No. 12 Huskers Ready for Top-15 Showdown with No. 9 Duke

#12/#15 Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-0)
vs. #9/#8 Duke Blue Devils (5-1)
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m. (Central)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Neb.)
Television: BTN (Kevin Kugler, Mary Murphy)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney, Jeff Griesch)
107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha
Free Live Audio: Huskers.com   No. 12 Huskers Prepare for Top-15 Showdown with No. 9 Duke
The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team gears up for a top-15 showdown with No. 9 Duke when the two perennial powers meet in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday in Lincoln.   Tip-off between the Huskers (6-0) and Blue Devils (5-1) is set for 6:30 p.m. (central) with tickets available in advance at Huskers.com or by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG-RED during regular business hours. Tickets also will be available at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office beginning two hours prior to tip-off on Wednesday.   The game will be televised live nationally by the Big Ten Network, with Kevin Kugler and Mary Murphy on the call. Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch will call the action on the Husker Sports Radio Network. The game can be heard live in Lincoln on B107.3 FM and 93.3 FM in Omaha, along with free live audio on Huskers.com.   Wednesday night’s game will be a rematch of the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 clash between the Huskers and Blue Devils in Norfolk, Va. Duke came away with a hard-fought 53-45 win in that game, which marks the only previous meeting in the history of the two schools. Last season, both Nebraska and Duke were seeded among the top four teams in the Lincoln Regional, but both squads were upset in the NCAA second round.   Nebraska reeled off six straight wins to open the season, capping a perfect November with a 63-56 win over previously unbeaten Northern Colorado on Sunday. The Huskers are led by All-America point guard Rachel Theriot, who is averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists after producing three straight 20-point games. Theriot poured in a season-high 25 points against Northern Colorado.   Three-time All-American Elizabeth Williams leads the Blue Devils. The senior ranks among Duke’s top 10 in career points, rebounds and blocked shots, while averaging 14.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game this season. She missed Sunday’s 63-59 loss at No. 7 Texas A&M with an ankle sprain.   #12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 - Hailie Sample - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 5.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg
23 - Emily Cady - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 14.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg
1 - Tear’a Laudermill - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 11.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg
13 - Brandi Jeffery - 5-7 - Sr. - G - 10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg
33 - Rachel Theriot - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 19.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Off the Bench
31 - Anya Kalenta - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 - Natalie Romeo - 5-7 - Fr. - G - 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
22 - Allie Havers - 6-5 - So. - C - 4.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg
34 - Jasmine Cincore - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 2.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg
30 - Chandler Smith - 6-0 - Fr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
2 - Kaylee Page - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
11 - Esther Ramacieri - 5-8 - So. - G - 0.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg
12 - Emily Wood - 5-5 - Fr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
50 - Darrien Washington - 6-2 - Fr. - F - High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (247-142); 25th Season Overall (442-282)   #9 Duke Blue Devils (5-1, 0-0 ACC)
1 - Elizabeth Williams - 6-3 - Sr. - C/F - 14.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg
30 - Amber Henson - 6-4 - Sr. - C/F - 6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
4 - Sierra Calhoun - 6-0 - Fr. - G/F - 9.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
14 - Ka’lia Johnson - 5-10 - Sr. - G/F - 6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg
23 - Rebecca Greenwell - 6-1 - RFr. - G - 15.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg
Off the Bench
11 - Azura Stevens - 6-5 - Fr. - F/G - 11.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg
22 - Oderah Chidom - 6-4 - So. - F - 10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg
32 - Erin Mathias - 6-4 - Fr. - F/C - 4.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
34 - Lynee Belton - 6-3 - Fr. - F/G - 3.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
21 - Kendall Cooper - 6-4 - So. - F/C - 2.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg
35 - Jenna Frush - 5-6 - Sr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg
12 - Mercedes Riggs - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 0.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: Joanne P. McCallie (Northwestern, 1987)
8th Season at Duke (207-43); 23rd Season Overall (523-191)   Theriot Named to Preseason Wooden, Wade Watch Lists
Nebraska junior Rachel Theriot was one of 25 candidates on the initial Wade Watch List and one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2015 John R. Wooden Award presented to the nation’s top women’s college basketball player, as both awards released their lists last week.   Theriot was ranked as the No. 13 player in the nation by ESPN heading into this season and was a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection. The 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, has the Huskers off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 12 by the Associated Press heading into Wednesday’s game.   She was named the College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 1, after averaging 24.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in NU’s wins over UCLA and Northern Colorado.   Theriot is averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steal as a junior for the Huskers. Last season, she proved herself as one of the nation’s top young players, earning honorable-mention All-America accolades from the AP after claiming a first-team All-Big Ten award.   In 2013-14, Theriot averaged 14.1 points and 7.1 assists per game while leading the Big Ten with a 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 234 assists were a school record.   She guided the Huskers to their first-ever conference tournament title as the Big Ten Tournament MVP, averaging 18.7 points and a tournament-record 10.0 assists per game.   Nebraska has had at least one player on the Wade and Wooden watch lists in five of the last six seasons, including Jordan Hooper, Lindsey Moore and Kelsey Griffin.   Husker Seniors Shooting For Best Seven-Game Start in Careers
With an unbeaten November in 2014, Nebraska’s four-player senior class of Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Hailie Sample opened the season with a 6-0 start for the third time in the past four years.   It marks the fifth time in the past six seasons that NU has opened 6-0. However, the Huskers haven’t started 7-0 since the 2009-10 Big Red reeled off 30 consecutive wins to open the year. Only two other teams in school history (1996-97, 9-0; 1992-93, 8-0) have started a season better than 6-0.   Overall, Nebraska has started nine seasons with a 6-0 record (1982-83, 1987-88, 1992-93, 1996-97, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15.   Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success
Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ homecourt. Nebraska improved to 39-2 all-time in home openers, including 2-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with its 100-65 victory over Pepperdine on Nov. 15, 2014. The Huskers were 35-2 all-time in season openers at the Devaney Center.   From 1981-82 through 2004-05, Nebraska won 24 straight home openers before losing to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss came to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.   Nebraska has been strong in its first six home games every season. In fact, NU is 209-34 over the past 41 years in its first six home contests (.860 winning percentage), including 35-6 in the second game of the season. The Huskers stretched their Game No. 2 winning streak to 15 games with an 83-49 win over Alcorn State on Nov. 16, 2014.   Game No. 3 has traditionally provided the toughest test among the first six home contests for the Huskers, but NU has won eight straight in Game No. 3 after a 66-43 run past Utah at the Devaney Center on Nov. 23, 2014. NU improved to 35-6 all-time in game No. 4 with a 63-56 win over Northern Colorado on Nov. 30, 2014.   Last season, the Big Red improved to 35-5 all-time in home Game No. 5 with a 77-42 win over UMass-Lowell on Nov. 27, 2013. The Huskers had their 16-game winning streak in home game No. 6 snapped by Washington State, 76-72, on Nov. 30, 2013.   Scouting the Duke Blue Devils
