Huskers Head South to Face Red Raiders

The Nebraska men's basketball team takes to the road for the third time in four games as it travels to Lubbock, Texas, to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the United Spirit 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 and Matt Davison 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 sixth straight televised Husker contest and 12th time Nebraska has been seen on regional or national television this season.

The Huskers enter the game coming off a strong effort Wednesday in a 10-point victory over an improved Texas A&M squad. With the win, the Huskers moved to 3-3 in Big 12 play, the first time since 1999 that Nebraska has been at the .500 mark after six games. NU opened the league slate with a 5-2 record that season.

Two of NU's conference losses came on the road against No. 2 Kansas and Missouri. The Huskers are 2-4 away from Lincoln on the season, including 2-2 in the past month with wins over Tennessee in Knoxville and against Colorado in Boulder.

The Huskers have picked it up a notch on offense in league play where they are averaging 70.0 points per game to tie for fifth in the conference-only stats. Texas Tech leads the league at 73.2 points per game, but is also allowing opponents to hit 47.9 percent from the field for 70.0 points per contest.

Nebraska has scored at least 70 points in three of six league games (2-1 record) after reaching the 70-point plateau four times in 10 non-conference games. The Huskers snapped a three-game losing streak by scoring 77 points in the win over the Aggies, NU's most points in a regulation league game this season.

On the other end of the court, Nebraska has given up 69.2 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting against league foes. NU limited Colorado and Kansas to 61 and 59 points, respectively, on the road, and the Huskers are holding foes to 43.2 percent shooting, including 25.9 percent from three-point range, in three road league games.

Overall, the Huskers have held opponents to less than 70 points 12 times in 16 games, including four times in six league games.

Nebraska's solid results in league action have come with the improved play of a pair of senior guards who are finally healthy after battling injuries earlier in the season.

Jake Muhleisen has found his stride recently after a wrist injury forced him out of the North Carolina A&T game in December. In NU's last contest, Muhleisen poured in a team season-best 25 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and hit 10-of-11 attempts at the charity stripe.

Muhleisen's scoring outburst ? just the third 20-point game of his career and his most points in a game since 2002 ? came at a perfect time as freshman Joe McCray, the league's top three-pointer shooter, was held to five points, 10.5 points below his season average.

Along with Muhleisen, Corey Simms has rounded back into form after missing five games with an elbow injury. Simms gives NU another slasher in the paint on offense and adds an energetic presence on defense. He had just four points and a rebound against A&M, but collected two charges against the Aggies in the final minute of the first period to help NU to a seven-point advantage at the break.

Simms will be playing in his 100th career game when he suits up against the Red Raiders. Simms joins John Turek as the second Husker to reach the plateau this season.

After missing half of his sophomore season with a fractured hip, Muhleisen still needs 12 more games to reach the century mark, but he will move into the NU career top 10 for games started when he is in the opening lineup Saturday for the 88th time in his career. The only game Muhleisen, a three-year captain, has not started in his career came on Senior Day during his freshman campaign.

Meeting the Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech enters the weekend matchup with an 11-5 overall record, including a 3-2 mark in conference action. The Red Raiders have won six of their last eight games, while their only losses in that stretch have come against top-15 teams (Oklahoma State and Texas) by a combined 17 points.

TTU has played three of its first five league games on the road. The Red Raiders are 1-1 in the league at home, and 8-1 at United Spirit Arena this season.

The Red Raiders have averaged 81.9 points per game on the season, but are gaining just 73.2 points in Big 12 contests. TTU has allowed conference foes to score 70.0 points per game on 47.9 percent shooting, including 44.5 percent from three-point range. Tech has allowed 41 three-pointers (8.2 per game) in five league games, but has made just 16 treys (3.2) in that span.

Texas Tech is the best free-throw shooting team in the league this season. For the year, the Red Raiders have hit 76.3 percent from the charity stripe as a squad, with their average increasing to an outstanding 81.6 percent in conference action.

Four players have combined to score 87.4 percent (320 of 366) of TTU's total points in conference play, with senior guard Ronald Ross leading the way. Ross, who has gained 16.4 points per contest for the season, has been amazing in league play. Ross leads the Big 12 in scoring at 23.6 points per game against league teams, including pouring in 29 points against Texas in his last game.

