Nebraska Set to Battle Bears

The Nebraska men's basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the BobDevaneySportsCenter this weekend as it plays host to the Baylor Bears on Saturday, Feb. 4.

 

The contest will tip off at 8:06 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+ with Fred White (play by play) and Steven Bardo (color) calling the action. The game can be seen on KLKN (channel 8) in Lincoln and on Cox2 in Omaha as well as KIIT in North Platte. 

 

It will be the Huskers' third straight game televised on the Big 12's syndicated package and the fourth overall. On the year, the Huskers will be seen on ESPN+ at least seven times including the Big 12 Championships in just over a month at the AmericanAirlinesCenter in Dallas on March 9-12. In total, at least 21 of the Huskers' contests this season will be televised.

 

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

 

Huskers Return Home Looking to Continue Momentum

Nebraska returns to Lincoln for the start of a two-game homestand when it takes on Baylor this weekend at the DevaneyCenter. With nine games left during the regular season, the Huskers hope to seize an opportunity as they will play five of those contests on their home court.

 

After starting league play with four wins in their first seven games, the Huskers will ride the momentum of a two-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup with the Bears. A victory this weekend by the Huskers would give NU its best record through the first half of league play since 1999 when Nebraska went 5-3 to open the conference slate ? the Huskers' best record since the formation of the Big 12. During three other seasons, the Huskers have opened the first half of Big 12 action with a 4-4 mark, including last year when NU went on to finish with a 7-9 record in the conference.

 

Playing on their home court has been a benefit for the Huskers this season, as they own a 12-2 record at the DevaneyCenter. Nebraska is in the middle of a school-record 19-game home schedule. The school record for home victories is 17 (against one loss) set during the 1982-83 campaign. Two years ago, Nebraska tied the mark for second-most home wins with 15 while on its way to reaching the second round of the postseason NIT.

 

Seniors Wes Wilkinson and Jason Dourisseau have led the way all season and their numbers at home are even more impressive than their season totals. Wilkinson has paced Nebraska with 14.2 points per game in the DevaneyCenter while grabbing 7.3 rebounds and posting 2.23 blocks per game. He has shot 51.5 percent from the field, including an impressive 54.7 percent from 3-point range, at home. Dourisseau has also been solid from the field, shooting a team-best 53.4 percent while adding 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

 

Nebraska has hit 37.1 percent from 3-point range and 44.4 percent overall at the DevaneyCenter while gaining 73.0 points per game. The Huskers have held foes to 63.1 points per game as only three teams have left the building after scoring at least 70 points. During those three contests, the Huskers own a 1-2 record.

 

Nebraska Volleyball Team to be Honored at Halftime

The Nebraska volleyball team will be honored during a special halftime ceremony at Saturday's game against Baylor. The team, which finished the season with a 32-2 overall record and reached the NCAA title match, will take part in an autograph session following the ceremony on the DevaneyCenter concourse. AVCA National Player of the Year Christina Houghtelling and two-time All-American Sarah Pavan will be among the players available for autographs.

 

Fans will have an opportunity to purchase a limited-edition poster celebrating the Huskers’ Big 12 volleyball championship. A total of 250 individually number posters will be available for $5 each with a limit of two posters per person. NU won the Big 12 title with a 19-1 record and placed five players on the All-Big 12 team including returnees Pavan, who was the Big 12 Player of the Year, Houghtelling and freshman Jordan Larson.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and Baylor will be meeting for just the 16th time in series history with the Huskers holding an 10-5 advantage. The 15 all-time matchups is the second fewest between the Huskers and any current Big 12 team, trailing only Nebraska's 13-game series with Texas A&M (Huskers lead 10-3).

 

The Huskers and Bears met only four times before the start of Big 12 Conference play, with the Huskers winning the first three meetings. Three of the four non-league faceoffs were in the 1980s while the first meeting was a Husker victory in 1949.

 

Nebraska has won the last two contests and three of the last four meetings overall between the schools. The Huskers are a perfect 6-0 in contests played in Lincoln and are 4-0 at the DevaneyCenter against Baylor.

 

Last year, the Huskers posted a 74-63 win on the Bears' home court in Waco. Nebraska answered each Baylor run in the second half with Jake Muhleisen posting 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second frame. Aleks Maric also posted all of his 10 points after halftime, including eight straight in one stretch, as the Huskers hit 50.0 percent from the floor including nearly 56 percent in the second period.

