Huskers Take on Hofstra in NIT First Round

Coming off a semifinal appearance at the Big 12 Championship, the Nebraska Cornhuskers kept their season alive as they earned a postseason bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Nebraska, which will be the No. 6 seed in the East region, will face the No. 3-seeded Hofstra Pride on Thursday, March 16, at 6 p.m. (CST) at the Hofstra Arena in Hemsptead, N.Y.

 

Fans can listen to the game on the radio through the Pinnacle Sports Network. The 26-station network can be heard all around Nebraska and in parts of western Iowa, and is available worldwide on the Internet at Huskers.com. Randy Lee will handle play-by-play duties while Matt Davison serves as color analyst. The game will not be televised. 

 

Nebraska Earns Second Postseason Bid in Three Years

Nebraska's strong run at the Big 12 Championship last week in Dallas helped solidify a bid in the postseason as the Huskers were selected to compete in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the 14th time in school history. It is the second time in three years the Huskers have reached the postseason NIT and it marks their 14th all-time berth. NU has also had six NCAA Tournament appearances.

 

After coming up just short in a pair of games during the final week of the regular season ? NU lost the two contests by a combined three points ? the Huskers locked into an attacking mode in the first two games in the league tourney.

 

The result was a pair of wins over Missouri, 71-64, and No. 22/19 Oklahoma, 69-63, that propelled Nebraska into the tournament semifinals for the first time since 1999 and only the second time in the Big 12 era. Nebraska then fell in the semis to eventual tournament champion Kansas for the third time this season.

 

The Huskers enter the first-round NIT matchup at Hofstra with a 19-13 overall record, their most victories in a season since producing 20 wins in 1998-99. A victory this week would not only keep the Huskers' season alive but would give NU its 12th, 20-win campaign in the 110 years of Husker men's basketball.

 

The 19 wins are already the most under sixth-year coach Barry Collier, and mark the third straight campaign the Huskers have had a winning regular-season record. It is the second postseason berth for NU under Collier, who owns 285 wins in 17 seasons as a head coach. Collier has now led his teams to a postseason bid eight times, including three NCAA appearances and five NIT berths. Overall, Collier owns a 4-7 record in postseason play, including a 4-4 mark in the NIT. Each of the last two teams he has led to the NIT have won two games before bowing out.  

 

Nebraska looks to carry its success from the league tournament over to the postseason.

Senior guard Jason Dourisseau played a major role in the impressive run as he led the team over the three tourney games with 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. He hit an impressive 59.3 percent from the floor (16-of-27) while playing a team-high 35.0 minutes per game.

 

Dourisseau posted a season-high 20 points in the first-round victory ? Nebraska's first win at the league championship since 1999 ? and came back to produce his third double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Huskers' second upset of nationally ranked Oklahoma this season.

 

In the conference semifinals, Dourisseau added 16 points, as he led the team in scoring for the second time in three games. Although he has produced more double-figure scoring efforts (21) this year than any other Husker, it was just the fifth time all season he paced NU in scoring.

 

Dourisseau also had some help from the other four starters as Aleks Maric (12.3 ppg), Jamel White (12.0) and Wes Wilkinson (11.0) each averaged double figures in the tourney while Charles Richardson Jr. posted a solid 3:1 assist:turnover ratio with 15 assists against just five turnovers.

 

In addition to the starters, Marcus Perry came off the bench to provide a much-needed spark at times, hitting an impressive 58.3 percent from 3-point range during the tourney. He had hit just 22 3-pointers in his first 28 games before knocking down 7-of-12 attempts in the three games last week.

 

Nebraska in the Postseason

The Cornhuskers are the seventh school in the Big 12 Conference to earn at least 20 postseason bids. Overall, Nebraska is making its 14th appearance in the National Invitation Tournament, and has also earned six NCAA Tournament bids.

 

The Huskers have reached New York and the NIT Final Four on three occasions, including 1983, 1987 and 1996, including winning the title in 1996. Nebraska earned four of its five victories on the way to the championship away from Lincoln, including the tourney opener at ColoradoState.

