MATCH PREVIEW
• The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team returns home for a 7:30 p.m. match on Saturday against Maryland at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. 
• Saturday night's match will be Nebraska's Title IX celebration. Nebraska volleyball will honor the program's first head coach, Pat Sullivan, as well as team members from 1974-75, between sets two and three. Led by Sullivan, the first Husker teams set the standard of excellence for the Husker volleyball program. The 1975 Huskers went 34-8 and reached the AIAW Regional Finals, and since then Nebraska volleyball has had a winning record every season in the program's 47-year history.
• The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 105.9 FM in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and the Huskers app. John Baylor is in his 29th season doing play-by-play for the Husker volleyball program. Lauren (Cook) West, a former All-America setter for the Huskers, will provide color commentary.

NOTING THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska (18-2, 10-1 Big Ten) had an 11-match win streak come to an end at No. 5 Wisconsin on Wednesday night in a 3-0 loss. The Huskers remain tied atop the league standings with the Badgers and Ohio State. 
• Nebraska is hitting .252 as a team and is holding opponents to .124 hitting, which leads the nation. The Huskers rank ninth nationally at 2.78 blocks per set. 
• In Big Ten matches only, Nebraska ranks first in opponent hitting percentage (.121), first in opponent kills allowed (10.92 per set) and first in opponent service aces allowed (0.56).
• Nebraska opened the season in a 5-1 system but has been in a 6-2 system since Sept. 1 against Loyola Marymount. Three setters have all been involved for the Huskers this season: Kennedi Orr (5.54 assists per set), Nicklin Hames (5.17 assists per set) and Anni Evans (4.64 assists per set). In 32 sets played as a setter, however, Hames leads the Big Red with 6.59 assists per set. She returned to the Husker lineup on Oct. 14 against Penn State after a one-month absence with an injury. 
• Hames, who is in her fifth season at NU, has 4,850 career assists and broke Fiona Nepo's (1995-98) career assists school record on Oct. 22 at Illinois. Hames ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I setters in career assists. 
• Outside hitter Madi Kubik is averaging a team-high 3.27 kills per set and adds 2.27 digs per set. Kubik surpassed 1,000 career kills on Sept. 10 against Long Beach State, becoming the 24th Husker all-time to reach that mark. 
• Outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein is averaging 3.05 kills per set and has a team-high 20 service aces. Lauenstein had a career-high 25 kills on .385 hitting in a win at No. 17 Creighton on Sept. 7. It was the most kills by a Husker in a match since Mikaela Foecke had 27 kills in the NCAA Championship match against Stanford in 2018. 
• Middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord is averaging 1.41 kills and a .311 hitting percentage to go with 1.59 blocks per set, which ranks third nationally. Hord ranks among the NCAA active career leaders in three categories. The Penn State grad transfer ranks No. 2 among active NCAA Division I players in career blocks (627), No. 3 in blocks per set (1.35) and is No. 5 in career hitting percentage (.400). 
• Sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez is averaging a team-best 4.17 digs per set and has 75 set assists and 13 service aces on the season. Rodriguez is the reigning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after averaging 6.00 digs per set in sweeps at Michigan State and Michigan, including a season-high 25 digs in the three-set win over the Wolverines. 
• Freshman middle blocker Bekka Allick is putting up 2.15 kills per set on a team-high .392 hitting percentage with 1.05 blocks per set. Allick was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. Allick has been on a tear over the last seven matches, averaging 2.91 kills per set on .560 hitting (64 kills, eight errors, 100 attempts). 
• Senior defensive specialist Kenzie Knuckles averages 1.79 digs. Knuckles and Rodriguez are part of a dynamic Husker back row that has helped the Huskers lead the Big Ten in digs at 15.09 per set this season.  

SCOUTING MARYLAND
• Maryland (13-10, 4-7 Big Ten) is coming off a 3-1 win at Iowa on Thursday night. The Terrapins have won four of their last six Big Ten matches, and all four wins have come on the road. 
• Maryland leads the nation in blocks with 3.44 per set. Rainelle Jones is the nation's blocks leader with 1.67 per set and 139 total blocks. The senior is the NCAA Division I active career leader in total blocks with 684 entering the weekend. 
• The Terps lead all Big Ten teams and rank 20th nationally in aces per set at 1.87. Sydney Dowler leads all Big Ten players with 38 this season. 
• Sam Csire leads the attack with 3.41 kills per set. Laila Ivey adds 2.67 per set. 
• Maryland is hitting .222 and holding its opponents to .172. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 17-0 all-time against Maryland. The teams played on Oct. 2 at Maryland with the Huskers taking a 3-1 win. Nebraska hit a season-low .112 in the match and was blocked a season-high 18.5 times. But the Big Red held the Terrapins to .059 hitting and had 13 blocks themselves. 

