URBANDALE, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s three-game road trip across Iowa beginning with tonight’s game against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena. Tri-City will battle the Waterloo Black Hawks in back-to-back games at Young Arena following tonight’s contest. This weekend’s games will be the last games played outside of Nebraska for Tri-City, as the team enters the final nine games of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm CT.

Tri-City (26-18-4-5) enters this weekend’s road series against the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks as the 4th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Storm’s “magic number” to clinch a spot in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs is currently at six points entering this weekend’s slate of games. Tri-City has posted a 1-1-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Des Moines this season. The Storm finished the 2022-2023 regular season 3-2-1-1 in games played against the Buccaneers. Tri-City has won seven of its last eleven games played at Buccaneer Arena. The Storm notched five of a possible six points in the Western Conference standings in last weekend’s performance at the Viaero Center against the league-leading Fargo Force. Tri-City won a 6-2 decision over Fargo Sunday evening to earn a split in the six-game series. A.J. Lacroix, Trevor Connelly, Seth Constance, August Falloon, Cam Briere, and Cooper Simpson each netted a goal for the Storm in the victory. Tri-City improved to 19-4-0-3 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period, and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season in the win. The Storm outshot the Force by a final margin of 28-26, and improved to 17-12-1-13 when outshooting its opponents this season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering tonight’s road game against Des Moines include Trevor Connelly (26), Ryan Smith (21), Cam Briere (20), Artemi Nizameyev (15), August Falloon (15), A.J. Lacroix (13), and Owen Beckner (12). Tonight’s battle is the first game of the Storm’s current five-game road trip. Tri-City will return home to the Viaero Center to host the Sioux Falls Stampede in back-to-back games on Friday, April 5th, and Saturday, April 6th.

Des Moines (21-26-3-2) currently trails the Lincoln Stars by one point for the final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference standings entering tonight’s matchup against Tri-City at Buccaneer Arena. The Buccaneers have posted a 6-2-1-1 record over the past ten games, and have won two of three games played against the Storm this season. Des Moines dropped back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Gamblers and Madison Capitols last weekend. The Buccaneers have played five of the last six games on the road, but will return to action tomorrow with another home game at Buccaneer Arena against the Omaha Lancers. Scoring leaders for Des Moines entering tonight’s battle against Tri-City include Ben Kevan (19), Liam Watkins (18), Jack Kernan (15), Ashton Dahms (13), and Ilya Protas (12).

Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:00pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsURBANDALE, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s three-game road trip across Iowa beginning with tonight’s game against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena. Tri-City will battle the Waterloo Black Hawks in back-to-back games at Young Arena following tonight’s contest. This weekend’s games will be the last games played outside of Nebraska for Tri-City, as the team enters the final nine games of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm CT.Tri-City (26-18-4-5) enters this weekend’s road series against the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks as the 4th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Storm’s “magic number” to clinch a spot in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs is currently at six points entering this weekend’s slate of games. Tri-City has posted a 1-1-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Des Moines this season. The Storm finished the 2022-2023 regular season 3-2-1-1 in games played against the Buccaneers. Tri-City has won seven of its last eleven games played at Buccaneer Arena. The Storm notched five of a possible six points in the Western Conference standings in last weekend’s performance at the Viaero Center against the league-leading Fargo Force. Tri-City won a 6-2 decision over Fargo Sunday evening to earn a split in the six-game series. A.J. Lacroix, Trevor Connelly, Seth Constance, August Falloon, Cam Briere, and Cooper Simpson each netted a goal for the Storm in the victory. Tri-City improved to 19-4-0-3 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period, and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season in the win. The Storm outshot the Force by a final margin of 28-26, and improved to 17-12-1-13 when outshooting its opponents this season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering tonight’s road game against Des Moines include Trevor Connelly (26), Ryan Smith (21), Cam Briere (20), Artemi Nizameyev (15), August Falloon (15), A.J. Lacroix (13), and Owen Beckner (12). Tonight’s battle is the first game of the Storm’s current five-game road trip. Tri-City will return home to the Viaero Center to host the Sioux Falls Stampede in back-to-back games on Friday, April 5th, and Saturday, April 6th.Des Moines (21-26-3-2) currently trails the Lincoln Stars by one point for the final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference standings entering tonight’s matchup against Tri-City at Buccaneer Arena. The Buccaneers have posted a 6-2-1-1 record over the past ten games, and have won two of three games played against the Storm this season. Des Moines dropped back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Gamblers and Madison Capitols last weekend. The Buccaneers have played five of the last six games on the road, but will return to action tomorrow with another home game at Buccaneer Arena against the Omaha Lancers. Scoring leaders for Des Moines entering tonight’s battle against Tri-City include Ben Kevan (19), Liam Watkins (18), Jack Kernan (15), Ashton Dahms (13), and Ilya Protas (12).Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:00pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Storm set for three-game road weekend in Iowa

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?

AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?

AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.

Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?

JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.

Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?

AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?

JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.

We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.

I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.

Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?

AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.

Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.

Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?

JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.

It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.

JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.

Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.

Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.

Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?

JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.

We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.

Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.

I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.

In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?

JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.

Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?

JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.

There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Story by NCAA Communications<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/MsaQX58R-Qhb3tgnY.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="20240321 Nebraska Pregame (1)" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Husker Women bring spirit to NCAA practice

Q.&nbsp;The opportunity to win Nebraska's first NCAA Tournament game, is that something you guys are thinking about heading into this one?

RIENK MAST: Yes, most definitely. Obviously going into the season, it's a big goal to be here, and you know that Nebraska's never won an NCAA Tournament game, but now to actually be here and be in this position and have this opportunity, just super excited to go out there and hopefully write some history.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, the A&amp;M players and Coach Williams were talking about your guys' scouting report of what they thought of you. And they used "pretty" talk about the offense. What have been your impressions of A&amp;M now that you have time to look at them and what jumps out about their strengths and weaknesses?

BRICE WILLIAMS: They're just an aggressive team. I wouldn't say anything special about them. They just had their identity of trying to out-tough the opponent, and that's the emphasis this week. We just can't get punked, just going to focus on that.

Q.&nbsp;Keisei has taken the college basketball world by storm the past couple of weeks. I don't know if you buy into "Japanese Steph Curry" hype. But what's it like to play alongside him? Do you have an anecdote that he played in a practice or anything that stands out?

RIENK MAST: It's obviously special to play with somebody that draws in this type of hype and this type of excitement around himself. He draws a lot of attention on the court, which makes it a little bit easier for us to play. I know for myself, I definitely look for him and try and feed him the ball whenever I can during the game.

But it's been pretty special to have him, like have him on our team this year, like an anecdote for -- he was with his national team, but one of the first practices that he was back, we were playing a little 5-on-5, and it was three possessions in a row.

First one he hit just a normal 3. Then when you let him hit one 3, he gets on fire, like, right away. So then he hit a step-back 3. And then right the next possession he got switched, the 5 switched out on him and he took him one-on-one and hit another step-back 3, like, three possessions in a row.

