Huskers Face Stiff Test from No. 6/7 Texas A&M

>>>Game Information
Game: 23
Game Date: Feb. 10
Release Date: Feb. 9
Tip off: 7:05 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: Nebraska broadcast on Sirius channel 147
Venue: Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595)
Corporate Sponsor: adidas
National Anthem: Big Red Express (pep band)

Fresh off a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Texas Tech on Tuesday, the Nebraska men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the BobDevaneySportsCenter as it plays host to the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday, Feb. 10. The contest will mark the first time in the Big 12 era that NU has played consecutive home games against top-10 ranked opponents, as A&M enters the contest ranked sixth nationally this week by AP and seventh by the coaches.

The Huskers (14-8, 3-5 Big 12) and Aggies (20-3, 8-1 Big 12) will face off at 7 p.m. 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.

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 telecast on DirecTV (channel 648) and Dish Network (445).

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

>>>NU Braces For Second Straight Top-10 Foe
Nebraska will face one of its toughest tests of the season when it plays host to Texas A&M this weekend.

The Aggies enter the game ranked No. 6 in the nation by the AP and seventh by the coaches, NU's second straight top-10 opponent at the DevaneyCenter. The Huskers' last home game saw NU fall behind early before dropping a 76-56 contest to then-No. 6 Kansas on Jan. 29.

A&M is strong on both ends of the court this season while surging to the top of the Big 12 Conference standings. During conference games only, it leads the league in scoring defense (62.4 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (38.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.23:1) while ranking second in scoring margin (+11.3), field-goal percentage (46.9), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (31.4), rebounding defense (30.8) and assists (15.33).

Despite facing one of the most well-rounded squads in the country, Nebraska hopes to sustain its recent momentum gained following a pair of league road victories. The Huskers snapped a season-high three-game losing streak last weekend at Missouri and followed with an exciting come-from-behind victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday. The wins marked the first time since 1999 that NU won back-to-back league road games.

The Huskers will try to get going early in the game against the Aggies after needing to use second-half surges to pull out wins the past two contests. NU fell behind by three at Missouri and trailed by 13 at Texas Tech before earning the win. The 13-point deficit the Huskers overcame was the most by a Nebraska squad in a road win since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

One of the key figures for the Huskers on Saturday will likely be center Aleks Maric. The junior from Sydney, Australia, leads the league in field-goal percentage (60.6) and is seventh in scoring at 16.7 points per game. Nebraska has outrebounded its last two opponents but suffered a deficit on the boards in its first six league games despite Maric's efforts. He ranks third overall (7.9 rpg) and fourth in league play (8.5 rpg) in rebounding.

Along with Maric, Nebraska will look for strong contributions from its senior class of Charles Richardson Jr. and Marcus Perry. Richardson hit the game-winner with less than a second remaining Tuesday to beat Texas Tech. He equaled his career high in conference play with 15 points, and had one of the best all-around games of his career with six rebounds (tied season high) and seven assists (tied conference high) against just one turnover. Perry nailed three late 3-pointers to put the Huskers in position for the last-second shot. He has had at least three treys in five of the first eight conference games and is on pace to finish in the top five on the NU single-season chart.

 >>>Following Up Texas Tech
? Nebraska won on the road for the second straight conference game, a feat the Huskers had not accomplished since 1999.

? The Huskers earned a win for the fourth time this season when trailing at the half, and made their largest comeback of the year after trailing by 13.

? The win was the largest comeback victory on the road by the Huskers during the Big 12 era. The only larger comeback home or away came in 1997, the first year of the conference, when NU defeated KansasState at home after trailing by 18 at the half and by 20 points overall during the game, but needed overtime to earn the win.

? Nebraska hit at least 50 percent from the floor in the second half for the third straight game and the fifth time in eight conference games.

? NU hit 10 3-pointers in the contest, marking the seventh time this season the Huskers hit double figures from beyond the arc.

