Huskers Start Road Slate at Rutgers

>>>Game Information

Game: 6

Game Date: Dec. 2, 2006

Release Date: Dec. 1, 2006

Radio: Internet-only broadcast  (Kent Pavelka, play by play; Andy Markowski, color)

TV: None

Internet: Huskers.com (live radio, stats)

 

The Nebraska men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season when it heads to Piscataway, N.J., to take on Big East foe Rutgers on Saturday, Dec. 2. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. CST.

 

The full broadcast of the game will be carried on the Internet and can be heard all over the world via Huskers.com, the official Internet site of the Nebraska Athletic Department. The new play-by-play voice of the Husker basketball program, Kent Pavelka will call the action on Saturday against Rutgers and former Husker basketball letterwinner Andy Markowski will serve as color analyst for the second straight broadcast.

 

The Husker Sports Network will air the pregame show and live coverage of the football team's appearance in the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma. Frequent live basketball updates and periodic live game action will also be heard during the pregame football broadcast, which starts at 2 p.m.

 

Nebraska hopes to carry some home-court magic on the road in its first contest this season away from the DevaneyCenter. The Huskers have been efficient on offense while running to a 5-0 record in coach Doc Sadler's first year at the helm. Nebraska has hit 54.7 percent from the field through five games, including three straight contests to open the campaign hitting better than 55 percent. Only once in the young season has NU failed to top 50 percent shooting for a whole game (44.0 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff).

 

Sadler's defensive philosophy of pressuring the ball all the way up the court has helped the Huskers limit opponents to 52.8 points per game on 35.2 percent shooting. Nebraska still needs to cut down on its turnovers, but has made up for its miscues by pressuring opponents into 95 turnovers, an average of 19.0 per game. Over the past two contests, NU has forced teams into 49 turnovers, the most in a two-game span by the Huskers since 1993.  

 

>>>Road Warriors

The Nebraska basketball team can easily take on the title of 'Road Warriors' during the month of December. After opening the regular season with five straight home games, the Huskers go on the road for six of their next seven contests, with only one home game (vs. Alabama A&M) at the Devaney Center in December.

 

The trek begins this weekend with a trip to New Jersey to take on Rutgers on Dec. 2 followed by a trip to Portland, Ore., to take on the Oregon Ducks on Dec. 9 at the Rose Garden, home of the Portland Trailblazers. Following the Alabama A&M game at home on Dec. 17, the Huskers leave the next morning for Hawaii where they will play three games in the Outrigger Rainbow Classic from Dec. 20-23 before coming home for Christmas break. Nebraska ends the month with a road trip to the Orange Bowl Classic in Miami on Dec. 30.

 

All told, the Huskers will travel 15,400 miles during the month, according to the Indo.com web site which tracks distances between cities "as the crow flies." The following are the distances the site lists as one-way trips from Lincoln, Neb. The total for one-way trips from Lincoln is 7,700 miles.

 

Destination ..... Distance From Lincoln

Piscataway, N.J. ..... 1168 miles (1880 km, 1015 nautical miles)

Portland, Ore. ..... 1345 miles (2165 km, 1169 nautical miles)

Honolulu, Hawaii ..... 3783 miles (6088 km, 3287 nautical miles)

Miami, Fla. ..... 1404 miles (2259 km, 1220 nautical miles)

Total 7,700 miles ..... (12,392 km, 6,691 nautical miles)

 

The trek around the country will be a new experience for the Huskers. Last year, Nebraska played 10 of its first 11 games of the year at home with the lone road game coming just 60 minutes up I-80 at the Qwest Center Omaha against Creighton. NU's first out-of-state road game last year came on Dec. 31 when the Huskers fell to FloridaState in Miami at the Orange Bowl Classic.

 

Nebraska's most recent long stretch of road games like the upcoming month was in 2000-01 when the Huskers played five straight road games. NU played Miami in the Orange Bowl Classic before winning three straight games and the tourney title at the San Juan Shootout, and then ended the road stretch with a contest at Minnesota.

 

The last time Nebraska played at least six road contests in a seven-game span was 1997-98 when the Huskers played seven straight games away from Lincoln. That stretch started with true road games at Creighton and Minnesota before playing three games at the Rainbow Classic, NU's last appearance in the tournament. NU finished the road trek with games at Kansas and OklahomaState to open Big 12 Conference play.

