Huskers Look to Tame Tigers

The Nebraska men's basketball team begins the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament against a familiar foe as the No. 9-seed Huskers are set to take on the No. 8-seed Missouri Tigers on Thursday, March 10, at Kemper Arena. The game will tip off at 11:30 a.m. and can be seen on ESPN+ (check local listings) and ESPNU. The contest can also be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com, with Randy Lee calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary.

The Huskers have a big task ahead of them as they try to make a run into the league tourney. NU won four of its last seven contests to end the regular season one game above .500 at 14-13. A victory over MU in the league tournament would help NU's chances at reaching the postsseason for the second straight year.

Nebraska and Missouri are no strangers as the teams are facing off for the third time this season. MU won the first two matchups by an average of just 6.5 points per game, and has won seven of eight all-time conference tournament games against the Huskers. Nebraska's win over MU came in 1994 when the Huskers went on to win the Big Eight Conference Tournament title. Nebraska is currently looking to snap a six-game losing streak in the conference tournament, including the past five first-round games.

If the Huskers are going to move into Friday's quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Oklahoma, NU will need to have a solid effort on both ends of the court. Nebraska has won six of seven conference games this season when scoring at least 70 points, with the only setback an 80-70 loss at Missouri. In six of Nebraska's seven league victories this season, the Huskers have held their opponent to less than 70 points.

Nebraska will look to get guards Joe McCray and Jason Dourisseau untracked early, as the pair is capable of putting up points in a hurry.

McCray has led Nebraska all season and is on pace to set the NU freshman record by averaging 15.3 points per game. An honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection (coaches) and Big 12 All-Freshman Team pick (media), McCray needs three three-pointers to become only the second Husker ever ? any class ? to record 80 treys in a season and break the Big 12 Conference freshman record (79, Jeff Boschee, KU, 1998-99; 79, Bernard King, Texas A&M, 1999-2000).

Dourisseau has been more of a slasher, getting into the paint where he has hit 55.9 percent (76-of-137) this season to rank second on the squad with 9.4 points per game despite missing four contests with an ankle injury. Dourisseau sat out the first meeting between the teams, but came up big in the matchup in Lincoln when he hit 6-of-7 attempts from the field to score 13 points.

Nebraska's late-season success also came while going with a bigger starting lineup that has included senior forward John Turek and freshman center Aleks Maric. The duo has combined for 17.4 points and 10.6 boards per game during that stretch, including helping Nebraska to a three-game win streak, its longest conference win streak since winning four consecutive games in 1998-99.

Nebraska's Tournament Headquarters

The Huskers will travel to Kansas City via charter bus on Tuesday, March 8, following practice at the Devaney Center. Nebraska will make the Westin Crown Center its team headquarters throughout its stay at the Big 12 Tournament. The hotel is located at: One Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO, 64108. Directions and other general information can be reached at (816) 391-4409, or by fax at (816) 843-4822.

Nebraska will be the first team to hit the court in Kansas City, as it opens Wednesday's practice sessions at 11 a.m. The Huskers will have the floor until Noon, and then Coach Collier and two players will be available to media in the press room from Noon to 12:30 p.m. All practice sessions are open to the media and public.

Media wishing to get player and/or coach interviews outside of the allotted time at Kemper Arena should contact Assistant SID Jerry Trickie by cell phone at 402-540-0269 or at the team hotel.

Meeting the Missouri Tigers . . . Again
The Missouri Tigers head into the Big 12 Tournament having won four of their last six games to get back to the .500 mark overall. MU owns a 15-15 record, and tied Nebraska for eighth in the league standings with a 7-9 record. The Tigers are 1-8 away from Columbia, with the lone win coming in a 56-53 victory in Lincoln on Feb. 19.

MU has averaged just 63.5 points per game this season while hitting a league-low 40.9 percent from the field, including just 31.2 percent from long range. Despite struggling from outside the arc on the season, the Tigers came up big from downtown in the regular-season finale when MU hit 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from outside the arc to hold off No. 7 Kansas, 72-68, at the Mizzou Arena.

Jimmy McKinney led the long-range attack as he hit all three attempts from beyond the arc and 6-of-7 from the floor overall while posting 21 points. Thomas Gardner came off the bench to hit 8-of-13 field-goal attempts and collect a game-high 23 points with five boards.

