Huskers Set to Face Ducks in Portland

>>>Game Information
Game: 7
Game Date: Dec. 9, 2006
Release Date: Dec. 7, 2006
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Kent Pavelka, play-by-play; Matt Davison, color)
TV: FSN national telecast (Steve Physioc, play-by-play; Dan Belluomini, color)
Internet: Huskers.com (live radio, stats)
Event: Ninth Annual Pap? Jam
Venue: Rose Garden (Portland, Ore., home of the NBA's Portland Trailblazers)

In the middle of a 15-day stretch with only two games, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the road for the second consecutive weekend when it takes on Oregon in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Dec. 9. The game will tip off at 2:04 p.m. CST at the Rose Garden, home of the NBA's Portland Trailblazers.

The Nebraska-Oregon contest will be seen nationally on FSN with Steve Physioc calling the action and Dan Belluomini adding color commentary. It will be the first of at least two nationally televised Husker contests this season, along with a Big Monday appearance on ESPN on Jan. 29, when NU plays host to Kansas. Overall, at least 19 Husker games will be seen regionally or nationally during the 2006-07 season.

The game is the first of a double-header as part of the Ninth Annual Pap? Jam. The Ducks' women's team will play the Colorado Buffaloes in the second game of the day. About 10,000 tickets have already been distributed for the Ninth Annual Pap? Jam.

Nebraska's game can be heard on the radio on the Husker Sports Network, a 25-station network that broadcasts the game throughout Nebraska. All Husker regular-season games can also be heard around the world on the Internet at Huskers.com, which will also have free live statistics during the game. The new play-by-play voice of the Husker basketball program, Kent Pavelka will call the action on Saturday while Matt Davison serves as color analyst.

Nebraska looks to rebound from its first loss of the season when it takes on the Ducks. The Huskers were hot from the floor in their road opener last weekend at Rutgers, scorching the net to the tune of 59.6 percent (28-of-47) shooting, including an amazing 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from 3-point range. NU knocked down 16-of-26 attempts (61.5 percent) ? including 7-of-11 (72.7 percent) from beyond the arc ? in the second half for its best shooting percentage away from the Devaney Center since connecting on 61.9 percent (26-of-42) against Kent State in the semifinals of the San Juan Shootout in 2000.

The Huskers' offensive performance netted 73 points, their most in a road opener since 2000 when NU opened the season on the road in an 87-83 loss. But the Huskers allowed Rutgers to hit an opponent season-high 63.6 percent from the floor while scoring a season-best 75 points. In Nebraska's first five games, the Huskers did not allow a foe to shoot better than 37.5 percent and held all five teams to fewer than 65 points.

>>>The Series
Nebraska and Oregon renew a series this weekend that first started in 1941 with the Ducks taking a 49-42 affair in Lincoln. UO went on to win the first three games of the series, including contests on back-to-back dates in Oregon during the 1953-54 campaign before Nebraska took control.

The Huskers have reeled off six straight victories in the series with the most recent matchup a 99-76 victory for the Big Red in 1995. The game was played in Portland as part of the Far West Classic and was the second meeting between the schools that season, as Nebraska also earned a wild 114-106 overtime victory against the Ducks in the Big Island Classic a month earlier.

In the first matchup, Tyronn Lue and Jaron Boone each had 30 points while Erick Strickland added 20 as the Huskers rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit. It is the only time in program history that two Huskers scored 30 points in the same game, and is still the only time since 1968 (vs. Wichita State) that three Huskers had at least 20 points in the same contest. Both Lue and Strickland eventually went on to play in the NBA, but they weren't the only 30-point scorers in the game as OU's Kenya Wilkins had 30 points and 10 assists.

Nebraska owns a 34-44 (.436) record against teams from the Pac-10 Conference. NU's last contest against a Pac-10 team came in 2003 when the Huskers finished a home-and-home series in Lincoln with a victory over Arizona State.

>>>Scouting the Ducks
Oregon enters the weekend matchup on a high note as it sports a perfect 6-0 record. The Ducks will be playing their third consecutive game away from their home arena after picking up solid road victories over Rice, 79-73 in overtime, and nationally ranked Georgetown, 57-50, in their last two contests. UO has not played since defeating the Hoyas on Nov. 29.

The Ducks have a solid lineup that is averaging 83.0 points per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor. UO has hit a solid 38.0 percent from 3-point range and an impressive 76.1 percent from the foul line. Defensively, Oregon has limited opponents to 61.8 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting, including holding foes to a paltry 19.5 percent from outside the arc. The Ducks have also grabbed a plus-4.3 rebounding average while forcing opponents into nearly two turnovers for every one assist (129 to 74).