 

>>>Husker Fans Everywhere

The Huskers look to start out the road slate on a strong note under first-year coach Doc Sadler. It will not be an easy task as Nebraska has a young squad with only two players ? senior guard Charles Richardson Jr. and junior center Aleks Maric ? having played more than one year of Division I basketball. And only a few of the Huskers have played meaningful minutes in a tough road environment like they will see Saturday at "The RAC."

 

But NU will have at least a small cheering section on its side as three Huskers from the East Coast will have plenty of support wearing the scarlet and cream on Saturday. Between Jamel White, a Brooklyn native, and Mike Smith, a Bronx native, the duo is expecting about 150 family members and friends in attendance Saturday. Jim Ledsome will bring the number closer to 200 when his bus load of friends and family make the trip from Maryland. 

 

 >>>Huskers Look to Extend Streak

Nebraska heads into its first road contest of the year against Rutgers looking to extend its season-opening win streak to six games. NU has won at least six games to open a season only eight times in 111 years of the program's existence.

 

Season. NU record before first loss

1977-78............................... 10-0

1915-16................................. 9-0

1992-93................................. 7-0

1984-85................................. 7-0

2001-02................................. 6-0

1995-96................................. 6-0

1919-20................................. 6-0

1906-07................................. 6-0

2006-07................................ ???

 

Nebraska has been strong at home over the years, earning a 361-114 record in 31 seasons at the BobDevaneySportsCenter in Lincoln. On the road, it has been somewhat of another story and the first road game of the year has been especially tough.

NU has lost its first true away game each of the past 10 years since an 88-67 victory over Creighton in 1995. During that span, NU has had its first game away from Lincoln at a neutral site four times and owns a 1-3 record.

 

>>>Connecting with History

 In its last game on Wednesday, Nebraska improved to 5-0 to start the season. The win marked the second time in school history that NU started consecutive seasons with a 5-0 record and the first time in more than 80 years since the 1911-12 and 1912-13 campaigns.

 

Nebraska is one of four Big 12 Conference teams without a loss this season (as of Wednesday, Nov. 29), joining Oklahoma State (8-0), Missouri (7-0) and No. 9/8 Texas A&M (6-0). Missouri played on Thursday, Nov. 30, against Arkansas. Three of the four undefeated teams in the conference have new head coaches, with only A&M's Billy Gillispie having been in his current position last year.

 

>>>Unfamiliar Territory

First-year Husker coach Doc Sadler has moved into territory rarely seen before among the fraternity of coaches at Nebraska.

With five wins to open the season, Sadler is undefeated as NU's head coach longer into his tenure than any previous Husker mentor in more than eight decades. The last time a Nebraska first-year coach won at least five games to open his career in Lincoln was 1919 when Paul Schlisser went 6-0 to start the 1919-20 campaign. Overall, Sadler is only the fifth coach in program history to win his first five games as the Huskers' mentor.

 

>>>Locking Down

 Coach Doc Sadler has always had his teams ready to play solid defense for 94 feet, whether on the Division I level or when he was a head coach in the junior college ranks. Sadler's first Husker squad is showing similar traits and improving in that area each game.

 

To date, the Huskers have allowed just 52.8 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the league only behind Texas A&M's 46.7 points-per-game scoring defense. It makes sense that the teams would be near the top of the defensive statistical categories as their head coaches have the same approach to playing the game: play hard and play every foot of the floor on defense. They have a long history together as well, as A&M coach Billy Gillispie hired Sadler at UTEP as an assistant and when Gillispie left to coach the Aggies, Sadler took over as the Miners' head coach.

 

>>>Shutting the Door

Nebraska has had a solid offensive performance to open the season. The Huskers rank among the national leaders by hitting 54.7 percent from the floor through its first five games. While it's defensive effort may have been overshadowed early on, this year's NU squad has already proven to be among the stingiest in recent NU history.

 

The Huskers have held three straight opponents under 60 points and have not allowed more than 62 points yet this season. In fact, the Huskers held two opponents ? Lubbock Christian and Arkansas-Pine Bluff ? to 42 points each in back-to-back games, both NU wins. That two-game stretch marked the first time since 1982 that Nebraska held consecutive opponents to less than 50 points apiece. That year it accomplished the feat on two occasions, most recently in a pair of victories against Air Force (W, 63-47) and Northern Iowa (53-42).

 

This year's occurrence is only the seventh time since 1958 ? a span of 50 seasons ? that NU has combined to keep consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 points each. The 1957-58 campaign is also the last time Nebraska limited three straight opponents to fewer than points 50.

