Huskers Get Back on the Road

After posting a 65-52 home victory over Missouri last Saturday to snap a three-game skid, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the road for the third time in four games when it plays the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

 

The quick turnaround will leave each team with just two days of practice before the 7:05 p.m. tipoff. The game will be seen on ESPN+, the Huskers' second straight appearance on the Big 12's syndicated television package. Dave Armstrong (play by play) and Chris Piper (color) will call the action.

 

The game will be televised in Nebraska, but due to the State of the Union address which will air at the same time, the stations that purchased rights to the Big 12 package may choose to move the NU-OSU game to an alternate channel. In Lincoln, the telecast is listed on UPN Nebraska (channel 110 on Time Warner Digital Cable), but fans should check their local listings ahead of time or call their local cable provider to confirm which channel will carry the telecast.  

 

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.

 

Nebraska Looks to End Tough Road Stretch in Stillwater

After playing just three of its first 16 games of the season away from the Devaney Center, Nebraska will hit the road for the third time in a tough four-game stretch when it plays at Gallagher-Iba Arena ? quite possibly the loudest and most raucous home venue in the conference ? on Tuesday. Following the OSU matchup Nebraska is home for two straight and four of its next six contests overall.

 

The Huskers have lost consecutive road games since earning a 57-42 victory over KansasState at Manhattan. Nebraska has won three of its last seven conference road contests dating back to last season but has not won in Stillwater since 1998.

 

Nebraska will attempt to keep momentum on its side as the Huskers ended a three-game losing streak with a solid performance last Saturday. The Huskers held Missouri to 38.0 percent shooting and just 52 points as they pulled away for a 13-point victory.

 

During their three-game skid, the Huskers had allowed opponents 81 or more points each game

and two of the three hit better than 52 percent from the floor. In all three of Nebraska's league victories, it has held foes to less than 60 points while only one ? then-No. 12/14 Oklahoma (45.3 percent) ? hit better than 38 percent from the floor.

 

Despite scoring just 65 points, Nebraska's offense on Saturday was about as efficient as any point during conference play this season. NU hit 45.7 percent from the floor ? only the second time in league action the Huskers had topped 40 percent ? by hitting 21 of a season-low 46 shot attempts and hit 18-of-25 attempts from the free throw line. Nebraska also had its most efficient day from 3-point range in Big 12 play by connecting on 50.0 percent of its attempts. In its first five conference games this season, NU had not hit better than 38 percent from beyond the arc.

 

The most efficient player on the court Saturday was freshman Jamel White, who posted a breakout performance with a team season-high 28 points. It was the fifth 20-plus point performance by a Husker this season and the second this year by a freshman as Marcus Walker had 20 points against Alabama A&M while winning Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors in December.

 

White will try to continue his hot hand against the Cowboys after hitting 7-of-9 attempts from the floor ? including all four from 3-point range ? and connecting on an impressive 10-of-11 attempts from the charity stripe vs. Missouri.

 

The 28 points by White tied for the second-highest single-game total by a freshman in school history. Even more incredible is the fact he posted his impressive number while playing just 23 minutes ? off the bench.

 

Along with White, seniors Jason Dourisseau and Wes Wilkinson will lead NU against the Cowboys. The duo has been playing solid basketball for the Huskers nearly all season. Wilkinson leads the team in points (12.3 ppg), rebounds (7.1 rpg) and conference-leading blocks (2.1 bpg). Dourisseau has been an invaluable leader on and off the court and is posting career-high numbers including 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while hitting 46.9 percent from the field. 

 

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and OklahomaState will be meeting for the 110th time in series history with the Huskers holding a 60-49 all-time advantage. It is one of six series against current conference opponents that the Huskers hold an all-time edge.

 

Nebraska has won four of the nine matchups since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, including a surprising 74-67 victory over the No. 4 Cowboys last season in Lincoln. OklahomaState owns a 30-14 all-time record over the Huskers in Stillwater, Okla., and a 28-14 edge in venerable Gallagher-Iba Arena.

 

NU's last victory on the Cowboys' home court came in 1998 when the Huskers grabbed a 67-62 victory. In four meetings in Stillwater since the start of Big 12 play, three were decided by a combined 16 points (NU 67-62 in 1998; OSU 70-63 in 2002; OSU 87-83 in overtime in 2004) and the other was a 94-55 OSU win.

 

The overtime contest in 2004 was the second between the teams in Big 12 play (also NU home win  in 2001, 78-75, in OT), with each team winning its extra-session game on its home court.

