Huskers Battle Cowboys on Senior Night

>>>Game Information

Game: 30

Game Date: March 5

Release Date: March 4

Tip off: 7:05 p.m. CST

Television: None

Radio: Husker Sports Network

     (Kent Pavelka, play-by-play; Matt Davison, color)

Internet: Huskers.com (live radio, stats, video)

Satellite Radio: Nebraska broadcast on Channel 147

Venue: BobDevaneySportsCenter (13,595)

Corporate Sponsor: Embassy Suites

National Anthem: Heidi Joy

 

Fifty-one days after it was originally scheduled, the Nebraska men's basketball team will finally tip off against OklahomaState when the teams match up in the Big 12 Conference's regular-season finale on Monday, March 5, at the BobDevaneySportsCenter. Before Monday's game, the Nebraska basketball program will honor its senior class for its accomplishments over the past four seasons during a ceremony (at approximately 6:40 p.m.) at center court.

 

The contest is set to tip off at 7:05 p.m. and will not be televised, but live streaming video is available at HuskersNside.com. The game can also be heard on the 25-station Husker Sports Network and around the world on the Internet at Huskers.com. Kent Pavelka, the basketball voice of the Huskers, will call the action while Matt Davison adds color commentary.

 

Nebraska was supposed to meet the Cowboys on Jan. 13, but bad winter weather in Oklahoma prevented OSU from making it to Lincoln in time for the contest. It was the first weather-related postponement of a Big 12 men's basketball game since the formation of the conference.

 

The Huskers (16-13, 5-10 in Big 12) and Cowboys (20-10, 6-9 in Big 12) will get to see more of each other than they planned as the teams will have a quick rematch later in the week in the first round of the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City on Thursday, March 8. The teams will play at 6 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN Plus and nationally on ESPNU. The Cowboys are set as the No. 7 seed in the tournament and NU is the No. 10 seed no matter the outcome of Monday's contest.

 

>>>Familiar Foes

The rematch between NU and OSU on March 8 will mark the second straight season the Huskers have played their regular-season finale and the first round of the Big 12 Championship against the same team. Last year, NU lost a two-point contest at Missouri on Sunday, March 5, but turned around and defeated the Tigers on Thursday, March 9, by seven points, snapping a seven-game conference tournament losing streak.

 

Nebraska has played its final game of the regular season and first-round contest of the league tournament against the same team four times since the postseason tourney format went into effect in 1977.

 

The first time it happened was 1978 when NU defeated OklahomaState in Stillwater by 11 points to end the regular season and then topped the Cowboys by eight in Kansas City at the Big Eight Tournament. Nebraska also faced Oklahoma in back-to-back games at this time of year in 1980 (OU won regular-season finale, NU won tournament game) and 1992 (OU won both).

 

>>>Standings Watch

While the 12 seeds are already set for the Big 12 Championship no matter the outcome of Monday night's game, the final standings will not be settled until following the Husker-Cowboy battle.

 

A Nebraska win on Monday would create a four-way tie for seventh place (6-10 league record) in the final Big 12 regular-season standings, with the Huskers joining Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and IowaState. That finish would be higher than preseason predictions as Nebraska was picked to finish 10th by the league coaches and 11th or 12th by several media outlets.

 

An OSU win on Monday would give the Cowboys a tie with Missouri for sixth place in the final standings and leave NU in 10th place.

 

>>>All in the Family

Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler and Oklahoma State Coach Sean Sutton share a rich history with the same mentor ? Coach Eddie Sutton.

 

The elder Sutton gave Sadler his start in the business as Sadler was a manager for Eddie Sutton's Arkansas Razorbacks as an undergraduate. Sadler then made his assistant coaching debut on Eddie Sutton's staff, helping the team to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1983 to 1985.

 

Sean Sutton has been the head coach designate the past few seasons at OklahomaState, where he studied under his father as an assistant for 13 seasons.

