Nebraska Set for Rematch with Cyclones in Ames

The Nebraska men's basketball team finishes a two-game road swing when it travels to Ames, Iowa, for a rematch with the Iowa State Cyclones on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at Hilton Coliseum.

 

The game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. and can be seen in the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest, including Channel 37 on Time Warner Cable in Lincoln; channel 47 on Cox Cable around Omaha; channel 26 on Charter Cable; channel 33 on Qwest; channel 32 on Cable One; channel 657 for DirecTV; and channel 445 for Dish Network. Greg Sharpe (play-by-play) and Chris Piper (color) will call the action.

 

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.

 

Veteran broadcaster Kent Pavelka will handle the play-by-play duties for the next two games, starting with the contest against the Cyclones. Pavelka will be joined by the voice of NU women's basketball, Matt Coatney, who will provide color commentary. The Huskers' normal broadcast team of Randy Lee and Matt Davison will be out of action for the ISU and Texas Tech games to take care of prior commitments with Pinnacle Sports Productions.

 

Huskers Look for Second Straight Win in Ames

Nebraska will try to get back in the win column and climb over .500 in league play when it takes on IowaState in a midweek matchup.

 

The Huskers dropped to 5-5 in conference play following Saturday's loss at No. 6/7 Texas, but still remain in the upper-half of the Big 12 standings as NU sits in fifth place. Nebraska is only one game out of a tie for fourth place with Colorado, which is 6-4 entering Wednesday's contest at home against third-place Oklahoma (7-3).

 

Nebraska's 5-5 record marks only the second time in the Big 12 era that the Huskers have been at least .500 through 10 contests. NU was 7-3 through 10 games during the 1999 conference campaign and went on to finish 10-6 and tied for fifth place.

 

The Huskers' top three scorers in league play ? senior Wes Wilkinson (10.9 ppg), sophomore Aleks Maric (10.5 ppg) and senior Jason Dourisseau (10.5 ppg) ? know what it takes to win in Hilton Coliseum as they helped Nebraska to a 76-69 road victory over the Cyclones last season. Maric recorded his third career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Dourisseau had 19 points, including 17 in the second half. Wilkinson came off the bench to score 16 points.

 

Maric has been a beast on the boards lately as he ranks second in conference-only games with 8.7 rebounds per contest. He has averaged a double-double over the past five games with 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds and has gotten to the free throw line a team-high 24 times. Wilkinson and freshman Jamel White have led the way as each has hit 88.2 percent (15-of-17) at the line in the past five contests, helping the Huskers hit 77.3 percent as a team in that span.

 

Nebraska hopes to knock down its charity shots as well as its attempts from the floor in trying to defeat the Cyclones for the second straight season in Ames. The last time the Huskers defeated ISU in consecutive seasons in Ames was in 1997 (74-69 in overtime) and 1998 (70-62). The last time Nebraska defeated any conference team on the road in consecutive seasons was 1998 (79-71) and 1999 (57-52) at Colorado.

 

In the first meeting this year in Lincoln, the Huskers posted their highest point total of the conference slate with 75 points while connecting on 45.8 percent of their shots from the floor. The Cyclones countered with 88 points on 52.7 percent shooting ? including hitting 10-of-20 from 3-point range ? in NU's only loss this season when shooting at least 45.0 percent from the field.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and IowaState will be meeting for the second time this season and the 223rd time in a series that dates to the 1908-09 campaign when the Huskers won three of four matchups. NU won 26 of the first 32 meetings between the teams ? including 16 straight ? and currently owns a 127-96 series advantage.

 

The Huskers and Cyclones have split the series each of the past four seasons. The home team won each of the games during the first three years of the streak before last season, when both teams won on the road. The last time a team earned a season sweep was 2001 when ISU won both games for the second straight season. Nebraska's last sweep came in 1998.

 

Iowa State has held an advantage on its home court as the Cyclones own a 57-48 mark over the Huskers in Ames, including a 20-14 series lead at Hilton Coliseum.

Last year, Nebraska snapped a six-game losing streak in Ames with a 76-69 victory. The win came near the end of the season after losing at home to the Cyclones a month before.

 

Nebraska will look for the same outcome this week as it dropped an 88-75 contest to the Cyclones on Jan. 17 in Lincoln. Wes Wilkinson hit 4-of-5 from 3-point range to finish with 19 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in 27 minutes despite being in foul trouble for most of the first half. Wilkinson was one of three Huskers to finish in double figures as Marcus Walker and Aleks Maric finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

 

Curtis Stinson finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting while adding six assists and five steals, and Will Blalock totaled 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and a game-high seven assists. Four Cyclones finished in double figures as they hit 52.7 percent from the floor, the first team to shoot over 50 percent against the Huskers this season.

