Huskers Set to Face Off Against Red Raiders

>>>Game Information

Game: 22

Game Date: Feb. 6

Release Date: Feb. 5

Tip off: 7:02 p.m. CST

Television: FSN Midwest in Nebraska only (Greg Sharpe, play-by-play; Matt Davison, color)

Radio: Husker Sports Network

(Kent Pavelka, play-by-play; Andy Markowski, color)

Internet: Huskers.com (live radio, stats)

Satellite Radio: Texas Tech broadcast on Sirius channel 147

Venue: United Spirit Arena (15,098)

 

>>>NU Continues Road Trek at Texas Tech

Nebraska continues its tough road schedule as it heads to the Lone Star state for a matchup with Hall of Fame Coach Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raider squad on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The game will mark Nebraska's 11th road contest in 22 games this season and fifth road tilt in the first half of the Big 12 season.

 

The Huskers hope to use momentum gained last Saturday when they knocked off Missouri in Columbia, Mo., for their first true road victory of the season. With the win ? which pushed NU's record to 4-6 away from Lincoln this year ? the Huskers improved to 13-8 on the season and 2-5 in conference play.

 

On Tuesday, Nebraska will be searching for its second straight true road win, something the Huskers have not done during conference play since beating Colorado and No. 24 Kansas on the road in 1999. NU also defeated
No. 24 Missouri at home between the CU and KU games. The last time the Huskers won regular-season conference road games back to back was earlier in 1999 when NU defeated Baylor and No. 25 Oklahoma four days apart.

 

The Huskers and Red Raiders (15-8, 4-4 in Big 12) will tip off at 7 p.m. at United Spirit Arena and the game will be telecast live in the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest, per Big 12 Conference rules. Veteran broadcaster Greg Sharpe will call all the action while former Husker letterwinner Matt Davison adds color commentary.

 

According to FSN Midwest, the Husker telecast can be seen in Lincoln on Time Warner (Channel 37); Cox (47) and Qwest (33) in Omaha; Charter (26) in Grand Island/Kearney; Cable One (32) in Norfolk; Arapahoe Cable (41) in Arapahoe; Cable TV (19) of Stanton; Glenwood Telecomm (17) in Blue Hill; CedarVision Cable (14) in Hartington; and Huntel (23) in Blair. In the state of Nebraska, satellite subscribers can view the Husker telecast on DirecTV (channel 648) and Dish Network (445).

 

The contest can also be heard on the radio throughout Nebraska on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, as well as on the Internet at Huskers.com. Kent Pavelka, the basketball voice of the Huskers, will call the action from courtside while Andy Markowski adds color commentary.

 

>>>Huskers Look to Step Up vs. Red Raiders

After snapping an 11-game road losing streak against Missouri in its last contest, Nebraska hopes to make it two straight conference road wins when it takes on Texas Tech in Lubbock on Tuesday. The Huskers are now 1-3 on the road in Big 12 play and 4-6 overall this season away from home.

 

The Huskers have had several players step up over the course of the season and senior guard Marcus Perry was the most recent when he led the team in scoring for the fourth time this year by posting 15 points against the Tigers, including 10 in the first half. Perry leads the team and ranks among the national leaders by hitting 44.3 percent from beyond the arc, as he paces the Huskers with 43 3-pointers in 17 games this season.

 

Perry has lifted his scoring average to 9.1 points per game, including 10.1 per game in league action, and has played well in the starting lineup the past five games. Despite battling foot injuries all season, Perry has been effective on both ends of the court while averaging more than 30 minutes per contest during Big 12 play. His defense on Kevin Durant of Texas helped keep the freshman sensation to his lowest point total to date in conference play at 26 points, including holding him scoreless over the final 11 minutes of the game.

 

Behind Perry's hot hand, the Huskers are on pace to break the Nebraska single-season mark for 3-point field-goal percentage. NU is hitting at a 39.2-percent clip through 21 games, above the school-record mark of 38.9 percent set by the 2004 squad.