That was the first time that I really saw what type of player he was in person and he's been special this year.

BRICE WILLIAMS: The stuff you all see out there on the court on game days, it's crazy. Like Rienk said, he's definitely a guy who can heat up just by making one shot.

But the stuff he does after practice or shoot-arounds, when he's hitting turnaround, half-court shots, like he'll turn around, he won't look at the basket. Him and Rienk do it every time after shoot-around. But Keisei makes them on a regular -- it's just crazy the stuff he does off camera.

Q.&nbsp;Both of you guys transferred in for this moment. You set this goal ahead of you at the beginning of the season. But now that you're here how cool is it to be in this spectacle and be in March Madness and see the city and all the hype around it?

BRICE WILLIAMS: It's new. It's exciting. Like you said it's the goal we set out to do when we transferred here. But at the same time we came -- we wanted to win here. We didn't want to just be here.

So while we're excited, I think we're both just trying to, you know what I'm saying, write history. Put our name down in history with Nebraska and just make a run.

RIENK MAST: We're not here for just one game. Everybody will say that. If you ask the Texas A&amp;M players, they'll also say we're not here for just one game. But obviously excited to be here. But we don't want to be here just for one day; we want to extend this journey a little bit longer.

Q.&nbsp;How unique is it -- you've been around Keisei Tominaga, but to know this game is being live streamed in Japan. And to get that kind of reach, is it fun? Do you have some family members who in parts of the world that may be able to watch this game because of him that otherwise would not have been able to -- they would have been checking an app trying to keep up with the game?

BRICE WILLIAMS: I don't have any family in Japan or anything, but it's just crazy that one guy can draw so much attention nationally, worldwide. It just shows that the game can bring everybody together.

But it's just cool. It's cool that everybody over there can see him play and support him. He's kind of a celebrity over there, I heard. It's all necessary.

Q.&nbsp;I'm just wondering, we talked to you guys on Sunday and we asked you how big of an impact Fred can have. Now that you've had some preparation, some practices going into this game, he's played in the NCAA Tournament. He's coached in it. Just what kind of help has Fred been during this process?

RIENK MAST: Just mainly kind of explaining to us, like, how to stay poised during games. These games, most of them will come down to the wire. They'll be one-possession games.

What we've talked about is just staying poised and level headed and not get too sped up or too nervous or excited, or whatever, just staying level headed and staying in the moment.

Q.&nbsp;You've only been at Nebraska for one season, played for Coach Hoiberg for less than a year, but what impact has he had on your developments not only getting ready for this season but preparing you for the next level?

BRICE WILLIAMS: What he's done for me, instilling confidence in me. Obviously playing a new position I've never played before at point guard. Kind of running the show. And if whether I make a mistake or make multiple mistakes, he's shown that he has confidence in me, and that helps me have confidence in myself.

He's given me freedom to make mistakes and learn while pumping me up behind the scenes. Just having confidence in myself and my game and that's just propelled me forward.

RIENK MAST: Just obviously he's played and coached at the next level and especially coaching aspect of how he approaches a game. I believe he still approaches the game the same way when he was coaching the Bulls as he is approaching the game now.

So just to learn from him kind of how it goes on at the professional level and how preparations go, and just learning a lot of how he looks at Xs and Os of the game. Just his basketball IQ is enormous. And learning from him has been really good.

Q.&nbsp;I know you're probably overhearing the stuff but you're the only Power Five team to not have won a game in a tournament. Is that something you guys talk about often? How do you work through that? And what's the motivation to go and win this to get that kind of monkey off the back?

BRICE WILLIAMS: We talk about it multiple times. We talked about it a lot, kind of just to go along with our season, first it started with the road games. Then once it started coming down to the wire we started talking about we never won.

But everybody talks about how we have a special group, and we don't want to just be, like, some people talk about. We definitely want to get the monkey off our back and win our first one. But like I said, we just want to make a run. We just want to make a run.

RIENK MAST: Obviously everybody's aware. But, like, you can't let it define us too much. You can't go into the game, like, oh, this is like the opportunity of a lifetime. Obviously it's a high-pressure game, but we can't be thinking too much about, oh, we've never won a game here.

It's just, all right, this is one game that we have to win. And we can't be too caught up in the history of it all. We've just got to focus in on the moment.

Q.&nbsp;There are many great shooters these days, but what people say about Keisei is different. They say best show on TV or fun to watch. Why do you think Keisei is that kind of player?

RIENK MAST: He's very unassuming. He's 6'2", not too athletic. But when he goes out on the court he plays with the type of swagger and type of attitude that is almost unmatched.

And the way he shoots the ball, how Fred teaches us to shoot, with holding your follow-through and sticking your shot and all that. It doesn't really matter for him, as long as it gets out of his hands clean and he gets a somewhat decent look, you know this thing is going in more times than not. That's something I personally have never seen other than with Keisei.

BRICE WILLIAMS: Probably the degree of difficulty. None of his shots are open. None of his shots are like wide open. They're all usually fading away or super, super quick release. But I would probably just say the degree of difficulty and how much he makes those difficult shots, how often.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, coming off the Big Ten Tournament and your strong performance in that one-and-done environment, how does that impact your confidence coming into a similar situation but obviously higher stakes?

BRICE WILLIAMS: The pressure was definitely on. And, you know, in those games it was a lot of different crowds. It was a lot of different people rooting for you, a lot of different people rooting against you.

But heading into the tournament now, that was a neutral site. So we were basically on the road. All we had was ourselves pretty much.

For us to play how we did, I know we gave up the last one, was the noise, but we still played pretty good. We looked at one another and played for one another. And that was good heading into the tournament now where everything is a neutral site again. It was encouraging.

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Fred Hoiberg.

FRED HOIBERG: Want to say how excited we are to be in this opportunity right now. When we put this group together we thought we had a chance to be here. I give our guys all the credit in the world for continuing to buy in, be very professional throughout this entire season regardless of the circumstance.

Whether we won, whether we lost, we generally prepared the same way, and these guys have been extremely coachable. And I'm really excited for them to have this opportunity.

Q.&nbsp;Just an opinion, do you think the uniqueness of your systems maybe give you an advantage in a situation like this, your systems on offense and defense?

FRED HOIBERG: Well, I don't know about that. I think at this time of year obviously it's, the importance is how your team is playing and how they're hanging in there together when you've been through as many battles as we have.

And I know this, we're playing a hot team. We're playing one of the hottest teams in the country right now that came off a five-game winning streak. And their loss, their lone loss in that stretch, to Florida, was as good a 20 minutes that they had played all year. They had a 20-point lead in the first half against Florida in that game. I know we're playing a hot team.

That being said, I really do like the way we're playing, I think our guys have done a great job of sharing the ball. We found the right guy, whoever has had it going. And this team has been very selfless all season long.

We've had a good week of prep. I'm sure A&amp;M has had a great week of prep as well. And you've got two teams playing really good basketball squaring off tomorrow.

