GRANT, NEB. - Many games throughout the state are being postponed tonight except Perkins County and Chase County is still on. Tonight's Sandhills Post Area Game of the Week will be on Flatrock 100.7 or online by <a href="https://flatrock1007.com/">clicking here</a>.

In the girls game, the Longhorns (5-6) will take on the Plainsmen (7-4) to kick off the night. Our Kwik Stop Pregame coverage is set to begin at 5:20pm MT/6:20pm CT with tip off scheduled for 5:30pm MT/6:30pm CT. The boys game between Chase County (4-6) and Perkins County (8-3) is scheduled to tip off 20 minutes after the girls game.

You can listen to the game on Flatrock 100.7 with Canon Rath or online with the link above.

Sandhills PostGRANT, NEB. - Many games throughout the state are being postponed tonight except Perkins County and Chase County is still on. Tonight's Sandhills Post Area Game of the Week will be on Flatrock 100.7 or online by <a href="https://flatrock1007.com/">clicking here</a>.In the girls game, the Longhorns (5-6) will take on the Plainsmen (7-4) to kick off the night. Our Kwik Stop Pregame coverage is set to begin at 5:20pm MT/6:20pm CT with tip off scheduled for 5:30pm MT/6:30pm CT. The boys game between Chase County (4-6) and Perkins County (8-3) is scheduled to tip off 20 minutes after the girls game.You can listen to the game on Flatrock 100.7 with Canon Rath or online with the link above.

Thursday night hoops, Perkins County Vs Chase County Radio Coverage

Story by NU Athletic Communications

The Nebraska men's basketball team has a quick turnaround following its win over No. 1 Purdue, as the Huskers travel to Iowa for a matchup with the Hawkeyes Friday night. &nbsp;Tipoff is set for 8:37 p.m. (central) and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network.

Nebraska (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) put together a dazzling offensive performance in its 88-72 win over Purdue Tuesday night. The Huskers shot 51 percent from the field, including 61 percent from 3-point range, in knocking off a No. 1 team for just the fourth time in school history and first time since 1982. Keisei Tominaga led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while Rienk Mast added 18 points and helped limit National Player of the Year Zach Edey to 15 points and seven rebounds.&nbsp;

Tominaga has been on a tear in January, averaging 21.3 ppg on 57 percent shooting over the last three games. The 6-2 guard is shooting 48 percent from 3-point range in that stretch and averaging 4.0 3-pointers per game. As a team, Nebraska is averaging 82.0 ppg this month on 49 percent shooting, including 46 percent from 3-point range.&nbsp;One performance that went under the radar was the effort by Brice Williams, who had nine points and set season highs in assists (nine), rebounds (11) and steals (two). Williams, who has set career bests in assists in each of the last two games, was questionable for the game because of a foot injury suffered in the second half against Wisconsin.&nbsp;

Friday's game wraps up a stretch of three games in seven days, as Iowa has been off since an 86-77 win over Rutgers Saturday afternoon. Payton Sandfort had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead four Hawkeyes in double figures. Iowa is 7-1 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season.&nbsp;

Numbers to Know.801 - Nebraska is shooting 80.1 percent from the foul line (165-206) over the last 10 contestsdating back to Nov. 22. Keisei Tominaga is shooting a team-best 92.5 percent (37-of-40) in that span, while Brice Williams is at an 88.9 clip (32-of-36).

1.47 -Nebraska's assist-to-turnover ratio this season, which is sixth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 10. &nbsp;Over the last decade, NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.32, set in the 2018-19 season. Nebraska's 16.2 assists per game is the program's highest average since 1995-96 (17.37 apg).&nbsp;

2 - Nebraska has held 15 of 16 opponents under 50 percent shooting. Only Wisconsin, which shot 55 percent on Jan. 6, has shot over 50 percent this season. NU has held 21 of its last 23 opponents to under 50 percent shooting.&nbsp;

4 - Nebraska's 2023-24 roster features four career 1,000-point scorers (Josiah Allick, Jarron Coleman, Rienk Mast and Brice Williams). Williams became the most recent member of the 1,000-point club at Wisconsin on Jan. 6.

9.6 - NU leads the Big Ten with 9.6 3-pointers per game as of Jan. 10. &nbsp;NU has averaged more than 8.0 3-pointers/game just twice in program history (2001-02 and 2020-21). The Huskers are 8-1 this season when hitting at least 10 3-pointers.

8.7 - Rienk Mast leads the Huskers and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 8.7 rebounds per game. It is on pace to be NU's highest rebounding average since the 2007-08 season (Aleks Maric, 10.2 rpg).

60.9 - Nebraska's 3-point shooting percentage against Purdue, as the Huskers went 14-of-23 from beyond the arc. It is just the second time in Fred Hoiberg's five seasons at Nebraska that the Huskers shot at least 60 percent from 3-point range.&nbsp;

Worth Noting&nbsp;• Nebraska enters Friday's game with a 13-3 record, the program's best start in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) and matches its best 16-game start since the 1990-91 team opened with a 15-1 mark. NU also went 13-3 in its first 16 games in 2010-11, 1994-95 and 1991-92. A win over Iowa would give NU its best 17 game mark since the 1990-91 campaign.&nbsp;

• Nebraska will be looking for its first-ever three-game win streak over Iowa since the series began in 1907.&nbsp;

• &nbsp;The Huskers are 19-6 over the last 25 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2023, which leads all Big Ten schools in winning percentage and is third in wins as of Jan. 10. A big reason for that is NU's offense, as NU has averaged 77 ppg on 47 percent shooting in that stretch.

• The Huskers have snapped several streaks in 2023-24. The Dec. 10 win over Michigan State snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Spartans dating back to 2016. The Dec. 17 win over Kansas State broke a seven-game losing streak to the Wildcats dating back to 2009, while the win over Indiana on Jan. 3 was NU's first since 2009, breaking another seven-game losing streak to an opponent.&nbsp;

• Nebraska enters the Iowa game averaging 78.4 points per game. It is NU's highest points per game average since averaging 80.2 points per game in the 1995-96 season and on pace to finish in the top 10 in single-season scoring average. &nbsp;It is also more than 10 points per game higher than NU's average at the 16-game mark in 2002-23. NU has climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom as of Jan. 10.

• The Huskers are now 24-4 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 19-1 over the last three seasons. The only loss was a 104-100 quadruple overtime game at North Carolina State on Dec. 1, 2021. NU has won its last 17 games when reaching the 80-point plateau.

• &nbsp;C.J. Wilcher has been on a tear in recent weeks, averaging 13.4 points per game on 65 percent shooting over the last five contests to raise his season average to 8.4 ppg. He is 14-of-23 from 3-point range (.609) in that stretch with four double-figure efforts in NU's last five games.

• Nebraska held Kansas State to 46 points on Dec. 17 in holding the Wildcats to their fewest points since the 2020-21 season and third-fewest total at home since Bramlage Coliseum opened in 1988. &nbsp;It marked the fewest points NU allowed on the road since joining the Big Ten and was only the second time NU had held an opponent under 50 points on the road since the 2011-12 season. Nebraska allowed just 0.68 points per possession, its lowest total in the Big Ten era.

• One strength of the Huskers has been getting to the free throw line. NU has shot more free throws in 13 of 16 games in 2023-24 and its +93 differential ranks fourth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 10. Nebraska has had more free throws made (252) than opponents have attempted (243). NU allows just 15.2 free throw attempts per game to rank second in the Big Ten as of Jan. 10.

• Nebraska enters Friday's game ranked third in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 75.0 percent. &nbsp;As we hit the halfway point of the regular season, it is on pace to be one of NU's highest season percentages. NU has not shot over 74 percent from the foul line since the 2011-12 season when NU shot a school-record 76.6 percent.&nbsp;

• Nebraska's bench has provided a spark, averaging 23.8 points per game. The Huskers' leading scorer has come from the bench five times (Hoiberg-Lindenwood; Wilcher-Rider, North Dakota and South Carolina State; Gary-Stony Brook) and NU has had 14 double-figure efforts from its bench in 2023-24.&nbsp;

• Nebraska won its first seven games by 10 or more points. It was just the second time in over 100 years - the other was from Dec. 3-30, 1990 - that the Huskers won seven straight games by double figures.

• The Huskers finished non-conference action with a 10-1 mark, matching their best non-conference record since joining the Big Ten (also 2018-19). &nbsp;

A Red-Letter Day: Huskers Knock Off No. 1 PurdueThe 88-72 win over No. 1 Purdue Tuesday night marked Nebraska's fourth all-time win against a No. 1 team and first since a 67-51 win at Missouri on Feb. 6, 1982.

About IowaIowa comes into Friday's matchup with a 9-6 record following last Saturday's 86-77 win over Rutgers. The Hawkeyes feature the Big Ten's top scoring offense, averaging 86.7 points per game and have topped the 100-point mark four times. &nbsp;Since a three-game losing streak to Purdue, Iowa State and Michigan, the Hawkeyes have won four of their last five with only a setback at Wisconsin in that span. Fran McCaffery is in his 14th season in charge of the Hawkeyes and has guided Iowa to the last four NCAA Tournaments (2019, 2021-23).&nbsp;

Iowa features a balanced attack with five players averaging at least 9.7 ppg. Valparaiso transfer Ben Krikke leads the Hawkeyes in scoring at 16.7 points per game on 58 percent shooting. Payton Sandfort, who was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2022-23, is at 14.2 ppg and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, while Tony Perkins is at 14.1 ppg and tops Iowa in assists. As a team, Iowa has a 1.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and averages just 10.3 turnovers per game. Iowa also gets to the foul line, as the Hawkeyes average more than 16 points per game from the foul line and shoot 75.5 percent as a team.&nbsp;

Series History: The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 24-15, in a series that dates back to 1907. It is NU’s third-oldest series against a Big Ten foe, as only NU’s series with Minnesota and Wisconsin have been around longer. &nbsp;The teams had not met since 1976 before NU joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska is 8-12 against the Hawkeyes since joining the Big Ten, as the teams have split the last eight matchups. NU's win in Iowa City last year was its first since the 2011-12 campaign. &nbsp;The home team has won 11 of the past 13 meetings dating back to 2016-17.

