Nebraska Braces for Blazers

The Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the court for the second time in four days when it plays host to the UAB Blazers on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the DevaneyCenter.

 

The game will tip off at 3 p.m., which is a change from the originally scheduled 7 p.m. tip-off. The contest can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network with Randy Lee calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The Pinnacle broadcast can also be heard live on Huskers.com, where live stats are also available for free while streaming video can be seen on the premium site HuskersNside.com.

 

The Nebraska Athletic Department moved the game time ahead four hours to allow Husker fans to be able to attend both the basketball game and the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament at the NU Coliseum at 7 p.m. The Husker volleyball team enters the postseason ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 28-1 record. All Husker volleyball postseason matches will be heard live on KFAB 1110 AM.

 

Huskers Show Efficiency

Nebraska hits the floor Saturday looking to protect its perfect start as it has run to a 5-0 record while showing versatility and balance. The Huskers will also have to show poise and intelligent playmaking against the Blazers, who have forced their first three opponents into an average of 29.3 turnovers per game. UAB has gained 15.0 steals per contest this season behind its pressure and trapping defense.

 

Three Huskers have averaged at least 12 points per game to lead the balanced offensive attack and five players have gained at least 4.0 rebounds per contest to open the season. Nebraska has had four players reach double figures in the same game three times this year, including senior guard Jason Dourisseau, the only Husker to score at least 10 points in all five games so far this season.

 

Nebraska has hit just 42.9 percent from the floor in the early going but has found a way to win, moving to 5-0 to open the season for the third time in Coach Barry Collier's six seasons. Nebraska has overcome a rebounding deficit in three games and has fought off late comeback attempts by three teams (Yale, Louisiana Tech and Marquette) that were within six points of the Huskers in the final seven minutes.

 

Nebraska cleared its first big hurdle of the season with a solid 10-point victory over Marquette on Wednesday. NU hit on all cylinders as it raced to a 22-point lead early in the second half.

 

The Huskers got out of the gate in a hurry as they scored a season-best 48 points in the opening period. Nebraska dominated the glass, taking a 14-rebound advantage before halftime and finishing with a season-best 49 rebounds.

Sophomore center Aleks Maric led the way with his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards. Maric tied the Nebraska freshman record last season with a team-best three double-doubles on the year. Senior forward Wes Wilkinson added 15 points, seven boards and five blocked shots while B.J. Walker added career highs with 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

While its offensive effort was solid, the Huskers' defense has been stellar through five games.

 

NU is allowing opponents to hit just 36.0 percent from the field, including a paltry 31.5 percent from long range through five games. Marquette, which entered the game Wednesday hitting 39 percent from beyond the arc, connected on just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) of its 3-point attempts against the Huskers. Marquette was 2-of-12 from long range in the opening half as NU ran to a 19-point lead at the intermission.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and UAB are meeting for the fourth time in the series and the second straight season. Last year, UAB ran past the Huskers, 80-66, in a nationally televised game from Birmingham. Despite the loss, the Huskers still own a 2-1 series lead after squeezing out a pair of victories in the late 1970s.

 

The first meeting between the teams in 1978 was the debut game of the Blazer program. Nebraska earned a tough 64-55 victory in Birmingham in UAB's first-ever game. The following season, the Blazers got into the Nebraska record book as the game went four overtimes before Nebraska held on for a 92-84 win. The game is the longest in Nebraska history to this day.

 

In last season's contest, Nebraska fell to 2-1 on the year with a 14-point setback. UAB held the Huskers to 37.1 percent shooting, including 29.2 percent from the 3-point line. Nebraska picked up a 50-38 advantage on the glass but was forced into 24 turnovers. Joe McCray came off the bench to score 24 points, including hitting 5-of-10 3-point attempts, while Aleks Maric added a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. 

 

Scouting the Blazers

UAB enters the weekend with a 2-1 record after suffering its first loss of the season on Tuesday as the Blazers dropped a 92-76 contest to Western Kentucky in Birmingham. WKU shot the lights out as it hit 31-of-53 attempts (58.5 percent) from the floor, including an amazing 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from beyond the arc. UAB has not lost consecutive non-conference games since dropping contests to LSU and Marshall in the 2003-04 season.

