Nebraska Returns Home to Face Missouri

After a two-game road swing, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the BobDevaneySportsCenter on Saturday, Jan. 28, looking to snap a three-game skid when it plays host to Big 12 foe Missouri.

 

The game will tip off at 3:01 p.m. and can be seen regionally on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 package. In Nebraska, KLKN in Lincoln has purchased the rights to carry ESPN Regional telecasts of Big 12 Conference games along with Cox 2 in Omaha. Fred White (play by play) and Paul Splittorff (color) will call the action.

 

The contest will mark Nebraska's second appearance on ESPN+ in 2006 and the first of three straight games telecast through the league package.

 

All NU men's basketball games can also be heard on the radio through the Pinnacle Sports Network. The 26-station network can be heard throughout Nebraska and parts of western Iowa, and is available worldwide on the Internet at Huskers.com. Randy Lee (play by play) and Matt Davison (color) will call the action.

 

Busy Weekend for Huskers

The DevaneyCenter will be bustling with action this weekend, especially Saturday. Along with the Husker men's basketball game, the building will play host to the women's basketball team on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it takes on Colorado. The Red Cross will be passing the bucket at both the men's and women's games as part of Red Cross Appreciation Day.

 

The Husker men's and women's track and field squads will be home at the Devaney Center Track (Saturday, 11:15 a.m.) for the Nebraska Triangular while the Husker swimming and diving team will also be home at the Devaney Center Pool for a dual meet against Iowa State at 1 p.m.

 

Other home events for Nebraska teams this weekend include a pair of women's tennis matches (Friday, vs. Colorado State, Woods Tennis Center, 4 p.m.; Sunday, vs. Illinois-Chicago, Woods Tennis Center, 10 a.m.), wrestling (Sunday, vs. Missouri, NU Coliseum, 2 p.m.) and women's gymnastics (Sunday, vs. Missouri, Devaney Center, 2 p.m.).

 

Huskers Look to Snap Skid Against Tigers

Nebraska hits the court Saturday looking to snap a three-game skid, the first time this season it has lost consecutive games. The Huskers are 12-6 overall and with a 2-3 record are looking to get back to .500 in conference play after six games for the second straight season. Last year, NU won two of its first five and pulled back to .500 with a 77-67 home win over Texas A&M in the sixth game of the league slate ? ending a three-game slide.

 

The Huskers will look for improved play on both ends of the court when they take on the Tigers, who come into the contest with a 10-7 mark and 3-3 league record. Missouri swept Nebraska in three meetings last season, including a three-point win in Lincoln.

 

Seniors Wes Wilkinson and Jason Dourisseau will likely play a large role in a Husker turnaround. The duo has been solid throughout the season and is looking to play with more consistency in conference play, where they have each had bright moments. In NU's last outing at Colorado, Wilkinson led the squad with 16 points while Dourisseau scored 14 second-half points and had 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.

 

Dourisseau, who is the only Husker to start every contest this season, has led the Huskers with 10.6 points per game in league play while adding 6.2 rebounds. Wilkinson has chipped in 7.7 points and 6.6 boards over five league contests while sophomore center Aleks Maric has added 9.4 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds in conference action.

 

At home, Wilkinson has averaged a team-best 14.3 points per game with 7.3 rebounds while Dourisseau has posted 11.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Maric has added 9.4 points and 6.8 rebounds and all three have hit better than 52.0 percent from the field on the DevaneyCenter court. Wilkinson has recorded 27 of his team-best 36 blocked shots and 29 of his 35 3-pointers while hitting 56.9 percent from beyond the arc in Lincoln.

 

McCray Suspended Indefinitely

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Barry Collier announced following practice on Friday, Jan. 27, that sophomore guard Joe McCray has been suspended from the team indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

 

“Joe has been suspended for violation of team rules. He has been suspended indefinitely,” Collier said. “We’re working as a basketball team to prepare for Missouri and our team is focused that way and that is our intent. I have no more comment on any other situation outside of the guys we have on our team.”