HUSKERS RANKED NO. 1 IN AVCA POLL
• Nebraska is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week for the second time this season. 
• The Huskers were ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, the first time since 2016 the Huskers started a year atop the poll. Nebraska has been ranked No. 2 or 3 in every poll since the preseason poll. 
• Nebraska has been ranked No. 1 in 102 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history. 
• The Huskers have been ranked in the top 10 a total of 525 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.
• Nebraska has appeared in all 581 AVCA Coaches Polls it has been eligible for since it was established in 1982. Nebraska is the only program to be ranked in every eligible poll all-time.

KNUCKLES, KUBIK, RODRIGUEZ NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
• The three team captains for the Nebraska volleyball program in 2022 are senior defensive specialist Kenzie Knuckles, outside hitter Madi Kubik and sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez.
• After two years as NU's libero, Knuckles moved into a defensive specialist role last season and was named a team captain for the first time. She averaged 2.06 digs with 0.29 aces per set. Knuckles finished with a double-digit dig performance seven times and ranked 10th in Big Ten play for aces per set (0.31). Knuckles also contributed 52 kills as an attacker out of the back row. 
• Kubik was an AVCA third-team All-American in 2021, and she received first-team AVCA North All-Region and first-team All-Big Ten honors. She averaged a team-leading 3.49 kills per set to go with 2.11 digs while adding 21 aces and 55 blocks. Kubik ranked third in Big Ten play in kills per set with 4.11. 
• Rodriguez was recognized as the National Freshman of the Year, a first-team AVCA All-American, North Region Freshman of the Year and first-team North All-Region by the AVCA in 2021. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection.

AVCA HALL OF FAMER JOHN COOK IN 23RD SEASON AT NEBRASKA
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 23rd season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2022. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 10 final fours, 12 conference championships and 20 top-10 final rankings since 2000. 
• Cook has 809 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .874 win percentage (648-93). 
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 57 AVCA All-Americans and 19 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and a seven-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017, his first and second Big Ten honors with the Huskers in their Big Ten era (2011-present).
• Cook is one of only three active coaches - and one of six all-time - to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall. 

REYES STEPS INTO LEAD ASSISTANT ROLE
• Last December, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jaylen Reyes moved into the Huskers' lead assistant role following the departure of associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand, who was named the new head women's volleyball coach at Long Beach State.
• Reyes joined the Husker staff in March 2018. As the Huskers' recruiting coordinator, he has helped NU land the nation's No. 1 recruiting class for 2021 and the No. 2 class for 2022, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
• Reyes coaches the Husker liberos and defense while helping coordinate game plans and scouting reports and assisting with other positions. 
• In 2021, Nebraska boasted an elite defense and held opposing teams to just .148 hitting for the year. A former libero at BYU, Reyes led Nebraska's back row defense to unprecedented heights in the 2021 season. Led by AVCA first-team All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez, the Husker defense propelled the young squad all the way to the NCAA Championship match. Rodriguez set a Nebraska freshman record for digs in a season (524), and as a team the Huskers averaged 16.98 digs per set, the third-highest total in school history. 

HUNTER EARNS FULL-TIME ASSISTANT POSITION AT ALMA MATER
• Last December, volunteer assistant coach Kelly Hunter was promoted to a full-time assistant role for the Huskers beginning in 2022.
• Following her professional playing career overseas, Hunter joined the Husker staff two years ago. She has served in multiple roles as a volunteer assistant (2020-21), interim assistant coach (January-August 2020) and graduate assistant (2019). She fulfilled her stint as an interim assistant coach in 2020 while former associate head coach Tyler Hildebrand prepared for the 2020 Olympic Games prior to his arrival in Lincoln.
• Hunter set the Huskers to national championships in 2015 and 2017 and was a two-time All-American. She was also the 2017 Big Ten Setter of the Year and a two-time All-Big Ten selection. The three-year Husker captain received numerous honors from volleyball publications, including National Player of the Year and All-America first-team honors from PrepVolleyball.com. Hunter was also named co-Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship with teammate Mikaela Foecke after the Huskers beat Florida in the national title match in 2017.