So, again, we've all got our unique systems. A&amp;M is a very unique system on both sides of the ball, and I know this, whatever offense they're running, we have to be tied together. Defensively we've been pretty darned good with the exception of the Illinois game. We had a lot of miscues in that game.

And offensively, I know we're going to have to play with pace. Whatever defense they're in, we just have to go out and continue to share it and continue to move. And we've had the benefit of playing a couple of teams that have played multiple defenses. Michigan played a lot of them. I was really pleased with how we moved in that game, whatever defense they were in. And that's what it's going to take for us tomorrow to have a chance to win this game.

Q.&nbsp;I know Keisei was recruited by Coach Billy Gillispie. What memories, things stick out to you, and in working with Coach Gillispie, is there any part of his coaching that you see Keisei develop?

FRED HOIBERG: As you know, it's not easy playing for Billy. He's a very demanding coach, and he does a phenomenal job. So the fact that Keisei played under Billy, I think, is a huge benefit for us.

I remember talking to Billy in the recruiting process and just talking to him about how he enjoyed coaching Keisei, and he loved him. He said, the thing I like the most about Keisei is his competitive spirit. I can yell at him. I can get on him, and he never snaps back at me. He's just got a smile on his face.

I said, Coach, it's because he doesn't know what you're talking about. He can't understand you. As he's gone on -- he had the added benefit, there was a Japanese trainer (indiscernible) Ranger, and that helped him learn the language a little bit. When he got to Nebraska he had got a girlfriend and that really helped his language.

Listen, the thing with Keisei, I'm so proud of his growth over the last couple of years. His first year at Nebraska, there were some games he just couldn't play. He just got overwhelmed by physicality.

Now he doesn't back down from anybody. I don't care who it is. He's going to go out there. He's going to give you an effort. He's going to make contact with you, and the way that he is guarded, his ability to create separation, has been absolutely phenomenal.

I'm just proud of him for everything that he's done to make him the type of player that he is right now. And obviously there's a lot of attention. He's getting a lot of it. It's important, as I've talked about with the team, to really try to limit the distractions this week. There's so much noise, social media with everything going on.

The team that limits those distractions a lot of times are the teams that move on at this time of year.

So it's important. We love it. He's getting a lot of attention. But he's always had that. He's played on the world stage. He helped his national team at Japan accomplish something that's never been done before. And that's what we're trying to accomplish here at Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;When you were recruiting him from Ranger, what were the things that stood out that he was doing at that level, and saying, okay, let's see how we can bring this up to the new level?

FRED HOIBERG: Shooting from half court. That was the thing that I liked. He shot 44 percent on shots over 25 feet. He just has always had that range.

The thing that I loved was his confidence. You see him out there playing with a joy and a confidence and a swagger. That's why he's able to play against more athletic, more physical players, is because he plays with that drive and he plays with that joy and confident swagger every time he steps on the court.

It's not just games. If you saw him in practice, he's the same guy. And that helped set the tone for our guys every day.

He's just been a joy to coach. I've said this multiple times. He's going to go down as one of my all-time favorites.

Q.&nbsp;You talked about distractions earlier. What has it been like for you and your staff having to balance the transfer portal opening up this week and prepping for the NCAA Tournament and the overlap that's been there?

FRED HOIBERG: It's not a lot of fun. I'll be honest with you. It's, I know, a big part of the job, and you have to be on top of everything early in the process or you won't have a chance.

You want to be preparing obviously 24/7, but you have to be on top of that. And our staff does a good job with it. I think there's, what, 500 names in there already. You have to be ready for it.

But at this time of year, for us, for me, it's all about doing everything I can to prepare the team and put a game plan together to give us a chance to beat, again, one of the top teams in the country here these past six weeks.

And we'll worry about that. When this journey ends hopefully not for a while, we'll get on top of it, but our staff is doing a good job right now keeping everybody in the loop on what's happening on that front, at the same time staying very focused on the task at hand.

Q.&nbsp;You've obviously had a lot of success on the NCAA Tournament stage. Is there some secret to winning an NCAA Tournament game?

FRED HOIBERG: Well, you've got to be tied together. You have to fight through adversity. This is the biggest thing at this time of year is you have to find a way to stay together when things aren't going your way.

And I can promise you tomorrow night, at some point, that's going to happen to us. And what will define our success is how we handle that adversity.

I'm confident, our group has been through a lot. We've been through a lot of highs and lows, and I do think we're playing as good as we played all year right now. So hopefully we handled that well.

We did not handle it great at Ohio State. That was the one time I thought that we really kind of got away from it. But we learned from it. I think we've grown and gotten better.

Defense and rebounding this time of year is critical, and we're playing the best offensive rebounding team in the country. And they're so good at getting into your body and hitting you first, and if we allow that to happen, it's going to be a long night.

They average almost 18 offensive rebounds a game. That's a crazy number. 44 percent of their misses they get back. Their offensive rebounding percentage is historically good. So, for us, we have to find a way to battle them. We've got to guard the ball. And we have to finish off possessions.

Q.&nbsp;What does the contract extension mean to you? And considering where things were for you just a couple of years ago, to have that long-term stability now, how much of an advantage is that going forward, building this program?

FRED HOIBERG: I appreciate the leadership believing in us. That's first and foremost. I've talked a lot about how much we've loved our time in Lincoln. For me, with our family's ties, with both grandfathers working at the university, one as the head coach for nine seasons in basketball, the other one, sociology professor for 20 years.

Spent a lot of time in Lincoln growing up. My parents are graduates of Southeast and also University of Nebraska. My dad got his Ph.D. at Nebraska. I was born in Lincoln.

We absolutely love it. And it's kind of cool how life has come full circle. And very likely my career is going to end in Lincoln.

I just am really appreciative of the belief. And we're going to do everything we can to make this a consistent goal for this team to be playing at this time of year on this stage. And there's no reason in the world we shouldn't have that with the facilities, with the fan support.

We absolutely love it. I'm appreciative, my staff, getting taken care of. And hopefully we're here doing special things for a long time.

Again, but it goes back to the leadership. I haven't met Troy since he got the job. I know I talked about this. He used to ref my high school games. Sounds like he's going to be out there today. I'm looking forward to getting together with him and hopefully building it together with a guy that I think has great leadership skills.

And also the president as well. Just really excited about it. And hopefully we do some great things here long term.

Q.&nbsp;Wade Taylor had some pretty high praise for you guys, but in terms of slowing him down and the opportunity to go against a great player like that, what's your approach to him?

FRED HOIBERG: He's playing at an unbelievable level. Preseason player of the year and certainly that's how he's playing right now. But his degree of difficulty on his shots -- you see those early shots he made in the SEC Tournament, pulling up from 28, 29 feet on the first couple of minutes of the game and just setting the tone, over length, contested, if he's hitting shots like that it's going to be a tough game to win. That's who he's been here these last couple of weeks.

But it's their whole team. Their guards are playing at a high, high level. Their bigs know their roles. Garcia's ability, he has 153 offensive rebounds. That's incredible. We think Juwan Gary is a good offensive rebounder. He's got 61.