 

Ten of ISU's made baskets in the first half came from beyond the arc, and in one stretch the Cyclones hit 14-of-19 from long distance. The hot shooting left ISU with 88 points.

 

In the first half, Marcus Perry’s 3-pointer began a spurt of eight unanswered points for Nebraska, helping NU build a 24-17 lead on Jamel White’s 3-pointer at the 8:52 mark. The lead would be short-lived as ISU took control over the next five minutes, using a 14-0 spurt to regain the lead for good.

 

The Huskers climbed back into the contest, pulling within 32-30 after a pair of Charles Richardson free throws, but the Cyclones got hot from 3-point range. Blalock and John Neal turned a two-point game into an 11-point Cyclone advantage by hitting from long range with Blalock’s 3-pointer with two seconds left in the half giving ISU a 41-30 lead at the break.

 

2005 in Ames (NU 76, ISU 69) --- Jason Dourisseau scored a team-best 19 points, including 17 in the second half to lead Nebraska past Iowa State, 76-69, at Hilton Coliseum.

 

Dourisseau helped NU to its second straight upset as he hit 7-of-14 field-goal attempts to pace Nebraska. Wes Wilkinson came off the bench to score 16 points, while Aleks Maric recorded his third double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 boards. Joe McCray added 11 points and Marcus Neal Jr. had 10 points and seven assists without a turnover.

 

In the first half, ISU scored the first five points of the game before Dourisseau got NU on the board at the 16:35 mark, his only points of the opening frame. Dourisseau then picked up his second foul of the game with 16:33 left in the opening period and finished playing just six of the first 20 minutes with two points.

 

With Dourisseau out, Maric was tearing up the paint as he posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards in the first 20 minutes. Maric scored six straight with the last basket starting an 11-1 run that ended with NU ahead 17-12 on a Wilkinson jumper at the
8:20 mark.

 

After the score was knotted for the fourth time of the game at 24-24, Neal pushed the Huskers to a halftime lead with a pair of 3-pointers less than two minutes apart. Neal’s first trey broke the 24-all tie, and after the Cyclones pulled within one, Neal drained another long range shot.

 

After Nebraska carried a 30-28 lead into the locker room, NU held an 8-2 lead in fouls in the first
3:22 to open the second half, but the Huskers did not get rattled.

 

With ISU leading 45-41, the Huskers responded with an 8-2 run behind Neal's effort. He found McCray on the wing in transition, who buried a 3-pointer to start a 12-0 run to push Nebraska ahead 65-54 with 7:09 to play.

 

Iowa State cut the Husker lead to three points, 67-64, with 4:48 to go on a Jared Homan three-point play. After each team missed on its next trip down, the Huskers used three offensive boards over the next two minutes to keep the ball in their end and start working the clock. Wilkinson made the lead five points with a jumper at the 2:54 mark and Dourisseau pushed the lead back to seven, 71-64, with 2:09 remaining before the Huskers held on down the stretch.

 

NU finished the game hitting 40.0 percent from the floor, including 50.0 percent in the second half, while the Cyclones connected on just 37.7 percent, and only 34.2 percent in the second frame.

 

Scouting the Cyclones

Iowa State enters the midweek matchup with a 14-9 overall mark and a 4-6 record in league play. The Cyclones are tied for seventh place in the Big 12 standings with KansasState and Texas Tech after dropping their last two games and six of their last nine contests.

 

ISU has been among the league's top scoring teams all season as it averages 78.1 points per contest this year, including 77.3 points per game in league play. The Cyclones have hit 46.4 percent from the floor but have allowed opponents to hit 45.9 percent while gaining 73.9 points per game. In Big 12 play, Cyclone foes have hit 48.7 percent from the field while posting 77.1 points per game.

 

Junior guard Curtis Stinson, one of the top all-around guards in the league, has led the way with 19.7 points per game this season while adding 5.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game. In conference action, Stinson has averaged 20.8 points per game, including 23.2 points over the past five games.

 

Along with Stinson, junior point guard Will Blalock gives the Cyclones one of the top backcourt tandems in the country. Blalock is averaging 14.6 points with 6.3 assists per game and paces the team with 37 3-pointers while hitting 44.6 percent from outside the arc.  Sophomore Rahshon Clark is the Cyclones' third double-figure scorer with 13.5 points per game and leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per contest.

 

The Cyclones are guided by head coach Wayne Morgan (St. Lawrence, 1973). Morgan is in his ninth year as a head coach and owns a 144-118 career record. In his third year in Ames, Morgan has gained a 53-34 record with the Cyclones and is 3-2 against Nebraska.