Oregon is led by five starters who average double figures including freshman sensation Tajuan Porter. The diminutive 5-6, 160-pounder has averaged 21.8 points per game while shooting better than 50 percent from 3-point range (29-of-57). Porter, who is also second on the team with 21 assists, is also deadly from the stripe as he has hit 22-of-23 from the free throw line.

Porter is joined in double figures by Aaron Brooks (17.0 ppg), Bryce Taylor (15.5), Chamberlain Oguchi (11.3) and Maarty Leunen (11.2). Oguchi was injured in the Ducks' last game and may not be available for Saturday's contest, taking away another long-range threat for the Ducks as he was second on the team with 14 3-pointers. Leunen has also been strong on the glass where he averages 10.7 rebounds per game and leads the team with 17 steals.

Oregon is coached by Ernie Kent (Oregon, 1977), who is in his 10th year at UO and 16th year as a head coach. Kent owns a 170-112 record with the Ducks and is 260-192 in his career.

>>>3s All Around
Nebraska has knocked down the long ball with amazing frequency through the early portion of the non-conference schedule. The Huskers entered the week ranked fifth nationally by hitting 46.1 percent from 3-point range as a team. NU has hit better than 40 percent four times this season and better than 57 percent twice, including a season-high 64.7 percent in its last game.

The Huskers scorched the net against the Scarlet Knights, hitting a season-high 11 treys on 17 attempts (64.7 percent), NU's highest percentage in a game since hitting 66.7 percent (10-of-15) against Pacific in 2000. Nebraska's accuracy reached a pinnacle in the second half when the Huskers hit 8-of-11 3-point attempts (72.7 percent). In its last two games, NU is 18-of-34 (52.9 percent) from beyond the arc.

Freshman Ryan Anderson leads the way with 10 3-pointers this season, but is one of five Huskers with at least five treys through the first six games. Marcus Perry is second on the squad with nine 3-pointers in three contests since returning from an injury while Charles Richardson Jr. and Jay-R Strowbridge have added six treys. Jamel White has added five baskets from downtown.

Anderson tied the school record for 3-point field-goal percentage in last week's contest at Rutgers as he went 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. He matched the effort of Cary Cochran ? the Huskers' all-time 3-point leader ? and Brian Conklin ? the Big 12's single-season 3-point percentage leader ? as the only Huskers with a 1.000 shooting percentage in a single game (minimum five 3-point attempts).

>>>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 hit the road for six of seven contests in December, with only one home game (vs. Alabama A&M on Dec. 17) at the Devaney Center between Nov. 29 and Jan. 3.

The trek began last weekend with a trip to New Jersey where NU suffered a 75-73 setback to Rutgers on Dec. 2. Nebraska follows with a trip to Portland, Ore., this weekend 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 (Dec. 20-23) before coming home for Christmas break. Nebraska ends the month with a road trip to the Orange Bowl Classic in Miami against the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 30.

All told, the Huskers will travel at least 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 Florida State in Miami at the Orange Bowl Classic.

Nebraska's most recent long stretch of road games 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 Oklahoma State to open Big 12 Conference play.

>>>Husker Fans Everywhere...Part 2
Winning on the road is never an easy task, and may be more challenging for this year's Husker squad because of its youth. Of the 14 Huskers that will travel to Oregon this weekend, only two ? Charles Richardson Jr. and Aleks Maric ? have more than one year of Division I experience under their belts.

Luckily for the Huskers they will have some fans on hand for the second straight weekend. Freshman guard Ryan Anderson is expected to have a solid following of family and friends in attendance at the Rose Garden after making the two-hour trip from Seattle.

Last week, the Huskers' road trip to Rutgers saw between 150 and 200 Husker fans in attendance to see Jamel White and Mike Smith, both New York natives, and Jim Ledsome, a native of Maryland. Local Husker fans on the East Coast from the "Pennsylvanians for Nebraska" booster club also made the trip over to Piscataway, N.J.

>>>Getting Back on Track
While senior guard Charles Richardson Jr. has been a catalyst for the Husker offense throughout the preseason and the first six games of the year, his lone classmate ? senior guard Marcus Perry ? is just getting back into action. One of nine Huskers to miss time during the preseason with an injury, Perry played the first exhibition game of the year but suffered a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. He missed the final exhibition game and the first three regular-season games before making his season debut against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 27.