 

Last year, the Huskers rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit to stun No. 4 Oklahoma State at the DevaneyCenter. Aleks Maric had a season-high 15 points while dominating the paint and Joe McCray added 22, including 17 points in the second period.

 

The win gave the Huskers their first victory over a top-five opponent since a 98-91 win over then-No. 3 Missouri during the 1994 Big Eight Tournament. It was also NU’s first win in 20 tries against a top-10 team dating back to a 74-69 overtime win over IowaState eight years ago to the day.

 

 Nebraska shot a season-high 56.3 percent, including 61 percent in the final 20 minutes. NU used a 10-0 run in the second period to forge a 42-32 lead and never trailed again, holding the Cowboys without a field goal for the first 6:14 of the second half.

 

OSU's Joey Graham, who had torched the Huskers for a career-high 36 points the previous season, was held to 12 points.

 

 

2004 in Stillwater (OSU 87, NU 83 in overtime):  --- Nebraska shot nearly 67 percent from the field in the second half and forced the game into overtime on Nate Johnson’s conventional three-point play with seven seconds remaining regulation, but Joey Graham continued his hot hand to lead the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys to an 87-83 victory at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Graham, who scored 30 of his game-high 36 points in the second half and overtime, helped OSU improve to 21-2 overall and 11-1 in the league.

 

OSU led by three at the intermission, but both teams came out of halftime on fire.

Nebraska missed its first shot and then converted on four straight, including a pair of baskets by Johnson. The Cowboys were equally as impressive, as the top-rated field-goal shooting team in the nation hit six straight after missing its first attempt and held a 43-38 lead with 13:26 to play. Graham nailed four of the baskets for the Cowboys before hitting 9-of-14 attempts from the floor in the second period.

 

Nebraska tied the score at 43-all, one of 16 ties in the contest, on a Wes Wilkinson 3-pointer. Wilkinson, who played 15 minutes in the game after seeing just 14 minutes of action in the previous seven games,  finished with five points and two blocked shots in his best performance in Big 12 play on the season.

 

OSU opened its biggest lead at 52-44 on a Graham 3-pointer but Turek started a 13-4 Nebraska run as the Huskers hit seven straight field goals over the next five minutes to tie the score at 59-59 with 5:09 remaining.

 

Marcus Neal Jr. hit a long 3-pointer to give NU a 64-62 lead with 2:36 to play and went on to score eight points in the final three minutes of regulation, including an acrobatic trey with 15 seconds left to pull Nebraska within two, 73-71. Tony Allen then hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it a three-point lead for OSU.

 

Johnson followed with a drive to the left side of the baseline and flipped in a reverse layup before converting the foul shot to tie the game at 74-all with seven seconds remaining. John Lucas’ 3-point attempt was off the mark for the Cowboys at the other end and Allen rebounded, but his tip-in attempt would not fall.

 

In the extra session, Neal scored NU's first five points. Turek hit a jumper to give Nebraska an 81-79 lead with 2:34 to play, but OSU outscored NU 8-2 down the stretch for the victory.

 

Andrew Drevo led four Huskers in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. Johnson added 18 points, while Neal had 13 and Turek collected 10. Nebraska hit 53.6 percent from the floor while holding OSU to 42.3 percent shooting, including 26.3 percent from beyond the arc.

 

 

Scouting the Cowboys

Oklahoma State enters the mid-week matchup with a 12-8 overall record and 2-4 mark in conference play. The Cowboys opened league action with two wins in their first three games but have dropped three straight contests while allowing at least 80 points in each loss, including an opponent season high 92 points in an overtime setback at Texas Tech in their last contest.

 

The Cowboys have averaged 74.6 points per game on the season while giving up 66.9 ppg, although Big 12 teams have averaged 74.3 points per contest while limiting OSU to 70.0 ppg. OklahomaState has hit an impressive 50.4 percent from the field to lead the league, including 47.7 percent in Big 12 play, and is also the top team at the free throw line, where it has hit 73.5 percent this season. Opponents have connected on 44.4 percent from the field on the year including 35.7 percent from beyond the arc, as teams have combined to hit 41 more 3-pointers than the Cowboys.

 

Three of OklahomaState's top four scorers have hit better than 51 percent from the field, including forward Mario Boggan who paces the squad with 14.1 points per contest while nailing a team-best 61.4 percent from the field to rank second in the league standings. He has also hit a league-best 95.0 percent (19-of-20) at the charity stripe in conference play.