Last Time OutBehind a blistering shooting night from 3-point range, Nebraska stunned No. 1 Purdue, 88-72, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 9.

The Huskers shot 60.9 percent from 3-point range, including a season-high five 3-pointers from Keisei Tominaga, who led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points.&nbsp; Rienk Mast added 18 points while C.J. Wilcher and Juwan Gary added 16, and 12 points, respectively, as Nebraska picked up its first win against a No. 1 ranked team since 1982.&nbsp;

In addition to the four Huskers in double figures, Brice Williams nearly posted a triple double with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine assists, as Nebraska had 22 assists and just nine turnovers.&nbsp;

Nebraska trailed 28-25 with 4:15 left in the half before taking control of the contest. NU outscored Purdue, 16-2 to close the half, including the final 13 points of the half. The run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Tominaga and seven straight points from Sam Hoiberg off the bench, giving the Huskers a 41-30 halftime lead.&nbsp;

The Huskers would never trail again but had to withstand several Purdue spurts in the second half. The Boilermakers hit eight of their first nine shots after halftime and pulled within 54-52 after an Edey basket with 13:24 remaining. &nbsp;Nebraska responded with a run of its own, as Wilcher scored eight of his 16 points in an 11-0 spurt over the next 1:31 as his second 3-pointer of the run gave NU a 65-52 lead with 11:53 left. Purdue was within 68-62 after a Lance Jones basket, but a Wilcher 3-pointer and a Gary layup stretched the lead to 11 and NU kept the Boilermakers at bay the rest of the night.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe Nebraska men's basketball team has a quick turnaround following its win over No. 1 Purdue, as the Huskers travel to Iowa for a matchup with the Hawkeyes Friday night. &nbsp;Tipoff is set for 8:37 p.m. (central) and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network.Nebraska (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) put together a dazzling offensive performance in its 88-72 win over Purdue Tuesday night. The Huskers shot 51 percent from the field, including 61 percent from 3-point range, in knocking off a No. 1 team for just the fourth time in school history and first time since 1982. Keisei Tominaga led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while Rienk Mast added 18 points and helped limit National Player of the Year Zach Edey to 15 points and seven rebounds.&nbsp;Tominaga has been on a tear in January, averaging 21.3 ppg on 57 percent shooting over the last three games. The 6-2 guard is shooting 48 percent from 3-point range in that stretch and averaging 4.0 3-pointers per game. As a team, Nebraska is averaging 82.0 ppg this month on 49 percent shooting, including 46 percent from 3-point range.&nbsp;One performance that went under the radar was the effort by Brice Williams, who had nine points and set season highs in assists (nine), rebounds (11) and steals (two). Williams, who has set career bests in assists in each of the last two games, was questionable for the game because of a foot injury suffered in the second half against Wisconsin.&nbsp;Friday's game wraps up a stretch of three games in seven days, as Iowa has been off since an 86-77 win over Rutgers Saturday afternoon. Payton Sandfort had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead four Hawkeyes in double figures. Iowa is 7-1 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season.&nbsp;Numbers to Know.801 - Nebraska is shooting 80.1 percent from the foul line (165-206) over the last 10 contestsdating back to Nov. 22. Keisei Tominaga is shooting a team-best 92.5 percent (37-of-40) in that span, while Brice Williams is at an 88.9 clip (32-of-36).1.47 -Nebraska's assist-to-turnover ratio this season, which is sixth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 10. &nbsp;Over the last decade, NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.32, set in the 2018-19 season. Nebraska's 16.2 assists per game is the program's highest average since 1995-96 (17.37 apg).&nbsp;2 - Nebraska has held 15 of 16 opponents under 50 percent shooting. Only Wisconsin, which shot 55 percent on Jan. 6, has shot over 50 percent this season. NU has held 21 of its last 23 opponents to under 50 percent shooting.&nbsp;4 - Nebraska's 2023-24 roster features four career 1,000-point scorers (Josiah Allick, Jarron Coleman, Rienk Mast and Brice Williams). Williams became the most recent member of the 1,000-point club at Wisconsin on Jan. 6.9.6 - NU leads the Big Ten with 9.6 3-pointers per game as of Jan. 10. &nbsp;NU has averaged more than 8.0 3-pointers/game just twice in program history (2001-02 and 2020-21). The Huskers are 8-1 this season when hitting at least 10 3-pointers.8.7 - Rienk Mast leads the Huskers and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 8.7 rebounds per game. It is on pace to be NU's highest rebounding average since the 2007-08 season (Aleks Maric, 10.2 rpg).60.9 - Nebraska's 3-point shooting percentage against Purdue, as the Huskers went 14-of-23 from beyond the arc. It is just the second time in Fred Hoiberg's five seasons at Nebraska that the Huskers shot at least 60 percent from 3-point range.&nbsp;Worth Noting&nbsp;• Nebraska enters Friday's game with a 13-3 record, the program's best start in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) and matches its best 16-game start since the 1990-91 team opened with a 15-1 mark. NU also went 13-3 in its first 16 games in 2010-11, 1994-95 and 1991-92. A win over Iowa would give NU its best 17 game mark since the 1990-91 campaign.&nbsp;• Nebraska will be looking for its first-ever three-game win streak over Iowa since the series began in 1907.&nbsp;• &nbsp;The Huskers are 19-6 over the last 25 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2023, which leads all Big Ten schools in winning percentage and is third in wins as of Jan. 10. A big reason for that is NU's offense, as NU has averaged 77 ppg on 47 percent shooting in that stretch.• The Huskers have snapped several streaks in 2023-24. The Dec. 10 win over Michigan State snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Spartans dating back to 2016. The Dec. 17 win over Kansas State broke a seven-game losing streak to the Wildcats dating back to 2009, while the win over Indiana on Jan. 3 was NU's first since 2009, breaking another seven-game losing streak to an opponent.&nbsp;• Nebraska enters the Iowa game averaging 78.4 points per game. It is NU's highest points per game average since averaging 80.2 points per game in the 1995-96 season and on pace to finish in the top 10 in single-season scoring average. &nbsp;It is also more than 10 points per game higher than NU's average at the 16-game mark in 2002-23. NU has climbed from 149th to 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom as of Jan. 10.• The Huskers are now 24-4 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 19-1 over the last three seasons. The only loss was a 104-100 quadruple overtime game at North Carolina State on Dec. 1, 2021. NU has won its last 17 games when reaching the 80-point plateau.• &nbsp;C.J. Wilcher has been on a tear in recent weeks, averaging 13.4 points per game on 65 percent shooting over the last five contests to raise his season average to 8.4 ppg. He is 14-of-23 from 3-point range (.609) in that stretch with four double-figure efforts in NU's last five games.• Nebraska held Kansas State to 46 points on Dec. 17 in holding the Wildcats to their fewest points since the 2020-21 season and third-fewest total at home since Bramlage Coliseum opened in 1988. &nbsp;It marked the fewest points NU allowed on the road since joining the Big Ten and was only the second time NU had held an opponent under 50 points on the road since the 2011-12 season. Nebraska allowed just 0.68 points per possession, its lowest total in the Big Ten era.• One strength of the Huskers has been getting to the free throw line. NU has shot more free throws in 13 of 16 games in 2023-24 and its +93 differential ranks fourth in the Big Ten as of Jan. 10. Nebraska has had more free throws made (252) than opponents have attempted (243). NU allows just 15.2 free throw attempts per game to rank second in the Big Ten as of Jan. 10.• Nebraska enters Friday's game ranked third in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 75.0 percent. &nbsp;As we hit the halfway point of the regular season, it is on pace to be one of NU's highest season percentages. NU has not shot over 74 percent from the foul line since the 2011-12 season when NU shot a school-record 76.6 percent.&nbsp;• Nebraska's bench has provided a spark, averaging 23.8 points per game. The Huskers' leading scorer has come from the bench five times (Hoiberg-Lindenwood; Wilcher-Rider, North Dakota and South Carolina State; Gary-Stony Brook) and NU has had 14 double-figure efforts from its bench in 2023-24.&nbsp;• Nebraska won its first seven games by 10 or more points. It was just the second time in over 100 years - the other was from Dec. 3-30, 1990 - that the Huskers won seven straight games by double figures.• The Huskers finished non-conference action with a 10-1 mark, matching their best non-conference record since joining the Big Ten (also 2018-19). &nbsp;A Red-Letter Day: Huskers Knock Off No. 1 PurdueThe 88-72 win over No. 1 Purdue Tuesday night marked Nebraska's fourth all-time win against a No. 1 team and first since a 67-51 win at Missouri on Feb. 6, 1982.<ul>
 <li>The Huskers' other wins against No. 1 teams came in 1958 (Kansas State) and Michigan (1964).&nbsp;</li><li>Nebraska snapped an 11-game losing streak against AP No. 1 teams dating back to 1982.</li><li>Nebraska played a No. 1 team only one other time since joining the Big Ten - a 74-46 loss to Indiana on Feb. 13, 2013.</li><li>Of Nebraska's four all-time wins against No. 1 teams, Fred Hoiberg's family has been part of two of them. His grandfather, Jerry Bush, coached the Huskers to their 1958 win over No.1 Kansas State</li><li>The win over Purdue was NU's 25th all-time win against a top-10 team in program history.&nbsp;</li><li>Nebraska has now beaten at least one top-10 team in each of the past three seasons, the first time that has happened since NU knocked off top-10 teams in four consecutive seasons (1990-91 to 1993-94) under Danny Nee.</li>
 </ul>About IowaIowa comes into Friday's matchup with a 9-6 record following last Saturday's 86-77 win over Rutgers. The Hawkeyes feature the Big Ten's top scoring offense, averaging 86.7 points per game and have topped the 100-point mark four times. &nbsp;Since a three-game losing streak to Purdue, Iowa State and Michigan, the Hawkeyes have won four of their last five with only a setback at Wisconsin in that span. Fran McCaffery is in his 14th season in charge of the Hawkeyes and has guided Iowa to the last four NCAA Tournaments (2019, 2021-23).&nbsp;Iowa features a balanced attack with five players averaging at least 9.7 ppg. Valparaiso transfer Ben Krikke leads the Hawkeyes in scoring at 16.7 points per game on 58 percent shooting. Payton Sandfort, who was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2022-23, is at 14.2 ppg and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, while Tony Perkins is at 14.1 ppg and tops Iowa in assists. As a team, Iowa has a 1.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and averages just 10.3 turnovers per game. Iowa also gets to the foul line, as the Hawkeyes average more than 16 points per game from the foul line and shoot 75.5 percent as a team.&nbsp;Series History: The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 24-15, in a series that dates back to 1907. It is NU’s third-oldest series against a Big Ten foe, as only NU’s series with Minnesota and Wisconsin have been around longer. &nbsp;The teams had not met since 1976 before NU joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. Nebraska is 8-12 against the Hawkeyes since joining the Big Ten, as the teams have split the last eight matchups. NU's win in Iowa City last year was its first since the 2011-12 campaign. &nbsp;The home team has won 11 of the past 13 meetings dating back to 2016-17.Last Time OutBehind a blistering shooting night from 3-point range, Nebraska stunned No. 1 Purdue, 88-72, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 9.The Huskers shot 60.9 percent from 3-point range, including a season-high five 3-pointers from Keisei Tominaga, who led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points.&nbsp; Rienk Mast added 18 points while C.J. Wilcher and Juwan Gary added 16, and 12 points, respectively, as Nebraska picked up its first win against a No. 1 ranked team since 1982.&nbsp;In addition to the four Huskers in double figures, Brice Williams nearly posted a triple double with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine assists, as Nebraska had 22 assists and just nine turnovers.&nbsp;Nebraska trailed 28-25 with 4:15 left in the half before taking control of the contest. NU outscored Purdue, 16-2 to close the half, including the final 13 points of the half. The run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Tominaga and seven straight points from Sam Hoiberg off the bench, giving the Huskers a 41-30 halftime lead.&nbsp;The Huskers would never trail again but had to withstand several Purdue spurts in the second half. The Boilermakers hit eight of their first nine shots after halftime and pulled within 54-52 after an Edey basket with 13:24 remaining. &nbsp;Nebraska responded with a run of its own, as Wilcher scored eight of his 16 points in an 11-0 spurt over the next 1:31 as his second 3-pointer of the run gave NU a 65-52 lead with 11:53 left. Purdue was within 68-62 after a Lance Jones basket, but a Wilcher 3-pointer and a Gary layup stretched the lead to 11 and NU kept the Boilermakers at bay the rest of the night.&nbsp;

