Huskers Hit the Road for Showdown with Aggies

The Nebraska men's basketball team hits the road for two of its last three regular-season games starting this weekend when it heads south to take on Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Saturday, Feb. 25.

 

The Huskers and Aggies will tip off at 3:01 p.m. and the game can be seen regionally on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 syndicated television package. In Nebraska, the game will available on: KLKN (Channel 8) in Lincoln and southeast Nebraska; Cox 2 in Omaha; and KIIT in North Platte. Bill Doleman will handle the play-by-play duties while Steven Bardo adds color commentary for the telecast.

 

All Nebraska 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 will handle play-by-play duties for the radio broadcast.

 

Nebraska Aims for Continued Offensive Efficiency

Nebraska pulled back into the thick of the race for fourth place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a convincing 93-77 victory over Colorado on Wednesday night. The Huskers, who were picked to finish 10th in the preseason coaches and media polls, split the season series with Colorado and stand alongside the Buffs and Saturday's opponent, Texas A&M, in a three-way battle for a No. 4 seed and a bye in the first round of the Big 12 Championship.

 

By pulling above .500 in conference play with a 7-6 record following the win over Colorado, the Huskers have equalled their most league wins since 1998-99 when Nebraska finished with a 10-6 record and tied for fifth place in the Big 12 standings. That season was also the last time the Huskers were above .500 through 13 league games with a 9-4 mark.

 

With three games left before the conference championship, the Huskers need one more win to match their most regular-season victories since 1998-99 when NU grabbed 18 wins before the postseason. Another victory before the league championship tournament would also give NU an improvement in conference wins for the second straight season ? Nebraska had six league wins in 2004 and seven last year ? and help the Huskers one step closer to an upper-division finish.

 

The Huskers have played solid defense this season but will try to continue the recent offensive surge that has helped them to a pair of wins in their last three contests.

 

Since a road contest against IowaState on Feb. 15, the Huskers have averaged 76.7 points per contest while hitting 49.0 percent from the floor, including a solid 38.3 percent from beyond the arc. Nebraska has allowed 70.0 points per game during that stretch, but has made opponents work for every point as foes have connected on just 38.7 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from 3-point range over the past three games.

 

Nebraska has also dominated the glass during its recent offensive surge, holding a 44.0-30.0 rebounding advantage, and has made four more free throws (55-of-81) than its three opponents have combined to attempt (34-of-51). The strong performances at the line and on the boards have helped NU overcome a -9.3 turnover margin.

 

The Huskers are aiming for another balanced performance like the one that helped NU record its highest point total in a conference regulation game since the 2002 campaign in the 16-point win over Colorado. All five starters finished the game in double figures, including 17 points each from senior forward Wes Wilkinson and freshman guard Jamel White, while getting solid contributions from its bench.

 

While Wilkinson had just 13 points in the previous two games combined, White has been a key component to Nebraska's offensive push by averaging 16.0 points over the past three games. White hit 9-of-20 from 3-point range in that span and 75.0 percent from the charity stripe.

 

White has complemented sophomore center Aleks Maric, who has been a focal point for the Husker offense. The Sydney, Australia, native has averaged 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds over the past three games while hitting 64.9 percent (24-of-37) from the field. He has also gotten to the line 25 times, making 16 (64.0 percent), and has averaged 3.0 blocks and 2.0 assists per game.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and Texas A&M will be meeting for only the 14th time in series history with the Huskers holding a solid 10-3 series advantage. It is one of six series the Huskers lead against league foes and is the shortest series against any current Big 12 team. Nebraska and Baylor have met just 16 times (11-5  NU lead) while Texas and NU have faced off only 17 times (13-4 UT lead).

 

Nebraska has won two straight meetings with the Aggies and four of the last five matchups. Overall, the Huskers have won seven of nine meetings since the formation of the Big 12 Conference before the 1996-97 season and were 3-1 as non-conference opponents.