So these guys pose a lot of problems. And the way Taylor is playing right now, he's the head of the snake. It starts with him. I'm so impressed with his overall game and how the team is playing as a whole. We'll really have to be on point to give ourselves a chance to win this game.

Q.&nbsp;I assume C.J.'s good to go? And also Eli, could he play if you had to play him?

FRED HOIBERG: C.J., he's been back on the practice court. It's good to have him back. He struggled a little bit that first day, kind of had him in and out. But he's been fine the last couple since we've been down here in Memphis.

Eli practiced for the first time two days ago, and he was in for about half the reps. Today he was out there a little bit. He's still got some soreness in that ankle but he will dress tomorrow and he will be available if we need him.

Huskers Men prepare for first round NCAA Tournament matchup

Story by NU Athletic Communications

The Nebraska softball team opens Big Ten Conference play this weekend when the Huskers host Illinois for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m., Saturday’s game will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is slated for Noon. Tickets can be purchased by visiting huskers.com/softball, calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch.

Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can listen to Nate Rohr call every game this season for free on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app. Friday’s game will also be televised on the Big Ten Network, while Sunday’s game will air within the state borders on Nebraska Public Media. Fans can also stream the games on Saturday and Sunday with a subscription to Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 per month. Friday’s game will be available on foxsports.com/live for those who receive the Big Ten Network.

Nebraska is 30-15 in conference play the past two seasons, finishing second in the regular-season standings in 2022 and fourth in 2023. Nebraska and Northwestern are the only two Big Ten teams who have won 30 conference games over the last two seasons.

The Huskers have swept the opening series of the conference season each of the past two seasons. In 2022, Nebraska won both games of a shortened series at No. 19 Michigan. Last year, the Huskers swept a three-game series against Purdue at Bowlin Stadium.

A Sister Act at the Top of the LineupThe Andrews sisters have hit first and second in the Nebraska batting order each of the past 13 games with younger sister Billie Andrews leading off and older sister Brooke Andrews hitting second. The sisters have proven to be a productive combination at the top of the order.

Caneda Thriving as ‘Second’ Leadoff HitterWith the Andrews sisters anchoring the top of the lineup, Nebraska has been searching for a strong No. 9 hitter who can act as a second leadoff hitter batting ahead of Billie Andrews. The Huskers appear to have found that hitter in Katelyn Caneda.

Bredwell &amp; Bland Swinging Hot BatsWhile the top and bottom of the Husker lineup have been strong of late, two big bats in the middle of the order have been productive as well. Ava Bredwell and Samantha Bland have both been enjoying hot stretches entering Big Ten play this weekend.

Olensky Stepping Up in the CircleWith the season-ending injury to two-time first-team All-American Jordy Bahl, each of Nebraska’s pitchers has had to step up in Bahl’s absence. One pitcher who has emerged is freshman left-hander Caitlin Olensky.

Billie Andrews Ties Husker Home Run RecordBillie Andrews ranks eighth nationally in home runs and sixth in home runs per game with 11 homers in 25 games. Andrews has tied the Nebraska record with 54 career home runs.

Scouting Illinois (12-13, 0-0 Big Ten)Illinois brings a 12-13 record into the opening weekend of Big Ten Conference play. The Fighting Illini have won four of their last six games following a 9-2 road win at Illinois State on Tuesday. Illinois has been at its best on the road, posting a 4-2 record in true road games.

Nebraska and Illinois share four common opponents this season in UCLA, San Diego State and Missouri. Both teams went 0-4 against those three opponents.