 

2004 in Lincoln (NU 76, BU 47):  --- Jason Dourisseau took advantage of his first start of the season, scoring a game-high 18 points, as Nebraska broke a three-game losing streak with a 76-47 victory over Baylor at the DevaneyCenter.

 

Dourisseau hit 7-of-12 shots from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. It was his best offensive performance since a 21-point effort against Lipscomb on Dec. 22.

 

The Huskers put together a balanced attack in leading wire-to-wire, placing three players in double figures while 11 Huskers broke into the scoring column. Brian Conklin and Nate Johnson added 11 points apiece, as the Huskers shot 54 percent, including 11-of-18 from 3-point range.

 

The Huskers took much of the suspense out of the game early, holding Baylor without a field goal for the first 13 minutes in building a 12-1 lead. The Bears missed their first 13 shots from the floor, and shot 24 percent in the half against a NU defensive unit that ranked fifth nationally in field-goal percentage defense at game time.

 

The duo of Johnson and Dourisseau nearly outscored the Bears in the first half, as the Huskers took a 26-17 lead into the locker room. Dourisseau scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, and grabbed four rebounds, while Johnson added seven points off the bench.

 

The Huskers built a 14-point lead on three occasions in the first period, the last at 26-12 after Dourisseau’s 3-pointer with 2:48 in the half. BU closed the half by scoring the last five points to get within nine.

 

Baylor whittled Nebraska’s lead to seven points in the opening minutes of the second half before the Huskers erupted for a 13-2 run, extending the margin to 39-21 with 15:38 on a dunk by Dourisseau. The Bears made one last spurt, closing to within 39-26 after Terrance Thomas scored five straight points.

 

Conklin put the game out of reach, scoring nine of his 11 points ? all from 3-point range ? during a 13-0 spurt and the Huskers cruised during the final 10 minutes.

Thomas came off the bench to lead Baylor with 16 points and nine rebounds, and was the only player in double figures for BU, which shot just 31 percent from the floor.

 

Scouting the Bears

Baylor enters the weekend with a 1-6 record on the year after beginning its season on Jan. 11, 2006, as an NCAA sanction prohibited the Bears from competing in regular-season non-conference play.

 

The Bears enter the DevaneyCenter on a high after picking up their first win of the year with a 72-70 overtime victory Wednesday against KansasState. Freshman Curtis Jerrells hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds to snap the Bears’ 20-game losing streak dating back to last season.

Jerrells is third on the team with 10.0 points per game while posting a team-best 28 assists. He is one of nine freshmen or sophomores on the young squad, which has only two seniors on the roster.

 

 Sophomore guard Aaron Bruce, who was a freshman All-American by several services last season, paces the squad with 11.4 points per game while hitting 35 percent from long range. Bruce has posted 19 3-pointers in seven games while Henry Dugat, another talented freshman who is the team’s second-leading scorer at 10.9 ppg, is a close second with 16 treys.

Mamadou Diene, a 7-0 redshirt freshman, is averaging 3.6 points but leads the Bears with 6.7 rebounds per game while posting a team-best 12 blocked shots.

 

As a team, the Bears have struggled by jumping directly into conference play after all their Big 12 opponents had at least 11 non-conference games to tune up. BU has averaged just 56.9 points per game while hitting 34.9 percent from the field and 59.6 percent from the free throw line. The Bears have been solid by hitting better than 35 percent from 3-point range, but have allowed opponents to hit 47.8 percent from the field, including 43.0 percent from long range, while averaging 73.7 points per game. Opponents have also dominated the glass, holding a +8.4 rebounding advantage (40.7 to 32.3) over the Bears.

 

The Bears are guided by third-year head coach Scott Drew (Butler, 1993). Drew owns an 18-46 record in two seasons at Baylor and a 38-57 overall record in three years as a head coach. Drew was a student manager at Butler under Coach Barry Collier before coaching under his father, Homer Drew, at Valparaiso. He then took over the head coaching duties at Valpo for one season before moving to the Big 12 to take on rebuilding the Bears' program.

 

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.

? The Huskers tied their second-best start at home in the past 15 years by winning 11 of their first 12 tilts in Lincoln. Nebraska was 12-1 in 2004 to open the year and also went 11-1 in 1992-93. The Huskers now own an 12-2 record at the DevaneyCenter this season, marking the 16th time in the building's 30-year history that NU has had at least 12 home wins.