 

Collier and players will not be available for further comment on McCray’s status.

 

Husker Football Team to be Recognized at Halftime

The Nebraska football team will be recognized at halftime of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Nebraska and Missouri at the DevaneyCenter.

 

Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan, the Husker coaching staff and the majority of the players from the 2005 team will be present for the halftime recognition. Also on hand Saturday will be MasterCard Alamo Bowl Chairman Joe Linson, who will present the Husker football team with the Alamo Bowl trophy.

 

The presentation is in recognition of Nebraska’s 2005 season that culminated with the victory over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl. The Alamo Bowl win was Nebraska’s 22nd all-time bowl victory and the 43rd bowl trip in school history. The Huskers finished the year with an 8-4 record by winning the final three games of the season.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and Missouri will be meeting for the 205th time in series history with the Tigers holding a commanding 120-84 all-time advantage. Missouri has won three straight and nine of the last 10 meetings overall.

 

Two years ago, the Huskers snapped MU's series-long six-game win streak with a 78-62 home victory. In Lincoln, the Huskers own a 51-39 series lead although the Tigers have been tough in the DevaneyCenter as each team owns 14 wins in the building.

 

Last season, the Huskers were swept in three meetings including a season-ending loss to the Tigers in the Big 12 Tournament. It was the second time in three years MU won three contests over the Huskers in a single season. In the series, Missouri has won three contests over NU in a single season seven times.

 

Nebraska dropped a pair of three-point contests (56-53 at home; 70-67 at Kansas City) last season while also falling by 10, 80-70, on the road. In the first contest in Columbia, Wes Wilkinson added 14 with six boards but MU shot 54.3 percent from the field, including 60.0 percent in the second period, to pull away.

 

Linas Kleiza pounded the ball inside for 31 points ? and hit 15-of-17 at the line ? while Thomas Gardner came off the bench for  17 points. In the conference tournament, Kleiza had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Gardner added 13 points despite shooting 4-of-12 from the floor as the Tigers held on for the win after NU battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit.

 

2005 in Lincoln (MU 56, NU 53):  --- 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 BobDevaneySportsCenter.

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 Tigers used a 10-2 run keyed by a pair of Marshall Brown 3-pointers to get back in the contest, and then used timely stops on the defensive end to hold on.

 

Nebraska 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.

 

Joe 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 the team’s first 3-pointer of day at the 6:34 mark, after NU had missed its first 10 attempts from long range. He came back at the other end and took a charge on Gardner before Gardner hit a trey of his own for 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 3-pointer with just over four minutes to play pull NU with one, 50-49. Center Aleks Maric pushed Nebraska back within on a putback off a missed free throw 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
3-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 3-point attempt was off the mark.

 

MU forged an early 14-12 lead before NU's Jason Dourisseau scored seven straight points to give Nebraska a 19-14 advantage at the 5:14 mark. John Turek and Maric each connected on a basket to push the Husker lead to nine points, 23-14, and extend the run to 11-0. The Tigers then made a 7-2 run 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, 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 and Turek added eight boards with 10 points.

 

Scouting the Tigers

Missouri enters the weekend contest looking to get back on the winning track after dropping three of its last four league contests, including two straight. MU started the year with a pair of victories to move to 2-0 alongside the Huskers, but then fell by three at home to Colorado, 74-71, and suffered double-digit setbacks at Kansas State, 79-64, and at home to Iowa State, 82-58. The two losses followed an incredible 89-86 overtime victory over Kansas.

 

On the season, the Tigers own a 10-7 record but are just 1-4 away from Columbia with the only win coming at Oklahoma, 71-69. MU also defeated Oklahoma State, 69-61, at home to open league play.

 

Missouri has averaged 70.3 points per game this season while hitting 44.2 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from long range. Defensively it has allowed opponents to connect at a 44.4-percent clip (33.3 percent from 3-point range) while posting 69.2 points per contest. The Tigers have topped 70 points 10 times and have allowed nine opponents to reach that plateau.

