Huskers Look to Snap Losing Streak Against Improved Aggies

The Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Bob Devaney Sports Center looking to snap a three-game conference losing streak when it takes on the Texas A&M Aggies on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The game will tip off at 7:07 p.m. and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee calling the action.

The contest will also be seen on NU's local package on FSN Midwest in the state of Nebraska (Channel 37 on Time Warner in Lincoln; Channel 47 on Cox Cable in Omaha; Channel 33 on Qwest Choice in Omaha). 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) to households in Nebraska. Greg Sharpe will handle play-by-play duties while former Husker Matt Davison adds color commentary.

Nebraska hopes to end its season-long losing streak when it faces Texas A&M. The Huskers have won seven of their last nine home conference games against unranked teams dating to the 2003 season. Nebraska owns a 34-26 advantage over the four Texas schools, with the largest margin a six-game series lead over the Aggies (9-3).

For Nebraska to get back on the winning track, the Huskers will need another standout defensive effort as the Aggies have greatly improved on the offensive end. Texas A&M is averaging 76.1 points per game on the year, but have gained just 61.8 points in five conference games.

NU saw a dropoff in its defensive production in its last outing. Missouri turned a tight game into a 10-point victory as the Tigers hit 60.0 percent from the field in the second half. Despite the lapse, the Huskers rank third in the league in field-goal percentage defense, although they are seventh in conference-only games. It was only the fourth time this season the Huskers allowed 80 points in a game. Three of those contests have come on the road, while the lone opponent to reach 80 points at the Devaney Center (Kansas State) needed two overtime sessions.

Playing at home will give the Huskers some comfort, as they have gained six of their eight victories at the Devaney Center. Nearly 60 percent of Nebraska's made three-pointers (62-of-107) have come at home this season and Nebraska has held a +10.8 advantage on the glass. NU has also held opponents to just 8.8 assists against 15.8 turnovers in Lincoln.

If the Huskers pull out a victory, it will mark the first time since 1998-99 that Nebraska has earned a .500-or-better record through six conference games. NU went 3-3 to open the first season of Big 12 action in 1996-97 and returned with back-to-back 4-2 starts in 1997-98 and 1998-99.

Junior forward Wes Wilkinson may play a large role in the Huskers' attempt to get back to the .500 mark. The Grand Island native is second on the team in league play with 11.0 points per game, including averaging 15.0 points in a pair of road contests last week.

Wilkinson is hitting 52.6 percent (20-of-38) from the floor against Big 12 foes this season (five games) and has hit a solid 40.9 percent (9-of-20) from three-point range. In his first two seasons combined (30 games), Wilkinson hit just 31.1 percent (14-of-45) from the field and 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from long range.

Along with Wilkinson, freshman Aleks Maric is coming off his best conference effort of the season, giving NU another threat in the paint. Maric had a career-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting against the Tigers.

Meeting the Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M enters the mid-week matchup with a 13-3 overall record, but has won just two of five games to open conference play. The Aggies went undefeated in non-conference play with an 11-0 record, with 10 of the victories coming in College Station. A&M's lone road game in non-league action came in a 62-60 victory at Penn State.

Since starting conference play, the Aggies have lost both of their road games, falling 65-60 at Kansas and 70-56 at Texas Tech. A&M also lost at home against Oklahoma, 70-54, while defeating nationally ranked Texas, 74-63, and Kansas State, 65-51.

The Aggies are among the top three in the league in several categories, including field-goal percentage (49.4), scoring margin (+17.2), field-goal percentage defense (36.5), three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.5) and scoring defense (58.9 ppg). Texas A&M is also first in the league in rebounding margin (+8.3) while ranking second in rebounding defense (30.9).

A&M is led by junior Antoine Wright, who ranks among the league leaders in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Wright has hit 48.8 percent from the floor, including 41.3 percent from three-point range while adding a team-best 31 three-pointers. He has also added 6.1 rebounds per game to rank second on the team, and has added four double-doubles this season.

Sophomore Acie Law IV and freshman Joseph Jones also average double figures with 13.2 and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Law ranks second in the league with 5.1 assists per game and is hitting 53.3 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from long range. Jones, who has a team-best five double-doubles to rank fourth in the league, leads the team and is fifth in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game and eighth in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Jones leads the team by hitting 61.9 percent from the field while not attempting a three-pointer this season.

