Huskers Ride Momentum into Ames

The Nebraska men's basketball team opens the final seven days of the regular season on the road when it takes on the Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday, Feb. 27, in Ames, Iowa. The matchup at Hilton Coliseum will tip off at 1:04 p.m. and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee (play-by-play) and Matt Davison (color) calling the action.

The game will also be seen on ESPN+ (Channel 11 in Lincoln; check local listings in other areas of the country) as part of the Big 12 Conference package. Bill Doleman will handle play-by-play duties while Paul Splittorff adds color commentary.

The Huskers look to use the momentum gained earlier in the week to propel them to their third conference road win of the season and get back above .500 overall. After upsetting No. 4/4 Oklahoma State, 74-67, in Lincoln on Tuesday, the Huskers sit in ninth place in the league standings with a 5-8 mark, one game out of seventh place. ISU is tied with Texas for fifth place at 7-6.

Nebraska played its best game against a quality opponent this season when it handed the Cowboys just their fourth loss in 24 contests this year. The Cowboys hit a solid 46.3 percent from the floor but NU disrupted OSU's offensive flow throughout the game and came up with several key stops, especially early in the second half. The Cowboys were harassed into 19 miscues that gave NU a 23-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Senior guard Jake Muhleisen set the tone for the Husker defense as he drew a pair of charges on the Cowboys less than two minutes into the game. Muhleisen finished the contest drawing four charges (likely a school record) while Charles Richardson Jr. drew a fifth late in the contest.

Muhleisen was not the only senior to get in the act, as forward John Turek added a pair of blocked shots on the defensive end while guard Corey Simms had one of his best games of the year off the bench. The St. Louis native had eight points with five boards ? both conference highs ? while hitting 3-of-6 attempts from the floor and provided solid defensive pressure.

Simms' offensive efficiency helped the Huskers hit a season-best 56.3 percent (27-of-48) from the floor. He was one of five Huskers to hit better than 50 percent from the floor, including Aleks Maric (70.0 percent, 7-of-10), Muhleisen (60.0, 3-of-5), Joe McCray (58.3, 7-of-12) and Jason Dourisseau (55.6, 5-of-9).

Maric exploited OSU's lack of height in the paint, as he scored a career-best 15 points. He hit 7-of-8 from inside the arc and had his first two three-point attempts of the season. He also showed his versatility by adding a season-best three assists without a turnover.

Maric and Turek combined for eight assists against one turnover, as they continually moved the ball out of the paint to open shooters. Turek's five assists were a career high. He added four rebounds and now needs one board to move into a tie for 10th place on the NU career rebounding chart, matching Mikki Moore who had 661 rebounds from 1994 to 1997.

Nebraska will need to recreate that efficiency on both ends of the court and take care of the ball to knock off the surging Cyclones. ISU has won seven of its past eight league games after dropping its first five in conference play. In the first matchup this season, ISU earned a 65-60 victory in Lincoln while forcing 19 turnovers and holding NU to just 40.4 percent shooting.

McCray recorded a career-high 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the first matchup with ISU. He is averaging 17.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on the road as a rookie, and has hit 39.7 percent (31-of-78) from three-point range away from Lincoln. Three of his NU freshman-record eight 20-point games have come on the road ? at UAB, Colorado and nationally ranked Oklahoma.

McCray has 367 points this season and ranks fourth on the NU freshman chart for points scored. He needs 10 points to move into second place on the list, as he will pass No. 3 Eric Piatkowski (372 points in 1991) and No. 2 Jerry Fort (376 points in 1973). McCray has scored double figures in every road contest so far this season. In fact, he has been held to less than 10 points only four times in 24 games, all at home.

Meeting the Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State enters the weekend matchup with a 15-9 overall record and 7-6 mark in conference play to tie for fifth in the league standings alongside Texas.

The Cyclones are among the hottest teams in the conference as they have won seven of their past eight games after starting the league slate with an 0-5 record. ISU owns a 12-2 record at home this season, including a 4-2 mark in conference play.