McKinney has averaged 7.2 points per game this season while hitting just 28.4 percent from three-point range. He has hit 52.0 percent from inside the arc and adds 3.1 rebounds while ranking second on the squad with 71 assists (2.36 apg).

Gardner has also struggled from the floor while hitting just 36.0 percent of his field-goal attempts this season. He has hit only 26.6 percent from long range while attempting a team-high 177 three-pointers. Gardner has averaged 10.0 points per game despite the struggles and adds 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.

The Tigers are led by Linas Kleiza, an honorable-mention All-Big 12 performer this season after averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to lead Mizzou. Kleiza has hit just 39.4 percent from the field, but has been efficient at the line. He has connected on 70.3 percent while attempting more than two times as many free throws than the next closest Tiger. Kleiza also averages 31.2 minutes per game to rank second on the squad behind freshman Jason Horton, who has averaged more than 32 minutes per game while adding 6.2 points and a team-best 3.3 assists per game.

Along with Kleiza and Gardner, Jason Conley has averaged double figures this season by gaining 10.5 points per contest on 45.4 percent shooting. Conley trails only Gardner for the three-point lead as he has 41 treys to Gardner's 47. Conley has also added a solid 5.7 rebounds per contest and paces the squad with 39 steals this season.

The Tigers are guided by Coach Quin Snyder (Duke, 1989), who is in his sixth year as head coach at Missouri. Snyder owns a 115-78 career record, and is 11-2 in contests against Nebraska.

Series History
The Cornhuskers and Tigers are meeting for the third time this season and the 204th time in the series, one of four Nebraska conference series with at least 200 all-time matchups. Missouri holds a 119-84 all-time advantage over the Huskers.

MU leads the series with the Huskers in Kansas City by a 12-9 advantage and has been dominant in Kemper Arena, where it holds a 6-2 mark over the Huskers. The Tigers are 7-1 vs. Nebraska in the Big Eight/Big 12 Tournament.

The last time the teams met in the conference tournament was 2003, when No. 5 Missouri came from behind to defeat the No. 12-seed Cornhuskers, 70-61. Nebraska hit a season-high 10 three-pointers and ran out to an early 18-2 lead, but MU countered with a 15-2 run and scored 11 of the last 15 points of the half to cut the deficit to one point, 33-32. In the second half, MU hit 53 percent from the field and used an 11-1 run midway through the frame to ice the win, as NU hit just 21.2 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

Missouri has won 13 of 17 matchups since the formation of the Big 12 Conference. MU has won both of the matchups in the Big 12 Tournament, including a 78-72 victory in 1997 and a 70-61 victory in 2003. Missouri has taken a three-game season sweep over the Huskers, including the conference postseason tourney, three times with the last coming in 2003.

The Last Time We Met
Lincoln, Neb. (Feb. 19, 2005) ? Missouri hit 54.2 percent from the floor in the second half and held off a Nebraska rally to post a 56-53 victory at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Tigers were harassed into 12 turnovers in the opening period and trailed by as many as nine early in the second half. But the deficit wasn’t enough as MU used a 10-2 run keyed by a pair of Marshall Brown three-pointers to get back in the contest, and then had timely stops on the defensive end to hold on for their first road win of the year.

Nebraska, which dipped below .500 overall for the first time this season, pulled within one point on four occasions late in the game, but could not get over the hump. The Huskers hit 37.9 percent from the field in the second frame, including hitting just 2-of-12 from beyond the arc. Nebraska, which missed all four of its long-range attempts in the first half, had chances to get back in the game behind the play of freshman guard Joe McCray.

McCray, who was held scoreless in the first period, came out with 12 points after the break, including 10 straight points for the Huskers in the final seven minutes when he and Missouri’s Thomas Gardner put on a two-man show.

McCray hit team’s first three-pointer of day at the 6:34 mark, after NU had missed its first 10 attempts from long range. McCray came back at the other end and took a charge on Gardner before Gardner hit a trey of his own for a 48-44 Missouri lead. McCray countered with a steal and layup to cut the MU margin to two, 48-46, with just under five minutes to play. After Gardner hit another jumper, McCray came back with his second three-pointer with just over four minutes to play pull NU with one, 50-49.

Freshman center Aleks Maric, who was making just his fifth start of the year, pulled Nebraska back within one. Maric came up with a rebound off a missed free throw and went right back up for a hook shot in the lane that cut the MU lead to 54-53 with 57 seconds remaining.