 

The Blazers make their living by utilizing their team speed on both offense and defense. UAB looks to push the ball and find easy baskets and has one of the toughest defenses to prepare for as it traps and pressures the ball on nearly every possession of the game.

 

On the year, UAB has averaged 80.3 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting, but has connected on just 26.7 percent from outside the arc. Opponents have gained 72.3 points per contest on 52.3 percent shooting, and following the red-hot performance of the Hilltoppers, UAB opponents have hit 44.7 percent from downtown.

 

The defensive pressure has helped UAB force opponents into 29.3 turnovers per game while the Blazers have collected 15.0 steals per game. Guard Squeaky Johnson has led the way with 6.0 steals per contest, including a league- and school-record 12 steals against South CarolinaState. The 12 steals were one off the NCAA single-game record.

 

Johnson has averaged 6.7 points and a team-best 7.0 assists per game while setting up the offense. Wing forward Demario Eddins has paced the Blazer offense with 20.7 points per game while Marvett McDonald is the only other Blazer averaging double figures with 10.0 points per contest. Eddins (4.0) and Brandon Tobias (4.3) are the only Blazers gaining at least four rebounds per game, as UAB has trailed on the boards 37.0-31.0 on the season.

 

 

Nebraska Postgame Notes vs. Marquette

? Nebraska improved to 5-0 by scoring a season-high 84 points. It is the third time under Coach Barry Collier the Huskers have opened with five straight wins and the fourth time in the past 10 years overall.

? Nebraska’s 48 points in the first half were the most by the Huskers in any period this season. The previous high was 41 points in the opening half of the season against Longwood. The 48 points were also the most given up in a half by the Golden Eagles, surpassing the 43 points allowed when they trailed by one, 43-42, against South Carolina in the title game of the Great Alaska Shootout on Sunday.

? Nebraska’s 12-0 run between the 12:48 mark and 10:30 remaining in the first half tied for the Huskers’ longest run without an opponent scoring this season. NU opened a 28-14 lead with the run. The last time NU had a 12-0 run was in the season opener when the Huskers defeated Longwood, 80-65.

? Nebraska’s 22-point lead at 53-31 tied the Huskers’ largest lead of the year. NU also held a 22-point advantage over Longwood in the second half of the season opener.

? Wes Wilkinson tied his career high with five blocked shots in the game, marking the second time in his last three games he has had five blocks. He also had a career high five blocks against Yale before leaving with an injury. Wilkinson had four blocks in a game only once in his first 87 career contests, with that coming against Tennessee in 2003.

? Forward B.J. Walker had 10 points in the first half and finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and added eight rebounds. The points and rebounds were both career highs.

? Freshman Marcus Walker had a career-high six assists, bettering the mark set in the season opener against Longwood. Nebraska had 20 assists as a team, setting a season high with three more than its previous best of 17 set against Longwood.

? Nebraska’s 21 offensive rebounds was a season high and the 49 rebounds were the most of the year, besting its previous high of 47 boards in the Longwood contest to open the season.

? Sophomore center Aleks Maric recorded his team-high third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards. Last year, Maric led Nebraska with three double-doubles on the campaign.

 

Walker Emerges

Junior transfer B.J. Walker has played in every game and has continued to look more comfortable every time on the court with his teammates, especially in the Huskers' 10-point win over Marquette earlier this week.

 

A native of Cincinnati, Walker tied for the team lead with 15 points while adding eight rebounds, both highs in his young career at Nebraska. Walker hit 6-of-12 attempts from the floor and 3-of-4 shots at the charity stripe while adding one block in 21 minutes of action.

 

Walker's emergence gives Nebraska a solid three-man rotation in the frontcourt along with forward Wes Wilkinson and center Aleks Maric. The trio has combined to average 34.2 points and 19.6 rebounds per game while hitting 50.4 percent (59-of-117) from the field. 

 

Return Game

Junior guard Charles Richardson Jr. made his return to the court in the Huskers' 69-54 victory over SoutheastMissouriState. Richardson's season debut included two steals in nine minutes of action. His second appearance of the year against Marquette was even more successful as he had four points, four assists without a turnover and two steals in 22 minutes.