The Aggies are guided by Coach Billy Gillispie (Duke, 1989), who is in his first season at TAMU. Gillispie owns a 43-35 career record, after coaching at UTEP the previous two seasons.

Series History
Nebraska and Texas A&M are meeting for just the 13th time in the series which dates back to the 1969-70 season when the Huskers earned a 78-69 victory in Houston, Texas. That game is the only neutral site game in the series.

NU owns a 9-3 overall series lead and a 5-1 advantage at the Devaney Center. A&M's three victories in the series have come by a combined 10 points, including one in overtime.

The Huskers have won three of the past four meetings, with the lone loss coming by a point, 53-52, in Lincoln in 2003. It was the second conference game of the season and first for the Huskers without point guard Jake Muhleisen, who was sidelined the previous game with a fractured hip socket.

Nebraska has scored at least 70 points 10 times in 12 meetings with the Aggies, including six times scoring at least 80 points. The Huskers have averaged 78.8 points over the past four meetings while giving up 67.5 per game.

The Last Time We Met
College Station, Texas (Feb. 11, 2004) --- Guard Nate Johnson scored a game-high 19 points and forward Andrew Drevo added 18 points and nine rebounds to help the Nebraska men’s basketball team to an 83-77 victory over Texas A&M.

The victory snapped a 14-game conference road losing streak by the Huskers. The last time the Huskers won on the road in league action was during the 2002 season, also against the Aggies in College Station.

Johnson and Drevo combined to hit 16-of-18 attempts from the free throw line as Nebraska recorded season highs for made (32) and attempted free throws (37). Johnson added six free throws down the stretch, including a pair with three seconds remaining to close the scoring. NU hit all 12 of its attempts from the foul line in the final two minutes.

Every free throw was needed as the Huskers were able to connect on just two field goals in the final 14 minutes of action, but hit 25-of-26 from the free throw line during that stretch. The teams combined for 57 fouls in the contest, with A&M hitting just 21-of-34 foul shots.

Nebraska got out to a quick start, as the Huskers opened an 8-1 lead just three minutes into the contest. After the Aggies cut the lead to 8-7, Johnson scored three straight baskets in just over a minute. The spurt turned into a 15-3 run as NU converted on seven straight attempts to open a 23-10 advantage with 10:04 left in the opening period.

Texas A&M chipped away at the lead by clamping down on the defensive end. The Aggies held NU without a field goal in the final five minutes of the half before taking a 33-32 lead on Bobby Leach’s jumper with two seconds remaining in the period, giving A&M its first lead of the game. The Aggies' comeback was fueled by a 12-2 advantage on the offensive glass, as A&M took a 22-15 advantage on the glass in the first period. The Aggies outrebounded the Huskers 40-33 in the game including 22 offensive boards.

The Aggies took their final lead of the game just a minute into the second half, as Jesse King’s three-pointer gave A&M a 36-35 advantage. King led three Aggies in double figures with a team-high 18 points, while Acie Law added 15 and Leandro Garcia-Morales chipped in 14 points.

Antoine Wright was held to three points, all from the foul line, as he went 0-of-8 from the floor including 0-of-4 from three-point range. For the game, A&M hit just 4-of-20 three-point attempts and finished by hitting 38.2 percent from the field.

Following King’s trey, the Huskers went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes as Nebraska took a 50-36 lead on a Marcus Neal Jr. three-pointer with 14:50 left in the game. NU’s offense then stalled, but the Huskers picked up the slack by draining free throws the rest of the way.

NU-OU Game Added to Television Lineup
Nebraska's game at Oklahoma on Feb. 16 has been added to the ESPN2 broadcast lineup. Tip off will be moved back one hour to 8 p.m. CST to accommodate the telecast, which was added as a replacement for missing NHL telecasts.

The game will be the fourth Husker contest this season seen on either ESPN or ESPN2, the most since NU appeared on the two channels a combined four times in 1997-98. Overall, Nebraska will be seen at least 20 times on regional or national television, including 10 times on FSN Midwest as part of a new package to show games throughout the state of Nebraska.

Taking Care of the Rock
The Huskers have been doing a better job taking care of the ball recently, having averaged just 12.8 turnovers per game over the past 11 contests.

The Huskers' best ballhander during that stretch has been senior guard Jake Muhleisen. The Lincoln native has recorded a 2.64:1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the past 11 contests, and ranks seventh in the league for the season at 2.19:1.