ISU has averaged just 68.2 points per game this season while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor. The Cyclones have hit 30.3 percent from long range, but are gaining just 3.8 three-pointers per game, the fewest in the conference. During league action, ISU has seen its numbers slightly dip, as it has averaged 66.8 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting, including 29.7 percent from outside the arc.

The Cyclones are led by sophomore guard Curtis Stinson, an all-conference candidate. The New York native has averaged 17.6 points per game this season to rank fifth in the Big 12 Conference. Stinson has hit 43.9 percent from the field, but has connected on just 22.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Stinson has averaged 18.1 points in league-only games and has gained 19.6 points on 46.8 percent shooting over the past five games. He also ranks second in the league in steals (2.42 spg) and is seventh in assists (4.25 spg).

Along with Stinson, the Cyclones have had solid guard play from sophomore Will Blalock. The point guard ranks fourth in the league in assists and steals with 4.78 and 1.96 per game, respectively, while averaging 12.3 points per game. Blalock leads the league in minutes played per game with an average of 36.78 mpg, while Stinson is fourth with 35.33 mpg and ISU center Jared Homan is second at 36.38 minutes per contest.

Homan has averaged 13.1 points per game while pulling in 7.7 rebounds per contest to rank fourth in the league standings. He is third in the conference with 1.79 blocks per game. Homan has averaged 11.0 points on 37.5 percent shooting over the past five contests.

The Cyclones are guided by Coach Wayne Morgan (St. Lawrence, 1973), who is in his second season with ISU and eighth as a head coach. Morgan owns a 126-106 record overall and is 35-22 at Iowa State.

Series History
The Cornhuskers and Cyclones are meeting for the 222nd time in the series and the second time this season. Nebraska holds a 126-95 all-time record over ISU after falling to the Cyclones, 65-60, in Lincoln earlier this month. The 126 wins are NU's most against any conference opponent. Nebraska has not recorded more than 90 wins against any other conference or non-conference team.

The Cyclones hold a slim 57-45 series lead in Ames, Iowa, including a 20-13 mark in Hilton Coliseum.

Nebraska has not had much luck on the road against Iowa State recently, as the Huskers have dropped six straight in Ames. Nebraska's last win in Ames came in 1998, but the 1997 victory was one of its biggest road wins in program history as the Huskers earned a 74-69 overtime win against the No. 7-ranked Cyclones.

Sixteen of the past 25 matchups have been decided by six points or less, including five of the last 12 being decided by three points or less. Twenty-four of the past 30 games have been decided by 10 points or less.

The last time the teams met in Ames was the 2004 conference opener. NU entered the matchup with a 10-1 record, but ISU's Jake Sullivan blitzed the Huskers for 23 points, including hitting 7-of-11 three-point attempts. Sullivan hit six straight treys at one point while ISU was 11-of-20 from long range as a team.

The Huskers trailed by 13 points in the early stages of the second half at 48-35 before mounting a furious comeback. Jake Muhleisen hit a pair of three-pointers and a trey by Andrew Drevo sparked a 14-1 Husker run. NU eventually tied the score at 49 on a Muhleisen putback with 14:53 remaining. Nebraska, which never led after intermission, stayed within striking distance before ISU took command midway through the half.

Nebraska closed to within 62-59 after a Jason Dourisseau basket with 10:36 left, but the Cyclones stormed back with a run of their own. ISU scored nine straight points over the next 2:08, beginning a 17-3 spurt that put the game out of reach.

The Last Time We Met
Lincoln, Neb. (Feb. 8, 2005) --- Joe McCray established a career high with 26 points, but Iowa State took advantage of a flurry of Husker turnovers to record a 65-60 victory at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The 6-foot-5 freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., connected on 7-of-15 shots from the floor, including four three-pointers, in bettering his previous season best of 24 at UAB on Dec. 2. It was also his sixth 20-point game of the year, tying Jerry Fort’s 32-year-old record for 20-point games by Husker freshmen.

Despite McCray’s offensive outburst, the Huskers committed 19 turnovers, including seven by the freshman, and hit just two field goals in the final seven minutes to fall to the Cyclones.

