Huskers End Exhibition Play Against SIUE

The Nebraska men's basketball team completes the 2006-07 exhibition schedule with its second home game in five days when it takes on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday, Nov. 11. The game will tip off at 7:05 p.m. and will be the Huskers' second straight game against a Division II top-5 team, as the Cougars enter the preseason ranked No. 3 in the nation.

The Nebraska basketball broadcast can be heard Saturday only on Huskers.com. The Internet-only broadcast will feature Kent Pavelka on play by play while Cole Stukenholz fills in as the color man. Live game stats will also be available on Huskers.com.

At Saturday's game, the U.S. Marines will be on hand to collect new, unwrapped toys for needy children in the Lincoln area as part of the Toys for Tots program. Fans are encouraged to come early and drop off the gifts at the North or South ramp entrances. Doors open for the game 90 minutes before tipoff.

The Huskers return to the floor after posting a two-point exhibition win over in-state foe Nebraska-Kearney, 74-72, on Monday. UNK hit 50.0 percent from the floor in the second period to erase a six-point halftime deficit and led in the final seconds until freshman guard Ryan Anderson drilled a 3-pointer from the corner with 1.8 seconds remaining for the victory. Anderson scored nine points in the contest, including five in the final 30 seconds.

Newcomers played a large role for the Huskers because of injuries, and that will be much of the same on Saturday when NU takes on SIU-Edwardsville. Anderson got the starting nod at the 4 spot on Monday and was joined in the Husker lineup by another freshman, Sek Henry, who started at the 3.

Henry signed scholarship papers during the first week of fall classes and is the first player recruited by new coach Doc Sadler. Henry burst onto the scene against the Lopers as he posted a team-high 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including hitting 2-of-4 from long range. The true freshman played 30 minutes and had just one turnover while providing an explosive offensive presence for NU.

Point guard Charles Richardson Jr., the only returning player who has not missed practice time this fall because of injury, got his senior season off to a strong start as he posted five points, a team-high six rebounds, four steals and seven assists against two turnovers.

>>>Nebraska Exhibition History
Nebraska will be looking for its 13th straight exhibition victory dating back to the 2000 campaign when it takes on the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars on Saturday. The Huskers own a 42-5 all-time record in exhibition play and have finished the preseason with a perfect 2-0 record 15 times since 1988, including each of the past five years.

The game Saturday will be the first ever between the Cornhuskers and Cougars as they have never faced off on the hardwood in exhibition or regular-season play. It will be the Huskers' 39th meeting with a team from the state of Illinois with the Huskers holding a 23-15 combined record against 11 teams.

>>>Scouting the Cougars
Southern Illinois-Edwardsville is making its second and final exhibition appearance of the season as it takes on the Huskers Saturday. The game will be SIUE's second in four days as the Cougars dropped a 76-57 contest at Illinois on Wednesday.

Senior guard Ty Johnson led the way against the Illini with 13 points while sophomore forward Nick Arth had 10. SIUE hit just 38.9 percent from the floor while Illinois scorched the nets by hitting 56.4 percent, including an impressive 68.0 percent (17-of-25) in the second frame.

The Cougars enter the season ranked in the top five of both major Division II polls. Last year, SIUE finished with a 25-8 record and reached the DII Elite Eight before losing by two points to the eventual national runner-up.

Johnson and junior guard J.B. Jones are the top returnees for the Cougars after averaging 12.9 and 11.1 points per game, respectively, last season. Jones was listed as a preseason All-American entering 2006-07 by Street & Smith's. Senior forward Mike Hardiek also returns after posting 10.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last season. The Cougars have seven first-year players on the bench and two redshirts. SIUE also has one transfer giving it eight newcomers who have never suited up in a Cougar uniform.

A pair of Cougar coaches have connections to the Nebraska program. Head coach Marty Simmons, who owns a 73-47 record at SIUE over the past four seasons, won a pair of state titles at Lawrenceville (Ill.) High School in 1982 and 1983, where he played with former NU assistant coach Doug Novsek. Simmons then went on to play two seasons at Indiana for Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight.

Another SIUE coach has sat on the Nebraska bench wearing a Husker uniform. Dan Heimos, who serves as an assistant to Simmons, was a scholarship signee at Nebraska and was part of the Huskers' four-man recruiting class for 2001-02 that also included Jake Muhleisen, John Turek and Corey Simms. Heimos competed for two seasons with the Huskers before transferring to SIUE to play his final two seasons near his home of Gibault, Ill.

>>>Injury Bug Hits Huskers Hard
Seven Huskers returned from last season's NIT squad, including three starters in guards Charles Richardson Jr. and Jamel White and center Aleks Maric. Richardson is the only Husker with significant experience who has not missed any practice time with an injury or illness this fall.

Last year, Richardson had surgery on his knee during the preseason and missed the first three games of the season before coming on to start 23 contests. This season, he is one of four players ? including freshmen Sek Henry, Ryan Anderson and Kris Douse ? who have not been sidelined.