 

The top long-distance shooter for the Huskers this year has been freshman Ryan Anderson, who is on pace to post the second-best 3-point shooting percentage in a season in school history. Anderson, who also ranks second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.3 rpg), has hit 50.0 percent from long range, draining 33-of-66 attempts. Only former Husker Brian Conklin, who set the Big 12 Conference record at 55.9 percent, has hit at a better rate from 3-point range over a whole season.

 

Anderson has hit seven of his last 10 3-point attempts over the past two games, and has posted at least five 3-pointers in three separate contests this season. He tied the NU freshman record with seven treys against Hawaii, the second-highest single-game mark in school history.

 

>>>Save the Date

The game between Nebraska and OklahomaState originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 13, was postponed because of winter weather conditions in Oklahoma that prevented the Cowboys from leaving Oklahoma City on Friday or Saturday. It was the first weather-related postponement of a basketball game since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

 

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Big 12 Conference, in conjunction with Nebraska and OklahomaState, announced that the makeup date would be Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m. The contest will be the last Big 12 regular-season game this season, as both teams will then travel to Oklahoma City for the Big 12 Championship on March 8-11. The placement of the game will give Nebraska three games in six days to end the regular season, including home contests against Iowa State (Feb. 28) and Oklahoma State with a meeting at Colorado (March 3) in between.

 

 >>>Following Up Missouri

? Nebraska won for the first time in Columbia since 1995, snapping a streak of 11 straight road losses to the Tigers that spanned the whole Big 12 era. NU's longest current road losing streak now stands at nine against Texas in Austin, where NU has never won.

? Nebraska won for the third time this season ? and second time away from home ? when trailing at the intermission.

? Nebraska outrebounded Missouri, 37-31, the first time in conference play NU took an advantage on the glass. The Huskers are now 9-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent, including 4-0 away from home.

? Nebraska hit 52.6 percent from the floor in the second half, marking the second straight game and fourth time in seven league contests that NU hit at least half of its field-goal attempts after the intermission.

? Senior Charles Richardson Jr. hit all 10 attempts from the free throw line, a career high and the best mark by a Husker this season.

? Freshman Jay-R Strowbridge nailed all three of his 3-point attempts to key the Huskers' comeback. Strowbridge was 3-for-11 from beyond the arc in his first six career Big 12 games. 

? Freshman Sek Henry tied his career high with three steals and now needs one to move into the NU freshman top 10.

? Junior Aleks Maric scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime and finished with nine rebounds. It was the fourth time this year he just missed a double-double by collecting nine boards.

 

 >>>The Series vs. Texas Tech

Nebraska and Texas Tech are meeting for just the 22nd time in series history with the Huskers holding a 12-9 all-time advantage.

The Red Raiders own the fourth shortest series with the Huskers of any conference school. Texas Tech has won each of the past two matchups, giving it a 6-5 advantage over Nebraska since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

 

TTU has won 6-of-10 contests against the Huskers in Lubbock, including winning all three of its contests vs. the Huskers in the United Spirit Arena. NU has not won in Lubbock since the formation of the Big 12 Conference. Its last road win over the Red Raiders came with a two-point victory in 1988.

 

Texas Tech will be trying for its third straight win over the Huskers, which would match its series high. The Red Raiders also took three straight matchups over the Huskers with wins in 1963, 1964 and 1983.

 

 >>>Scouting the Red Raiders

Texas Tech enters the mid-week matchup looking to halt a season-high three-game losing streak as it sandwiched road losses at Missouri and Oklahoma around a home loss to Texas over the past two weeks. Despite the recent slump, the Red Raiders still own a solid 15-8 overall record and 4-4 mark in conference play. 

 

TTU has won 10-of-12 games at home this season with its only losses coming against the Longhorns and UNLV. Texas Tech picked up consecutive victories over top 15 teams with home wins over Kansas and Texas A&M earlier in the conference slate. The Red Raiders' other league loss came on the road against Baylor.

 

The Red Raiders have a pair of potent offensive weapons in guards Jarrius Jackson and Martin Zeno. Jackson ranks third in the league in scoring with 20.5 points per game this year while hitting 44.5 percent from the floor and 47.2 percent from 3-point range. He leads the conference in minutes played at 37.0 per contest and has hit 79.0 percent from the free throw line while also pacing the squad with 43 steals, ranking fourth in the league at 1.87 per game.