Illinois is batting .311 as a team, an average that ranks second in the Big Ten. A total of seven starters are hitting above .340. The Illini average 5.3 runs per game. Defensively, Illinois boasts a 4.12 ERA and a .964 fielding percentage while allowing 5.3 runs per game.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe Nebraska softball team opens Big Ten Conference play this weekend when the Huskers host Illinois for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m., Saturday’s game will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is slated for Noon. Tickets can be purchased by visiting huskers.com/softball, calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch.Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can listen to Nate Rohr call every game this season for free on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app. Friday’s game will also be televised on the Big Ten Network, while Sunday’s game will air within the state borders on Nebraska Public Media. Fans can also stream the games on Saturday and Sunday with a subscription to Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 per month. Friday’s game will be available on foxsports.com/live for those who receive the Big Ten Network.Nebraska is 30-15 in conference play the past two seasons, finishing second in the regular-season standings in 2022 and fourth in 2023. Nebraska and Northwestern are the only two Big Ten teams who have won 30 conference games over the last two seasons.The Huskers have swept the opening series of the conference season each of the past two seasons. In 2022, Nebraska won both games of a shortened series at No. 19 Michigan. Last year, the Huskers swept a three-game series against Purdue at Bowlin Stadium.Leading Off<ul>
 <li>Nebraska’s current 10-game homestand is the longest in Bowlin Stadium history.</li><li>NU ranks fourth nationally with 56 doubles.</li><li>The Huskers have used a different batting order in all 29 games this year.</li><li>Billie Andrews and Sydney Gray are the only players to win multiple Big Ten Player of the Week awards this season.</li><li>Billie Andrews is one of only 15 players nationally averaging 1.0 hit, 1.0 run and 1.0 RBI per game this season.</li><li>Billie Andrews has hit 54 career home runs. That is more than every player on the Illinois roster combined (47).</li><li>Billie Andrews is tied with Taylor Edwards for the Nebraska all-time home run record. Andrews’ next home run will be the 55th of her career, an NU record.</li><li>Ava Bredwell has had both a run scored and an RBI in six consecutive games.</li><li>Ava Bredwell enters Friday’s game with 99 career hits, one shy of 100.</li><li>Brooke Andrews went 5-for-5 against Northern Colorado last Sunday, posting the first five-hit game by a Husker since the 2006 season.</li><li>Caitlin Olensky threw a shutout against Creighton last Saturday, the first shutout by a Husker freshman since 2019.</li>
 </ul>A Sister Act at the Top of the LineupThe Andrews sisters have hit first and second in the Nebraska batting order each of the past 13 games with younger sister Billie Andrews leading off and older sister Brooke Andrews hitting second. The sisters have proven to be a productive combination at the top of the order.<ul>
 <li>During the last 13 games when Billie has led off and Brooke has hit second, Nebraska has averaged 6.8 runs per game. In the first 16 games, Nebraska averaged 4.7 runs per game.</li><li>The duo have hit .385 collectively over the last 13 games while combining to average 2.7 hits per game, 2.5 runs per game and 1.9 RBIs per game.</li>
 </ul>Caneda Thriving as ‘Second’ Leadoff HitterWith the Andrews sisters anchoring the top of the lineup, Nebraska has been searching for a strong No. 9 hitter who can act as a second leadoff hitter batting ahead of Billie Andrews. The Huskers appear to have found that hitter in Katelyn Caneda.<ul>
 <li>Caneda, who posted the third-highest batting average (.366) by a freshman in program history last season, has bounced back from a slow start to the season. In her last 11 games, Caneda is batting .394 (13-for-33) with a .487 on-base percentage, nine runs and eight RBIs.</li><li>As Caneda has gotten hot, Rhonda Revelle has chosen to move Caneda down in the order to the No. 9 spot in the hopes that Caneda will get on base in front of Billie Andrews. The move has proven effective as Nebraska has scored 23 runs in the three games Caneda has hit ninth, with Caneda scoring six runs and Billie Andrews totaling seven RBIs.</li><li>Since moving into the No. 9 spot in the lineup three games ago, Caneda is 6-for-7 with two walks, reaching base in eight of her nine plate appearances.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>Bredwell &amp; Bland Swinging Hot BatsWhile the top and bottom of the Husker lineup have been strong of late, two big bats in the middle of the order have been productive as well. Ava Bredwell and Samantha Bland have both been enjoying hot stretches entering Big Ten play this weekend.<ul>
 <li>Bredwell has been on fire the last 11 games. During that stretch, she is 15-for-33 (.455) with three doubles, two triples, three homers and 11 RBIs. Over the past 11 games, Bredwell leads NU in batting average, slugging percentage (.939) and on-base percentage (.561).</li><li>Bredwell has been even better the past six games. She has come to the plate 21 times in the last six games and reached base 14 times for a .667 on-base percentage. She is 11-for-18 (.611) the last six games with two doubles, one triple, two homers and seven RBIs. Bredwell has at least one hit, one run and one RBI in five straight games.</li><li>Bland has also been hot the past 11 games. She is batting .344 (11-for-32) during that stretch with four doubles, one home run and 10 RBIs. In four games at the Big Red Spring Classic last week, Bland was 9-for-16 (.563) with three doubles, one homer and seven RBIs.</li>
 </ul>Olensky Stepping Up in the CircleWith the season-ending injury to two-time first-team All-American Jordy Bahl, each of Nebraska’s pitchers has had to step up in Bahl’s absence. One pitcher who has emerged is freshman left-hander Caitlin Olensky.<ul>
 <li>Olensky owns the team’s lowest ERA (3.37), as she is the only Husker with an ERA below 4.00. Olensky also leads NU in strikeouts per seven innings (4.2) and opponent average (.269).</li><li>Over&nbsp;the last 10 games, Olensky is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in 22.1 innings. In the first 19 games of the season, Olensky was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 23.1 innings.</li><li>Olensky pitched in four of Nebraska’s six games last week and went 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in a team-high 17.2 innings. In her lone start of the week, Olensky threw a 5.0-inning shutout against Creighton for her first career shutout and complete game.</li>
 </ul>Billie Andrews Ties Husker Home Run RecordBillie Andrews ranks eighth nationally in home runs and sixth in home runs per game with 11 homers in 25 games. Andrews has tied the Nebraska record with 54 career home runs.<ul>
 <li>Last Sunday against Northern Colorado, Andrews hit her 54th career home run. That tied the Nebraska record first set by two-time All-American Taylor Edwards, who played from 2011 to 2014.</li><li>Andrews has also tied another home run record. She has seven games with multiple homers in her career, tying Tristen Edwards (2017-21) for the most multi-homer games in NU history.</li><li>Andrews ranks 15th among all active Division I players with 54 career home runs. She has played at least nine fewer games than each of the 14 players ranked ahead of her on the active home run chart, with the exception of Wichita State’s Addison Barnard.</li>
 </ul>Scouting Illinois (12-13, 0-0 Big Ten)Illinois brings a 12-13 record into the opening weekend of Big Ten Conference play. The Fighting Illini have won four of their last six games following a 9-2 road win at Illinois State on Tuesday. Illinois has been at its best on the road, posting a 4-2 record in true road games.Nebraska and Illinois share four common opponents this season in UCLA, San Diego State and Missouri. Both teams went 0-4 against those three opponents.Illinois is batting .311 as a team, an average that ranks second in the Big Ten. A total of seven starters are hitting above .340. The Illini average 5.3 runs per game. Defensively, Illinois boasts a 4.12 ERA and a .964 fielding percentage while allowing 5.3 runs per game.<ul>
 <li>Paige Berkmeyer leads Illinois with a .362 batting average, 20 RBIs and a .451 on-base percentage. She has added four doubles and two home runs.</li><li>Kelly Ryono is hitting .360 and is tops on the team in runs (19), hits (32), doubles (7), triples (1), home runs (5), stolen bases (6) and slugging percentage (.629).</li><li>Adisyn Caryl boasts a .351 average with six doubles and 11 RBIs.</li><li>Abby Ryniec (.347) and Megan Ward (.342) round out the group of seven Illini starters hitting above .400.</li><li>In the circle, Tori McQueen has been Illinois’ top pitcher, but the Illini have relied on three pitchers throughout this season. McQueen is 6-6 this spring with one save and a 2.26 ERA in 74.1 innings. She leads the Illini in ERA, wins, appearances (16), starts (12), complete games (7), shutouts (2), saves, innings pitched, strikeouts (80) and opponent average (.237).</li><li>McQueen leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th nationally with a 7.27-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as she has struck out 80 batters and walked only 11. McQueen also ranks second in the Big Ten in shutouts and walks allowed per seven innings (1.04).</li><li>Lauren Wiles has seen the most action behind McQueen, tying McQueen for the team lead with 16 appearances. Wiles, who has started eight games, is 4-4 on the year with a 5.68 ERA in 49.1 innings. She has walked 27 batters and struck out 22 and opponents are hitting .339 against her.</li><li>Briana Bower is 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA in 37.2 innings. She has appeared in 13 games with five starts and has struck out 23 and walked 18.</li><li>Juliana Hooker (0-0, 31.50 ERA in 1.1 IP) rounds out the Illini staff.</li><li>Tyra Perry is in her ninth season at Illinois, where she owns a 255-179 record. Perry has led Illinois to four NCAA Tournament appearances in her first eight seasons.</li><li>Perry previously was the head coach at Ball State, Western Kentucky and Birmingham-Southern. She owns a 664-567 record in 23 career seasons as a head coach. Perry is one of only three active head coaches - and the only female head coach - to take three different programs to the NCAA Tournament.</li>
 </ul>

Nebraska softball hosts Illinois to open Big Ten play

Kansas City, Mo.&nbsp;- Seven Huskers advanced to the 2024 NCAA Championship quarterfinals after claiming victories in their respective second round matches on Thursday evening as the Nebraska wrestling team sits in sixth place with 21 points.&nbsp;

Eight qualifying Nebraska wrestlers remain alive as both quarterfinal and consolation matches will take place Friday morning starting at 11 a.m. (CT).&nbsp;

In his second match of the day, No. 15 Caleb Smith (125) faced No. 2 Luke Stanich of Lehigh and was the first Husker to earn a spot in Friday morning’s quarterfinals. The pair was tied 1-1 after regulation and went on to sudden victory where Smith got the takedown for the 4-1 upset victory.&nbsp;