 

The Tigers have one of the top individual performers in the league this season in Thomas Gardner. The junior guard is leading the league in scoring with 21.2 points per contest, the only player in the league averaging at least 20 points per game.

 

Gardner has hit 45.3 percent from the floor (121-of-267) and 42.3 percent (58-of-137) from 3-point range while connecting at a 70.9-percent clip from the charity stripe. Gardner, who ranks sixth in the league in minutes per contest at 34.1 mpg, has recorded more than half (56.9 percent, 58-of-102) of Missouri's total made 3-pointers this season.

 

Gardner is one of three double-figure scorers on the squad along with senior guard Jimmy McKinney (12.2 ppg) and sophomore forward Marshall Brown (10.9). Brown leads the squad by hitting 48.6 percent from the field and is second behind only Kevin Young (8.1 rpg) with 5.2 boards per game. Young has posted 8.0 points per contest while Jason Horton, who leads the team with 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game, is fifth on the squad with 5.1 points per contest.

 

Missouri is coached by Quin Snyder (Duke, 1989), who is in his seventh year guiding the Tigers. Snyder owns a 126-87 career record, all at Missouri.

 

Quick Shots

? Nebraska has had seven players lead the team in single-game scoring, although only once this year has a player topped the squad in points for consecutive games. Wes Wilkinson paced the squad against SoutheastMissouriState (25) and tied for the lead against Marquette (15). He has led the Huskers a team-high eight times this year.

? The Huskers tied their second-best start at home in the past 15 years by winning 11 of their first 12 tilts in Lincoln. Nebraska was 12-1 in 2004 to open the year and also went 11-1 in 1992-93. The Huskers now own an 11-2 record at the DevaneyCenter this season.

? With a 10-3 mark through non-league play, the Huskers won at least 10 non-conference regular-season games for just the second time since the formation of the Big 12 (also 2003-04 season when Nebraska went on to reach second round of NIT).

? NU is 9-0 this season when outshooting its opponent and 10-1 when leading with 5:00 remaining in the game.

? The 10-point deficit the Huskers overcame against Oklahoma was the largest deficit they has erased to win a game this season and the largest since NU came back from an 11-point deficit in a 74-67 victory over fourth-ranked Oklahoma State on Feb. 22, 2005.

? Before the Oklahoma game, the last time Nebraska won after trailing at halftime was against No. 12 /13 Kansas on Feb. 15, 2004, when the Huskers rebounded from a one-point deficit, 28-27, to win 74-55 over the Jayhawks. NU had lost 15 straight contests when trailing at the half before the win over Oklahoma.

? The eight-point halftime deficit against Oklahoma was the largest the Huskers have overcome since also coming back from eight down at the intermission against Kansas State on Jan. 30, 2001. It is tied for NU's second-largest halftime deficit overcome in the Big 12 era, trailing only the 18-point deficit Nebraska fought back from against KansasState on Jan. 15, 1997.

? The Huskers held KansasState to 42 points in a 15-point victory in their first conference game away from home. It was the fewest points the Huskers had allowed a conference opponent in a true road game since 1966 when NU won 45-41 in overtime at OklahomaState.

? Nebraska’s 58 points in the opening frame against North Carolina A&T were its 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 first half against Texas A&M on Feb. 28, 2001.

? Wes Wilkinson leads the conference with 2.12 blocked shots per game (36 blocks) in 17 games this season, and has already set a new career high. His previous high of 33 blocks was set in 27 games last year.

? Wilkinson is also drawing comparisons to former Husker Brian Conklin for his strong outside shooting. Conklin, a 6-11 forward, set the Big 12 record by hitting 55.9 percent from 3-point range as a senior. This year, the 6-10 Wilkinson leads the league by hitting  50.7 percent from outside the arc.

? Wilkinson played in his 100th career game at KansasState and Jason Dourisseau joined him in reaching 100 career games on Jan. 17 against IowaState.

? Marcus Walker has a team-best 49 assists and needs 12 assists to move into the Nebraska freshman top 10.

