Nebraska hopes to see a recent string of season-opening wins continue as the Huskers have won eight straight to open a season. The Huskers also are looking for their 399th all-time win at the Devaney Center, where they have called home since the 1976-77 campaign.

To try to make it nine straight season-opening wins, Nebraska will put a number of new faces on the floor. In total, nine Huskers will be eligible for their first official participation in an NU uniform on Saturday, including two juniors, a sophomore, three redshirt-freshmen and three freshmen.

One Husker who will not be in uniform for the next 15 games is freshman Christian Standhardinger, who led Nebraska with 17.5 points while adding 7.0 rebounds over two exhibition games. The Munich, Germany, native hit 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the floor and 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the line while averaging just 19.5 minutes per game in the exhibition season. But an NCAA ruling will force Standhardinger to sit out 15 games, missing all of the non-conference slate.

With Standhardinger on the bench, the Huskers will have to adjust offensively. Leading the way to try to pick up some of the offensive slack could be senior guard Ryan Anderson. Nebraska’s active career leader in scoring, rebounding, steals and 3-pointers, Anderson averaged 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in exhibition play, and hit 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the floor. Anderson’s numbers helped the Huskers hit 50.9 percent (56-of-110) from the floor in exhibition play. He was 2-of-4 from 3-point range, although the rest of his teammates were just 4-of-22.

The USC Upstate Spartans enter the season with seven returning letterwinners, including three starters, from last year’s 9-21 squad. Last season, USCU won just one true road game, a 70-59 victory at Jacksonville. It was one of just two victories away from the Spartanburg, S.C., campus.

The Spartans averaged 60.4 points per game last season with departed forward Bobby Davis leading the charge with 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest. Center Nick Schneiders, who stands 7-3, was second on the team with 9.5 points per game while adding 6.1 rebounds per game. Despite his size, Schneiders hit just 44.6 percent from the floor while also hitting only 53.1 percent at the charity stripe, but did lead the league in blocked shots with 79 in 30 contests (2.63 per game). He was selected to the 2009-10 Atlantic Sun preseason all-conference team, the first Spartan to earn the honor since USCU moved to Division I two years ago.

Along with Schneiders, the Spartans return guard Josh Chavis, the team’s third-leading scorer last year (8.3 ppg). Chavis paced the squad with 59 3-pointers and 80.4-percent shooting at the free throw line while ranking second on the team in assists with 69.

USC Upstate is guided by veteran coach Eddie Payne, who is entering his 25th season on the sideline. He owns a 369-331 career record, including a 100-77 mark in seven seasons with the Spartans.

USC Upstate did not play any exhibition games during the preseason but instead conducted closed scrimmages against Presbyterian and UNC Asheville.

Nebraska opens the 2009-10 season at home against South Carolina Upstate looking to earn its ninth straight win in a season opener. A couple other notes about Husker season openers:

• The Nov. 14 opener is the second-earliest season-opening date in school history, only behind the Nov. 10 season opener in 2007. Nebraska has also opened a season on Nov. 14 twice before, in the 2006 and 1998 seasons.

• Nebraska has won eight straight season openers since an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts in 2000. Overall, Nebraska is 11-2 in season openers during the Big 12 era, and 74-39 all-time.

• The last time Nebraska lost a season opener at home was 1980 when NU fell to Wyoming, 62-59, in overtime. The Huskers have won 19 straight season openers at home since that loss.