The Huskers led 48-46 after John Turek’s jumper with 7:12 remaining in regulation, but the Cyclones seized the contest with an 8-0 run over the next 2:40. ISU tied the game on a Curtis Stinson layup with 6:47 left and took the lead for good at 51-48 on Tasheed Carr’s three-pointer at the 5:41 mark. ISU, which won its fourth straight game, eventually pushed the margin to six points, 54-48, on a Will Blalock jumper and a Carr free throw.

NU got to within 61-58 after McCray hit all three free throws after a three-point attempt with 58 seconds remaining. But two free throws by Rahshon Clark and Blalock averted NU’s comeback hopes. In all, the Cyclones went a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the foul line in the last two minutes, after hitting just half of their 10 free throws in the half until that point.

Stinson paced Iowa State with 25 points, hitting 8-of-13 shots from the floor while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and recording five of the Cyclones’ 15 steals. Blalock added 16 points, while Clark scored eight of his 11 points in the second half, as Cyclones outscored NU 29-19 in the final 10 minutes.

Jason Dourisseau had 11 points, while Wes Wilkinson pulled down a career-high nine rebounds in just 21 minutes of action, as he was plagued by foul trouble throughout the contest. Nebraska, which was held to 40 percent shooting, struggled against the Cyclones’ trapping defense, committing its most turnovers since a 24-turnover night in the loss at UAB on Dec. 2.

Nebraska trailed 16-12 before McCray sparked an 8-0 Husker run, helping the Huskers to take its largest lead of the half at 20-16 after the freshman guard hit all three free throws after being fouled. The Huskers, who hit six of their first 10 shots, then went ice cold and need another 7:03 before they would record another field goal. The Cyclones responded with 10 unanswered points to take a 26-20 lead after a Blalock layup with 4:55 remaining in the half.

With 11 first-half points, McCray had nearly half of the Huskers’ team total. Stinson and Blalock had 10 each for the Cyclones, who took a 27-24 lead into the intermission. The Cyclones built a 35-28 lead early in the second half, but Nebraska roared back behind the play of Marcus Neal Jr.

The senior, who had made one of his last 17 three-pointers, led the Huskers on a 13-1 charge. NU tied the game at 35 with a Neal three-pointer at the 13 minute mark before he gave the Huskers their first lead of the half at 38-35 with his second trifecta. On NU’s next possession, he found a wide-open McCray for a three-pointer, giving the Huskers their biggest lead of the game at 41-36 with 10:17 remaining.

Behind the shooting of Clark, the Cyclones quickly erased the Husker lead, as the 6-foot-6 freshman buried a pair of three-pointers to tie the score at 44 with 8:40 left.

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 third on the team with 9.0 points per game in conference action while adding 3.6 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 43.2 percent (38-of-88) 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 35.1 percent (13-of-37). Over the past 10 games, Muhleisen has hit 38.7 percent (12-of-31) 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 32.5 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 recorded 11 points, four boards and four assists in 31 minutes in an upset of No. 4 Oklahoma State. While those are solid stats, his biggest contribution came in the hustle department, as he recorded two steals and drew four charges against the Cowboys. Nebraska drew five charges as a team in its 11th victory over a top-five opponent in program history.

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 11 games.

During that 11-game stretch, NU has hit 73.1 percent (185-of-253) overall at the foul line and has hit at least 66.7 percent 10 times. 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 80.0 percent at the line in league play. He is one of four Huskers ? along with Marcus Neal Jr. (80.5), Wes Wilkinson (78.8) and Aleks Maric (75.7) ? 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.

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 23.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this season while making an impression on the rest of the league.

McCray is tied with KU's Keith Langford at 12th in scoring (15.3 ppg) in the league, while Maric is 12th in rebounding (6.4 rpg) on the season. McCray is second in three-pointers per game (2.83) and is seventh in three-point shooting percentage (35.4). McCray is also tied for 10th in league-only games for steals, with 1.46 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 367 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 fourth place as he has 147 boards this season. At his current average of 6.4 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 with just two weeks left in the regular season, freshman guard Joe McCray has shown he is one of the top freshmen in the Big 12 Conference this season. 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. 25, McCray is tied for 12th in scoring at 15.3 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 40.8 percent from the floor to rank 14th in the Big 12.