? Nebraska recorded seven turnovers against North Carolina A&T, a season-low and the fewest turnovers in a game since posting seven against ArizonaState on Dec. 3, 2003. The only other time this season Nebraska recorded 10 or fewer turnovers in a game came in a one-point victory over No. 12/14 Oklahoma, when NU had nine miscues.

? Nebraska recorded a conference season-high 16 3-pointers against North Carolina A&T, two off the school record of 18 set in 2002 against No. 1 Kansas. NU's 36 attempts from 3-point range were also one off the school record of 37 also set against KU in 2002.

 

Velander Ready for Return

While Nebraska is already 18 games into its season, one Husker is chomping at the bit to make his career debut for the Big Red. Redshirt freshman Paul Velander (pronounced VUH-lander) hit the court for the first time this season on Thursday, Jan. 26, following rehabilitation on his left ankle.

 

A walk-on from Blacksburg, Va., Velander had surgery on the ankle in the fall and was not cleared to practice until earlier this week, exactly four months after the surgery. Velander is considered a strong outside shooter and should fight for some minutes after working back into game shape.

 

Fast Break

Nebraska got off to its best start in six seasons under Coach Barry Collier with a 12-3 record through 15 games, equalling the program's best start since the 1995-96 campaign. That year, Nebraska had a 12-3 record through 15 games before going on to win five straight games in the NIT to earn its only postseason men's basketball championship in program history and finish the year with a 21-14 record.

 

Sharing Time

Entering the season, Nebraska had nine players on the 16-man roster who had never suited up in a Husker uniform. With so many new faces, the coaching staff knew it would be important to find minutes for several players and the result has been nine players averaging double-figure minutes, including eight gaining at least 19 minutes per contest. Wes Wilkinson leads the way with 27.2 minutes per game while Jason Dourisseau is second as he has averaged 26.3 minutes per game.

 

Hitting the Road

The Huskers continued their winning ways away from Lincoln as they won their league road opener for the second straight season with a 57-42 victory over the KSU Wildcats. NU snapped a 10-game losing streak in conference road openers last year with a 68-61 victory at Colorado. Before the win over the Buffaloes, Nebraska had not won a league road opener since a 78-72 victory at IowaState in 1994.

 

Taking the Floor

Charles Richardson Jr. has become the Huskers' floor general this season and has taken control of the point guard spot in the starting lineup the past five games (seven times overall).

 

The Maywood, Ill., native has proven effective at getting the team up the floor and into the offense and ranks second on the team with 47 assists against 27 turnovers in 15 games this season. Richardson ranks 13th in assists per game in the league standings and is sixth in the league in assist:turnover ratio.

 

Richardson has also been more offensive in his own game, setting career highs for points (15) and 3-pointers made (3) in a win over No. 12/14 Oklahoma, easily surpassing his single-game point total of 10 last year against Colorado. It was the second double-figure scoring mark of his career.

 

Richardson hit three 3-pointers on five attempts against the Sooners after entering the game hitting just 2-of-6 treys in his first 10 games combined. He also had two offensive rebounds after posting just seven offensive boards in his first 66 career games.

 

On the Mark

For the second straight season, a Husker freshman has played a large role in the Nebraska offense.

 

Rookie Marcus Walker has been solid at the point for Nebraska, averaging 7.6 points and 2.7 assists per game. His 49 assists lead the squad. Walker has recorded seven double-figure scoring contests this season, including a 20-point outburst against Alabama A&M that led to him being named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Dec. 27.

 

Walker was especially strong in December, as he averaged 10.9 points and 3.3 assists per game over seven contests during the month. He also hit 49.1 percent from the floor, including 40.0 percent from 3-point range, while ranking third on the team in scoring.

 

Walker's 23 3-pointers this season ranks third on the team and are tied for eighth in the NU freshman record book with Brian Conklin, who went on to set the Big 12 singl-season record for 3-point percentage as a senior in 2004. Walker moved onto the list when he passed Tyronn Lue on the rookie chart with two 3-pointers in the Huskers' contest against IowaState. Walker is the fourth freshman to play under Coach Barry Collier to gain a spot on the Husker freshman top 10 3-pointer list. Freshman Jamel White has a chance to become the fifth as he has 13 treys so far this season.

