive and 11th in defensive rebounding.

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, and added 16 points and five boards at No. 2/2 Kansas in his third start of the season as Jason Dourisseau was out with an injury.

Over the past eight games, Wilkinson has averaged 10.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while adding 12 assists with four steals. He has hit 51.6 percent from the floor in that span, and is second on the team this season by hitting 50.0 percent overall.

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 17 blocked shots in 13 games to rank ninth (1.3 bpg) in the Big 12 Conference. He had just 13 blocks in 29 games last year.

Huskers Hitting the Glass
Nebraska has been relentless on the boards this season. Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 12 of 14 games, including the last six straight. NU earned a 42-38 advantage on the glass against No. 10/9 Texas, which came into the game as the top-ranked rebounding squad in the league, and held a 42-36 advantage against No. 2/2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

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 lead the league in rebounding with 41.9 boards per game and are third in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin at +7.6. In the Jan. 17 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 16th in the nation in rebounding margin.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks fourth in the league with 7.5 rebounds per game to lead the Huskers. Maric has recorded three double-figure rebound games (15, 14, 11) this season. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks 17th in the league after gaining 5.8 rebounds per game over 12 games while freshman Joe McCray is in the rankings at No. 19 with 5.6 rebounds per game.

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 Missouri with 806 career points and 607 rebounds, just 54 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 fifth in NU history with 146 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 18 rejections, one ahead of Wes Wilkinson's 17 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 entered the season looking to become just the third Husker ever with 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 100 blocks. The only Nebraska players who have reached those marks 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. Only Eric Piatkowski, Erick Strickland and Cookie Belcher are currently on the elite list.

Muhleisen enters the matchup with Missouri with 797 points, 294 rebounds, 249 assists and 83 steals in his career.

In the Big 12 opener, Muhleisen set a season high with nine assists against three turnovers in a career-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 three of the past five games.

Overall, Muhleisen now has 43 assists against just 17 turnovers this season to rank fifth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.53:1). He is second on the team in assists, six behind senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr.

Muhleisen also ranks fourth in conference-only games with 4.5 assists over his first four Big 12 games this season. He is fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio in league-only matchups.

All About Defense
Under Coach Barry Collier, the Huskers have rewrote the Nebraska defensive record book. Nebraska is again putting up some solid numbers, as the Huskers:

? ranked 10th in field-goal percentage defense (37.6) in the NCAA statistics of Jan. 16, 15th in scoring defense (58.8) and 16th in rebound margin (+7.6).

? 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.

? held No. 10/9 Texas to just 22.2 percent (4-of-18) shooting from three-point range, including 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) in the second half.

? allowed No. 2/2 Kansas to hit just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from beyond the arc while scoring just 59 points at home in Allen Fieldhouse.

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
NU has a strong record of success playing in front of its home crowd the past 29 seasons. Nebraska is 6-3 at home this year, with the losses against Minnesota (now 12-4), Creighton (11-6) and Texas (13-3).

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 338-106 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 single-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.

? Jason Dourisseau has 27 assists against 24 turnovers this season in 12 games played. Dourisseau, who missed NU's last game with an ankle sprain, had just 17 assists against 41 turnovers in 30 games last season. Dourisseau also has 70 rebounds in 12 games played after gaining just 60 in 30 games last year.

? Wes Wilkinson has 17 blocks in 13 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. Wilkinson also has 12 assists in 13 games this year after gaining just 23 assists in his first 59 games.

? Aleks Maric owns 105 rebounds to lead the team, and is about to move 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 became the 31st Husker in history play in 100 career game when he suited up against Texas on Jan. 15. It is the most games of any current Husker although he is second in minutes with 2,456 ? behind only Jake Muhleisen who has played 2,476 minutes in 86 games. Muhleisen leads the Huskers in games started with 85 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 54 rebounds to move into the Nebraska career top 10. He became just the 14th player in Nebraska history with at least 600 boards as he reached the plateau on Jan. 15 with a season-high tying eight boards against Texas.

? 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. Freshman Joe McCray currently paces the Huskers with 15.4 points per game (216 total) over 14 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 eight of 14 opponents to 60 or fewer points this season. NU held 12 of 31 opponents to 60 or fewer points last season.

? The Huskers are 3-4 in games decided by 10 or fewer points this season, after going 6-9 last season. NU has won three of its last five games decided by 10 or fewer points.

? Nebraska has allowed just 61.0 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting, including 22.9 percent from long range, against nationally ranked teams this season. NU held a +5.5 rebounding margin (42.5-37.0) against No. 2/2 Kansas and No. 10/9 Texas.