In conference-only games, Muhleisen ranks sixth in the league with 4.2 assists per game ? including a season-high nine assists in a double-overtime victory against Kansas State to open league play ? while Marcus Neal Jr. is ninth with 3.8 assists per contest. They are the only teammates to rank in the top 10 in conference-only assists per game.

Neal leads the team this season with 54 assists in 15 games (3.6 apg). Last year, Neal had 62 assists in 31 games to rank second on the team. Neal has recorded at least five assists in a game five times, including setting a career-best six assists on four occasions this season. Neal had an impressive stretch near the end of the non-conference slate as he recorded 25 assists against seven turnovers in a five-game period. Overall Neal has recorded 41 assists against 22 miscues in the past nine games, after starting the season with 13 assists against 14 turnovers in six games.

Neal and Muhleisen's efficiency has helped the Huskers gain 15.2 assists per game over the past nine games, after gaining just 11.7 assists per game over the first six contests of the season.

John Turek and Wes Wilkinson have benefited the most during the recent run. Turek is hitting 53.4 percent from the field in the last nine games while averaging 9.3 points per game after opening the season by connecting on 44.4 percent from the floor. Wilkinson has been just as impressive, hitting 50.7 percent over the last nine games for 10.7 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 71 three-pointers in the past nine games (7.88 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 17.2 points per game while hitting 33-of-83 (39.8) from long range. Marcus Neal Jr. is second with 17 three-pointers during that stretch while Wes Wilkinson has added 12 treys.

With 47 three-pointers in 15 games, McCray already owns 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 3.13 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. McCray then broke the NU freshman record of 44 three-pointers by Eric Piatkowski set in 1990-91 when he recorded three treys at Missouri. McCray has four games with at least five three-pointers this season.

Neal Guiding Husker Offense
Senior Marcus Neal Jr. has turned up his offensive game this season. The Annapolis, Md., native has been an effective scorer for the Huskers the majority of the season while pacing the squad with 54 assists on the year.

Neal is 15th in the conference with 3.6 assists per game, and has improved his total to 3.8 assists per game to rank ninth in league-only games. He recorded 41 assists against 22 turnovers combined in the past nine games, after gaining only 13 assists against 14 turnovers in his first six games. He has recorded a career-high six assists four times this season.

Neal is second on the team with 10.8 points per game despite a recent shooting slump. A member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer team last year, Neal is also second on the squad with 29 three-pointers and has added 3.5 rebounds with 14 steals.

At the free throw line, Neal has led the Huskers by hitting 80.6 percent this season, including 17-of-21 (81.0 percent) in conference play. Neal ranks 11th in free-throw percentage in league-only games.

Neal's numbers are impressive when compared to last season. While adjusting to Division I play, Neal averaged just 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Neal already has more steals in 15 games (14) than he did in 31 games last season (13), and is averaging twice as many field-goal attempts per game this year (10.1-4.5).

Neal has been an offensive spark for the Huskers at times 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.

Fab Freshmen
The Huskers have been getting amazing production out of their freshman class of guard Joe McCray and center Aleks Maric. The tandem has combined for 23.4 points and 12.7 rebounds per game this season while making an impression on the rest of the league.

McCray is ninth in the Big 12 Conference in scoring (15.5 ppg) while Maric is sixth in rebounding (7.2 rpg). McCray also leads the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (3.13) and is fourth in three-point shooting percentage (37.9).

Both McCray and Maric have moved onto the Nebraska freshman top-10 charts, with McCray likely to post one of the top rookie seasons in NU history.

McCray has already moved into a tie for ninth on the rookie points scored chart with 232 and is currently on pace to break the freshman scoring average mark set by Dave Hoppen in 1983 (14.2 ppg).

Maric moved onto the freshman rebounding chart, taking over 10th place as he has 108 this season. At his current average of 7.2 boards per game, Maric is on pace to race past the NU rookie record set by John Turek in 2002 (162 rebounds).

McCray Making a Splash
By ranking among the top 10 in the conference in scoring midway through the season, freshman guard Joe McCray has already showed 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 was 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. 22, McCray ranks ninth in the conference in scoring at 15.5 points per game ? the second-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference ? while hitting 40.6 percent from the floor. McCray is sixth in league-only games by scoring 17.4 points per game.