 

The Huskers lead the series by a 3-2 margin in College Station, Texas, including holding a 2-1 advantage in Reed Arena. The Huskers have won their last two road contests against A&M.

 

The Aggies' only two wins against NU since the start of league play came in 2000, an 83-76 overtime win in Texas, and 2003, a 53-52 victory in Lincoln. A&M barely held on to win that contest in the DevaneyCenter as Nate Johnson just missed a last-second jumper that would have given NU a victory. It was the first game after the team lost captain and point guard Jake Muhleisen with a season-ending injury.

 

2004 in College Station, Texas (NU 83, A&M 77) --- Nate Johnson scored a game-high 19 points and forward Andrew Drevo added 18 points and nine rebounds to help the Nebraska men’s basketball team to an 83-77 victory over Texas A&M at Reed Arena. The victory snapped a 14-game conference road losing streak by the Huskers.

 

Johnson and Drevo combined to hit 16-of-18 attempts from the free throw line. Johnson added six free throws down the stretch, including a pair with three seconds remaining to close the scoring, as NU hit all 12 of its attempts from the foul line in the final two minutes.

 

Every free throw was needed as the Huskers were able to connect on just two field goals in the final 14 minutes of action, but hit 25-of-26 from the free throw line during that stretch. The teams combined for 57 fouls in the contest, with A&M hitting just 21-of-34 foul shots to drop their ninth straight game in league play.

 

Nebraska got out to a quick start, opening an 8-1 lead just three minutes into the contest. After the Aggies cut the lead to 8-7, Johnson scored three straight baskets in just over a minute. The spurt turned into a 15-3 run as NU converted on seven straight attempts to open a 23-10 advantage.

 

Texas A&M chipped away at the lead by clamping down on the defensive end. The Aggies held NU without a field goal in the final five minutes of the half before taking a 33-32 lead on Bobby Leach’s jumper with two seconds remaining in the period, giving A&M its first lead of the game. The Aggies' comeback was fueled by a 12-2 advantage on the offensive glass. Overall, the Aggies outrebounded the Huskers 40-33 with an amazing 22 offensive boards.

 

The Aggies took their final lead of the game just a minute into the second half, as Jesse King’s 3-pointer gave A&M a 36-35 advantage. King led three Aggies in double figures with a team-high 18 points, while Acie Law added 15 and Leandro Garcia-Morales chipped in 14 points.

 

Antoine Wright was held to three points, all from the foul line, as he went 0-of-8 from the floor including 0-of-4 from 3-point range. For the game, A&M hit just 4-of-20 3-point attempts (20.0 percent). The Aggies finished the game hitting 38.2 percent from the field.

 

Following King’s trey, the Husker offense kicked in, helping NU to a 15-0 run over the next four minutes as Nebraska took a 50-36 lead on Marcus Neal Jr.’s 3-pointer with 14:50 left in the game. NU’s offense then stalled, but the Huskers picked up the slack by draining free throws the rest of the way.

 

Scouting the Aggies

Texas A&M enters Saturday's contest with a 17-7 overall record and is tied with the Huskers and Colorado for fourth place in the Big 12 standings with a 7-6 league mark. The Aggies are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, as they have won four straight games ? by a combined 12 points. Only Kansas, which is tied with Texas atop the conference standings, has a longer current win streak (10) among league teams.

 

A&M has comparable numbers to the Huskers as both teams are capable of locking down on defense and running efficiently on offense. The Aggies have allowed just 61.2 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting, although league foes have hit 45.6 percent while scoring 64.5 points per game. League opponents have also been better at hitting the outside shot, as the Aggies have allowed 41.5 percent 3-point shooting.

 

Offensively, A&M has gained 69.3 points per game this season, including 63.3 points in conference play. The Aggies have connected on 44.9 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from 3-point range, but have suffered a 32.3-31.2 disadvantage on the glass. In Big 12 action, A&M has trailed by 3.8 boards per game (32.9 to 29.1).