Ross is one of the league's top defensive players as well, as he has gained 41 steals (2.56 spg) this year, including 2.4 steals per game in Big 12 action. Ross has hit 63.9 percent from the floor in league play and added 4.6 rebounds per game.

Along with Ross, Jarrius Jackson and Devonne Giles each add 13.8 points per game in conference action. Giles, who leads the conference with 2.19 blocked shots per game this season, has added a team-best 6.2 boards in league play while Jackson paces the Red Raiders with 3.8 assists per contest. Freshman Martin Zeno has also added 12.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game over his first five league contests.

The Red Raiders are guided by Coach Bob Knight (Ohio State, 1962), who is in his fourth season at Tech. One of the game's winningest coaches, Knight has coached Army, Indiana and Texas Tech to a combined 843-327 career record, including his Red Raider teams earning a 79-37 mark. In his career, he has guided his teams to at least 20 wins 27 times in his first 38 seasons on the sideline.

Series History
Nebraska and Texas Tech will be meeting for the 20th time in the series that dates to the 1955-56 campaign. The Huskers hold a 12-7 series advantage over the Red Raiders, although NU has just a 5-4 advantage since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996-97, including one conference tournament victory.

The last nine meetings (not including the Huskers' 69-50 win in the 1999 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City) have been won by the home team. Four of those games were decided by seven points or less, although each of the past two matchups have been won by an average of 27 points. Nebraska's last win in Lubbock came in 1989 with a 71-69 victory.

Nebraska's last visit to Lubbock was a tough pill to swallow. The Huskers struggled from the field and were limited to just 49 points, while the Red Raiders used a 24-point performance from Andre Emmett to cruise to a 75-49 victory. Nebraska scored the first five points of the game before Texas Tech put the contest out of reach with a 26-0 run over the next eight minutes.

The Huskers returned the favor last year, as NU rolled to its largest margin of victory ever over a ranked opponent when it defeated the No. 25 Red Raiders 72-44. The 44 points equaled the fewest scored by the Red Raiders in a game since 1990.

The Last Time We Met
Lincoln (Feb. 25, 2004) ? Nate Johnson scored a game-high 17 points to lead Nebraska to a 72-44 victory over No. 25 Texas Tech in front of 10,066 rowdy fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Johnson hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor and added nine rebounds, as the Huskers clinched their first winning season since 1998-99. Johnson was one of three Huskers in double figures, helping Nebraska earn its second win over a ranked opponent nine days after toppling No. 12 Kansas, 74-55, on Feb. 15.

Andrew Drevo finished with 13 points and five rebounds, while Brian Conklin added 11 points, including three three-pointers, and four rebounds. Nebraska enjoyed a commanding 50-24 lead on the glass, with the 26-rebound advantage playing a major role in NU’s 21-1 dominance in second-chance points.

The 28-point win was NU’s largest ever over a ranked foe, bettering the 21-point victory over No. 23 Kansas State during the 1992-93 season. It was only the third time that Nebraska has beaten a ranked team by at least 20 points, with two of the wins coming under Coach Barry Collier.

The 44 points not only equaled Texas Tech’s lowest offensive output under Hall of Fame Coach Bob Knight, but equaled the lowest total by a Red Raider team since 1990. The 28-point loss was Tech’s worst since a 90-50 setback to Kansas in the semifinals of the 2002 Big 12 Tournament.

The Huskers held the Red Raiders to just 18 points on 5-of-27 shooting in the second half to turn an eight-point lead into a 28-point win. On the evening, Tech was held to 30.8 percent shooting.

Jarrius Jackson was the only Red Raider to finish in double figures with 10 points, as NU held Andre Emmett to nine points on 4-of-11 shooting from the floor. It marked just the third time in two seasons that he was held in single figures.

Johnson and Drevo combined for 12 points in a 15-4 spurt and NU went into the locker room ahead 34-26 behind a 25-12 advantage on the glass. Johnson had 11 of his 17 points in the opening frame.

Nebraska put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run early in the second half. The Huskers held Texas Tech scoreless for 5:02, turning a 44-34 lead into a 20-point cushion after Corey Simms’ three-point play with 12:04 remaining.