? Charles Richardson Jr. tied his career high in conference play with 15 points, including his first career-game winner. However, it was not the first time he played a crucial role in an exciting finish. Last year against Oklahoma in the league opener, he hit a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to pull NU within two, and then his clutch assist set up the winning 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.

? Richardson had an all-around solid game, producing six rebounds to tie his season high and seven assists, which tied his conference high.

 >>>The Series vs. Texas A&M
Nebraska and Texas A&M are meeting for the 15th time in series history, and the 11th time as conference opponents, the shortest series between the Huskers and a current Big 12 foe, two games fewer than NU has played against Baylor. NU won three of four matchups as non-conference opponents between 1969 and 1991 before taking the first three confrontations in league action.

A&M won contests over the Huskers in College Station in 2000 in overtime and 2006. A&M picked up its only win in the DevaneyCenter in seven tries in 2003.  The Aggies are looking for their first-ever two-game win streak in the series with Nebraska.

Saturday's matchup will be the first time either team has entered the contest with a national ranking.

>>>Scouting the Aggies
Texas A&M enters the weekend contest with an impressive 20-3 record on the season and a league-best 8-1 mark in Big 12 action. The Aggies come to Lincoln with their highest ranking in school history at No. 6 in the AP poll and No. 7 by the coaches after winning 13 of their last 14 contests. A&M's lone loss in since early December came in a two-point setback at Texas Tech on Jan. 24.

Texas A&M is ranked among the conference and national statistical leaders on both ends of the floor, but has not been heavily tested on the road. A&M owns a
17-0 mark at home, but is just 3-3 away from College Station. The Aggies' first loss of the year came at 2006 Final Four participant LSU, 64-52, and was followed four days later with a three-point loss against current No. 2 UCLA, 65-62.

A&M has turned up the offense this season as it averages 76.5 points per contest while ranking among the nation's best by hitting 50.4 percent from the floor. The Aggies, who also shoot better than 41 percent from beyond the arc, have moved the ball well within their offense, producing an amazing 19.2 assists per game.

Defensively, Texas A&M is one of the stingiest teams in the country as it allows just 56.0 points per contest while limiting opponents to 35.6 percent shooting, including a paltry 27.5 percent from 3-point range. A&M also adds nearly a +5.0 rebound advantage.

Senior point guard Acie Law IV leads the A&M attack as he paces the squad with 16.9 points and 5.5 assists per game while tying for the team lead with 29 steals. He has hit 51.5 percent from the floor and 77.1 percent from the charity stripe while leading the Aggies to their best start in school history.

Along with Law, A&M has a potent front court with Joseph Jones and Antanas Kavaliauskas combining for more than 25 points and nearly 13 rebounds per game. Kavaliauskas is second in the conference behind NU's Aleks Maric in field-goal percentage, as the Aggie has hit 59.5 percent this season. Jones leads the team in blocked shots with 19 and free throw percentage, as he has hit 81.6 percent from the line this season. Jones also leads the team in attempted (114) and made (93) free throws.

Texas A&M is led by Coach Billy Gillispie, who is in his third season guiding the Aggies. He owns a 93-52 overall record in five years and a 63-22 mark in three seasons at A&M.

Gillispie took over the reigns in College Station after leaving Texas-El Paso, where he was assisted by Doc Sadler for one season. UTEP completed one of the greatest turnarounds in college basketball history during Sadler's first year with Gillispie, as the Miners went from 6-24 during the 2002-03 season (before Sadler arrived) to 24-8 in 2003-04.

Gillispie left for A&M after 2004 and Sadler was named head coach at UTEP, where he posted a 48-18 record, including winning 27 games in 2004-05, the seventh-highest win total for a first-year coach in Division I history.

>>>Rankings Game
When the Huskers and Aggies face off, it will be the first time Coach Doc Sadler faces his mentor and close friend, A&M's Billy Gillispie.