 

The Huskers own a 22-12 all-time record in the NIT and have won their first contest of the tournament in 10 consecutive appearances. The last time Nebraska lost its opening contest of the NIT was 1980, when the Huskers fell to Michigan, 76-69, on the road.

 

Nebraska has won its first NIT game on the road three times, including its last appearance two years ago when it defeated Creighton, 71-70, in Omaha. The Huskers own an 8-11 all-time record in the NIT on the road.

 

During the regular season, the Huskers faced 11 teams that made postseason play, including five in the 40-team NIT field (Colorado, OklahomaState, Creighton, Florida State and Louisiana Tech). Nebraska owns a 3-3 record against those five teams in the NIT, including a 1-1 record against teams in the East Region bracket (both games against league foe Colorado).

 

Nebraska has played 30 of the other 39 teams in the 2006 NIT field and owns an all-time record of 203-220 against those squads. The total includes two conference opponents in Colorado and OklahomaState, along with two opponents the Huskers have faced at least 40 times each in Creighton and Minnesota.

 

What's On Tap Next

The winner of the Nebraska-Hofstra contest on March 16 will not find out its next opponent until late on March 17. That's when St. Joseph's hits the floor and takes on opening-round winner Rutgers.

 

If St. Joseph's wins, it will play host to the winner of the Nebraska-Hofstra contest on Monday, March 20. If the Hawks lose, then the NU-HU winner could play host to the second-round contest. The higher seed will likely host the contests until the semifinals and final, which will all be played at MadisonSquareGarden in New York.

 

The Matchup

Nebraska and Hofstra are meeting for the first time in program history in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. The teams also did not play a common opponent during the regular season.

 

Nebraska is facing a Colonial Athletic Association team for only the fourth time in program history. The Huskers enter the matchup with the Pride owning a 4-0 all-time record against current CAA squads.

 

The last time NU faced a CAA team was 1997 when the Huskers defeated UNC Wilmington, 85-68, at home in their first game of the Ameritas Classic. Nebraska also defeated a CAA squad the year before when NU got past Old Dominion, 72-66, at the 1996 Puerto Rico Holiday Classic. The first time the Huskers took on a current CAA team was 1973 when NU defeated GeorgiaState, 63-54. The Huskers also took the rematch a year later, 78-75, in overtime.

 

Scouting the Pride

Hofstra enters the postseason as one of the top teams in the NIT field, as it likely was one of the final few that did not make the NCAA Tournament cut. The Pride owns 24 wins, the most among teams left out of the Big Dance and the school's second-most in 33 years of Division I play. Hofstra has built a solid resume with its victories in league action over NCAA Tournament teams UNC Wilmington and two over George Mason.

 

The Pride are 10-2 this season in non-conference play and are a perfect 13-0 at home in the Hofstra Arena. The 5,124-seat venue has become one of the toughest places to play as Hofstra owns the nation's second-longest home-court winning streak with 20 straight home wins dating back to last season. The only longer streak nationally is Gonzaga's 40-game home win streak.

 

Hofstra has a balanced attack with four players averaging double figures and a fifth gaining more than 9.0 points per game. The Pride does not have another player averaging more than 2.5 points per game.

 

HU is led by junior guard Laren Stokes, who averages 17.2 points per game this season while hitting nearly 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. Stokes is third with 4.9 boards per game and 84 assists while adding a team-high 46 steals.

 

Stokes is joined by sophomore sharp-shooter Antoine Agudio, who gives the Pride two 500-point scorers this season. Agudio has averaged 16.9 points per contest while connecting on 82 3-pointers to tie his own school record for the second straight season.

 

Also providing a punch is Carlos Rivera who has gained 12.2 points per game behind 46 3-pointers and added 45 steals, while Aurimas Kieza has punched in 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Adrian Uter has averaged 9.2 points per contest while hitting a team-best 55.6 percent from the field. Uter also paces the squad with 7.8 rebounds per game.