McCray leads the conference with 3.14 three-pointers per contest and ranks 17th nationally. He also paces the Huskers and Big 12 with 47 three-pointers. He is also fourth 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 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 been making some noise in the paint for the Huskers in his rookie season. The 6-11, 265-pound native of Sydney, Australia, has been a workhorse inside, averaging 7.9 points and 7.2 rebounds over the first 15 games of his career.

Through Jan. 22, Maric ranked sixth in the league in rebounding, including fifth in offensive and 13th 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.

Most recently, Maric hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor to score a career-high 14 points at Missouri. His offensive surge came after struggling through three games when he was 7-for-28 from the field.

Maric needs one more double-double to tie the NU freshman mark of three set by Taylor in 1973-74. He 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 Gaining Confidence With Solid Play
Junior forward Wes Wilkinson has come on strong in his third season in the Husker program and is quickly turning into one of Nebraska's top offensive threats.

A 6-9, 220-pounder from Grand Island, Neb., Wilkinson raised expectations after his solid play in the Huskers' Australian Summer Tour in August when he averaged 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds over six games, including a pair of double-doubles. But his progress was hindered on the first day of fall practice when he suffered a broken bone in his left foot forcing him to sit out of practice for five weeks, including NU's season opener.

After seeing limited minutes in the first four games after his return, Wilkinson has finally worked his way back into the mix and found his groove.

Over the past nine games, Wilkinson is second on the team with 10.7 points per game while hitting 50.7 percent from the floor, including 38.7 percent from three-point range. He has scored in double figures five times in that stretch, including each of the Huskers' two contests on the road last week, and is averaging 4.9 boards per game.

Wilkinson had 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting with five boards while helping the Huskers at No. 2/2 Kansas. Nebraska lost the game by just two points, 59-57. At Missouri, Wilkinson again came up big as he hit a career-high four three-pointers en route to 14 points and six boards.

Wilkinson had a career-high 22 points with four boards in a career-high 34 minutes against Kansas State. He also set a career high this year with four assists (without a turnover) against North Carolina A&T.

Wilkinson has added 17 blocked shots in 14 games to rank ninth (1.2 bpg) in the Big 12 Conference. He has had at least two blocks in five games this year, after having just 13 blocks in 29 games last year.

Huskers Hitting the Glass
Nebraska has been relentless on the boards this season. The Huskers lead the league in rebounding with 41.1 boards per game and are third in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin at +7.4. In the Jan. 24 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 12th in the nation in rebounding margin.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks sixth in the league with 7.2 rebounds per game to pace 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 5.5 rebounds per game.

Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 13 of 15 games, including the last seven straight. Nebraska has outrebounded each Big 12 opponent it has faced this year, including holding a 42-38 advantage on against No. 10/9 Texas, which came into the game as the top-ranked rebounding squad in the league, and a 42-36 advantage at No. 2/2 Kansas.

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

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 of all time. Turek enters Wednesday's contest against Texas A&M with 808 career points and 609 rebounds. He needs just 52 boards to move into the Nebraska career 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 pace 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 currently enters the matchup with Texas A&M with 807 points, 297 rebounds, 252 assists and 84 steals in his career. With three more rebounds, he will become the eighth player in NU history with at least 800 points, 300 rebounds, 250 assists and 50 steals.

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 over KSU. 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 six games.

Overall, Muhleisen now has 46 assists against just 21 turnovers this season to rank seventh in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.19:1). He is second on the team in assists, eight behind senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr.

Muhleisen also ranks sixth in conference-only games with 4.2 assists over his first five Big 12 games this season. He is ninth 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 19th in field-goal percentage defense (38.8) in the NCAA statistics of Jan. 24, 24th in scoring defense (60.2) and 12th in rebound margin (+7.4).

? 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 win 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 13-5), Creighton (12-7) and Texas (14-4).

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 50-22 at home under Coach Collier with 10 of the losses coming against ranked teams.

Quick Shots
? Freshman Joe McCray's six three-pointers against North Carolina A&T are 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 fourth 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 two games 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.

? Wilkinson also has 13 assists in 14 games this year after gaining just 23 assists in his first 59 games.

? 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 2,472 ? behind only Jake Muhleisen who has played 2,521 minutes in 87 games. Muhleisen leads the Huskers in games started with 86 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 52 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 15.5 points per game (232 total) over 15 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 95 points are the most scored by a Big 12 team in conference action this season.

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

? Nebraska has held eight of 15 opponents to 60 or fewer points this season. NU held 12 of 31 opponents to 60 or fewer points last season.

? 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.