Huskers Brace for Bulldogs

After a milestone victory on Monday, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the court for its third game in five days Wednesday when it plays host to the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at the BobDevaneySportsCenter. The Huskers and AAMU will tip off at 7:05 p.m. and the game can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com with Randy Lee (play by play) and Matt Davison (color) calling the action.

 

Nebraska brings an 8-2 record and two-game winning streak into the matchup with the Bulldogs. With a victory, the Huskers would pick up their ninth win in their first 11 games for the third time in the past decade. The last two times NU won 9-of-11 contests to open the season, the Huskers reached postseason play including the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and the NIT in 2004.

 

 

Spreading the Wealth

Nebraska's offensive execution was outstanding in its 107-57 victory over North Carolina A&T on Monday. The Huskers recorded a season-best 28 assists on 33 made baskets with three players finishing with at least five assists. The 28 assists were the most by the Huskers since 1994 when they posted 35 in a 101-60 win over Northeastern Illinois. 

 

Charles Richardson Jr., a junior guard, led the way as he came off the bench to record a team season-high eight assists without a turnover. The total was one off his career high of nine assists set two years ago against Tennessee. Along with Richardson, Jason Dourisseau had a career-high tying five assists without a turnover while Marcus Walker tied his career high with six assists against just one miscue.

 

Hitting on All Cyclinders

Nebraska has started to pick up steam on the offensive end just eight days after setting season lows for point total and field-goal accuracy. The Huskers, who were held to 44 points on 27.4 percent shooting in a road loss to Creighton, have connected on better than 50 percent from the floor in each of their last two games and posted the program's first 100-point game in a decade.

 

Sophomore guard Joe McCray got the Huskers rolling in the first two contests of a three-game homestand spanning five days. McCray has hit 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from the floor and 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) from 3-point range while averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals during Nebraska's most recent pair of victories.

 

McCray connected on a season-best five 3-pointers Monday against North Carolina A&T, one off his career high set a year earlier against the Aggies. McCray's strong outside shooting helped Nebraska post a season-best 16 3-pointers, just two off the school record set in 2002.

 

Marcus Walker has hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range over the past two games while averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 assists per contest. Charles Richardson Jr. has provided a spark off the bench, getting the offense moving by averaging 5.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists the past two contests.

 

The Huskers have also continued their run as one of the top rebounding squads in the Big 12 Conference. Nebraska picked up 48 rebounds against North Carolina A&T, its third-higest total of the year, and has held a +19.5 advantage on the glass over the last two contests.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and Alabama A&M will be meeting for the first time in program history when they face off on Wednesday at the DevaneyCenter.  AAMU is the fifth opponent meeting the Huskers for the first time in the series this season. Overall, Nebraska will play six teams (Longwood, Yale, Louisiana Tech, Southeast Missouri State, Alabama A&M and FloridaState) for the first time ever this season.

 

The Huskers own a 4-1 all-time record against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

 

Scouting the Bulldogs

Alabama A&M enters Wednesday's contest with a 2-2 record after dropping a 74-58 contest at Vanderbilt last weekend. AAMU had 12 steals and nine blocked shots against the Commodores but committed 18 turnovers and was outrebounded 41-29.

 

Guard Obbie Trotter paced the Bulldogs with 27 points on 11-of-23 shooting, including hitting 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. Trotter paces the team with 15.0 points per contest while averaging 4.5 assists and 6.0 steals per game this season. Trotter, who was the SWAC Player of the Year last season, has received attention from NBA scouts after leading the nation in steals with 125 in 32 games a year ago. He also averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

 

Trotter helped get the Bulldogs into the 2005 NCAA Tournament, as AAMU won the SWAC regular-season and league tournament titles. The favorite to repeat as league champion, Alabama A&M has averaged 68.5 points per game in 2005-06 while holding opponents to 68.8 points per contest. The Bulldogs have hit just 40.7 percent from the field, including a paltry 26.9 percent from 3-point range, but hold a +2.0 advantage on the glass (41.5 to 39.5). AAMU has also averaged 13.5 steals and 8.5 blocked shots through its first four games.