Duke brings a No. 9 national ranking to Lincoln after suffering its first loss of the season on Sunday at current AP No. 5 Texas A&M. Duke hung with the Aggies in College Station despite playing without three-time All-America center Elizabeth Williams, who sat out with an ankle sprain suffered on Friday in a win over Stony Brook. Williams averaged 14.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 3.2 blocks and 1.0 steal per game through the first five contests before the injury.   Williams, who helped the Blue Devils to a 28-7 overall record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, owns 1,561 points, 839 rebounds and 347 career blocks to rank among Duke’s all-time top 10 in all three categories. She needs just eight more blocks to rank among the top 25 players in NCAA history in career blocks.   Even if the 6-3 Williams would be unable to play against the Huskers, the Blue Devils have no shortage of size. Duke will bring one of the tallest rosters to Lincoln of any team in history, with seven players listed at 6-3 or taller.   Amber Henson, a 6-4 senior center, has started all six games and averages 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Oderah Chidom, a 6-4 sophomore forward, started in place of Williams at Texas A&M. She averages 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, including seven points and five boards against the Aggies.   Azura Stevens, a 6-5 freshman, came off the bench to score 15 points and grab seven boards to help the Blue Devils jump to a 33-21 halftime lead at Texas A&M. Another big freshman, 6-3 Lynee Belton added two points and seven rebounds off the bench. Duke also got 10 minutes of solid time from 6-4 sophomore Kendall Cooper at A&M, as five of the eight Blue Devils who played in the game were at least 6-3.   Duke gets added size from 6-1 redshirt freshman guard Rebecca Greenwell, who leads the Blue Devils with 15.3 points and 2.3 steals per game. Her 13 threes also lead the Blue Devils, while she ranks second on the team with 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and better than 90 percent (19-21) success at the free throw line. Greenwell carried the scoring load for Duke at Texas A&M, pumping in 23 points, including three three-pointers.   Sierra Calhoun, a 6-0 freshman guard/forward, has added 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds to the Blue Devil starting backcourt. Calhoun is the only other Devil to hit double-digit threes (11), while hitting 94.1 percent (16-17) of her free throws.   Senior Ka’lia Johnson, a 5-10 guard, has stabilized a young backcourt by averaging 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-best 4.8 assists. Johnson was the only Blue Devil other than Williams to play in the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 game between Nebraska and Duke. Johnson played four minutes and did not score against the Huskers as a sophomore.   Duke’s size shows up on paper, as the Blue Devils carry a whopping plus-24.0 team rebounding margin despite playing Texas A&M, Alabama, Old Dominion and Marquette already in non-conference play. The Blue Devils also own a plus-26.3 team scoring margin, including a 90-40 season-opening win over Alabama.   The Crimson Tide, who are Nebraska’s next opponent, own a 5-3 record with wins away from home against Kansas, Georgetown and Temple.   Joanne P. McCallie returns for her eighth season leading Duke. The 1987 Northwestern grad owns a 207-43 record at the helm of the Blue Devils, including ACC titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Prior to coaching at Duke, McCallie spent seven seasons as the head coach at Michigan State, where she led the Spartans to the 2005 NCAA Championship game. She owns 523 career wins.   Nebraska vs. Duke History Duke won the only previous meeting with Nebraska, as the Blue Devils battled to a 53-45 win over the Huskers in the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 in Norfolk, Va. Current senior Elizabeth Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds, while 2014 WNBA first-round pick Tricia Liston led Duke with 17 points and eight boards. NU’s 2013 WNBA first-round pick Lindsey Moore led the Big Red with 11 points, while current Huskers Rachel Theriot and Tear’a Laudermill each managed seven.   The Blue Devils held Husker All-American Jordan Hooper to six points and 11 rebounds, but Hooper was knocked out of the game with a severe ankle sprain in the final eight minutes. The Huskers kept Duke’s lead at two possessions until the closing minute despite Hooper’s absence.   Husker Hot Shots - Nebraska’s Starting Five #33, Rachel Theriot, 6-0, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (19.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.0 spg) • A Wade Trophy and Wooden Award national player-of-the-year candidate, Rachel Theriot claimed preseason All-Big Ten honors in 2014-15 from both the conference coaches and media. Theriot was chosen the No. 13 player in the nation by ESPN in rankings announced on Nov. 5.   • Theriot has produced double figures in all six games this season, averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steal. She has hit 56.3 percent (40-71) of her field goals, including a Big Ten-best 6-of-9 three-point attempts (.667). She is also 31-for-33 at the free throw line, including a 23-for-25 over the last two games.   • She owns three straight 20-point efforts, including a season-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists against Northern Colorado Sunday. Theriot had 24 points, a career-high eight rebounds and a season-high seven assists in the win at UCLA Nov. 28, and 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals in a win over Utah Nov. 23.   • She owns nine career 20-point efforts, including a career-high 33 against Minnesota last season. She owns 35 career double-figure scoring performances, including 25 last season.   • Theriot earned honorable-mention All-America accolades from the Associated Press as a sophomore. She joined Jordan Hooper (2nd Team) on the AP All-America squad, marking the second straight season the Huskers had produced a pair of All-Americans (Hooper, Lindsey Moore, HM, 2013).   • Theriot earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after ranking second among the Huskers with 15.6 points per game in conference play. She also averaged a team-best 7.3 assists in Big Ten action, which ranked second in the league. Overall, Theriot finished her sophomore season with 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.   • Theriot ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with 7.1 assists per game, including 7.3 assists per game in Big Ten play. She led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7-to-1) and ranked 17th nationally.   • Theriot finished with a Nebraska single-season record 234 assists in 2013-14, smashing the previous mark of 195 set by Meggan Yedsena (1991-92) and matched by Lindsey Moore (2012-13).   • Theriot’s 364 career assists rank eighth in Husker history. She needs 28 assists to catch Anna DeForge in seventh (392) on the career chart and 80 assists to join Nebraska’s career top five.   • Theriot produced four points-assists double-doubles in 2013-14, including 10 points and 12 assists in the Big Red’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Fresno State. Her 12 assists were the most by a Husker in history in an NCAA Tournament game. It was the fifth time in 2013-14 she dished out 11 or more assists in a game. No other Husker has distributed 11 or more assists more than four times in a career.   • Theriot led Nebraska to its first conference tournament title as the Big Ten Tournament MVP. She averaged 18.7 points and a tournament-record 10.0 assists per game, with 30 total assists and just seven turnovers. She hit 56.4 percent of her shots, including 5-of-10 threes, and went 7-for-8 at the line.   • Theriot’s 30 assists in the Big Ten Tournament were a Nebraska single-season conference tournament record. She produced arguably the best passing game in Big Ten history in Nebraska’s Big Ten quarterfinal win over Minnesota March 7, dishing out a tournament-record-shattering 18 assists against just one turnover. The previous tournament record was 12 set by Helen Darling of Penn State against Illinois in 2000. The most assists by a Big Ten player against a Big Ten opponent came with 16 from Maggie Acuna of Illinois against Wisconsin in 2006.   • Theriot’s 18 assists were the second-most in a game in Nebraska history, trailing only 19 assists by Kathy Hawkins on Feb. 17, 1976 against Kearney State (now Nebraska-Kearney). Theriot’s assists are the most ever by a Husker against an NCAA Division I opponent, and the most in the last 37 seasons, covering nearly 1,200 games. Theriot’s 18 assists were the most in an NCAA Division I game in 2013-14.   • Over the final 15 games of 2013-14, Theriot produced six double-digit assist games. In the first 1,203 games in Nebraska history, every other Husker had combined to produce just 41 double-digit assist games.   • Theriot shot 50 percent from the field and 50 percent (25-50) from three-point range in Big Ten play as a sophomore. Her three-point shooting percentage led the Big Ten.   • In Big Ten play, Theriot led the league with 39.5 minutes per game and her 1,204 minutes were the most played by a Husker in a season in school history, surpassing Lindsey Moore’s 1,170 in 34 games in 2012-13. Theriot went the distance 13 times in 33 games in 2013-14, including the full 45 minutes in both of NU’s overtime wins over Minnesota (Jan. 16) and Wisconsin (Feb. 5).   #23, Emily Cady, 6-2, Sr., F, Seward, Neb. (14.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg) • One of the nation’s most versatile forwards, Emily Cady earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2014. She enters the Duke game averaging 14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.   • She produced a career-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds, two steals and a block in just 23 minutes in a win over Utah Nov. 23, before adding 18 points and five boards at UCLA Nov. 28.   • Cady is the Big Ten Conference’s active rebound leader with 835 in her career. Senior teammate Hailie Sample ranks third in the conference with 534 career boards.   • Cady is tied for fourth in Nebraska history with 24 career double-doubles, including 16 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s win over Northern Colorado. She nearly opened the season with a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists against Pepperdine, Nov. 15. Cady needs 12 double-doubles to catch 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings (36, 1990-93) in third on NU’s career list, and 16 double-doubles to tie the NU record of 40 held by Jordan Hooper (2011-14) and Kelsey Griffin (2006-10).   • In 2013-14, Cady tied Jordan Hooper for second in the Big Ten with 14 double-doubles, while ranking third in the league with 9.2 rebounds per game. Cady ranked 24th in scoring (12.7 ppg), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5-to-1), seventh in free throw percentage (.858), eighth in field goal percentage (.495) and 12th in assists (3.1 apg). In Big Ten games-only, Cady ranked third with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio trailing only Husker point guard Rachel Theriot (2.7) and Iowa point guard Samantha Logic (2.2). Cady ranked eighth in conference play in assists (4.1 apg). She had eight double-doubles in 16 conference games.   • Cady owns 1,143 points, 835 rebounds, 235 assists and 116 steals. She is just the third player in Nebraska history with 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 career steals, joining Maurtice Ivy and Anna DeForge.   • Only one player (Janel McCarville, Minnesota, 1,835 points, 1,206 rebounds, 310 assists) in Big Ten history has ever produced 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. Cady could reach those combined milestones this year, needing 357 points, 165 rebounds and 65 assists. Two other players from current Big Ten institutions, Alyssa Thomas and Marissa Coleman, achieved those combined plateaus at Maryland before the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014-15.   • Cady ranks 10th in NU history with 87 career blocks. She needs one more to catch Casey Leonhardt (88, 2000-01) in ninth on the Husker career chart. Only seven Huskers have 100 career blocks.   • No player in Husker history has 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks.   • Cady’s 1,143 career points rank No. 18 in Husker history. She needs 40 points to catch Jan Crouch (1,183, 1976-79) in 17th.   • Cady ranks sixth in Nebraska history with 835 rebounds and needs 39 boards to catch Kathy Hagerstrom in fifth (874, 1980-83). Cady needs 165 boards to become the fifth Husker in history with 1,000 rebounds, joining Janet Smith (1,280), Hooper (1,110), Griffin (1,019) and Karen Jennings (1,000).   • The best passing forward in the Big Ten, Cady’s 102 assists led all conference forwards in 2013-14. Her 1.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio also led all players in the conference at the position. In Big Ten play, her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio was better than every starting guard except first-team All-Big Ten point guards Rachel Theriot (Nebraska) and Samantha Logic (Iowa).   #1, Tear’a Laudermill, 5-9, Sr., G, Moreno Valley, Calif. (11.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 spg) • Tear’a Laudermill emerged as a rising star for the Huskers to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior. She finished the season with career-best averages of 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while her 62 three-pointers ranked as the 10th-best season total in NU history. • Laudermill is continuing to grow her game as a senior, ranking third among the Huskers in scoring with 11.7 points per game. She has a team-best 10 three-pointers (.345), while knocking down 85.7 percent (12-14) of her free throws.   • Laudermill played in her 100th career game when the Huskers defeated Northern Colorado Sunday. All four Husker seniors (Emily Cady, Hailie Sample-106, Brandi Jeffery-101, Laudermill-100) have played in 100 or more games as Huskers.   • Laudermill is Nebraska’s No. 1 active career three-point shooter with 109 makes, which ranks 10th on the Husker career list. She needs one more to catch Kaitlyn Burke (2008-12) in ninth with 110. • Laudermill notched her sixth career 20-point game with 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers, in NU’s 82-61 win at Washington State on Nov. 19. • In a pair of preliminary mock drafts for the 2015 WNBA Draft, Laudermill has been ranked among the top 25 players in the nation. She slotted as the No. 10 overall pick by DraftSite.com, while College Sports Madness slotted her as the No. 24 overall pick. • She has produced double digits in 17 of her last 23 games, after managing double figures in just 11 of her first 77. She owns 28 career double-figure scoring games.   • Laudermill averaged 15.2 points per game over the last 17 contests of 2013-14, including the first five 20-point games of her career. She closed the season with 22 points against BYU, including 12 points in the final 2:30. She added 20 points in NU’s Big Ten semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State and a career-high 27 points in the Big Red’s home win over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24.   • Laudermill tied a school record with seven threes in Nebraska’s 94-74 win over No. 8 Penn State Feb. 24, 2014. She hit her first six threes in the first half and closed the night 7-of-10 to lead Nebraska to one of the best three-point shooting nights (16-22, .727) in school history.   • Laudermill averaged 13.5 points in 2014 Big Ten play, while shooting a sizzling 44.3 percent from three-point range, which ranked fourth in Big Ten games-only. Her 2.4 three-pointers per game also tied for fifth in league action. She led the Big Red with 21 steals in conference action.   #13, Brandi Jeffery, 5-7, Sr., G, Vacherie, La. (10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg) • Brandi Jeffery is playing the best basketball of her career, averaging 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals in six games as a starter to open the season. She has produced double figures in four of NU’s first six games.   • Jeffery played in her 100th career game when the Huskers defeated UCLA Nov. 28. All four Husker seniors (Emily Cady, Hailie Sample-106, Jeffery-101, Tear’a Laudermill-100) have played in 100 or more games as Huskers. • Jeffery erupted for career highs with 19 points and eight rebounds in the season-opening victory over Pepperdine on Nov. 15. Her previous career scoring high came with 12 points against both Florida State and Mississippi Valley State in November of 2011. • She owns three 11-point efforts this season, including road wins at Washington State (Nov. 19) and UCLA (Nov. 28). Jeffery matched her career high with eight rebounds at WSU.   • Jeffery entered her senior season with career averages of 3.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.   • One of four seniors on the roster, including Emily Cady, Hailie Sample and Tear’a Laudermill, Jeffery has helped the Huskers to an 81-25 record and three NCAA Tournaments.   • Jeffery owns 407 points, 217 rebounds and 107 career assists. She is 18 steals away from 100 in her career.   #3, Hailie Sample, 6-0, Sr., F, Flower Mound, Texas (5.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 0.7 spg) • Hailie Sample earned a spot on the 2014 Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She was Nebraska’s Defensive MVP in 2013-14.   • She is the Big Ten’s No. 3 active career rebounder with 534, trailing only teammate Emily Cady (835) and Iowa’s Samantha Logic.   • Sample has started 106 consecutive games alongside Cady since the first games of their freshman season in 2011-12.   • Sample produced season highs of 16 points and nine rebounds to go along with a career-high matching three steals at Washington State Nov. 19.   • She is shooting 63.6 percent (14-22) from the field. Entering her senior season, Sample was a 41.6 percent shooter.   • She produced her third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 2014 NCAA second-round game against BYU on March 24. It was her second career double-double in the NCAA Tournament and her second double-double in a three-game span, joining 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament Championship Game win over No. 23 Iowa on March 9, 2014.   • Sample averaged 7.5 points and a team-leading 10.0 rebounds in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament. Her 30 total rebounds and 16 offensive boards led the tournament.   • Sample’s 15 rebounds in the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game were a Nebraska Big Ten Tournament record and tied Nafeesah Brown (vs. Kansas, 1993, Big Eight) for the second-highest rebounding total ever by a Husker in a conference tournament game. Only Shelly Block (16 vs. Oklahoma State, 1987, Big Eight) pulled down more boards in a league tournament game than Sample.   • Sample ranked 15th overall in the Big Ten in rebounding (6.4 rpg), while ranking seventh in the Big Ten on the offensive glass (2.5 rpg) in 2013-14.   • Sample owns 16 career double-digit scoring games, including nine in 2013-14. She also owns six career double-figure rebound games, including three in 2013-14.   • Sample ranks No. 23 on the Nebraska career rebound list with 534. She needs five rebounds to catch Chelsea Aubry (539, 2004-07) in 22nd on the NU all-time list. Sample is eight away from 21st (Diane DelVigna, 542, 1979-80) and 11 away from No. 20 (Ann Halsne, 545, 1988-91).   Husker Seniors Pursue Fourth Straight NCAA Bid, 20-Win Season Nebraska’s four-player senior class of Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery form the heart of the Husker lineup in 2014-15, after helping the Big Red to the most successful three-year stretch in school history.   Cady and Sample have started all 106 games in their careers, helping the Huskers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and an average of 25 wins per season.   The Husker seniors are 81-25 (.764 winning percentage) over the past three-plus seasons, the best winning percentage of any class in school history.   In 2014-15, the seniors will try to become the first class in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA tournaments and the first group of Huskers to produce four straight 20-win seasons. They also have a chance to become the first collection of Husker seniors to reach 100 career wins.   Big Red Moves Up to No. 12 in AP Poll Nebraska moved up to No. 12 in The Associated Press (Dec. 1) and remained at No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll (Dec. 2) after three weeks of regular-season play. The Huskers opened the 2014-15 season at No. 16 in both polls.   NU closed the 2013-14 campaign at No. 13 in the AP rankings, which did not include NCAA Tournament results. Nebraska, which went 26-7 last season and 12-4 in the Big Ten before winning its first Big Ten Tournament title, ended the season at No. 17 in the final USA Today Coaches Top 25. Both Nebraska’s final AP and Coaches Top 25 rankings were the second-best year-end rankings in school history. The Huskers have finished the season in the AP Top 25 four times in the past five years.   The Huskers finished No. 19 in the official NCAA RPI, which was its third-best RPI finish in history - all in the last five seasons.   Before Nebraska Coach Connie Yori came to Nebraska for the 2002-03 season, the Huskers had never finished a season ranked in the top 25 in either of the major polls or the RPI.   Huskers Honored 1988 Big Eight Champs at Devaney Center Nebraska honored the members of its 1988 Big Eight regular-season championship women’s basketball team with a win a 66-43 win over Utah in a return to the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Nov. 23.   The game marked the Huskers’ first game at the Devaney Center since moving into their new homecourt at Pinnacle Bank Arena for the start of the 2013-14 season. Nebraska played every home game inside the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, winning nearly 75 percent (388-130) of its games.   The 1988 team established the early standard for success at Nebraska, running to a 22-7 record that included an 11-3 Big Eight mark under second-year coach Angela Beck. Nine of those former Huskers returned to the Devaney Center for the Utah game.   Maurtice Ivy, the 1988 Big Eight Player of the Year and NU’s first 2,000-point scorer, headlined the group, along with Husker great Amy Stephens. A current Husker assistant, Stephens scored 1,976 points in her four-year career. CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Stephanie Bolli and Ann Halsne, who also starred in softball for the Huskers, also returned along with Kim Harris, Amy Kramer Bullock, Pam Fiene Dubas, Melissa Sanford and Deb Hoffman. Long-time NU assistant coach and administrator Theresa Becker also attended, while Coach Angela Beck delivered a special video message to the fans and players.   In addition to on-court recognition and HuskerVision presentations, NU honored the Big Eight champions by donning throwback 1987-88 replica uniforms - with some added length to the shorts.   Nebraska’s white 1987-88 uniforms featured a script "Nebraska" across the jersey, with the outline of the state of Nebraska on the outside of the shorts that included a script "Huskers" and a star on Lincoln inside the state. The 1988 Huskers went a perfect 16-0 at home in their whites.   The Devaney Center was renovated and reconfigured for volleyball prior to 2013-14, reducing capacity to 7,907. The game between the Huskers and Utes was the first college basketball game at Devaney since the renovations, but Devaney did play host to 2014 boys and girls state high school tournaments.   Husker Season Ticket Sales Reach Another All-Time High Nebraska’s second season inside the spectacular Pinnacle Bank Arena promises to be packed with action from start to finish, and Husker women’s basketball fans are showing that they want to see it all in person this season.   Heading into the regular season, Nebraska had sold a school-record 3,909 season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign. In their first season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, Nebraska shattered its previous season ticket sales record with more than 3,700. The previous record came in 2010-11, when NU sold approximately 2,700 season tickets.   Last season, Nebraska ranked No. 11 nationally with an average home attendance of 6,161 fans per game. The Huskers ranked No. 8 nationally in total attendance with 110,892 fans flocking to the arena to watch the Big Red roll to a 16-2 home record.   Theriot Claims Preseason All-Big Ten Honors Nebraska junior Rachel Theriot captured a spot on the preseason first-team All-Big Ten team announced at Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Media Day on Oct. 16.   Theriot, a 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, joined senior point guards Rachel Banham (Minnesota) and Samantha Logic (Iowa) on the five-player honor squads of both the conference coaches and media. Michigan State sophomore Aerial Powers and Northwestern sophomore Nia Coffey rounded out the coaches top five. Sophomores Amanda Zahui from Minnesota and Lexie Brown from Maryland, along with junior Ameryst Alston from Ohio State claimed spots on the media’s six-player team.   