 

By holding Lubbock Christian and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 42 points apiece, it was only the third time since 1958 that the Huskers allowed 84 or fewer combined points in consecutive games. The last time it happened was three seasons ago, when NU held Bethune-Cookman and Lipscomb to a combined 78 points, including a 70-26 romp over BCC. According to the NCAA record book entering 2006-07, Nebraska ranked 11th in fewest points allowed in a single game since 1986 by holding Bethune-Cookman to 26 points in that contest.

 

>>>Heating Up the Floor

Entering the season, Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said that the thought the Huskers would be a solid shooting team. Through the first five games of the season, Sadler's prediction has been an understatement.

 

Heading into Saturday's road game at Rutgers, the Huskers have connected on 54.7 percent of their shots from the floor, including a solid 41.7 percent from 3-point range. According to ESPN.com, the Huskers ranked third in the nation (through Nov. 29) in field goal percentage, trailing only Northern Illinois (58.5 percent) and defending national champion Florida (54.9). Big 12 counterpart Texas A&M ranked fourth at 53.7 percent and Pittsburgh rounded out the top five at 53.5 percent.

 

Nebraska shot 59.7 percent (77-of-129) from the field over the first three contests of the season, and in fact hit at least 55.0 percent from the floor in each game. That is the longest stretch a Nebraska squad has hit at least 55.0 percent in each game since the 1991-92 team connected on 55.2, 55.2 and 63.4 percent against Wisconsin, Texas A&M and Eastern Washington, respectively.

 

Nebraska opened the season hitting 56.5 percent (26-of-46) from the floor against Nebraska-Omaha, the second time in three years the Huskers hit at least 50 percent of their shots in a season opener. As a follow-up, NU scorched the nets by hitting more than two-thirds of its field-goal attempts (67.6 percent, 25-of-37) in an upset of No. 20/25 Creighton in the second game of the year and first against a Division I team. Nebraska continued its strong shooting by hitting 56.5 percent (26-of-46) against Lubbock Christian.

 

The Huskers' strong streak ended against Arkansas-Pine Bluff when NU was limited to 44.0 percent shooting. Nebraska played all 13 Huskers who were in uniform, including nine for at least 10 minutes apiece while trying multiple lineups as the Huskers led by more than 20 points for the majority of the contest.

 

Junior center Aleks Maric leads the Big 12 Conference by hitting 71.4 percent (40-of-56) from the floor. Through Nov. 29, he also ranked sixth nationally according to ESPN.com, and first among players with at least 50 field-goal attempts.

 

Freshman guard Ryan Anderson has been a pleasant surprise as he is second on the team by connecting on 64.3 percent (27-of-42). Anderson is third in the league statistics and first among Big 12 freshman, just ahead of Kansas' Darrell Arthur (64.2 percent).

 

>>>The Series

Nebraska and Rutgers are meeting for just the second time in the series and first time since 1999. The Scarlet Knights lead by a 1-0 margin as they took the initial matchup between the squads in convincing fashion, grabbing an 81-62 victory in the final game of the Hoop and Quill Classic in St. Charles, Mo.

 

The Huskers own a 12-23 mark against current teams in the Big East Conference with their most wins coming against Notre Dame (5-2 record). NU also owns wins over Marquette (4-4), South Florida (1-1), Pittsburgh (1-3) and DePaul (1-4). Marquette is the most recent Big East opponent the Huskers have faced, as NU ran past the NCAA-Tournament bound Golden Eagles, 84-74, last season in Lincoln.

 

 >>>Scouting the Scarlet Knights

Rutgers enters the weekend looking to snap a four-game losing streak after falling to Temple, 77-54, on the road on Wednesday night. RU is still winless against Division I competition this year, with its only victory coming in an 82-41 decision over St. Thomas Aquinas in the second game of the year.

 

The Scarlet Knights have already played one Big 12 Conference opponent, as they dropped the season opener at home to Kansas State, 55-41. RU's other home loss came in a one-point setback against Jackson State, 71-70.

 

Rutgers is led by JR Inman, the only Scarlet Knight averaging double figures through the first six games. Inman has averaged 13.5 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. Inman has hit 44.1 percent from the floor, the best percentage among players with at least 10 made field goals. Nearly half of his made baskets (10-of-26) are 3-pointers, but as a team the Scarlet Knights are hitting just 26.7 percent from long range.