McCray is second in the conference with 2.83 three-pointers per contest and ranked 37th nationally last week. He also paces the Huskers with 68 three-pointers, and is seventh in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 35.4 percent beyond the arc on the year.

In league-only games, he is 13th in scoring at 15.8 points per game. He is also second with 2.77 treys per game and is eighth in Big 12 play by hitting 33.0 percent from long range. McCray is also tied for 10th in steals with 1.46 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.

Since then he has added an eighth 20-point game, when he had a game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting as Nebraska stunned No. 4/4 Oklahoma State, 74-67. McCray has scored at least 19 points in four of five games against ranked teams this year, including three 20-point games. He has also scored in double figures in every road contest this season.

McCray's eight 20-point games lead the Huskers, as only senior guard Jake Muhleisen (2) has more than one. Overall, the Huskers have produced 13 20-point contests this season as a team. McCray's eight 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 7.9 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds to open his career.

Maric now ranks 12th in the league in rebounding, including eighth in offensive rebounding. In the conference-only games, Maric is adding a team-best 5.5 boards per game to rank 20th.

The big man has started the last two games ? and six overall this season ? and has responded with better performances each time.

Maric had a solid game when he recorded 13 points with nine boards and one blocked shot against Missouri in Lincoln in his first start in league play. He hit 4-of-7 attempts from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe while making his fifth start of the year ? and first in conference play. He set a career high for the second straight game by playing 35 minutes.

Maric followed that with his best performance of the year against No. 4/4 Oklahoma State. He scored a career-best 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including hitting 7-of-8 inside the arc, while helping NU to a 74-67 upset of the Cowboys. He added a pair of rebounds with a career-best three assists without a turnover and added one blocked shot in 32 minutes.

That solid performance came on the heels of a seven-point, seven-rebound effort at Oklahoma and a 10-point, seven-rebound game at Baylor. In the games immediately before that, Maric sat out the Utah Valley State contest with the flu and was not at 100 percent in games against Kansas and Iowa State. During that three-game stretch when he was under the weather, Maric dropped nearly 15 pounds, but has since regained most of that weight.

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.

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.

Dourisseau Getting Into the Act
Despite struggling with an ankle injury that has sidelined him for three games ? at two different times ? in conference play, guard Jason Dourisseau has made his presence felt within the Husker offense this year.

Dourisseau is second on the team in scoring and rebounding at 9.4 points 5.1 boards per game. He also ranks second on the squad by hitting 48.9 percent (69-of-141) from the floor. In the past two games, Dourisseau has hit 11-of-16 from the field, including a 6-of-7 effort against Missouri.

During a five-game stretch from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8, Dourisseau averaged 11.8 points per game while hitting 52.5 percent (21-of-40) from the floor, including 2-of-7 from outside the arc. That came after a two-game absence from an ankle injury.

Dourisseau poured in a career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting against No. 3 Kansas. The Omaha native also hit 7-of-12 from the free throw line and added five boards and three steals in 26 minutes.

Following the strong performance, Dourisseau re-entered the starting lineup against Iowa State. He scored 11 points with three boards, one block and two steals in 33 minutes. He also started against Baylor but played just 13 minutes before re-injuring his ankle. He did not return to the game in the second half and then missed the Oklahoma game.

Dourisseau has started 15 of his 20 games played this year. He has nearly doubled his numbers from last season, as he has 101 rebounds, 18 steals and is fourth on the squad with 34 assists against just 40 turnovers. Last season, he had 60 rebounds, 13 steals and 17 assists against 41 turnovers in 31 games.

In NU's season opener, Dourisseau scored 17 points in 22 minutes during NU's 97-40 victory. He hit 8-of-13 attempts from the floor and added eight rebounds and two assists without a turnover.

