Nebraska Women’s Basketball Roundup: Grading last week, this week’s major game
The Nebraska women’s basketball team is easily having the better season of the two programs that fall under discussion when discussing Nebrasketball. However, injuries have put a damper on what seemed like a sure NCAA Tournament team.
When looking at last week’s games and trying to come up with a grade, it’s hard for the kneejerk reaction to not be “D” or “F.” After all, the Nebraska women’s basketball team went 0-2 this week against Maryland and Iowa.
However, a little context is needed. Certainly, the loss to the Terapins was discouraging. The Cornhuskers shot just 30 percent from the field and hit just 5-of-27 shots from beyond the arc. Even more frustrating – beyond the fact that Ohio State also shot 30 percent – is that the Huskers hit just 11-of-20 free throws.
Saturday’s game was frustrating in another way in that the Nebraska women’s basketball team got out to a big lead against 10th-ranked Iowa and then saw it evaporate in the second and third quarters. The Huskers actually put together a big run in the fourth quarter, outscoring Iowa 26-13 in the final period but losing 80-76.
Considering the Huskers lost to two Top 15 teams, it would seem a more accurate grade would be a B- or C for the week. There were too many chances for at least one win for it to be an A.
Nebraska Women’s Basketball Major Game
After a tough slate against ranked teams, the Huskers get a bit of a break this week with just one contest against a less-than-stellar opponent.
That doesn’t make the matchup against Michigan State any less critical. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that it’s more important since it’s a game the Cornhuskers need to win to continue to have any shot at an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Spartans are also dealing with some recent struggles after starting out looking moderately strong. Michigan State is just 11-9 on the year and 3-6 in the Big Ten, but both of those records have been negatively impacted by a four-game losing streak. Those losses include an overtime title against Iowa and a nine-point defeat to Maryland.
It would appear that the Nebraska women’s basketball team is pretty evenly matched against the Spartans on Thursday and need to emerge victorious.