Nebraska Opens Home Stand Against Tigers

After splitting a pair of road contests in the past week, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday, Feb. 19, when the Huskers play host to the Missouri Tigers at 8:05 p.m.

The game will be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee handling the play by play and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game will be the first non-televised conference game for the Huskers since the league opener against Kansas State.

Doors for the Devaney Center open 60 minutes before tip off instead of the normal 90 minutes, as the arena will be cleared and cleaned following the finals of the Nebraska state high school wrestling championships.

NU enters the weekend looking for its fifth league victory and second win in three games. The Huskers and Tigers enter the matchup with identical 4-7 league records while sitting in a four-way tie for seventh place in the conference standings. The other two teams tied with NU and MU ? Colorado and Texas A&M ? also face off Saturday in Boulder.

Nebraska is also looking for its ninth win at the Devaney Center this season, which would secure NU's 29th straight winning season in the building since it opened before the 1977-78 season. The Huskers have won at least nine home games 25 times in the past 28 seasons. Nebraska ends the conference slate with three home games in its last five regular-season contests, including matchups with nationally ranked Oklahoma State (Feb. 22) and Colorado (March 2).

Nebraska has seen its scoring average rise to 71.2 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting at home in the Devaney Center this season. NU also owns a +9.9 advantage (41.0-31.1) on the glass in home games this year. In five home league contests, Nebraska has averaged 70.0 points per game on 41.1 percent shooting from the floor, but Big 12 opponents have countered with 71.6 points by hitting 46.8 percent from the field.

Freshman Joe McCray leads three Huskers who have averaged double-figures at home in league play. On the season, McCray leads Nebraska with 15.1 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native moved into the NU freshman top 10 for rebounds on Wednesday at No. 21/22 Oklahoma, as he tied freshman center Aleks Maric with a team-high seven boards apiece. McCray now has 112 rebounds this season to rank 10th on the NU frosh chart, while Maric is fifth with 136 boards.

On Saturday, Maric will be playing his first collegiate game in front of his father, Stevan, who got to Nebraska for the start of a month-long visit on Wednesday night.

McCray also moved into fourth in points scored by an NU freshman as he has 333 points this season after gaining 21 points at OU. By recording his freshman-record seventh 20-point contest of the year, McCray moved into 20th on the Big 12 frosh points list and needs 11 points to tie for 19th (P.J. Tucker, UT, 2003-04).

McCray also moved into fifth place on the conference freshman chart as he now has 64 three-pointers this season. The rookie is tied for the league lead with 2.91 three-pointers per game and needs four to tie Luke Axtell (UT, 1997-98) for fourth. J.R. Giddens (KU, 2003-04) ranks third on the freshman list with 74 three-pointers while Bernard King (Texas A&M, 1999-2000) and Jeff Boschee (KU, 1998-99) are tied for the top spot with 79 treys in their first season.

Along with McCray, senior guard Jake Muhleisen will move into the Nebraska record book when he connects on his next three-point attempt. Muhleisen is currently 11th in NU history with 94 career three-pointers, one behind Jamar Johnson's mark from 1992 to 1994. Muhleisen needs six treys to become just the 10th Husker in history to record 100 treys in a career.

After struggling early in the season, Muhleisen has picked up his play recently. He is second on the team while he averaging 12.7 points on 47.5 percent shooting with 4.1 rebounds over the past seven conference games. He has also hit 88.0 percent from the free throw line in that span.

Meeting the Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers enter the weekend contest with a 12-13 overall mark, including a 4-7 record in conference action. All 12 of MU's victories this season have come at home, as the Tigers are 0-9 away from Columbia in 2004-05, including an 0-5 mark in league action.

The Tigers are riding a two-game win streak into Saturday's matchup.

MU knocked off nationally ranked Oklahoma by three points, 68-65, in overtime at home last weekend before getting past Baylor, 60-53, on Wednesday. The two wins came after a five-game losing streak, including four road contests, after MU defeated the Huskers 80-70 in Columbia in the first matchup this season.

Missouri has averaged 61.6 points per game on the road in league play, while giving up 76.0 points per contest. In league play, the Tigers have averaged 63.0 points while giving up 69.9 points per game. MU has hit 42.7 percent from the floor against Big 12 competition while foes have connected at a 47.0-percent clip from the floor, including hitting 38.7 percent from outside the arc.

Sophomore Linas Kleiza leads the Tigers with 14.6 points and 7.3 boards per contest in league play. Kleiza has hit just 38.8 percent from the floor and 15.2 percent (5-of-33) from three-point range against Big 12 teams.

Along with Kleiza, Jason Conley is the only other Tiger averaging double figures in Big 12 action. He has recorded 10.7 points per contest while hitting a solid 48.8 percent from the field, including leading MU with 16 three-pointers on 42.1 percent shooting from outside the arc. Conley has added 5.4 boards per game and leads the team with 17 steals to tie for eighth in league-only games (1.55 spg).