 

Hofstra is guided by head coach Tom Pecora (Adelphi, 1983). He owns a 79-71 career record in five seasons as a head coach, all with the Pride.

 

Quick Shots

? Freshman Jamel White came off the bench to score 28 points for the Huskers against Missouri on Jan. 28, 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 (40) and Marcus Walker (26) 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 tied for fourth among Big 12 freshman this season in made 3-pointers while Walker is tied for seventh. 

? Sophomore Aleks Maric (8.0), senior Jason Dourisseau (7.3) and senior Wes Wilkinson (6.3) 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.

? 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).

? Nebraska secured a winning record in the regular season for the third straight campaign by finishing with a 17-12 record. 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 32 games to date are its most since 1999 when NU played 33 games and finished with a 20-13 record.

? NU is 16-0 this season when outshooting its opponent and is 17-2 this year when leading or tied with just 5:00 remaining in the game.

? With a 93-77 win over Colorado, Nebraska scored its most points in a Big 12 Conference game since posting a 95-85 double-overtime victory over Kansas State to open league play in the 2005 conference slate (Jan. 8, 2005). It is the most points against a conference team in regulation since a 99-82 victory over KansasState on Feb. 9, 2002.

? 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 Oklahoma State this season on the road; a 10-point deficit against Oklahoma at home to open league play; and a six-point deficit against the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship.

? The eight-point halftime deficit against Oklahoma at home in January 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 on Jan. 7, 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.

? On the season, NU has overcome a halftime deficit three times, including twice at home and once on the road (last week at Big 12 Championships against 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 in January and against Missouri at the Big 12 Championship. NU had nine miscues in the contest against the Sooners and Tigers.

? Nebraska recorded a season-high 16 3-pointers against North Carolina A&T, two off the school record of 18 set in 2002 against No. 1 Kansas.

 

Maric Nearing Record Book

Sophomore Aleks Maric is nearing uncharted territory. The Sydney, Australia, native owns a team-best 239 rebounds and needs 13 boards to move into 10th place on the Nebraska single-season chart.

 

Only one sophomore has ever broken into the top 10 as Venson Hamilton set the NU sophomore record at 269 rebounds in 1997, which ranks sixth on the single-season chart. Hamilton went on to become the first and only Husker to collect 1,000 career boards.

 

Maric needs three rebounds Thursday to pass Carl McPipe for second place on the Nebraska sophomore top 10 list. McPipe had 241 boards as a Husker sophomore in 1977. Maric became only the fifth Husker sophomore ever to post at least 200 rebounds, joining Hamilton, McPipe, Bob Siegel (227 in 1975) and Dave Hoppen (207 in 1984).

 

Board Breakers

Nebraska ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference in rebounding with 38.6 boards per game this season. NU's total of 1,236 rebounds currently ranks ninth in school history. The Huskers need 27 boards to tie for eighth place at 1,263, originally set by the 1998 squad.

 

Much of Nebraska's success on the glass has come from a trio of board specialists. Sophomore Aleks Maric (6-11, 265 pounds) leads the way with 239 rebounds this season while senior Jason Dourisseau (6-6, 200 pounds) is right behind with 232 boards. Senior Wes Wilkinson (6-10, 225 pounds) has a chance to help the threesome make history, as he needs six boards to reach 200 this season.

 

It is believed that Wilkinson's sixth board would make this the first Husker trio ever to reach 200 rebounds apiece in one season. Complete season records are available for more than the past 50 years and the most any one Husker team had in a single season was two players with 200 or more rebounds. The last time two Huskers each had at least 200 boards was during the 2000-01 season when Steffon Bradford (244) and Kimani Ffriend (229) eclipsed the plateau. Only one other player since ? Andrew Drevo in 2002-03 (212) ? has reached the 200-rebound mark.