 

Jackson leads the squad with 60 3-pointers, more than 40 percent of the Red Raiders' 140 treys on the year. TTU has connected on 43.1 percent from long range as a team to rank among the national leaders, but has made just 6.1 3-pointers per game while taking the fewest attempts in the conference.

 

Along with Jackson, who narrowly missed tying the Devaney Center record as he posted 41 points on 15-of-23 shooting last year in a 70-64 win over Nebraska, Zeno is the only other Red Raider averaging double figures this season. Zeno has gained 16.4 points per contest on 48.4 percent shooting and has gotten to the free throw line a team-high 161 times, where he has made 126 (78.3 percent). The versatile Zeno also leads the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and assists (3.3 apg) and is second in steals with 30.

 

Charlie Burgess (9.3 ppg) is the only other Red Raider averaging better than six points per game and is second in assists (47) and 3-pointers (21) and third in steals (23).

 

As a team, Texas Tech is averaging 72.0 points per game while hitting 45.9 percent from the floor. Defensively the Red Raiders have allowed 67.5 points per contest on 44.6 percent shooting and have trailed on the glass by a 35.5-31.8 margin.

 

The Red Raiders are coached by Hall of Famer Bob Knight, the all-time winningest Division I men's coach in history with 884 victories in 41 years. His career record stands at 884-358 with three national titles, while his mark at Texas Tech is 120-69 in six seasons.

 

>>>Chairmen of the Boards

Junior center Aleks Maric entered this season as the top returning rebounder in the Big 12 Conference after posting 8.1 boards per game last season. Currently he ranks third in the league and among the national leaders with 7.9 rebounds per game in 2006-07. 

 

Maric is nearing a milestone as he has 578 rebounds in his career entering Tuesday's game at Texas Tech. He needs 22 boards to get to the 600-rebound plateau, a mark only 14 other Huskers have reached. Maric also needs just 91 to move into the NU career top 10.

 

Nebraska Career Rebound Leaders (since 1952)

No.       Player (seasons)            Rebounds

1.         Venson Hamilton (1996-99)         1,080

2.         Leroy Chalk (1969-71)    782

3.         Dave Hoppen (1983-86)   773

4.         Rich King (1988-91)        761

5.         Andre Smith (1978-81)    753

6.         Chuck Jura (1970-72)     740

7.         Carl McPipe (1976-79)    723

8.         John Turek (2002-05)      682

9.         Rex Ekwall (1955-57)     679

10.        Eric Piatkowski (1991-94)           669

11.        Mikki Moore (1994-97)    661

12.        Bob Siegel (1974-77)      632

13.        Herschell Turner (1958-60)          626

14.        Bruce Chubick (1991-94)            618

15.        Aleks Maric (2005-present)         578

 

 >>>Perfection

As Nebraska's unquestioned leader, senior point guard Charles Richardson Jr. is the player who wants the ball in his hands at crunch time. Against Missouri, he proved why the Huskers have so much faith in him as he helped NU break the Tigers' press repeatedly and iced the game down the stretch with his strong free throw shooting.

 

Richardson also scored 12 points on the day, including 10 at the free throw line. He finished 10-of-10 at the charity stripe, entering into elite company.

 

According to official box scores, it was only the fourth time in the Big 12 era that a Husker was perfect at the free throw line while attempting at least 10 free throws, and only the second occurrence on the road. The only other time a Husker was perfect at the line while attempting at least 10 free throws away from Lincoln came in 1998 when Tyronn Lue went 10-for-10 at Kansas.

 

Since Jack Moore set the NU single-game record for free throws without a miss (15) in 1982, only nine Huskers have been perfect at the line while reaching double-figure attempts. Only Dave Hoppen, the Huskers' all-time leading scorer, has done it twice during that span.

 

 

>>>Climbing the Coaching Ladder

First-year coach Doc Sadler has gotten the Huskers to play hard on a consistent basis. He has said from day one that getting everyone to play hard and compete was his only goal for the year, and if they accomplished that, the wins would take care of itself.

 

With nine regular-season games remaining plus the conference tournament and possible postseason play, Sadler already ranks fifth among first-year Husker head coaches in terms of victories. He needs two more to become just the fourth Husker mentor to record 15 wins in his first season in Lincoln.