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

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

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

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

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

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

? Nebraska’s 58 points in the opening frame against North Carolina A&T were its most points in any half this season and its 49 points in the second half rank second. It was the most points by the Huskers in any half since scoring 60 in the first half against Texas A&M on Feb. 28, 2001.

? Wes Wilkinson leads the conference with 2.11 blocked shots per game (40 blocks) in 19 games this season, and has already set a new career high. His previous high of 33 blocks was set in 27 games last year.

? Wilkinson is drawing comparisons to former Husker Brian Conklin for his strong outside shooting. Conklin, a 6-11 forward, set the Big 12 record by hitting 55.9 percent from 3-point range as a senior. This year, the 6-10 Wilkinson is hitting 48.7 percent from outside the arc to rank first in the league rankings.

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

? Marcus Walker has a team-best 52 assists and needs nine to move into the NU freshman top 10.

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

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

 

Scoring Explosion

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Velander Ready for Return

While Nebraska is already 20 games into its season, one Husker is still chomping at the bit to make his career debut for the Big Red. Redshirt freshman Paul Velander (pronounced VUH-land-er) hit the practice court for the first time this season on Jan. 26, following rehabilitation on his left ankle.

 

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

 

Fast Break

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

 

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' current 4-3 record is their best through seven league games since posting a 5-2 mark to open the 1999 Big 12 season.

 

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 seven gaining at least 18 minutes per contest.

 

Wes Wilkinson leads the way with 27.9 minutes per game while Jason Dourisseau is second as he has averaged 27.4 minutes per game.

 

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.

 

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 OklahomaState, and is now 4-4 in its last eight regular-season Big 12 road contests dating back to last season.

 

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 seven games (nine times overall).

 

The Maywood, Ill., native has proven effective at getting the team up the floor and into the offense and ranks second on the team with 51 assists against 31 turnovers in 17 games this season. Richardson ranks seventh in the league in assist:turnover ratio.

 

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

 

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

 

On the Mark

For the second straight season, a 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 6.9 points and 2.6 assists per game. His 52 assists lead the squad and he needs just nine 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 has a chance to become the fifth freshman under Collier to make the list as he has 19 treys so far this season and needs one to match Tyronn Lue's freshman output. White is fourth on the team while averaging 8.1 points per game in Big 12 contests and paces the Huskers by hitting 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range against league foes. On the season, White has posted solid numbers with 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while adding 38 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.

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.

 

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.

 

Tickets on Sale

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

 

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

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

 

Opening Up

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

 

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

 

Wilkinson Adds Another Dimension For Huskers

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

 

The 6-10, 220-pounder has averaged a team-best 12.7 points with 6.8 rebounds and 2.11 blocks per game this season. He has hit 48.9 percent (89-182) from the field, including 48.7 percent (38-of-78) from 3-point range. Wilkinson hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts against IowaState, 2-of-6 against Colorado and 3-of-7 against OklahomaState but was held without a trey in four other Big 12 games.

 

Wilkinson had 10 treys combined in his freshman and sophomore seasons and owned 34 career 3-pointers entering the season (he has 35 treys this year). He averaged 0.39 treys per game in his first three seasons but has connected on 2.0 3-pointers per game in 2005.

 

Entering the game with Baylor, Wilkinson leads the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots per game and 3-point field-goal percentage while also ranking 10th in rebounds per game.

 

Block Party

Senior forward Wes Wilkinson owns 40 of Nebraska's 74 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 (92) currently is seventh in the NU record book.

 

If he can keep up his current Big 12-leading pace of 2.11 blocks per game, Wilkinson could challenge for one of the top spots on the NU single-season chart. The Nebraska single-season record is 91 blocked shots by Derrick Chandler in 1992 while 10th place is held by Venson Hamilton with 56 in 1997.

 

Walker Named Big 12 Rookie of the Week

Freshman guard Marcus Walker 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.

 

Boarding All Rows

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

 

This year, it was senior forward Wes Wilkinson's turn to burn the Blazers. The Grand Island native recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, including 12 boards in the opening period.

 

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

 

Doubling Up

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

 

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

 

Wilkinson is not the only player doubling up this season, as sophomore center Aleks Maric owns the team lead with five double-doubles, which also ties for third in the Big 12 Conference this season. Maric's most recent double-double came against OklahomaState when he had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Earlier during conference play, Maric had 15 points and 17 rebounds against Kansas State, posting the highest single-game rebounding mark this season in the Big 12 Conference (Wilkinson is tied for second with 16 boards).

