Huskers Look to Knock Off Gophers

The Nebraska men's basketball team looks to end the regular season on a high note, as the Huskers take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Sunday afternoon. 

Tipoff from historic Williams Arena is set for Noon (central) and will be televised nationally on BTN with Brandon Gaudin and Brian Butch on the call. The game can also be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the Fox Sports app.
 

GAME 31: NEBRASKA AT MINNESOTA Date:     Sunday, March 8 Time:     12:01 p.m. (central) Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Arena:     Williams Arena NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2019-20 Record: 7-23 (2-17 Big Ten) Head coach: Fred Hoiberg     Record at Nebraska: 7-23 (1st year)     Career NCAA Record: 122-79 (6th year) MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS 2019-20 Record: 13-16 (7-12 Big Ten) Head coach: Richard Pitino     Record at Minnesota: 125-108 (7th year)     Career Record: 143-122 (8th year) BROADCAST INFO Television: BTN     Play-by-play: Brandon Gaudin     Analyst: Brian Butch Online Broadcast: Fox Sports App Radio: Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network, including 590 AM (Omaha), 1400 AM (Lincoln) and 880 AM (Lexington)     Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka     Analyst: Jake Muhleisen Online Radio: Available on Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn.com/Huskers and TuneIn App.  SiriusXM (Internet): Ch.  974        XM: Ch. 384

Fans can follow all of the action across the state of Nebraska on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call. The game will also be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers app and TuneIn radio. The pregame show begins one hour prior to tipoff.

As the Big Ten season winds down, the Huskers will play in the opening day of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis next Wednesday. The Huskers can move up to the No. 13 seed with a win against Minnesota and a loss by Northwestern against Penn State on Saturday. A Husker loss puts Nebraska in the No. 11/14 game, most likely against Purdue or Indiana.

Nebraska (7-23, 2-17 Big Ten) looks to bounce back following an 82-58 loss at No. 25 Michigan on Thursday evening. The Huskers who had just eight players available, trailed 32-28 at halftime, but Michigan took control in the opening minutes of the second half to cruise to the victory. Playing without Cam Mack (suspension), the Huskers committed 22 turnovers which led to 24 Wolverine points. Haanif Cheatham led NU with 19 points, while Dachon Burke Jr. added 16 markers in the loss. 

Cheatham, the lone active senior on the Husker roster, is wrapping up his college career with some of his best basketball. Over the last seven contests, he is averaging 16.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He has a pair of 20-point games in that stretch and has reached double figures six times in that span.

Minnesota (13-16, 7-12 Big Ten) comes off a 72-67 loss at Indiana on Wednesday. Daniel Oturu led the Gophers with 24 points and 16 rebounds, while Gabe Kalschuer added 14 points in the loss. Indiana shot 54 percent in the second half and used a 9-1 run to take the lead for good. Minnesota is locked into the No. 12 spot in next week's Big Ten Tournament and will play in the first game Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Dachon Burke is averaging 15.3 points per game since Feb. 15. He is shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range in that stretch and has six straight double-figure efforts since missing the Maryland game because of illness.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
15,605 - Nebraska's final average attendance this season at Pinnacle Bank Arena, an average which is 11th nationally as of March 6.

11.3/21.5 - Nebraska averaged just 11.3 turnovers per game in its first 28 games, but has committed 20-or-more turnovers in each of the last two contests, including a season-high 22 at Michigan on Thursday.

4 - Overtime games this season for Nebraska, tying a school record set five times previously (also 2007-08, 1996-97, 1986-87, 1979-80 and 1955-66). 

11 - Number of 20-point games by Husker players this season following Haanif Cheatham's 20-point effort against Northwestern on March 1. 

80.0- Nebraska shot a season-high 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the foul line at Michigan on Thursday. That came off the heels of an 8-of-30 effort against Northwestern on March 1.

9 - Cam Mack is one of just nine players in Division I - and just five in power conferences - averaging at least 12.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game as of March 5. The other power conference players include Tre Jones (Duke), Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State), Zavier Simpson (Michigan) and Markell Johnson (NC State).

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Under Richard Pitino, the Golden Gophers enter the final weekend of the season with a 13-16 record and are locked in as the No. 12 seed for next week's Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota returned a pair of starters from a team that won 22 games and reached the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Minnesota has played very well at times, including a sweep of Ohio State and wins over Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Golden Gophers have struggled down the stretch, entering Sunday's game on a three-game losing streak and eight of its last 10 games dating back to Jan. 26. 