 

 >>>Most Improved

Senior guard Charles Richardson Jr. has been a Husker fan favorite throughout his career and will long be remembered for his determination and gutsy play despite his size. With a strong senior season as possibly one of the league's most improved players, Richardson is also on the verge of permanently etching his name into Husker lore as he nears several single-season and career top 10 categories.

 

Richardson moved into the NU career top 10 for assists against Texas and now has 338 in his career to rank 10th, just six behind Beau Reid and 16 behind Clifford Scales. With 118 assists this year, Richardson needs 17 more to move onto the Nebraska single-season top-10 chart. Richardson already claimed a spot on the NU senior class chart as he ranks 10th, one behind Allen Holder and Erick Strickland, who each had 119 assists as seniors.

 

Richardson also is within reach of the Husker top 10 chart for career steals (needs 16), single-season steals (needs 18) and steals by a senior (needs one). With a strong run at the league championship or in the postseason, Richardson, who is averaging 35.1 minutes per game, could also challenge for the most minutes played in a season by a Husker.

 

Behind Richardson's solid hand setting the offense, the Huskers are on pace to set the school record for 3-point percentage and could challenge for NU's best team field-goal percentage since the start of the 3-point era.

 

>>>Nearing the Plateau

Junior center Aleks Maric has been the Huskers' most consistent scoring threat this season as he has been the focal point of the offense. Entering the game with Texas Tech, Maric leads the team with 17.0 points per game, an average that ranks sixth in the Big 12 Conference.

 

Maric has 339 points this season and is now 34th in NU history with 894 career points. Maric, who scored 339 points last year in 31 games, needs eight points to move into 33rd on the Nebraska career list, where he will pass John Turek who scored 901 points between 2002 and 2005.

 

At his current pace, Maric would finish with the highest scoring average by a Husker since Tyronn Lue had 21.2 points per game in 1998 before becoming an early entry into the NBA Draft. Maric's current pace would also push his career total over 1,000 points, where he would become the 24th member of the elite club and the first Husker since Cary Cochran in 2002 to reach the mark. The eighth and most recent NU junior to top the 1,000-point plateau was Cookie Belcher in 1999.

 

 >>>Iron Man

Senior point guard Charles Richardson Jr. is giving everything he has to help the young Husker squad reach its potential this season. Richardson is looking for his third postseason appearance after leading Nebraska to NIT bids following his freshman and junior campaigns.

 

To his credit, Richardson has held up well after averaging 35.10 minutes per game this season, a mark that ranks third in the Big 12 conference. Only Jarrius Jackson (36.96) of Texas Tech and JamesOn Curry (36.06) of OklahomaState have averaged more minutes per game this season among league foes.

 

Richardson ? who has played all 40 minutes of a game four times this season, most recently against Texas ? is on pace to average more minutes per game in a season than any Husker since Tyronn Lue in 1997 and 1998 when he averaged 35.9 minutes per game. Before Lue, Brian Carr in 1986 was the last Husker to average more than Richardson's current pace. 

 

>>>Sweet Shots

Nebraska has seen a dramatic rise in its field-goal percentage ? a mark that ranked 13th in the nation last week ? under first-year Coach Doc Sadler, and its free throw shooting has also taken a positive turn in recent weeks.

 

The Huskers ranked 50th nationally in free throw percentage last week and have improved their average to 71.8 percent from the charity stripe. NU connected on a season high by nailing all 12 shots from the free throw line against Oklahoma, and hit 36-of-43 attempts (83.7 percent) over three games against OU, Colorado and Texas.

 

Nebraska's current pace would rank 10th in the NU record book, matching the mark of the 2004 squad, which is the only NU team to hit better than 70.0 percent at the stripe since 1994.

 

Nebraska's strong shooting touch has also reached record heights from long range as the Huskers are on pace to rewrite the school record for 3-point field-goal percentage. NU ranked 37th nationally last week from beyond the arc. Nebraska is currently hitting at a 39.2-percent clip, ahead of the current school record set by the 2004 team at 38.9 percent. 