As a team, Nebraska was picked No. 3 in the conference by the media, trailing Maryland and Michigan State. Iowa earned the No. 3 spot ahead of the Huskers in the coaches ranking of the top three teams.   Big Red, Big Picture • Nebraska’s No. 13 final national ranking in 2014 the Associated Press Poll was the second-highest final ranking in school history, trailing only NU’s No. 4 AP finish in 2010. The AP produces its final ranking at the end of the regular season and does not do another poll during or after the NCAA Tournament.   • Nebraska was ranked No. 19 in the final regular-season NCAA RPI heading into the NCAA Tournament.   • Nebraska’s 2014-15 recruiting class is ranked No. 8 nationally by ESPN - the best class in school history. The 2013-14 recruiting class was ranked No. 9 by ESPN. They are the two best classes in school history.   • Nebraska’s No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament marked the second-best seed the Huskers ever earned in the Big Dance, trailing only NU’s No. 1 seed in 2010.   • Nebraska retired 2010 All-American Kelsey Griffin’s jersey at the Michigan game (Jan. 29). The 2010 Senior CLASS Award winner and Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year had her number raised at Pinnacle Bank Arena, but not permanently retired. Current Husker Emily Cady shares Griffin’s No. 23. Griffin, a five-year WNBA veteran, made a return trip to Lincoln from her club team in Australia.   • NU has earned NCAA Tournament trips six of the past eight seasons (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014).   • The Huskers have advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 twice in the last five seasons (2010, 2013).   • Coach Connie Yori is the winningest coach in Husker history (247 victories) and has won conference coach-of-the-year honors in the Big Ten (2013, 2014), Big 12 (2012) and Missouri Valley (2002). She was the national coach-of-the-year in 2010.   Nebraska Posts Perfect GSR for 10th Straight Season Nebraska Coach Connie Yori would be the first to say that nobody’s perfect. However, in the eyes of the NCAA’s Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), that’s exactly what her Husker program has been for 10 consecutive years. Nebraska is the only program among the 14 Big Ten Conference schools to accomplish the perfect score for 10 straight years.   The NCAA announced the release of its annual Graduation Success Rate report on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Nebraska was a national leader in women’s basketball for the 10th straight season, dating back to to 2004-05.   Yori, who is entering her 13th season at Nebraska, joined Coach Robin Krapfl’s women’s golf program, Coach Scott Jacobson’s women’s tennis program and Coach John Cook’s volleyball program as Nebraska teams who have produced perfect 100 percent rates each of the last 10 years.   Nebraska was one of five Big Ten women’s basketball programs to post 100 percent rates in 2013-14, joining Penn State, Purdue, Michigan and Illinois. All 14 Big Ten women’s programs posted GSR rates above 80 percent last season.   Huskers Seek Seventh NCAA Bid in Last Nine Years Nebraska made its 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its sixth in the last eight seasons in 2014. The 2014 Huskers also became the first Nebraska team in history to advance to the NCAA second round in back-to-back seasons, after a 2014 first-round win over Fresno State.   Over the past six years, the Huskers have produced six NCAA Tournament wins under Coach Connie Yori, after the program notched just two NCAA wins in the first 25 years of the NCAA Tournament.   Nebraska’s No. 4 seed was its second-highest in school history, trailing only the No. 1 seed the Huskers earned on their way to their first NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010. NU earned its second NCAA Sweet 16 spot as a No. 6 seed in 2013, following wins over No. 11 seed Chattanooga and third-seeded Texas A&M in College Station in 2013.   The Huskers notched their first NCAA Tournament win under Coach Yori with a 61-58 victory over Xavier at College Park, Md., in 2008.   Yori Claims Back-to-Back Big Ten Coaching Honors Nebraska’s Connie Yori was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in voting by conference coaches for the second straight season in 2014. Yori captured her third conference coach-of-the-year award in the last five seasons and her second in the Big Ten. Yori led the 2013-14 Huskers to their second straight unbeaten February, while finishing 12-4 in the Big Ten for the second consecutive year. The Huskers then ran to the Big Ten Tournament title for the first conference tournament title in school history. Nebraska went 1-1 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament to finish with a 26-7 overall mark.   The 2014 Huskers opened Big Ten play with a 3-3 mark that included a two-point loss to Purdue and a four-point road loss at Northwestern, before rallying for nine straight wins. The Huskers played their final regular-season game for a share of the Big Ten title for the second straight year, after competing for the Big Ten Tournament title in Indianpolis in 2012.   Yori captured Big 12 Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2010 on her way to WBCA, AP, USBWA, Naismith and Kay Yow National Coach-of-the-Year awards. She led the Huskers to the 2010 NCAA Sweet 16 after capturing the Big 12 regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 record. The 2009-10 Huskers, which featured first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin and first-team All-Big 12 picks Cory Montgomery and Yvonne Turner, finished with a 32-2 overall record.   Before becoming Nebraska’s head coach in 2002-03, Yori claimed Missouri Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in her final season at Creighton in 2002. In Yori’s first 12 seasons as NU’s coach, her Huskers have earned a total of 37 all-conference awards (12 first team, 4 second team, 11 honorable mention, 5 freshmen, 5 defensive). Jordan Hooper earned Nebraska’s first Big Ten Player-of-the-Year award in 2014, becoming Yori’s second conference player of the year in the last five seasons at Nebraska. Kelsey Griffin claimed Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors in 2010. Talented Young Huskers Challenged to Fill Hooper’s Spot When Nebraska took the floor in the regular season opener against Pepperdine on Nov. 15, it marked the first time since 2010 that Jordan Hooper was not in the starting lineup for the Big Red.   Hooper, a three-time first-team All-Big Ten forward and a 2014 first-team WBCA All-American, started 131 consecutive games for the Huskers from 2010-11 through 2013-14.   Hooper finished her Husker career ranked No. 2 in career points (2,357) and rebounds (1,110) while setting the school record with 295 career three-pointers. Hooper averaged 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and and 2.3 threes per game in her career. As a senior in 2013-14, Hooper averaged 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.4 threes per contest.   NU Nuggets: Huskers At a Glance #31, Anya Kalenta, 6-3, Jr., F, Minsk, Belarus (6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg) • Anya Kalenta has her NCAA Division I basketball career off to an impressive start by averaging 6.2 points and 3.0 rebounds while playing in five of the Huskers first six games.   • She averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of wins on opening weekend. She established career highs with 14 points and eight rebounds against Pepperdine on Nov. 15. The 6-3 forward went 2-for-2 from three-point range against Alcorn State on Nov. 16.   • Kalenta suffered a broken nose in preseason practice on Oct. 29 and underwent surgery Oct. 30. She was hit by an unintentional elbow from Darrien Washington. Kalenta wore a protective mask in both exhibition games and against Pepperdine.   • She earned third-team NJCAA All-America honors in 2013-14 at Vincennes University in Indiana. She transferred to Vincennes after spending her freshman season at Broward College in Florida in 2012-13.   • Kalenta ranked in the NJCAA’s top 25 in scoring (20.8 ppg, 13th), rebounding (10.7 rpg, 22nd) and blocked shots (2.1 bpg, 20th) in her only season with the Trailblazers at Vincennes in 2013-14.   • She hit 51.1 percent of field goals, including 41 percent of her three-pointers last season. The 6-3 Kalenta hit 32 threes on the season.   • Kalenta was a member of the Belarus U-20 National Team at the 2013 European Championships.   #22, Allie Havers, 6-5, So., C, Paw Paw, Mich. (4.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) • One of the tallest Nebraska women’s basketball players in history, Allie Havers is one of the most improved Huskers on the 2014-15 team. She is averaging 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while playing 20.3 minutes per game off the bench to help the Huskers to a 6-0 start.   • She produced her best game of the young season with eight points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s 82-61 win at Washington State on Nov. 19.   • Havers was NU’s top post off the bench as a true freshman in 2013-14, averaging 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds while playing in all 33 games. She averaged just over 10 minutes per contest.   • She played a huge role in Nebraska’s 2014 Big Ten Tournament title. In a Big Ten semifinal win over No. 19 Michigan State on March 8, Havers entered the game early in the first half after All-American Jordan Hooper was whistled for her second foul. Havers took the floor with NU trailing 16-13. She ignited a massive surge, dishing out three assists in her first three minutes to spark a 26-3 eruption that gave the Big Red a 39-19 lead with seven minutes left in the half. She later scored six straight points to send Nebraska to the locker room with a 50-27 lead. Havers finished with career highs of 17 points, three assists and three blocks to go along with one steal in just 19 minutes.   #5, Natalie Romeo, 5-7, Fr., G, Martinez, Calif. (4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg) • NU’s top guard off the bench through the first four games, freshman Natalie Romeo missed the UCLA and Northern Colorado games with a stress reaction in her foot. She is not expected to play against Duke.   • She is averaging 4.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per game on the season.   • She had a strong six-point effort where she added two rebounds, an assist and a steal in NU’s win over Utah on Nov. 23. Romeo hit a pair of three-pointers to spark the Huskers.   • Romeo saw extensive playing time on opening weekend (Nov. 15-16), averaging 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 20.0 minutes per game in wins over Pepperdine and Alcorn State.   • Romeo earned first-team All-California Elite honors from Cal-Hi Sports in 2014.   • She was a two-time first-team All-California Division II pick at Carondelet High School.   • Romeo was rated as the No. 55 Player in the Nation by ESPN (No. 12 Point Guard) and the No. 27 Player in the Nation (No. 6 Point Guard) by Full Court Press.   • She averaged 19.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.6 steals as a senior at Carondelet High School. Romeo finished her four-year high school career with 2,151 points, 552 rebounds, 735 assists and 613 steals and finished No. 2 on Carondelet’s all-time scoring list behind Stanford All-American Jayne Appel.   #34, Jasmine Cincore, 5-8, Fr., G, Arlington, Tenn. (2.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg) • Jasmine Cincore has seen action in five of NU’s first six games, averaging 2.2 points in just 4.8 minutes per game.   • Cincore played well on opening weekend (Nov. 15-16), averaging 4.5 points in 8.5 minutes per game in wins over Pepperdine and Alcorn State. She hit 3-of-6 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 free throws.   • She was a two-time Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.   • Cincore earned first-team all-class, All-Tennessee honors from USA Today in 2014.   • She averaged 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 steals as a senior at Briarcrest Christian.   #30, Chandler Smith, 6-0, Fr., G, Brewster, Wash. (1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg) • Chandler Smith saw the first action of her collegiate career with one point and one rebound in three first-half minutes off the bench in Nebraska’s 63-56 win over Northern Colorado Nov. 30. Smith suited up but did not play in Husker wins over Utah and UCLA.   • Smith was impressive in preseason practice but was sidelined for more than a month by a stress fracture in her leg.   • Smith was the two-time Washington Class 1A Player of the Year (2013, 2014)   • She earned a spot on the Washington all-class, all-state team in 2014.   • Smith was rated as the No. 62 Player in the Nation (No. 18 Wing) by ESPN (2014)   #2, Kaylee Page, 6-2, Fr., F, Alma, Kan. (0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg) • Kaylee Page scored her first points with a pair of free throws in NU’s win over Alcorn State on Nov. 16. She added a rebound and an assist against ASU. She has seen action in four of NU’s first six games.   • Page was the 2014 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and the two-time Kansas Class 4A Player of the Year (2013, 2014) while playing for her father, Jim, at Wamego High School. She was ranked as the No. 42 Player in the Nation by ESPN (2014), and the No. 18 Shooting Guard in the Nation by ESPN (2014).   • She averaged 18.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.2 assists over her four-year career. She hit 35.3 percent of her threes, connecting on 181 threes in her 93-game career. Page finished with 1,755 points, 771 rebounds, 293 assists, 167 steals and 355 blocks.   #11, Esther Ramacieri, 5-8, So., G, Repentigny, Quebec, Canada (0.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg) • Esther Ramacieri has seen action in five of NU’s first six games, including a career-high 10 minutes in Nebraska’s win over Northern Colorado Nov. 30. She scored her first point of the season against the Bears. • She grabbed two rebounds in NU’s win over Alcorn State Nov. 16.   • Ramacieri competed in 17 games for the Huskers as a true freshman, including five regular-season Big Ten contests. She was a reserve in the backcourt and at power forward.   • Ramacieri is the fourth Canadian to play for the Huskers under Coach Yori, including Chelsea Aubry (2004-07), Kaitlyn Burke (2008-12) and Harleen Sidhu (2009-12).  　 #12, Emily Wood, 5-5, Fr., G, Salina, Kan. (0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg) • Emily Wood walked on to the Nebraska program after being recruited by Harvard, Dartmouth, Washburn and Western Illinois. She grabbed one rebound against both Pepperdine and Alcorn State.   • She was a first-team Kansas Class 5A all-state selection as a senior at Salina Central High School in 2014. Wood averaged 16.0 points per game as a senior, while hitting a school-record 91 threes. She hit 42.1 percent of her threes and 86.2 percent of her free throws as a senior.   • Wood played on the MOKAN Eclipse club team coached by Doug Finch, who is the father of Nebraska assistant coach Dayna Finch. Doug Finch is also the head boys coach at Salina Central.  　 #50, Darrien Washington, 6-2, Fr., F, Oakland, Calif. (Skyline) • Darrien Washington saw playing time in Nebraska’s exhibition games but could be a candidate for a redshirt in 2014-15. Washington has not played in NU’s first five regular-season games.   • Washington was a two-time first-team All-Oakland selection (2013, 2014).   • She averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.1 blocks for Oakland Skyline High School as a senior.   • Washington produced 1,181 points and nearly 1,000 rebounds in her high school career.   • Washington was a club teammate of Natalie Romeo on the Cal Stars Elite.   Hooper Continues String of Nebraska WNBA Success Jordan Hooper became the third Husker in the last five years taken in the top 13 picks of the WNBA Draft, when she was chosen by the Tulsa Shock with the first pick of the second round of the 2014 WNBA Draft on April 14. She was the fourth Husker selected among the top 25 picks in the draft in the same span. Lindsey Moore (2013, Minnesota Lynx) was NU’s most recent first-round pick. Kelsey Griffin (2010, Minnesota Lynx) was the No. 3 overall pick in 2010 and has spent five seasons with the Connecticut Sun.   Nebraska Coach Connie Yori also has helped guide Cory Montgomery, Yvonne Turner, Danielle Page, and Kiera Hardy to stints in the WNBA since 2007. Hardy and Montgomery were third-round WNBA Draft choices, while Page and Turner signed free agent contracts.   Hooper closed one of the greatest careers in Nebraska history as a first-team WBCA All-American in 2014. She joined NU retired jersey honorees Karen Jennings (1993) and Kelsey Griffin (2010) as the only Huskers in history to earn first-team All-America honors.   