There will be another milestone Saturday as it will be the first time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska has played host to consecutive top-10 ranked teams at the DevaneyCenter. The last time NU played consecutive home games against top-10 teams was 1992. That season, NU defeated No. 2 Oklahoma State, 85-69, at home before suffering two road losses, including a setback at No. 9 Missouri. In their next home contest, the Huskers knocked off No. 3 Kansas, 81-79, in overtime.

Overall, the Huskers have faced top-10 ranked teams in back-to-back games at home three times in program history, earning a 4-2 record.

 NU faced four top-10 squads in 1991-92 and finished with a 2-2 record. Since then, the Huskers have posted five victories over top-10 teams (37 overall matchups, home and away) with the most recent victory coming in a 74-67 upset of No. 4 Oklahoma State at the DevaneyCenter in 2004.

 

>>>Top 10 Takedowns
Nebraska has defeated a ranked team each of the past six seasons, including holding a 1-1 mark against ranked squads in 2006-07 (def. No. 20 Creighton; lost to No. 6 Kansas). In fact, Nebraska has won two games against ranked teams in two of the past three seasons.

The Huskers own a 4-3 record against nationally ranked teams since defeating No. 4 Oklahoma State in Lincoln in 2005. That win was NU's first victory over a top-10 squad since beating No. 7 Iowa State in overtime in Ames during the 1996-97 campaign.

In the win over No. 4 OSU on Feb. 22, 2005, Nebraska hit a season-best 56.3 percent from the floor while harassing OSU into 19 turnovers that led to 23 NU points. The win was Nebraska's first against a top-five team since the 1994 Big Eight Tournament, when the Huskers knocked off No. 3 Missouri. The last time NU had defeated a top-five team at home was 1993, when the Huskers beat No. 3 Kansas.

>>>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.

>>>Return Game
Nebraska made an impressive 21-8 run to end the game at Texas Tech, culminating with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Charles Richardson Jr. that gave the Huskers a 61-59 victory, NU's first win in Lubbock since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

Nebraska overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to win the game, the largest deficit the Huskers have overcome to win a contest since 1997 when the Huskers defeated KansasState after trailing by 20 in the opening period and by 18 at halftime. That game against KSU marked the largest halftime deficit overcome by a Nebraska squad since complete box scores are available beginning in 1972-73.

The win over Texas Tech marked the largest comeback at any point in a game during a road victory by the Huskers since the Big 12 began in 1997.

 >>>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 585 rebounds in his career entering Saturday's game with Texas A&M. He needs 15 boards to get to the 600-rebound plateau, a mark only 14 other Huskers have reached. Maric also needs just 84 boards to move into the NU career top 10.

>>>Taking Advantage of Charity
Looking at the numbers, there are few better than point guard Charles Richardson Jr. when it comes to stepping to the free throw line.

Richardson, who has not missed more than one free throw in any game this season and has eight perfect games at the stripe, leads the Huskers by hitting 90.2 percent (46-of-51) on the season.  He does not have enough attempts to qualify for the Big 12 standings (needs 2.5 attempts per game), but if he did, his current rate would rank first overall and tie for first in league-only games.

The 5-9 senior captain has hit 20 consecutive free throws since Jan. 6 against Western Kentucky. That game, he hit his first four attempts at the line and then missed one before nailing the last three. He has now hit all 17 of his attempts in conference play, including 15 over the past two games.

The Nebraska school record is 39 consecutive free throws made by Jack Moore in 1982. Moore set the NU single-game record with 15 made without a miss during that record stretch.

 >>>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 eight regular-season games remaining plus the conference tournament and possible postseason play, Sadler already ranks fourth among first-year Husker head coaches in terms of victories. He needs one more to become just the fourth Husker mentor to record 15 wins in his first season in Lincoln. Three more victories this year will assure Nebraska of its third winning season in four years.

>>>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 345 in his career to rank ninth, just nine behind Clifford Scales (8th) and 10 behind Jarmar Johnson (7th). With 125 assists this year, Richardson needs 10 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 sixth, five behind Beau Reid, who had 130 assists as a senior.