 

Richardson's return was a relief for the Huskers as he was Nebraska's only returning point guard with any experience entering the season. Last year, Richardson came on strong at the end of the season, earning his second start of the year in the Big 12 Tournament. Over the final nine games last season, Richardson averaged 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest including posting a career-high 10 points against Colorado in NU's last home game of the 2004-05 campaign.

 

Wilkinson Adds Another Dimension For Huskers

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson missed the Louisiana Tech game with an injury but returned in fine fashion against SoutheastMissouriState last weekend. Wilkinson torched the Redhawks for a career-high 25 points while tying his career high with nine rebounds.

 

The 6-10, 220-pounder hit 10-of-15 attempts from the floor ? both career highs ? showing his versatility as he hit 3-of-4 from 3-point range while also playing well in the paint. Wilkinson was third on the team with a career-best 24 3-pointers last season and currently leads Nebraska with eight treys on the year.

 

Wilkinson followed with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots against Marquette. He has averaged a team-best 14.8 points to go with 5.8 rebounds per game. He has hit 54.8 percent (23-of-42) from the floor, including 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from long range. Wilkinson also owns 11 of NU's 15 blocked shots this season, including a career-best five blocks twice (against Yale before going out with an injury and against Marquette).

 

Hot Hand

Senior guard Jason Dourisseau has continued his hot hand from last year when he ranked second on the squad by hitting 49.1 percent of his attempts from the floor. While the Omaha native continues to work on his game at the free throw line, he has been exceptional from the field over his last 13 regular-season games dating back to last season.

 

During that span, Dourisseau has hit 56.7 percent (51-of-90) from the floor, including 23-of-39 (59.0 percent) in five games this season. Dourisseau is second on the team with 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season. He was one of three Huskers named to the all-tournament team at the season-opening John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge, and is the only Husker to score in double figures in every game this season.

 

Charity Work

While the percentage is still not where they would like it to be, the Huskers have done an outstanding job of getting to the free throw line in the early season games. Nebraska has averaged 29.0 free throw attempts per game (145 total attempts in five games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 14.0 times per game (70 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 64.1 percent from the line this season after connecting on 66.0 percent (409-of-620) last year. Three players have at least 20 attempts this season with Jamel White (17-of-22) leading the way at a 77.3-percent clip.

 

First-Timers

Husker fans are seeing several new faces on the court in 2005-06. Nebraska's 16-man roster entering the season included nine players (six newcomers, three redshirts) who had never played a minute in a Husker uniform during a regular-season game.

 

During NU's three games at the season-opening John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge, six players saw action for the first time in their Husker careers, including three true freshmen (Marcus Walker, Jamel White and Kyle Marks), a redshirt junior (Marcus Perry), a redshirt freshman (Jim Ledsome) and a junior college transfer (B.J. Walker).

 

Marcus Walker has earned a starting nod in each of NU's first five games, and was just the second true freshman to start his first career game at Nebraska since Cookie Belcher in 1996-97. Marcus Walker is not the only newcomer to earn a start, as B.J. Walker was in for the tip off against Holy Family in NU's final exhibition game.

 

Through five regular-season games, Jamel White leads the newcomers as he is averaging 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and is tied for the team lead with 2.6 assists per game while averaging 25.0 minutes per game off the bench.

Last year, the Huskers had two freshmen (Joe McCray and Aleks Maric) see significant time early in the season before setting NU records. McCray posted the best scoring average by an NU freshman in history after gaining a team-best 15.5 points per game. He also set records for 20-point games (10) and broke the Big 12 freshman record with 80 3-pointers. Maric set the NU freshman rebound record with 169 boards on the year.

 

Passing Grade

Freshmen guards Marcus Walker and Jamel White have made solid first impressions for the Huskers. The duo has combined for 13.0 points, 5.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game while hitting 23-of-30 attempts from the free throw line.

 

Walker and White are tied for the team lead with 13 assists apiece, with Walker owning the single-game team season high after posting six assists against Marquette. Walker had five assists in the season opener but then posted just two assists over the next three games before getting back on track against the Golden Eagles. White's season high is five assists against Yale. He also posted 10 points and seven rebounds against the Bulldogs.

The pair made a strong impression during the exhibition season while taking the place of NU's only returning point guard, Charles Richardson Jr., who was sidelined with an injury.