 

 >>>Getting Defensive

Coach Doc Sadler took over the Husker program after gaining a reputation as a strong defensive coach at Texas-El Paso. The Miners finished last season ranked 15th nationally by allowing just 59.5 points per game, including setting a Conference USA season record by giving up just 56.0 points per contest in league action.

 

That defensive effort has carried over to Lincoln as the Huskers have held 13 of 21 opponents to 62 or fewer points in their first year under Sadler. Nebraska's 61.9 points per game allowed is fourth on the year in the Big 12 and its 64.4 points per game in league games-only is third. NU entered last week ranked 36th nationally in scoring defense.

 

 >>>Digging the Long Ball

A pair of Husker guards have had impressive nights, scoring career highs while scorching the net from long range late in the non-conference slate.

 

Freshman Ryan Anderson was the first as he scored 29 points against Hawaii. Hitting primarily from long range, the rookie hit seven 3-pointers on a school-record tying 13 attempts. Anderson's 3-point total was the second-highest single-game effort in school history and tied the NU freshman record. He is the first true freshman to ever record seven 3-pointers in a game (Cary Cochran was a redshirt freshman in 1998-99). Anderson also hit six 3-pointers against No. 6 Kansas in a home loss.

 

Senior Marcus Perry matched Anderson's effort with seven 3-pointers of his own against Miami. Perry scored a career-best 25 points, 12 more than his previous scoring high, and led Nebraska to a season-best 15 3-pointers on 33 attempts.

 

Perry took over the team lead as he now has 43 3-pointers in 17 games and has had at least five treys in a game three times, most recently against Texas. Perry has hit 44.3 percent (43-of-97) from long range to rank fourth in percentage and sixth in treys per game in the Big 12 statistics. Last year, he had 31 3-pointers (36.0 percent) in 32 games.

 

Anderson ranks second on the squad with 33 3-pointers and has hit an impressive 50.0 percent (33-of-66) from long range this year and currently is sixth on the Nebraska freshman chart. Anderson has already had at least five treys in a game twice this season, including a 5-of-5 effort at Rutgers that tied the NU single-game mark for 3-point percentage (minimum of five attempts). At his current rate, he would finish with the second-best single-season 3-point percentage in school history and become only the second player in NU history to hit at least 50 percent from long range (minimum 25 made).

 

 >>>3s All Around

Nebraska knocked down the long ball with amazing frequency throughout the early season schedule and into conference play as the Huskers ranked 37th nationally in 3-point percentage last week. NU, which hit a season-low 20.0 percent on the road against KansasState, has hit 39.2 percent from long range this year.

 

NU's best game from beyond the arc came against Rutgers, when the Huskers hit a season-high 64.7 percent. Nebraska hit 11 treys on 17 attempts, and connected on its 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 against RU when NU hit 8-of-11 3-point attempts (72.7 percent).

 

Freshman Ryan Anderson tied the school record for 3-point field-goal percentage (minimum five 3-point attempts) at Rutgers as he hit 5-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Anderson also posted the second-highest single-game effort in school history with seven 3-pointers against Hawaii. He was only the fourth player in NU history to record at least seven treys, joining Cary Cochran (twice), Cookie Belcher and Chris Cresswell.

 

Senior Marcus Perry became the fifth player to reach the mark as he hit seven 3-pointers against Miami, helping Nebraska to a season-high 15 treys on the game. The 15 3-pointers were the third-highest total by a Nebraska squad ever and tied the record for most 3-pointers away from the DevaneyCenter. The team record for 3-pointers is 18 set against No. 1 Kansas in 2002.

 

>>>Know the Huskers

The Nebraska roster went through a makeover at the beginning of the second semester as a pair of players announced they were leaving the team while another player was added.

 

On Dec. 27, true freshman forward Kris Douse announced his decision to transfer and left the squad before the trip to Miami. Then on Jan. 7, sophomore forward Jim Ledsome, a native of Severna Park, Md., announced he was transferring to Delaware to be closer to his family and concentrate more on academics while still playing Division I basketball.