 

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 35.3 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 A&M, Maric leads the team with 16.7 points per game, an average that ranks seventh in the Big 12 Conference.

Maric has 350 points this season and is now 33rd in NU history with 905 career points. Maric, who scored 339 points last year in 31 games, needs eight points to move into 31st on the Nebraska career list, as he will pass Jake Muhleisen (911 points between 2002 and 2005) and Jason Dourisseau (912 points between 2003 and 2006).

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 needs 95 points to reach 1,000 for his career, 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 35.27 minutes per game this season, a mark that ranks third in the Big 12 conference. Only Jarrius Jackson (37.08) of Texas Tech and JamesOn Curry (36.09) 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 (35.4 mpg) in 1986 was the last Husker to average more than Richardson's current pace. 

>>>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 46 3-pointers in 18 games and has had at least five treys in a game three times, most recently against Texas. Perry has hit 43.8 percent (46-of-105) from long range to rank fourth in percentage and sixth in treys per game in the Big 12 statistics. Perry, who ranked 21st nationally in 3-point percentage entering the week, had 31 3-pointers (36.0 percent) in 32 games last year.

Anderson ranks second on the squad with 34 3-pointers and has hit an impressive 47.9 percent (34-of-71) from long range this year and currently is sixth on the Nebraska freshman chart, one behind fifth place (Jake Muhleisen, 35 in 2002). Only three Husker freshmen have ever recorded 40 or more 3-pointers, although Anderson would become the third in three years if he reaches the mark.

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 (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 rank 27th nationally in 3-point percentage this 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.

>>>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 14 of 22 opponents to 62 or fewer points in their first year under Sadler. Nebraska's 61.8 points per game allowed is fourth on the year in the Big 12 and its 63.8 points per game in league games-only is third. NU entered the week ranked 45th nationally in scoring defense.

>>>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
The Huskers have put up stretches of outstanding team defense at times this season. Nine times Nebraska has held its opponent without a field goal for at least 6:00 off the clock, while 10 other times the Huskers held teams without a basket for at least 5:00.

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.

 

>>>Getting to the Point

The Huskers posted a season-high-tying 82 points against Miami, the most points by a Husker squad away from the DevaneyCenter since posting 83 in a one-point loss to Hawaii in the 2004 National Invitation Tournament. The last time NU scored at least 82 points away from home during the regular season was also 2004, when the Huskers dropped an 87-83 overtime decision against No. 7 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

Nebraska added 81 points against SavannahState and 82 points against Western Kentucky, marking the first time since 1999-2000 that NU scored at least 80 points in three consecutive games. Last year, Nebraska scored at least 80 points only four times during a 19-win season.

>>>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.

>>>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 125 assists against just 44 turnovers through 22 games. His 5.68 assists per game rank second in the league while his 2.84:1 assists-to-turnover ratio paces the Big 12. In this week's NCAA statistics, he ranked 22nd nationally in assists per game.

Richardson's 125 assists are a significant part of the reason why Nebraska ranked 25th in the nation in field-goal percentage during this week's NCAA statistics reporting period. Entering Saturday's game against Texas A&M, NU has hit 48.3 percent from the field to rank fourth 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. 

 

>>>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 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 46
3-pointers while shooting 43.8 percent from long range to rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference and 21st nationally entering the week.

>>>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 18-of-43 from 3-point range this year, one of six Huskers with at least 18 treys this year.

>>>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 61.8 points per game ? a mark that ranks fourth in the league only behind Texas A&M (56.0 ppg), Oklahoma (57.3) and Kansas (60.4) ? 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.

>>>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 48.3 percent of their shots from the floor, including a solid 39.2 percent from 3-point range, heading into the game with Texas A&M.

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.

>>>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.

? 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 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.

? 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.

? 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.  

? 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.

? 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.