MATCH PREVIEW
• The fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team travels to play Northwestern on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. 
• The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 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
• At 20-2 overall and 12-1 in the Big Ten Conference, Nebraska is tied for the league lead with Ohio State and Wisconsin. 
• Nebraska is hitting .251 as a team and is holding opponents to .119 hitting, which leads the nation. The Huskers rank seventh nationally at 2.81 blocks per set. 
• In Big Ten matches only, Nebraska ranks first in opponent hitting percentage (.114), first in opponent kills allowed (10.71 per set) and first in opponent service aces allowed (0.55).
• 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 (5.30 assists per set) and Anni Evans (4.58 assists per set). In 38 sets played as a setter, however, Hames leads the Big Red with 6.53 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 4,887 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 3.19 kills per set and adds 2.29 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 3.00 kills per set and has a team-high 23 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 1.39 kills and a .300 hitting percentage to go with 1.63 blocks per set, which leads the nation. 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 (639), No. 2 in blocks per set (1.36) and is No. 5 in career hitting percentage (.398). 
• Sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez is averaging a team-best 4.14 digs per set. 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 .381 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. In Big Ten play, Allick leads all players with a .416 hitting percentage. 

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
• Northwestern is 17-7 and 6-6 in Big Ten play entering a home match on Friday against No. 6 Ohio State. After being swept at Nebraska on Oct. 16, Northwestern won four matches in a row, including a 3-2 win over No. 12 Purdue. 
• Temi Thomas-Ailara leads Northwestern with 4.21 kills per set and is hitting .267. Hanna Lesiak averages 2.81 kills. 
• Former Husker Megan Miller is putting up 4.29 digs per set as the Wildcats' libero.
• Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten behind Nebraska in digs per set (14.69). The Wildcats also rank second in kills per set (14.01). 

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 17-1 all-time against Northwestern. The Huskers have won 13 in a row over the Wildcats since their lone win on Nov. 26, 2011. The teams played on Oct. 16 in Lincoln with Nebraska taking a 25-23, 25-16, 25-18 win. Nebraska used a balanced attack with five players recording at least six kills. Bekka Allick (.571), Madi Kubik (.304) and Whitney Lauenstein all had nine kills for the Huskers. Ally Batenhorst added eight kills and Lindsay Krause had six. 

HUSKERS RANKED NO. 4 IN AVCA POLL
• Nebraska is ranked No. 4 in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week. 
• The Huskers were ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, the first time since 2016 the Huskers started a year atop the poll. Nebraska also held the No. 1 ranking the week of Oct. 24. 
• 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 526 times, which is also the most in NCAA history.
• Nebraska has appeared in all 582 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 811 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 (650-94). 
• 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 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.

Markowski, Shelley on Naismith List

Nebraska's Alexis Markowski and Jaz Shelley were among the 50 women's college basketball players named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday, Nov. 4.

Markowski, a 6-3 center out of Lincoln Pius X High School, was the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was recently named to the 20-player watch list for the Lisa Leslie Award presented by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association of America (WBCA).

A 2022-23 preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference coaches and media, Markowski averaged 12.8 points and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game. She was even better during Big Ten play when she averaged team bests of 15.6 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field, including 53.6 percent from three-point range.

She opened 2022-23 by putting up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in an exhibition victory over Washburn (Oct. 30).

Shelley, a 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia, was one of the nation's most impactful transfers in 2021-22. The Australian National Team member led Nebraska in scoring (13.1 ppg), assists (5.0 apg), steals (1.8 spg) and blocks (0.9 bpg) while ranking second on the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg) from her point guard position. The Oregon transfer was the only Big Ten player to rank among the top 20 in the conference in all five major statistical categories.

Shelley, who was named one of 20 candidates for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award in October of 2022, hit 82-of-202 three-point attempts (.406) last season, and her 82 makes tied for the fourth-best season total in school history. 