 

The Huskers also made an addition to the roster as 6-8, 265-pound forward Jeremy Barr enrolled at Nebraska and joined the basketball team. Barr, who played last season at USC and was a top-125 recruit out of Houston's WestburyChristianHigh School, began practicing with the Huskers on Jan. 8 (the first day of second semester classes). He will be eligible following the completion of the 2007 fall semester and will have five semesters of eligibility remaining.

 

 >>>Back on Defense

During a three-game streak late in the conference slate, the Huskers put up stretches of outstanding team defense. In each contest the Huskers held their opponent without a field goal for at least 6:50 on the clock.

 

The longest defensive stand came against the Houston Cougars in the third-place game of the Rainbow Classic. UH hit its first five shots and seven of its first eight 3-point attempts, but NU clamped down near the end of the first half and put on a defensive show in the second period.

 

Houston was held to two baskets over the final 4:49 of the first period and then Nebraska allowed just one bucket in the first 16:08 of the second half. The Cougars first basket of the second period came at the 18:22 mark and NU did not allow another basket until the 3:54 mark, a span of 14:28 between baskets, likely one of the longest streaks in school history.

 

Against Miami, the Huskers broke open the game on the way to a 15-point victory by holding UM without a field goal for 7:28 in the middle of the second half. Nebraska put away SavannahState during a first-half streak that went 6:50 without allowing a field goal, and only one basket in the final 13:07 of the first half.

 

In conference play, Nebraska has also had strong stretches of solid defensive play. At KansasState, NU came out on the short end of a 61-45 road contest, but still managed to play solid defense. NU limited KSU into an opponent season-low 32.6 percent shooting, and forced the Wildcats into four separate streaks of at least 4:50 without a field goal.

 

NU also used a strong defense to get back in the game at Missouri last weekend, as it held the Tigers without a field goal for the final 5:43 of the first half and the first 1:34 of the second half, giving it 7:17 between baskets.

 

>>>Plus 20

Junior center Aleks Maric leads five Huskers who have combined to post 11, 20-point games this season. He has recorded seven of those games with at least 20 points, including a season-high 29 points in 29 minutes in the season-opener. Against Colorado, Maric had his second-best scoring effort of the year as he had 28 points on 10-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes of action.

 

Along with Maric, freshmen Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson have each added games scoring at least 20 points, including 29 points by Anderson against Hawaii, the second-highest single-game scoring total by a Husker freshman in history and just one point off the school frosh record. Anderson also just missed the plateau with three 19-point contests so far this season.

 

Senior guard Marcus Perry dropped in 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting against Miami. His total included seven 3-pointers ? the second-highest single-game total in school history ? as he nearly doubled his previous career scoring high of 13 points set last season.

 

Sophomore Jamel White became Huskers' fifth 20-point scorer this year by leading NU past Western Kentucky while scoring a season-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting. It was his third career 20-point game.

 

>>>Doubling Down Low

Center Aleks Maric established himself as a dual threat in the post last season as he recorded 10 double-doubles to tie the Nebraska sophomore record.

 

Maric's 10 double-doubles last season were third in the Big 12 Conference behind NBA Draft picks LaMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker of Texas, and his seven double-doubles in conference play were a league high. Maric also was the top returning rebounder in the league after averaging 8.1 boards per game in 2005-06.

 

This season, the 6-11, 270-pound Australian has posted five more double-doubles and now has 18 career double-doubles. He also tied the NU freshman record with three double-doubles in 2004-05.

 

Since 1972 when complete game-by-game statistics are available, Maric's career total is tied for sixth in the Nebraska record book and is just two one of fifth place.

 

      

>>>Anderson Hits Scoring Stride

Coach Doc Sadler said that freshman guard Ryan Anderson was the first young player to fully buy into the new coaches' system this year, and it paid dividends for the rookie on Dec. 22 against Hawaii as he scored a career-high 29 points.

 

Anderson's 29 points were the second-highest total by a Husker freshman in school history, trailing only the 30 points Tyronn Lue ? who is currently playing for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks ? posted against Oregon in 1995. Anderson broke the 20-point barrier by hitting 8-of-20 shots, including seven 3-pointers, against the Rainbow Warriors.