Following a pair of Linas Kleiza free throws, Nebraska missed a chance to tie on McCray’s long three-point attempt. NU had one more shot as Jason Horton missed the front end of a one-and-one with under 10 seconds remaining, but Marcus Neal Jr.’s three-point attempt was off the mark.

In the first half, the Huskers’ frontcourt of Maric and John Turek, who was competing on his 22nd birthday, combined for nine of the Huskers’ first 12 points to open the game. After MU’s Jason Conley pulled the Tigers even at 9-all with five straight points, Wes Wilkinson hit the second of two free throws for a one-point lead. Turek pushed the margin to three as he pounded down a dunk off an assist from Charles Richardson Jr., who had seven assists against one turnover in his first start of the year.

Gardner’s jumper one minute later put Missouri ahead 14-12 at the 8:55 mark, but Jason Dourisseau scored seven straight points give Nebraska a 19-14 lead at the 5:14 mark. Turek and Maric each connected on a basket to push the Husker lead to nine points, 23-14, with 3:04 remaining before the intermission. The Tigers then made a 7-2 run to pull within 25-21 before Dourisseau’s tip-in of a Wilkinson miss with less than two seconds remaining gave NU a 27-21 halftime lead.

Nebraska started the game hitting just 3-of-11 from floor, but hit 8-of-15 down stretch to go into halftime with the six-point lead. Nebraska forced Missouri into 12 turnovers in the opening frame with three assists, but the Tigers committed just five more miscues in the game.

Dourisseau and Maric led the Huskers with 13 points each, while McCray added 12, all in the second half. Maric added a game-high nine boards to just miss his third double-double of the year, and Turek added eight boards with 10 points.

Nebraska's Last Time Out
Manhattan, Kan. -- Kansas State used a 17-3 run in the middle of the second half to cruise past Nebraska, 73-53, Saturday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum.

Jeremiah Massey had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wildcats, who snapped Nebraska’s three-game conference win streak. Lance Harris and Justin Williams had 18 and 12 points, respectively, as KSU shot 50 percent in the second half to pull away.

After trailing by eight at the intermission, Nebraska cut KSU’s lead to five, 37-32, at the 16:12 mark on an Aleks Maric conventional three-point play. Maric was one of three Huskers in double figures on the day with 11 points. Joe McCray led Nebraska with 14 points, including 10 in the second half, while John Turek added 11 points.

After pulling within two baskets, the Huskers struggled to keep the momentum going as Massey started a 10-0 K-State run with a pair of field goals. Harris added five points in two minutes to push the lead to 54-35 at the 9:16 mark as KSU held the Huskers to three points over an 8:03 span.

The Huskers shot just 35 percent in the second half after opening the game hitting half of their shots, 12-of-24, in the opening frame. NU trailed 33-25 at the break despite holding K-State to just 35.7 percent shooting from the floor. The Wildcats hit 10-of-15 free throws in the opening period to hold the lead, and finished the game draining 20-of-30 at the charity stripe. NU hit just 9-of-17 at the line.

Charles Richardson Jr. lead the team lead with five boards, and added five assists against just one turnover in 27 minutes. The Huskers were outrebounded, 36-26, for just the seventh time this season.

Nebraska postgame notes vs. Kansas State
**The Huskers were outrebounded for just the seventh time this season, as KSU took a 36-26 lead on the boards. The 26 boards tie for NU’s season conference low, set against Oklahoma State? Center Aleks Maric set the Nebraska freshman record for rebounds as he now has 163 boards this season. Maric had three boards against the Wildcats while adding 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

**Freshman Joe McCray led the team with 14 points, including 10 in the second half. McCray became just the second Husker freshman and seventh freshman in Big 12 history to top the 400-point plateau. McCray now has 413 points this season, and has scored double figures in every regular-season road contest.

**Charles Richardson Jr. recorded a team-high five boards to set a new season best. The sophomore also added five assists without a turnover to pace the Husker offense.

Who's Hot
**Freshman Joe McCray has been at the top of this list for nearly the whole season, as he leads Nebraska in scoring at 15.3 points per game. He has smashed the Nebraska freshman record with 77 three-pointers, just 33 more than the previous mark of 44 set by Eric Piatkowski in 1991. Over the last 10 games, McCray has averaged a team-best 16.4 points per game while ranking second on the squad with 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He has had nine double figure scoring games in that span, including four 20-point contests, and has hit 75.6 percent from the free throw line.