 

Walker started both exhibition games at point guard and led the team with 13 assists, including an eight-assist, no-turnover game against Holy Family in the second exhibition game. While Walker struggled from the field in exhibition play, he went 6-of-6 at the free throw line, including four crucial freebies sandwiched around a driving layup in the final minutes of a five-point win over Nebraska-Omaha. White played at both the point and shooting guard and ranked fourth on the team with 8.0 points per game in the exhibition contests. White hit 6-of-8 attempts at from the line and was 4-of-8 from the floor while adding three steals.

 

McCray Moving Up Chart

Guard Joe McCray set several Nebraska freshman records last season and looks to break into the NU career record book during his sophomore campaign.

Nebraska's top returning scorer had 80 3-pointers to his credit after one season and now with 87 in his career, needs just eight treys to break into the Husker career top 10. Former Huskers Jake Muhleisen and Jamar Johnson currently rank 10th with 95 career 3-pointers.

 

With 13 more 3-pointers, McCray will become the 10th player in Nebraska history to reach 100 career treys and will become only the second player to reach 100 treys during his sophomore season, joining Cary Cochran, who had 101 3-pointers after two full seasons playing for the Huskers. If McCray matches his production from last year he would finish the 2005-06 season ranked sixth in NU history, only 22 treys from the top three. Cochran owns the NU record with 268
3-pointers in his career, while Eric Piatkowski (202) is the only other Husker with more than 200 career treys. 

 

International Man

Center Aleks Maric (pronounced MAR-itch) returned from the summer in the best shape of his life, which makes sense as he played more than 30 games in Slovenia, Greece, Canada and Argentina during July and August as part of the Australian Under-21 National Team. The 6-11, 265-pounder who set the Nebraska freshman rebounding record last season helped his Aussie team, the Crocs, to a fourth-place finish at the U21 World Championships in Argentina in August.

 

Maric averaged 9.4 rebounds per game while helping the Crocs to a 6-2 record at the World Championships. He was second in the tournament in rebounding, behind only 7-3 Peter Ramos, who played for the Puerto Rican Olympic team and was in the NBA last season. Maric also averaged 10.6 points while hitting 50.6 percent from the floor in the championships.

 

Maric is the second Husker to play on a youth World Championship team, joining current Atlanta Hawk Tyronn Lue, who played for the United States at the Under-22 World Championships in 1997. Bill Johnson played at the World Championships while helping the United States to gold in 1954, and Dave Hoppen (1985) and Eric Piatkowski (1993) played on the United States' World University Games teams.

 

Get to Know Him

Sophomore center Aleks Maric gained recognition as one of the top foreign players in the country last year and has already started back on the same track in 2005-06.

 

In a Wednesday, Nov. 9, article titled '20 Players You Should Know,' Jeff Goodman of scout.com compiled a list of the top sophomores and incoming rookies who flew "under the radar or should be impact freshmen this season." Maric was ranked No. 12 on the list and was one of two players in the Big 12 Conference, along with fellow Australian Aaron Bruce of Baylor who was ranked No. 3.

 

Huskers Rise to Challenge

A trio of Huskers were named to the all-tournament team as they lead Nebraska to a perfect 3-0 record and the title of the John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge on the opening weekend of the 2005-06 season.

 

Senior Jason Dourisseau, sophomore Aleks Maric and freshman Jamel White each earned a spot on the all-tourney team, along with Yale's Sam Kaplan, Longwood's Michael Jefferson and tournament MVP Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech.

 

The Huskers had to scratch out two of the wins as NU's victories over Yale and LaTech were not decided until the final minutes. NU used a solid defensive effort that held its opponents to a tournament-low 61.7 points per game while shooting just 38.5 percent.

 

Maric and Dourisseau each averaged 12.7 points per game to lead the Huskers. Maric also pulled in 10.7 rebounds per game to rank second in the four-team field while Dourisseau was fourth overall and second on the team with 8.7 rebounds per contest.

 

White sparked the Huskers on both ends of the court as he took several charges on defense and added double-figure points twice. He finished with 10 points, seven boards and five assists against one turnover in the hard-fought win over Yale.