 

The Aggies have been led by junior guard Acie Law, who has averaged 16.3 points per game on the year including 18.2 points in conference play. Law has hit 47.3 percent from the field and paces the squad with 85 assists (3.5 apg). He is also third on the team with 30 3-pointers and is tied for fourth with 2.9 rebounds per game.

 

Law has combined with sophomore forward Joseph Jones to provide a solid 1-2 punch. Jones has averaged 16.0 points per game this season, including 15.5 points per contest in league play. He is hitting a team-best 53.8 percent from the floor and paces the squad with 6.8 rebounds per game. He has also led the team with 39 steals in 23 games (1.7 spg).

 

During conference play, Law and Jones have combined for more than half of the Aggies' offense, as they have posted 437 points out of 826 during Big 12 play (52.8 percent).

 

Freshman guard Josh Carter is third on the team with 7.8 points per game while sophomore Dominique Kirk has added 6.9 points per contest. Carter and Kirk share the team lead with 38 3-pointers this season, while Kirk is third on the squad with 34 steals, trailing only Jones and Law (36).

 

The Aggies are guided by head coach Billy Gillispie (Texas State, 1983). Gillispie is in his second year at A&M where he owns a 38-17 record. Overall, he is in his fourth year as a head coach and has posted a 68-47 career record. Gillispie is 0-1 against Nebraska.

 

Quick Shots

? Nebraska has had seven players lead the team in single-game scoring, although only twice 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), while Jamel White paced NU against Texas Tech (18) and tied Wilkinson for the lead against Colorado (17).

? 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.

? Nebraska's freshmen have been prolific from beyond the 3-point line this season. Jamel White (31) and Marcus Walker (25) are the first Husker freshmen to record at least 20 3-pointers in the same season. Only nine freshmen in NU history had recorded at least 20 treys before this year. White is fifth among Big 12 freshman this season in made 3-pointers. 

? Sophomore Aleks Maric (8.2), senior Jason Dourisseau (7.0) and senior Wes Wilkinson (6.6) are on pace to give Nebraska its first trio of rebounders with at least 6.0 boards per game since the 1991-92 campaign. That season, Derrick Chandler (8.2), Dapreis Owens (6.8) and Eric Piatkowski (6.3) each reached the mark.

? 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 a 14-4 record at the DevaneyCenter this season, marking the 10th time in the building's 30-year history that NU has had at least 14 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 17 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.

? Nebraska has held an advantage in bench scoring in 7-of-13 league games this season.

? NU is 14-0 this season when outshooting its opponent and 14-1 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.

? 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.

? 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 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 third this season. 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.

? Wilkinson played in his 100th career game at KansasState and Jason Dourisseau joined him in reaching 100 career games on Jan. 17 against IowaState. It is the second straight season the Huskers had at least two seniors reach their 100th career game.

? 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.

 

Scorching the Net

Sophomore center Aleks Maric etched his name into the Nebraska record book with a dominating performance at IowaState. The Sydney, Australia, native scored a career-high 37 points with 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.

 

Maric's point total was the fifth-highest in school single-game history and is now tied for the third-most by a Big 12 player this season. It was the most points by a Husker since Eric Piatkowski set the school record with 42 points in the 1994 Big Eight Tournament against Oklahoma and the first 30-point performance by a Husker since Tyronn Lue had 31 against Colorado in 1998.

 

The total was also the most points ever scored by a Husker in a regular-season road contest and set the NU sophomore single-game record, which previously was 33 points shared by Fred Hare in 1964 and Jerry Fort in 1974.

 

Maric scored 18 points in the first half and grabbed eight rebounds. He came back with 19 points and eight more rebounds in 16 minutes in the second period. Maric finished the game hitting 13-of-15 attempts from the field and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe. In his previous three games, Maric combined to hit 16-of-42 field-goal attempts and 7-of-11 from the line.

 

Double Trouble

Since taking an extra few days off over the Christmas break, Aleks Maric has been nearly unstoppable in the paint for the Huskers. After returning from Australia before the Huskers' contest against FloridaState, Maric has led the team with 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds over the past 15 games while hitting 49.6 percent (63-of-127) from the field. He has also led the team with 18 steals and is second with 20 blocked shots.