Huskers hit road to face Iowa Friday Night

The No. 4 Nebraska wrestling (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will take on the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night at the Devaney Center in a Top Five Matchup. The dual begins at 6:30pm and will be televised nationally on BTN, with Tim Johnson and Shane Sparks on the call. &nbsp;

Iowa (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) enters Friday’s dual with a recent strong performance at the Soldier Salute and a pair of dual victories over Penn and Columbia. The Hawkeyes’ projected lineup features six wrestlers ranked inside the Top 15 of their weight class: No. 5 Drake Ayala (125), No. 7 Brody Teske (133), No. 1 Real Woods (141), No. 12 Caleb Rathjen (149), No. 2 Jared Franek (157) and No. 7 Michael Caliendo (165).&nbsp;

Competition will be fierce as four of the 10 bouts potentially feature Top 15 matchups. Nine Huskers enter the weekend ranked in the Top 30, led by No. 1 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 3 Peyton Robb (157) and Lenny Pinto (184), and No. 7 Caleb Smith (125) and Brock Hardy (141). This group boasts a collective 63-9 record and has scored 77 dual points for the Big Red this season. &nbsp;

History:&nbsp;Nebraska and Iowa meet for the 35th time in series history. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 26-7-1 and have won the last 14 matchups between the teams. The Big Red last defeated Iowa on Jan. 14, 2006, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, 24-13. &nbsp;

Last Time Out:&nbsp;The Huskers collected two dual wins over Wyoming and UNI on Saturday at the Devaney Center in front of 2,503 fans.&nbsp;

Up Next:&nbsp;Nebraska will face Minnesota on the road, Friday, Jan. 19, at 9 p.m. CT on BTN, before returning home to host Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m. CT on B1G+. &nbsp;

Nebraska’s Projected Lineup:125 – No. 7 Caleb Smith (14-2)133 – Kyle Burwick (3-2) or No. 30 Jacob Van Dee (11-5)141 – No. 7 Brock Hardy (10-4)149 – No. 1 Ridge Lovett (14-0)157 – No. 3 Peyton Robb (14-1)165 – No. 19 Antrell Taylor (11-1)174 – No. 30 Bubba Wilson (9-4) or Elise Brown Ton (17-6)184 – No. 3 Lenny Pinto (11-2)197 – No. 11 Silas Allred (13-3)HWT – Harley Andrews (8-9) or Nash Hutmacher (1-0)&nbsp;

Iowa’s Projected Lineup:125 – No. 5 Drake Ayala (13-1)133 – No. 7 Brody Teske (8-2)141 – No. 1 Real Woods (9-0)149 – No. 12 Caleb Rathjen (10-1)157 – No. 2 Jared Franek (14-0)165 – No. 7 Michael Caliendo (13-1)174 – Patrick Kennedy (5-2)184 – Aiden Riggins (9-6)197 – No. 16 Zach Glazier (13-0)HWT – Bradley Hill (12-4)&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 4 Nebraska wrestling (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will take on the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night at the Devaney Center in a Top Five Matchup. The dual begins at 6:30pm and will be televised nationally on BTN, with Tim Johnson and Shane Sparks on the call. &nbsp;Iowa (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) enters Friday’s dual with a recent strong performance at the Soldier Salute and a pair of dual victories over Penn and Columbia. The Hawkeyes’ projected lineup features six wrestlers ranked inside the Top 15 of their weight class: No. 5 Drake Ayala (125), No. 7 Brody Teske (133), No. 1 Real Woods (141), No. 12 Caleb Rathjen (149), No. 2 Jared Franek (157) and No. 7 Michael Caliendo (165).&nbsp;Competition will be fierce as four of the 10 bouts potentially feature Top 15 matchups. Nine Huskers enter the weekend ranked in the Top 30, led by No. 1 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 3 Peyton Robb (157) and Lenny Pinto (184), and No. 7 Caleb Smith (125) and Brock Hardy (141). This group boasts a collective 63-9 record and has scored 77 dual points for the Big Red this season. &nbsp;History:&nbsp;Nebraska and Iowa meet for the 35th time in series history. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 26-7-1 and have won the last 14 matchups between the teams. The Big Red last defeated Iowa on Jan. 14, 2006, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, 24-13. &nbsp;Last Time Out:&nbsp;The Huskers collected two dual wins over Wyoming and UNI on Saturday at the Devaney Center in front of 2,503 fans.&nbsp;Up Next:&nbsp;Nebraska will face Minnesota on the road, Friday, Jan. 19, at 9 p.m. CT on BTN, before returning home to host Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m. CT on B1G+. &nbsp;Nebraska’s Projected Lineup:125 – No. 7 Caleb Smith (14-2)133 – Kyle Burwick (3-2) or No. 30 Jacob Van Dee (11-5)141 – No. 7 Brock Hardy (10-4)149 – No. 1 Ridge Lovett (14-0)157 – No. 3 Peyton Robb (14-1)165 – No. 19 Antrell Taylor (11-1)174 – No. 30 Bubba Wilson (9-4) or Elise Brown Ton (17-6)184 – No. 3 Lenny Pinto (11-2)197 – No. 11 Silas Allred (13-3)HWT – Harley Andrews (8-9) or Nash Hutmacher (1-0)&nbsp;Iowa’s Projected Lineup:125 – No. 5 Drake Ayala (13-1)133 – No. 7 Brody Teske (8-2)141 – No. 1 Real Woods (9-0)149 – No. 12 Caleb Rathjen (10-1)157 – No. 2 Jared Franek (14-0)165 – No. 7 Michael Caliendo (13-1)174 – Patrick Kennedy (5-2)184 – Aiden Riggins (9-6)197 – No. 16 Zach Glazier (13-0)HWT – Bradley Hill (12-4)&nbsp;Top Matchups to Watch: &nbsp;<ul>
 <li>125: No. 5 Drake Ayala (IOWA) vs. No. 7 Caleb Smith (NEB); Ayala won the pair’s last matchup in 2022 at the Southern Scuffle, 5-2&nbsp;</li><li>141: No. 1 Real Woods (IOWA) vs. No. 7 Brock Hardy (NEB); Woods won all three matches between the wrestlers last season&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>157: No. 2 Jared Franek (IOWA) vs. No. 3 Peyton Robb (NEB); Robb won the first matchup between the two in the season opener, but Franek defeated Robb at the NCAA Championships&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>

#4 NU hosts #2 Iowa on BTN 

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Wrestling meet moved up for Thursday 1/11/24! <a href="https://t.co/zgST8seLeq">pic.twitter.com/zgST8seLeq</a>&mdash; nphs_bulldogs (@nphs_bulldogs) <a href="https://twitter.com/nphs_bulldogs/status/1745160540383551791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

North Platte Wrestling schedule update for home duel against Kearney

Story by Tri-City Storm Communications

KEARNEY, NE.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for tonight’s midweek rivalry matchup at the Viaero Center against the Lincoln Stars following a historic 10-9 victory over the Under 17’s from the United States National Team Development Program on Saturday in Kearney. Tickets for tonight’s rivalry game may be purchased online at&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. Puck drop is set for 7:05pm CT. &nbsp;

Ticket specials for tonight’s home game include a Nebraska Lottery Rivalry Pack. The rivalry pack ticket package includes four tickets to the game, four hot dogs, four sodas, and ten Nebraska Lottery Scratch-Off Tickets for $44. The ticket pack is available in limited quantities, for more information on tonight’s ticket deals, call 308-338-8144. &nbsp;