CLOSING IN ON 300 CONSECUTIVE REGULAR-SEASON SELLOUTS
• All season and single-game tickets for the 2022 Nebraska volleyball season have been sold. The Huskers entered the season with 286 consecutive regular-season sellouts and - barring any cancellations - will celebrate their 300th consecutive regular-season sellout on Nov. 11 against Iowa. 
• Nebraska's sellout streak is an NCAA women's record. The Huskers have led the nation in attendance every season since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013. 
• Nebraska set a new school record for attendance - 8,632 - against No. 2 Stanford on Sept. 18, 2019. 
• A new NCAA attendance record was set at the 2021 NCAA Championship with 18,755 fans turning out to watch Wisconsin and Nebraska battle for the national title at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio last December. 
• Eight of the top nine crowds in NCAA Volleyball history are all matches that have involved the Huskers.  
• When Nebraska played at Creighton on Sept. 7 at the CHI Health Center, a regular-season NCAA record crowd of 15,797 turned out to watch the Huskers defeat the Bluejays, 3-2. It shattered the previous regular-season record of 14,022 (set by Nebraska and Creighton in 2018). The record lasted nine days, however, as Wisconsin and Florida drew a crowd of 16,833 to the Kohl Center on Sept. 16. 
• Of the 14 largest NCAA volleyball regular-season crowds, 13 have been matches Nebraska played in.

OMAHA TO HOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIRD TIME IN EIGHT YEARS
• The NCAA Championship returns to Omaha in 2022 for the third time in the last eight years and the fifth time overall. The University of Nebraska and the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) will host the NCAA Championship at the CHI Health Center on Dec. 15-17.
• Omaha has served as the most frequent host of the NCAA Championship in the 41-year history of the tournament. Omaha has hosted the event four times: 2006, 2008, 2015 and 2020.
• Omaha hosted the entire 48-team NCAA Tournament in April 2021 after the 2020 season was delayed until the spring because of COVID-19. Kentucky beat Texas, 3-1, to win its first NCAA title that season. 
• The Huskers won NCAA titles in Omaha in both 2006 (vs. Stanford) and 2015 (vs. Texas), and the Big Red reached the final four in 2008 before losing a five-set thriller to Penn State in the semifinals. 
• Four of the top 11 crowds in NCAA history have occurred at the NCAA Semifinals and Finals played at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. 
• Future NCAA Volleyball Championship sites include Tampa (2023), Louisville (2024) and Kansas City (2025). 

HORD HEADLINES TALENTED GROUP OF NEW HUSKERS
• Nebraska has five new players on its roster this season: Penn State graduate transfer Kaitlyn Hord (Lexington, Ky.), freshman middle blocker Bekka Allick (Lincoln, Neb.), freshman defensive specialist Maisie Boesiger (Firth, Neb.), freshman outside hitter Hayden Kubik (West Des Moines, Iowa) and freshman middle blocker Maggie Mendelson (Ogden, Utah). The Huskers' signing class was the No. 2-ranked class by PrepVolleyball.
• The 6-4 Hord was named to the AVCA All-America Second Team and was a first-team All-Big Ten choice for the third straight season last year at Penn State. She averaged a career-best 2.92 kills per set while hitting .394. Hord recorded 1.40 blocks per set, which ranked third in the Big Ten and seventh nationally.

NINETEEN TV APPEARANCES FOR THE BIG RED IN 2022
• Nebraska plays on TV 19 times this season, including 14 national TV broadcasts.
• The Huskers appear on the Big Ten Network 12 times during the regular season, and Nebraska plays at Creighton on FS1 on Sept. 7 and at Kentucky on ESPNU on Sept. 18. 
• In addition to the 14 national TV broadcasts, Nebraska Public Media is televising five matches: Tulsa (Aug. 26), Loyola Marymount (Sept. 1), Ohio State (Sept. 24), Northwestern (Oct. 16) and Iowa (Nov. 11). 
• The 10 matches that are not on TV can be streamed with a B1G+ subscription. Every match throughout the season airs on the Huskers Radio Network and can be heard on Huskers.com and the Huskers app. 