 

Adrian Hill has added 8.8 points and 6.0 rebounds to rank second on the squad while Marquis Webb and Anthony Farmer have posted 7.5 and 7.0 points per game, respectively. Farmer also leads the team with 16 assists and seven steals.

 

RU has averaged 60.5 points per contest while hitting 36.6 percent from the floor as a team. Defensively, Rutgers is allowing just 67.0 points per contest as opponents have hit 43.7 percent from the floor, including 42.5 percent from 3-point range.

 

Rutgers is guided by first-year head coach Fred Hill (Montclair State, 1981). Hill own a 1-5 record at Rutgers in his first head coaching position. Before taking over the top spot, Hill was an assistant at Rutgers last year and spent the previous four years at Villanova as an assistant. He has eight years of experience in the Big East, as he also spent three years at Seton Hall. The Verona, N.J., native also spent two years at current Big East member Marquette from 1986 to 1988.

 

>>>Maric Earns Big 12 Honors

Junior Aleks Maric was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 20, following his performance in the Huskers' first two games of the season. The 6-11, 270-pound center led Nebraska to a 2-0 start by averaging 23.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while hitting 65.5 percent (19-of-29) from the floor.

 

Maric, who returned to the court 11 days after an appendectomy to start the season opener, posted 29 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes against Nebraska-Omaha in the Huskers' first regular-season game. He hit 11 field goals on a career-high 18 attempts and missed his second career 30-point contest by just one point. Last year, Maric had 37 points at Iowa State, the fifth-highest single-game mark in program history and the first 30-point game by a Husker since 1997.

 

Against No. 20/25 Creighton on Nov. 18, Maric posted 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Huskers to a 12-point victory. Maric was saddled with foul trouble in the first half and played just nine minutes, but came on to play 19 minutes in the second period when he recorded 15 points and eight boards.

 

Maric was the first Husker to be named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week since 1999 when Venson Hamilton won it in back-to-back weeks on Jan. 18 and 25.  Maric is only the third Husker to earn the conference's top weekly award, joining Hamilton and Tyronn Lue, who won the award three times including twice in 1997-98.

 

Maric earned Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors as a freshman on Feb. 28, 2005. He was one of nine Husker newcomers to earn the honor since the formation of the league for the 1996-97 season.

 

>>>First Time

Nebraska coach Doc Sadler has won at every level, but the Huskers' victory over No. 20/25 Creighton gave Sadler another first in his career. Not only was it his 50th win as a head coach at this level, but Sadler earned his first career victory over a ranked Division I team. Sadler entered the game with the Bluejays with an 0-3 record against ranked squads over the past two years at UTEP, with all three games played away from home.

 

Here is a look at Sadler's career matchups with ranked squads:

Date            Team (rank)           Result

Nov. 18, 2006........... Creighton (20)   W, 73-61

Feb. 2, 2006............ at Memphis (4)   L, 56-66

March 3, 2005........... vs. Utah^ (18)   L, 54-60

Feb. 19, 2005............ at Pacific (19)   L, 66-73

^NCAA Tournament

 

>>>More Honors

Junior center Aleks Maric was not the only Husker to earn an honor following the first week of the season. On Monday, Nov. 20, Nebraska coach Doc Sadler was tabbed the Coach of the Week on collegeinsider.com's Weekly Honor Roll. The web site said:

 

"Expectations at Nebraska just got a little higher, and credit new coach Doc Sadler. The Huskers finally ended a seven-game losing streak to in-state rival Creighton, surprising the mid-major darlings 73-61 to open the season 2-0. Nebraska shot 67% from the field, scored on its final 13 possessions of the game, and discovered it has a clutch performer in freshman guard Ryan Anderson (19 points and a key 3 in the final minutes). Yet, it all comes back to Sadler, who came to Lincoln this year after an impressive two-year stint at UTEP. With the win, he has already made a difference, earning some much-needed positive attention for the basketball team at a traditional football school."

 

>>>Hot Shots

Nebraska scorched the net in a 12-point victory over nationally ranked Creighton on Nov. 18. The Huskers hit an impressive 67.6 percent (25-of-37) from the floor, their top single-game shooting percentage since hitting 72.3 percent (34-of-47) against UNC-Wilmington nearly nine years ago on Dec. 5, 1997.

 

The percentage will likely rank among the best in the country when the first NCAA statistics are released in December, but does not top the Big 12 rankings as Oklahoma State has already hit 67.9 percent (36-of-53) against Florida Atlantic to take the top spot in the league. Last year in all of Division I, a 67.6 field-goal percentage for a single game would have ranked sixth nationally on the season.