Tri-City (15-11-1-2) completed its first two-game sweep over Team USA since the 2014-2015 season in last Saturday’s history 10-9 victory at the Viaero Center. The matchup featured the highest scoring game in the USHL’s Tier I history (2003-Present). It was the highest scoring game in Tri-City’s twenty four year history and featured the most combined goals scored during a USHL game played at the Viaero Center. Tri-City’s ten goals scored during the battle tied the team’s highest total for offensive production in a single game under Head Coach Anthony Noreen (2017-Present), and it fell one goal short of tying the organization’s all-time record for most goals in a single game. The Storm previously won a 10-2 decision over the Des Moines Buccaneers on November 19th, 2021, and Tri-City won an 11-0 decision over the Rochester Mustangs (defunct) on January 27th, 2001, at the Viaero Center. The previous record for the organization’s highest scoring game came in a 12-4 loss on the road against the Sioux City Musketeers on January 16th, 2009. The previous record for the USHL’s highest scoring game of its Tier I era came on November 14th, 2020, in the Muskegon Lumberjacks’ 10-8 road victory over the Chicago Steel. Zach Bade (2), Jake Rozzi, Seth Constance, Alexander Bales, Trevor Connelly, Cam Briere, Owen Beckner, Ryan Smith, and Carmelo Crandell all netted goals for the Storm in the team’s historic victory. Goaltender Cameron Korpi backstopped the team to victory in net. Connelly was named the USHL’s Forward of the Week on Monday for his efforts in the team’s back-to-back wins over Team USA last weekend at the Viaero Center. Tri-City currently holds a 2-1-0-1 record in head-to-head games played against Lincoln this season. The Storm is 15-3-0-1 in battles played against the Stars at the Viaero Center over the past five seasons. In Saturday’s 10-9 win over Team USA, Tri-City improved to 12-3-0-2 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period and 12-0-1-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season. Scoring leaders for the Storm entering tonight’s 30th&nbsp;game of the 2023-2024 regular season include Ryan Smith (13), Trevor Connelly (11), August Falloon (11), Cam Briere (10), Artemi Nizameyev (8), and Owen Beckner (8). The Storm will return to action on Saturday night in a road game against the Stars following tonight’s showdown on home ice in Kearney. Tri-City will not play tomorrow night, as the team’s originally scheduled road game against Sioux Falls was rescheduled and played on Sunday, October 8th, 2023. &nbsp;

Lincoln (12-17-0-2) travels to Kearney tonight to face the Storm as the 6th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Stars have posted an overall record of 16-22-4-0 in the last five seasons in head-to-head matchups against the Storm. Lincoln is 6-4-0-0 in the last ten games entering tonight’s rivalry battle at the Viaero Center. The Stars split home games against the Waterloo Black Hawks last weekend at the Ice Box. Lincoln dropped a 4-3 decision on Friday night, but bounced back to defeat Waterloo by a final score of 5-3 Saturday night. Justin Mexico (2), Dashel Oliver, Blake Montgomery, and Max Ferkodic scored goals for the Stars in the win. Scoring leaders for the Stars entering tonight’s road game against the Storm at the Viaero Center include Blake Montgomery (12), Keaton Peters (11), Jack Pechar (11), Jared Mangan (9), Dashel Oliver (6), and German Yavash (5). Lincoln will return to action tomorrow night in a road game against the Omaha Lancers before hosting the Storm for the team’s final game of the week on Saturday night at the Ice Box. Puck drop for Saturday’s game at the Ice Box between the Storm and the Stars is set for 6:05pm CT. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:05pm&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 Storm CommunicationsKEARNEY, NE.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for tonight’s midweek rivalry matchup at the Viaero Center against the Lincoln Stars following a historic 10-9 victory over the Under 17’s from the United States National Team Development Program on Saturday in Kearney. Tickets for tonight’s rivalry game may be purchased online at&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. Puck drop is set for 7:05pm CT. &nbsp;Ticket specials for tonight’s home game include a Nebraska Lottery Rivalry Pack. The rivalry pack ticket package includes four tickets to the game, four hot dogs, four sodas, and ten Nebraska Lottery Scratch-Off Tickets for $44. The ticket pack is available in limited quantities, for more information on tonight’s ticket deals, call 308-338-8144. &nbsp;Tri-City (15-11-1-2) completed its first two-game sweep over Team USA since the 2014-2015 season in last Saturday’s history 10-9 victory at the Viaero Center. The matchup featured the highest scoring game in the USHL’s Tier I history (2003-Present). It was the highest scoring game in Tri-City’s twenty four year history and featured the most combined goals scored during a USHL game played at the Viaero Center. Tri-City’s ten goals scored during the battle tied the team’s highest total for offensive production in a single game under Head Coach Anthony Noreen (2017-Present), and it fell one goal short of tying the organization’s all-time record for most goals in a single game. The Storm previously won a 10-2 decision over the Des Moines Buccaneers on November 19th, 2021, and Tri-City won an 11-0 decision over the Rochester Mustangs (defunct) on January 27th, 2001, at the Viaero Center. The previous record for the organization’s highest scoring game came in a 12-4 loss on the road against the Sioux City Musketeers on January 16th, 2009. The previous record for the USHL’s highest scoring game of its Tier I era came on November 14th, 2020, in the Muskegon Lumberjacks’ 10-8 road victory over the Chicago Steel. Zach Bade (2), Jake Rozzi, Seth Constance, Alexander Bales, Trevor Connelly, Cam Briere, Owen Beckner, Ryan Smith, and Carmelo Crandell all netted goals for the Storm in the team’s historic victory. Goaltender Cameron Korpi backstopped the team to victory in net. Connelly was named the USHL’s Forward of the Week on Monday for his efforts in the team’s back-to-back wins over Team USA last weekend at the Viaero Center. Tri-City currently holds a 2-1-0-1 record in head-to-head games played against Lincoln this season. The Storm is 15-3-0-1 in battles played against the Stars at the Viaero Center over the past five seasons. In Saturday’s 10-9 win over Team USA, Tri-City improved to 12-3-0-2 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period and 12-0-1-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season. Scoring leaders for the Storm entering tonight’s 30th&nbsp;game of the 2023-2024 regular season include Ryan Smith (13), Trevor Connelly (11), August Falloon (11), Cam Briere (10), Artemi Nizameyev (8), and Owen Beckner (8). The Storm will return to action on Saturday night in a road game against the Stars following tonight’s showdown on home ice in Kearney. Tri-City will not play tomorrow night, as the team’s originally scheduled road game against Sioux Falls was rescheduled and played on Sunday, October 8th, 2023. &nbsp;Lincoln (12-17-0-2) travels to Kearney tonight to face the Storm as the 6th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Stars have posted an overall record of 16-22-4-0 in the last five seasons in head-to-head matchups against the Storm. Lincoln is 6-4-0-0 in the last ten games entering tonight’s rivalry battle at the Viaero Center. The Stars split home games against the Waterloo Black Hawks last weekend at the Ice Box. Lincoln dropped a 4-3 decision on Friday night, but bounced back to defeat Waterloo by a final score of 5-3 Saturday night. Justin Mexico (2), Dashel Oliver, Blake Montgomery, and Max Ferkodic scored goals for the Stars in the win. Scoring leaders for the Stars entering tonight’s road game against the Storm at the Viaero Center include Blake Montgomery (12), Keaton Peters (11), Jack Pechar (11), Jared Mangan (9), Dashel Oliver (6), and German Yavash (5). Lincoln will return to action tomorrow night in a road game against the Omaha Lancers before hosting the Storm for the team’s final game of the week on Saturday night at the Ice Box. Puck drop for Saturday’s game at the Ice Box between the Storm and the Stars is set for 6:05pm CT. &nbsp;&nbsp;Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:05pm&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 midweek battle against Stars

Las Vegas&nbsp;– The Nebraska bowling team claimed a second-place finish at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic on Wednesday and finished with an 11-0 overall record. &nbsp;

After five baker total pinfall matches and five traditional matches on Monday and Tuesday, the Huskers bowled three best four-of-seven baker matches on Wednesday for the tournament title. &nbsp;

In the first round of bracket play, the Huskers faced No. 8 Duquesne with a starting lineup of Alexis Buchert, Lani Breedlove, Breanna Hartzler, Kayla Verstraete and Jillian Martin. NU came out of the gates firing with a 278 to defeat the Dukes in game one (278-167). Duquesne topped the Huskers in game two (243-233) to tie the match 1-1. NU then grabbed game three (189-171) and game four (180-174) to take a 3-1 overall advantage. Duquesne responded with wins in game five (189-178) and game six (215-209), and the teams moved on to a deciding seventh game. The Huskers then claimed the match 4-3 with a 215-182 win in game seven to move on to the second round of match play.&nbsp;

NU then met No. 2 Vanderbilt in another best four-of-seven baker match. The Huskers defeated Vanderbilt in game one (224-194) before the Commodores took game two (196-186). The Big Red topped Vanderbilt 204-158 in game three before NU dropped the fourth game (258-167). Then, in game five the Huskers rolled a baker 300 and won game six (204-171) to advance to the finals.&nbsp;

In the championship final, the Huskers took on No. 1 Jacksonville State. JSU took the first game (193-162) and the second game (191-176). NU came back in game three with a 197-182 victory before JSU won game four (267-215) to take a 3-1 overall lead. The Huskers won the next two games, 212-170, 223-203, to force a winner take all seventh game. NU battled but fell 4-3 to Jacksonville State (254-192) and finished second. &nbsp;

Individually, Martin led the way for the Huskers with a 19th place finish and an average of 200.8. Kathryn Bowman was 22nd (198.8), Breedlove finished 27th (193.0), Verstraete was 31st (191.0) and Hartzler rounded out the group with a 182.0 average. &nbsp;