The Tigers are guided by Coach Quin Snyder (Duke, 1989), who is in his sixth season with MU. Snyder owns a 112-76 record at Missouri.

Series History
The Cornhuskers and Tigers are meeting for the second time this season and the 203rd time in the series when they face off on Saturday. Missouri owns a 118-84 series lead and has taken 14 of 19 matchups since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

MU won six straight before the Huskers picked up a 78-62 victory in Lincoln last season. The six straight victories tied their series high against the Huskers set four previous times.

Brian Conklin scored 14 of his game-high 17 points in the second half to pace NU to the win last year. Conklin connected on all five of his three-point attempts, and combined with Marcus Neal Jr. to go 9-for-9 from long range. Nebraska hit 12-of-21 from three-point range and forced Missouri into 17 turnovers.

Nebraska owns a 51-38 series advantage over the Tigers in Lincoln, including a slim 14-13 lead in the Devaney Center. NU is 5-3 at home against Missouri since the formation of the Big 12, but is just 3-3 against MU in Lincoln over the past six meetings.

The Last Time We Met
Columbia, Mo. (Jan. 22, 2005) --- Missouri used an 18-5 run midway through the second half to hold of Nebraska 80-70 at the Mizzou Arena.

Freshmen Joe McCray and Aleks Maric combined for 30 points to lead the Huskers, but NU dropped its third straight conference game as the Tigers were the first team this season to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor against NU. Missouri hit 54.3 percent from the field, including 60.0 percent in the second period, while the Huskers hit 44.8 percent from the floor.

After a pair of Linas Kleiza free throws put MU ahead 44-39 with 17:12 remaining in the game, Nebraska made a surge to pull within one on three occasions before the Tigers pulled away.

Marcus Neal Jr. converted a conventional three-point play to cut MU’s advantage to 48-47 at the 14:40 mark and following another pair of Kleiza shots from the charity stripe, McCray hit a jumper to pull NU to 50-49. Maric then got the Huskers to within one at 52-51 at the 12:30 mark before MU’s decisive stretch, which included a 9-0 run capped by a Kevin Young free throw with 4:25 left that put Missouri ahead 70-56.

Kleiza finished with a game-high 31 points, including hitting 15-of-17 free throw attempts, while picking up 10 rebounds. The Tigers hit 26-of-31 from the free throw line while the Huskers hit 8-of-10.

In the first half, Nebraska took an 8-7 lead at the 15:12 mark on Wes Wilkinson’s three-pointer before Missouri used a 12-0 run to gain a 19-8 advantage. NU then used a 12-4 run, including four points each by McCray and Maric, to pull within 23-20 at 7:19 on a Maric layup.

Trailing 27-20, the Huskers started hitting from outside the arc, as Wilkinson drained a pair of treys sandwiched around threes from Jake Muhleisen and McCray. Wilkinson’s second three-pointer in the stretch gave NU a 35-33 lead with 57 seconds left in the opening period. Wilkinson then added a dunk off a missed shot for a four-point Husker advantage before the Tigers scored the final five points of the half in 19 seconds to a take a 38-37 lead into the break.

McCray, who broke Eric Piatkowski’s school record for most three-pointers by a freshman with his 47th of the year, finished with a team-high 16 points, while Maric added a career-high 14 points off the bench for Nebraska. Wilkinson added 14 points and six boards, as the Huskers earned a 31-26 advantage on the glass, while Muhleisen had 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers as Nebraska had a season-high 10 treys.

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 seen a surge in his play since moving into the Big 12 slate.

The Lincoln native is second on the team with 9.5 points per game in conference action while adding 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. 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 greatly improved.

Muhleisen has hit 44.2 percent (34-of-77) from the field in league action after hitting just 32.2 percent (19-of-59) against non-conference opponents. Outside the arc, Muhleisen has improved his shooting percentage from 20.0 percent (5-of-25) to 34.3 percent (12-of-35). Over the past eight games, Muhleisen has hit 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from long range.

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 team-high 31.2 minutes per game in league action.

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.

Against Kansas on Feb. 5, Muhleisen posted nine points with a career-high tying eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. He added six assists against just one turnover in NU's loss to Iowa State.

On the road against Baylor, Muhleisen record 18 points after the intermission and finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. It was his second 20-point game in six contests, after recording two 20-point games in his first 87 career contests.

Muhleisen Named to Academic All-District VII First Team
Senior guard Jake Muhleisen was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII first team announced Friday. A native of Lincoln and three-year team captain, Muhleisen is the first Husker to earn academic all-district honors since Cary Cochran in 2002.