The Red Raiders never got back within striking distance. Nebraska led by at least 20 points over the final 10 minutes, helping to erase the sting of a 26-point loss in Lubbock the previous season.

Muhleisen Turning Up His Play vs. Big 12
Senior guard Jake Muhleisen struggled through most of the non-conference slate while being bothered by a wrist injury, but has recently seen a surge in his play since moving into the Big 12 slate.

The Lincoln native has averaged 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in conference action. While those numbers are only mildly better than his 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for the season, his shooting percentages are radically improved.

Muhleisen has hit 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from the field in league action after hitting just 31.5 percent (17-of-54) in the non-conference schedule. Outside the arc, Muhleisen has improved his shooting percentage from 20.8 percent (5-of-24) to 40.0 percent (6-of-15).

The three-year captain had possibly his most complete Big 12 game ever while helping Nebraska to a 77-67 win over Texas A&M. Muhleisen had a game-high 25 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including hitting 10-of-11 from the free throw line. He also added six boards and several hustle plays.

Muhleisen recorded a season-best nine assists against three turnovers in the league-opening win over Kansas State. He played a career-high 48 minutes in the game and is averaging a career-high 34.0 minutes per game in league action.

On the Line
After not finding much success at the free throw line early in the season, the Huskers have seen better efficiency at the stripe in the past three games.

During that three-game stretch, NU has hit 71.0 percent (54-of-76) overall at the foul line and has topped 66.7 percent in all three games. NU had connected on 66.7 percent in just three of its first 13 games.

The Huskers drained 32-of-45 free-throw attempts in their 10-point win over Texas A&M. Both the attempts and made free throws were season highs. In fact, the attempts were the second-highest in the Collier era, trailing only the 47 attempts NU had in 2001 in a victory over nationally ranked Texas.

Nebraska made its first eight free throw attempts against the Aggies and its final 10, including eight made in the last five minutes of the game by Jake Muhleisen. The senior guard hit 10-of-11 from the stripe and is now connecting on 70.6 percent at the line in league play. He is one of four Huskers ? along with Marcus Neal Jr. (80.0), Wes Wilkinson (70.6) and Aleks Maric (68.4) ? hitting at least 68 percent from the line against Big 12 foes.

Taking Care of the Rock
The Huskers have been doing a better job taking care of the ball recently, having averaged 13.3 turnovers per game during the Big 12 slate.

The Huskers' primary ballhandler during that stretch has been senior guard Jake Muhleisen. The Lincoln native has recorded a 1.77:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in league play to rank 17th, and ranks eighth in the league for the season at 2.09:1.

In conference-only games, Muhleisen ranks ninth in the league with 3.8 assists per game ? including a season-high nine assists in a double-overtime victory against Kansas State to open league play. Marcus Neal Jr. has added 3.3 assists per contest against Big 12 teams.

Neal leads the team this season with 55 assists in 16 games (3.4 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 42 assists against 23 miscues in the past 10 games, after starting the season with 13 assists against 14 turnovers in six games.

Neal and Muhleisen's efficiency has helped the Huskers gain 14.9 assists per game over the past 10 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 from NU's improved ballhandling during conference play. Turek is hitting 55.9 percent from the field in the six league games while averaging 8.3 points per game. Wilkinson has been just as impressive, hitting 51.1 percent to rank second on the team with 11.2 points per game against Big 12 opponents.

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 110 three-pointers this season (6.9 per game), and is on pace to become just the third Husker squad to record 200 treys in a season. The 2002 squad averaged 9.5 treys per game to set the Husker record of 267 made three-pointers, while last year's squad hit 210 threes to rank second in NU history. Three of the top four NU teams in terms of made three-pointers have come in the past four seasons under Coach Barry Collier.

Freshman Joe McCray leads the way for the Huskers this season, as he has 47 made three-pointers in 16 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 pace of 2.94 treys per game ? which is tied for the highest among all Big 12 players over the season ? 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 had 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 year and ranks second on the team with 10.4 points per game while pacing the squad with 54 assists.

Neal has been in a recent shooting slump but is still second on the squad in three-pointers made with 29. While showing an improved all-around game, Neal has added 3.4 rebounds with 14 steals.