Up next, the Huskers travel to New Castle, De., on Friday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 21, for the Northeast Classic. &nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsLas Vegas&nbsp;– The Nebraska bowling team claimed a second-place finish at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic on Wednesday and finished with an 11-0 overall record. &nbsp;After five baker total pinfall matches and five traditional matches on Monday and Tuesday, the Huskers bowled three best four-of-seven baker matches on Wednesday for the tournament title. &nbsp;In the first round of bracket play, the Huskers faced No. 8 Duquesne with a starting lineup of Alexis Buchert, Lani Breedlove, Breanna Hartzler, Kayla Verstraete and Jillian Martin. NU came out of the gates firing with a 278 to defeat the Dukes in game one (278-167). Duquesne topped the Huskers in game two (243-233) to tie the match 1-1. NU then grabbed game three (189-171) and game four (180-174) to take a 3-1 overall advantage. Duquesne responded with wins in game five (189-178) and game six (215-209), and the teams moved on to a deciding seventh game. The Huskers then claimed the match 4-3 with a 215-182 win in game seven to move on to the second round of match play.&nbsp;NU then met No. 2 Vanderbilt in another best four-of-seven baker match. The Huskers defeated Vanderbilt in game one (224-194) before the Commodores took game two (196-186). The Big Red topped Vanderbilt 204-158 in game three before NU dropped the fourth game (258-167). Then, in game five the Huskers rolled a baker 300 and won game six (204-171) to advance to the finals.&nbsp;In the championship final, the Huskers took on No. 1 Jacksonville State. JSU took the first game (193-162) and the second game (191-176). NU came back in game three with a 197-182 victory before JSU won game four (267-215) to take a 3-1 overall lead. The Huskers won the next two games, 212-170, 223-203, to force a winner take all seventh game. NU battled but fell 4-3 to Jacksonville State (254-192) and finished second. &nbsp;Individually, Martin led the way for the Huskers with a 19th place finish and an average of 200.8. Kathryn Bowman was 22nd (198.8), Breedlove finished 27th (193.0), Verstraete was 31st (191.0) and Hartzler rounded out the group with a 182.0 average. &nbsp;Up next, the Huskers travel to New Castle, De., on Friday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 21, for the Northeast Classic. &nbsp;

Huskers bowling finish Second in Las Vegas 

Behind a blistering shooting night from 3-point range, Nebraska stunned No. 1 Purdue, 88-72, Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena,&nbsp;

The Huskers (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) shot 60.9 percent from 3-point range, including five from Keisei Tominanga, who led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points.&nbsp;

The win was just the fourth time Nebraska has knocked off a No. 1 team and first since Feb 6, 1982. NU had lost its last 11 games against a No. 1 team, although Purdue was the first No. 1 team to play in Lincoln since 2002.&nbsp;

Rienk Mast added 18 points while C.J. Wilcher and Juwan Gary added 16, and 12 points, respectively. Mast help limit reigning national player of the year Zach Edey to 15 points and seven rebounds. &nbsp;Brice Williams nearly posted a triple double with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine assists, as Nebraska had 22 assists and just nine turnovers.&nbsp;

Nebraska trailed 28-25 with 4:15 left in the half before taking control of the contest. NU outscored Purdue, 16-2 to close the half, including the final 11 points highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Tominaga and seven straight points from Sam Hoiberg off the bench to give the Huskers a 41-30 halftime lead.&nbsp;

The Huskers would never trail again but had to withstand several Purdue spurts in the second half. The Boilermakers hit eight of their first nine shots after halftime and pulled within 54-52 after an Edey basket with 13:24 remaining.

Nebraska responded a run of its own, as Wilcher scored eight of his 16 points in an 11-0 spurt over the next 1:31 as his second 3-pointer of the run gave NU a 65-52 lead with 11:53 left. Purdue eventually got within 68-62 after a Lance Jones basket, but a Wilcher 3 and a Gary layup stretched the lead to 11 and NU kept the Boilermakers at bay the rest of the night.&nbsp;

Mason Gillis led Purdue (14-2, 3-2) with 16 points off the bench, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range to lead five Boilermakers in double figures.&nbsp;

Nebraska hits the road to continue Big Ten play, taking on Iowa on Friday, Jan. 12 at 8:30 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The game is set to be televised on the Big Ten Network, with radio coverage provided by Huskers Radio Network.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsBehind a blistering shooting night from 3-point range, Nebraska stunned No. 1 Purdue, 88-72, Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena,&nbsp;The Huskers (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) shot 60.9 percent from 3-point range, including five from Keisei Tominanga, who led four Huskers in double figures with 19 points.&nbsp;The win was just the fourth time Nebraska has knocked off a No. 1 team and first since Feb 6, 1982. NU had lost its last 11 games against a No. 1 team, although Purdue was the first No. 1 team to play in Lincoln since 2002.&nbsp;Rienk Mast added 18 points while C.J. Wilcher and Juwan Gary added 16, and 12 points, respectively. Mast help limit reigning national player of the year Zach Edey to 15 points and seven rebounds. &nbsp;Brice Williams nearly posted a triple double with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine assists, as Nebraska had 22 assists and just nine turnovers.&nbsp;Nebraska trailed 28-25 with 4:15 left in the half before taking control of the contest. NU outscored Purdue, 16-2 to close the half, including the final 11 points highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Tominaga and seven straight points from Sam Hoiberg off the bench to give the Huskers a 41-30 halftime lead.&nbsp;The Huskers would never trail again but had to withstand several Purdue spurts in the second half. The Boilermakers hit eight of their first nine shots after halftime and pulled within 54-52 after an Edey basket with 13:24 remaining.Nebraska responded a run of its own, as Wilcher scored eight of his 16 points in an 11-0 spurt over the next 1:31 as his second 3-pointer of the run gave NU a 65-52 lead with 11:53 left. Purdue eventually got within 68-62 after a Lance Jones basket, but a Wilcher 3 and a Gary layup stretched the lead to 11 and NU kept the Boilermakers at bay the rest of the night.&nbsp;Mason Gillis led Purdue (14-2, 3-2) with 16 points off the bench, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range to lead five Boilermakers in double figures.&nbsp;Nebraska hits the road to continue Big Ten play, taking on Iowa on Friday, Jan. 12 at 8:30 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The game is set to be televised on the Big Ten Network, with radio coverage provided by Huskers Radio Network.

Huskers take down #1 Purdue

Story by NU Athletic&nbsp;Communications

Las Vegas, Nev. -&nbsp;Alone they stand as the undefeated team in a 20 member field, the Huskers have secured their third place seed at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic after a 4-0 run, bringing their overall tournament record to 9-0 and a 9,751 total pinfall.

In the first of five traditional matches, the Huskers met No. 20 Oklahoma Christian. NU started off strong with three games over 200 as Jillian Martin led the Huskers with a 233, Kayla Verstraete shot 212 and Breanna Hartzler rolled a 205. Kathryn Bowman (197) and Lani Breedlove (196) also had good showings in the Huskers’ 1043-926 victory over Oklahoma Christian.

With a 6-0 overall record, NU then had a bye match. Martin continued her strong performance with a 210, Bowman rolled a 208 and Hartzler (192), Breedlove (181) and Verstraete (168) rounded out the group. After two games, Martin sat in eighth overall with a 221.5 average and Bowman was in 22nd with 405 pins.

The Huskers then faced No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s in match three. Bowman recorded her third-straight 200 game as she rolled a 202. Martin (187), Verstraete (184), Breedlove (181) and Hartzler (170) joined Bowman for a close 924-918 victory over Mount St. Mary’s. Before the final two games, Martin was in 15th overall (630 pins) and Bowman was 21st (607 pins).&nbsp;

A familiar foe in match four, No. 8 Duquesne would continue the Huskers 7-0 record. Martin led the Huskers with a strong 229, while Breedlove followed close with a 214. Bowman showed good with 195 and Hartzler right behind at 192. Verstraete rounded out the Big Red with a 189 before facing their final match.

The final match would prove to be the most demanding lane pair of the day. Ending the day against Adelphi, Verstrate lead at 202. Bowman and Breedlove would provide double 190’s with Breedlove tallying 193 and Bowman one pin shy at 192. Lanes that required perfection would keep Hartlzer at 151 and Martin at 145. Despite lower daily scores, the Huskers&nbsp; secured their ninth win of the tournament with an 883 against Adelphis 842, securing ttheir place as the third overall seed and a chance for the tournament title.

The Huskers continue competition at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m. (CT). Each team will compete in three rounds of Best-of-seven Baker matches to determine final tournament placements with the first round against No. 8 Duquesne.&nbsp;

Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@NEBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook.

Additionally, all matches will be broadcasted on BOWL.com (subscription to bowltv required).

Story by NU Athletic&nbsp;CommunicationsLas Vegas, Nev. -&nbsp;Alone they stand as the undefeated team in a 20 member field, the Huskers have secured their third place seed at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic after a 4-0 run, bringing their overall tournament record to 9-0 and a 9,751 total pinfall.In the first of five traditional matches, the Huskers met No. 20 Oklahoma Christian. NU started off strong with three games over 200 as Jillian Martin led the Huskers with a 233, Kayla Verstraete shot 212 and Breanna Hartzler rolled a 205. Kathryn Bowman (197) and Lani Breedlove (196) also had good showings in the Huskers’ 1043-926 victory over Oklahoma Christian.With a 6-0 overall record, NU then had a bye match. Martin continued her strong performance with a 210, Bowman rolled a 208 and Hartzler (192), Breedlove (181) and Verstraete (168) rounded out the group. After two games, Martin sat in eighth overall with a 221.5 average and Bowman was in 22nd with 405 pins.The Huskers then faced No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s in match three. Bowman recorded her third-straight 200 game as she rolled a 202. Martin (187), Verstraete (184), Breedlove (181) and Hartzler (170) joined Bowman for a close 924-918 victory over Mount St. Mary’s. Before the final two games, Martin was in 15th overall (630 pins) and Bowman was 21st (607 pins).&nbsp;A familiar foe in match four, No. 8 Duquesne would continue the Huskers 7-0 record. Martin led the Huskers with a strong 229, while Breedlove followed close with a 214. Bowman showed good with 195 and Hartzler right behind at 192. Verstraete rounded out the Big Red with a 189 before facing their final match.The final match would prove to be the most demanding lane pair of the day. Ending the day against Adelphi, Verstrate lead at 202. Bowman and Breedlove would provide double 190’s with Breedlove tallying 193 and Bowman one pin shy at 192. Lanes that required perfection would keep Hartlzer at 151 and Martin at 145. Despite lower daily scores, the Huskers&nbsp; secured their ninth win of the tournament with an 883 against Adelphis 842, securing ttheir place as the third overall seed and a chance for the tournament title.The Huskers continue competition at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m. (CT). Each team will compete in three rounds of Best-of-seven Baker matches to determine final tournament placements with the first round against No. 8 Duquesne.&nbsp;Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@NEBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook.Additionally, all matches will be broadcasted on BOWL.com (subscription to bowltv required).