 

Nebraska Director of Operations Chris Croft also has ties to OklahomaState as he was an assistant coach for Eddie Sutton, helping the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998.

 

>>>One More Time

The Huskers return home for the final time in the regular season to take on OklahomaState on Monday. Nebraska owns an 11-4 record at the BobDevaneySportsCenter and will be looking to finish its 17th campaign (in 31 seasons) with at least 12 home wins. NU has won at least 12 home games in two of the past three years.

 

Nebraska hopes to get back on the winning track and revive its postseason possibilities after dropping four of its last five contests. NU's last three losses have come by a combined 14 points, all to teams lower than it in the league standings at tip off. Among those three losses was a 69-63 setback against IowaState last Wednesday, the only home loss this season for the Huskers against a team that is not currently ranked in the national top-25.

 

The Huskers have struggled offensively at times in the recent slump, especially from the perimeter, but senior guard Marcus Perry looked as though he was getting back on track in Saturday's four-point road setback. Perry hit 5-of-14 attempts from long range to tie his conference career high with 17 points. Perry's five 3-pointers equaled his total over the past five games combined (5-of-20). His 14 attempts were a Nebraska single-game school record for an individual.

 

Perry's re-emergence would be a boost for the Huskers  who have relied almost solely on the impressive recent play of junior center Aleks Maric. The 6-11, 270-pounder is averaging career highs in nearly every category as he has posted 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game to rank fourth and second, respectively, in the Big 12 standings this year. He also ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage and is 12th in blocked shots.

 

Maric has produced a career-long stretch with four straight double-doubles, as he has averaged 25.0 points and 13.8 rebounds per game in that run. Over his last three home games, Maric has posted three straight 30-plus point games while averaging 36.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per contest.

 

Last week, Maric became the first player in Nebraska history with consecutive 30-point games by dropping in 31 against Missouri and 36 against IowaState. He now owns three of the top nine single-game scoring marks in school history.

 

Maric needs just six points to move onto the Nebraska single-season top-10 scoring chart as he has 520 points entering Monday's game. Rich King currently sits in 10th place on the list with 526 points in 1991. If Maric moves into the top 10, he will be the first player to join the elite list since Tyronn Lue posted 603 points to rank fourth in 1997.

 

With 520 points, Maric now has 1,076 points in his career to rank 23rd in NU history. He needs six points to move into 22nd where he will pass NU's all-time 3-point leader Cary Cochran, who is expected to be in attendance at the game Monday night.

 

>>>Maric Just Misses Scoring Mark

Junior center Aleks Maric has been the focal point of the Husker offense all season, but in his last two home games the big man produced at a near-record pace.

 

The 6-11, 270-pound native of Sydney, Australia, scored 67 points in NU's last two games at the DevaneyCenter, the second-most points by a Husker in a two-game span in school history. His total trails only Eric Piatkowski's 68 points against Missouri (26) and Oklahoma (42) in the 1994 Big Eight Tournament.

 

Maric posted 31 points in overtime against Missouri and came back with 36 points against IowaState, the first time in school history a Husker has recorded consecutive 30-point games.

 

Maric has recorded 108 points in his last three contests in the DevaneyCenter, including a career-best 41-point effort vs. KansasState. That translates to a school-record 36.0 points-per-game average over a three-home game span to go along with his 13.0 rebounds per game in that stretch.

 

>>>The Series vs. OklahomaState

Nebraska and OklahomaState hit the floor Monday at the DevaneyCenter in the 111th meeting between the teams since the series began in 1926-27. In the second-closest series with a former Big Eight opponent, the Huskers lead OklahomaState by an all-time mark of 61-49. Only the Colorado-Nebraska series (NU leads 73-67) has a smaller series win margin for the Huskers.

 

Like the first season of the series when the teams split a pair of games, the recent history has been an even match as the teams are 5-5 over the past 10 contests, although OSU owns a slight 12-8 lead in the past 20 meetings.