The Gophers feature one of the Big Ten's best big men in sophomore Daniel Oturu, who leads Minnesota in scoring (20.3 ppg), field goal percentage (.562), rebounding (11.6 rpg) and blocked shots (2.5 bpg). He leads the Big Ten in rebounding and blocked shots and is second in scoring. Sophomore guard Marcus Carr is among the conference scoring leaders at 15.4 ppg while ranking second in the Big Ten with 6.6 assists per game. Sophomore Gabe Kalscheur also averages double figures at 11.3 points per game while hitting a team-high 67 3-pointers.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Nebraska and Minnesota will meet for the 78th time on Sunday, which is the most between the Huskers and any other Big Ten member.  It is NU's longest-running series in the Big Ten, as it dates back to February of 1902. The Gophers lead the all-time series, 55-22, while the Huskers have won seven of the past 10 meetings. In all, 11 of the last 12 meetings have been won by the home team dating back to 2012.  Nebraska is 7-6 against the Golden Gophers as Big Ten members. Prior to joining the Big Ten in 2011-12, NU and Minnesota met in non-conference action every year from 1995 until 2004 after not playing for 16 years.

Last Meeting: James Palmer Jr. knocked down a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift Nebraska to a 62-61 win on Feb. 13, 2019.
Nebraska led for much of the second half before Minnesota used a 6-0 run to take a 61-59 lead with less than a minute to play. The Gophers led by one when Isaiah Roby drew a charge from Minnesota's Jordan Murphy to give the ball back to Nebraska with 18 seconds remaining. On Nebraska's first chance to win the game, Thomas Allen had his shot blocked, but Dupree McBrayer was out of bounds when catching the block. On the ensuing inbound, Palmer caught the ball on the baseline, pumped fake, and drew a foul on Amir Coffey to set up his game-winning free throws.

Palmer, who scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, was 8-of-10 at the line on the night, including 3-of-4 in the final minute. Glynn Watson Jr. added 19 points. Minnesota got a double-double from Murphy with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Daniel Oturu added 16 points and Coffey chipped in 11 points.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Nebraska battled back from a slow start to pull within four points at halftime, but No. 25 Michigan started the second half on an 18-4 run on its way to an 82-58 victory Thursday night at the Crisler Center.

Haanif Cheatham scored 19 points and Dachon Burke Jr. scored 16 points to pace Nebraska. Thorir Thorbjarnarson pulled down a team-best seven rebounds for the Huskers, who outrebounded Michigan 40-38, the first time this season Nebraska has outrebounded a Big Ten foe. Nebraska also shot a season-best 80 percent on free throws, connecting on 12 of 15 attempts.
 
But the Wolverines, led by Isaiah Livers with 18 points, shot 59.4 percent from the field in the second half to pull away from Nebraska, which was playing without starting point guard Cam Mack for its second consecutive road game. Livers, who also had 10 rebounds was one of five Wolverines to finish in double figures, while Xavier Simpson had 11 points and a game-high 10 assists.
 
STORYLINES
• Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg returns to Minneapolis, where he spent two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2003-05) before joining the Timberwolves front office for five seasons (2005-10). Hoiberg helped the Timberwolves to 58 wins and the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04.

• Sunday's game will feature two of the Big Ten's premier point guards in Minnesota's Marcus Carr and Nebraska's Cam Mack. Carr is second in the Big Ten in assists per game (6.6 apg), while Mack ranks third (6.4 apg). Both are tied for second in the Big Ten with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

• While the Huskers have lost a school-record 15 straight contests entering Thursday's game, NU Head Coach Fred Hoiberg experienced a similar double-figure losing streak during his first season at Iowa State. That year, the Cyclones were short-handed with four sit-out transfers en route to going 3-13 in the Big 12. The next season, the Cyclones put together the largest turnaround in Big 12 history and went 12-6 on their way to the first of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances under Hoiberg.

• The Huskers have played a challenging schedule, playing 15 Quad 1 games so far this season. In all, 19 of the Huskers' 30 games to date have been against Quad 1 or 2 opponents. Minnesota, which is 45th in the NET will be NU's 16th game against a Quad 1 team.  In all, 11 of the 14 Big Ten teams are in the top 50 of the NET as of March 6.