 

Other Chart Climbers

There has been steady movement on the Husker single-season and class charts, as well as the Nebraska team lists late in the season. Among the most notable movers and shakers are:

? Senior Wes Wilkinson owns a team-best 61 3-pointers this season, which ranks 10th on the NU single-season chart. He would need five more treys to move into a tie for sixth on the list. His 61 3-pointers also rank fourth on the senior class list, and two more treys would move him into a tie for third.

? Junior Charles Richardson Jr. owns a career-best 99 assists, and with his next assist he will become the first player with at least 100 assists since Jake Muhleisen posted 105 in 2002. Richardson needs seven assists to move onto the Nebraska junior class top-10 list.

? Senior Jason Dourisseau has played 971 minutes this season to lead the Huskers. He is on pace to become the first Husker to log 1,000 minutes in a season since Cookie Belcher had 1,024 in 2001. Belcher is the only player under coach Barry Collier to play at least 1,000 minutes in a season at Nebraska.

? Dourisseau is also making his 33rd start of the season on Thursday against Hofstra. The Nebraska single-season record is 34 starts, while the games played record is 35.

? As a team, Nebraska has blocked 123 shots this season, a total that ranks 10th in the single-season record book. 

? As a team, the Huskers have made 495-of-738 attempts from the free throw line. While the percentage will not make the record book, the Huskers could get in the school's top 10 for made and attempted charity shots. NU needs one attempted free throw to tie for 10th place (739 attempts by 1992 and 1969 squads), and needs to make 12 free throws to reach the top 10 (507 by 1980 squad). If Nebraska reaches the top 10 for made free throws, it will be the first squad to jump onto the list since 1996.

? The Huskers have hit 212 3-pointers on the season, a total that ranks second in school history. It is only the third time since the inception of the 3-point line a Husker squad has had more than 200 treys. The record of 267 3-pointers was set 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 tied for the third-most by a Big 12 player during the regular 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.

 

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 6.3 rebounds and 1.97 blocks per game this season. He has hit 43.8 percent from the field and 42.7 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 61 treys this year to rank fourth on the NU senior class list). He averaged 0.39 treys per game in his first three seasons but has connected on 1.96 3-pointers per game in 2005.

 

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

 

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 11.9 points and 8.2 rebounds over the past 21 games while hitting 49.4 percent (87-of-176) from the field. He is also second on the team with 21 steals and 28 blocked shots in that span.

 

Maric has been increasingly dependable on the boards in league play as he averaged 9.4 rebounds per game against Big 12 foes during the regular season. The total led all Big 12 players in conference-only games during the regular season. Maric is the fourth Husker to lead the Big 12 in rebounding in conference-only games since the formation of the league in 1997. Venson Hamilton was the first to do it with 9.6 boards per game in league play in 1998, while Kimani Ffriend did it with 10.2 boards in 2000 and 9.6 rebounds in 2001.

 

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 10 double-doubles this season to lead the Huskers and tie for second in the Big 12 Conference. His total equals the most double-doubles by a sophomore at Nebraska in the past 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. Maric also led the league with seven double-doubles in conference-only games.

 

Dishing It

Rookie Marcus Walker has been solid at the point for the Huskers this season, averaging 5.8 points and 2.3 assists per game. His 74 assists are second on the squad and rank fifth on the NU freshman assists chart. Walker has a chance to become just the fourth freshman in school history to record at least 80 assists in his rookie year.

 

Despite suffering through a recent shooting slump, Walker has also recorded eight 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.

 

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 on Jan. 28. 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 got hot and 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 14 games, White has ranked second on the team with 12.7 points per contest (178 total points) while hitting 41.2 percent from the floor, including 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from 3-point range.

 

White added another 20-plus point contest in the Big 12 Championship, as he scored 22 points in the quarterfinals against No. 22/19 Oklahoma. White hit 6-of-11 shots from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe while becoming only the seventh freshman in NU history to record at least two 20-plus point games. With one more 20-plus point game, White would move into a tie for fourth place with Eric Piatkowski, who had three 20-plus point games in 1990-91.

 

White and Marcus Walker joined an elite club as it is the fourth time in NU history a pair of freshmen recorded 20-point contests in the same season. Walker had 20 points against Alabama A&M to help him win Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors.