On the other hand, nine Huskers have missed time this year with a wide range of injuries that have relegated them to the bench, including: Jamel White (collarbone), Kyle Marks (knee cartilage), Paul Velander (foot), Chris Balham (legs), Jim Ledsome (ankle), Jay-R Strowbridge (thigh) and Mike Smith (thigh).

Aleks Maric joined the growing injured list as he had an appendectomy on Friday, Nov. 3. He will not be available for the second straight game when NU takes on SIUE as an average time for return to action would be about two weeks, making his return some time around Nov. 17. Without Maric, the Huskers are losing their top returning scorer (10.9 ppg) and rebounder (8.4 rpg) from last year. The 6-11, 270-pounder provides the majority of Nebraska's bulk in the paint and returned as one of the top centers in the conference after leading the Big 12 in double-doubles in league-only games last year with seven.

The Huskers also suffered a loss following the first exhibition game as senior guard Marcus Perry, who had already lost practice time because of foot problems, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 9. Perry, who scored 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range off the bench Monday, tore cartilage in his left knee and will be lost for a couple weeks.

>>>Earning Their Keep
With the rash of injuries, the Nebraska coaching staff held open tryouts for students on Oct. 12, a day before the official start of preseason practices. At times this fall, the Huskers have practiced with only six healthy players who are currently listed on the official roster.

From the open tryout, the staff took six players who are working out with the team on a limited basis. Because the Huskers still lacked a full roster of healthy bodies, three of the walk-on hopefuls dressed for the exhibition opener against Nebraska-Kearney.

Forward Ben Nelson (Atwater, Minn.) was the only one of the walk-ons to see action, as he got into the game for three minutes and had one rebound while going 0-for-1 from the floor. Also dressing that night were Andrew Wicklund (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Glenn White (Omaha, Neb.).

>>>Read to Succeed Book Drive
The University of Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring the second annual Read to Succeed Book Drive in November. Student-athletes are asking for fans to contribute new or in-good condition picture and chapter books. The books will be given to Title 1 Lincoln Public Elementary Schools to encourage families to practice reading and develop a love for reading.

The books will be collected by Husker student-athlete volunteers along with Lincoln Public School teachers, on three different dates in the upcoming two weeks. Husker fans are asked to donate books at the following Nebraska athletic events:

? Wednesday, Nov. 15 (7 p.m.), Volleyball vs. Texas A&M
? Friday, Nov. 17 (7:05 p.m.), Women’s Basketball vs. Cal State Fullerton
? Saturday, Nov. 18 (7 p.m.), Men’s Basketball vs. Creighton

The Lincoln Public Schools Ventures in Partnership will assist the student-athletes in the distribution process, making sure they get into the hands of those students who are in need of books in their homes.

At each drive, fans who donate a book can enter to win a prize which will be awarded the night of each game. An autographed ball will be given away at each event for the lucky ticket drawn at the end of the night.

>>>Leading by Example
Senior guard Charles Richardson Jr. is the proven veteran of the squad as he is the Huskers' only returning three-year letterwinner. In fact, Richardson and junior center Aleks Maric are the only players on the squad with more than one year of Division I experience.

Unlike Richardson, six Huskers will be looking for their first career action when Nebraska opens the regular season on Nov. 14 at home against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.

The 5-9, 165-pound Richardson helped the Huskers to a 19-14 campaign in 2006 that included their second NIT bid in three years. Richardson, who has quietly become one of the top floor generals in the Big 12, is chasing his third postseason appearance at Nebraska this season.

Behind his solid junior campaign setting up the Husker offense, Richardson ranked fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.92:1 and was 10th in the league with 3.33 assists per game after gaining 100 assists on the year. His strong hand helped lead the Huskers to two victories at the Big 12 Championship in 2006, only the third time in school history that NU posted more than one win at the league postseason tournament.

For his career, Richardson has 220 assists in 87 games. He leads the current squad in both categories and is second among returnees in games started with 35. Only Aleks Maric, who has started 36 of 58 career games, has more experience in the starting lineup.

With similar statistics to last year, Richardson could move into the Nebraska career top 10 for assists. Currently sitting in 10th place on the list is former Husker and current 13-year NBA veteran Eric Piatkowski, who had 322 assists in his career.

>>>Testing the Waters
Doc Sadler was the biggest addition to the Nebraska program this summer, but the largest returnee on the floor for the Huskers ? literally and figuratively ? was junior center Aleks Maric.

The 6-11, 270-pound Maric entered his name into the NBA Draft on April 28, 2006. After testing the waters, Maric withdrew his name before the deadline and, since he did not hire an agent, was able to return to the Huskers for the 2006-07 campaign.