Dourisseau followed with 18 points and set a career high for the second straight game by grabbing 12 rebounds. He also hit 8-of-11 free throw attempts after getting fouled repeatedly while slashing to the basket.

In the Huskers' road victory over Colorado on Jan. 12, Dourisseau had his best game in nearly a month, as he recorded 11 points with seven rebounds in 26 minutes. He slashed past the Buffs at will while recording eight points in the opening frame as NU opened a 15-point halftime lead on the road.

Huskers Hitting the Glass
Nebraska has been relentless on the boards throughout the season. On the year, the Huskers are third in the league in rebounding with 38.3 boards per game and are third in rebounding margin at +5.9. In conference play, NU is fourth in rebounding at 35.2 boards per contest and third in rebounding margin at +2.7.

In the Feb. 21 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 22nd in the nation in rebounding margin (+6.2).

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks 12th in the league with 6.4 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 5.1 rebounds per game over 20 games and just fell out of the top 20 in the conference. In league-only games, Maric paces NU with 5.5 boards to tie for 20th.

Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 18 of 24 games. Nebraska has outrebounded nine of 13 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 and nearly added another 50-board game with 49 rebounds against Montana State.

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.

Sports Illustrated Highlights Freshmen
Freshman center Aleks Maric received his first major national recognition when he was listed by Sports Illustrated (Feb. 21, 2005) as one of the 10 most prominent Australians currently playing collegiate basketball in the United States.

In a sidebar that complemented a feature on Utah's Andrew Bogut ? who Maric played with on Australia's Under 20 World Championships gold medal team ? the magazine noted there were more than 100 Aussies playing in U.S. colleges. The note on Maric read: Hulking (265 pounds) big man averages only 19.1 minutes per game (inlcuding four starts) but still leads Cornhuskers in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and is seventh on team in scoring (7.3 ppg).

Along with Maric, the other Aussies mentioned in the sidebar were: Aaron Bruce (Baylor, Fr., G), Chris Cameron (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr., C), Ian Crosswhite (formerly Oregon, Jr., C), Martin Iti (Charlotte, So., C), Blagoj Janev (New Hampshire, So., F), Daniel Kickert (St. Mary's, Jr., F), Matthew Knight (Loyola Marymount, So., F/C), Alex Loughton (Old Dominion, Jr., F/C) and Luke Schenscher (Georgia Tech, Sr., C).

Maric is not the only Husker freshman to gain recent recognition from Sports Illustrated. Guard Joe McCray was listed as one of the five best freshmen in the Big 12 Conference on the magazine's website, SI.com, on Tuesday, Feb. 22. College basketball writer Kelli Anderson listed McCray alongside Daniel Gibson (G, Texas), Aaron Bruce (G, Baylor), Joseph Jones (F, Texas A&M) and Richard Roby (F, Colorado) as the league's top freshmen. Maric was listed as honorable mention.

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 the contest against Iowa State with 878 career points and 660 rebounds. With his first rebound against Iowa State, he will move into a tie for 10th place on the Nebraska career rebound 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 154 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 tied for the team lead with 26 rejections, alongside Wes Wilkinson.

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 who will be honored Saturday at halftime, 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 Iowa State with 903 points, 334 rebounds, 276 assists and 95 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. With 11 points in a 74-67 upset of No. 4/4 Oklahoma State, Muhleisen became the 31st player in Nebraska history to top the 900-point plateau.

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 70 assists against just 37 turnovers this season. He is second on the team in assists, behind only senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr. who has 77.The Lincoln native has recorded a 1.89:1 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank 10th in the Big 12 Conference, including eighth (1.83:1) in assist:turnover ratio in league contests.

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 18th rebound margin (+6.8) in the NCAA statistics of Feb. 14, 44th in field-goal percentage defense (40.7) and 44th in scoring defense (62.7).

? 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.

? forced No. 4/4 Oklahoma State into 19 turnovers and held the Cowboys to 44 percent shooting in the second half as NU used a 10-0 surge to open the period (and 17-4 run overall) to earn its 11th victory ever against a top-five team.