 

Along with Trotter, Joe Martin has provided a solid force for the Bulldogs as he averages a double-double with 12.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Last week before the Vanderbilt game, Martin led the nation in rebounds per game while Trotter led the country in steals per game (7.0 spg). As a team, the Bulldogs ranked second nationally in steals and blocked shots last week. Currently they average 13.5 steals and 8.5 blocks per game as a team, including Mickell Gladness's 3.0 bpg (7th nationally last week).

 

Alabama A&M is coached by Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M, 1980), who is in his 20th year guiding his alma mater. Pettaway owns a 386-183 career record at AAMU.

 

 

Nebraska Postgame Notes vs. North Carolina A&T

? Nebraska picked up its 350th all-time victory at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in high fashion as the Huskers scored at least 100 points in a contest for the first time since 1996 with a 107-57 win over North Carolina A&T. Marcus Perry’s free throw with 3:00 left gave the Huskers’ their 100th point of the night.

? The last time the Huskers scored at least 100 points came against Oklahoma on Jan. 13, 1996, in a 117-100 triple overtime loss to the Sooners. In fact, each of the last two times the Huskers hit the century mark they lost, including a 109-104 setback to Northern Iowa on Dec. 16, 1995. The last time Nebraska collected at least 100 points in a victory came on Feb. 8, 1995, in a 100-86 win over Colorado.

? The 107 points are the most by the Huskers since a 114-106 victory over Oregon on Nov. 25, 1995.

? The 50-point margin of victory tied for the third largest in Devaney Center history and tied for the seventh largest win in program history overall.

? Sophomore Joe McCray, who had six 3-pointers in the second half last year against North Carolina A&T, finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a season-best 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

? Marcus Perry (daughter's birth, Akayla) and Aleks Maric (injury) returned to the court after missing Saturday’s contest against ChicagoState.

? Perry finished the game with a career-high 13 points, while redshirt-freshman Jim Ledsome recorded a career-best five points and seven boards. Nebraska recorded 48 rebounds, two off its season high.

? Nebraska’s 58 points in the opening frame were the most points in any half this season and its 49 points in the second half rank second. It was the most points by the Huskers in any half since scoring 60 in the opening half against Texas A&M on Feb. 28, 2001.

? Nebraska recorded a season-high 16 3-pointers in the game, including nine in the first half. The Huskers’ previous high for a game was eight 3-pointers in each of the last two games.

? The 16 3-pointers are just two off the school record of 18 set in 2002 in a one-point home loss to No. 1 Kansas. The Huskers’ 36 attempts from 3-point range were also one off the school record of 37 also set against No. 1 Kansas in 2002.

? Nebraska hit 58.6 percent from the floor and 56.3 percent from beyond the arc in the opening half, its highest percentages in any period this year. NU hit 51.6 percent from the floor overall, the second straight game hitting better than 50.0 percent of its shots.

? Freshman Marcus Walker recorded 13 points and a career-high tying six assists. It marked his fourth double-figure scoring effort of the season and fourth in the last five games.

? The Huskers set a season high with 28 assists as a team, the highest total in Coach Barry Collier’s tenure, bettering the 27 assists set in 2001 against Texas A&M. The 28 assists are the most by the Huskers since recording 35 assists in a 101-60 win over Northeastern Illinois on Dec. 21, 1994.

? Nebraska recorded seven turnovers, including three in the second half. It was the fewest turnovers in a game since posting seven against ArizonaState on Dec. 3, 2003.

 

 

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 (25 points, nine rebounds) and has had the hottest hand on the team in the Huskers' subsequent games.

 

The 6-10, 220-pounder has averaged 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game over the past seven contests. He has hit 42-of-80 attempts (52.5 percent) from the floor and has played a team-high 29.7 minutes per game.  

 

Wilkinson has shown his versatility by connecting on an amazing 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) attempts from 3-point range over the past seven games. He had 10 treys combined in his freshman and sophomore seasons and owned 34 career 3-pointers entering the season. He averaged 0.39 treys per game in his first three seasons but has connected on 2.3 3-pointers per game so far in 2005.

 

On the year, Wilkinson has averaged a team-best 13.9 points to go with 8.2 rebounds per game. He has hit 51.6 percent (49-of-95) from the floor, including 21-of-40 (52.5 percent) from long range.

 

Following Monday's game against North Carolina A&T, Wilkinson led the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots per game, was second in 3-point percentage, fifth in rebounds per game, ranked 10th in field-goal percentage and was 15th in scoring. He was one of only four seniors to be ranked among the top 20 scorers in the Big 12.