 

The Huskers have won three of the last five matchups between the teams in Lincoln and each of the past two contests overall. In the past six NU-OSU games (3-3 record), two have gone to overtime while none have been decided by more than seven points.

 

Nebraska will be gunning for its third straight victory over the Cowboys after picking up wins in 2005 (vs. No. 4 OSU, 74-67) and 2006 (59-57). The last time NU won three straight games over the Cowboys came during a six-game win streak from 1985 to 1987.

 

The last time OSU came to Lincoln, center Aleks Maric recorded a season-best 15 points while hitting 7-of-10 shots from the floor to help NU to its first win over a top-five team in eight years. Last season, Maric helped NU to a 59-57 road victory over OSU with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds). Jamel White had the winning points in the final seconds as he put back Wes Wilkinson's missed 3-pointer to give the Huskers the two-point victory.

 

>>>Scouting the Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowboys enter Monday's contest with the Huskers looking to improve their postseason stock after compiling a 20-10 overall record and 6-9 mark in conference play.

 

The Cowboys won 14 of their first 15 games to move into the top 15 in the polls before Big 12 play. Recently, OSU has struggled as it has dropped seven of its last nine games, and has yet to win a true road game. OSU is 5-8 away from Stillwater, with all five wins on neutral courts.

 

Despite the recent slump, OklahomaState is still one of the top offensive teams in the Big 12 Conference as it averages 77.1 points per game behind solid shooting from the field. OSU has hit 47.3 percent from the floor including 35.6 percent from 3-point range and is one of the top free-throw shooting squads in the Big 12 by hitting 72.5 percent.

 

OSU has two of the league's top offensive threats in forward Mario Boggan and guard JamesOn Curry, who are averaging 20.1 and 18.2 points per game, respectively, to rank among the top five in the Big 12.

 

Boggan, who was suspended for Saturday's game at Baylor but is expected to return to the floor Monday, has hit 54.9 percent from the field to rank third in the league despite connecting on just 11-of-52 3-point attempts. He is adding a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game.

 

Curry is second on the squad in scoring but leads OSU with 80 3-pointers on 42.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Curry also edges out point guard Byron Eaton for the team lead with 113 assists (Eaton has 108) and is third on the squad in steals with 38. Eaton, who averages 7.4 points per game, leads OSU with 45 steals while Terrel Harris, the Cowboys' third double-figure scorer at 10.6 points per game, is second with 42 steals and 42 3-pointers.

 

The Cowboys are coached by Sean Sutton, who is in his first season as head coach after taking over for his father, Eddie Sutton.

 

>>>Following Up Colorado

? Aleks Maric posted his team-high 11th 20-point game and his fourth straight double-double, a personal-long streak.

? Maric added his ninth double-double of the year to move into a tie for third on the NU chart with 22, matching the mark set by Dave Hoppen.

? Maric hit 10-of-14 free throw attempts and has made at least 10 free throws in three of his last six contests.

? Marcus Perry hit 5-of-14 3-pointers vs. Colorado after connecting on just 5-of-20 3-point attempts in his previous five games combined.

? Perry's 17 points tied his career conference high set earlier this year against Texas.

? Charles Richardson Jr. had eight assists against just one turnover. The mark tied his conference career high and moved him into the top spot on the NU senior assists list with 169 this season, the third-highest total in Nebraska history.

? Freshman Sek Henry scored seven points after posting just eight points in the previous seven games combined. Henry scored 17 points in his first two career Big 12 games but then scored just 27 points over the next 12 games before posting seven on Saturday. 

? Sophomore Kyle Marks tied his career high with six points and set a career best with two steals in 10 minutes.

? Nebraska was held to less than 40 percent shooting for the fifth straight game since setting a conference high by hitting 57.5 percent against KansasState.

? Colorado held a 39-34 advantage on the glass, snapping a two-game streak of NU leading on the boards.

? NU has had at least 34 rebounds in each of the past three games after failing to top 30 rebounds in 11 of its first 12 conference games this year.

 

>>>Maric Named Second-Team All-District

Junior center Aleks Maric was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) second team for District 12 on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Maric joins the other 149 student-athletes selected to the all-district teams on the All-America ballot. The NABC All-America teams will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season.

 

Maric joined five other Big 12 Conference athletes on the first and second teams, including first-teamers Julian Wright and Brandon Rush from Kansas and Mario Boggan of Oklahoma State. JamesOn Curry (OklahomaState) and Cartier Martin (KansasState) were also on the second team with Maric.

 

An All-Big 12 Conference candidate and one of the top post players in the nation, Maric has averaged 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season to rank in the top four in the Big 12 standings in each category. The Sydney, Australia, native also is second in the league in field-goal percentage by hitting 56.5 percent from the floor this season to pace the Huskers and is third with nine double-doubles, including his personal high steak of four straight over the past four games.

 

Maric, who earned accolades as the Big 12 Player of the Week in November, was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 (coaches and AP) selection last year and was named to the 2006 All-Improved team by the Associated Press.

 

>>>Velander Named to Academic All-Big 12 Team

Sophomore guard Paul Velander was one of nine players named to the academic All-Big 12 men's basketball first team, announced Thursday, March 1, by the conference office. Overall, 22 student-athletes were honored on the first or second teams by the league.

 

A native of Blacksburg, Va., Velander is the 24th Husker named to the all-academic squad since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, a total that ranks second in the league. Last year, three Huskers were honored on the first team.

 

Despite battling injuries earlier in the year, Velander has come on strong on the court this season while also picking up the first academic award of his career. He is currently fourth on the team from beyond the arc with 27 treys, and is one of five current Huskers with at least 20 3-pointers on the season.

 

The only walk-on to see significant playing time this year, Velander has played in 25 games while averaging 3.8 points per game in 14.0 minutes of action. He has hit 38.0 percent (27-of-71) from 3-point range and 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the foul line.

 

Nominated by the school's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations office, first-team members consist of those student-athletes who have maintained a 3.2 or better grade-point average while second-team members posted a 3.0 to 3.19 GPA.

 

To qualify, student-athletes must have maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher cumulative for their career or over the past two semesters and must have participated in at least 60 percent of the team's contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year at an institution. Seniors who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all criteria except playing time are also eligible.

 

 >>>40-Minute Man

Senior Charles Richardson Jr. has become a fixture on the court for the Huskers during his senior season. After averaging 19.2 minutes per game in his first three seasons (1,671 minutes in 87 games), Richardson ranks third in the league this year by playing 36.1 minutes per game (1,046 minutes in 29 games).

 

No other Husker has played even 800 minutes this season. The closest to Richardson is center Aleks Maric, who has played 799 minutes (28.5 per game).

 

Against Missouri on Feb. 24, Richardson played all 45 minutes of the overtime game, a career high. It was the most minutes by a Husker in one game since Larry Florence played 45 minutes in the season-opening overtime victory against Eastern Illinois in 1999.

 

Richardson has played every minute of eight games this year. In fact, Richardson has played 348 of the 365 possible minutes over the past nine games.

 

The last Husker to record more than eight games of at least 40 minutes played in a season was Dave Hoppen when he set the single-season record with 1,155 minutes played as a junior in 1985. He played all 40 minutes in 17 contests that season. Teammates Brian Carr and Curtis Moore also got into the act that year with 14 and six games, respectively, of at least 40 minutes played.

 

>>>Comeback Kids

Despite a history of struggling to come back from large deficits in the past, this year's Nebraska squad has increasingly shown toughness and determination to come back after being down by significant deficits.

 

Four times this year the Huskers have trailed by at least nine points and rallied for a victory, including both wins over Missouri. Nebraska posted its largest road comeback in the Big 12 era when it won at the buzzer against Texas Tech in a game that the Huskers trailed by 13 at halftime.

 

NU has also had two close calls in its last two games. Nebraska cut a 16-point deficit against IowaState last Wednesday to three points with under three minutes remaining, but could not get over the hump in a six-point setback, and it erased a 10-point deficit at Colorado on Saturday to eventually take a one-point lead in the final two minutes before falling by four.

 

 >>>Rare Air

One of the best big men in the Big 12 Conference this season, junior center Aleks Maric became only the ninth junior in Nebraska history to record 1,000 career points when he picked up his 14th point against Missouri on Feb. 24. Maric, who finished that game with 31 points, leads the Huskers with 18.6 points per game, an average that ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference.

 

Maric became only the 24th player in the 111-year history of the program to top 1,000 points. The last player to reach the mark was Cary Cochran, who hit the plateau during his senior season in 2002. Cookie Belcher is the most recent junior before Maric to reach the mark in 1999.

 

Maric has 520 points this season and is 23rd in NU history with 1,075 career points entering the game vs. OklahomaState. Maric scored 339 points last year in 31 games and had 216 points as a freshman. He needs six points to move into 22nd all-time, where he will pass Cary Cochran.

 

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.

 

>>>Double Duty

Junior Aleks Maric joined elite company when he reached the 1,000-point plateau against Missouri. Maric, who had already surpassed the 600-rebound mark, became only the second player in NU history to surpass those plateaus before the end of his junior season.

 

Maric joined Nebraska all-time scoring leader Dave Hoppen, who finished his career with 2,167 points (1st on NU all-time list) and 773 rebounds (3rd on NU all-time list). Hoppen had 1,747 points and 626 rebounds when he finished his junior season.

 

In Nebraska's loss at Kansas, Maric recorded three rebounds to become only the third player in NU history with 600 boards before the end of his junior season. Seven players have recorded 600 rebounds in three seasons at Nebraska, but four of those played before freshmen were eligible and therefore did not reach 600 in their junior campaign.

 

Maric has 655 rebounds to rank 12th all-time at Nebraska heading into Monday's game with OklahomaState. He needs just 14 boards to move into the NU career top 10.

 

>>>Awesome Aussie

Junior center Aleks Maric already had his name in the NU record book, but he moved it up a couple lines on Feb. 13 when he posted a career-best effort against Kansas State. The Sydney, Australia, native recorded 41 points, the second-highest single-game total in Nebraska history.

 

Maric's total was one point off Eric Piatkowski's school- record 42-point effort. Piatkowski's record game came vs. Oklahoma in the 1994 Big Eight Tournament, making Maric's the highest-scoring effort in a regular-season contest and the most points scored by a Husker in Lincoln.

 

Maric's new career high came almost one year to the day ? 363 days to be exact ? after his previous best effort of 37 points at Iowa State, making him the only player in school history with two games of at least 37 points.

 

Maric's 41 points represents one of nine 40-plus point games by a league player in the Big 12 era (since 1996-97) and is the top scoring effort by a player from the Big 12 Conference this season.

 

>>>More Maric Notes

Aleks Maric set more than just a career scoring high in his 41-point outburst against KansasState. Among his other notable stats from that career night are:

? Maric had 19 field-goal attempts, nearly half of the team total of 40.

? Despite the high number of attempts, Maric still shot 68.4 percent as he hit 13 attempts. The rest of the team combined to hit 10-of-21 (47.6 percent).

? After going 5-of-10 in the first half, Maric hit 8-of-9 from the floor in the second period.

? His 13 made field goals were three off the school record and two off the record against a conference opponent.

? Maric set a Big 12 and school record with 25 free throw attempts, making 15. Both were career highs, and his attempts nearly doubled KSU's attempts (25 to 13).

? Maric's 25 free throw attempts were the most ever in a Nebraska game, by a Husker or opponent, and were also the most ever by a player in the Devaney Center.

? Maric had 18 points at the intermission, more than he had in the first halves of the previous six games combined (13). Twice in the previous six games he had not scored in the opening period.

? Maric had 23 points in the second half, which by itself represented his eighth 20-point game of the season. It was one point off the school record of 24 points in a half set by three players, most recently Tyronn Lue against Virginia in 1997.

? Maric set the Nebraska single-game scoring record by a junior. He also set the top scoring mark as a sophomore last year.

? Maric played just 29 minutes, averaging 1.41 points per minute played.

? Maric raised his scoring average in Big 12 play from 14.4 points per game to 17.1 (+2.7) following the KSU contest. He had 130 points entering the game, meaning nearly one-quarter of his conference point total through 10 games (171) came against KSU.

 

 >>>Above the Competition

Aleks Maric may not have set the Big 12-era scoring record, but he did set a first for his position with his 41-point outburst against KansasState: He is the first player who works exclusively in the post to reach the mark.

 

Maric became the first league player over 6-6 to score at least 40 points since the formation of the league. All seven of the other league players who have scored at least 40 points in a game since 1996-97 were 6-6 or shorter and played predominantly in the back court or on the wing.

 

>>>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.

 

Sadler is already third among first-year Husker head coaches in terms of victories. Only Paul Schlisser (22) in 1919-20 and Danny Nee (21) in 1986-87 have won more games in their first year as Husker head coaches than Sadler.

 

 >>>Piling Up the Points

Aleks Maric posted 31 points against Missouri and 36 points against IowaState in a two-game homestand, giving him four 30-plus point games to tie for fourth in school history. Maric's back-to-back 30-point performances marked the first time in school history a player topped the 30-point plateau in consecutive games.

 

Dave Hoppen and Tyronn Lue own the school record with seven 30-point games apiece, while Jerry Fort is third with five. Maric, Andre Smith, Marvin Stewart, Herschell Turner and Eric Piatkowski are tied for fourth.

 

>>>White Suspended for Remainder of Season

Coach Doc Sadler announced on Sunday, Feb. 11, that sophomore guard Jamel White was suspended from the team for the remainder of the season for violating team policy. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., White played in 22 games this season and 55 games over the past two years while averaging 8.9 points and 2.1 assists per game during his career.

 

Without White, NU has nine active scholarship players available for the remainder of the season.

 

>>>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 36.07 minutes per game this season, a mark that ranks third in the Big 12 conference. Only Jarrius Jackson (37.90) of Texas Tech and JamesOn Curry (37.10) of OklahomaState have averaged more minutes per game this season among league foes.

 

Richardson set a career high by playing all 45 minutes in Nebraska's overtime win against Missouri on Feb. 24. It was the most minutes in a game for a Husker since Larry Florence played 45 minutes vs. Eastern Illinois in 1999.

 

Richardson ? who has played every minute of a game eight times this season ? is on pace to average more minutes per game in a season than any Husker since Dave Hoppen (38.5 mpg) in 1985. Tyronn Lue averaged 35.9 minutes per game in 1997 and 1998. 

 

>>>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 has etched his name into Husker lore on the NU single-season and career top-10 charts.

 

Richardson moved into the NU career top 10 for assists against Texas and now has 389 in his career to rank sixth, 25 behind Erick Strickland for fifth place. With 169 assists this year, Richardson is third on the Nebraska single-season top-10 chart and is only the second player in school history with at least 153 assists in a season, joining Brian Carr (237 in 1985; 201 in 1986; 166 in 1987).

 

Richardson set the NU senior class record last weekend against Colorado. He posted eight assists against CU to surpass Carr, who held the previous record for an NU senior with 166 assists in his final year.

 

Richardson also is within reach of the Husker top 10 chart for career steals (needs 10), single-season steals (needs 12) and moved onto the senior class list as he now has 51 to rank seventh. With a strong run at the league championship or in the postseason, Richardson, who is averaging 36.1 minutes per game, could also challenge for the most minutes played in a season by a Husker.

 

>>>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 16 of 29 opponents to 63 or fewer points in their first year under Sadler. Nebraska's 64.2 points per game allowed is fourth on the year in the Big 12 and its 67.5 points per game in league games-only is fifth.

 

>>>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 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.

 

>>>3s All Around

Nebraska has been solid from beyond the arc all year long and currently is hitting at 37.5 percent from 3-point range, an average that would rank third in school history.

 

NU's best game from beyond the arc came against Rutgers, when the Huskers hit a season-high 64.7 percent, their highest percentage in a game since hitting 66.7 percent (10-of-15) against Pacific in 2000. 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.

 

Against Miami, Nebraska set a season-high with 15 treys, 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.

 

>>>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 nine more double-doubles and now has 22 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 third in the Nebraska record book and is just three from second place.

 

>>>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 an NU 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. Nebraska's largest deficit overcome at home this season was 10 points against Missouri in an overtime victory.

 

>>>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).

 

With his strong scoring output, Anderson is ninth on the Nebraska freshman scoring chart with 281 points; second on the NU freshman 3-point charts with 48 treys; and eighth on the freshman steals chart with 25.

 

>>>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 169 assists against just 63 turnovers through 29 games. His 5.83 assists per game rank second in the league while his 2.68:1 assists-to-turnover ratio is first in the Big 12. In last week's NCAA statistics, he ranked 17th nationally in assists per game. Last year, Richardson had 100 assists in 30 games (3.33 apg).

 

With four assists against Colorado on Jan. 20, 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).

 

Richardson will be only the second player in school history to average 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 in 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 59
3-pointers while shooting 40.1 percent from long range after posting five treys against Colorado on Saturday.

 

>>>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 has shown similar traits throughout the season.

 

To date, the Huskers have allowed just 64.2 points per game ? a mark that ranks fourth in the league only behind Texas A&M (59.3 ppg), Oklahoma (59.3) and Kansas (60.7) ? this 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.

 

>>>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 fourth in the conference with 18.6 points per game this season, including 11 20-point contests. Despite drawing constant double teams, Maric has dominated the paint and is second in the Big 12 Conference by hitting 56.5 percent (190-of-336). Maric also ranked 36th 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. Four times this season Maric has scored as many points as he played minutes, including a season-best ratio of 41 points in 29 minutes against KansasState.

 

Overall, Maric has shot better than 70 percent from the floor in four games and at least 60 percent in nine other games. In conference play, he has hit 51.3 percent (100-of-195) to rank second in the league.

 

>>>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 ISU, the fifth-highest single-game mark in NU history and first 30-point game 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 DevaneyCenter.

 

>>>Overtime

? With its victory over Missouri in Lincoln, Nebraska won its ninth straight home overtime game dating back to 1996. It was NU's first overtime game, home or away, since a two-overtime victory against KansasState at home to open Big 12 play in 2005.

? Against Kansas State, Nebraska picked up its 10th home win of the season, the 24th time in the 31-year history of the building that the Huskers had double-figure wins at home.

? Nebraska's wins over Missouri and Texas Tech gave the Huskers their first two-game conference road win streak since 1999.

? The Huskers have hit at least 50.0 percent from the floor in the second half of six of 15 conference games this season.

? 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. 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.  

? Aleks Maric moved into the NU career top 10 for blocked shots with four against North Texas. He now owns 86 blocks in his career, good for eighth place on the Husker chart with Cookie Belcher.

? Maric tied the Nebraska conference-game record with 15 field goals against IowaState and also tied the NU DevaneyCenter record. His 30 attempts were also a Nebraska record in the building.

? Charles Richardson Jr. has helped NU to a 49-18 home record since joining the Huskers for the 2003-04 campaign, including a 5-5 record against ranked teams.

? Richardson is the Huskers' active leader with 118 career steals and is the first Husker to record 100 career steals since Cary Cochran reached the mark as a senior in 2002. He needs 10 more to move into the NU career top 10.