Undefeated Huskers head into final day at Vegas

“I think the thing that gave us the chance was the start. Purdue was so fast out of the gate, and you look at the game against Illinois, it was 22-6, and it’s a hard team to fight back and get down early. We came out and threw the first punch, and that was important to set the tone for this game and go into halftime with the lead. Then, they came out and hit eight out of ten (to start the second half). We knew they’d go on a run. It’s who they are. It’s why they’re the number one team in the country, and I thought the resiliency that we showed and the fight that we showed when we called a timeout and hung in there and then went on a little run – they finally missed a couple. We got out. Sam (Hoiberg) had a nice steal and got a layup in transition to force a timeout, but I just thought the hustle plays our guys made all game long, that’s really what stood out to me, and everybody that stepped on the floor, I thought made a positive contribution, and those are the fun ones, when you have everybody that plays contribute to the win. I’m happy for our guys. I talked to them, going into this game, about being part of teams that have knocked off the number one team in the country. I had a couple as a player, and I had a couple as a coach at my previous stop. There’s nothing like it, to go out and get this win, and I talked to our guys about there will probably be people coming on the floor and to enjoy it with the fans, and now the challenge: you’ve got to move on. We play in two days, which I think feels like about the 18th game in a row we’ve had two days of prep, but we’ve got to get over this one quickly, but I did tell our guys to enjoy it, to have fun. It certainly shows what we’re capable of. I thought both ends, we were really good for the most part, besides that run that they went on in the second half, but overall, start to finish, I was really pleased with the effort.”

“This is a special win, and again, the thing I'm really happy with is it shows what we're capable of, to come out there especially after a tough loss. Wisconsin handed it to us the other day, and what I told our guys in the locker room is, we won it on Sunday when we got back in the gym. We learned from the mistakes that we made, and that’s the thing that you love as a coach, when your guys respond like they did today for the entire game for 40 minutes and execute what you preach to them. Did I enjoy it? Hell yeah I did. I’m gonna enjoy it, but I’m gonna go home, and I got to start watching Iowa now. Like I said, I wish we had five days in between this one, so I could really enjoy it tonight, but we’ve got a game coming up. We’ve got to get a plan put together, and we’ve got to get our guys ready starting tomorrow.”

“It’s a great win. It’s a huge win for our program, but we’ve got a lot of work left to do. I think that’s the way we all need to look at this thing. This can’t be the highlight of our year. We have to build off this one. We bounced back from a tough loss. Now, we’re gonna see how we handle a big, emotional win like this, and we’ll know tomorrow. We’ll know tomorrow in the gym. We won’t go long. We probably won’t do a lot of live reps, but we’ve got to get the game plan in and have a really good mental day and get our guys ready to go.”

On coming back from Nebraska’s 13-0 run

“That’s probably the difference in the game, right? We had a couple good fights there in the second half to where we closed it to within single digits. I think one time we got it to two, and then they pushed it right back to double digits, around 10, 11, 12. And that was big. Zach (Edey) obviously went out at that time and we had to play better. The other night, Zach got two fouls against Illinois and we played really well without him. From a scoring standpoint, I think we were like +7 while he was out. Obviously here, we weren’t. When you’re put in that position in the second half, you’re not going to make runs if you can’t stop somebody. We had to do a better job defensively. To their credit, their shot-makers made some tough ones. We had some breakdowns and they capitalized on them and then other times when we did some good things – I thought (CJ) Wilcher and (Keisei) Tominaga made some really, really tough threes and (Rienk) Mast is a good player. I thought he really played well. I like their team. I like how hard they play. They’re together, they can hurt you in different ways. I like their system, I like the stuff they run, they cut, they move, it’s real basketball. It was tough for us to guard.”

On what’s different between Nebraska now vs. a few years ago

“To me, it always starts with personnel. Obviously, it’s your players, but it’s the connectivity of your players. They have good pieces together. Sometimes you can have good individual pieces, they just don’t blend well together. They blend well. They have good roles, (Brice) Williams can score on a given night, but he can also play-make. Like, tonight, he gets 11 rebounds. It’s fabulous. I don’t know him personally. I always think that’s a big deal, getting the right guys. (Keisei) Tominaga is such a threat, a huge shot maker. And Wilcher really helps. When he goes and makes shots for them, he really, really helps them. I like (Josiah) Allick and how hard he plays, I like how (Rienk) Mast plays. Juwan Gary is a stud. He has 18 rebounds at Kansas State. I think they have good pieces, but like, Juwan Gary has now been here for two years. Tominaga has been here for three years. I know their centers, both of them just got here, but they have some experience, they have good roles. (Fred) Hoiberg did a good job. Look at their bench. I think they were 10-for-12 if I remember correctly. They made their free throws. They didn’t turn the ball over. That’s a recipe for success right there, when you get good bench play and you get your guys like Mast and your Tominaga and those guys to really play well and make those shots.”

On why Rienk Mast was so hard for Zach Edey to guard

“I think he’s hard for everybody to guard. The other night against Wisconsin, he’s 2-for-7 from three, he just missed them. One was probably a bad one, but the rest, he just missed them. He makes a couple of those, maybe that game unfolds a little differently. Around the rim, he can go over either shoulder. He actually prefers to go over the right shoulder with his left hand a little bit more. So we can get in there and we can double and run at him and do things if we want, but with their skill, we didn’t think that made a whole lot of sense. And so, we wanted him to have to score over him (Edey). He made good plays, did some really good things, made a couple threes. He didn’t turn the ball over. He’s just a good player. Very experienced, tough.”

On what they’ve noticed leading up to tonight

Rienk Mast: “Mainly determination. I think everybody came in and was like ‘Okay we dropped one but we have another opportunity on Tuesday.’ Nobody was hanging their heads. Everybody came in hungry and dialed in to the scouting report and I think today showed that we’re a very good team. This was the best team effort that I’ve seen probably in my career.”

On Rienk Mast’s matchup with Zach Edey

Rienk Mast: “It doesn’t get much bigger than that. Number one team, reigning National Player of the Year, I just see that as a challenge. Luckily the shots were going in in the beginning and it gave the team a little spark and everybody started believing, ‘hey there’s something there today’ so yeah, rise to the moment and I think everybody did that today.”

On making his return from injury tonight

Brice Williams: “I’ve been in the training room more than I’ve been in my apartment the past couple days. I didn’t want to let the guys down. Obviously I wanted to play in a big moment like this because I haven’t ever experienced it. It was so electric in there. The energy was out of this world and I’m glad I didn’t miss it but at the same time, I just wanted to be there with my teammates. We all work hard and I can fight through a little bit of pain for them. It takes everybody to win, it’s not just one person so we just leaned on each other night.”

C.J. Wilcher: “It’s a great thing to see because ultimately again I give all glory to God, giving me opportunity to be a part of this game but to see the growth of our program, growth of this staff, the adjustments made throughout the years and to be a part of this is a great experience. It’s kind of like full circle. From where we came from my first year to now so it’s a great experience.”

C.J. Wilcher: “It was dope. I’ve never experienced that. It kind of got too hot though I had to get out of there.”

On the plan against Zach Edey and the defensive effort

Rienk Mast: “My plan was to be annoying. I kind of did a little fist bump because he was already complaining to the refs before the first media timeout. Just being annoying, being on his body, playing physical with him, I mean he’s about as big as it’s going to get. For me personally, that was kind of my plan and for the team, just be aggressive on him. Our game plan was pretty much to double team him on the catch and make the pass out and finding the open guy really tough and kind of rotate out of there so I think we did a great job on the backside of running and rotating and scrambling around. I give all of these guys a lot of credit because at the end of the day, I just have to put my hands up and make the pass tough. They actually have to run around and get the guys.”

On the whole team effortBrice Williams: “It will make us hard to stop as the season goes on. We have a lot of experience. We have old and young guys which is good but we’re so deep, we’re so talented shooting, shooting off the charts. You can’t stop it. It can be anybody’s night and that is what you saw out there tonight and that’s what everybody’s going to see as the season goes on.”

Brice Williams: “The scene was crazy. Like C.J. says, it gets too hot and it gets a little hectic. I almost fell twice and I was like yeah I have to leave. At that point it can get dangerous and there was a lot of people but at the end of the day, it was fun and it was something fun to be a part of. I’m going to remember it forever. We haven’t beat a number one team since 1982 or something so I mean it was justified.”

On turning around and going to play at Iowa

C.J. Wilcher: “Kind of like we did today, it wasn’t as quick of a turnaround but we kind of had our focus on this game. I think it’s the same thing. We enjoy tonight and everybody has their fun but tomorrow morning we go to practice and it’s time to lock in on the scout and our principles again.”

Brice Williams: “Yeah we’re not preparing every day to beat Purdue. We’re competing for a National Championship, well first a Big Ten Championships and then a National Championship. Celebrate tonight like C.J. said but never get too high and never get too low. Just keep moving forward. That was a big win but that’s not all we’re here to do.”

