The Nebraska baseball team knew they were in the NCAA Tournament thanks to winning the Big Ten Tournament title. What they didn't know until Monday morning is where they would be playing their regional matchups. Most experts believed they were headed to an SEC school as has been the case more often than not in the past. However, the Huskers caught of a bit of a curveball on ESPN's selection show.
Instead of having to face off against Arkansas and former coach Dave Van Horn, as is usually the worry, or go down to Oxford to match up against the Ole Miss Rebels, the Cornhuskers are headed to ACC country. In the process, they'll face off against an old rival in their opening regional game.
Nebraska baseball gets thrown a curveball with Chapel Hill Regional draw
The Nebraska baseball team will open the tournament in the Chapel Hill Regional, with North Carolina as the top seed in that region. While it would have been nice to face off against a mid-major program to open things up, they'll instead face off against former Big 8 and Big 12 rival, Oklahoma Sooners who are of course, now members of the SEC. The fourth team in the group is a Holy Cross squad that hasn't made the field of 64 in quite some time.
There is another interesting twist in this particular draw for the Cornhuskers. Should they manage to win the Chapel Hill regional, the Super Regional could offer up a favorable matchup.
The Chapel Hill regional is lined up with the Eugene Regional. That means the winner of Nebraska's group could face off against none other than the Oregon Ducks.
The Huskers have already demonstrated they can at least handle Oregon in a head-to-head matchup. So, should NU find a way to advance to the next round, there's a chance.
Granted, in order to get to Oregon, they first need to get by Oklahoma and North Carolina. The Tar Heels especially are a very tough out, having one of the best offenses in the country. The Sooners are no slouch either, finishing in the Top 30 in the country in RPI.
The Nebraska baseball program has its work cut out for it. Hopefully it can carry over the momentum from another Big Ten Tournament run.