One of the team's top long-range threats, Perry has gotten untracked quickly despite the extended injury layoff, which has also included a stress fracture in his foot that requires him to wear a boot when not on the court.

Perry has hit 9-of-17 attempts (52.9 percent) from 3-point range through his first three games and is one of four Huskers averaging double figures (10.3 ppg). Last year, Perry ranked fourth on the team with 31 3-pointers in 32 games while hitting 36.0 percent from beyond the arc.

>>>One to Remember
After recording 28 assists in his first five games combined, senior point guard Charles Richardson Jr. set the tables in record fashion last week at Rutgers. Richardson set a career high with 15 assists, becoming the first Husker to record double-figure assists in a single game since Jake Muhleisen had 10 assists against Minnesota in 2002. Richardson's previous game high was nine assists on two occasions, including earlier this season in an upset of No. 20/25 Creighton.

The 15 assists were the most by a Husker since Brian Carr set the school single-game record with 18 assists at Evansville on Jan. 5, 1985. Richardson's 15 assists were the most by a Husker since at least 1984.

Richardson is just the eighth Husker since 1984 to post double-figure assists. Tom Wald in 1994-95 and Beau Reid in 1988-89 are the only Huskers since Carr to post two double-figure assist games a season. Carr had eight double-figure assist games in 1984-85, five in 1985-86 and two in 1986-87.

Here is a quick look at all of the regular-season double-digit assist totals by a Husker since 1984:

Assists Player (Opponent) Season
15 Charles Richardson Jr. (at Rutgers) 2006-07
10 Jake Muhleisen (Minnesota) 2002-03
10 Cookie Belcher (Pittsburgh) 1999-2000
11 Tom Wald (Kansas State) 1994-95
11 Tom Wald (Appalachian State) 1994-95
10 Chris Cresswell (Eastern Washington) 1991-92
10 Clifford Scales (Arkansas State) 1988-89
10 Beau Reid (Wyoming) 1988-89
10 Beau Reid (Sam Houston State) 1988-89
13 Brian Carr (Missouri) 1986-87
11 Brian Carr (Northwest Missouri State) 1986-87
11 Brian Carr (Northeast Missouri State) 1985-86
10 Brian Carr (vs. Alabama) 1985-86
11 *Brian Carr (Creighton) 1985-86
14 *Brian Carr (UC Irvine) 1985-86
10 Brian Carr (Southern Illinois) 1985-86
14 *Brian Carr (at Kansas) 1984-85
12 *Brian Carr (Oklahoma) 1984-85
12 Brian Carr (at Iowa State) 1984-85
11 Brian Carr (Colorado) 1984-85
12 Brian Carr (Kansas State) 1984-85
18 ^Brian Carr (at Evansville) 1984-85
11 Brian Carr (vs. UC Irvine) 1984-85
10 Brian Carr (Wyoming) 1984-85
*consecutive games ^school record

>>>Setup Man
Senior point guard Charles Richardson Jr. has been on a tear to open the season. The 5-6, 165-pounder from Illinois has gotten the Husker offense into high gear, much like his days running the powerful Proviso East High School squad that included current NBA players Dee Brown and Shannon Brown, each also a college standout at Illinois and Michigan State, respectively.

This season, Richardson has collected 43 assists against just 16 turnovers through six games. His 7.17 assists per game ranked fifth nationally and first in the Big 12 Conference entering the week, while his 2.69:1 assists-to-turnover ratio was third in the league rankings.

Richardson's 43 assists in six games are a significant part of the reason why Nebraska ranked second in the nation in field-goal percentage (55.5 percent) to open the week. He did not reach his 43rd assist last season until his 13th game played. As a freshman, he recorded 66 assists in 31 games and then had 54 assists in 26 games as a sophomore. Last season, Richardson recorded a career-high 100 assists in 28 games, becoming the first Husker since 2002 to record at least 100 assists in a season.

Only one player in school history has averaged at least 5.0 assists per game for a whole season. Brian Carr, the Huskers' all-time assist leader, surpassed the mark each of his final three seasons, including posting a school-record 7.90 assists per game as a sophomore in 1985.

>>>Getting the Job Done
Nebraska's strong shooting performances this season can be attributed in part to better shot selection, but another big reason is the presence center Aleks Maric has made in the paint. A junior from Sydney, Australia, Maric ranks third in the conference and in the top 35 nationally with 20.7 points per game this season, including three 20-point contests.