• Nebraska's Cam Mack is the only Big Ten player who ranks in the top five of the Big Ten in both assists and steals as of March 6. In fact, Mack joins Michigan State's Cassius Winston, Iowa's Connor McCaffery and Ohio State's C.J. Walker as the only Big Ten players in the top 10 in both categories heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

• Nebraska has 240 3-pointers this year which ranks fourth in school history. The Huskers need four 3-pointers to move into third place on the single-season chart. Nebraska has hit 10-or-more 3-pointers seven times this season, including 12 against Northwestern on March 1.

• Despite the turnover troubles of the last two games, Nebraska enters Sunday's game tied for first in the Big Ten in turnover margin at +2.1 per game. The Huskers lead the Big Ten in forcing turnovers (14.0 per game) and commit just under 12 turnovers per game despite playing at a fast tempo.  During his tenure at Iowa State, Hoiberg's teams ranked in the top three in the Big 12 in fewest turnovers per game in four of his five seasons at the school.

• Despite being undersized and having just one player who had played in a Big Ten game entering the season, Nebraska's play in Big Ten action is starting to resemble the team's that Coach Hoiberg had at Iowa State, especially with ball movement and limiting turnovers. In Big Ten games only, NU is in the top three in three offensive categories entering the week, including turnover margin and 3-pointers per game.

Big Strides in Conference Play

Category	2019-20 (B1G)	2018-19 (B1G)	Times ISU Led Big 12 Under Hoiberg
3-Pt./GM	8.1 (3rd)	6.8 (8th)	(3) 2011-12; 2012-13; 2014-15
Asst/GM	14.4 (3rd)	11.7 (10th)	(2) 2013-14; 2014-15
Turnover Margin	+1.5 (2nd)	+2.0 (4th)	(0) None

as of March 6
 
• It is not surprising that Nebraska has relied on its 3-point shooting, as Hoiberg's Iowa State teams led the Big 12 in 3-pointers in four of his five seasons at the school. The Huskers, who are fourth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game, are on pace to average 8.0 3-pointers per game, a total which would rank second in school history and be the most since the 2001-02 campaign.
 
Most 3-Pointers/Game in School History

No.	School	Games	3-Pointers/Game
1.	2001-02	28	9.54
-	2019-20	30	8.00
2.	2006-07	31	7.87
3.	2018-19	36	7.50

 
• Cam Mack has made an impact in his first season at Nebraska. He is 15th nationally with 6.4 assists per game, which is on pace to be the most by a Husker since the 1985-86 season, and ranks 33rd nationally with his 2.42-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Mack's assist-to-turnover ratio is on pace to be one of the best in school history.
 
Best Assist/Turnover Ratios (Since 1979)

No.	Ratio	Player	Asst.-TO	Year
1.	3.05	Brian Carr	201-66	1985-86
2.	2.73	Jamar Johnson	123-45	1993-94
3.	2.58	Brian Carr	237-92	1984-85
4.	2.54	Jack Moore	109-43	1981-82
5.	2.52	Charles Richardson Jr.	179-71	2006-07
-	2.42	Cam Mack	179-74	2019-20

min. 3.0 assists/gm
 
 • Cam Mack enters the Minnesota game in a tie for third place on NU's single-season assist list with 179. He will move past Charles Richardson Jr. (179, 2006-07) for third place and needs just 21 assists to become just the second player in school history with 200 assists in a season.

• Haanif Cheatham's 20-point effort against Northwestern on March 1 marked the Huskers' 11th 20-point game of the season (Burke-4; Cheatham-4; Mack-2; Green-1).

• Nebraska played a school-record four overtime games this year, which is nearly half of the Big Ten's 11 overtime games this season as of March 6.

• Nebraska has relied on its balance with four double-figure scorers in conference play. NU has had at least three players reach double figures in 23 of 30 games this year, including a trio of games with five double-figure scorers.

• Nebraska has used seven different starting lineups this season and are down to just nine eligible players after Matej Kavas suffered a season-ending injury against Wisconsin on Feb. 15. Kavas suffered a left (non-shooting) hand injury and had surgery. Kavas averaged 5.3 points per game and had totaled 23 3-pointers in 22 contests.  The Huskers had just eight players available against Michigan after Cam Mack was suspended for a violation of team rules.