At 141, in the third match of the year between the two, No. 9 Brock Hardy met Michigan’s No. 8 Sergio Lemley. Hardy used two takedowns in the opening period to roll to the 10-4 decision and earn a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.&nbsp;

The third Husker to advance in the winner’s bracket was top-seeded Ridge Lovett. The Post Falls, Idaho, native defeated Indiana’s No. 17 Graham Rooks by decision 11-4 to move on. Up next at 157, No. 8 Peyton Robb met No. 9 Will Lewan at 157. Robb used a big move in the second period to secure the 11-6 decision for his spot in the quarterfinals and earn his 100th career victory.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Redshirt freshman No. 8 Antrell Taylor (165), in his first career NCAA Championship, wrestled No. 9 Peyton Hall of West Virginia. Taylor got on top quickly and showed great defense in the final period to hang on for the 11-9 decision. Taylor will face top-seeded Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.&nbsp;

No. 5 Lenny Pinto (184) became the sixth Husker to move on in the winner’s bracket as he used a takedown late in Period Three to top No. 12 Jaden Bullock of Michigan, 4-2. The eighth and final Husker to wrestle in the second round match was No. 10 Silas Allred as he met No. 26 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech. Allred scored a late takedown to earn the 4-2 decision and became the seventh Husker to advance to the quarterfinal match.&nbsp;

At 133, No. 14 redshirt freshman Jacob Van Dee met No. 3 Kai Orine of NC State. Van Dee kept the match close as the wrestlers were scoreless heading into the final period before Orine tallied the escape and riding time point for the 2-0 victory. Van Dee is still alive and will wrestle in the consolation tomorrow morning.&nbsp;

No. 29 Nash Hutmacher wrestled Cleveland State’s No. 20 Daniel Bucknavich in the Huskers’ lone consolation match of the day. The match went the distance, but Bucknavich got the takedown in overtime to earn the 5-2 victory.&nbsp;

In the opening round of the NCAA Championships, the Huskers saw eight of their nine wrestlers advance in the championship bracket. Smith (125), Van Dee (133), Hardy (141), Lovett (149), Robb (157), Taylor (165), Pinto (184) and Allred (197) all tallied victories in their first matches to qualify for the second round. Hutmacher battled, but fell and moved on to the consolation bracket.&nbsp;

T-Mobile Center | Kansas City, Mo.&nbsp;

First Round: No. 15 Smith dec. No. 15 Michael DeAugustino (MICH) 4-1 SV-1

Second Round: No. 15 Smith dec. No. 2 Luke Stanich (LEH) 4-1 SV-1&nbsp;

Quarterfinals: No. 15 Smith vs. No. 10 Eric Barnett (WIS)

First Round: No. 14 Van Dee dec. No. 19 Julian Farber (UNI) 5-1

Second Round: No. 3 Kai Orine (NCST) dec. No. 14 Van Dee 2-0

Cons. Second Round: No. 14 Van Dee vs. No. 20 Tyler Wells (MINN)&nbsp;

First Round: No. 9 Hardy tech. fall No. 24 Danny Pucino (ILL) 20-4 (6:35)&nbsp;

Second Round: No. 9 Hardy dec. No. 8 Sergio Lemley (MICH) 10-4

Quarterfinals: No. 9 Hardy vs. No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OHST)

First Round: No. 1 Lovett pinned No. 33 Michael Cetta (RUT) 1:30

Second Round: No. 1 Lovett dec. No. 17 Graham Rooks (IND) 11-4

Quarterfinals: No. 1 Lovett vs. No. 8 Casey Swiderski (ISU)

First Round: No. 8 Robb dec. No. 25 Trevor Chumbley (NW) 1-0

Second Round: No. 8 Robb dec. No. 9 Will Lewan (MICH) 11-6

Quarterfinals: No. 8 Robb vs. No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU)

First Round: No. 8 Taylor major dec. No. 25 Holden Heller (PITT) 11-0

Second Round: No. 8 Taylor dec. No. 9 Peyton Hall (WVU) 11-9

Quarterfinals: No. 8 Taylor vs. No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)

First Round: No. 5 Pinto tech. fall No. 28 Caleb Hopkins (CAMP) 25-8 (7:00)

Second Round: No. 5 Pinto dec. No. 12 Jaden Bullock (MICH) 4-2

Quarterfinals: No. 5 Pinto vs. No. 4 Trey Munoz (ORST)&nbsp;

First Round: No. 10 Allred dec. No. 23 Luke Geog (OHST) 10-3

Second Round: No. 10 Allred dec. No. 26 Andy Smith (VT) 4-2

Quarterfinals: No. 10 Allred vs. No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NCST)

HWT: No. 29 Nash Hutmacher (0-2) DNP&nbsp;

First Round: No. 4 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) dec. No. 29 Hutmacher 10-3