With Shelley energizing the Husker offense outside, Nebraska ranked 10th nationally in scoring offense at 77.8 points per game, while producing the second-best scoring margin (+13.5 ppg) in school history. Nebraska finished 24-9 overall with a No. 23 NET ranking before earning a No. 8 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Over the final six games, Shelley averaged 19.5 points and 4.0 made threes per game, including a school-record 9-for-13 effort from three-point range in a Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois (March 3). Shelley's nine threes set the Nebraska game record while matching the Big Ten Tournament single-game mark. She finished with a career-high 32 points to go along with five rebounds, seven assists and two steals against the Illini.

Shelley, who finished with 21 double-digit scoring efforts, notched five 20-point games, including two 30-point performances. She also had six double-doubles, including just the fourth triple-double in Nebraska women's basketball history with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over North Carolina Central (Nov. 20).

The midseason 30 team will be announced in early January, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, 2023, and the winner of the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for Women's Player of the Year will be announced on March 29, 2023. 
 
"We have selected an elite group of athletes for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Women's Naismith Trophy watch list this year, and we look forward to keeping an eye on these stellar players and adding additional excellent players as the season progresses," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
 
The Big Ten Conference placed the most athletes on the watch list with 10. The ACC, Pac-12 and SEC are close behind with nine candidates apiece. South Carolina, the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball National Champions, has three players on the list, which ties them with Tennessee for most candidates from a single school.
 
"The athletes on the watch list are the best of the best in their sport, and likely will provide a season full of exciting moments on the court," said Jeff Hemschoot, vice president of marketing, Jersey Mike's.  "We are excited to watch these women compete as we get ready for another terrific season of women's college basketball."

Markowski and Shelley will open the 2022-23 regular season by leading Nebraska against Omaha on Monday, Nov. 7. Tip-off between the Huskers and Mavericks is set for Noon, following the Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

 

Huskers Open 2022-23 Season vs. Maine on Monday

After a pair of exhibitions, the Nebraska men's basketball team tips off the 2022-23 season on Monday, Nov. 7 against Maine. Tipoff from Pinnacle Bank Arena between the Huskers and Black Bears is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be carried online on B1G Plus (subscription required).  Tickets are available for the contest by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, contacting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED during business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) or at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Ticket Office beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

The Huskers, who begin their 127th season on Monday, went 1-1 during its two exhibition contests. NU defeated Chadron State 87-60 on Oct. 23 before falling at Colorado, 72-61, in a charity exhibition on Oct. 30. Defensively, the Huskers have shown improvement, holding both opponents under 45 percent shooting from the field, including a combined 26 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Of the 11 players who saw action against Colorado, eight had not played a regular-season game at NU.
  

In Sunday's loss to Colorado, the Huskers battled back from a slow start and were in the game until J'Vonne Hadley's 3-point play with 1:32 remaining made it a 12-point game. Emmanuel Bandoumel led three Huskers in double figures with 14 points and a pair of steals, while Juwan Gary and Sam Griesel added 11 and 10 points respectively. The three were also NU's top three scorers in the Huskers' first exhibition contest.

One bright spot in the loss to Colorado was the performance of redshirt freshman Oleg Kojenets, who scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 15 minutes of work against the Buffaloes. The 7-foot, 232-pound freshman played just six minutes in NU's win over Chadron State and took advantage of the opportunity with Derrick Walker not dressing on Sunday.

Maine begins its season on Monday under the direction of first-year coach Chris Markwood, who was an assistant at Boston College in 2021-22. Markwood was a former player at the school and later began his coaching career at the school. The Black Bears went 6-23 in 2021-22.

Last Time Out
Emmanuel Bandoumel had 14 points to lead three Huskers in double figures as Nebraska battled before falling 72-61 to Colorado in a charity exhibition game between the two programs Sunday afternoon in Boulder. The Huskers rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit to five in the later stages of the first half and had opportunities to close the Buffaloes lead in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback. Bandoumel had 10 of his 14 points in the second half, while Juwan Gary and Sam Griesel had 11 and 10 points, respectively for the Huskers. In all, the Huskers held CU, which won 21 games and finished fourth in the Pac-12 last season, to 43.3 percent shooting, but shot just 41 percent, including 6-of-25 from 3-point range. KJ Simpson led all scorers with 17 points, including six in a 13-6 spurt to open the second half for the hosts, while J'Vonne Hadley had 11 points and eight rebounds for CU.
 