**Junior guard Jason Dourisseau has found his groove over the past five games, when he has averaged 10.6 points per contest to rank third on the team in that stretch while adding 4.2 boards in just 23.6 minutes per contest. He has connected on an impressive 60.5 percent (23-of-38) from the field during that stretch and has taken only one three-point attempt.

**Freshman Aleks Maric has been even more effective during the past five games while helping NU to a 3-2 record. Maric has started all five contests and averaged 11.2 points and a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game while knocking down 61.1 percent (22-of-36) of his field-goal attempts. He has hit 64.7 percent from inside the arc during that span, and has drained a team-best 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the free throw line. Maric, who collected a career-best 15 points in the upset of No. 4 Oklahoma State, has also added five assists against three turnovers in that span.

**Sophomore Charles Richardson Jr. has averaged 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and a team-best 3.6 assists per game over the past seven contests. Richardson has connected on 9-of-12 field-goal attempts in that span including 2-of-4 attempts from three-point range. His 25 assists are tops on the squad while his six steals are third in that stretch.

**While coming off the bench in four of the past five games, senior Marcus Neal Jr. has averaged just 5.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, but has set up his teammates as well as any point in his career. Neal has 18 assists against just two turnovers (9:1 assist:turnover ratio) in the past five contests and has hit a team-best 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from three-point range.

Solid Point Play Key for Huskers
Nebraska's solid production at point guard has played a prominent role in its recent surge to end the season on a strong note. Seniors Jake Muhleisen and Marcus Neal Jr. and sophomore Charles Richardson Jr. have been efficient with the ball in the past four games by combining for 38 assists against 16 turnovers.

At Iowa State, Neal had arguably his best game since posting a career-high 19 points while pushing NU to a two-overtime victory over Kansas State in the conference opener. Neal came off the bench to post 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, including hitting 3-of-5 attempts from three-point range, and added a career-high seven assists without a turnover. Neal added another seven assists against two turnovers while grabbing a career-best six rebounds against Colorado in the regular-season home finale.

With his recent run of 16 assists and just two turnovers in the past three games, Neal has moved to 13th in the league standings with 3.44 assists per game, including 3.44 in league play to rank 14th. He also ranks eighth overall (1.94:1) and sixth (1.96:1) in conference action in assist:turnover ratio.

Richardson has seen significant minutes (at least 18) each of the past six games, including a season-high 27 Saturday against Kansas State. During that six-game stretch, Richardson has averaged 3.8 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game, including his only start of the season against Missouri when he posted seven assists against one turnover in 20 minutes. Richardson had a career night against CU when he hit 5-of-6 field-goal attempts for a career-high 10 points with three assists in 18 minutes, and came back with a season-best five boards and five assists at K-State.

Muhleisen was also a key contributor in the Huskers' upset of then-No. 4 Oklahoma State in Lincoln, as he posted 11 points and added four assists with four boards and two steals to help the Huskers earn their first win of the season over a ranked 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 second half of the regular season (last 14 games).

During that stretch, NU has hit 70.6 percent (224-of-317) overall at the foul line and has hit at least 66.7 percent 11 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 78.9 percent at the line in league play. He is one of four Huskers ? along with Marcus Neal Jr. (77.6), Wes Wilkinson (76.9) and Aleks Maric (77.3) ? 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 23.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this season while making an impression on the rest of the league, and each has been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week (McCray twice, Maric once).

McCray finished the regular season 10th in scoring (15.3 ppg) in the league, while Maric is 11th in rebounding (6.3 rpg). McCray is second in three-pointers per game (2.85) and is seventh in three-point shooting percentage (35.8).

Both McCray and Maric have moved onto the Nebraska freshman top-10 charts, with McCray posting one of the top rookie seasons in NU history. McCray has already moved into second on the NU rookie points scored chart with 413 and will break the freshman scoring average mark set by Jerry Fort in 1973 when he averaged 14.5 ppg.

With his first point Saturday at K-State, he became only the second freshman in NU history to break the 400-point plateau, joining Dave Hoppen, who had a record 445 points in 31 games in 1983. McCray also became just the seventh freshman in Big 12 history to top the 400-point plateau and moved into seventh place, ahead of Antoine Wright, who had 406 points for Texas A&M in 2003.