 

Battle of the Boroughs

Three of the five boroughs of New York City will be represented Wednesday when Nebraska and IowaState face off on the hardwood. On Nebraska's side, a pair of freshmen come from New York in Jamel White (Brooklyn) and Mike Smith (Bronx), while the ISU contingent also represents the Bronx (Curtis Stinson) and Brooklyn (Coach Wayne Morgan), along with Queens (Rahshon Clark).

Smith, who is redshirting this season as a freshman, grew up in the same building and went to the same school (Regional) as Stinson, while Clark and White played together during the AAU season for the Long Island Panthers.

 

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 nine times this year.

? Freshman Jamel White came off the bench to score 28 points for the Huskers against Missouri, the most points by any non-starter in a Big 12 contest this season. White outscored the MU bench 28-0.

? Junior college transfer B.J. Walker has hit 6-of-12 attempts from the floor over the past two games and scored 16 points after scoring 11 points in the Huskers' first eight conference games of the year. Walker also grabbed five rebounds in the last two contests after having just 10 in the first eight league games combined.

? The Huskers tied their second-best start at home in the past 15 years by winning 11 of their first 12 tilts in Lincoln. The Huskers now own an 13-3 record at the DevaneyCenter this season, marking the 13th time in the building's 30-year history that NU has had at least 13 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).

? With 15 total victories this year, Nebraska has secured a winning record in the regular season for the third straight campaign. Nebraska earned a 14-13 mark in the regular season last year and finished 14-14 overall. That campaign followed an 18-13 season which included a 16-11 regular season. NU's 29 regular-season games are its most in five years.

? NU is 11-0 this season when outshooting its opponent and 12-1 when leading with 5:00 remaining in the game.

? The 11-point deficit the Huskers overcame against Baylor 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. NU also erased a six-point deficit with four minutes left in a win over OklahomaState on the road and a 10-point deficit against Oklahoma at home to open league play.

? 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.

? Senior forward Wes Wilkinson, one of the most improved players in the Big 12 Conference this season, 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 46.2 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.

? 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.

 

Double Trouble

Aleks Maric recorded consecutive double-doubles against OklahomaState, Baylor and Kansas, the most by a Husker since Andrew Drevo had four straight double-doubles in 2002-03. Venson Hamilton, the Huskers' all-time leading rebounder, also had four straight double-doubles in 1998-99 to tie Drevo for the most by a Husker since at least 1975-76.

 

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 roll ever since.

 

The 6-10, 220-pounder has averaged a team-best 12.3 points with 6.5 rebounds and 1.95 blocks per game this season. He has hit 45.8 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from 3-point range.

 

Wilkinson had 10 treys combined in his freshman and sophomore seasons and owned 34 career 3-pointers entering the season (he has 43 treys this year). He averaged 0.39 treys per game in his first three seasons but has connected on 1.95 3-pointers per game in 2005.

 

Wilkinson led the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots per game and 3-point field-goal percentage for the majority of the season, but currently ranks second in blocks and does not have enough 3-pointers made to rank on the percentage chart. He also ranks in the top 15th in rebounds per game.

 

Block Party

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson owns 43 of Nebraska's 81 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 sixth on the Nebraska senior class list in 2005-06 and Wilkinson's career total (95) will finish seventh in the NU record book.

 

Despite a slowdown in production recently, Wilkinson still 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.

 

Rankings Game

Following last weekend's game against No. 6/7 Texas, Nebraska is now 1-1 against ranked teams in 2005-06. The Huskers opened conference play with a 59-58 victory over then-No. 12/13 Oklahoma in the DevaneyCenter.

 

Nebraska has won at least one game against a ranked squad each of the past six seasons. Dating back to last season, the Huskers have won two of their last three games vs. ranked teams, including knocking off No. 4 Oklahoma State at home in 2005.

 

The win over OSU last year was NU's first over a top-10 opponent since 1997, snapping a streak of 19 straight losses. Before last season, the Huskers' most recent win over a top-10 club was against No. 7 Iowa State, 74-69, in overtime on the road.

 

Nebraska has 26 victories over ranked teams ? including seven wins over top-10 teams ? in the past 15 years. Two of the 10 wins over top 10 teams were on the road, including at ISU in 1997 and over No. 3 Missouri, 98-91, in Kansas City as NU ran to its first-ever Big Eight Conference Tournament title in 1994.

 

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 NU 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 against the Tigers to produce the most points by a Husker freshman in a decade.

 

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

 

On the Mark

For the second straight season, a pair of Husker freshmen have played a large role in the Nebraska offense.