Quick Notes From the Colorado Exhibition

• With the loss, the Huskers fell to 62-7 all-time in exhibition games dating back to the 1966-67 season and snapped a 19-game win streak in exhibitions dating back to the 2007-08 season.
• Ticket proceeds from the Nebraska-Colorado matchup will go to survivors and first responders of last December's Marshall Fires in Boulder County.
• Nebraska falls to 2-1 all-time in charity exhibition games, as NU won the 2020 matchup with Colorado in Lincoln (82-67) and a 2017 win at Mississippi State (76-72).
• Nebraska put three players in double figures for the second straight time during exhibition play.
• All 11 scholarship players who dressed played in Sunday's game, as the Husker bench out-scored Colorado's reserves 26-19.

Numbers from the Exhibition Games

• 2.5-to-1 - Assist-to-turnover ratio for Sam Griesel in the two exhibitions after posting a 1.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio at NDSU last year. Griesel also averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the Huskers' two contests.
• 12.0 - Despite breaking in an entirely new backcourt, Nebraska has averaged just 12.0 turnovers per game in the two exhibition games.
• 17.0 - Points per game for Juwan Gary in Nebraska's two exhibition games on 50 percent shooting. Gary averaged 6.5 points per game for Alabama last season.  Gary's collegiate high in points is 19 (vs. Houston, at Florida).
• 27- Offensive rebounds for the Huskers in the two exhibitions. Last season, the Huskers were 13th in the Big Ten in offensive rebounding with 7.3 per game.

 A Quick Look at Nebraska
Fred Hoiberg begins his fourth season at Nebraska 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.

While Walker is the only returning starter, NU also welcomes back three players who saw extensive action last year in C.J. Wilcher, Keisei Tominaga and Wilhelm Breidenbach.  Wilcher played in all 30 games, including a pair of starts, and was NU's sixth man for most of 2021-22.  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 in his first season as a Huskers.

 Tominaga played in 30 games, including 11 starts and averaged 5.7 points per game. He was third on the team with 36 3-pointers, and spent the summer with the Japanese National Team. Tominaga averaged more than 15.0 ppg in two major tournaments with Japan.
Breidenbach also returns after missing most of last season with a knee injury suffered last December. 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.
 
For Openers
Nebraska begins its 127th season of basketball on Monday against Maine. Here are some facts and figures about season openers for the Husker basketball program.

• Nebraska is 85-41 (.674) all-time in season openers and has won 19 of the past 21 season openers dating back to an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts to begin the 2000 season.
• The Nov. 7 start is one of the earliest starts in program history. It marks the fifth time in program history that the Huskers opened before Nov. 10.
• Nebraska has scored 70+ points in eight of the last eight season openers dating back to the opening of Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14.

Revamped Husker Coaching Staff
In addition to nine new faces on the Husker roster (six scholarship and three walkons), the Husker staff also has several new faces this season.

• Assistant Coach Adam Howard comes to Nebraska after spending the last four seasons at South Alabama, helping the program to 75 wins in that span after the program had seven straight losing seasons. Last year, South Alabama won 21 games, the school's highest total since 2008. Howard also coached at Troy, Tennessee, Southern Miss and Morehead State after playing collegiately at Western Kentucky.
• Assistant Coach Ernie Zeigler comes to Lincoln after spending six years on Ben Howland's staff at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had four postseason appearances between 2018-22. Zeiger spent six seasons as the head coach at Central Michigan (2007-12) and previously served stints at UCLA, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Detroit and Bowling Green.
• Emmanuel Tommy joined the staff as Director of Player Development. He was an assistant coach at Alabama A&M last season and had worked on the administrative side at both McNeese State and South Alabama.
• Two familiar faces in new positions are graduate managers Michael Bania and Payden Borders, both of whom worked as managers in the Husker program. Both graduated from Nebraska last May.