Also in NU's last game, Maric broke the freshman rebounding record as he has 163 boards this season. Maric picked up three boards against the Wildcats to move past John Turek, who set the previous rookie mark of 162 rebounds in 2002. McCray is also on the NU freshman top 10 rebound chart, as he ranks sixth with 132 boards this season.

McCray Earns Big 12 and National Honors
One of the top freshman in the league this season, guard Joe McCray has been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on two occasions (Nov. 29 and Dec. 20), and on Monday, March 7 earned league and national honors.

The first Husker freshman to earn more than one rookie-of-the-week honor in a season, McCray was selected honorable-mention All-Big 12 by the league's coaches, one of five freshmen picked for the squad. He was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team by the league's sportswriters, and was honorable-mention Freshman All-America by Rivals.com.

McCray was one of five freshman to earn All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches, including four honorable-mention selections. He is the first Nebraska freshman to earn an All-Big 12 honor since the formation of the conference before the 1996-97 season. Overall, McCray is the 12th Husker to be named honorable-mention All-Big 12, while three players have earned eight first-, second- or third-team All-Big 12 awards.

Along with the Big 12 honor, McCray was selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team by the league's sportswriters. McCray was one of seven freshmen selected as there was a tie in the voting. Joining McCray on the team were: Daniel Gibson (Texas), Aaron Bruce (Baylor), JamesOn Curry (Oklahoma State), Joseph Jones (Texas A&M), Richard Roby (Colorado) and Martin Zeno (Texas Tech).

McCray also picked up a national honor on Monday as he was named honorable-mention Freshman All-America by Rivals.com. The recruiting service selected All-America first-, second and third-teams in addition to the honorable-mention squad. McCray was one of 12 rookies selected for the honorable-mention team, and was one of six freshmen from the Big 12 Conference named to one of the squads. Only Texas' Daniel Gibson (first team) and Baylor's Aaron Bruce (second team) were selected higher.

Through March 6, McCray is 10th in the Big 12 in scoring at 15.3 points per game on the season, the third-highest scoring freshman in the Big 12 Conference and one of five freshmen in the top 20.

McCray also has hit 40.1 percent from the floor to rank 14th in the Big 12, and is second in the conference with 2.85 three-pointers per contest, which ranked 40th nationally last week. He also paces the Huskers with 77 three-pointers to rank fourth on the NU single-season chart, and with his next trey he will tie for second place. McCray is seventh in the conference in three-point percentage by hitting 35.8 percent beyond the arc on the year.

In league-only games, he is 11th in scoring at 15.8 points per game. He is also tied for second with 2.81 treys per game and is 10th in Big 12 play by hitting 34.1 percent from long range.

A 6-5, 210-pound guard, McCray has set several Nebraska freshman records, including most 20-point scoring games (9), most consecutive double-figure scoring games (9) and three-pointers in a season (77). He also ranks second in NU freshman history with 413 points and his 132 rebounds to rank sixth on the NU frosh chart.

Simply a Sensational Scorer
Freshman guard Joe McCray has rewritten the 33-year old Husker record for 20-point contests by a freshman as he posted nine such games during the regular season.

McCray broke the previous record of six 20-plus point games when he scored a team-best 21 points on the road against No. 21/22 Oklahoma. The rookie from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., broke the Nebraska mark formerly held by Jerry Fort, who had six 20-point games in 1972-73.

Since then McCray has added two more 20-point games to push his season record total to nine. McCray had a game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting as Nebraska stunned No. 4/4 Oklahoma State, 74-67, and then came back a week later to post 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting against Colorado. 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 during the regular season.

McCray's nine 20-point games lead the Huskers, as only senior guard Jake Muhleisen (2) has more than one. Overall, the Huskers have produced 14 20-point contests this season as a team. McCray's nine 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.

Just before Christmas, 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 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.

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 8.0 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds to open his career.

Maric finished the regular season ranked 11th in the league in rebounding, including ninth in offensive rebounding. In conference-only games, Maric added a team-best 5.4 boards per game to tie for 18th.

The big man has started the last five games ? and nine overall this season ? and has responded with some of his best performances of the year. He has scored in double figures in four of his five recent starts, and has five double-figure scoring efforts in the past seven games, after gaining at least 10 points in six of his first 19 games.

Maric was named the Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week on Feb. 28 after helping the Huskers to two straight wins the previous week. The Aussie averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while hitting 64.7 percent from the field in wins over No. 4 Oklahoma State and on the road at Iowa State.

