Huskers Open Regular Season vs. UNO

>>>Nebraska Opens Doc Sadler Era
The Nebraska men's basketball team will play the first regular-season game of the Doc Sadler era on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when the Huskers play host to in-state foe Nebraska-Omaha at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Sadler became the 26th head coach in program history after being hired away from Texas-El Paso on Aug. 8, 2006.

The game will tip off at 7:05 p.m., and the doors to the Devaney Center open 90 minutes before tipoff. Tickets are still avialable and can be purchased at Huskers.com and by phone at 1-800-8BIGRED, or on game day at the Devaney Center box office (north ramp).

Nebraska men's basketball regular-season broadcasts can be heard throughout the state of Nebraska on the 25-station Husker Sports Network. The action will be called by Kent Pavelka (play by play) and Matt Davison (color). All games can also be heard around the world on the Internet at Huskers.com. Free live statistics are also available on Huskers.com and video of the game will be streamed live on HuskersNside.com, the premium subscription site of Nebraska athletics.

The last Big 12 team to open the regular season, Nebraska looks to get the season started on the right foot after stumbling in its final exhibition contest last weekend. The Huskers fell to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 54-50, on Saturday after hitting 29.1 percent from the field, including 20.6 percent in the first half. SIUE, which entered the preseason ranked No. 3 in the nation in Division II, handed Nebraska just its sixth exhibition loss in 48 games and first since 2000.

Injuries have been a major storyline for the Huskers so far this season. Nine Huskers have missed practice time due to injury or illness and two key players ? senior Marcus Perry (knee) and junior Aleks Maric (appendix) ? did not suit up for the SIUE contest last weekend. Neither player is expected to dress for Tuesday's opener.

With injuries adjusting the lineup each day, the Huskers have had to rely on newcomers more than Sadler would like this early in the season. Two freshmen ? guards Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson ? started each of NU's two exhibition contests, with Anderson playing out of position at the 4 spot.

Henry ended the exhibition season leading the team with 20.0 points per game while hitting 42.9 percent from the floor, including 41.7 percent from 3-point range. Anderson was third on the team with 11.0 points per game in exhibition play while ranking second on the team with 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Both Henry and Anderson could start again Tuesday night, becoming the third and fourth true freshmen to start in the season opener for the Huskers since 2000. Jake Muhleisen (2001) and Marcus Walker (2005) were the most recent true freshmen to start a season-opening contest for NU.

>>>The Series
Nebraska and Nebraska-Omaha are meeting for just the second time in the regular season and first time since 1988. The Huskers earned a 96-67 victory over the Mavericks on Jan. 25, 1988, to start a three-game win streak that also included victories over Kansas and Colorado. NU finished the season, its second under coach Danny Nee, with a 13-18 record.

>>>Scouting the Mavericks
Nebraska-Omaha comes into Tuesday's game making its second straight appearance against a Division I squad and second consecutive game against an in-state foe. UNO opened its exhibition season with a 73-56 loss at No. 23 Creighton last week. The Mavericks were down just one point, 32-31, at the intermission, but saw the Bluejays post an 18-0 run midway through the second half to pull away for the win.

UNO returns six letterwinners and two starters from last season's 15-16 squad. The Mavericks return their top three 3-point shooters from last season when they hit 202 treys for an average of 6.5 per game.

The Mavericks' top returnee is Zac Robinson, who averaged 11.4 points per game while starting eight of 31 contests. Robinson was UNO's top 3-point threat as he hit 79-of-206 attempts (38.3 percent) from long range. He was also among the team leaders by hitting 77.6 percent from the free throw line and was third on the team in steals with 21.

Denny Johnston also returns after starting 26 games while averaging 6.3 points per contest and adding 25 3-pointers. Johnston is the top returning assist man for UNO after dishing out 55 assists last year. Michael Jenkins, who had 6.2 points per game and added 24 3-pointers, is the third long-range threat returning for Nebraska-Omaha.

The Mavericks are under the guidance of second-year head coach Derrin Hansen (Nebraska Wesleyan, 1991). A native of St. Paul, Neb., Hansen is in his ninth year on the UNO sideline after serving eight seasons as an assistant.

>>>Nebraska Season Openers
The Huskers officially open the 111th season of Nebraska basketball Tuesday against Nebraska-Omaha. NU enters the season with a 1,298-1,162 all-time record and needs two victories to become the 59th NCAA school to win 1,300 games at the Division I level.

The contest will mark Nebraska's earliest regular-season playing date in school history, matching the mark set in 1998 when the Huskers opened the season on Nov. 14 against UNC Greensboro. The next earliest season-opening date in the record book is Nov. 16 in 1997, also against UNC Greensboro. In program history, Nebraska is known to have played only seven games before Nov. 20, including two games last season when it played host to the John Thompson Basketball Challenge.

Nebraska will be looking for its sixth straight season-opening victory and ninth in the past 10 years. The Huskers are also looking to extend a streak of 25 straight victories in home openers. The last time NU lost its first home contest of the season was 1980, when Nebraska dropped a 62-59 overtime decision against Wyoming.

>>>Injuries Deplete Frontcourt Depth
The Huskers entered the season thin on experience across the front line, and the rash of injuries already seen this season has been felt most signifcantly in the paint. Center Aleks Maric, the top returning rebounder in the Big 12 Conference this season and NU's top returning scorer, has missed both exhibition games after an appendectomy.

Because of the lack of depth, Nebraska has started 6-4 freshman Ryan Anderson, who is listed as a guard, at the 4 spot in each exhibition contest. Sophomore Jim Ledsome, who had played 61 career minutes entering the season, has started each game in place of Maric at center. Nebraska's only other front court returnee who has played in a regular-season game is sophomore Kyle Marks, who is recovering from knee surgery. Marks played 122 minutes last season.

Redshirt freshman Chris Balham (legs) also missed time earlier this season and was not cleared to play until just hours before the first exhibition game. Freshman forward Kris Douse is the only Husker over 6-4 who has not had an injury and missed practice time in the preseason.

>>>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 lacked a full roster of healthy bodies, three of the walk-on hopefuls dressed for the exhibition opener against Nebraska-Kearney and a fourth was added to the bench for the SIU-Edwardsville contest.

Forward Ben Nelson (Atwater, Minn.) was the lone walk-on to see action in the first exhibition, as he got into the game against UNK 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.).

The trio also dressed Saturday against SIUE along with Choul Laam, a senior from Lincoln. Laam played six minutes against SIUE and was the only walk-on to see action.

>>>Bumps, Bruises and Much More
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 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 Nov. 3. He was not available for the two exhibition games and likely will not dress Tuesday against UNO. He did return to practice on a limited basis Monday and will be re-evaluated throughout the week. Without Maric, the Huskers lose 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.

>>>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 UNO 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.