 

Block Party

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson owns 24 of Nebraska's 41 blocked shots this season, including a career-best six blocks against Creighton. He has had three other games in his career with at least five blocks, including five against Yale and Marquette earlier this season. Wilkinson's 24 blocks this year are just eight less than all 10 of Nebraska's opponents have combined for against the Huskers (32).

 

Wilkinson is already eighth on the Nebraska class list. Wilkinson's career total (76) currently ranks eighth in the NU record book and he needs seven more to move into a tie for seventh.

 

If he can keep up his current Big 12-leading pace of 2.7 blocks per game, Wilkinson could challenge for one of the top spots on the NU single-season chart. The Nebraska single-season record is 91 blocked shots by Derrick Chandler in 1992. Wilkinson, who ranked 10th nationally in blocks per game last week, is on pace for 77 blocks (assuming he plays every remaining game of the regular season), which would rank fifth in the school record book.

 

Boarding All Rows

For the second straight season, Nebraska dominated the boards against UAB and a Husker came away with a career game. Last year, center Aleks Maric recorded a double-double in his third career game when he posted 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against the Blazers. The 15 rebounds were a team season high.

 

This year, it was senior forward Wes Wilkinson's turn to burn the Blazers. The Grand Island native recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, including 12 in the opening period. Wilkinson's 16 rebounds are the most by a Husker since John Turek also recorded 16 boards against Denver during the 2002-03 campaign.

 

Doubling Up

Wes Wilkinson went the first 90 games of his career without a double-figure rebounding game but had three straight performances with at least 10 boards between Dec. 3 and Dec. 11.

 

After posting a 17-point, 16-rebound effort against UAB for his first career double-double, Wilkinson added a 17-point, 10-board outing against South DakotaState. He came back with a game-high 13 rebounds against Creighton, although his double-double streak ended as he had just six points. Wilkinson's double-figure rebounding streak came to an end at three games as he had just seven boards against ChicagoState.

 

Wilkinson is not the only player doubling up this season, as sophomore center Aleks Maric owns the team lead with three double-doubles, which also ties for second in the Big 12 Conference this season. Junior forward B.J. Walker also got into the act as he posted a career-best 11 boards for his first double-figure rebound effort of the season against South DakotaState.

 

Jason Dourisseau, who has just missed out on a double-double with nine boards three times already this year, picked up his second career double-figure rebounding total with 11 boards against Creighton.

 

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 18 regular-season games dating back to last season. During that span, Dourisseau has hit 54.0 percent (67-of-124) from the floor, including 39-of-73 (53.4 percent) in 10 games this season.

 

Dourisseau is second on the team with 11.7 points and third with 7.2 rebounds per game this season. He also leads the Huskers with 14 steals.

 

Dourisseau was one of three Huskers named to the all-tournament team at the season-opening John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge, and was the only Husker to score in double figures in each of the first seven games 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 25.8 free throw attempts per game (258 total attempts in 10 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 15.8 times per game (158 attempts combined). NU has made more free throws than its opponents have attempted (166 to 158).

 

Nebraska has hit 64.3 percent from the line this season ? including a solid 76.0 percent (19-of-25) against UAB ? after connecting on 66.0 percent (409-of-620) last year. Jason Dourisseau has gotten to the line more frequently than any Husker (68 times).

 

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 earned a starting nod in each of NU's first six games, and was just the second true freshman to start his first career game at Nebraska since Cookie Belcher in 1996-97. Marcus Walker, who now owns eight career starts, is not the only newcomer to earn a start, as B.J. Walker has been in for the tip off three times this season.

 

Through 10 contests, Marcus Walker leads the newcomers by averaging 7.7 points per game while B.J. Walker has added 7.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. Marcus Walker has been especially strong in December, as he has averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 assists per game over the past five contests. During that span, he has hit 19-of-36 (52.7 percent) from the field, including 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range.

 

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 14.3 points, 5.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game while hitting 32-of-42 attempts from the free throw line.

 

Walker leads the team with 29 assists while White has added 22. Walker has posted six assists on two occasions, while White has recorded five assists on two occasions. Walker has had at least five assists in three contests. 