A member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer team last year, Neal has led the Huskers at the free throw line by hitting 80.0 percent this season, including 20-of-25 in conference play. Neal ranks ninth 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 16 games (14) than he did in 31 games last season (13), and is averaging twice as many field-goal attempts per game this year (9.8-4.5).

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 22.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game this season while making an impression on the rest of the league.

McCray is 12th in league-only games in scoring (15.3 ppg) while Maric and McCray are tied for 15th in rebounding (6.0 rpg). McCray is also tied for the lead in conference-only contests in three-pointers per game (3.0) and is sixth in three-point shooting percentage (35.3).

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. For complete NU freshman records, see page 12.

McCray has already moved into ninth on the rookie points scored chart with 237 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 ninth place as he has 112 boards this season. At his current average of 7.0 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 11th in scoring at 14.8 points per game on the season, the second-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference and one of just four freshman in the top 20. McCray has hit 39.6 percent from the floor and is 12th in league-only games by scoring 15.3 points per game.

McCray leads the conference with 2.9 three-pointers per contest and ranked 17th nationally entering the week. He also paces the Huskers and is tied for the Big 12 lead with 47 three-pointers, and is seventh in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 36.4 percent beyond the arc on the year.

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 8.0 points and 7.0 rebounds to open his career.

Through Jan. 26, Maric ranked ninth in the league in rebounding, including fifth in offensive rebounding. In the conference-only stats, Maric is tied with Joe McCray for 15th in the league at 6.0 boards per game, including sixth in offensive rebounds.

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 hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor to score a career-high 14 points at Missouri, and came back with nine points, including connecting on 5-of-8 from the free throw line against Texas A&M. 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.

In Big 12 play, Wilkinson is second on the team with 11.2 points per game while hitting 51.1 percent from the floor, including 37.5 percent from three-point range. He has scored in double figures four times in six league games, including a career-high 22 points with four boards in a career-high 34 minutes against Kansas State. Wilkinson is also averaging 4.3 rebounds per game against conference foes and has hit 70.6 percent from the free throw line.

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, who set a career high with four assists against North Carolina A&T, has added 1.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game this season. He has 17 blocked shots in 15 games to rank 10th (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. On the year, the Huskers lead the league in rebounding with 40.9 boards per game and are first in rebounding margin at +7.6. In Big 12 Conference games, NU is second in rebounding at 39.2 boards per contest and second in rebounding margin at +6.3.

In the Jan. 24 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 12th in the nation in rebounding margin.

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks ninth in the league with 7.0 rebounds per game to pace the Huskers. Maric has recorded three double-figure rebound games (15, 14, 11) this season. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks 18th in the league after gaining 5.8 rebounds per game over 13 games. In league-only games, Maric and Joe McCray rank 15th with 6.0 boards per contest.

Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 14 of 16 games, including the last eight 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 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.

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 Saturday's contest against Texas Tech with 815 career points and 614 rebounds. He needs just 47 boards to move into 10th on the Nebraska career chart.

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 147 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 19 rejections, two 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 Tech with 832 points, 303 rebounds, 254 assists and 85 steals in his career. With six rebounds against Texas A&M, he became 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 times this season.

Overall, Muhleisen now has 48 assists against just 23 turnovers this season to rank eighth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.09:1). He is second on the team in assists, seven behind senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr.

Muhleisen also ranks ninth in conference-only games with 3.8 assists over his first six Big 12 games this season. He is 13th 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 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.? held Marquette to just 39.7 percent shooting, including 34.3 percent (11-of-32) inside the arc.

? gave up just 45 points to Montana State on 30.0 percent shooting.

? 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 7-3 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 339-106 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 51-22 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 13 games played. Dourisseau, who has missed a game with an illness and two games with an ankle sprain, had just 17 assists against 41 turnovers in 30 games last season. Dourisseau also has 76 rebounds in 13 games played after gaining just 60 boards in 30 games last year.

? Wilkinson also has 16 assists in 15 games this year after gaining just 23 assists in the first 59 games of his career.

? 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 2,495 ? behind only Jake Muhleisen who has played 2,556 minutes in 88 games. Muhleisen leads the Huskers in games started with 87 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 47 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 14.8 points per game (237 total) over 16 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 16 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.