THREE HUSKERS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
• Three members of the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Kaitlyn Hord, Madi Kubik and Lexi Rodriguez were all voted to the 15-player preseason team by the conference's head coaches. All three were All-Big Ten First Team selections last year. Kubik was the only player in the Big Ten unanimously chosen to the preseason all-conference team. 
• Kubik was an AVCA third-team All-American in 2021, and she received first-team AVCA All-North Region and first-team All-Big Ten honors. She averaged a team-leading 3.49 kills per set to go with 2.11 digs while adding 21 aces and 55 blocks. Kubik ranked third in Big Ten play in kills per set with 4.11. 
• Rodriguez was recognized as the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, a first-team All-American, North Region Freshman of the Year and first-team All-North Region in 2021. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection.
• Hord, a transfer from Penn State, was named to the AVCA All-America Second Team and was a first-team All-Big Ten choice for the third straight season last year. She averaged a career-best 2.92 kills per set while hitting .394. Hord recorded 1.40 blocks per set, which ranked third in the Big Ten and seventh nationally.
• The Huskers were picked second in the Big Ten preseason poll behind defending national champion Wisconsin. Minnesota was third, followed by Ohio State and Penn State. 

MENDELSON, U.S. U19 TEAM WIN GOLD AT PAN AMERICAN CUP
• Nebraska freshman middle blocker Maggie Mendelson and the U.S. Girls' U19 National Team won the gold medal at the Pan American Cup in Tulsa, Okla., in late July. The U.S. team went 5-0 at the tournament without dropping a set.
• Mendelson, the team captain, had six kills, two blocks and two ace serves in the USA's 25-15, 25-14, 25-17 sweep of Brazil in the championship match.

ALLICK, RODRIGUEZ CLAIM GOLD AT PAN AMERICAN CUP
• The U.S. Women's U21 National Team - with Nebraska freshman middle blocker Bekka Allick and sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez - defeated Argentina 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 25-14) in June to win the Pan American Cup at La Paz Arena in Baja California Sur.
• It is the second time the U.S. has won the title. The last time was in 2017. Both the U.S. Women (5-0) and Argentina (4-2) qualified for the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship.
• Allick added 14 points on 12 kills and two blocks. Rodriguez, the libero and team captain, was credited with 24 digs and 12 excellent receptions.

Huskers Head to Colorado for Charity Exhibition

The Nebraska men's basketball team wraps up the exhibition portion of the 2022-23 season this Sunday, Oct. 30, as the Huskers travel to Boulder, Colo., for a matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes. Proceeds from the game, which will tipoff at 5 p.m. (central) at the CU Events Center, will go directly to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund which is being distributed through Boulder County's Navigating Disaster for Boulder County program. It marks the second straight year that longtime conference rivals have played an exhibition to benefit local charities.

Nebraska comes off an 87-60 win over Chadron State in its exhibition opener on Oct. 23. Nebraska's trio of Division I transfers all played a key part in the win, combining for 46 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Juwan Gary came off the bench for 23 points and nine rebounds, while Sam Griesel and Emmanuel Bandoumel tallied 14 and nine points, respectively. Nebraska had 12 players crack the scoring column and used second-half runs of 13-2 and 21-0 to put the game away. The Huskers held Chadron State to 38 percent shooting, forced 18 turnovers in the win and recorded nine steals, including three from C.J. Wilcher and two from Bandoumel.
  

Exhibition #2    Opponent: at Colorado Date:  Sun, Oct. 30 Tipoff: 5 p.m. (CT) Location: Boulder, Colo. Arena: CU Events Center On the Air Radio: Sunday's game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington and will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app.    TV/Online: Sunday's game is not televised, but fans can watch the exhibition online at the following link: (click here) with the Colorado radio broadcast team of Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke on the video call.

Colorado makes its 2022-23 debut on Sunday, as the Buffaloes had a closed scrimmage against Wyoming last weekend. Colorado, which has won 20+ games in each of the past four seasons, replaces their top three scorers from last season, but returns junior forward Tristan da Silva, junior guard Nique Clifford and 2022 All-Pac-12 Freshman team point guard KJ Simpson from a team that went 21-12 and reached the NIT.

Following Sunday's game, the Huskers will begin preparations for the season opener against Maine on Monday, Nov. 7. Tipoff between the Black Bears and the Huskers is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office during business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.). It will be the first of two home games during the opening week of the season, as Nebraska plays host to Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 10.