Looking at Maine
Maine will have a retooled roster under first-year coach Chris Markwood, who returns to Maine after spending the 2021-22 season as an assistant at Boston College. Markwood is a Maine native who played collegiately at Notre Dame and at Maine, serving as a captain as a senior at Maine in 2004-05. Following his playing career, he started his coaching career on the Maine staff before stints at Vermont, Northeastern and Boston College. Markwood and his staff have eight new players on the 2022-23 roster while also returning nine players from last year's squad. Maine was picked ninth in the preseason America East Conference.

• The Black Bears return two starters in Ja'Shonte Wright-Mcleish (7.4 ppg, 18 starts) and Adefolarin Adetogun (3.9 ppg, 16 starts), but all nine of their returners started multiple games in 2021-22.
• Senior guard LeChaun Duhart the team's top returning scorer at 8.5 points per game, as he played in just 13 games, including 12 starts. Duhart, who was Maine's leading scorer in 2020-21 (11.0 ppg) had a career-high 22 against Rutgers last season.
• Monday's game against Maine is the first meeting between the two schools. Nebraska has played just two games against current members of the America East Conference, the fewest of any Division I conference. Both games were against Maryland-Baltimore County (1989, 2008).

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

 
Homegrown Huskers
The 2022-23 roster features four in-state products in Sam Griesel (Lincoln), Sam Hoiberg (Lincoln), Henry Burt (Omaha) and Cale Jacobsen (Ashland). Griesel is the Huskers' first scholarship recruit since Jake Muhleisen in the early 2000s. While Griesel is expected to make his first start as a Husker, he has starting experience in the building during his college career. While at North Dakota State, he started both games for the Bison in the 2020 Golden Window event at PBA, averaging 9.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He had nine points and 12 rebounds in a 79-57 loss to the Huskers. No current Husker played against Griesel in that contest.
 
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)

 
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 activities 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).
 
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 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 or Coaches Preseason poll. The Huskers will face No. 9/9 Creighton, No. 13/14 Indiana, No. 22/22 Michigan and No. 23/23 Illinois while six other teams (Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers, Wisconsin) 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. 

Tominaga Stars on Japanese Team
Keisei Tominaga spent most of the summer playing with the Japanese Senior National Team for the first time. The 6-foot-2 guard made his debut in the FIBA World Cup Asia qualifier in early July and then starred for Japan in the 2022 Asia Cup. In seven games with the Senior National Team, Tominaga averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the 3-point line. His best performance came against Australia in the Asia Cup quarterfinals, when he poured in 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range. His performance helped Japan to its best Asia Cup finish since 2015.
 
Huskers Annually 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.
 
All in the Family
Several members of the 2022-23 Huskers have family members who have played basketball at the college or professional levels. The list is led by Fred Hoiberg, who played in the NBA for a decade after a standout career at Iowa State. In addition, Ramel Lloyd was a Parade All-American who scored over 1,600 points at the college level at Syracuse and Long Beach State. Both Aleh Kojenets and Jurga Paliaukaite played at UNC Wilmington, while Paliaukaite holds the UNC Wilmington women's record with 10 blocked shots in a game.  Keisei Tominaga's father didn't play college basketball, but was a center on the Japanese national team at the 1998 FIBA World Championship and played professionally in Japan for a decade.
 

 
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. He is also one of 23 former NBA players guiding Division I programs in 2022-23
 
Division I Coaches with NBA Head Coaching Experience

 
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.).

Huskers Drop Hard-Fought Dual to NDSU

Lincoln, Neb. - Despite five victories on the night in front of a crowd of 3,097 at the Devaney Center, the Huskers dropped their season-opening dual against NDSU, 20-16.
 
#20 Liam Cronin (125) started the night out with a win over Carlos Negrete Jr., 5-1. The two remained scoreless throughout the first period, but Cronin earned two points in the second with an escape and stalling called against Negrete Jr. In the third period, Negrete Jr. had an escape, but Cronin secured the victory with a takedown and the riding point.
 
In #24 Boo Dryden's (133) Husker debut, he secured a 6-2 decision over McGwire Midkiff. Dryden recorded three points in the second period with an escape and a takedown. Midkiff answered with a takedown of his own to enter the third period 3-2. With another takedown and the riding time point, Dryden cruised to the win.
 