 

White has been efficient running the Husker offense this season, as he has 21 assists against five turnovers since the season opener when he had one assist and six turnovers.

 

The freshmen have made a strong impression since the start of the exhibition season when they took Charles Richardson's place, as he was sidelined with an injury. Richardson has led the team with a team-best 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (24:8) since his return from injury.

 

McCray Moving Up Chart

Guard Joe McCray set several Nebraska freshman records last season and has already broke into the NU career record book as a sophomore.

 

McCray, who now has 99 career 3-pointers, moved into the Nebraska career top 10 against North Carolina A&T in just his 38th career game. McCray recorded five treys against the Aggies to pass former Huskers Jake Muhleisen and Jamar Johnson, who each had 95 career treys, for 10th place on the list. With one more 3-pointer, McCray will become the 10th player in Nebraska history to reach 100 career treys. 

 

McCray will become only the second Husker ever to reach 100 treys during his sophomore season, joining Cary Cochran, who had 101 3-pointers after two full seasons (61 games) playing for the Huskers. 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.

 

Awesome Aussie

A native of Sydney, sophomore center Aleks Maric is one of 29 Australians playing Division I college men's basketball this season. According to the NCAA, there are 396 foreign players competing at the Division I level.

 

Also from Sydney, New South Wales, are Blagoj Janev (New Hampshire), Martin Iti (New MexicoState) and Stefan Blaszczynski (NichollsState). Blaszczynski is one of five Australians on the NichollsState roster, the most of any school in the United States.

 

Along with Nebraska, major conference schools including Arizona, Baylor, Georgia, Indiana and WashingtonState have at least one Australian on its roster in 2005-06.

 

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 strength 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 B.J. 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 2005-06 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, 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 returned 57.4 percent of its rebounding from the 2004-05 campaign when it led the Big 12 Conference in rebounding margin.

 

Through 10 games this season, Nebraska ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in rebound average at 43.1 boards per game with Wes Wilkinson (8.2), Aleks Maric (7.3 rpg), Jason Dourisseau (7.2) and B.J. Walker (5.5 prg) ranking among the top 20 individuals in the league.

 

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.

 

Home Again

Nebraska ended its longest homestand in 80 years with a 6-1 record after defeating South Dakota State, 76-67, on Dec. 8. It was the first time in school history that the Huskers opened the season with seven straight home contests.

 

The Huskers have started a year with six consecutive home games as recently as the 2001-02 campaign. The last time NU played seven consecutive home games at any point was the 1926-27 season. The Huskers went 6-1 during that stretch with the only loss a 34-25 setback against Kansas.

 

The Huskers will play a school-record 19 games in the DevaneyCenter during the 2005-06 regular season. It will break the previous high of 18 games set on three occasions, last in 2003-04. That season, Nebraska opened the year with a 10-1 mark before getting into conference play and finished the season with an 18-13 record, including a 15-3 mark at the DevaneyCenter, while advancing to the second round of the NIT.

 

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.

This year, opponents are hitting 37.0 percent from the field through the first 10 games of the season.

 

Tough Schedule

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 350-110 all-time record in its 30th year at the DevaneyCenter. The DevaneyCenter is one of just three current Big 12 arenas where the home team has won at least 350 games, including Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse, Oklahoma's LloydNobleCenter and IowaState's Hilton Coliseum.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Graduate Work

Former guard Corey Simms can not suit up for Nebraska any more, but he had every reason to be proud to be a Husker as he stepped to the platform during the winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 17. Simms was the only former basketball player to graduate this winter, finishing his degree in four and one-half years, but was one of 30 current and former student-athletes to get their degree on the day.

 

Simms (2004-05) joins an extensive list of players who earned their degree after competing as a senior under Coach Barry Collier. In 17 years as a head coach, Collier has now had 51-of-55 seniors earn their degree with one (Marcus Neal Jr.) on pace to complete his requirements in 2006.

 

What's On Tap Next

Following Wednesday's contest, the Huskers take some time off the court during the holiday before getting back into the practice routine on Dec. 27 in Miami. The Huskers then take on FloridaState on Dec. 31 in a game televised back to the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest. The contest will tip off at 12:30 p.m. CST and can also be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com.

 

Nebraska then finishes the non-conference slate on Tuesday, Jan. 3, when the Huskers play host to Northern Colorado at the DevaneyCenter.