A three-time first-team All-Big Ten choice, Hooper was the 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year. Hooper, who was a two-time Big Ten All-Tournament selection and helped the Huskers to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament title in 2014, finished her career as the school record holder with 295 three-pointers which tied for third in Big Ten history. She also tied the NU record with 40 career double-doubles while ranking second in school history in both points (2,357) and rebounds (1,110). Hooper is the only Husker and one of only two Big Ten players in history to achieve those combined career milestones.   Huskers Rank Among National Attendance Leaders In 18 home games, the Huskers attracted 110,892 fans including 10 of the top-16 largest home non-conference crowds in school history in 2013-14.   Nebraska’s total home attendance of 110,892 ranked No. 8 nationally, while NU’s average home attendance of 6,161 ranked 11th in 2013-14.   NU drew 5,000 or more fans for 14 of its first 18 home games, including four consecutive crowds of more than 7,000 to close its first regular season at Pinnacle Bank Arena.   The Big Red drew seven crowds of 5,000 or more in 10 home non-conference games, after drawing just five home non-conference crowds of 5,000 or more in 37 seasons at the Devaney Center.   Nebraska attracted almost 15,000 fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena in its season-opening weekend, including a non-conference school-record crowd of 9,750 for a season-opening win over UCLA on Nov. 8. The Huskers added a crowd of 4,924 for a Veterans Day win over Alabama on Nov. 11.   The 14,674 fans over two games nearly matched the 15,221 fans who attended Nebraska’s eight home non-conference games in Coach Connie Yori’s first season in 2002-03.   Nebraska’s average home attendance of 5,658 marked the best single-season non-conference average in school history, crushing the 4,049 fans per game the Huskers averaged during home non-conference action in 2012-13. With just one more home non-conference game than 2012-13, the Big Red attracted 20,139 more fans than 2012-13 (36,436), which was also a school non-conference record.   Huskers Produced Second-Best Win Total for Third Straight Season Nebraska notched the second-highest win total in school history for the third consecutive year, finishing at 26-7 (.788) to produce the second-best overall winning percentage in school history in 2013-14.   The Huskers have averaged 25 wins over the past three years, including 24 victories in 2012 and 25 wins in 2013.   Before NU’s 24 wins in 2011-12, only one Husker team had produced more than 23 wins in a season - Nebraska’s 2009-10 Big 12 championship team that finished 32-2 (.941 winning percentage), including the school’s first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.   The 2012-13 Huskers took a step forward by notching 25 wins, including a pair of NCAA Tournament victories to reach NU’s second NCAA Sweet 16.   The 2013-14 Huskers kept NU moving up after winning the school’s first conference tournament title at the 2014 Big Ten Tournament.   Nebraska’s seven losses in 2013-14 were also tied for the second-fewest in school history, trailing only the two losses by the 2009-10 squad. The 1988 Big Eight champion Huskers finished 22-7.   The only other NU team to lose seven or fewer games was Nebraska’s first-ever varsity team in 1974-75, which went 9-7 against primarily lower division (NCAA Division II, III, NAIA) opponents.   Nebraska, which has produced six 20-win seasons in the past eight years, had managed only five 20-win seasons in the previous 26 years before Coach Connie Yori led the Huskers to 22 wins in 2006-07. NU owns 15 20-win seasons and three 25-win campaigns in 39 seasons as a varsity sport.   Nebraska owns four 20-win seasons in the last five years, which has included the four top victory totals in school history, including an NU-record 32 wins in 2009-10. Prior to Yori’s arrival in 2002-03, NU’s record for single-season wins was 23 (1978-79, 1979-80, 1992-93, 1997-98).   Double Trouble: Cady Climbing Husker Career Chart Emily Cady is tied for fourth in Nebraska history with 24 career double-doubles. The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., tied teammate Jordan Hooper for second in the Big Ten with 14 double-doubles in 2013-14. They became the first Husker teammates to both produce double-figure double-doubles in the same season.   As a senior, Cady will try to join Hooper, Kelsey Griffin and Karen Jennings as the only players in Husker history with two double-digit double-double campaigns. Cady is one of just six Huskers in history with 10 or more double-doubles in a season, including Griffin (10, 2006-07; 20, 2009-10), Jennings (13, 1990-91; 13, 1991-92), Nafeesah Brown (16, 1993-94), Maurtice Ivy (10, 1985-86) and Carol Garey (10, 1978-79). Nebraska players have produced 10 double-digit double-double seasons.   Cady, Sample Own 106 Consecutive Starts Together Nebraska seniors Emily Cady and Hailie Sample have joined each other in the Huskers’ starting five for 106 consecutive games, dating back to their first games of their freshman season at NU in 2011-12.   Junior point guard Rachel Theriot has joined them in the starting five for each of the last 67 games, while senior Tear’a Laudermill has made 35 straight starts.   Departed All-America Jordan Hooper graduated from the Husker program and headed to the WNBA after making 131 consecutive starts, while NU used the same starting five in the final 30 games last season.   Consistent starting lineups are nothing new for the Huskers under Coach Connie Yori. In fact, over the past 10 seasons (including 2014-15) Nebraska has used only 23 different starting lineups over 298 games.   The 2011-12, 2006-07 and 2003-04 Huskers all used the same starting lineup for every game. Huskers Set for Record TV Exposure in 2014-15   Nebraska is expected to set a record with 16 nationally televised regular-season games in 2014-15. The Huskers will fill the BTN airwaves with nine guaranteed regular-season appearances on the network and the possibility of two more wildcard selections.   Nebraska has never had more than 11 regular-season games televised in a year, and the record for nationally televised games in a season is 15 (including conference and NCAA tournaments).   In addition to the prospect of 11 BTN games, the Huskers will face Maryland on CBS at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m., in the conference’s premier slot for women’s basketball all season long. It will be Nebraska’s second appearance on CBS in the last three years. The Huskers will battle the Terrapins on ESPN2 on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. in College Park.   Nebraska made its first two national TV appearances of the year on the Pac-12 Network, when the Huskers won at Washington State (Nov. 19) and UCLA (Nov. 28).   The Huskers will play their third televised road non-conference game against Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8:05 p.m. It will be Nebraska’s first-ever appearance on Fox Sports 1.   The Huskers open their BTN national TV schedule against No. 7 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m.   NU tips its first 18-game Big Ten Conference season on BTN at Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m. The Big Red are back on BTN to battle Michigan State in East Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m.   The Huskers return home for a pair of huge games against traditional Big Ten powers Penn State (Jan. 15, 6 p.m.) and Purdue (Jan. 19, 6 p.m.) that will be televised by BTN. One week later, Nebraska is back on BTN for a Monday night clash at Iowa on Jan. 26. Tip time on BTN is set for 8 p.m.   The Huskers return to BTN for their first-ever road trip to Rutgers on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m., before returning home for a BTN rematch with Iowa on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 8 p.m. NU’s final scheduled appearance on BTN comes against Minnesota on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 8 p.m., but the Huskers could add BTN wildcard games at Indiana (Feb. 21) and Ohio State (March 1).   14-Team Big Ten Tournament Offers New Format in 2015 The 2015 Big Ten Tournament at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., March 4-8, will offer two more teams and one more round of competition than the last three seasons.   A new opening-day on Wednesday, March 4 with features games between the 11 through 14 seeds to cut the tournament field down to 12 teams for the final three days of action.   The new format means that the top four seeds in the conference will get two days worth of byes in the Big Ten Tournament, but those four teams will still need to string together three straight wins to earn a championship.   