 

Junior forward B.J. Walker also got into the act as he posted a career-best 11 boards for his first double-figure rebound effort of the season against South Dakota State, while guard Joe McCray picked up his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama A&M.

 

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

 

Spreading the Wealth

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

 

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

 

Charity Work

While the percentage is still not where they would like it to be, the Huskers have done an outstanding job of getting to the free throw line this season. Nebraska has averaged 23.1 free throw attempts per game (462 total attempts in 20 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 15.9 times per game (318 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 64.9 percent (300-of-462) 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 116 times while only one other Husker (Aleks Maric, 90) has gotten to the line 50 times.

 

Dourisseau has hit just 56.9 percent from the stripe on the season but has made a dramatic improvement in conference play as he has hit 71.1 percent (27-of-38).

 

Nebraska ? which hit 61.8 percent from the line in non-conference play ? has seen that number rise to 71.1 percent to rank third in league action. The Huskers have hit better than 70 percent in four of their last five contests, including a season-high 88.9 percent (16-of-18) against OklahomaState. 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 of the night.

 

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

 

The 107 points are the most by the Huskers since a 114-106 victory over Oregon on Nov. 25, 1995, while the 50-point margin of victory tied for the third largest in Devaney Center history and tied for the seventh largest win in program history overall.

 

First-Timers

Husker fans are seeing several new faces on the court in 2005-06. Nebraska's roster entering the season included nine players (six newcomers, three redshirts) who had never played a minute in a Husker uniform during a regular-season game.

 

During NU's three games at the season-opening John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge, six players saw action for the first time in their Husker careers, including three true freshmen (Marcus Walker, Jamel White and Kyle Marks), a redshirt junior (Marcus Perry), a redshirt freshman (Jim Ledsome) and a junior college transfer (B.J. Walker).

 

Marcus Walker went on to earn a starting nod in each of NU's first six games, and was just the second true freshman to start his first career game at Nebraska since Cookie Belcher in 1996-97. Marcus Walker, who now owns 12 career starts, is not the only newcomer to earn a start, as B.J. Walker has been in for the tip off seven times this season.

 

International Man

Center Aleks Maric (pronounced MAR-itch) returned from the summer in the best shape of his life, which makes sense as he played more than 30 games in Slovenia, Greece, Canada and Argentina during July and August as part of the Australian Under-21 National Team. The 6-11, 265-pounder who set the Nebraska freshman rebounding record last season helped his Aussie team, the Crocs, to a fourth-place finish at the U21 World Championships in Argentina in August.

 

Maric averaged 9.4 rebounds per game while helping the Crocs to a 6-2 record at the World Championships. He was second in the tournament in rebounding, behind only 7-3 Peter Ramos, who played for the Puerto Rican Olympic team and was in the NBA last season. Maric also averaged 10.6 points while hitting 50.6 percent from the floor.

 

Maric is the second Husker to play on a youth World Championship team, joining current Atlanta Hawk Tyronn Lue, who played for the United States at the Under-22 World Championships in 1997. Bill Johnson played at the World Championships while helping the United States to gold in 1954, and Dave Hoppen (1985) and Eric Piatkowski (1993) played on the United States' World University Games teams.

 

Awesome Aussie

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

 

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

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

 

Huskers Rise to Challenge

A trio of Huskers were named to the all-tournament team as they lead Nebraska to a perfect 3-0 record and the title of the John Thompson Foundation Basketball Challenge on the opening weekend of the 2005-06 season.

 

Senior Jason Dourisseau, sophomore Aleks Maric and freshman Jamel White each earned a spot on the all-tourney team, along with Yale's Sam Kaplan, Longwood's Michael Jefferson and tournament MVP Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech.

 

The Huskers had to scratch out two of the wins as NU's victories over Yale and LaTech were not decided until the final minutes. NU used a solid defensive effort that held its opponents to a tournament-low 61.7 points per game while shooting just 38.5 percent.

 

Maric and Dourisseau each averaged 12.7 points per game to lead the Huskers to the title. Maric also pulled in 10.7 rebounds per game on the weekend to rank second in the four-team field while Dourisseau was fourth overall and second on the team with 8.7 rebounds per contest.

 

White sparked the Huskers on both ends of the court as he took several charges on defense and added double-figure points twice. He finished with 10 points, seven boards and five assists against one turnover in the hard-fought win over Yale.