 

Rookie Marcus Walker has been solid at the point for Nebraska, averaging 6.2 points and 2.3 assists per game. His 54 assists are second on the squad and he needs just seven more 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.

 

Jamel White became the fifth freshman under Collier to make the list when he recorded his 20th trey of the year against Kansas, matching Lue's freshman output. He then added two more against No. 6/7 Texas to knock Lue off the list.

 

White is fourth on the team while averaging 7.5 points per game in Big 12 contests and has hit 40.7 percent from 3-point range against league foes. On the season, White has posted solid numbers with 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while adding 39 assists to rank third on the squad.

 

White and Walker's solid play comes a year after the Huskers had a pair of freshmen earn league and team 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.

 

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 10 games (13 times overall).

 

The Maywood, Ill., native has proven effective at getting the team up the floor and into the offense and leads the team with 61 assists against 38 turnovers in 20 games this season. Richardson ranks ninth in the league in assist:turnover ratio.

 

Richardson has shown glimpses of a better offensive 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.

 

NU to Honor 1990-91 Squad

The Nebraska men’s basketball program will pay tribute to the most decorated team in school history as it will host a 15-year reunion of the 1990-91 squad on the weekend of Feb. 17-18. The event will include a private banquet for the team on Friday night and all members present for the reunion will be honored at halftime of the men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 18, against Texas Tech.

 

The 1990-91 squad earned national recognition as it was ranked in the top-25 polls for a school-record 14 consecutive weeks and finished with the highest end-of-season ranking in program history, by coming in at No. 9 in the UPI poll and No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. The team was 4-2 against ranked squads on the year, including a 71-69 victory over No. 5 Michigan State at home early in the non-conference slate.

 

The Huskers picked up steam early on as they rolled to a 16-1 record, including 14 straight victories following a narrow two-point defeat in the third game of the season. NU entered the national rankings before its Dec. 22 contest against Miami (Ohio) and reached as high as No. 11 in the regular season by the Associated Press following a 111-99 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma on the road.

 

Nebraska reached its first-ever Big Eight title game after defeating Oklahoma, 117-113, in overtime and then No. 12 Kansas, 87-83, in the semifinals. NU fell by eight to Missouri in the finals, but after finishing third in the conference regular-season standings with a 9-5 record, still earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, the first of a school-record four straight NCAA appearances.

 

Nebraska was led by second-team All-Big Eight selection Rich King, who finished his career with 1,475 points ? which ranked fourth in program history at the time ? and went on to become the Huskers’ first-ever NBA first-round selection when he was taken 14th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. King led the team with 15.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as the Huskers won a school-record 26 contests. King was one of five double-figure scorers for the Huskers along with Carl Hayes (13.5 ppg), Tony Farmer (12.4), Eric Piatkowski (12.4) and Clifford Scales (10.2). The Huskers averaged a school-record 87.6 points per game on its way to a 26-8 final record.

 

Three members of the team went on to play in the NBA, including King, Piatkowski (1st round selection, 15th overall by Indiana Pacers) and Farmer (free agent), while two others (Scales and Bruce Chubick) also went on to play professionally. Currently, three members ? King, Scales and Beau Reid ? are members of the Nebraska Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

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 eight current players averaging double-figure minutes, including five gaining at least 20 minutes per contest.

 

Jason Dourisseau leads the way with 28.5 minutes per game while Wes Wilkinson is second as he has averaged 28.0 minutes per game. Over the past five games, Dourisseau has been an iron man as he has averaged 36.4 minutes per contest. Jamel White (31.2) and Wes Wilkinson (30.8) have also averaged at least 30.0 minutes over the past five games.

 

On the road against OklahomaState, the Huskers had five athletes ? all the starters ? play at least 30 minutes in a contest for the first time this season. NU's previous high this year was four players with at least 30 minutes on one occasion ? during a road win at KansasState.

 

Before the win over OklahomaState, the last time the Huskers had five players record at least 30 minutes of action in a game was Jan. 8, 2005, when NU defeated Kansas State, 95-85, in double overtime at home. The last time NU had five players record at least 30 minutes in a regulation game was March 13, 2003, as NU fell to Missouri, 70-61, at the Big 12 Tournament. 

 

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.

 

Nebraska's 2-0 record to open conference play also matched its best mark to start a league slate since the formation of the Big 12. The Huskers' 5-3 record to open league play was their best through eight conference games since posting an identical 5-3 mark to open the 1999 Big 12 season ? and is only the second time in the Big 12 era the Huskers finished the first half of the season with a record above .500.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Nebraska already has two road wins in conference play this season after posting a 59-57 victory at Oklahoma State, and is now 4-5 in its last nine regular-season Big 12 road contests dating back to last season, including 2-3 this year. In 2005, the Huskers were 3-5 on the road in league action, their most wins away from home in conference since 1999 (4-4).

