Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Caitlin Clark effect comes to Lincoln, more

When the Nebraska Cornhuskers women’s basketball team takes to the court against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes on February 11, they’ll be playing in front of a soldout PBA crowd for the first time in program history.

There’s been much talk about the Caitlin Clark effect in women’s sports. Most famously, there was the Iowa writer who tried to make an analogy between attendance numbers for Iowa basketball and Nebraska volleyball, which fell very flat.

Plenty of Husker fans felt as though he was trying to claim that women’s sports in general, were only popular because of Clark. That set of Nebraska Cornhuskers fans who have long been selling massive amounts of tickets to watch John Cook’s squad dominate the sport.

This time, though, it does feel like Caitlin Clark is a big reason why PBA is sold out. Of course, it does help that Amy Williams’ squad is very, very good and is competing for an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Omaha World-Herald estimates that with ticket sales — as well as arena staff, media and team personnel — the attendance should be around 15,000.

Assuming that number is accurate, it would be the largest crowd in the history of Nebraska Cornhuskers women’s basketball. The previous record sits at 14,289. That number also came against Caitlin Clark and Iowa last season.

More Nebraska Cornhuskers news

• Speaking of resurgent Husker women’s sports, the Nebraska softball team made ESPN’s top 25 earlier this week and on Thursday pitcher Jordy Bahl was named to the Player of the Year watchlist. There are 50 players on that list and Bahl is the only Big Ten player to make it. That is pretty much exactly what Nebraska Cornhuskers fans were hoping for when she transferred here from Oklahoma last offseason.

• With the spring semester kicking off, there are a ton of Nebraska football players who were in highschool just a few weeks ago now on campus in Lincoln. 247Sports has a run down of all the early enrollees.

• The Omaha World-Herald has a run down of one receiver who could be very important in 2024. Jacory Barney could be a big playmaker for a Nebraska Cornhuskers offense that is going to be revamped with a new quarterback at the helm.