 

>>>For (Freshmen) Starters

While first-year coach Doc Sadler would like to give his younger players time to adjust to the rigors of college basketball, he has had little choice but to start two freshmen in all of the Huskers' games this season. Guards Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson have performed well under pressure so far, especially Anderson who at 6-4 is playing out of position at the 4 spot.

 

Henry led the team in scoring in the exhibition season with 20.0 points per game. In his first five regular-season games at the college level, Henry has averaged 7.0 points per game and is also second on the team with 19 assists, including 13 assists in the past three games combined.

 

Anderson has shown a strong all-around game as he ranks second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), rebounding (7.6 rpg) and field-goal percentage (64.3 percent). He has scored in double figures in three of the first five games. In the two games he failed to reach 10 points, Anderson added double-figure rebounds to lead the team.

 

According to official box scores, Henry and Anderson were the first pair of true freshmen to start the season opener for the Huskers since the 1973-74 season when Mark Enright and Ron Taylor also opened the season in the lineup. Henry and Anderson are the third and fourth true freshmen since 2001 to start their first career game at Nebraska, joining Jake Muhleisen (2001) and Marcus Walker (2005).

 

>>>Anderson Steps Up Big for Huskers

 Freshman guard Ryan Anderson made his presence felt early in the 2006-07 campaign. The Seattle native has started every game and is second on the team in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage.

 

He started off in good fashion in the Huskers' first exhibition game, as he hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining to help NU to a 74-72 victory over Nebraska-Kearney. In his first regular-season contest, Anderson posted nine points with a game-high 11 rebounds, becoming the second Husker freshman in three years to post double-figure rebounds in his first career game.

 

Anderson came back with an even bigger performance against No. 20/25 Creighton as he led the Huskers in scoring with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He hit his first six attempts from the floor and his only miss of the game was a long 3-point attempt in the final 10 seconds of the first half. Against Creighton and Lubbock Christian, Anderson connected on 12-of-14 field-goal attempts to pace the squad. He added a game-high 10 boards vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, giving him his second double-figure rebounding game of the season.

 

On Wednesday against North Texas, Anderson continued his torrid pace as he scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added five rebounds and three steals.

 

 >>>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 significantly in the paint.

 

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 and regular-season game so far. Sophomore Jim Ledsome, who had played 61 career minutes entering the season, started each exhibition game before center Aleks Maric gave the Huskers a bit of good news with his return to the lineup in the season opener. Nebraska's only other front-court returnee to play in a regular-season game is sophomore Kyle Marks, who returned from knee surgery to make his season debut against Lubbock Christian, but has since been sidelined again with soreness in the knee. 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. He then missed the regular-season opener but has played each game since. Freshman forward Kris Douse is the only Husker taller than 6-4 who has not had an injury and missed practice time this season.

 

 >>>Earning Their Keep

Following a 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 coaching staff took six players who are working out with the team on a limited basis. Forward Ben Nelson (#35, 6-7, 210, So., Atwater, Minn.) and Choul Laam (#40, 6-5, 230, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.) were the only walk-ons to see action in the exhibition games, while Laam and Nick Krenk (#11, 6-0, 170, Nebraska City, Neb.) are the only two to dress during the regular season.

 

Krenk joined the team as a manager a month before and practiced only one time with the team on the day before the season opener and was cleared to play in Jay-R Strowbridge's place because of an injury. Krenk is the son of former Chicago Bear and Husker football player Mitch Krenk.

 

Krenk and Laam are the only two walk-ons added this fall to play in the regular season. Andrew Wicklund (#30, 6-5, 170, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) also dressed for the exhibition games but has not suited up in the regular season.

 

 >>>Bumps, Bruises and Much More

 Seven Huskers returned from last season's 19-14 squad that reached the NIT, including three starters in guards Charles Richardson Jr. and Jamel White and center Aleks Maric. Among the returnees, 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 missed practice time because of an injury or illness.

 

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 and shoulder), Chris Balham (legs), Jim Ledsome (ankle), Jay-R Strowbridge (thigh and arm) 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 but returned to practice on a limited basis Monday, Nov. 13 and made his season debut on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in the season opener.

 

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. In his season debut, Maric posted an impressive 29 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes and then added 17 points and nine boards against Creighton to earn honors as the Big 12 Player of the Week.