However, Maric wasn't initially convinced that he would return to Lincoln following Barry Collier's resignation as head coach in August. To help Maric make up his mind, Doc Sadler got on a plane to Australia less than 48 hours following his appointment as head coach and spent a few days with Maric and his family so they could get to know each other. The following week Maric announced he would return to Lincoln in time for the start of fall classes.

Maric, who will miss the UNK contest after undergoing an appendectomy on Friday, Nov. 3, was the first Husker underclassman to declare early for the draft since Tyronn Lue announced his decision to forgo his senior season in 1998. Lue remained in the draft and was a first-round selection of the Denver Nuggets. He is still in the NBA playing for the Atlanta Hawks, one of three former Huskers currently in the league.

Maric was one of eight underclassmen from the Big 12 Conference to declare early for the draft, a high for any conference. Six of the players remained in the draft, with Maric and Colorado's all-league guard Richard Roby being the only two to pull out. Of the six who stayed in the draft, four were selected in the first two rounds.

>>>Getting Out
First-year head coach Doc Sadler has made his presence felt in the city of Lincoln and throughout the state of Nebraska this fall. Sadler, who was hired to take over the Cornhusker program on Aug. 8, has made numerous public appearances around the state, greeting fans of all ages while promoting the Nebraska basketball program. Sadler has also been widely available to the media and has made guest appearances on the Husker Sports Network during three football broadcasts as well as on NET's Big Red Wrap Up show.

>>>Talk With Doc
Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler will meet fans to talk about recent contests and the game plan for upcoming game with a series of four 'Talk with Doc' luncheons. The luncheons begin on Nov. 17 when Doc talks about the upcoming game against Creighton.

The first luncheon will be held on the floor of the Devaney Center and the final three (Dec. 15, Jan. 19 and Feb. 9) will take place at the Nebraska Club on the 20th floor of the US Bank Building in downtown Lincoln. Cost for the luncheons, which include a full buffet, is $15 per person per luncheon. Tables of eight are availble for $120 and packages that include a full table of eight for all four luncheons are $450.

>>>Open Doors
The new Nebraska coaching staff has put a new policy in place that has gone over well with the fans as practices are open to the public. Dates and times for practices can be found on the basketball page on Huskers.com and are updated frequently.

Fans are able to get an inside glimpse into the Husker program by spending time watching practice from the floor or any available seating in the stands. The purpose of open practices is to allow fans to gain a better understanding of the program.

Fans are reminded that information gained by attending a practice session is for personal use only and should not be posted to the Internet and that information regarding injuries or personnel matters will be released to the media at the appropriate time. Abuse of the privilege may result in re-evaluation of the open-door policy.

>>>Quick Hits
? Nebraska will have a young lineup for the second straight season in 2006-07. Last year's inexperienced squad posted 19 victories and gave NU its second postseason berth in three years. This season the Huskers hope to have a similar outcome despite entering the year with even less experience. Only two players ? senior Charles Richardson Jr. and junior Aleks Maric ? have more than one season of Division I experience.

? Nebraska has been strong on the glass the past three years, and with Aleks Maric returning in the paint this season, that success looks to continue this winter. Last year, the Huskers posted the eighth-best rebound total in school history with 1,277 boards for an average of 38.7 rpg. NU has ranked in the top four in the league in rebounding each of the past three seasons.

? NU has the players in place to challenge for one of the top spots in the Husker 3-point record book this winter. Nebraska has posted at least 200 3-pointers as a team only three times in school history ? all since 2000 ? including hitting 221 treys last year to rank second all-time. When finally healthy, returning guards Jamel White, Marcus Perry, Paul Velander and Charles Richardson Jr., along with newcomers Ryan Anderson and Sek Henry, will form an impressive long-range attack for the Huskers this season.

? Maric's 10 double-doubles last year tied for fifth in NU single-season history. With 13 career double-doubles, Maric enters the 2006-07 campaign ranked eighth on the NU career chart. Maric needs six to move into the top five and with another 10, he would move to third on the list. Venson Hamilton, the 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year, leads the list with 45 double-doubles, while Carl McPipe is second with 25 and Dave Hoppen third with 22.

? Maric has 420 rebounds entering the season and by posting the same total as he had last year (251), he would move into 10th on the Husker career rebounds chart. Maric is just 10 rebounds behind the total Hamilton had at the end of his sophomore season. Hamilton is the only player in NU history to post more than 1,000 career rebounds.

? Maric will also have a chance to move into the NU career top 10 for blocked shots in 2006-07. He owns 55 blocks entering the year and needs just 10 to take over sole possession of 10th place.

? By duplicating his rookie campaign, guard Jamel White will challenge for a spot on the Nebraska career top-10 chart for 3-pointers. White ranked second in the freshman record book with 44 treys last year and needs 59 to move into a tie for 10th place with Chris Cresswell.

? Nebraska has had one rookie selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team each of the past two years. Last year, White earned the honor after moving into the NU freshman record book in six categories.