2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers Basketball Preview

2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers Team Preview

Nebraska has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998 and has not won a conference title in 55 years. The results this season may be the same unless this very young team can parlay its speed and talent to over come its lack of experience.

In 2004-05 rookies Joe McCray and Aleks Maric were freshman standouts in the very talented Big 12 Conference. At guard McCray shoots lasers from the outside and penetrates quickly to grab rebounds. Averaging 15.5 points a game, he led his team in scoring and finished eleventh in the Conference. But he also habitually made mistakes and took too many chances—all of which hurt the team. He needs to make more levelheaded decisions on the court, including knowing when to pass off rather than shoot.

As a first year player Maric was a pleasant surprise at center. Although he only started 10 games he led the team in rebounding by snatching 6.3 per game while scoring 8.0 points each contest. The hope is that in 2005-06 Maric will be more judicious with his fouls and continue to improve on the boards.

Senior guard Jason Dourisseau has the ability to effectively cut through defenses and score. With almost 10 point per game and half as many rebounds a contest, he can be a powerful presence this season.

The Cornhuskers also possess a strong first-year contingent, including high scoring point guard Marcus Walker, athletic forward Kyle Marks, and rebounding forward Chris Balham. They will have the chance to contribute this season.

As Nebraska’s head coach Barry Collier (70-77 over 5 years) is still looking for his first winning season. This year can certainly be that year. If Collier doesn’t lead his team to a winning season some wonder if he’ll will have a seventh year at the Cornhuskers’ helm.

We have also listed the link to the official Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic site, for those that would like more info on the 2005 Nebraska mens basketball team. If not continue on below to more of the individual big 12 schools.