Cons. First Round: No. 29 Hutmacher vs. No. 20 Daniel Bucknavich (CSU)&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsKansas City, Mo.&nbsp;- Seven Huskers advanced to the 2024 NCAA Championship quarterfinals after claiming victories in their respective second round matches on Thursday evening as the Nebraska wrestling team sits in sixth place with 21 points.&nbsp;Eight qualifying Nebraska wrestlers remain alive as both quarterfinal and consolation matches will take place Friday morning starting at 11 a.m. (CT).&nbsp;Second Round&nbsp;In his second match of the day, No. 15 Caleb Smith (125) faced No. 2 Luke Stanich of Lehigh and was the first Husker to earn a spot in Friday morning’s quarterfinals. The pair was tied 1-1 after regulation and went on to sudden victory where Smith got the takedown for the 4-1 upset victory.&nbsp;At 141, in the third match of the year between the two, No. 9 Brock Hardy met Michigan’s No. 8 Sergio Lemley. Hardy used two takedowns in the opening period to roll to the 10-4 decision and earn a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.&nbsp;The third Husker to advance in the winner’s bracket was top-seeded Ridge Lovett. The Post Falls, Idaho, native defeated Indiana’s No. 17 Graham Rooks by decision 11-4 to move on. Up next at 157, No. 8 Peyton Robb met No. 9 Will Lewan at 157. Robb used a big move in the second period to secure the 11-6 decision for his spot in the quarterfinals and earn his 100th career victory.&nbsp;&nbsp;Redshirt freshman No. 8 Antrell Taylor (165), in his first career NCAA Championship, wrestled No. 9 Peyton Hall of West Virginia. Taylor got on top quickly and showed great defense in the final period to hang on for the 11-9 decision. Taylor will face top-seeded Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.&nbsp;No. 5 Lenny Pinto (184) became the sixth Husker to move on in the winner’s bracket as he used a takedown late in Period Three to top No. 12 Jaden Bullock of Michigan, 4-2. The eighth and final Husker to wrestle in the second round match was No. 10 Silas Allred as he met No. 26 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech. Allred scored a late takedown to earn the 4-2 decision and became the seventh Husker to advance to the quarterfinal match.&nbsp;At 133, No. 14 redshirt freshman Jacob Van Dee met No. 3 Kai Orine of NC State. Van Dee kept the match close as the wrestlers were scoreless heading into the final period before Orine tallied the escape and riding time point for the 2-0 victory. Van Dee is still alive and will wrestle in the consolation tomorrow morning.&nbsp;Cons. First RoundNo. 29 Nash Hutmacher wrestled Cleveland State’s No. 20 Daniel Bucknavich in the Huskers’ lone consolation match of the day. The match went the distance, but Bucknavich got the takedown in overtime to earn the 5-2 victory.&nbsp;First Round&nbsp;In the opening round of the NCAA Championships, the Huskers saw eight of their nine wrestlers advance in the championship bracket. Smith (125), Van Dee (133), Hardy (141), Lovett (149), Robb (157), Taylor (165), Pinto (184) and Allred (197) all tallied victories in their first matches to qualify for the second round. Hutmacher battled, but fell and moved on to the consolation bracket.&nbsp;NCAA ChampionshipsT-Mobile Center | Kansas City, Mo.&nbsp;Sessions I - IIMarch 21, 2024125: No. 15 Caleb Smith&nbsp;First Round: No. 15 Smith dec. No. 15 Michael DeAugustino (MICH) 4-1 SV-1Second Round: No. 15 Smith dec. No. 2 Luke Stanich (LEH) 4-1 SV-1&nbsp;Quarterfinals: No. 15 Smith vs. No. 10 Eric Barnett (WIS)133: No. 14 Jacob Van DeeFirst Round: No. 14 Van Dee dec. No. 19 Julian Farber (UNI) 5-1Second Round: No. 3 Kai Orine (NCST) dec. No. 14 Van Dee 2-0Cons. Second Round: No. 14 Van Dee vs. No. 20 Tyler Wells (MINN)&nbsp;141: No. 9 Brock Hardy&nbsp;First Round: No. 9 Hardy tech. fall No. 24 Danny Pucino (ILL) 20-4 (6:35)&nbsp;Second Round: No. 9 Hardy dec. No. 8 Sergio Lemley (MICH) 10-4Quarterfinals: No. 9 Hardy vs. No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OHST)149: No. 1 Ridge Lovett&nbsp;First Round: No. 1 Lovett pinned No. 33 Michael Cetta (RUT) 1:30Second Round: No. 1 Lovett dec. No. 17 Graham Rooks (IND) 11-4Quarterfinals: No. 1 Lovett vs. No. 8 Casey Swiderski (ISU)157: No. 8 Peyton RobbFirst Round: No. 8 Robb dec. No. 25 Trevor Chumbley (NW) 1-0Second Round: No. 8 Robb dec. No. 9 Will Lewan (MICH) 11-6Quarterfinals: No. 8 Robb vs. No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU)165: No. 8 Antrell Taylor&nbsp;First Round: No. 8 Taylor major dec. No. 25 Holden Heller (PITT) 11-0Second Round: No. 8 Taylor dec. No. 9 Peyton Hall (WVU) 11-9Quarterfinals: No. 8 Taylor vs. No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)184: No. 5 Lenny Pinto&nbsp;First Round: No. 5 Pinto tech. fall No. 28 Caleb Hopkins (CAMP) 25-8 (7:00)Second Round: No. 5 Pinto dec. No. 12 Jaden Bullock (MICH) 4-2Quarterfinals: No. 5 Pinto vs. No. 4 Trey Munoz (ORST)&nbsp;197: No. 10 Silas AllredFirst Round: No. 10 Allred dec. No. 23 Luke Geog (OHST) 10-3Second Round: No. 10 Allred dec. No. 26 Andy Smith (VT) 4-2Quarterfinals: No. 10 Allred vs. No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NCST)HWT: No. 29 Nash Hutmacher (0-2) DNP&nbsp;First Round: No. 4 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) dec. No. 29 Hutmacher 10-3Cons. First Round: No. 29 Hutmacher vs. No. 20 Daniel Bucknavich (CSU)&nbsp;

NU sits in Sixth, Seven Huskers advance to NCAA Quarterfinals

LINCOLN, Ne -&nbsp;The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is pleased to announce the student recipients of the Winter 2023-2024 Nebraska Chiropractic Physicians Association (NCPA) Academic All-State Awards. Since 2006 this NSAA Awards Program has recognized students who meet the criteria for nomination by their school in the season of their activity.  Each year the NSAA and the NCPA recognize students during Fall, Winter, and Spring Seasons who are nominated by their schools for their individual academic excellence, leadership, and significant contributions in their NSAA activity.

(Schools listed by Alphabetic order)

Arnold - Rio Remund/Boys Basketball/Speech, Bryn Schwarz/Girls Basketball, Delaney Rogers/Speech

Arthur County - Colton Pilakowski/Boys Basketball, Reese Swanson/Boys Basketball, Dakota Glinn/Girls Basketball, Laynee Ohm/Girls Basketball, Ryan Eilers/Speech, Jaycen Hanna/Speech

Brady - Keaton Fattig/Girls Basketball, Payton Stienike/Girls Basketball, Ava Foster/Speech, Trina Pearson/Speech, Aiden Mitchum/Wrestling, Haydn Thomsen/Wrestling, Ailyah Mitchum/Girls Wrestling

Chase County - Easton Fries/Boys Basketball, Jensen Olsen/Boys Basketball, Olivia Spady/Girls Basketball, Kylee Wiest/Girls Basketball, George Colton/Speech, Andrew Wiest/Speech, Tyler O'Neil/Wrestling, Jaret Peterson/Wrestling, Hayley Rusher/Girls Wrestling, Brooke Schilke/Girls Wrestling

Cozad - Olliver Davis/Boys Basketball, Mason Fales/Boys Basketball, Makaia Baker/Girls Basketball, Graci Marhenke/Girls Basketball, Larkyn Malcom/Speech, Makenzie Smock/Speech, Matthew Arndt/Wrestling, Myles Ide/Wrestling

Dundy County-Stratton - Lane Brown/Boys Basketball, Brodie Rogers/Boys Basketball, Laynee Lutz/Girls Basketball, Lexie Yrkoski/Girls Basketball, Emma Baldeh/Speech, Klayton Rinne/Speech

Garden County - Carver Corfiedd/Boys Basketball, Logan Levick/Boys Basketball, Rebecca Dodge/Girls Basketball, Ridglyn Stanczyk/Girls Basketball, Daniel Beauchamp/Speech, Olivia Beauchamp/Speech, Gunner Roberson/Wrestling, Kyle Rote/Wrestling

Gothenburg - Braeden Anderson/Boys Basketball, Tucker Keith/Boys Basketball, Clara Evert/Girls Basketball, Aubrey O'Hare/Girls Basketball, Jackson Nelson/Speech, Hayden Ricley/Speech, Tristan Koch/Wrestling, Max Wyatt/Wrestling, Abby Negley/Girls Wrestling