• Freshman Charlie Easley was put on scholarship for the spring semester on Jan. 10. Easley has played in 26 games as a backup guard, including all 19 Big Ten contests. A Lincoln native, Easley has started twice in Big Ten play (vs. No. 24 Penn State, at No. 25 Michigan) and averages nearly a steal per game in conference play.

• Nebraska returned a national-low 1.9 percent of its scoring from last season and the 50 returning points is the lowest by any power conference team in more than a decade according to noted statistician Ken Pomeroy. That team was the 2008-09 Indiana Hoosiers, who went 6-26 overall (1-17 in Big Ten) and had two double-figure losing streaks. The Big Ten had seven teams reach the NCAA Tournament this season.
 
SETTING A FAST PACE
Not only are the Huskers adjusting to a whole new roster, but playing at a significantly faster pace than in previous years. The Huskers are seventh nationally in offensive tempo, as their average possession is 15.2 seconds per possession as of March 6.

• The only power conference school that plays at a faster pace is Alabama, which is fifth nationally. Iowa (46th) and Penn State (48th) are the only other Big Ten teams in the top-50 nationally.

• Over the last five years (2014-15 to 2018-19), only two Big Ten teams - Ohio State (16th, 2014-15) and Minnesota (20th, 2014-15) - ranked in the top 20 nationally in possession length.

• Nebraska, Gonzaga, Belmont and St. John's are the only teams nationally to currently rank in the top 30 nationally in both offensive pace and turnover percentage as of March 6.

• In his five full seasons as a college coach, Hoiberg's teams have ranked in the top 20 in offensive tempo four times, including top-10 rankings in both 2014 and 2015.

• Hoiberg's first Iowa State team in 2010-11 jumped from 67th to 20th nationally in offensive pace and ranked in the top 40 nationally in adjusted tempo in four of his five seasons in Ames, including top-15 nationally in his last two campaigns.

• In the KenPom era (1997-present), only one Husker team has ranked among the top 100 nationally in adjusted tempo - the 1999-2000 Huskers under Danny Nee. The Huskers' quickest offensive tempo in the last decade was in 2017-18 when the Huskers were 140th in offensive tempo.
 
SIX NAMED TO ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT HONOR ROLL
Six members of the Husker men's basketball program were honored on Feb. 29, as they were named to the NU Athletic Department Honor Roll for the fall semester.
The group includes senior Matej Kavas, junior Thorir Thorbjarnarson, sophomore Cam Mack and freshmen Charlie Easley, Jace Piatkowski and Bret Porter. It is the third time that Thorbjarnarson has earned the distinction, while it is the first time for the other five student-athletes, all of whom completed their first semester at Nebraska in the fall.  To qualify for the honor roll, student-athletes must have a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester.
 
MACK DELIVERS AS HUSKERS' LEAD GUARD
Junior college transfer Cam Mack was the cornerstone of the Huskers' recruiting class, and has lived up to the billing in his first season at Nebraska.  Mack was the No. 3 JUCO recruit in the country last year at Salt Lake CC and has been one of the Big Ten's top newcomers this season.

Mack, who was listed as the top JC point guard recruit in the country, enters the Minnesota contest averaging 12.0 points per game while leading the Huskers in assists (6.4 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4-to-1) and ranking second in steals (1.3 spg). He is 15th nationally in assists per game.

• He is tied for second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio and third in both steals and assists as of March 6.

• Mack is sixth nationally with four games with at least 10 points and 10 assists. In fact, only 11 players in Division I have at least four double-doubles with points and assists this season as of March 5.

• His 6.4 assists per game is on pace to rank third in school history trailing only Brian Carr, who averaged 7.9 assists per game in 1984-85 and 6.7 assists per game in 1985-86.

• Mack has been even better in Big Ten play, as he is second in the Big Ten in assists (6.8 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7-to-1) in conference games only.

• Mack has four of his five double-doubles in Big Ten action, including the first triple-double in school history against Purdue on Dec. 15 with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the Huskers' 70-54 win.

• He will move into third place on NU's single-season assist list with his first assist against Minnesota and needs 21 to become the second Husker with 200 assists in a season.