In one of his best offensive games of the year, Maric scored a career-best 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting against the Cowboys while helping NU to a 74-67 victory. Maric connected on 7-of-8 attempts inside the arc and added a career-best three assists without a turnover.

At ISU, Maric recorded his third double-double of the season to tie the Nebraska freshman record. He had 11 points and 10 boards at the intermission and finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting with 12 rebounds in 23 minutes. He sat much of the second half after getting his third and fourth fouls less than one minute into the second period.

Maric started the strong stretch run with 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 and set a career high for the second straight game by playing 35 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. 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 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.

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 and 5.0 boards per game. He also ranks second on the squad by hitting 49.7 percent (81-of-163) from the floor, including a team-best 54.7 percent in conference play.

In the past five games, Dourisseau has hit 23-of-38 (60.5 percent) attempts from the field, including a 6-of-7 effort against Missouri. He has averaged 10.6 points per game with 4.2 rebounds per contest during that stretch.

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. That surge 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 in Lincoln. The Omaha native 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 at home, when 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 17 of his 23 games played this year, with NU holding an 11-6 record in games Dourisseau has been in the opening lineup. He has nearly doubled his numbers from last season, as he has 115 rebounds, 20 steals and is fourth on the squad with 38 assists. Last season, he had 60 rebounds, 13 steals and 17 assists 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 posting his first career double-double.

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.

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. 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 third on the team by averaging 8.5 points per game while hitting 45.0 percent from the floor. He scored in double figures seven times in 16 league games, including a career-high 22 points against Kansas State in the league opener. He had not recorded a double-figure scoring game against Big 12 foes in his first two seasons. Wilkinson is also averaging 3.7 rebounds per game against conference foes, including posting a career-high nine rebounds against Iowa State in Lincoln.

Wilkinson has hit 76.9 percent from the free throw line against the league. In fact, he has hit 32 of his last 37 attempts (86.5 percent) over the past 13 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 and two steals against KU in a loss in Lincoln. At Missouri, he hit a career-high four three-pointers en route to 14 points and six boards.

After helping the Huskers to a 74-67 victory over No. 4 Oklahoma State, Wilkinson recorded his best performance on the road since the Kansas contest when he posted 16 points with five boards in the win at Iowa State. He had scored just 14 points in the previous five games combined and had 15 points in his previous three road games combined before hitting 6-of-12 from the floor against the Cyclones.

Wilkinson has added 1.2 blocks per game (32 total) this season to rank eighth in the Big 12 Conference this year. He has had at least two blocks in eight 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 second in the league in rebounding with 38.4 boards per game and second in rebounding margin at +5.6. In conference play, NU is second in rebounding at 36.0 boards per contest and fourth in rebounding margin at +2.8.

In the March 1 NCAA statistics, the Huskers ranked 17th in the nation in rebounding margin (+6.2).

Freshman Aleks Maric ranks 11th in the league with 6.3 rebounds per game to pace the Huskers. Maric has recorded four double-figure rebound games (15, 14, 11, 12) this season. Junior Jason Dourisseau ranks second on the team after gaining 5.0 rebounds per game over 23 games and just fell out of the top 20 in the conference. In league-only games, Maric paces NU with 5.4 boards to tie for 18th.

Overall, the Huskers have taken a rebounding advantage in 20 of 27 games during the regular season. Nebraska outrebounded 11 of 16 Big 12 opponents this year, including No. 10/9 Texas and at No. 2/2 Kansas and Iowa State.

Nebraska pulled down 51 boards in the road victory over Iowa State, outrebounding the Cyclones 51-37. It was a conference season high for rebounds and was the first time NU grabbed at least 50 boards against a league foe since pulling down 51 boards in a 72-44 victory over No. 25 Texas Tech in 2004. NU also had 50 rebounds earlier that season in a 70-26 win over Bethune-Cookman.

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. The last time NU had three straight 50-rebound games came in 1999-2000. Overall, the Huskers have had 68 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 (including 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 put his name in elite company this season.

After finding great improvement each of his first three seasons, Turek ranks among Nebraska's best rebounders and shot blockers of all time. Turek enters the Big 12 Tournament with 897 career points, 674 rebounds and 162 blocked shots.

With his first rebound at Iowa State, Turek moved into a tie for 10th place on the Nebraska career rebound chart. He added eight boards against Colorado on Senior Night to move into ninth place and with three boards at K-State, he is now just six rebounds away from sole possession of eighth place.