 

It was the first tournament title the Huskers have won since taking three straight games at the San Juan Shootout in 2000. Nebraska defeated Iona (81-80), KentState (69-68) and SMU (72-70) that season. The Huskers started that trip with a 72-64 win over Miami in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

 

New Bench Look

The Huskers have a new look on the bench as they have two new faces within the staff.

 

Jerome Francis Jr. joined the Huskers as an assistant coach in June and works directly with the post players. Francis formerly was head coach at Prairie View A&M three years and served at several Division I schools as an assistant coach, including one season at Butler with Coach Barry Collier.

 

Also new to the program this year is head basketball strength coach Travis Reust. A native of Oklahoma, Reust has most recently guided the programs at TCU and Colorado before coming to Nebraska. Reust has helped several Huskers reach new highs in the weight room already, as three Huskers have already benched at least 300 pounds this season while nearly every Husker has made a significant weight gain as well.

 

Fresh Faces

Nebraska has a returnee at each spot on the floor but will look for its depth this season to be provided mostly by new faces. Overall, the Huskers have six newcomers on the squad including five freshmen. The heralded group of newcomers gives Nebraska its most athletic roster in several years. 

 

Leading the list of fresh faces this season is junior college transfer B.J. Walker. The forward from Cincinnati nearly averaged a double-double last season with 16.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while helping Garden City (Kan.) Community College to its first-ever Jayhawk Conference West Division title. Walker has a soft touch inside 12 feet and solid offensive moves in the post and at 6-9, 245 pounds, provides another wide body to rest  either Wes Wilkinson or Aleks Maric.

 

Along with Walker, freshmen Marcus Walker, Jamel White and Kyle Marks have earned early praise from the coaching staff. Marcus Walker, who was rated the No. 25 point guard in the country as a senior last year by scout.com, gives Nebraska another lightning-quick point guard to pair with Charles Richardson Jr. Walker and White can both score and give Nebraska a different look with a bigger lineup as they go 6-2 and 6-3, respectively. Marks has been described by his teammates as "freakishly athletic" and the 6-7, 220-pounder has one of the top vertical jumps on the team.

 

Huskers Name Captains

After losing four veterans who had combined to play in more than 380 games over the past four seasons, it didn't take long for the Huskers to figure out who would take on more of a leadership role in 2005-06. Seniors Jason Dourisseau and Wes Wilkinson and sophomore Aleks Maric were selected as team captains for the upcoming season.

 

Dourisseau and Wilkinson are the only two scholarship players on the roster from Nebraska and have stepped up over the past seven months to provide leadership on and off the court. After a strong summer of play with the Australian Under 21 National Team, Maric is believed to be only the second sophomore in school history to be named a captain. Former Husker Jake Muhleisen was a three-year captain between 2003 and 2005.

 

Smith, Balham to Redshirt

Newcomers Chris Balham and Mike Smith have said they will sit out this season as redshirts, looking to gain strength and speed, and improve their skills before stepping onto the court for the Huskers in 2006-07.

 

Balham is one of the strongest players in Nebraska men's basketball team history and has already bench pressed more than 300 pounds. Balham will continue to work on his offensive skills as he began playing basketball just five years ago when he moved to Chicago from his native Paris, France. Smith also has great physical ability but with a log-jam in the backcourt, he has decided to take the time to improve his skill set and basketball IQ in anticipation of helping the Huskers next season.

 

Defensive Mind Set

The Huskers look to continue a recent tradition of success on the defensive end of the court this season as Nebraska has held opponents to less than 64.0 points per game each of the past two years. The last time Nebraska held opponents to fewer than 64.0 points per game in consecutive seasons was 1983 (60.9 ppg) and 1984 (61.6 ppg).

 

Before Coach Collier arrived in Lincoln, the Huskers had held opponents to under 71.0 points per game only twice (1999, 64.3 ppg; 1998, 68.5) in the previous 14 seasons, dating back to the addition of the 3-point line in 1987. Under Collier's guidance, NU has held opponents to less than 71.0 points per game five times in five seasons, including four times under 70.0 points per game.

 

Huskers Open Practice with Madness

Nebraska opened the 2005-06 year with a public scrimmage and dunk contest at Husker Madness on Oct. 14. With about 2,500 fans in attendance, the Huskers joined the Nebraska women's team to give the public a taste of what is to come in the regular season.