 

Hot Shots

Nebraska owns a 3-1 record this season in games decided by five points or less thanks in part to a couple of amazing last-second shots.

 

The Huskers' most recent amazing finish came on the road in Stillwater, Okla., when NU pulled out a 59-57 victory thanks to the quick play of freshman Jamel White. Following a timeout with 5.6 seconds left, the Huskers inbounded the ball to senior Wes Wilkinson, who drove to the top of the key and launched a 3-point attempt for the win. Wilkinson's shot came up a foot short but White, who had slipped away from his defender and was unguarded in the paint, collected the ball for a rebound and in one motion put the ball back up off the glass and into the basket with 1.1 seconds remaining for the winning margin. The play was No. 1 on SportsCenter's Plays of the Day.

 

White's game-winning bucket was the Huskers' second in the final 10 seconds of a game this season. Earlier in the year, 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. Until White's basket vs. OSU, 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.

 

Walker Named Big 12 Rookie of the Week

Freshman guard Marcus Walker earned his first career league honor as he was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week, the conference office announced Dec. 27. 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.

 

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.

 

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 seven double-doubles, which also ranks third in the Big 12 Conference this season behind Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge (12) and P.J. Tucker (9). Maric's most recent double-double came against Kansas when he had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Earlier during conference play, Maric had 15 points and 17 rebounds against Kansas State, tying for the highest single-game rebounding mark this season in the Big 12 Conference (Wilkinson is tied for third 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 five times this year, picked up his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds on the road against Colorado and added another against Baylor with 16 points and 10 boards. 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.

 

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 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.

 

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 22.4 free throw attempts per game (516 total attempts in 23 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 15.7 times per game (360 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 66.1 percent (341-of-516) 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 127 times while only two other Huskers (Aleks Maric, 101; Jamel White, 53) have gotten to the line 50 times.

 

Dourisseau has hit just 57.5 percent from the stripe on the season but has made a dramatic improvement in conference play as he has hit 69.4 percent (34-of-49).

 

Nebraska ? which hit 61.8 percent from the line in non-conference play ? has seen that number rise to 72.3 percent to rank fifth in league-only games. The Huskers have hit better than 70 percent in six of their last eight contests, including a season-high 90.9 percent (20-of-22) against Baylor. The Huskers, who have connected on 57-of-72 (79.1 percent) over the past four games combined, had topped 70 percent at the line in three of their first 15 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.

 

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 had a new look on the bench this season 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.

 

Five Named to Honor Roll

Bronsen Schliep (Fairfield, Neb.; business administration) was among the five Nebraska men’s basketball players selected to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the 2005 Fall semester. Schliep earned the award for the ninth time in his career and was one of 35 Husker student-athletes on the honor roll with a 4.0 grade-point average last semester. Schliep owns a cumulative 4.0 GPA in business administration.

 

Current members of the basketball team who earned the honor along with Schliep include seniors Jason Dourisseau (Omaha, Neb.; communication studies) and Tony Wilbrand (Alliance, Neb.; computer science) were selected to the honor roll along with redshirt freshman Paul Velander (Blacksburg, Va.; natural science education).

 

For Dourisseau, the honor was the seventh of his career while Wilbrand picked up his ninth selection. Velander was a first-time member of the team, as was Corey Simms (St. Louis, Mo.; sociology), who exhausted his eligibility in 2005 and graduated from Nebraska in December 2005.

 

Overall, Nebraska had 235 student-athletes named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll during the fall semester.

 

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 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 are sitting 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, following the sixth grade. 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 looked 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.

 

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.

 

This season, Nebraska ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference in rebound average at 38.6 boards per game and is seventh in rebounding margin at +2.3. Aleks Maric (5th, 7.5 rpg), Jason Dourisseau (9th, 6.8 rpg) and Wes Wilkinson (11th, 6.5 rpg) rank among the top 15 individuals in the league.

 

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 356-112 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 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 40.1 percent from the field through 22 games this season, including 43.2 percent in Big 12 contests.

 

What's On Tap Next

Nebraska returns home for the start of a two-game home stand as it plays host to Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the DevaneyCenter. The 1990-91 team will be honored at halftime and the contest will also be this year's Hall of Fame game, with Eric Piatkowski earning entry into the elite club.

 

The Huskers play their second straight game at home on Wednesday, Feb. 22, as Nebraska looks to split the season series when it hosts the rematch with Colorado.