 

Anderson has also barely missed the 20-point plateau three times this year when he had 19 points in a game. He is only the fifth Husker freshman in school history to record at least four games of 19 or more points, joining Joe McCray (10, 2005), Jerry Fort (6, 1973), Dave Hoppen (5, 1983) and Eric Piatkowski (4, 1991).

 

 >>>Setup Man

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

 

This season, Richardson has collected 118 assists against just 43 turnovers through 21 games. His 5.62 assists per game rank second in the league while his 2.74:1 assists-to-turnover ratio paces the Big 12. In last week's NCAA statistics, he ranked 18th nationally in assists per game.

 

Richardson's 118 assists are a significant part of the reason why Nebraska ranked 24th in the nation in field-goal percentage during last week's NCAA statistics reporting period. Entering Tuesday's game against Texas Tech, NU has hit 48.5 percent from the field to rank third among the Big 12 leaders.

 

As a freshman, Richardson 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. With four assists against Colorado, Richardson became the first Husker since Tyronn Lue to record at least 100 assists in consecutive seasons. Lue reached the mark each of his three years at Nebraska (1996-98).

 

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 in each of his final three seasons, including posting a school-record 7.90 assists per game as a sophomore in 1985.

 

>>>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 at Rutgers. Richardson posted 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. The total was the third-highest single-game mark by a league player during the Big 12 era.

 

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 in a season. Carr had eight double-figure assist games in 1984-85, five in 1985-86 and two in 1986-87. 

 

 >>>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 sixth in the conference with 17.0 points per game this season, including seven 20-point contests. Despite drawing constant double teams, Maric has dominated the paint and leads the Big 12 Conference by hitting 60.7 percent (128-of-211), the only player in the Big 12 shooting at least 60 percent from the floor this season. Maric also ranked 19th nationally in field-goal percentage last week.

 

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.

 

Overall, Maric has shot better than 70 percent from the floor in four games and at least 60 percent in eight other games. In conference play, he has hit 54.3 percent (38-of-70) to rank second in the league despite hit just 12-of-29 (41.4) from the floor the last three games.

 

>>>Back on Track

While senior guard Charles Richardson Jr. has been a catalyst for the Husker offense this season, his lone classmate ? senior guard Marcus Perry ? is just getting back into action.

 

One of 10 current Huskers to miss practice or playing time with an injury this season, Perry suffered a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery during the exhibition season. He missed the first three regular-season games before making his season debut against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 27. He also suffered a stress fracture in his foot that required him to wear a boot when not on the court and still limits his practice time.

 

The team's top long-range threat, Perry got untracked quickly despite the extended injury layoff as he hit nine of his first 17 attempts (52.9 percent) from 3-point range in his first three games back and averaged 10.3 points per game during that span.

 

Perry nearly reached uncharted territory as he hit seven 3-pointers against Miami while scoring a career-high 25 points. He was 7-of-12 from beyond the arc against the Hurricanes, matching the second-best 3-point effort in school single-game history. Perry added five more 3-pointers against SavannahState to give him 12 over two games. He had his third game with at least five treys against Texas when he scored a team-best 17 points.

 

Last year Perry ranked fourth on the team with 31 3-pointers in 32 games while hitting 36.0 percent from beyond the arc. Currently he leads the team with 43 3-pointers while shooting 44.3 percent from long range to rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference.

>>>Making a Splash

After an injury-plagued redshirt freshman year with the Huskers last season, guard Paul Velander looked to be on the same track this year as he had ankle surgery in the offseason and then had a stress fracture in his foot during preseason workouts.

 

After getting back on the court for two games, he suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the rotation for three more contests. But his outlook has changed since his return against Oregon as Velander, a walk-on, has given the Husker offense an unexpected lift with his shooting touch, effort and toughness.

 

In the first extended action of his career against Oregon, Velander drew a foul and forced a turnover on an inbounds during his first play, and then hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing trip down court. Velander added three more treys and finished the day with a career-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and played a career-high 20 minutes, double the previous amount of time he had seen on the floor in his career.

 

After struggling a little in the tournament in Hawaii, he got back on track against Miami by hitting 4-of-7 from long range for 12 points off the bench. He added 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds against SavannahState, two more boards than he recorded in the first 10 games of his career combined.