Already one of the top shot blockers in Nebraska history entering the season, Turek has a chance to do something that no Husker has ever accomplished. Turek, who moved into fourth in NU history with 162 blocked shots after posting a career-best seven blocks at home against Colorado, 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 leads the team with 34 rejections, two ahead of Wes Wilkinson.

If he were to lead the team in blocks this season, Turek would be the first Husker 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 conference tournament with 907 points, 339 rebounds, 281 assists and 98 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. When he added 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 75 assists against just 42 turnovers this season. He is second on the team in assists, behind only senior point guard Marcus Neal Jr. who has 93. The Lincoln native has recorded a 1.69:1 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank 11th in league contests. Muhleisen struggled through most of the non-conference slate while being bothered by a wrist injury, but saw a surge in his play during the Big 12 slate.

Muhleisen hit 39.0 percent (39-of-100) 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 33.3 percent (13-of-39). Over the past 13 games, Muhleisen has hit 36.3 percent (12-of-33) from long range.

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. It was a great birthday present for his father, Dave, who turned 50 that day when the younger Muhleisen had a game-high 25 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including hitting 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Jake 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.

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 17th rebound margin (+6.2) in the NCAA statistics of March 1.

? 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.

? limited Iowa State to just 37.7 percent shooting, including 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from three-point range in an NU road victory, 76-69. NU also gained a 51-37 advantage on the glass, including a 23-14 margin on the offensive end.

? allowed Colorado to score just 55 points on 37.1 percent shooting in Lincoln, including 29.0 percent in the first half. The Buffs hit just 5-of-20 (25.0 percent) from long range

Huskers' 2005 Recruiting Class Among Top 25 Nationally
Five highly rated players signed national letters-of-intent during the early signing period and will join the Nebraska basketball team in 2005-06. The group is ranked among the top 25 recruiting classes nationally according to at least one service. The Huskers have one scholarship still remaining for next season.

Among the four signees on the first day of the early signing period (Nov. 10) were Will Harris, Jamel White, Chris Balham and Kyle Marks, while Marcus Walker signed his scholarship papers on Nov. 16.

The class is tied with seven teams for No. 23 nationally by hoopscooponline.com. Nebraska's class is fourth among Big 12 schools, trailing only Oklahoma State (No. 8), Baylor (No. 11) and Kansas (No. 13). It marks the Huskers’ second top-25 recruiting class in four seasons.

Harris and White have each been ranked among the national top 100 by separate recruiting services, giving Nebraska four top-100 signees over the past two seasons. Current freshmen Joe McCray and Aleks Maric were each also ranked among the top 100 before joining the Huskers.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Harris leads the way among the Husker signees after earning a top-100 ranking by several publications. The 6-7, 230-pound swingman was ranked No. 94 nationally by recruiting expert Bob Gibbons and the No. 25 wing/forward by hoopmasters.com. Harris, who currently attends Maine Central Institute, was ranked 15th nationally among fifth-year players by hoopscooponline.com after ranking No. 119 last year as a senior at Troy (N.Y.) Redemption Christian Academy. Harris averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists as a senior, after playing at Christ the King the previous two years.

Following his senior season, Harris had a breakout summer in 2004 on the AAU circuit. Harris, who has played for the New York Gauchos and New York Elite, was ranked the No. 1 wing/forward at the 2004 National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp by Gibbons. His strong performance also helped him rank No. 66 nationally in Lindy’s.

The addition of White gives the Huskers a pair of New Yorkers on next year’s roster. A native of New York City, White is considered one of the top prep school guards in the country while playing for Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute this season, the No. 1 prep school team in the nation with a 7-0 record. The 6-3, 175-pounder has averaged 12 points and nearly nine assists per game for Laurinburg, after gaining 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists per contest at Grady High School last season.

White was recently ranked 91st in the country among breakdownmagazine.com’s top 100, a national ranking that includes all classes. He was also ranked No. 33 among fifth-year players by hoopscooponline.com. White was the first commitment to the Huskers’ 2005 class.