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsGame Notes<ul>
 <li>Nebraska picked up its fourth win in program history against a No. 1 team and first since a 67-51 win at Missouri on Feb. 6, 1982. Nebraska improved to 4-13 all-time against the nation’s No. 1 team.</li><li>Of the four wins over No. 1 teams, two belong to the Hoiberg family as his grandfather Jerry Bush knocked off No. 1 Kansas State, 55-48, on March 3, 1958.</li><li>The win was the fourth ranked win for Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska and first since a win at No. 7 Creighton on Dec. 4, 2022.</li><li>Nebraska hit a season-high 14 3-pointers on Tuesday, topping the previous season high of 12 done three other times this season, most recently at Wisconsin last Saturday. NU is now 8-1 when hitting at least 10 3-pointers. Nebraska went 14-of-23 from beyond the arc, hitting a season-high 60.9 percent. The last time NU shot at least 60 percent from 3-point range was Feb. 27, 2022 at Penn State (13-of-20)</li><li>Nebraska handed Purdue its largest loss since an 82-58 loss at Michigan on Feb. 10, 2002.</li><li>Nebraska’s 88 points was its highest in Big Ten play since a 93-70 win at Penn State on Feb. 27, 2002. It is the most points NU has scored against Purdue since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12 (previous high 83, on Jan. 29, 2017).</li><li>Nebraska shot 50.9 percent, becoming the third team to shoot over 50 percent against Purdue.</li>
 </ul>Nebraska Head Coach Fred HoibergOpening Statement“I think the thing that gave us the chance was the start. Purdue was so fast out of the gate, and you look at the game against Illinois, it was 22-6, and it’s a hard team to fight back and get down early. We came out and threw the first punch, and that was important to set the tone for this game and go into halftime with the lead. Then, they came out and hit eight out of ten (to start the second half). We knew they’d go on a run. It’s who they are. It’s why they’re the number one team in the country, and I thought the resiliency that we showed and the fight that we showed when we called a timeout and hung in there and then went on a little run – they finally missed a couple. We got out. Sam (Hoiberg) had a nice steal and got a layup in transition to force a timeout, but I just thought the hustle plays our guys made all game long, that’s really what stood out to me, and everybody that stepped on the floor, I thought made a positive contribution, and those are the fun ones, when you have everybody that plays contribute to the win. I’m happy for our guys. I talked to them, going into this game, about being part of teams that have knocked off the number one team in the country. I had a couple as a player, and I had a couple as a coach at my previous stop. There’s nothing like it, to go out and get this win, and I talked to our guys about there will probably be people coming on the floor and to enjoy it with the fans, and now the challenge: you’ve got to move on. We play in two days, which I think feels like about the 18th game in a row we’ve had two days of prep, but we’ve got to get over this one quickly, but I did tell our guys to enjoy it, to have fun. It certainly shows what we’re capable of. I thought both ends, we were really good for the most part, besides that run that they went on in the second half, but overall, start to finish, I was really pleased with the effort.”On the final buzzer“This is a special win, and again, the thing I'm really happy with is it shows what we're capable of, to come out there especially after a tough loss. Wisconsin handed it to us the other day, and what I told our guys in the locker room is, we won it on Sunday when we got back in the gym. We learned from the mistakes that we made, and that’s the thing that you love as a coach, when your guys respond like they did today for the entire game for 40 minutes and execute what you preach to them. Did I enjoy it? Hell yeah I did. I’m gonna enjoy it, but I’m gonna go home, and I got to start watching Iowa now. Like I said, I wish we had five days in between this one, so I could really enjoy it tonight, but we’ve got a game coming up. We’ve got to get a plan put together, and we’ve got to get our guys ready starting tomorrow.”On the importance of the win“It’s a great win. It’s a huge win for our program, but we’ve got a lot of work left to do. I think that’s the way we all need to look at this thing. This can’t be the highlight of our year. We have to build off this one. We bounced back from a tough loss. Now, we’re gonna see how we handle a big, emotional win like this, and we’ll know tomorrow. We’ll know tomorrow in the gym. We won’t go long. We probably won’t do a lot of live reps, but we’ve got to get the game plan in and have a really good mental day and get our guys ready to go.”Purdue Head Coach Matt PainterOn coming back from Nebraska’s 13-0 run“That’s probably the difference in the game, right? We had a couple good fights there in the second half to where we closed it to within single digits. I think one time we got it to two, and then they pushed it right back to double digits, around 10, 11, 12. And that was big. Zach (Edey) obviously went out at that time and we had to play better. The other night, Zach got two fouls against Illinois and we played really well without him. From a scoring standpoint, I think we were like +7 while he was out. Obviously here, we weren’t. When you’re put in that position in the second half, you’re not going to make runs if you can’t stop somebody. We had to do a better job defensively. To their credit, their shot-makers made some tough ones. We had some breakdowns and they capitalized on them and then other times when we did some good things – I thought (CJ) Wilcher and (Keisei) Tominaga made some really, really tough threes and (Rienk) Mast is a good player. I thought he really played well. I like their team. I like how hard they play. They’re together, they can hurt you in different ways. I like their system, I like the stuff they run, they cut, they move, it’s real basketball. It was tough for us to guard.”On what’s different between Nebraska now vs. a few years ago“To me, it always starts with personnel. Obviously, it’s your players, but it’s the connectivity of your players. They have good pieces together. Sometimes you can have good individual pieces, they just don’t blend well together. They blend well. They have good roles, (Brice) Williams can score on a given night, but he can also play-make. Like, tonight, he gets 11 rebounds. It’s fabulous. I don’t know him personally. I always think that’s a big deal, getting the right guys. (Keisei) Tominaga is such a threat, a huge shot maker. And Wilcher really helps. When he goes and makes shots for them, he really, really helps them. I like (Josiah) Allick and how hard he plays, I like how (Rienk) Mast plays. Juwan Gary is a stud. He has 18 rebounds at Kansas State. I think they have good pieces, but like, Juwan Gary has now been here for two years. Tominaga has been here for three years. I know their centers, both of them just got here, but they have some experience, they have good roles. (Fred) Hoiberg did a good job. Look at their bench. I think they were 10-for-12 if I remember correctly. They made their free throws. They didn’t turn the ball over. That’s a recipe for success right there, when you get good bench play and you get your guys like Mast and your Tominaga and those guys to really play well and make those shots.”On why Rienk Mast was so hard for Zach Edey to guard“I think he’s hard for everybody to guard. The other night against Wisconsin, he’s 2-for-7 from three, he just missed them. One was probably a bad one, but the rest, he just missed them. He makes a couple of those, maybe that game unfolds a little differently. Around the rim, he can go over either shoulder. He actually prefers to go over the right shoulder with his left hand a little bit more. So we can get in there and we can double and run at him and do things if we want, but with their skill, we didn’t think that made a whole lot of sense. And so, we wanted him to have to score over him (Edey). He made good plays, did some really good things, made a couple threes. He didn’t turn the ball over. He’s just a good player. Very experienced, tough.”Nebraska PlayersOn what they’ve noticed leading up to tonightRienk Mast: “Mainly determination. I think everybody came in and was like ‘Okay we dropped one but we have another opportunity on Tuesday.’ Nobody was hanging their heads. Everybody came in hungry and dialed in to the scouting report and I think today showed that we’re a very good team. This was the best team effort that I’ve seen probably in my career.”On Rienk Mast’s matchup with Zach EdeyRienk Mast: “It doesn’t get much bigger than that. Number one team, reigning National Player of the Year, I just see that as a challenge. Luckily the shots were going in in the beginning and it gave the team a little spark and everybody started believing, ‘hey there’s something there today’ so yeah, rise to the moment and I think everybody did that today.”On making his return from injury tonightBrice Williams: “I’ve been in the training room more than I’ve been in my apartment the past couple days. I didn’t want to let the guys down. Obviously I wanted to play in a big moment like this because I haven’t ever experienced it. It was so electric in there. The energy was out of this world and I’m glad I didn’t miss it but at the same time, I just wanted to be there with my teammates. We all work hard and I can fight through a little bit of pain for them. It takes everybody to win, it’s not just one person so we just leaned on each other night.”On what this win meansC.J. Wilcher: “It’s a great thing to see because ultimately again I give all glory to God, giving me opportunity to be a part of this game but to see the growth of our program, growth of this staff, the adjustments made throughout the years and to be a part of this is a great experience. It’s kind of like full circle. From where we came from my first year to now so it’s a great experience.”On fans storming the courtC.J. Wilcher: “It was dope. I’ve never experienced that. It kind of got too hot though I had to get out of there.”On the plan against Zach Edey and the defensive effortRienk Mast: “My plan was to be annoying. I kind of did a little fist bump because he was already complaining to the refs before the first media timeout. Just being annoying, being on his body, playing physical with him, I mean he’s about as big as it’s going to get. For me personally, that was kind of my plan and for the team, just be aggressive on him. Our game plan was pretty much to double team him on the catch and make the pass out and finding the open guy really tough and kind of rotate out of there so I think we did a great job on the backside of running and rotating and scrambling around. I give all of these guys a lot of credit because at the end of the day, I just have to put my hands up and make the pass tough. They actually have to run around and get the guys.”On the whole team effortBrice Williams: “It will make us hard to stop as the season goes on. We have a lot of experience. We have old and young guys which is good but we’re so deep, we’re so talented shooting, shooting off the charts. You can’t stop it. It can be anybody’s night and that is what you saw out there tonight and that’s what everybody’s going to see as the season goes on.”On court stormingBrice Williams: “The scene was crazy. Like C.J. says, it gets too hot and it gets a little hectic. I almost fell twice and I was like yeah I have to leave. At that point it can get dangerous and there was a lot of people but at the end of the day, it was fun and it was something fun to be a part of. I’m going to remember it forever. We haven’t beat a number one team since 1982 or something so I mean it was justified.”On turning around and going to play at IowaC.J. Wilcher: “Kind of like we did today, it wasn’t as quick of a turnaround but we kind of had our focus on this game. I think it’s the same thing. We enjoy tonight and everybody has their fun but tomorrow morning we go to practice and it’s time to lock in on the scout and our principles again.”Brice Williams: “Yeah we’re not preparing every day to beat Purdue. We’re competing for a National Championship, well first a Big Ten Championships and then a National Championship. Celebrate tonight like C.J. said but never get too high and never get too low. Just keep moving forward. That was a big win but that’s not all we’re here to do.”

Husker post-game notes after huge upset against #1 Purdue

DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night.

The first five shooters couldn’t convert but Nichushkin beat Jeremy Swayman with a shot under his glove. Colorado bounced back from an 8-4 loss to Florida on Saturday to win for the fifth time in six games.