#28 Brock Hardy (141) scored a quick takedown to open the match, but #9 Dylan Droegemueller answered with an escape, a takedown and near-fall points to go up 7-2. Droegemueller went on to record an additional takedown and escape to take the match, 10-4.
 
For the 149 weight-class, Dayne Morton and Michael Weber battled in the fourth bout of the night into 30-second tiebreakers. Weber had a takedown, but Morton had a big takedown as time expired in the third period. Weber's riding time point sent the wrestlers into sudden victory, where they went scoreless. In the extra periods, Weber pulled away with an escape to win the match, 3-2.
 
In the lone top-ten matchup of the night, #4 Peyton Robb (157) got on the board quickly with a takedown in the first 30 seconds. Robb stayed ahead of #9 Jared Franek throughout the three periods to seal the 7-4 victory. Maintaining control throughout, Robb had the riding time point secured at the end of the second period. Franek brought the score within one point in the final period with a takedown and escape, but Robb's final escape and riding time point put him ahead by three as time expired.
 
Jagger Condomitti (165) struck first with a takedown over #19 Michael Caliendo, but was pinned with 1:20 left in the first period.
 
Next, #3 Mikey Labriola (174) cruised to a major decision over Gaven Sax to bring the overall team score to 13-12. In the first period, Labriola had a pair of takedowns, while Sax answered with a pair of escapes to bring the score to 4-2. Sax had a stall warning and locked hands penalty to hand Labriola two more points. With another takedown, Labriola entered the second period up 8-3. Sax had an escape to open the final period, but Labriola overpowered him with a pair of takedowns, a four-point near fall and stalling called against Sax.
 
Brandyn Van Tassel (184) fell in a tough battle with #31 DJ Parker in the next bout. Entering the third period, Parker was ahead, 6-2. He used near-fall points to pull away and record the technical fall, 17-2.
 
#27 Silas Allred (197) powered himself to an upset over #21 Owen Pentz with a 4-2 win in sudden victory. Allred took the first points with a takedown in the last seconds of the first period. Pentz had an escape and the riding time point to tie it as the clock winded down in the third period. Allred's sudden victory takedown gave him the 4-2 edge to get the Big Red back on track.
 
With the Huskers trailing 17-16 overall, #28 Cale Davidson (HWT) took the mat against Juan Mora. Davidson had an escape in the second period, but Mora's takedown in the third helped him to win the match and seal the team win for North Dakota State.
 
NU will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 12 for the Journeymen Wranglemania. The team is set to face Army and NC State, beginning at 12 p.m. (CT). 
 
 #8 Nebraska 16, North Dakota State 20
125: #20 Liam Cronin (NEB) dec. Carlos Negrete Jr. (NDSU) 5-1 (NEB 3, NDSU 0)
133: #24 Boo Dryden (NEB) dec. McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) 6-2 (NEB 6, NDSU 0)
141: #9 Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU) dec. #28 Brock Hardy (NEB) 10-4 (NEB 6, NDSU 3)
149: Michael Weber (NDSU) dec. Dayne Morton (NEB) 2OT 3-2 (NEB 6, NDSU 6)
157: #4 Peyton Robb (NEB) dec. #9 Jared Franek (NDSU) 7-4 (NEB 9, NDSU 6)
165: #19 Michael Caliendo (NDSU) pinned Jagger Condomitti (NEB) (1:20) (NDSU 12, NEB 9)
174: #3 Mikey Labriola (NEB) maj. dec. Gaven Sax (NDSU) 15-7 (NEB 13, NDSU 12)
184: #31 DJ Parker (NDSU) tech. fall Brandyn Van Tassell (NEB) 17-2 (NDSU 17, NEB 13)
197: #27 Silas Allred (NEB) dec. #21 Owen Pentz (NDSU) SV-1 4-2 (NDSU 17, NEB 16)
HWT: Juan Mora (NDSU) dec. #28 Cale Davidson (NEB) 2-1 (NDSU 20, NEB 16)