Along with Harris and White, the Huskers added two other athletic players in Balham and Marks. Balham, a 6-8, 225-pounder, has been playing basketball for less than four years since coming to the United States from France before his freshman season. Balham, who is from Lenexa, Kan., has played two seasons at Shawnee Mission West, where he averaged 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while helping the Vikings to an 11-10 record. Despite finishing one game above .500, West was the leading defensive team in the state as it allowed only 41.9 points per game while holding opponents to just 38 percent shooting from the floor. Balham, who is as a preseason all-state selection before his senior season, helped West outrebound opponents by seven boards per game.

Marks is an athletic forward who was the Huskers’ most recent commitment. The 6-7, 205-pound native of Riviera Beach, Fla., averaged 12 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots for Dwyer High School as a junior. He helped Dwyer to a 25-3 record last year and the Class 5A state title.

While he had already caught the Huskers’ attention, Marks burst onto the summer circuit with the Tallahassee Wildcats where he was one of five Division I signees. The other four were scheduled to join the programs at Florida, Florida State, Cincinnati and Virginia. Marks helped the Wildcats win tournament titles at the Charlie Weber Classic, Coast-to-Coast Invitational and the adidas Showtime National Championships.

Walker, who has a four-star ranking and is listed among the top 25 point guards nationally by theinsiders.com, is top-150 recruit according to hoopmasters.com. At Archbishop O’Hara High School in Kansas City, the 6-2, 165-pounder this season with 1,818 career points and owns the school records for single-season scoring (754 points) and single-game scoring (54).

Last year, Walker led O’Hara to a 20-8 record and helped the Celtics advance to the Class 4 quarterfinals of the Missouri state tournament. Walker averaged 26.9 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals per game in 2003-04. Walker attended the 2004 Rebook ABCD Camp, where he tied for the tournament lead with 3.9 assists per game and was named one of the top 10 point guards in attendance.

Filling the House
Last season, Nebraska had five straight games with at least 10,000 fans in attendance to end the season and NU averaged more than 9,900 fans per game during the 2004 Big 12 home slate. The total was an increase of nearly 1,200 from the previous season and was the Huskers' highest conference attendance total since 1997-98.

That late-season support has carried over to 2004-05. The Huskers sold 9,414 season tickets (public/staff plus student Red Zone tickets), the highest total since 1997-98. The 2,186 student season tickets sold for the Red Zone are the most since 1992-93, when 2,314 students bought tickets. The overall total is up 1,101 tickets or a total of 13 percent from last year's 8,313 season tickets sold.

Nebraska's biggest non-conference crowd in more than a decade showed up for the Creighton game on Dec. 11, 2004, as 13,602 were on hand for the instate showdown. It was the first non-conference home sellout since the 1993-94 campaign against Northern Iowa, and was the largest non-conference crowd since 13,205 fans were in the Devaney Center against Minnesota in 1996-97.

The Devaney Center was also sold out when the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks came to Lincoln on Feb. 5. It is the first time since the 1994-95 season that NU has had at least two home sellouts.

Quick Shots
? John Turek became the 31st Husker in history play in 100 career game when he suited up against Texas on Jan. 15 and Corey Simms joined him in that elite group when he played against Texas Tech. Jake Muhleisen will be playing his 100th career game in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

? Jake Muhleisen leads the Huskers in games started with 98 in his career to rank fifth in NU history.

? John Turek moved into the Nebraska career top 10 with three rebounds against Iowa State. He now has 674 to rank ninth, just six from owning the No. 8 spot. He became just the 14th player in Nebraska history with at least 600 boards as he reached the plateau on Jan. 15 with 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 413 points (15.3 ppg over 27 contests).

? Senior guard Marcus Neal Jr. has saved a pair of games for the Huskers this season in the final 1.3 seconds of the contest. At Tennessee, the Huskers picked up their first road win of the year when Neal hit three free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining to hand NU a 62-61 victory. Two games later in the conference opener against Kansas State, Neal was in nearly the same situation when he was fouled on a three-point shot with 1.3 seconds left in the game. Neal hit the first and last attempt to send the game into overtime, where he scored 13 of his career-high 19 points in the two extra sessions to help NU to a 95-85 victory.

? 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 6-0 under Coach Collier when recording at least 90 points in a game, and 21-4 when scoring at least 80 points.

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

? Nebraska owns a 4-1 record on the road when leading at the half and is 13-4 overall this season when leading at the intermission.

? The Huskers are 13-1 on the year when leading with five minutes remaining in the game, including a perfect 4-0 away from Lincoln. Nebraska is 0-12, including 0-7 on the road, when trailing at the 5:00 mark.