 

Forward Torre Johnson is second on the squad with 13.0 points per game while coming off the bench in all but one contest this season. Johnson is second on the team by hitting 58.9 percent from the floor, including a Big 12-best 60.7 percent in league-only games.

 

Johnson and Boggan have each recorded 5.2 rebounds per game as the Cowboys hold a +5.0 rebound margin (34.4 to 29.4). Forward David Monds, who is fourth on the squad with 9.2 points per contest, leads the team with 5.8 boards per game.

 

JamesOn Curry, who was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team last season and was a freshman All-American by most services, is third on the team with 12.9 points per game and paces the squad while ranking fourth in the league standings with 4.55 assists per contest.

 

Oklahoma State is coached by Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958), who is in his 16th year guiding the Cowboys and 36th year as a head coach. Sutton owns a 793-307 career record and a 363-143 mark guiding his alma mater.

 

 

Familiar Faces

Many of Nebraska's new players have seen familiar faces this season as they have played high school, AAU or junior college ball with or against several opponents around the league. Tuesday's matchup with OklahomaState will be no different.

 

Nebraska forward B.J. Walker, a junior college transfer, played last season alongside Torre Johnson, OSU's second-leading scorer this year. Walker and Johnson led Garden City CC to its first-ever division title in the Jayhawk Conference, one of the toughest junior college leagues in the nation.

 

While Walker has played alongside a current Cowboy, Husker freshmen Jamel White and Marcus Walker have played against several Cowboys in AAU action, most noteably White against OSU's Byron Eaton in the championship game of an AAU tournament in Los Angeles in 2004.

 

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 12-2 record at the DevaneyCenter this season, marking the 16th time in the building's 30-year history that NU has had at least 12 home wins.

? 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 10-0 this season when outshooting its opponent and 11-1 when leading with 5:00 remaining in the game.

? The 10-point deficit the Huskers overcame against Oklahoma was the largest deficit they 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 OklahomaState on Feb. 22, 2005.

? Before the Oklahoma game, the last time Nebraska won after trailing at halftime was on Feb. 15, 2004, against No. 12 /13 Kansas when the Huskers rebounded from a one-point, 28-27, deficit at the intermission 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 2.11 blocked shots per game (38 blocks) in 18 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 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 is hitting 49.3 percent from outside the arc, but does not have enough made 3-pointers to qualify for the league rankings.

? 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 50 assists and needs 11 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.

 

Scoring Explosion

Nebraska has had a pair of freshmen produce impressive single-game results this season.

 

Most recently, guard Jamel White, a freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y., burst onto the Big 12 radar with a 28-point performance off the bench against Missouri. The rookie had the second-highest scoring game ever by a Husker freshman and became just the eighth freshman in school history to produce at least 25 points in a contest.

 

In his first 18 games as a Husker, White had scored 95 total points to average 5.3 points per game. He had shot 28.0 percent (28-of-100) from the floor and 26.0 percent (13-of-50) from 3-point range, but drained 7-of-9 attempts from the field against the Tigers, including all four of his 3-point attempts. White also nailed 10-of-11 attempts at the free throw line to produce the most points by a Husker freshman in a decade.

 

White and freshman Marcus Walker joined an elite club this season as they are just the 17th and 18th freshmen in school history to post a 20-point game. Walker had 20 points against Alabama A&M to win Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors. It is just the fourth time in Nebraska history that two freshmen recorded 20-point contests in the same season.

 

Velander Ready for Return

While Nebraska is already 19 games into its season, one Husker is still chomping at the bit to make his career debut for the Big Red. Redshirt freshman Paul Velander (pronounced VUH-land-er) hit the practice court for the first time this season on 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 last Thursday, 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 before going on to win five straight games in the NIT and earn its only postseason men's basketball championship in program history.

 

Sharing Time

Entering the season, Nebraska had nine players on the 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 18 minutes per contest. Wes Wilkinson leads the way with 27.4 minutes per game while Jason Dourisseau is second as he has averaged 26.8 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 six games (eight 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 48 assists against 29 turnovers in 16 games this season. Richardson ranks seventh in the league in assist:turnover ratio.

 

Richardson has also been more offensive in his own game, setting career highs for single-game points (15) and 3-pointers made (3) in a win over No. 12/14 Oklahoma, easily surpassing his career-best 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 7.2 points and 2.6 assists per game. His 50 assists lead the squad and he needs just 11 to move into the NU freshman top 10. 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 single-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 17 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 while breaking the Big 12 Conference freshman record with 80 3-pointers. Maric set the Nebraska freshman rebound record with 169 boards.