 

It was the first tournament title the Huskers have won since taking three straight games at the San Juan Shootout in 2000. Nebraska defeated Iona (81-80), KentState (69-68) and SMU (72-70) that season. The Huskers started that trip with a 72-64 win over Miami in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

 

New Bench Look

The Huskers have a new look on the bench as they have two new faces within the staff.

Jerome Francis Jr. joined the Huskers as an assistant coach in June and works directly with the post players. Francis formerly was head coach at Prairie View A&M three years and served at several Division I schools as an assistant coach, including one season at Butler with Coach Barry Collier.

 

Also new to the program this year is head basketball strength coach Travis Reust. A native of Oklahoma, Reust has most recently guided the programs at TCU and Colorado before coming to Nebraska. Reust has helped several Huskers reach new highs in the weight room already, as three Huskers have already benched at least 300 pounds this season while nearly every Husker has made a significant strength gain as well.

 

Fresh Faces

Nebraska has a returnee at each spot on the floor but has looked for its depth this season from mostly by new faces. Overall, the Huskers have three returning redshirts and six newcomers on the squad (although two newcomers have elected to redshirt). The heralded group of newcomers gives Nebraska its most athletic roster in several years. 

 

Leading the list of fresh faces this season is junior college transfer B.J. Walker. The forward from Cincinnati nearly averaged a double-double last season with 16.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while helping Garden City (Kan.) Community College to its first-ever Jayhawk Conference West Division title. Walker has a soft touch inside 12 feet and solid offensive moves in the post and at 6-9, 245 pounds, provides another wide body to rest either Wes Wilkinson or Aleks Maric.

 

Along with B.J. Walker, freshmen Marcus Walker, Jamel White and Kyle Marks have earned 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 38.8 boards per game and is seventh in rebounding margin at +2.7. Aleks Maric (8th, 7.0 rpg), Wes Wilkinson (10th, 6.8 rpg) and Jason Dourisseau (11th, 6.8 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 355-111 all-time record in its 30th year at the DevaneyCenter. The Huskers picked up their 350th all-time win in the building in grand fashion as they earned a 107-57 win over North Carolina A&T on Dec. 19. The win marked the seventh-largest victory margin in school history and the third-largest in building history. It was also the first 100-point scoring effort for the Huskers since 1996.

 

The DevaneyCenter is one of just three current Big 12 arenas where the home team has won at least 350 games, including Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse, Oklahoma's LloydNobleCenter and IowaState's Hilton Coliseum.

 

Graduate Work

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

 

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

 

Record Home Streak

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

 

The last time NU played seven consecutive home games at any point was the 1926-27 season. The Huskers went 6-1 during that stretch with the only loss a 34-25 setback against Kansas. 

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

 

Forcing Their Hand

Nebraska's foes hit just 41.4 percent from the floor last season as the Huskers ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference. It marked the third straight year Nebraska has held opponents to 41.5 percent or less from the floor. Since 1965, NU has held opponents to a 41.5 field-goal percentage or less just eight times, although six of those seasons have come in the last decade.

This year, opponents are hitting 40.3 percent from the field through 20 games this season, including 44.9 percent in Big 12 contests.

 

Huskers Open Practice with Madness

Nebraska opened the 2005-06 year with a public scrimmage and dunk contest at Husker Madness on Oct. 14. With about 2,500 fans in attendance, the Huskers joined the Nebraska women's team to give the public a taste of what was to come this season.

 

Following the women's scrimmage and 3-point contest, the Husker men held a 20-minute running clock scrimmage with the veterans taking on the newcomers. The newcomers struggled early but made a late surge before being held off by the veterans,
34-27.

 

In the dunk contest, freshman Kyle Marks impressed the fans with a two-handed slam after jumping over the entire team, which had crouched down inside the lane. Marks' dunk came in the finals against senior Jason Dourisseau, who cleared a ball rack set up in the lane inside the free throw line. Each scored a perfect '50' to force a second finals matchup, which Dourisseau won after Marks missed both of his attempts.

 

What's On Tap Next

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

 

After the KU game, the Huskers will travel to Austin to take on No. 8 Texas at the FrankErwinCenter. In their last trip to Austin, the Huskers dropped a two-point contest, 63-61 against No. 18 Texas in 2004, as Jake Muhleisen's 30-footer at the buzzer bounced off the rim and let UT hold on for a come-from-behind victory.