 

Velander has hit 17-of-39 from 3-point range this year, one of six Huskers with at least 17 treys this year. He has not attempted a field goal from inside the arc in his career.

 

>>>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 61.9 points per game ? a mark that ranks fourth in the league only behind Texas A&M (54.8 ppg), Oklahoma (57.3) and Kansas (60.4) ? entering the week.

 

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 48.5 percent from the floor through their first 21 games. While its 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 allowed more than 62 points only eight times in 21 games this season. At home, only two teams (Western Kentucky and Kansas) have scored more than 62 points against NU.

 

At their best early in the season, the Huskers held two opponents ? Lubbock Christian and Arkansas-Pine Bluff ? to 42 points each in back-to-back games. The two-game stretch marked the first time since 1982 that Nebraska held consecutive opponents to less than 50 points apiece.

 

>>>Heating Up the Floor

Entering the season, Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said that he thought the Huskers would be a solid shooting team. Sadler's prediction has been an understatement as the Huskers have connected on 48.5 percent of their shots from the floor, including a solid 39.2 percent from 3-point range, heading into the game with Texas Tech.

 

The Huskers have hit at least 50 percent from the floor in eight games this season, and better than 48 percent in three other contests. Nebraska hit at least 50 percent from the floor in only five games all of last season.

 

Nebraska opened the season on fire as it shot 59.7 percent (77-of-129) from the field over the first three contests of the season, hitting 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.

 

>>>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 IowaState, 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, but played 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."

 

>>>More Honors . . . Part 2

Individual awards have come in bunches for the Huskers this year. Junior center Aleks Maric was the first Husker honored as he was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Nov. 20.

 

Maric followed up with an impressive showing at the Outrigger Rainbow Classic as he helped the Huskers to a third-place finish. Maric averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while being named to the all-tournament team. He also hit 62.9 percent from the floor and had two 20-point contests as well as a season-high 15 rebounds against Houston.

 

In the first game back from the trip to Hawaii, senior guard Marcus Perry was honored as the player of the game for the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic as he scored a career-high 25 points. Perry hit 8-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range, while nearly doubling his previous scoring best. He helped Nebraska to 15 3-pointers on the day, the most ever by a Husker squad away from the Devaney Center.

 

>>>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, 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.

 

>>>Anderson Steps Up Big for Huskers

Freshman guard Ryan Anderson made his presence felt early in the 2006-07 campaign. The Seattle native started the first 11 games of the year before an injury 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 game, he posted nine points with a game-high 11 rebounds, becoming the second NU 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.

 

At Rutgers, Anderson tied the school single-game record for 3-point percentage by going 5-for-5 from long range. He then scored 29 points ? the second-highest scoring performance by a freshman in NU history ? while tying the school freshman record with seven 3-pointers, the second-highest total ever by a Husker, in a road loss to Hawaii.

 

>>>Overtime

? With the win over Western Kentucky, Nebraska finished 11-3 in non-conference play. It marked NU's most wins before conference play since 1994-95, when the Huskers also had 11 pre-conference wins. The last time NU had more than 11 wins before league play was 1990-91, when it had 13 wins before the start of Big Eight action.

? Nebraska hit 62.2 percent from the floor against Western Kentucky, its second straight and third overall game above 60 percent this season. The last time Nebraska had consecutive games of shooting at least 60.0 percent from the field was February 1984 when NU shot at least 60 percent in three straight games.

? 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.

? Nebraska has forced six teams into at least 20 turnovers this season.

? 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 recorded 15 steals against North Texas, the most by a Husker squad since posting 15 against Oklahoma in 2001. NU came back to nearly match the mark with 14 steals against Alabama A&M.

? Maric moved into the NU career top 10 for blocked shots with four against North Texas. He now owns 80 blocks in his career, good for ninth place on the Husker chart and three behind Cookie Belcher, who sits in eighth place with 83 blocks between 1997 and 2001.

? 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.  

? Charles Richardson Jr. has helped NU to a 47-16 home record since joining the Huskers for the 2003-04 campaign, including a 5-4 record against ranked teams.

? Richardson is the Huskers' active leader with 114 career steals and is the first Husker to record 100 career steals since Cary Cochran reached the mark as a senior in 2002.