A Quick Look at Nebraska
Fred Hoiberg begins his fourth season at the helm with a veteran-laden team. The Huskers are led by sixth-year senior Derrick Walker, who averaged 9.5 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. Walker set Nebraska's single-season field goal percentage record last year, hitting 68.3 percent of his shots from the field. He is also among the Big Ten's top returning rebounders and shot blockers from last season. NU also returns its top 3-point shooter from a year ago in sophomore C.J. Wilcher. The 6-foot-5 guard led Nebraska with 52 3-pointers and shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc in averaging 8.1 points per game as NU's sixth man in 2021-22.

NU also returns junior Keisei Tominaga, who started 11 games last year and averaged 5.7 points per game. Tominaga, who was third on the team with 36 3-pointers, spent the summer with the Japanese National Team and averaged more than 15.0 points per game during a pair of tournaments. Sophomore Wilhelm Breidenbach also returns after missing most of last season with a knee injury. A former top-100 recruit, he was the Huskers' top big man off the bench last year and averaged 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game before his injury.

Nebraska's three Division I transfers - Sam Griesel, Juwan Gary and Emmanual Bandoumel - helped their respective schools to a combined .661 winning percentage and five postseason appearances in their collegiate careers. In addition, junior college transfer Blaise Keita led Coffeyvillle Community College to an NJCAA National title in 2021.

Griesel, a Lincoln native, was a first-team All-Summit League guard and has scored nearly 1,000 points at the Division I level. Bandoumel was a double-figure scorer in each of the last two seasons at SMU and was a three-year starter for the Mustangs. Gary averaged 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while making 16 starts for Alabama last season. As a redshirt freshman in 2020-21, he helped the Crimson Tide to an SEC title and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. Keita averaged 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in junior college last season and closed the year with four double-doubles in his final five games.

A trio of redshirts who could find significant playing time include Denim Dawson, who arrived at winter break last season, along with Oleg Kojenets and walk-on Sam Hoiberg. Quaran McPherson, who also redshirted a year ago, was poised to find a spot in the Huskers' rotation until suffering a season-ending knee injury in August.

Nebraska also adds a pair of freshmen as part of a top-30 recruiting class in Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence. Both players helped their high school teams to national top-20 finishes in 2021-22.
 
Scouting Colorado
Colorado has been one of the most consistent programs in the Pac-12 under Head Coach Tad Boyle, who is in his 13th year at the school. The Buffaloes have won 20-or-more games in each of the past four seasons, including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021 and NIT appearances in 2019 and 2022.

The Buffs were picked to finish sixth in the media poll for a second straight year after finishing fourth last season with a 12-8 conference record. CU returns a pair of starters and four other players who saw action in at least 18 games a year ago. The returnees are led by Tristan da Silva, a 6-foot-9 forward who is CU's top returning scorer at 9.4 ppg. A second-team preseason all-Pac 12 honoree, he ranked second on the team in field goal shooting (.479) and free throw percentage (.797), third in assists (61) and fourth in scoring and rebounding (3.5 rpg) in 2021-22. Nique Clifford is the other returning starter as he started 17 games and averaged 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore KJ Simpson earned preseason honorable-mention honors from the media, as he came off the bench and averaged 7.4 points per game while pacing CU in both assists (86) and steals (26).

Series History: Nebraska holds a 77-71 edge in a series which dates back to the 1902-03 season. The teams shared the same conference from 1947-48 to 2010-11. Sunday's trip will be the Buffaloes' first to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Boyle and Hoiberg met three times in 2010-11, when Hoiberg was at Iowa State, with Colorado winning two of the three meetings. Both teams won on their home court, while Colorado beat ISU, 77-75 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

Last Year vs. Colorado: Bryce McGowens' 15 points led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska posted an impressive 82-67 win over Colorado in a charity exhibition at Pinnacle Bank Arena. McGowens led a balanced attack that saw NU shoot 49 percent from the field, dish out 17 assists and hit 12 3-pointers. Defensively, NU held Colorado to 32 percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers. Derrick Walker Jr. had 12 points and six rebounds, while C.J. Wilcher and Alonzo Verge Jr. added 11 and 10 points respectively. Nebraska shot 58 percent in the first half to build a 44-28 halftime lead. Wilcher keyed a Huskers' 17-2 first-half spurt with a trio of 3-pointers as Nebraska built a 22-point lead less than 10 minutes into the contest. Nebraska eventually stretched the margin to 67-40 with 11:50 left before the Buffaloes made one last charge. CU used a 17-2 spurt to pull within 69-57 with 05:14 left, but Walker's basket stemmed the tide before he added two free throws to stretch the lead back to 16 and NU led by double figures the rest of the way.
 