Despite drawing constant double teams, Maric has dominated the paint and leads the Big 12 Conference by hitting 68.6 percent (48-of-70) from the floor. Maric has been extremely efficient recently as he has hit 17-of-25 (68.0 percent) field-goal attempts over the last two games while scoring 46 points in 50 minutes played. In the season opener ? just 11 days after he had his appendix removed ? Maric scored 29 points in 29 minutes against Nebraska-Omaha. Three times this season Maric has scored as many points as he played minutes, including a season-best ratio of 19 points in 18 minutes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Also knocking down shots early this season, freshman guard Ryan Anderson has been a pleasant surprise as he is second on the team by connecting on 62.3 percent (35-of-53) from the floor. Anderson is fifth in the league statistics and first among Big 12 freshmen, just ahead of Kansas' Darrell Arthur (62.2 percent).

Anderson is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 ppg and rebounding with 6.5 rpg. His scoring average ranks among the top 20 in the conference and is third among freshmen, trailing only league leader Kevin Durant of Texas (23.3 ppg) and Arthur (14.3 ppg).

>>>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 56.5 points per game, a mark that ranks third in the league only behind Texas A&M (46.7 ppg) and Oklahoma (56.3) entering the weekend. It makes sense that Nebraska and Texas A&M would be near the top of the defensive statistical categories as the school's 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 as the Huskers rank among the national leaders by hitting 55.5 percent from the floor through its first six 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 held three straight opponents under 60 points in one stretch, and have allowed more than 62 points only once 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 he thought the Huskers would be a solid shooting team. Through the first six games of the season, Sadler's prediction has been an understatement.

Heading into Saturday's road contest against Oregon, the Huskers have connected on 55.5 percent of their shots from the floor, including an amazing 46.1 percent from 3-point range. According to the first NCAA statistics released on Dec. 4, the Huskers ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage, trailing only Northern Illinois's 56.2 percent. NU also ranked fifth nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage.

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.

In its first road trial of the season, Nebraska hit 59.6 percent from the field at Rutgers, its highest road percentage since 2000.

The Huskers have hit better than 50 percent in five of six games this season, and better than 55 percent in four contests. Nebraska hit better than 50 percent from the floor in only five games all of last season.

>>>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 for the season opener just 11 days after an appendectomy, 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.

>>>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."

>>>Unfamiliar Territory
First-year Husker coach Doc Sadler opened his career in Lincoln in territory rarely seen before among the fraternity of coaches at Nebraska.

With five straight wins to open the season, Sadler was 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.

>>>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

>>>Hot Shots
Nebraska scorched the nets 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 single-game percentage ranks fifth in the country in the NCAA statistics released Dec. 4, 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 six regular-season games at the college level, Henry has averaged 6.5 points per game and is also second on the team with 19 assists.

Anderson has shown a strong all-around game as he ranks second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg) and field-goal percentage (62.3 percent). He has scored in double figures in four of the first six 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.

Anderson continued his torrid pace as he scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting against North Texas before coming back with the best long-range performance in school history. At Rutgers, Anderson tied the school single-game record for 3-point percentage by going 5-for-5 from long range.

>>>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 was the only non-roster player to travel to Rutgers last weekend and he will make the trip to Oregon on Saturday.

Krenk joined the team as a manager one month before the season opener and practiced only one time with the team on the day before the season opener, but was cleared in time to play in place of Jay-R Strowbridge (injury).

Laam and Krenk, the son of former Chicago Bear and Husker football player Mitch Krenk, are the only two walk-ons added during the fall who have played 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 did not miss practice time because of an injury or illness during the preseason.

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 three games since his return, Perry has averaged 10.3 points per game while ranking second on the squad with nine 3-pointers.

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. Maric has played each of the past three games but has been limited in practice by a hip injury.

Velander suited up for the Rutgers game, but overall, five Nebraska players have already combined to miss 14 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 263 assists in 93 games, including a team-high 43 assists in six games this season. He leads the current squad in both categories and is second on the squad in games started with 41. Only Aleks Maric, who has started 42 of 64 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.

>>>Overtime
? Nebraska forced Arkansas-Pine Bluff (24) and 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.

? With a win over North Texas on Nov. 29, 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 has gotten to the free throw line with frequency this year. NU has attempted at least 19 free throws in four of the first six games, hitting 66.4 percent as a team. NU has made 81 free throws, only five fewer than its opponents have attempted.

? The Huskers have been outrebounded each of the past two games after leading on the glass in the first four games of the season.

? Nebraska recorded 15 steals 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 17 steals through six 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 485 career rebounds entering the weekend matchup against Oregon. 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.