• Mack has reached double figures a team-high 22 times, including a season-high 24-point performance against South Dakota State on Nov. 15 and a 20-point, nine-assist effort against Indiana on Jan. 18.

• He shined in the first meeting with Michigan on Jan. 28 with 19 points, including a season-high five 3-pointers, nine assists and seven rebounds.

• Mack nearly led the Huskers to a comeback win at No. 24 Rutgers on Jan. 25, scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half as Nebraska rallied back from 14 points down to take the lead before falling 75-72.

• Last season at Salt Lake CC, Mack averaged 19.1 points, 7.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game, ranking fifth nationally in assists per game. He totaled nine double-doubles and three triple-doubles as a freshman and dished out 10-or-more assists nine times.
 
CHEATHAM MAKES IMPACT ON BOTH ENDS
Fifth-year senior Haanif Cheatham has been one of the leaders for a young Husker team. The guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has made 110 career appearances, including 103 starts during a career which has seen him play at Marquette and Florida Gulf Coast before coming to Nebraska. He was the first player to commit to Nebraska following the hiring of Fred Hoiberg, and has been a steady performer in 2019-20.

• Cheatham has been one of NU's most consistent offensive threats, as he leads NU in scoring (12.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (.478) and ranks third in assists (1.5 apg). He has been in double figures a team-high 22 times, including four 20-point contests.

• He is playing some of his best basketball in recent weeks, averaging 14.4 points per game on 48 percent shooting, including 38 percent from 3-point range, over the Huskers' last 10 games dating back to Jan. 28. He has been in double figures eight times in that stretch.

• Cheatham comes off a 19-point, five-rebound, three-steal effort at No. 25 Michigan on Thursday, coming off the heels of a 20-point effort against Northwestern on March. 1.

• He is averaging 2.6 steals per game over the Huskers' last five contests, including a season-high five against Michigan State on Feb. 20. He is now ninth in the Big Ten in steals in conference play (1.2 spg).

• Cheatham had one of his best performances of the season at No. 9 Maryland on Feb. 11. In that game, he finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and six boards. Cheatham, who was questionable for the game with a calf injury suffered at Iowa, had 18 points in the second half, as Nebraska rallied back from a 14-point deficit.

• Cheatham posted his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds at Georgia Tech on Dec. 4.

• He was in double figures all three games of the Cayman Islands Classic, averaging 19.0 ppg including a career-best 26-point effort against South Florida to garner all-tournament honors.

A former top-100 recruit out of high school, he was named Marquette's top defensive performer in each of his two full seasons at Marquette.
 
THOR EMERGES AS SCORING THREAT
Junior Thorir Thorbjarnarson emerged as a vital part of the Huskers' offensive attack and one of the most improved players in the Big Ten. The 6-foot-6 guard is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.6 ppg, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range.

• Thorbjarnarson is 10th in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (.392) after shooting just 21.4 percent (6-of-28) from 3-point range in his first two seasons.

• In conference play, he is averaging 10.4 ppg while leading NU in field goal percentage (.458) and 3-point percentage (.372). He is also second in rebounding (5.7 rpg), assists (1.7 apg) and steals (1.2).

• He is fifth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (1.8) and 14th in 3-point percentage (.372) in Big Ten games only.

• His 8.9 ppg increase in conference play from last season is the fifth-largest jump in the Big Ten this season.

• He has reached double figures 12 times in NU's last 23 games after not reaching double figures in his first 41 contests at Nebraska. Since Dec. 4, he has tied or set a career high in points five times, including 17 points at No. 24 Rutgers on Jan. 25.

• Thorbjarnarson had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds in the loss at No. 25 Michigan.

• He nearly had a double-double in the win over Iowa on Jan. 7, finishing with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and a season-high nine rebounds. He tied his season high originally set at Indiana on Dec. 13.

• Thorbjarnarson nearly helped NU knock off No. 9 Maryland with 15 points seven rebounds and a pair of assists in a 72-70 loss on Feb. 11.
 
BURKE SHOWS SCORING TOUCH
The other returnee from the 2018-19 season, Dachon Burke Jr. waited in the wings after transferring from Robert Morris. A 6-foot-4 guard, Burke has shown the skills to flourish in Fred Hoiberg's attack, averaging 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds per game and 15 steals per game.