Last Time Out
Juwan Gary had 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Nebraska used a pair of second-half spurts to cruise to an 87-60 win over Chadron State at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Oct. 23.

Gary had 15 of his points in the second half during two decisive runs, including five in a 13-2 run after Chadron State cut Nebraska's 15-point halftime lead to six in the opening minutes of the second half. Leading 44-38, Gary, along with senior transfers Sam Griesel and Emmanuel Bandoumel scored all 13 points over the next four-plus minutes as the Huskers stretched the lead to 57-40, their largest lead at the time.

 Gary went 9-of-17 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and had five of the Huskers' 19 offensive rebounds in under 20 minutes of work. Griesel joined Gary in double figures with 14 points and seven assists, while 13 players cracked the scoring column in the win.
 
Nebraska Exhibition History
Nebraska is 62-6 all-time in exhibition games dating back to the 1966-67 season following Sunday's win over Chadron State and has won its last 19 exhibition games since a 54-50 loss to SIU-Edwardsville in 2006.  In all, NU has won 31 of its last 32 exhibition games dating back to 2001.

• The Huskers are 18-0 against in-state teams in exhibition games dating back to the 2001-02 season.
• Nebraska's game at Colorado will be the Huskers' first road exhibition game since playing a charity exhibition game at Mississippi State during the 2017-18 season. NU won that game 76-72.

Trio of Transfers Added in 2022-23
Nebraska added three Division I transfers in the offseason in Sam Griesel (North Dakota State), Emmanuel Bandoumel (SMU) and Juwan Gary (Alabama). The trio has combined for nearly 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their college careers.
If history is any indication, it will be likely that one of these three will pace NU in scoring, as a newcomer has topped the Husker scoring chart in each of the three seasons under Fred Hoiberg. Of the eight players who have averaged double figures under Hoiberg, all eight have been in their first year of competition at Nebraska.
 
Adding Experience

Player	School	GP/Starts	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Sam Griesel	North Dakota State	99/87	976	558	225
Emmanuel Bandoumel	SMU	80/68	712	256	114
Juwan Gary	Alabama	59/18	303	184	14
Totals		238/173	1,991	998	353

 
Pushing the Pace
One trait of a Fred Hoiberg coached team is to play at a fast pace. The Huskers have led the Big Ten in pace in each of the last three seasons according to KenPom, including top-20 rankings in 2019-20 (16th) and 2021-22 (19th). NU has been the only Big Ten team to rank in the top-50 in any of the past three seasons.

• • In his eight seasons as a college head coach, Hoiberg's teams have ranked in the top-50 in tempo six times, including four times in the top-20.
• • Prior to Hoiberg's arrival, the last time a Husker team was in the top-100 nationally in tempo according to KenPom was in 1999-2000 under Danny Nee.

 
Playing with Pace (Adjusted Tempo per KenPom)

Year	Hoiberg-Coached Team	Big Ten Leader
2010-11	Iowa State (34th)	Iowa (100th)
2011-12	Iowa State (128th)	Iowa (70th)
2012-13	Iowa State (30th)	Iowa (95th)
2013-14	Iowa State (12th)	Iowa (29th)
2014-15	Iowa State (10th)	Minnesota (47th)
2019-20	Nebraska (16th)	Same
2020-21	Nebraska (35th)	Same
2021-22	Nebraska (19th)	Same

 
Walker Looks to Continue Efficient Shooting
Nebraska returns one of the most efficient big men in college basketball in Derrick Walker. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 9.6 points per game on 68.3 percent shooting from the field in 2021-22. He broke NU's single-season field-goal percentage that was held by Larry Cox since the 1975-76 season. Walker was the only Big Ten player and one of just 14 players in Division I to shoot at least 65 percent and average at least eight points per game last season.
 
Walker's Busy Summer
Sixth-year senior Derrick Walker has taken advantage of his final year of college, immersing in a number of different activies since the end of last season.