LINCOLN, Ne -&nbsp;The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) is pleased to announce the student recipients of the Winter 2023-2024 Nebraska Chiropractic Physicians Association (NCPA) Academic All-State Awards. Since 2006 this NSAA Awards Program has recognized students who meet the criteria for nomination by their school in the season of their activity. Each year the NSAA and the NCPA recognize students during Fall, Winter, and Spring Seasons who are nominated by their schools for their individual academic excellence, leadership, and significant contributions in their NSAA activity.(Schools listed by Alphabetic order)Arnold - Rio Remund/Boys Basketball/Speech, Bryn Schwarz/Girls Basketball, Delaney Rogers/SpeechArthur County - Colton Pilakowski/Boys Basketball, Reese Swanson/Boys Basketball, Dakota Glinn/Girls Basketball, Laynee Ohm/Girls Basketball, Ryan Eilers/Speech, Jaycen Hanna/SpeechBrady - Keaton Fattig/Girls Basketball, Payton Stienike/Girls Basketball, Ava Foster/Speech, Trina Pearson/Speech, Aiden Mitchum/Wrestling, Haydn Thomsen/Wrestling, Ailyah Mitchum/Girls WrestlingChase County - Easton Fries/Boys Basketball, Jensen Olsen/Boys Basketball, Olivia Spady/Girls Basketball, Kylee Wiest/Girls Basketball, George Colton/Speech, Andrew Wiest/Speech, Tyler O'Neil/Wrestling, Jaret Peterson/Wrestling, Hayley Rusher/Girls Wrestling, Brooke Schilke/Girls WrestlingCozad - Olliver Davis/Boys Basketball, Mason Fales/Boys Basketball, Makaia Baker/Girls Basketball, Graci Marhenke/Girls Basketball, Larkyn Malcom/Speech, Makenzie Smock/Speech, Matthew Arndt/Wrestling, Myles Ide/WrestlingDundy County-Stratton - Lane Brown/Boys Basketball, Brodie Rogers/Boys Basketball, Laynee Lutz/Girls Basketball, Lexie Yrkoski/Girls Basketball, Emma Baldeh/Speech, Klayton Rinne/SpeechGarden County - Carver Corfiedd/Boys Basketball, Logan Levick/Boys Basketball, Rebecca Dodge/Girls Basketball, Ridglyn Stanczyk/Girls Basketball, Daniel Beauchamp/Speech, Olivia Beauchamp/Speech, Gunner Roberson/Wrestling, Kyle Rote/WrestlingGothenburg - Braeden Anderson/Boys Basketball, Tucker Keith/Boys Basketball, Clara Evert/Girls Basketball, Aubrey O'Hare/Girls Basketball, Jackson Nelson/Speech, Hayden Ricley/Speech, Tristan Koch/Wrestling, Max Wyatt/Wrestling, Abby Negley/Girls WrestlingHayes Center - Kade Broz/Boys Basketball, Grady Erickson/Boys Basketball, Ella Shepperd-Broz/Girls BasketballHershey - Max Berntson/Boys Basketball, Cole Murdock/Boys Basketball, Haily Miller/Girls Basketball, Aliyah Vaughn/Girls Basketball, Katie Abbott/Speech, Lillian Fuchser/Speech, Jaydon Parker/Wrestling, Zane Woodward/WrestlingMaywood - Blayklee Farr/Girls Basketball, Pryce Johnson/Speech, Graci peterka/SpeechMcPherson County - Katherine Anderson/Speech, Isaac Goosey/SpeechMedicine Valley - Ethan Brown/Boys Basketball, Kahner Kotschwar/Boys Basketball, Alaina Eberle/Girls Basketball, Stella Heapy/Girls Basketball, Shya Gudaitis/WrestlingMullen - Brandon Hardin/Boys Basketball, Alexander Werner/Boys Basketball, Harper Anderson/Girls Basketball, Hayley Donohoe/Girls Basketball, Sydnee Cheever/Speech, Medora DNaeyer/Speech, Chase Gracey/Wrestling, Tate Kvanvig/WrestlingNorth Platte High - Landon O'brien/Boys Basketball, Jackson Polk/Boys Basketball, Ellie Blakely/Girls Basketball, Clancy Brown/Girls Basketball, Sawyer Magnuson/Speech, Meara Roberts/Speech, Noah Short/Boys Swimming, Sydney hatch/Girls Swimming, Elenor Wehr/Girls Swiming, Cayden Eyten/Wrestling, Alex Gove/Wrestling, Janalliah Bourgeois/Girls WrestlingNorth Platte St. Patrick's - Michael Furmanski/Boys Basketball, Sutton Tickle/Boys Basketball, Kinsey Kimberling/Girls Basketball, Cara Robert/Girls Basketball, Nicholas Krondak/Speech, Danyale Zheng/Speech, Hudson Deeds/Wrestling, Emilio Dimas/WrestlingOgallala - Caleb Castillo/Boys Basketball, Caden Rezac/Boys Basketball, Aelyn Cain/Girls Basketball, Eideann Tuttle/Girls Basketball, Oliver Nielsen/Boys Bowling, Isaac Orth/Boys Bowling, Lillian Holthusen/Speech, Tylee Wang/Speech, Jaden Fanning/WrestlingPaxton - Joshua Eakins/Boys Basketball, Tanner Hebblethwaite/Boys Basketball, Ella Fote/Girls Basketball, Jacelyn Jorgensen/Girls Basketball, Miah Fox/Speech, Audrey Holm/Speech, Kenyon Florom/WrestlingPerkins County - Nolan Foster/Boys Basketball, Ryder Potts/Boys Basketball, Kaitlin Cook/Girls Basketball, Maggie Fisher/Girls Basketball, Kaitlin Meyer/Speech, Ella Uehling/Speech, Henry Taylor/Wrestling, Layla Vigil/Girls WrestlingSouth Platte - Quinten Koenen/Boys Basketball, Dashle Richards/Boys Basketball/Speech, Madison Cheleen/Girls Basketball, Britany Lofton/Girls Basketball, Madison Johnson/Speech, Bradyn Miller/WrestlingStapleton - Kyle Kramer/Boys Basketball, Kelsey Amos/Girls Basketball, Rhayana Bruns/Girls Basketball, Tessa Hansen/Speech, Cayson Johnston/Speech, Kaden Allen/Wrestling, Mariah Duran/Girls WrestlingSutherland - J.T. Lantis/Boys Basketball, Boone Snyder/Boys Basketball, Fallyn Elfeldt/Girls Basketball, Glory Naughtin/Girls Basketball/Speech, Peyton Fisher/Speech, Luke Harper/Wrestling, Aydan Kaps/SpeechWallace - Kendyle Flaming/Girls Basketball, Reagan Pelster/Girls Basketball, Ryleigh Hanson/Speech, Brylie Robinson/SpeechWauneta-Palisade - Graden Sutherland/Boys Basketball, Ashton Wheeler/Boys Basketball, McKenna Doetker/Girls Basketball, Izabelle Stehno/Girls Basketball

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