• He is second in the Big Ten in steals and is the only player in the Big Ten this season with two games of at least five steals. Burke also paces the Huskers in blocked shots (17).

• Since missing the Maryland game with an illness, he is averaging 15.3 points per game on 43 percent shooting, including 43 percent from 3-point range, and 1.8 steals per game
over the last six games.

• He has reached double figures in eight straight games, his longest stretch of the season and in 19 of 29 games this season.

• His four 20-point games ties for the team lead, including a 21-point game against Michigan State on Feb. 20. In that game, he finished with 21 points - including 18 in the first half - on 7-of-15 shooting and tied his season high with four 3-pointers.

• His other 20-point efforts this season include a season-high 25-point effort against Indiana on Dec. 13, a 21-point performance against South Florida on Nov. 27 and a 20-point, eight-rebound outing at Wisconsin on Jan. 21.

• He has 11 games with at least two steals, including five-steal efforts against George Mason on Nov. 25 and Northwestern on March 1.

Two years ago, Burke was one of the best players in the Northeast Conference, averaging 17.6 points per game while adding 5.8 rebounds and a conference-best 2.1 steals per contest to earn second-team all-conference recognition.
 
OUEDRAOGO IS YOUNGSTER WITH BIG ROLE
Yvan Ouedraogo became the first true freshman to start a season opener at Nebraska since 2013 and has put together a solid first-year at Nebraska.

• He is one of the youngest players in the country, as he won't turn 18 until after the 2020 Big Ten Tournament.

• Ouedraogo has made 28 starts and played in all 30 games, averaging 5.7 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game in just over 21 minutes per game. He is third among Big Ten true freshmen in rebounding as of March 6.

• He is playing some of his best basketball over the last two weeks, averaging 7.4 points on 53 percent shooting and 8.9 rebounds per game over Nebraska's last seven games.

• He is on track to be the third freshman to lead NU in rebounding in a season, joining Aleks Maric (6.3, 2005-06) and John Turek (6.2, 2001-02). 

• Ouedraogo's best performance of the year came against Northwestern on March 1, when he posted his third double-double of the season with season highs in points (11), rebounds (19) and minutes (38). His 19 rebounds were the most ever by a Husker freshman and most by any Husker since 2007.

• Ouedraogo became Nebraska's freshman leader in rebounds against Ohio State and now has 197 on the season, breaking the record of 169 by Aleks Maric in 2004-05. Maric eventually became a two-time all-conference performer under Doc Sadler and played for Australia in the 2012 Olympics.

• Ouedraogo's three double-doubles ties for the most ever by a Husker freshman, as he also had double-doubles against Illinois (11 points/10 rebounds) on Feb. 24 and vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (11 points/14 rebounds) on Dec. 29.

• His 10 rebounds against Indiana on Dec. 13 marked the second-highest rebounding total for a Husker freshman in his first conference game, trailing only Dave Hoppen in 1983. 

• Ouedraogo played for the French U-18 squad at the 2019 European Championships in July, as France went 6-1 and finished fifth in the competition.
 
CROSS LIFTS BENCH PRODUCTION
Freshman Kevin Cross has been a key contributor for the Huskers. The 6-foot-8 freshman from Little Rock, Ark., has been Nebraska's sixth man for most of 2019-20, averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

• Cross is sixth on the team in both 3-pointers (26) and assists (34) while playing just 17.9 minutes per game. Because of the Huskers' lack of interior size, Cross has played center as a true freshman after being a forward during his high school career.

• He ranks seventh among Big Ten true freshmen in scoring and sixth in rebounding as of March 6.

• Cross has reached double figures seven times, which is the most by a Husker freshman since Glynn Watson (15) in 2015-16.

• He matched his conference high in points (17) and 3-pointers (three) while dishing out a pair of assists against Michigan on Jan. 28.

• Cross enjoyed one of his best efforts of the season at Wisconsin on Jan. 21, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 20 minutes. He also had a season-best three steals against the Badgers.

• He played a complete game in the win over Washington State on Nov. 25, scoring 14 points, grabbing a season-high eight rebounds and blocking two shots in 27 minutes.

• Against Southern Utah on Nov. 9, Cross had a season-high 19 points, which is the most by a Husker freshman since the 2016-17 season. It was also the most by a Husker freshman since Shavon Shields also had 19 against Michigan State in 2013.