• In July, Walker was one of a select group of Big Ten student-athletes, coaches, administrators, conference staff, and other key stakeholders to participate in the Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery. The trip was a journey to Selma and Montgomery, Ala., for an immersive and educational experience at a key center of the civil rights movement. The group participated in a variety of activities including marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday attack.
• He organized the inaugural Hoops with the Huskers Special Olympics camp, which allowed members of the Husker basketball program to work with more than 40 Special Olympians on shooting, basketball drills and one-on-one competitions.
• Walker also started "Tall Boy Trucking" in the offseason, after he purchased a semi-truck last year. Walker hired a driver and the company makes deliveries from coast to coast. 

Husker Roster has International Flavor
Nebraska's 2022-23 roster will once again have an international flavor, as it will feature a quartet of international players in Emmanuel Bandoumel (Canada), Blaise Keita (Mali), Keisei Tominaga (Japan) and Oleg Kojenets (Lithuania). During Fred Hoiberg's four seasons at Nebraska, the Huskers have had players from nine countries (Australia, Canada, England, France, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, Mali and Slovenia).
 
Huskers to be Tested in 2022-23
Nebraska will have a challenging schedule this upcoming season. The Huskers will play a minimum of 25 power conference teams during the season, including five (St. John's, Creighton, Boston College, Kansas State and Oklahoma) in non-conference action. Depending on the results of the ESPN Events Invitational, NU could see as many as seven power conference teams during non-conference action, including six away from home.

• Nebraska will play at least 13 games in the regular season against ranked teams or teams receiving votes in the AP Preseason poll. The Huskers will face No. 9 Creighton, No. 13 Indiana, No. 22 Michigan and No. 23 Illinois while five other teams (Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers) received votes. NU could also face Memphis during the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando.
• Nebraska has 16 regular-season games against teams that reached postseason play in 2021-22. The Big Ten had nine NCAA teams in 2021-22, and Nebraska will face that group a combined 13 times (Illinois-2, Iowa-2, Michigan State-2, Purdue-2, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin). In non-conference action, NU will face Creighton in Omaha and will face Oklahoma in the ESPN Events Invitational opener. The Huskers will also square off against either Seton Hall or Memphis the following day.

 McGowens Becomes Highest DRafted Husker since 1998
Bryce McGowens became the second Husker drafted in as many years, as he was the No. 40 pick of the Charlotte Hornets in the 2022 NBA Draft last June. He was the highest Husker drafted since Tyronn Lue went No. 23 overall in 1998. McGowens averaged 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2021-22, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and media.

• McGowens' 16.8 points per game ranked third nationally among true freshmen in 2021-22. The top two true freshmen in scoring were Paolo Banchero (Duke) and Jabari Smith (Auburn) and those two were picked first and third, respectively, in the 2022 NBA Draft.
• With Dalano Banton (No. 46 in 2021) and McGowens, Nebraska has players selected in consecutive NBA Drafts for the first time since 1998 and 1999.
• McGowens was one of nine Big Ten players selected in the 2022 NBA Draft. The nine picks were the most of any conference and the highest total since 10 Big Ten players were selected in the 1990 NBA Draft.

 Three Huskers on Opening-Night Rosters
Nebraska is well represented on NBA Opening Night rosters with Isaiah Roby (San Antonio), Dalano Banton (Toronto) and Bryce McGowens (Charlotte). The group is joined by Tyronn Lue, who begins his third season as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.

• Nebraska's three active NBA players is the most since the 2007-07 season (Eric Piatkowski, Mikki Moore and Lue)
• McGowens became the 15th former Husker to make his NBA debut on Oct. 19, as he saw action in Charlotte's win over San Antonio.
• Five members of the 2021-22 team are playing professionally, including Bryce McGowens (NBA), Trey McGowens (G League), Lat Mayen (Australia), Alonzo Verge Jr. (Poland) and Kobe Webster (Netherlands).
• In all, 25 former Huskers are playing professionally around the world, including 10 players from Hoiberg's three Husker teams.

Huskers Rank Among NCAA Attendance Leaders
Since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers have been among the national leaders in attendance. The Huskers have ranked in the top 15 in attendance every year since 2013-14, ranking in the top 10 on three occasions, most recently 2021-22. 

• Nebraska is one of eight schools in the country to average 15,000+ fans per contest in each of the last seven seasons (2014-20, 2022), joining Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas and Creighton. The NCAA did not count attendance figures during the 2020-21 season because of Covid-19.