 

Hot Shots

Guard Joe McCray made all the highlight reels with his 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left that lifted Nebraska to a 59-58 victory over No. 12/14 Oklahoma in the conference opener on Jan. 7. McCray's shot was Nebraska's first game-winning field goal with less than 15 seconds remaining in a contest since Nate Johnson's running right-hander off the glass with 12 seconds left gave NU a 71-70 victory over Creighton March 16, 2004, in the opening round of the NIT in Omaha. McCray's bucket came with the fewest ticks left on the clock for any game-winning field goal since at least 2000-01.

 

Johnson also kissed a jumper off the glass with 7.7 seconds remaining to send NU's game with Colorado to overtime on Jan. 18, 2003, before the Huskers pulled out an 80-77 win in the extra session. In the previous game, Johnson just missed a buzzer-beater as NU fell to Texas A&M 53-52. Johnson also hit a basket and converted the foul shot with less than eight seconds remaining in regulation to send a game at Oklahoma State in 2004 into overtime before the Cowboys won by four.

 

Last season, Nebraska scored the game-winning points with 1.2 seconds left as Marcus Neal Jr. drained three straight free throws to lift Nebraska past Tennessee, 62-61, on the road. Two games later against KansasState, Neal had a chance to win the game with 1.3 seconds left on the clock with NU trailing by two. Fouled on a 3-point attempt for the second time in three games, Neal missed the first attempt but drained the next two to send it to extra sessions, where NU pulled out a 95-85 double-overtime win.

 

In 2002, Nebraska earned an overtime win against IowaState, 86-84, as John Robinson II nailed a pair of free throws with 3.0 seconds remaining.

 

10th Anniversary Fan Voting

The Big 12 Conference is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is selecting special teams to honor the top players in the first nine years of the conference.

 

Followers of the Big 12 can vote for the top five men’s basketball players in league annals by visiting the conference web site at www.big12sports.com. Click on the “Vote Now” button on the left side of the home page. Users may also go directly to this link: www.big12sports.com/10th-anniversary/

 

Winners will be announced live on the ESPN Plus Studio 66 halftime show in early February.

 

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 with a home win 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 each loss 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 48.8 percent (83-170) from the field, including 49.3 percent (35-of-71) from 3-point range. Wilkinson hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts against IowaState and 2-of-6 against Colorado but has been held without a trey in four other Big 12 games.

 

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 1.94 3-pointers per game in 2005.

 

Entering the game with OklahomaState, Wilkinson leads the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots per game and is eighth in rebounds per game. He does not have enough made 3-pointers to qualify, otherwise he would also be leading the league in 3-point percentage.

 

Block Party

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson owns 38 of Nebraska's 69 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 (90) currently is seventh in the NU record book.

 

If he can keep up his current Big 12-leading pace of 2.11 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 fourth 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 23.4 free throw attempts per game (444 total attempts in 19 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 16.1 times per game (306 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 64.0 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 112 times while only one other Husker (Aleks Maric, 82) has gotten to the line 50 times.

 

Dourisseau has hit just 56.3 percent from the stripe on the season but has made a dramatic improvement in conference play as he has hit 70.5 percent (24-of-34). Jamel White is tied for fourth in the standings by making15-of-18 (83.3 percent) in league-only games.

 

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 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.

 

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 39.4 boards per game with Wes Wilkinson (eighth, 7.1 rpg), Jason Dourisseau (10th, 6.8 rpg) and Aleks Maric (11th, 6.8 rpg) ranking among the top 15 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 state following Nebraska with the most current Huskers is New York with two, while the other nine players are from eight 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 354-111 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. All four seniors on this year's roster are also on pace to complete their degree requirements in 2006.

 

Record Home Streak

Nebraska ended its longest homestand in 80 years with a 6-1 record after defeating South DakotaState, 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 40.2 percent from the field through 19 games this season, including 45.3 percent in Big 12 contests.

 

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.

 

What's On Tap Next

The Huskers then begin a two-game homestand as they take on Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. on ESPN+ at the DevaneyCenter.

 

Nebraska follows with a home contest against Kansas on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 6:30 p.m. on FSN Midwest. Overall, four of the Huskers' next six games will be played at the DevaneyCenter.