Muhleisen and the other four student-athletes selected to the all-district team will now move onto the selection ballot for the academic All-America team. Sports information directors around the country will vote for the academic All-America team through Feb. 28, and the final tabulation will be announced on March 2. A first, second and third team will be selected.

On pace to graduate in May with a degree in finance, Muhleisen has carried a 3.726 grade-point average since enrolling at Nebraska in the summer of 2001. He was a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection last year and has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll each of the past seven semesters. Muhleisen will also be a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection again this spring after carrying better than a 3.5 GPA last semester.

Muhleisen was slowed earlier in the season with a wrist injury, but has returned to full strength since starting Big 12 play.

In conference action, he is second on the team with 9.5 points per game, including scoring more than 20 points on two occasions, and has added 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Over the past seven conference games, Muhleisen has averaged 12.7 points on 47.5 percent shooting, including hitting a team-best 39.3 percent from outside the arc.

Muhleisen is tied for the team lead in assists (37) and is second in steals (10) and third in three-pointers (12) in Big 12 play. He also ranks 11th in the Big 12 standings for assist:turnover ratio in conference-only games.

To be nominated for inclusion on the academic all-district squad, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials who carries at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average in both undergraduate and graduate work. He must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full year at the institution. Student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games.

2005 Academic All-District VII University Division Men’s Basketball Team

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 charity stripe in the past nine games.

During that nine-game stretch, NU has hit 74.7 percent (162-of-217) overall at the foul line and has hit at least 66.7 percent in all nine games. NU had connected on 66.7 percent from the line 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 77.4 percent at the line in league play. He is one of five Huskers ? along with Marcus Neal Jr. (84.6), Wes Wilkinson (80.0), Aleks Maric (73.3) and Joe McCray (71.4) ? hitting at least 70 percent from the line against Big 12 foes.

NU came back with 10 consecutive made free throws to open the game at Texas Tech, giving it 20 straight over two games. Nebraska finished the game hitting 19-of-25 from the charity stripe, the first time this season NU has hit better than 75.0 percent from the line while attempting at least 20 free throws.

The Huskers had their best night at the line this season when they hit 20-of-22 (90.9 percent) at the stripe against Utah Valley State. NU connected on the first 10 free-throw attempts of the night and missed only one attempt each half. It was NU's highest percentage since hitting 12-of-12 attempts in a 74-55 victory over No. 12/13 Kansas in Lincoln last year.

Neal Getting Back on Track
After opening the season with solid numbers during the non-conference slate, senior Marcus Neal Jr. hit a slump early in the conference campaign. Neal's shooting percentages took a hit as he struggled from outside the arc.

The Annapolis, Md., native battled back to produce a pair of solid games against Iowa State and Baylor. Neal had eight points including a pair of three-pointers while tying his career highs with five rebounds and six assists against the Cyclones, the only game he has not started this season. His first trey of the game snapped a streak of 16 consecutive missed three-pointers in league play.

Neal then came back with 15 points and six assists in a win at Baylor. He recorded 12 assists and two turnovers in the two games and hit 7-of-16 attempts (43.8 percent) from the floor for 11.5 points per game.

On the season, Neal is second on the team with 9.8 points per game while adding a team-best 75 assists. He has added 3.1 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 33 three-pointers. Overall, he is 13th in assist:turnover ratio (1.63:1), and is 13th in assist:turnover ratio (1.42:1) and tied for 14th in assists per game (3.36) in conference-only games.

A member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer team last year, Neal has led the Huskers at the free throw line by hitting 83.9 percent this season. He has hit 33-of-39 in conference play to rank sixth in the league-only standings.

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 22.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game this season while making an impression on the rest of the league.

McCray is 14th in scoring (15.1 ppg), while Maric is 10th in rebounding (6.5 rpg) on the season. McCray is tied for first in three-pointers per game (2.91) and is seventh in three-point shooting percentage (36.2). McCray is also tied for eighth in league-only games for steals, with 1.55 per game.

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 fourth on the rookie points scored chart with 333 and is currently on pace to break the freshman scoring average mark set by Jerry Fort in 1973 when he averaged 14.5 ppg.

Maric moved onto the freshman rebounding chart, taking over fifth place as he has 136 boards this season. At his current average of 6.5 boards per game, Maric is on pace to break the NU rookie record set by John Turek in 2002 (162 rebounds).

McCray Making a Splash
By ranking among the top 15 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 Feb. 16, McCray ranks 14th in scoring at 15.1 points per game on the season, the third-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference and one of just five freshmen in the top 20. McCray has hit 40.4 percent from the floor to rank 15th in the Big12.

McCray is tied for the conference lead with OSU's John Lucas with 2.91 three-pointers per contest and ranked 32nd nationally last week. He also paces the Huskers with 64 three-pointers, and is seventh in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 36.2 percent beyond the arc on the year.