Huskers Add Top-30 Recruiting Class
For the second straight season, Nebraska pulled in a top-30 national recruiting class, as the 2022 class was rated No. 28 by Rivals. The class included incoming freshmen Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence, as well as junior college transfer Blaise Keita. It also included Denim Dawson, who signed with Nebraska in November and enrolled for the start of the spring 2022 semester.
Lloyd was ranked No. 88 nationally by ESPN and was a top-100 recruit in the 247Sports Composite rankings, while Lawrence was ranked among the top 150 players by Rivals at the end of his senior season. Keita was ranked as the No. 1 overall JUCO player by 247Sports and No. 4 by JUCORecruiting.com.  The Huskers' 2021 freshmen class was ranked as high as 13th nationally by ESPN and also earned top-25 recognition by 247Sports and Rivals.
 
NBA Coaches: BAck to School
Fred Hoiberg is one of eight active NCAA coaches to have coached in the NBA, as he spent three-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls from 2015 to 2018. Hoiberg's 270 regular-season NBA games rank third among the eight former NBA coaches in the collegiate ranks.
 
Division I Coaches with NBA Head Coaching Experience

Coach, School	NBA Head Coach, Years
John Calipari, Kentucky	New Jersey, 1996-99
Leonard Hamilton, Miami	Washington, 2000-01
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska	Chicago, 2015-18
Eric Musselman, Arkansas	Golden State, 2002-04; Sacramento, 2006-07
Rick Pitino, Iona	New York, 1987-89; Boston, 1997-2001
Reggie Theus, Bethune-Cookman	Sacramento, 2007-09
Darrell Walker, Arkansas Little Rock	Toronto, 1996-98; Washington, 1999-2000
Mike Woodson, Indiana	Atlanta 2004-2010; New York, 2011-14

 
SIngle-game Tickets Now on Sale
Single-game tickets for the 2022-23 schedule are now on sale. A select number of 300 Level seats are available for $7 apiece for non-conference games and $10 each for each of the Huskers' 10 Big Ten matchups, including games with Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa.

The single-game tickets are one of several options to purchase Husker basketball tickets for the 2022-23 season. In addition, the Six-Game Mini-Plan which allows fans to pick 300 Level seats for any six games during the 2022-23 season for just $30 while supplies last.
To purchase, visit Huskers.com/Tickets or call the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.).

Timmons, Hardie Lead Huskers at Big Ten Championships

The Nebraska cross country team competed at the Big Ten Championships on Friday morning in Ann Arbor, Mich. The women's team posted a 10th-place finish with 273 points, while the men placed 11th with a score of 296 points.
 
Michigan State took home the women's title with 78 points, followed by Michigan and Wisconsin with 86 and 94 points, respectively. In the men's standings, Wisconsin ran away with the win with 25 points. Michigan finished runner-up with 57 points, followed by Indiana in third with 89 points.
 
Alea Hardie had the top finish for the Nebraska women, placing 39th with a time of 21:12.0. Brynna McQuillen clocked a 21:15.9 to finish 47th, while Hannah Godwin and Taya Skelton placed back-to-back in 64th and 65th with runs of 21:36.2 and 21:37.2, respectively. Deavion DeLeon rounded out the scoring for the Huskers with a time of 21:59.1 in 83rd.
 
Bailey Timmons led the Husker men with a 31st-place run of 24:55.7. Jerry Jorgenson was the second Husker to cross the finish line with a time of 25:41.5 to place 73rd. Colby Erdkamp finished 81st with a run of 25:49.6, edging Cal Puskar's 82nd-place run of 25:50.5. Grant Wasserman ran a 26:00.3 and placed 92nd to conclude the scoring for the Big Red.

Nebraska returns to action at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 11 in Columbia, Mo.
 
Women's Lineup (6K)
39. Alea Hardie – 21:12.0
47. Brynna McQuillen – 21:15.9
64. Hannah Godwin – 21:36.2
65. Taya Skelton – 21:37.2
83. Deavion DeLeon – 21:59.1
91. Lindsey Blehm – 22:05.1
92. Emma Ralston – 22:05.6
111. Jade Hallgrimson – 22:24.7
118. Cami Merickel – 22:37.5
 
Men's Lineup (8K)
31. Bailey Timmons – 24:55.7
73. Jerry Jorgenson – 25:41.5
81. Colby Erdkamp – 25:49.6
82. Cal Puskar – 25:50.5
92. Grant Wasserman – 26:00.3
97. Jake Ralston – 26:08.1
104. Adam Christopher – 26:17.3
110. Trevor Acton – 26:30.9
DNF Sadio Fenner – N/A