While it was a slow weekend for Nebraska sports, results from earlier in the week provided more intrigue, as well as a few Big Ten Players of the Week. Brandon Richardson’s season-high 25 points, which earned him a Big Ten Player of the Week honor, highlights this week around Husker Nation.
Men’s Basketball (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) – Last Game: 79-73 W at Iowa
Things were looking rough for the Huskers. Nebraska, who sat third from the bottom of the Big Ten, was getting whooped. Then, a miracle happened. Senior Brandon Richardson went off. Usually called a “passer,” Richardson posted a season-high 25 points and helped drag the Huskers back from the dead to take down Iowa in the final minutes.
Women’s Basketball (18-3, 7-2) – Last Game: 67-47 W at Illinois
After dropping two straight, Nebraska has won three straight games, leaving them with a 12-2 record over the past 14 games. While head coach Connie Yori isn’t impressed with Nebraska’s performance, they keep winning. The Huskers strung together streak after streak to stomp out Illinois by 20 points on Sunday. They’ll face a test this week when they place No. 17 Purdue.
Wrestling (14-1) – Last Match: 36-0 W at Wisconsin
Nebraska made a statement this weekend. The Huskers shut out Wisconsin en route to a nearly unbeaten weekend. Thursday, the Huskers won eight of the ten bouts against Michigan State. The No. 7 Huskers take on No. 2 Penn State in Lincoln on Friday.
Track and Field – Men’s – 1st, Women’s – 3rd; Mark Colligan Memorial (Sat. Jan. 28)
All-American shot putter Luke Pinkelman automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second week in a row this weekend to win Saturday’s meet. The Huskers pulled out the win on the men’s side, but won only two events on the women’s side to take a third place finish behind Michigan and Illinois. Saturday’s meet was the toughest competition Nebraska has seen this year.
Women’s Swimming and Diving (3-2) – Last Meet: 200-100 win vs. Iowa State
Nebraska is back on its feet after two back to back disappointing weekends. The Huskers doubled Iowa State, winning 13 of the meet’s 16 events. They took the top three spots in five of the 13 events they won. Saturday’s win over the Cyclones is the last home meet of the season.
Gymnastics – 3rd at Stanford Open (Men’s)/ L vs. Missouri (Women’s)
No. 9 men’s gymnastics claimed the third place spot behind No. 5 California and No. 6 Stanford over the weekend. The Huskers beat out Washington, and trailed second-place Cal by only 6.7 points.
No. 4 women’s gymnastics started off the meet with two personal bests and a season best, but followed those up with two falls, causing their score against No. 20 Missouri to plummet, ultimately resulting in a loss for the Huskers.
By Chris Peters
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Photo Courtesy Daily Nebraskan