 

Following the women's scrimmage and 3-point contest, the Husker men held a 20-minute running clock scrimmage with the veterans taking on the newcomers. The newcomers struggled early but made a late surge before being held off by the veterans,
34-27.

 

In the dunk contest, freshman Kyle Marks impressed the fans with a two-handed slam after jumping over the entire team, which had crouched down inside the lane. Marks' dunk came in the finals against senior Jason Dourisseau, who cleared a ball rack set up in the lane inside the free throw line. Each scored a '50' to force a second finals matchup, which Dourisseau won after Marks missed both of his attempts.

 

Board Games

Nebraska looks to clean the boards on a regular basis again this season as it returns 57.4 percent of its rebounding from the 2004-05 campaign when it led the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin. The Huskers averaged a +5.2 rebounding margin over 28 games last season to rank 30th nationally.

 

Last year's effort marked the eighth time in the past 10 seasons the Huskers held an advantage on the glass. It was also NU's highest rebounding output since 1992, when Nebraska held a +6.4 rebounding advantage, and only the third time since 1953 the Huskers had at least a +5.0 rebounding margin. 

 

Map Quest

Nebraska's roster has changed quite a bit in the past 12 months. That is most evident when looking down the state listings as the only Nebraskans on the roster are the four seniors ? Jason Dourisseau and Wes Wilkinson along with walk-ons Bronsen Schliep and Tony Wilbrand. The states following Nebraska with the most current Huskers are New York and Florida with two each, while the other eight players are from seven other states and one foreign country. Overall, the Husker roster consists of players from 10 states and two countries.

 

Forcing Their Hand

Nebraska's foes hit just 41.4 percent from the floor last season as the Huskers ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference. It marked the third straight year Nebraska has held opponents to 41.5 percent or less from the floor. Since 1965, NU has held opponents to a 41.5 field-goal percentage or less just eight times, although six of those seasons have come in the last decade.

 

Tough Schedule Ahead

Nebraska will face 11 teams in 2005-06 that reached the postseason last year. Among the eight teams to reach the 2005 NCAA Tournament were six Big 12 opponents in Texas Tech (Sweet 16), Oklahoma State (Sweet 16), Oklahoma (Second Round), Iowa State (Second Round), Texas (First Round) and Kansas (First Round), along with two non-conference foes in UAB (Second Round) and Creighton (First Round).  Nebraska opponents Texas A&M (Third Round), Missouri (First Round) and Marquette (First Round) reached the 2005 National Invitation Tournament.

 

Home Sweet Home

The Huskers will play a BobDevaneySportsCenter single-season record 19 home games this season. The Huskers will break the record of 18 home games at the DevaneyCenter, last tied during the 2003-04 campaign when Nebraska picked up an NIT victory over Niagara on its way to a 15-3 home record. The 15 wins tied for second all-time on the building's single-season win chart.

 

Nebraska owns a 347-109 all-time record in its 30th year at the DevaneyCenter.

 

Basketball Luncheons

The Rebounders Club has announced the dates for its monthly basketball luncheons in Omaha during the 2005-06 season. The Rebounders Club is a booster organization that provides support for the Nebraska men’s basketball program and financial assistance to the NU Athletic Department.

 

The Husker Roundball Luncheons will take place for the 19th season sponsored by the Rebounders Club. The luncheons will take place at Anthony’s Steakhouse at 72nd and F Street in Omaha on the following dates: Tuesday, Nov. 22; Tuesday, Dec. 13; Tuesday, Jan. 10; Tuesday, Feb. 14.

 

The price for a four-luncheon pass is $65, or fans can join the luncheon for $20 at the door on a space-available basis. The event will include guest speakers from the basketball program and  is open to the general public as well as all Rebounders Club members.

 

What's On Tap Next

Following the matchup with the Blazers, Nebraska ends its seven-game, season-opening homestand against South DakotaState on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the DevaneyCenter. The Huskers and Jackrabbits will tip off at 7 p.m. and the game can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network.

 

Following the contest with SDSU, the Huskers hit the road for the first time this season as they make the 50-mile trek up I-80 to take on the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. at the QwestCenter.