 

Walker's solid play comes a year after the Huskers had a pair of freshmen earn honors. Last year, Joe McCray and Aleks Maric saw 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 the record 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.

 

Tickets on Sale

A limited number of tickets for the 2006 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship First/Second Rounds are now on sale, the Big 12 office announced recently. Both events will take place at the AmericanAirlinesCenter in Dallas.

 

The Big 12 Championship is scheduled for March 9-12. Tickets for all sessions are priced at $300 or $210 each (service charges apply). Patrons are limited to a maximum of four tickets per person. Tickets for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship First/Second Rounds on March 17 & 19 are $150 each, plus an $8 service charge. Limit of 8 tickets per person.

 

Fans looking to purchase tickets should visit the Big 12 web site at www.big12sports.com and click on the event logos to order, or call Ticketmaster directly at (214) 373-8000.

 

Opening Up

Nebraska opened the Big 12 Conference slate at home for the second consecutive year when it knocked off No. 12/14 Oklahoma, 59-58, at the DevaneyCenter on Jan. 7. The Huskers won their second straight conference opener after dropping their first eight attempts in the Big 12 era with all eight losses taking place away from the DevaneyCenter.

 

Nebraska followed the win over OU with a 57-42 road victory at KansasState to mark the second straight season NU opened league play with a 2-0 record. Last year, the Huskers also won their first league road contest with a 68-61 victory at Colorado.

 

Wilkinson Adds Another Dimension For Huskers

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson has made the most of his opportunities this season when healthy. After missing a game with an injury, Wilkinson returned to post a career-high 25 points against Southeast Missouri State and has been on a role ever since.

 

The 6-10, 220-pounder has averaged a team-best 12.3 points with 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this season. He has hit 49.7 percent (78-157) from the field, including a conference-leading 50.7 percent (35-of-69) from 3-point range. Wilkinson still leads the conference 3-point percentage standings  despite going a combined 0-for-7 in three of NU's first four league contests (OU, KSU, KU). Wilkinson hit 4-of-5 against IowaState and 2-of-6 against Colorado in the other two Big 12 contests.

 

Wilkinson had 10 treys combined in his freshman and sophomore seasons and owned 34 career 3-pointers entering the season (he has 35 treys this year). He averaged 0.39 treys per game in his first three seasons but has connected on 2.1 3-pointers per game in 2005 to rank sixth in the league.

 

Entering the game with Missouri, Wilkinson leads the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots per game and 3-point field-goal percentage and is ninth in rebounds per game.

 

Block Party

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson owns 36 of Nebraska's 63 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 this season.

 

Wilkinson is already seventh on the Nebraska class list in 2005-06 and Wilkinson's career total (88) currently is seventh in the NU record book.

 

If he can keep up his current Big 12-leading pace of 2.12 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 while 10th place is held by Venson Hamilton with 56 in 1997.

 

Walker Named Big 12 Rookie of the Week

Freshman guard Marcus Walker became the first Husker this season to earn a league honor as he was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week, the conference office announced Dec. 27. A native of Kansas City, Walker led Nebraska to a pair of wins during the week of Dec. 19-25 by averaging a team-best 16.5 points and 5.5 assists per game.

 

In Nebraska’s first victory of the week, Walker helped the Huskers top the century mark for the first time since 1996 as NU posted a 107-57 win over North Carolina A&T. Walker added 13 points and a career-high tying six assists against the Aggies before coming back with a career-best 20 points and five assists against Alabama A&M in a 67-60 win. He posted four turnovers against 11 assists on the week.

 

Walker hit an impressive 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the floor, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range. Against NCA&T, he helped the Huskers to a season-high 16 3-pointers, the second-highest total in school history trailing only the 18 treys Nebraska recorded in a one-point loss to No. 1 Kansas in 2002.