 

The Huskers also suffered a loss following the first exhibition game as senior guard Marcus Perry, who had already missed 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 in the first exhibition, tore cartilage in his left knee.

 

Perry made his regular-season debut against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, hitting 3-of-6 3-point attempts on his way to 11 points with a career-high tying four rebounds. In his second game, he scored nine points off the bench on three 3-pointers in a 19-point victory over North Texas on Wednesday.

 

While Perry made his return, the Huskers were without a pair of players as Paul Velander (shoulder) and Kyle Marks (knee) were in street clothes for the UAPB and UNT contests. Overall, five Nebraska players have already combined to miss 12 games so far this season because of injury.

 

>>>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.

 

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 248 assists in 92 games, including a team-high 28 assists in four games this season. He leads the current squad in both categories and is second on the squad in games started with 40. Only Aleks Maric, who has started 41 of 63 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.

 

>>>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 began on Nov. 17 when Doc talked about the upcoming game against Creighton.

The the final three luncheons (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 available for $120 and packages that include a full table of eight for all four luncheons are $450.

 

>>>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 had an appendectomy on Friday, Nov. 3, but has not missed any of the regular season, 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.

 

>>>Early (Bird) Rankings

When Nebraska and Creighton played on Nov. 18, it was the earliest contest for the Huskers against a ranked team in school history. The previous earliest game was in the season-opener for the 1996-97 campaign when Nebraska fell to No. 17 Texas, 83-81, in Austin on Nov. 23, 1996. That season was the first year of Big 12 Conference play, but the Huskers and Longhorns played twice, including the season opener which served as a non-conference game for both teams.

 

Nebraska improved to 2-0 all-time against ranked non-conference teams in the month of November. The only other time Nebraska has played a ranked non-conference opponent that early came on Nov. 28, 1990, when NU stunned No. 5 Michigan State, 71-69, at home.

 

Before the win over Creighton, the Huskers' last victory over a non-conference team in the regular season came on Dec. 8, 2002 when NU defeated No. 20 Minnesota, 80-60, in the Devaney Center.

The Huskers now own a 9-31 record against ranked non-conference teams in the regular season.

 

 

>>>Quick Shots

? Nebraska forced its last two opponents (Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 24; North Texas, 25) into a combined 49 turnovers, the most in consecutive games for the Huskers since 1993. That season the Huskers forced 19 against Southern Cal (Dec. 23, 1992) and 33 against Texas-Arlington (Dec. 21, 1992). In the game before the UTA matchup, the Huskers forced Appalachian State into 25 turnovers on Dec. 19.

? After two exhibition games where the Huskers put up 54 3-point attempts, Nebraska has taken better shots in the regular season. It took the Huskers four games to reach 54 3-point attempts, and they hit 23, raising their percentage from the preseason to the regular season by nearly nine points from 33.3 percent to 41.8 percent.

? Nebraska has gotten to the free throw line with frequency this year. NU has attempted at least 19 free throws in four of the first five games, hitting 69.4 percent as a team. NU has made 75 free throws, seven more than its opponents have attempted.

? The Huskers were outrebounded for the first time this season on Wednesday against North Texas as the Mean Green held a 43-31 advantage on the glass, including 18 offensive rebounds.

? Nebraska recorded 15 steals on Wednesday against North Texas, the most by a Husker squad since posting 15 against Oklahoma in 2001.

? Charles Richardson Jr. has led or tied for the team lead in steals in every contest and owns 15 steals through five games. He recorded 17 steals as a freshman in 31 games and 16 as a sophomore in 26 games. Last year he had 34 steals in 30 games.

? Aleks Maric owns two double-doubles this season and has moved his career total to 15 to rank eighth on the NU career chart. Last year he tied for fifth in NU single-season history with 10 double-doubles. Maric needs four to move into the top five and with another eight, he would move to sole possession of 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 482 career rebounds entering the weekend matchup against Rutgers. By posting the same rebound total as he had last year (251), Maric would move into 10th on the Husker career rebounds chart. Entering the season, Maric was just 10 rebounds behind the total Venson 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 moved into the NU career top 10 for blocked shots with four against North Texas. He now owns 68 blocks in his career, good for 10th place on the Husker chart and two behind Carl Hayes, who sits in ninth with 70 blocks between 1990 and 1992.

? Nebraska's game against Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 14 marked the earliest season-opener in program history, tying the mark set in the 1998-99 campaign. Prior to this season, Nebraska had played only four games before Nov. 19, but played twice this year before that date.