 

On the Mark

For the second straight season, a pair of Husker freshmen have played a large role in Nebraska's offensive success.

 

Marcus Walker's 26 3-pointers this season rank fourth on the team and are tied for eighth in the NU freshman record book with Beau Reid. 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. White currently sits in third on the list with 40 3-pointers this season and ranks third on the team. He is only the third freshman in school history to record at least 40 3-pointers, alongside Joe McCray (80) and Eric Piatkowski (44).

 

White finished the regular season fourth on the team while averaging 10.1 points per game in Big 12 contests and hit a team-best 40.0 percent from 3-point range against league foes. On the season, White has posted solid numbers with 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while adding 59 assists to rank third on the squad.

 

White's 273 points entering Thursday's first-round NIT game against Hofstra rank ninth on the NU freshman points scored chart, five points behind Andre Smith (278, 1978) and 23 behind Tyronn Lue (296, 1996). Only six freshmen in school history have recorded 300 points in a season.

 

White and Walker's solid play comes a year after NU 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 61 of Nebraska's 123 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 fifth 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 in the middle of the Big 12 slate, Wilkinson picked up enough blocks to move onto NU single-season top 10 chart. The Nebraska single-season record is 91 blocked shots by Derrick Chandler in 1992. Wilkinson enters the postseason in 10th place with 61 blocks after surpassing Venson Hamilton, who had 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 19 games (22 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 99 assists against 52 turnovers in 29 games this season. Richardson, who has had at least four assists in a game 16 times this season, ranks fourth in the league in assist:turnover ratio and 10th in assists per game.

 

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 on Jan. 7, 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 at home 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 11 times in league play, mostly in part by getting to the free throw line a career-high 59 times (made 50, 84.7 percent). He also scored 12 points in a home victory over Colorado, his third career double-figure scoring effort and second straight year with double figures at home against the Buffs.

 

Rankings Game

Following a loss to No. 17/18 Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship last week, Nebraska is now 2-2 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 and followed with a loss at No. 6/7 Texas on Feb. 11. In the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals, Nebraska upset Oklahoma again, as the then-No. 22/19 Sooners fell to NU 69-63.

 

The wins over the Sooners marked the second time in three years the Huskers had two victories over ranked squads in the same season. The last time NU had more than two wins over ranked teams in one year was 1998-99 when NU won four games against ranked squads.

 

Nebraska has won at least one game against a ranked team each of the past six seasons under coach Barry Collier. Dating back to last season, the Huskers have won three of their last five 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 27 victories over ranked teams ? including seven wins over top-10 teams ? in the past 15 years. Two of the 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 30.3 minutes per game while Wes Wilkinson is second as he has averaged 28.9 minutes per game. Over the past 10 games, Dourisseau has been an iron man as he has averaged 35.0 minutes per contest, while Jamel White (34.4) and Wes Wilkinson (30.9) have also averaged at least 30.0 minutes per game in that span.

 

On the road against OklahomaState, the Huskers had five athletes ? all the starters ? play at least 30 minutes in a contest for the only 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. 

 

Spreading the Wealth

Nebraska's offensive execution has been outstanding at times this season. That effectiveness has come with excellent ball movement and unselfish play.

 

That was most evident in Nebraska's 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.

 

In the Big 12 Championship, the Huskers posted a 21-assist, nine-turnover contest against Missouri. Four players recorded at least three assists, including a team-best six by Richardson and a career-high four by Maric.

 

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 10 double-doubles. His total is third in the Big 12 Conference this season behind Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge (14) and P.J. Tucker (12).

 

Maric's most recent double-double came against KansasState at home when he posted 16 points and 12 rebounds. He helped Nebraska its fifth straight game with a rebounding advantage.

 

Maric posted seven double-doubles in league play, the most by any conference player this season. He also led all Big 12 players in conference-only games with 9.4 rebounds per contest.

 

Maric scored a career-high 37 points and added 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 (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 to 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 seven times this year.