 

Walker is the third Husker to win league rookie of the week honors in the past two seasons. Last year, guard Joe McCray earned the honor twice while center Aleks Maric was tabbed once. Walker was joined by Big 12 Player of the Week David Monds, who recorded his first career double-double in OklahomaState’s win over No. 23 Tennessee in the All-College Classic.

 

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 season-high 15 rebounds against the Blazers. The 15 rebounds were also 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 boards in the opening period.

 

Wilkinson's 16 rebounds are the second-highest total by a Husker this season, as Maric added a conference- and career-high 17 boards against KansasState including 13 in the first half. Maric's 17 rebounds are the most by a Husker since 2000 when Brian Conklin also grabbed 17 rebounds at home against KSU.

 

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 seven boards against ChicagoState.

 

Wilkinson is not the only player doubling up this season, as sophomore center Aleks Maric owns the team lead with four double-doubles, which also ranks third in the Big 12 Conference this season. Maric's most recent double-double came against Kansas State when he had 15 points and 17 rebounds, the highest single-game rebounding mark so far this season in the Big 12 Conference (Wilkinson is tied for second with 16 boards).

 

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 Dakota State, while guard Joe McCray picked up his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama A&M.

 

Jason Dourisseau, who has just missed out on a double-double with at least 10 points to go with nine boards four times this year, picked up his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds on the road against Colorado. He also had 11 boards against Creighton and equalled his season-high mark with 11 rebounds against FloridaState but did not reach double-figure points in those contests.

 

Spreading the Wealth

Nebraska's offensive execution was outstanding in its 107-57 victory over North Carolina A&T. 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.

 

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 this season. Nebraska has averaged 23.3 free throw attempts per game (419 total attempts in 18 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 16.6 times per game (300 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 63.5 percent from the line this season after connecting on 66.0 percent (409-of-620) last year. Jason Dourisseau has gotten to the line more frequently than any Husker at 107 times while only one other Husker (Aleks Maric, 77) has gotten to the line 40 times.

Dourisseau has hit just 56.1 percent from the stripe on the season but has made a dramatic improvement in conference play as he has hit 72.4 percent (21-of-29). He has gotten to the line for 25 percent of NU's total attempts (116) in league action.

 

Record Night

Nebraska picked up its 350th all-time victory at the BobDevaneySportsCenter 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 on Dec. 19. 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, while 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.

 

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 went on to earn 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 12 career starts, is not the only newcomer to earn a start, as B.J. Walker has been in for the tip off seven times this season.

 

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.

 

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 to the title. Maric also pulled in 10.7 rebounds per game on the weekend 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 has looked for its depth this season from mostly by new faces. Overall, the Huskers have three returning redshirts and six newcomers on the squad (although two newcomers have elected to redshirt). 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 during the summer 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 six 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 was to come this 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 perfect '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.

 

This season, Nebraska ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference in rebound average at 39.8 boards per game with Wes Wilkinson (ninth, 7.1 rpg), Jason Dourisseau (10th, 6.9 rpg) and Aleks Maric (12th, 6.8 rpg) ranking among the top 15 individuals in the league.

 

Nebraska also holds a +2.9 rebounding margin to rank seventh in the league standings. 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.

 

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 set three times before and 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 353-111 all-time record in its 30th year at the DevaneyCenter. The Huskers picked up their 350th all-time win in the building in grand fashion as they earned a 107-57 win over North Carolina A&T on Dec. 19. The win marked the seventh-largest victory margin in school history and the third-largest in building history. It was also the first 100-point scoring effort for the Huskers since 1996.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Record Home Streak

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 the Huskers opened the season with seven straight home contests.

 

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 have started a year with six consecutive home games as recently as the 2001-02 campaign.

 

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 40.3 percent from the field through 18 games this season, including 46.6 percent in Big 12 contests.

 

What's On Tap Next

Nebraska plays its third road game in four contests when it travels to Stillwater, Okla., to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Huskers then begin a two-game homestand as they take on Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. on ESPN+ and follow with a contest against Kansas on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 6:30 p.m. on FSN Midwest.