 

Most recently, Maric recorded three 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.

 

Maric's impressive totals also included five straight double-figure rebounding efforts (vs. Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas, Texas and Iowa State), the most by a Husker in at least 30 years.

 

Maric owns nine double-doubles this season to lead the Huskers and rank third in the Big 12 Conference. He needs one more to equal the most double-doubles by a sophomore at Nebraska in 30 years. Venson Hamilton also had 10 double-doubles as a sophomore in 1998 and Carl McPipe added 10 double-doubles during his sophomore campaign in 1977.

 

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 12.0 points with 6.6 rebounds and 1.96 blocks per game this season. He has hit 45.3 percent from the field and 43.9 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 47 treys this year). He averaged 0.39 treys per game in his first three seasons but has connected on 1.88 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 third 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.

 

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.

 

In the last eight games, White has ranked second on the team with 13.0 points per contest while hitting 47.0 percent from the floor, including 48.6 percent (18-of-37) from 3-point range. He just missed his second career 20-point contest when he scored a team-high 18 points against Texas Tech and came back with 17 points in a 93-77 win over Colorado in Lincoln.

 

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 Nebraska's offensive success.

 

Rookie Marcus Walker has been solid at the point for the Huskers this season, averaging 5.9 points and 2.2 assists per game. His 57 assists are second on the squad and he needs just four more to move into the NU freshman top 10 as he would tie Andre Woolridge who had 61 assists in 1993. Despite suffering through a recent shooting slump, Walker has also 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. He snapped a streak of 13 missed 3-point attempts over nine games when he hit his second attempt against Colorado at home.

 

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, ranking third on the team in scoring.

 

Walker's 25 3-pointers this season rank fourth on the team and are ninth in the NU freshman record book, one behind Beau Reid who is eighth. 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 Tyronn Lue's freshman output that ranked 10th at the time. He then added two more against No. 6/7 Texas to knock Lue off the list and currently sits in sixth on the list with 31 3-pointers this season, which ranks third on the team.

 

White needs nine treys to become only the third Husker freshman in NU history to post 40 3-pointers. He has had three 3-pointers in each of the past three games.

 

White is fourth on the team while averaging 9.5 points per game in Big 12 contests and has hit a team-best 42.6 percent from 3-point range against league foes. On the season, White has posted solid numbers with 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while adding 44 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.

Block Party

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson owns 49 of Nebraska's 99 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 became the seventh player in NU history to record 100 career rejections when he picked up three blocks against Colorado in Lincoln. Wilkinson will finish his career ranked seventh on the NU blocks chart.

 

Despite a slowdown in production recently, Wilkinson can still 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.

 

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 13 games (16 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 a career-high 77 assists against 43 turnovers in 23 games this season. Richardson, who has had at least four assists 12 times this season, ranks fifth 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 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.

 

Richardson has had at least five points in a game nine times in league play, mostly in part by getting to the free throw line a career-high 44 times (made 38, 86.4 percent). He also scored 12 points in a home victory over Colorado. It was his third career double-figure scoring effort and the second straight year with double figures at home against Colorado.

 

Rankings Game

Following a loss at No. 6/7 Texas on Feb. 11, 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.

 

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 29.1 minutes per game while Wes Wilkinson is second as he has averaged 28.3 minutes per game. Over the past five games, Dourisseau has been an iron man as he has averaged 34.6 minutes per contest, while Jamel White (32.8), Charles Richardson Jr. (30.2) and Wes Wilkinson (30.0) have also averaged at least 30.0 minutes per game in that span. All five Husker starters have averaged at least 29 minutes per game the past five contests, with Aleks Maric gaining the fewest at 29.2 minutes per game.

 

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.

 

The Huskers own a 7-6 league record through 13 contests this season, their best Big 12 mark heading into the final three games of the regular season since posting a 9-4 mark during the 1998-99 season. The seven conference wins ties for the most by the Huskers since 1998-99, when NU finished with a 10-6 league record.