 

Dourisseau has also had three other games with at least eight rebounds, but has picked up three double-doubles this season. He grabbed his first with 14 points and 10 rebounds on the road against Colorado and  added 16 points and 10 boards against Baylor. He claimed his third double-double in the Big 12 Championship when he had 10 points and 10 rebounds in an upset of nationally ranked Oklahoma.

 

Dourisseau also had a career-high tying 12 rebounds at Missouri in the regular-season finale and 11 boards against Creighton and FloridaState, but did not reach double-figure points in those contests.

 

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 was 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 earned a 7-9 league record during the regular season, tying their best Big 12 mark since posting a 10-6 mark during the 1998-99 season. Nebraska finished the season sixth in the league standings and earned the No. 6 seed at the Big 12 Championship.

 

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. Nebraska earned three road wins in conference play this season by also posting a 59-57 victory at OklahomaState and a 73-63 win at IowaState.

 

NU snapped a 10-game losing streak in conference road openers in 2005 with a 68-61 victory at Colorado. Before the win over the Buffaloes last season, Nebraska had not won a league road opener since a 78-72 victory at IowaState in 1994.

 

The Huskers are now 7-9 in their last 14 games away from Lincoln against Big 12 teams dating back to last season, including 3-5 during the regular season this year. In 2005, the Huskers were also 3-5 on the road in league regular-season action, posting their most wins away from home in conference play since 1999 (4-4).

 

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.

 

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.

 

Hot Shots

Nebraska owns three wins 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.

 

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.

 

In 2005-06, 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.

 

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 23.0 free throw attempts per game (738 total attempts in 32 games) while allowing its opponents to get to the stripe just 16.0 times per game (511 attempts combined).

 

Nebraska has hit 67.1 percent (495-of-738) 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 175 times while only two other Huskers (Aleks Maric, 169; Jamel White, 86) have gotten to the line 65 times.

 

Dourisseau has hit just 58.3 percent from the stripe on the season but has made a dramatic improvement in conference play as he was 13th in league-only games by hitting 67.6 percent (50-of-74).

 

Nebraska ? which hit 61.8 percent from the line in non-conference play ? saw that number rise to 71.2 percent to rank fifth in league-only games.

 

The Huskers have hit better than 70 percent in 11 of their last 17 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.

 

First-Timers

Husker fans have seen 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). Redshirt freshman Paul Velander also made his career debut this season after returning from injury to play against Baylor.

 

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 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. During the preseason, 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.

 

Redshirt Seasons

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. He then moved to the Kansas City during high school.

 

A native of Bronx, N.Y., 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 are continuing a recent tradition of success on the defensive end of the court.

 

Nebraska has held opponents to less than 64.0 points per game each of the past two years, and is limiting foes to 65.8 points per game in 2005-06. The last time Nebraska held opponents to fewer than 66.0 points per game in three consecutive seasons was 1982 (55.3 ppg), 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 (not including 2005-06).

 

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.

 

In 2004-05, the Huskers averaged a +5.2 rebounding margin over 28 games to rank 30th nationally. It was 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 postseason ranked fourth in the Big 12 Conference in rebound average at 38.6 boards per game and sixth in rebounding margin at +3.5. Aleks Maric (3rd, 8.0 rpg), Jason Dourisseau (t5th, 7.3 rpg) and Wes Wilkinson (11th, 6.3 rpg) rank among the top 15 individuals in the league.

 

This season's effort will mark the ninth time in 11 seasons the Huskers held an advantage on the glass.

 

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 has faced 11 teams (17 games) this season that reached the 2005 postseason, and will add another to the list Thursday when the Huskers take on Hofstra. The Pride lost in the first round last year to St. Joseph's.

 

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.

 

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 have hit 40.9 percent from the field, including 42.5 percent in Big 12 regular-season contests. The last time NU held opponents to less than 41.5 percent from the field for four consecutive seasons was 1959 (36.7), 1960 (36.9), 1961 (36.7) and 1962 (41.4).