In league-only games, he is tied for 12th in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He is also tied for second with 2.91 treys per game and is 10th in Big 12 play by hitting 34.0 percent from long range. McCray is also tied for eighth in steals with 1.55 per game in conference play.

Simply a Sensational Scorer
Freshman guard Joe McCray broke a 33-year old Husker record when he scored a team-best 21 points on the road against No. 21/22 Oklahoma. The rookie from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., picked up his seventh 20-point contest of the season to set the Nebraska mark formerly held by Jerry Fort, who had six such games in 1972-73.

McCray's seven 20-point games lead the Huskers, as only senior guard Jake Muhleisen (2) has more than one. Overall, the Huskers have produced 12 20-point contests this season as a team. McCray's seven 20-point games are the most by an NU player since Cookie Belcher had nine as a senior in 2000-01.

McCray 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) 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.

The scoring phenom tied the Nebraska record for 20-plus point games when he posted a career-best 26 points against Iowa State in Lincoln. He hit 7-of-15 from the field, including four treys, and hit 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. All three times he went to the free throw line came after he was fouled while shooting three-point attempts. The 26 points tied for fifth on the NU freshman single-game scoring chart.

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. McCray had 16 points against Utah Valley State while adding a career-high five assists without a turnover.

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 solid inside, averaging 7.3 points and 6.5 rebounds to open his career.

Maric missed the Utah Valley State game with the flu and did not seem to be at 100 percent in games against Kansas and Iowa State. But he came back strong with 10 points and seven rebounds on the road against Baylor and added seven points and seven boards at No. 21/22 Oklahoma in a career-high 29 minutes.

Maric now ranks 10th in the league in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game, including seventh in offensive rebounding. In the conference-only games, Maric is adding a team-best 5.5 boards per game to rank 20th.

The Aussie 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 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-of-28 from the field. Maric then added eight points and nine boards at Texas Tech for another near-miss.

The NU freshman mark for double-doubles is 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 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 fourth on the team with 9.0 points per game while hitting 44.6 percent from the floor. He has scored in double figures five times in 11 league games, including a career-high 22 points with four boards in a career-high 34 minutes against Kansas State. He had not recorded a double-figure scoring game against Big 12 foes in his first two seasons. Wilkinson is also averaging 4.2 rebounds per game against conference foes, including posting a career-high nine rebounds against Iowa State in Lincoln.

Wilkinson has also hit 80.0 percent from the free throw line against the league. In fact, he has hit 22 of his last 23 attempts (95.7 percent) over the past nine games.

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. He came back with 13 points, three boards, two blocks and two steals against the Jayhawks in a loss in Lincoln. 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 has added 1.1 blocks per game this season. He has 23 blocked shots in 21 games to rank eighth in the Big 12 Conference this year. He has had at least two blocks in seven games this year, after having just 13 blocks last year.

Huskers Hitting the Glass
Nebraska has been relentless on the boards throughout the season. On the year, the Huskers are third in the league in rebounding with 39.1 boards per game and are third in rebounding margin at +6.4. In Big 12 Conference games, NU is fourth in rebounding at 36.3 boards per contest and fifth in rebounding margin at +3.0.

In the Feb. 14 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 18th in the nation in rebounding margin (+6.8).

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks 10th in the league with 6.5 rebounds per game to pace the Huskers. Maric has recorded three double-figure rebound games (15, 14, 11) this season. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks second on the team after gaining 5.2 rebounds per game over 18 games and ranks 20th in the conference. In league-only games, Maric paces NU with 5.5 boards to rank 20th.

Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 17 of 22 games. Nebraska has outrebounded eight of 11 Big 12 opponents it has faced this year, including No. 10/9 Texas and 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 at 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 before starting league play.

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 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 Missouri with 890 points, 326 rebounds, 269 assists and 92 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 four games this season, including six assists against one turnover at home against Iowa State.

Overall, Muhleisen now has 63 assists against just 34 turnovers this season. He is second on the team in assists, behind only senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr. who has 75.The Lincoln native has recorded a 1.85:1 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank 11th in the Big 12 Conference, including ninth (1.76:1) in assist:turnover ratio in league contests. His 3.36 assists per game on conference-only play ties for 14th.

Home Sweet Home
NU has a strong record of success playing in front of its home crowd the past 29 seasons. Nebraska is 8-5 at home this year and owns a 340-108 home record since moving into the Devaney Center in the 1976-77 season.

Last year, Nebraska earned a perfect 10-0 mark at home 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.

Overall, the Huskers were 15-3 at home last year. The 15 wins tied for second most in Devaney Center history. Overall, the Huskers are now 52-24 at home under Coach Collier with 11 of the losses coming against ranked teams.