 

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 three road wins in conference play this season after posting a 59-57 victory at OklahomaState and a 73-63 win at IowaState. The Huskers are now 5-5 in their last 10 regular-season Big 12 road contests dating back to last season, including 3-3 this year. In 2005, the Huskers were 3-5 on the road in league action, posting their most wins away from home in conference play 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

Sophomore center Aleks Maric has been dominant in the paint since the start of conference play and now owns the team lead with nine double-doubles. His total ranks third in the Big 12 Conference this season behind Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge (12) and P.J. Tucker (10).

 

Maric's most recent double-double came against Colorado at home when he posted 13 points and 13 rebounds in a 93-77 victory over Colorado. He helped Nebraska to a season-high 51 rebounds in the contest and a +21 rebound margin.

 

Maric scored a career-high 37 points and 16 rebounds on the road against IowaState, his third double-double away from Lincoln this season. Earlier during conference play, Maric had 15 points and 17 rebounds against KansasState, which ties P.J. Tucker for the highest single-game rebounding mark this season in the Big 12 Conference (Wes Wilkinson and Maric each have 16-board games to tie for third).

 

Senior 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 added his third career double-double and first in league play when he broke out of a slump with 17 points and 13 rebounds at home against Colorado.

 

Maric and Wilkinson are not the only ones hit the boards hard, as Nebraska has had three other players record at least 10 rebounds in a contest this season, including B.J. Walker (11 boards vs. South Dakota State) Joe McCray (14 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama A&M) and Jason Dourisseau, who has just missed out on a double-double with at least 10 points to go with nine boards six times this year.

 

Dourisseau 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 tie for 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, and added 16 boards to go with 37 points in a road win over IowaState. Maric's 17 rebounds vs. KSU were the most by a Husker since 2000 when Brian Conklin also grabbed 17 rebounds at home against the Wildcats.

 

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.

 

Nebraska had another solid performance against IowaState on the road as it posted 19 assists on 24 made field goals while hitting 53.3 percent from the field. Richardson again guided the offense with precision, picking up seven assists against one turnover against the Cyclones' pressing, trapping defense. Wes Wilkinson had a career-high seven assists (two turnovers) while helping feed Aleks Maric in the post. Maric finished the game hitting 13-of-15 shots from the floor while scoring 37 points.

 

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 22.9 free throw attempts per game (597 total attempts in 26 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 15.8 times per game (411 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 66.3 percent (396-of-597) 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 141 times while only two other Huskers (Aleks Maric, 126; Jamel White, 65) have gotten to the line 50 times.

 

Dourisseau has hit just 57.4 percent from the stripe on the season but has made a dramatic improvement in conference play as he ranks 15th in league-only games by hitting 66.7 percent (42-of-63).

 

Nebraska ? which hit 61.8 percent from the line in non-conference play ? has seen that number rise to 71.1 percent to rank fourth in league-only games. The Huskers have hit better than 70 percent in seven of their last 11 contests, including a season-high 90.9 percent (20-of-22) against Baylor. The Huskers 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 was 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 was 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Nebraska enters the weekend ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference in rebound average at 39.2 boards per game and is sixth in rebounding margin at +3.7. Aleks Maric (3rd, 8.2 rpg), Jason Dourisseau (7th, 7.0 rpg) and Wes Wilkinson (11th, 6.6 rpg) rank among the top 15 individuals in the league.

 

Home Sweet Home

The Huskers' final home game of the year at the BobDevaneySportsCenter will set a single-season record as it will be the 19th home game of the regular season. The current building record is 18 home games set three times before this season and last tied during the 2003-04 campaign when Nebraska earned 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 currently owns a 357-113 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.

 

What's On Tap Next

Nebraska returns home for the last time this season when it faces KansasState on Senior Night at the DevaneyCenter on Wednesday, March 1. The game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. and can be seen in the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest.