Huskers Head to No. 15/12 Missouri

Game 16: at Missouri
Game Date: Jan. 12, 2011
Tipoff Time:  6 p.m.
Venue: Mizzou Arena
Capacity: 15,061

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game: 16
2010-11 Record: 13-2, 1-0 Big 12
Head coach: Doc Sadler
                Record at Nebraska: 83-60 (5th year)
                Record at Division I: 131-78 (7th year)
                Career Record: 251-117 (13th year)

Missouri Tigers
Game: 17
2010-11 Record: 14-2, 1-0 Big 12
Head coach: Mike Anderson
                Record at Missouri: 102-48 (5th year)
                Career Record: 191-89 (9th year)

Broadcast Information
Television: Fox Sports Midwest (DirecTV Ch. 680, Dish Ch. 475, Ch. 37 on Time Warner Cable; Ch. 47 on Cox Cable) - also available nationally on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com
                Play-by-Play: Greg Sharpe
                Color: Eric Piatkowski
Radio: IMG Husker Sports Radio Network 
                Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka
                Color: Matt Davison
Internet Radio/Stats: Free on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: Ch. 154 (Missouri feed)

Huskers Head to No. 15/12 Missouri
Following a 63-62 win over Iowa State in its Big 12 opener, the Nebraska men's basketball team makes its first road trip of the season Wednesday evening, as the Huskers travel to Missouri for a 6 p.m. match up with the No. 15/12 (AP/Coaches) Tigers.

Wednesday's game will be carried across Nebraska on Fox Sports Midwest as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.  The telecast will feature Greg Sharpe (play by play) and Eric Piatkowski (analyst) and will be seen locally on channel 37 in Lincoln; channel 47 in Omaha; DirecTV channel 680; and Dish Network channel 475.

In addition, the game will be available on the  32-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Matt Davison on the call, including KFAB 1110 AM in Omaha, KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln and KRVN 880 in Lexington.

The Huskers venture out of Lincoln for the first time since mid-November looking for their third 2-0 start in 15 years of Big 12 action. The only times Nebraska has opened 2-0 in Big 12 play were in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

Nebraska showed fortitude in the late stages against Iowa State, holding the Cyclones scoreless over the final 3:40 while erasing a 62-58 deficit. Lance Jeter's steal and subsequent free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining gave the Huskers its first one-point win over Sadler.

The Huskers, who were without shooting guard Brandon Richardson against ISU, relied on a pair of bench performers to come up with major minutes. Drake Beranek totaled nine points and a career-high seven rebounds in his first-ever Big 12 game, while Ray Gallegos kept ISU's Diante Garrett in check on the defense end in the final minutes, allowing the Huskers to regain the lead.

With a 13-2 record and an 11-game win streak, the Huskers received four points in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25, marking the first time it has happened in Doc Sadler's five seasons at Nebraska. To extend the win streak to 12 games, Nebraska will have to pick up a win against a Missouri team which is 10-0 at home this season.

Wednesday's game will be a contrast in styles, as Nebraska is first in the Big 12 and second nationally in points per game allowed (53.5), while Missouri leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally in points per game (85.8).  Nebraska has not allowed 70 points in 11 games, while Missouri has scored more than 70 points in its last seven contests.

The Tigers (14-2, 0-1 Big 12) saw their nine-game win streak snapped by Colorado, 89-76, on Saturday afternoon. Missouri has five players averaging double figures, led by Marcus Denmon's 17.0 points per game. Denmon, who is one of the early front runners for Big 12 Player of the Year, is hitting nearly 50 percent from three-point range.

Look at Missouri
The Tigers come into Wednesday's game with a 14-2 mark after dropping their Big 12 opener, 89-76, at Colorado on Saturday. In that game, Colorado used a 36-point performance from Alec Burks to snap Missouri's nine-game win streak. Michael Dixon's 17 points off the bench led four Tigers in double figures in the loss, while Laurence Bowers had 15 points, seven rebounds and eight blocked shots. Missouri shot just 41 percent in the loss, including 4-for-16 from 3-point range, while letting Colorado shoot 48 percent and forcing just 10 turnovers.

Missouri, which was ranked as high as ninth in the AP poll this season,  has eight players back, including a pair of starters from a team that went 23-11 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This season, Mike Anderson's team went 14-1 in non-conference play, including wins over Vanderbilt and Illinois while the only loss came in an 111-102 overtime loss to Georgetown.

Missouri's strength is its ability to control the pace with five players in double figures and 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. The Tigers are fifth in the country in scoring (85.8 ppg) while also ranking in the top-10 nationally in assists (18.4 per game), steals (10.2 per game) and turnover margin (+6.2 per game).

Marcus Denmon leads MU with 17.0 ppg, while hitting 44-of-90 from 3-pointers on the year, as he is one of the front runners for Big 12 Player of the Year. Denmon is seventh nationally in 3-point percentage (48.9) while also averaging 2.0 steals per contest. Laurence Bowers (12.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Ricardo Ratliffe (11.4 ppg. 7.0 rpg) provide Missouri with a strong interior presence, while guards Michael Dixon and Kim English both average more than 10 points per game while Dixon leads the Big 12 in steals (2.3 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6-to-1).

Nebraska-Missouri Series
The Huskers and Tigers are meeting for the 218th time in series history and the 35th time since the formation of the Big 12 Conference. Missouri holds a 125-92 series lead over the Huskers since first meeting in the 1907-08 season. In the Big 12 era, the Tigers have earned a 21-13 series advantage, but Nebraska snapped a three-game losing streak to the Tigers with a 75-60 victory in the Big 12 Tournament last March. Nebraska is 6-4 against Missouri under coach Doc Sadler, including a 61-56 Husker win in the 2008 Big 12 Championship, the last time the teams met in the postseason.  Nebraska is just 2-12 in Columbia in the Big 12 era, but both of those wins have come under Doc Sadler (2007 and 2008).

Last Time Out: Huskers Top Cyclones in Frantic Finish
Lance Jeter's free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining lifted Nebraska to a 63-62 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 opener. Jeter combined with Ray Gallegos to steal the ball from ISU's Diante Garrett before Jeter drove the length of the court and was fouled. After missing the first attempt, the senior swished the second shot to give NU a one-point lead, and ISU was unable to get a shot off before time expired. Nebraska overcame a four-point deficit in the final 3:40 by holding the Cyclones scoreless. Jeter produced an all-around solid effort with 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals and scored six of his seven second-half points after ISU erased a 12-point lead and took a 47-45 lead. Caleb Walker finished with a team-high 13 points, including 11 in the first half, and eight rebounds while Drake Beranek scored five of his nine points in the first 20 minutes, as the Huskers jumped out to a 12-4 lead and took a 10-point lead into the break. Toney McCray was the third Husker to finish in double figures, as he chipped in 12 points to help Nebraska to its 11th straight win. Garrett finished with 18 points in a losing effort for Iowa State, which saw its seven-game win streak snapped.

Noting the Iowa State Game

• Nebraska picked up its 11th straight win, as the Huskers' win streak was the longest since the 1993-94 season.

Nebraska's 13-2 record is its best 15 game mark since the the 1990-91 team went 14-1 in its first 15 contests.

Caleb Walker matched his career high with 13 points, hitting 5-of-9 shots from the floor, in his first Big 12 start. He also had 13 points against Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Jackson State. The win over ISU was the first time in Sadler's five seasons that Nebraska won a one-point game, as the Huskers' last one-point win was a 59-58 win over No. 12 Oklahoma on Jan. 7, 2006. It is just the second one-point game under Sadler, as NU lost 62-61 against Texas on Jan. 24, 2007. Lance Jeter dished out a season high seven assists, as he had six assists in three other games (Hofstra, Creighton, Alcorn State). It was also the second time this season he had at least five steals (Alcorn State). Nebraska's eight turnovers matched a season low (also vs. Creighton). Nebraska improves to 4-1 in Big 12 openers at home, as the only loss came against Kansas the year the Jayhawks won the national title (2007-08). NU improved to 4-11 in Big 12 openers Nebraska finished its longest homestand in school history with a 10-0 record, including a 3-0 mark in games decided by five or fewer points. Nebraska was out-shot for just the second time this season (also Vanderbilt) and snapped a streak of five straight games shooting 50 percent or better. Iowa State, which was held to its third-lowest percentage of the season (40.4 percent), became the first team in 12 games to top 60 points against Nebraska.

It has Been a While
The Huskers are enjoying one of the best starts in the program's 115-year history this season. Nebraska comes into the Missouri game with a 13-2 record, marking only the ninth time the Huskers have won at least 13 of their first 15 contests.

Only three teams in school history - and one in the last 95 years - has enjoyed a better start than the 2010-11 Huskers. That came in 1990-91, when the Huskers went 14-1 en route to a school-record 26 wins.

Nebraska's quick start was recognized on Monday when the Huskers received four points in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, the first time since Jan. 16, 2006.

Huskers Are Streaking
Nebraska comes into Wednesday's game with Missouri riding an 11-game winning streak, which is the longest by Nebraska since the 1993-94 campaign.  It marks just the 10th double-digit win streak in the program's 115-year history and just the fifth since 1920.

• The streak began with a 15-point win over Hofstra in the final game of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off and includes double-figure comebacks against both USC (20 points) and Creighton (13 points).
• Nebraska posted six straight double figure wins, the first time that has happened since a seven-game stretch to open the 1992-93 season.
• Nebraska has won three games by five points or less, including a one-point win against Iowa State and a two-point win versus USC.
• Prior to this season, Nebraska's longest win streak in Sadler's five seasons was six games (on two occasions) and the longest win streak in the Big 12 era was seven games in 1998, the last time the Huskers reached the NCAA Tournament.
• If Nebraska wins on Wednesday at Missouri, it would move into a tie for the fifth longest streak in school history. Only one of the current five streaks have taken place after 1921.

Longest Win Streaks in School History

No.	Season	Win Streak	Date Started	Date Ended
1.	1990-91	14 games	11-28-90	1-22-91
	1911-12/12-13	14 games	1-27-12	1-25-13
3.	1919-20/20-21	13 games	2-6-20	1-3-21
	1897-98/1900-01	13 games	2-22-1898	1901**
5.	1912-13	12 games	1-31-13	3-12-13
6.	2010-11	11 games	11-27-10	present
	1993-94	11 games	12-3-93	1-19-94
	1905-06/06-07	11 games	2-25-06	2-15-07
9.	1994-95	10 games	11-27-94	1-4-95
	1977-78	10 games	12-2-77	12-29-77

  **Dates unavailable

Getting Defensive
As is typical with a Doc Sadler-coached team, the Huskers are strong on the defensive end. Nebraska leads the country in opponent field goal percentage (33.9) while ranking second in points per game at 53.5 heading into Wednesday's game at Missouri. The Huskers have held 12 of 15 opponents under 60 points, including 10 straight foes before Iowa State scored 62 on last Saturday.

• The Huskers have held all 15 teams below their current 2010-11 season averages, while five teams (Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Vanderbilt, Hofstra, Eastern Washington and Grambling State) scored their season low against Nebraska.
• Nebraska held 10 straight opponents to under 60 percent, the longest stretch by a Nebraska team since a 21-game stretch covering the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons.
• The Huskers held four straight foes to under 50 points - the first time since February of 1949 that has happened.
• The biggest beneficiary to the Huskers defense has been the fans at the Devaney Center. In 10 of 12 home games, fans have earned products from Runza Restaurants, whether its a Runza or burger (50 or less), chili or soup (51-55) or an order of fries or onion rings (56-60).
• Nebraska opponents have been held to 25 percent shooting three times this season, including 21.1 percent by Eastern Washington on Dec. 18.
• Nebraska has led the Big 12 in defense in two of the last three seasons under Doc Sadler (2007-08, 2008-09).

Getting Good Shots, and Limiting Good Shots
Entering Wednesday's game at Missouri, the Huskers are one of only four teams in the country (out of 335) ranked in the top 20 in both field goal percentage and field goal defense, joining Central Florida, Kansas and Maryland.

Top 20 Nationally in Field Goal Pct. (Off. and Def.)

School	Off. FG Pct.	Rank	Def. FG Pct	Rank
Kansas	1	52.5	7	36.8
Nebraska	19	48.7	1	33.9
Maryland	15	48.9	8	37
UCF	15	48.9	5	36.6

The Sum is Greater than the Parts
When talking about the 2010-11 Huskers, Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler mentioned that this is the deepest team he has had in his five seasons. The Huskers have relied on the depth, as 10 players have averaged at least 13 minutes per game. While the Huskers don't have a player in the top 20 in the league in either scoring or rebounding, but have been balanced offensively with nine players averaging between 4.2 and 10.5 points per game.

• NU has had 10 different players lead the team in scoring through 15 games, as the only regular who has not accomplished the feat is senior Drake Beranek.
• A total of 11 players have scored at least 10 points in a game, while only one current Husker has reached the 20-point plateau this season - Andre Almeida, who had 20 points in the season opener.
• Junior Kamyron Brown nearly became the 12th Husker to reach double figures, as he scored nine points in 11 minutes off the bench in NU's win over Savannah State on Jan. 5.

Jeter is Making Points
While the Huskers' strength is their balance, the leader of Nebraska's attack is senior point guard Lance Jeter, who has started every game over the last two years since arriving from Polk (Fla.) Community College. Jeter, who began his collegiate career as a wide receiver at the University of Cincinnati, has made his mark in two years at Nebraska.

Last season, the 6-foot-3, 222-pounder was named to the Big 12's All-Newcomer team by the media after averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He was among the league leaders in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9-to-1) and fell one assist shy of Nebraska's single-season top-10 list. He also played a team-high 1,024 minutes last season, the highest number of minutes by a Husker in three seasons and second-highest total by a Husker this decade.

In 2010-11, Jeter has been instrumental in helping the Huskers to their best record after 15 games since the early 1990s. He ranks first or second on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg, second), assists (4.1 apg, first), steals (2.1, first) while averaging a team-high 27.1 minutes per game. He is shooting at a 49 percent clip after hitting just 41 percent from the floor in his first year at Nebraska. He ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. More importantly than his numbers, his leadership has been influential in helping the Huskers find success.

• Against Iowa State, he totaled 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. His steal and drive in the final six seconds put him on the free throw line, where he sank the go-ahead free throw in NU's one-point win.
• Against USC, he may have enjoyed his best game as a Husker in leading Nebraska from a 20-point deficit. He totaled 13 points, a career high eight rebounds and had five assists without a turnover.
• Against Creighton, he scored 10 of his 12 points and had five assists after intermission, as the Huskers overcame a nine-point halftime deficit. He finished with 12 points, six assists and six rebounds in NU's 59-54 win.
• Jeter showed his shooting touch against TCU, draining a trio of 3-pointers as part of a 15-point performance.
• In NU's win over Alcorn State, he nearly broke the school record for steals, recording a career-high seven steals and added 16 points and six assists in the win. His seven thefts were one shy of Nebraska's single-game mark.
• His highest scoring output came in defeat, as he totaled 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and added five assists and four steals in a 70-67 loss to Davidson.

Diaz Becoming Consistent Inside Force
Sophomore Jorge Brian Diaz has quietly put together a solid sophomore campaign for the Huskers. The 6-foot-11 center leads the Huskers in scoring (10.5 ppg) and is second in rebounding (4.7 rpg) while hitting 59 percent from the floor. He would be tied with Kansas' Marcus Morris (.587) but is four field goals shy of qualifying. Diaz was above the 60 percent mark until a 2-for-10 effort in the Big 12 opener, as he was on pace to be one of the most accurate single-season shooters in school history.

• He has been consistent from the field, hitting over 50 percent of his shots in 11 straight games prior to the ISU contest and in 13 of 15 contests this season.
• Diaz is bidding to become only the third Husker sophomore to lead Nebraska in scoring in the last 20 years, joining former NBA standouts Tyronn Lue (1996-97) and Eric Piatkowski (1991-92).
• He has been instrumental during the Huskers' 11 game win streak, averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 61 percent in that stretch.
• Diaz had been in double figures in each of the last six games before ISU, averaging 13.2 points on 67 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds in that stretch.
• Diaz is quickly closing in on Nebraska's blocked shot career list, as he has 56 blocks in his career, 14 shy of 10th place on the list. He is eighth in the league in blocked shots at 1.2 per game.
• His best effort of the season came against TCU, when he recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and career highs in both rebounds (12) and blocks (three).

Diaz's season turned around at the Honda Puerto Rico Tip Off, where he played in front of family and friends. He was an honorable-mention all-tournament section, as he  tied for the team lead in scoring (10.7 ppg) while adding 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and hitting 57 percent of his shots from the floor in three games in San Juan. He totaled 13 points against Davidson, scoring eight straight second-half points to pull the Huskers within a point in the final two minutes, and a game-high 11 points in the win over Hofstra.

As a redshirt freshman, Diaz put together one of the best rookie seasons in program history in 2009-10. The 6-foot-11 center from Caguas, Puerto Rico, appeared in all 33 contests, averaging 8.8 points on a team-high 52.2 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game. He not only set a school freshman mark with 41 blocked shots, but also finished on NU's freshman top-10 list in field goals made (133, fourth), rebounds (133, seventh), points (291, eighth) and points per game (8.82, 10th).

Plenty of Reserve
If it seems like Nebraska's bench has been more productive in recent years, it has been the case in 2010-11. The Huskers are averaging 31.7 points and 18.7 rebounds per game from their bench entering Wednesday's game with Missouri.

• The Huskers' bench is out-scoring opponents 31.7-11.9, per game and has more than doubled its opponents' point total 11 times in 15 contests.
• Nebraska's leading scorer has come off the bench in seven of the Huskers' first 15 games, including a 20-point game by Andre Almeida in the season opener on Nov. 12.
• NU's reserves have scored 40 or more points five times, including a season-best 50 points in the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 15.

The highest points per game average from NU's bench since the 2000-01 season is 27.9 points per game, set during the 2003-04 season. Here is a look at the bench production during Sadler's five years at Nebraska.

Holding Court
Nebraska has been strong on its home court over the years, and will try to continue an impressive run at home under Coach Doc Sadler in 2010-11. In the history of the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Nebraska has posted a 422-131 record for a .763 winning percentage. In the past five seasons under Sadler, Nebraska has dominated to the tune of a 66-17 record (.795 winning percentage) against all teams.  The Huskers have won 24 straight home non-conference games following the win over Savannah State on Jan. 5 and have lost only one home non-conference game in Sadler's five years at Nebraska.

Comeback Kids
Nebraska has shown resiliency this season, overcoming two double figure deficits this season. It is the first time in the Big 12 era that Nebraska has overcome a pair of double-digit deficits in the same season.

Against USC on Nov. 27, NU overcame a 20-point first half deficit on two occasions (the last being at 37-17 with 2:05 left in the first half) to win 68-58. Against Creighton on Dec. 4, NU trailed by 11 points in the first half, only to roar back to a 59-54 win.

• The 20-point deficit against USC equaled the largest deficit the Huskers have overcome in a game in the Big 12 era (1996-97 to present) and is believed to equal the largest deficit NU has overcome in a win. The Huskers also overcame a 20-point deficit in an 87-77 overtime win against Kansas State on Jan. 15, 1997.
• Nebraska now has 14 double-digit comebacks in the Big 12 era, including five under Coach Doc Sadler. Four of the top five comebacks by NU in the Big 12 era have come under Sadler.

McCray Adds Depth Inside
After losing nearly his entire sophomore season following Tommy John surgery on his left (non-shooting) elbow, Toney McCray has played an integral role in the Huskers' success this season. He has appeared in all 15 games, averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

The Missouri City, Texas, product has moved into the power forward role, where his length and athleticism has helped provide matchup problems, midway through the non-conference slate. McCray put together his best game of the season against TCU on Dec. 12, when he recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. McCray had 12 of his 15 points in the second half, including six points in a 13-0 run to break open a one-point lead. He set a career high in rebounds, grabbing 11 caroms in a rout of Eastern Washington on Dec. 18. McCray has started each of the Huskers' last three games, including a 12-point effort against Iowa State on Saturday.

 Husker Newcomers Making an Impact
Three of the Huskers' newcomers have played a significant impact in helping the Huskers to a 13-2 record and an 11-game win streak. Junior college transfers Andre Almeida and Caleb Walker and senior Drake Beranek have all found minutes in the Huskers' rotation.

Walker, a first-team NJCAA All-American, has emerged as one of NU's top performers on the wing. He is averaging 6.3 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds while playing in all 15 games.

• Walker has started nine of the last 10 contests, missing one start after turning his ankle.
• He has reached double figures five times, highlighted by a 13-point, eight rebound effort against Iowa State. In that game, he hit 5-of-9 from the field and added a pair of 3-pointers and two blocked shots.
• Against Jackson State, he hit 6-of-7 shots and added five rebounds and five assists, while he had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in NU's win against USC.
• He grabbed 10 rebounds against Creighton before pulling a season high 12 rebounds against Alcorn State, becoming the first Husker in three seasons to grab 10 or more rebounds in consecutive games.

Almeida, a two-time All-American in junior college, has given the Huskers quality minutes off the bench, averaging 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game, as he ranks fourth in the Big 12 in blocked shots. He has lost nearly 30 pounds since arriving on campus in August and provides the Huskers additional size in the post.

• He has seven games with multiple blocks and his 25 blocks this season already ranks 10th on the Huskers' junior class list. He is 20 blocks away from the top-five among Husker juniors.
• Has hit 68.4 percent from the field, including 15 of his last 20 shots over the last five contests.
• Almeida has been solid in recent weeks, averaging 7.0 points on 72.4 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game over the last seven contests.
• Against South Dakota on Nov. 12, he came off the bench and led Nebraska with 20 points and seven rebounds. He hit on 9-of-12 shots, including nine consecutive shots at one point to help Nebraska build a 16-point second-half lead. Almeida became the second Husker newcomer in the last 40 years to score at least 20 points in a season opener, joining freshman Joe McCray, who had 23 points in his Husker debut in 2004. His effort was also the most points any NU newcomer had scored in his debut in Doc Sadler's five seasons at Nebraska, topping the previous best of 17 by Toney McCray in 2008.
• Reached double figures for the third time this season against North Dakota on Jan. 3 with 10 points, four rebounds and a season-high four blocks in the win over North Dakota on Jan. 3
• Topped his season best in blocks for the third straight game against Savannah State on Jan. 5 with five blocks while hitting all four shots from the field. His five blocked shots were the most since Aleks Maric had five against Hofstra on March 16, 2006.

Beranek, who originally walked on to NU after playing three years at Division II Nebraska-Kearney, has given the Huskers a solid scorer off the bench.  He is averaging 5.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game  while shooting 49 percent from the floor, 38 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the foul line. He started in place of Brandon Richardson against Iowa State, totaling nine points and a career-high seven rebounds, while limiting Scott Christopherson to just six points on 2-of-7 shooting. Beranek's highest scoring performance of the year was against Jackson State on Dec. 1, when he had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. He also had eight points in 27 minutes off the bench in the win over TCU on Dec. 11.

Missouri Begins Stretch vs. Ranked Teams
Wednesday's game at Missouri is the first of two games against ranked teams for the Huskers. Last year, NU was winless in seven games against ranked foes, the first time since the 1999-2000 season the Huskers didn't topple at least one ranked opponent. Doc Sadler has seven five wins in 23 games against ranked teams in his tenure at Nebraska.

A Perfect December
The Huskers posted their first unbeaten December since 1994 and for only the third time since 1930. NU's other unbeaten December's in the last 80 years were in 1994-95 (9-0) and 1990-91 (9-0). Nebraska averaged 72.3 points per game in the month, while holding its opponents to an average of 50.8 points per game.

Huskers Complete Perfect Homestand
Nebraska's win against Iowa State wrapped up the longest homestand in school history, as the Huskers had played 10 straight games at the Devaney Center dating back to the USC game on Nov. 27. NU went a perfect 10-0 on the homestand, as the most wins in any previous homestand was six games. The last time NU hit the road was 51 days ago when they returned from San Juan after defeating Hofstra, 62-47.

Huskers Take 5 Against Jackson State
Nebraska had five players in double figures in the Dec. 1 win over Jackson State, marking only the third time in Doc Sadler's five seasons that the Huskers had placed five players in double figures, and the first time since Nov. 21, 2009, against TCU. NU nearly had a sixth player reach double figures, as sophomore Jorge Brian Diaz finished with eight points in just 19 minutes of action.

Controlling the Boards
Nebraska's size on the interior has helped the Huskers control the backboards during the early portion of the season. The Huskers have outrebounded 13 of their 15 opponents and have a +6.5 rebound margin to rank sixth in the Big 12 entering Wednesday's game with Missouri.

The Huskers grabbed a season-high 49 rebounds against Alcorn State on Dec. 8 - the second-highest total in Doc Sadler's five seasons at Nebraska and the most in a non-overtime game since grabbing 51 rebounds on Feb. 22, 2005, against Colorado (a span of 141 games).

Capturing Caroms

Year	RPG	Margin
2010-11	38.2	+6.8
2009-10	32.4	-0.3
2008-09	27.8	-6.6
2007-08	34.3	+2.1
2006-07	29.9	-2.2

Huskers' Hot Shooting Nights
The Huskers have enjoyed two of their best shooting nights in the Doc Sadler era this season. Against 2010 NCAA qualifier Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 15, the Huskers shot 63 percent from the field, marking the first time in 53 games that Nebraska hit over 60 percent from the field. It was the Huskers' best shooting night since hitting 68 percent against Creighton on Nov. 18, 2006. On Dec. 1, against Jackson State, Nebraska once again topped the 60 percent shooting plateau, hitting 30-of-50 shots from the field. NU has now had eight games under Sadler shooting above 60 percent.

A Long Wait
Nebraska fans anxiously awaited the debut of sophomore Christopher Niemann, as the center missed more than two full seasons in the Husker program. He underwent a pair of surgeries on his right ACL within a six-month span in 2009 and had a scope on his knee in early November. It was 1,126 days from the time Niemann signed to his debut against Eastern Washington. He played the final seven mintutes against EWU and has played in two other non-conference games. His best effort came against Grambling, when he totaled two points and four rebounds in nine minutes of action.

New Faces on the Bench
One of the biggest changes for the Huskers is on the sideline, as assistant coaches Wes Flanigan and Tracy Webster are in their first year at Nebraska, while Chris Croft moved from an administrative role to the bench this season.

Flanigan came to Nebraska from UAB, where he spent two seasons helping the Blazers to 47 wins and a pair of postseason appearances. He also served as an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock and Northwest Mississippi CC following his playing career at Auburn, where he was an All-SEC performer.  Webster comes to Nebraska after previously serving coaching stints in the Big East, Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences. Last season, he was an assistant at DePaul before being promoted to interim head coach on Jan. 12, 2010, where he finished the season. He has also been an assistant at Kentucky, Illinois, Purdue and Ball State following a decorated playing career at Wisconsin, where he was an All-Big Ten guard for the Badgers.

Croft served as NU's director of operations for the last four seasons, but had previously been an assistant coach at the Division I level for eight years. He had been an assistant at Washington State, Southern Miss and Maryland-Eastern Shore and was the head coach at Martin Methodist College for three seasons.

Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler
Doc Sadler is now in his fifth season on the Husker sideline. Sadler has guided the Huskers to postseason appearances in two of the last three seasons and his 70 wins after his first four seasons is the second-highest total by a Husker coach in his first four years at Nebraska (Moe Iba, 71). He has guided teams to postseason berths in four of his six years as a Division I head coach, as both of his UTEP squads reached postseason play before taking over the Nebraska program in August of 2006. Sadler is just three wins shy of fifth place on NU's career wins list.

Huskers to Enter Big Ten in 2011
June 11, 2010, was a historic day for the University of Nebraska, as NU was admitted to the Big Ten Conference as the 12th member of the nation's oldest conference. The Cornhuskers will begin play in the Big Ten in 2011-12. The Huskers have played Minnesota the most of any Big Ten opponent, as the teams have squared off 63 times dating back to 1902.

Academic Success Under Sadler
Under Doc Sadler, the Huskers have enjoyed success in the classroom. In all, 10 of 12 seniors who have completed eligibility under Sadler have received their degrees from Nebraska.  This season, senior Matt Karn is the 11th senior to earn a degree under Sadler, participating in commencement ceremonies earlier last May. 

Fellow seniors Drake Beranek (May) and Lance Jeter (August) are on schedule to complete their course work in the next year. The Nebraska basketball program ranks second among Big 12 programs with an 82 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the most recent rankings released on October of 2010.

Walk-on Tradition Continues
While the Nebraska football program is nationally known for its walk-on program, the Husker basketball team has gotten major contributions from walk-ons in Doc Sadler's four seasons. The most notable was Paul Velander, who received the Jack Moore Award, symbolizing the team's MVP, after helping the 2008-09 squad to the NIT.

At the start of the semester senior guard Drake Beranek was recognized for his hard work, as he was placed on scholarship for the 2010-11 year.  Beranek walked on to the program after spending three years at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. He scored 1,453 career points at UNK and ranked 11th nationally in Division II with 21.9 points per game in 2008-09. 

For the 2010-11 season, the Huskers added five walk-ons, including in-state products Trevor Menke (Beatrice), Kye Kurkowski (Grant) and Jordan Tyrance (Lincoln), as well as Marshall Parker (Fort Smith, Ark.) and Bo Spencer (Baton Rouge, La.). Spencer was LSU's starting point guard the last two seasons, helping the Tigers to an SEC regular-season title and the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.