First-round games at the tournament will be streamed live on BTN Plus, while second-, third-round and semifinal games will be on BTN. The championship game will air on ESPN on Sunday, March 8 at 6 p.m.   NCAA Tournament Changes First & Second Round Sites The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be back on ESPN on Monday, March 16, before the ESPN family of networks presents every game of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, March 20-April 7. New this year to the NCAA Tournament, first- and second-round games will be awarded to the top-16 seeds bidding for home sites. A shift from the predetermined home sites in the first two rounds in recent years. NCAA Regionals will be held in Oklahoma City, Okla., Greensboro, N.C., Albany, N.Y., and Sacramento, Calif., before the Tampa Bay Times Forum hosts the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four, April 5-7.   BTN Plus, Huskers.com Offer Additional Video Coverage In addition to the games set for TV, all of Nebraska’s non-televised regular-season Big Ten games will be available to fans on BTN Plus or Huskers.com.   The network’s new designation for both BTN.com and BTN2Go games, which were previously designated as the BTDN (Big Ten Digital Network), BTN Plus will provide video streams through all devices (laptop/tablet/smartphone) of Nebraska’s non-televised home games during the non-conference season.   Every Nebraska women’s basketball game over the last three seasons has been available to Husker fans either on TV or video stream, a stretch of 100 consecutive games. To subscribe to BTN Plus, visit BTN.com.   For an up-to-date listing of Nebraska’s schedule with game times and television and current video stream information, visit Huskers.com. All times listed on Huskers.com are central and subject to change.   Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com Carries NU World-Wide The Husker Sports Network enters its 21st season of producing and marketing the live broadcasts of Nebraska women’s basketball in 2014-15. Women’s basketball play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff Griesch head into their 14th season together as the Huskers’ broadcast team.   The Husker Sports Network and Nebraska women’s basketball have teamed up for well over a decade to take every game, home and away, around the world for free on Huskers.com.   In addition to carrying every women’s basketball game free on Huskers.com, the Husker Sports Network flagship stations B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln) and The Wolf 93.3 FM-KFFF (Omaha) provide strong FM signals for Husker women’s basketball and volleyball. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations have joined the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage across the state.   Nebraska’s History of Success at Home Nebraska opened the Pinnacle Bank Arena era with a 16-2 home record in 2013-14, tying the school record for single-season home victories.   The Huskers played the first regular-season basketball game in the history of the arena against USA Today No. 25 UCLA (Nov. 8) and rolled to a 77-49 win over the Bruins. NU its first win over an AP Top 25 team with a 76-56 win over No. 24 Michigan State on Feb. 8. The Huskers added their first-ever win over an AP Top 10 team at the arena with a 94-74 victory over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24.   NU won its first-ever Big Ten home game with a 66-65 thriller over Northwestern Jan. 2, and an 88-85 overtime win over Minnesota on Jan. 16. It marked the first overtime game in Pinnacle Bank Arena history.   NU suffered its first loss at the new arena to Washington State (76-72) on Nov. 30. The Huskers took their first home Big Ten loss with a 77-75 setback on a last-second shot against No. 22 Purdue on Jan. 19.   The Huskers ended the 2013-14 regular season with five consecutive home wins, starting with an 84-51 victory over Michigan on Jan. 29. NU has added four straight home wins, including 3-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, to start the 2014-15 campaign to stretch its home winning streak to nine games.   The Huskers have improved to 406-132 (.755) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 142-36 (.798) over the last 11-plus seasons at home, posting double-figure home victory totals in each of the last 11 seasons, including 16-2 in 2013-14. NU went a perfect 16-0 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2009-10.   Nebraska played in the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, and added one appearance at Devaney against Utah on Nov. 23, 2014. The Huskers own a 389-130 record, including 146-88 (.624) mark in conference play. NU went 13-4 at home in 2012-13.   Free Throws Continue to Pay Off Big For Big Red Through six games in 2014-15, Nebraska has outscored the opposition 113-49 at the free throw line, an average of plus-10.7 points (18.8-8.2) per game.   Last season, the Huskers outscored the opposition by an average of 15.4-8.2 (+7.2 ppg) at the free throw line. The Huskers made 507 free throws, compared to just 270 by their opponents. The Huskers shot a school-record 79.8 percent at the line as a team, which led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally. It was the second-best free throw percentage in NU history (.755).   Rachel Theriot finished fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.885, 69-78), which tied for the third-best free throw shooting season in Nebraska history. Emily Cady (.858, 133-155) ranked seventh in the Big Ten and sixth in Husker single season history. Cady’s 133 makes at the line also ranked ninth on Nebraska’s single-season chart.   Tear’a Laudermill also caught fire at the line as a junior, connecting on 59-of-69 (.855) of her free throws. Laudermill did not meet the minimum requirements to qualify for the Big Ten rankings, but her percentage ranked eighth in school history. Laudermill, who was 53-of-84 (.631) from the line in her first two seasons at NU, hit 13 consecutive free throws to end the 2013-14 season, including all nine of her attempts in the NCAA Tournament.   Huskers More Than Fair in Foul Department Nebraska’s dominance at the free throw line starts with the Huskers winning the fight in the foul department. NU led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally by committing just 13.6 fouls per game.   While the Huskers barely put their opponents in the bonus each game, they consistently forced double-bonus free throw situations. Nebraska’s opponents averaged 18.9 fouls per game against the Big Red.   Through six games in 2014-15, the Huskers have produced similar numbers, committing just 14.7 fouls per game, while forcing 21.8 fouls per game on their opponents for a plus-7.1 differential. The Huskers have outscored the opposition by an average of 10.7 points per game (18.8-8.2) at the free throw line through six games in 2014-15.   In 2013-14, NU’s plus-5.3 differential in fouls per game and its 79.8 percent free throw shooting allowed the Big Red to outscore its opponents by 237 points at the line in 2013-14 (7.2 ppg). Nebraska continued a non-fouling trend from from 2012-13. The Huskers were whistled for just 12.8 fouls per game in 2012-13, including 11 fouls per game in Big Ten regular-season games. Big Red Playing Big on Boards   Nebraska has performed well on the glass through six games this season, producing a plus-5.8 rebound margin (42.0-36.2). Although it is early, the Huskers are on pace with the best rebounding teams in school history.   Led by the Big Ten’s active career leader in rebounds, Emily Cady (835) and No. 3 active career leader on the boards Hailie Sample (534), NU has five players averaging better than 4.5 boards per game.   Last season, Nebraska produced a plus-5.5 rebounding margin (40.2-34.8), which ranked No. 4 in school history.   The 2013-14 Huskers produced their best boardwork of the year by outrebounding No. 23 Iowa, 58-27 (+31) in the Big Ten Championship Game.   Jordan Hooper and Emily Cady led NU’s barrage on the boards throughout the season, as both ranked among the top four players in the Big Ten. Cady finished third with 9.2 rebounds per game while producing 17 double-digit rebound games. Hooper finished fourth in the conference with 9.1 boards per game, while finishing with 16 double-figure rebound games.   Cady led the Huskers with 9.8 rebounds in Big Ten play. Sample added a third big rebounding presence for the Huskers in 2013-14, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game to rank 15th in the Big Ten, including 2.5 offensive boards per game to rank seventh in the conference. Sample had a career-high 15 rebounds to help the Huskers to their plus-31 rebound margin against Iowa in the Big Ten title game.