“From start to finish that’s probably one of our most complete games of the year,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Just the way we played, competed, took care of the puck — it was a really good hockey game.”

Sam Malinski, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O’Connor had goals and Alexandar Georgiev had 23 saves through overtime and three more in the shootout for the Avalanche.

“Anytime you’re able to contribute to a big win it feels good,” said Malinski, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL to replace Josh Manson (undisclosed) in the lineup. “Considering it’s my first game back it makes a little bit more special.”

Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to continue his dominant play in Denver, where he has 16 goals and 29 assists. He has registered at least one point in all 22 home games this season and is one shy of tying Joe Sakic for the longest home point streak in franchise history.

Brad Marchand had two goals, John Beecher also scored and Swayman stopped 33 shots for Boston, which opened a four-game road trip with a loss. Defenseman Brandon Carlo left the game early in the second with an upper-body injury.

Coach Jim Montgomery had no update on Carlo’s condition after the game.

The Bruins had a chance to win it in overtime when they got a 4-on-3 power play but couldn’t get one by Georgiev.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t get that second point,” Marchand said. “We kind of squandered the power play in overtime so we need to be better there in those opportunities to close out games.”

Malinski got his second goal of the season when his shot from the point at 17:56 of the second beat Swayman to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead.

“He’s played really well when he’s been with us,” Bednar said of the rookie, who played in his 15th game Monday night. “We have a couple of (defensemen) out of the lineup now so he’ll be here for a little bit.”

Marchand’s second of the night and 17th of the season at 5:46 of the third tied it again.

The teams traded power-play goals in the first period. Boston scored first on Marchand’s goal midway through the frame but Rantanen tied it at 16:13.

O’Connor scored an unassisted goal off of a turnover just 2:23 into the second period but Beecher tied it 2 when he knocked in a rebound at 10:05 of the second.

“The puck squirted out to me and I just wanted to get it off my tape quick,” O’Connor said of his sixth goal of the season.

Colorado was without forward Miles Wood (illness) for the second straight game. Jason Polin was recalled from the Eagles and made his NHL debut.

Avalanche: Host Vegas on Wednesday night.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704809362648.jpeg" alt="Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) collects the puck as Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)" />
 <figcaption>Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) collects the puck as Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) pursues in the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MICHAEL KELLY Associated PressDENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night.The first five shooters couldn’t convert but Nichushkin beat Jeremy Swayman with a shot under his glove. Colorado bounced back from an 8-4 loss to Florida on Saturday to win for the fifth time in six games.“From start to finish that’s probably one of our most complete games of the year,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Just the way we played, competed, took care of the puck — it was a really good hockey game.”Sam Malinski, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O’Connor had goals and Alexandar Georgiev had 23 saves through overtime and three more in the shootout for the Avalanche.“Anytime you’re able to contribute to a big win it feels good,” said Malinski, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL to replace Josh Manson (undisclosed) in the lineup. “Considering it’s my first game back it makes a little bit more special.”Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to continue his dominant play in Denver, where he has 16 goals and 29 assists. He has registered at least one point in all 22 home games this season and is one shy of tying Joe Sakic for the longest home point streak in franchise history.Brad Marchand had two goals, John Beecher also scored and Swayman stopped 33 shots for Boston, which opened a four-game road trip with a loss. Defenseman Brandon Carlo left the game early in the second with an upper-body injury.Coach Jim Montgomery had no update on Carlo’s condition after the game.The Bruins had a chance to win it in overtime when they got a 4-on-3 power play but couldn’t get one by Georgiev.“Unfortunately we couldn’t get that second point,” Marchand said. “We kind of squandered the power play in overtime so we need to be better there in those opportunities to close out games.”Malinski got his second goal of the season when his shot from the point at 17:56 of the second beat Swayman to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead.“He’s played really well when he’s been with us,” Bednar said of the rookie, who played in his 15th game Monday night. “We have a couple of (defensemen) out of the lineup now so he’ll be here for a little bit.”Marchand’s second of the night and 17th of the season at 5:46 of the third tied it again.The teams traded power-play goals in the first period. Boston scored first on Marchand’s goal midway through the frame but Rantanen tied it at 16:13.O’Connor scored an unassisted goal off of a turnover just 2:23 into the second period but Beecher tied it 2 when he knocked in a rebound at 10:05 of the second.“The puck squirted out to me and I just wanted to get it off my tape quick,” O’Connor said of his sixth goal of the season.Colorado was without forward Miles Wood (illness) for the second straight game. Jason Polin was recalled from the Eagles and made his NHL debut.UP NEXTBruins: At Arizona on Tuesday night.Avalanche: Host Vegas on Wednesday night.

Nichushkin scores only goal in shootout, Avalanche beat Bruins 4-3

Nebraska volleyball incoming freshman libero Olivia Mauch has been named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, presented annually to the most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.&nbsp;

Mauch, a Bennington, Neb. native, was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia in August. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey.

Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington this fall, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals each of the past two years. As a junior, Mauch averaged 8.5 digs per set and served 83 aces. She was a Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska selection. Mauch played club volleyball for Premier.

Last week, fellow Husker newcomer&nbsp;Skyler Pierce was named the Most Valuable Player at the Under Armour Next All-America match. The outside hitter had 17 kills with a .536 hitting percentage to lead Team Fire past Team Ice in five sets.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsNebraska volleyball incoming freshman libero Olivia Mauch has been named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, presented annually to the most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.&nbsp;Mauch, a Bennington, Neb. native, was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia in August. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey.Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington this fall, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals each of the past two years. As a junior, Mauch averaged 8.5 digs per set and served 83 aces. She was a Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska selection. Mauch played club volleyball for Premier.Last week, fellow Husker newcomer&nbsp;Skyler Pierce was named the Most Valuable Player at the Under Armour Next All-America match. The outside hitter had 17 kills with a .536 hitting percentage to lead Team Fire past Team Ice in five sets.&nbsp;

Incoming Freshman Mauch named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year

Nebraska's Natalie Potts captured her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, when the conference announced its weekly winners on Monday, Jan. 8.

The 6-2 forward from O'Fallon, Mo., averaged 12.5, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals for the Huskers last week.&nbsp;

In Thursday's victory at Wisconsin, Potts powered the Huskers with 16 second-half points to help Nebraska improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2011-12. She added five rebounds and a career-high three steals against the Badgers.

Potts added nine points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists against No. 14 Indiana on Sunday.

For the season, Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) while hitting 72.1 percent of her two-point field goals and 81.1 percent of her free throws.

Through eight weeks of the Big Ten distributing awards, no other conference freshman has claimed more than one league honor.

In addition to the recognition for Potts, Nebraska junior center Alexis Markowski earned her fifth selection of the season to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll. Only Iowa's Caitlin Clark has been honored by the conference more frequently than Markowski and Potts this season.

Markowski, Potts and the Huskers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) return to conference home action on Thursday when they take on Illinois. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Fighting Illini at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 7 p.m. with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised live by BTN.

Natalie Potts Big Ten Freshman of the Week AwardsNov. 13, Nov. 27, Dec. 11, Jan. 8

Alexis Markowski Big Ten Weekly Honor RollNov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Jan. 2, Jan. 8

Jaz Shelley Big Ten Weekly Honor RollDec. 11

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsNebraska's Natalie Potts captured her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, when the conference announced its weekly winners on Monday, Jan. 8.The 6-2 forward from O'Fallon, Mo., averaged 12.5, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals for the Huskers last week.&nbsp;In Thursday's victory at Wisconsin, Potts powered the Huskers with 16 second-half points to help Nebraska improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2011-12. She added five rebounds and a career-high three steals against the Badgers.Potts added nine points, four rebounds and a career-high four assists against No. 14 Indiana on Sunday.For the season, Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) while hitting 72.1 percent of her two-point field goals and 81.1 percent of her free throws.Through eight weeks of the Big Ten distributing awards, no other conference freshman has claimed more than one league honor.In addition to the recognition for Potts, Nebraska junior center Alexis Markowski earned her fifth selection of the season to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll. Only Iowa's Caitlin Clark has been honored by the conference more frequently than Markowski and Potts this season.Markowski, Potts and the Huskers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) return to conference home action on Thursday when they take on Illinois. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Fighting Illini at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 7 p.m. with tickets available now at Huskers.com. The game will be televised live by BTN.Natalie Potts Big Ten Freshman of the Week AwardsNov. 13, Nov. 27, Dec. 11, Jan. 8Alexis Markowski Big Ten Weekly Honor RollNov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Jan. 2, Jan. 8Jaz Shelley Big Ten Weekly Honor RollDec. 11

 Potts claims Fourth Big Ten Freshman Award

Las Vegas, Nev.&nbsp;- Behind five-straight wins, the Nebraska bowling team sits in second place with 4,923 pins (196.9 average) at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic after the first day of competition. The Huskers are currently the only school in the 20-team field to hold an undefeated record.&nbsp;In the first match of the day, NU faced St. Anselm in a five-game total pinfall baker match. The Huskers led by 53 pins after the first game, as NU shot 187 and the Hawks rolled a 134. In game two, St. Anselm scored a 171 and the Huskers shot 167, before NU bounced back in game three with a 221 to take a 94 pin lead with two games to go. The Huskers added eight more pins to their lead in game four and topped the Hawks 189-158 in game five to claim the 919-786 victory. Up next, the Huskers faced No. 10 Maryville. In game one, Maryville topped NU 170-166, but the Huskers responded and shot 182 to Maryville 139 in game two to take a 39 pin lead. In game three, NU increased its lead to 55 as the Huskers shot 186 and the Saints rolled a 170. NU then held the pressure by posting scores of 212 and 237 in games four and five and claimed the overall victory, 983-843.With the 2-0 overall record, NU faced No. 9 Stephen F. Austin in the third match of the day. The Huskers came out strong in game one, 247-181, and grabbed the early 66 pin advantage. SFA got back a few pins in games two (169-183) and three (185-193), but NU held steady in game five to top the Ladyjacks 202-172 and lead by 74 pins with one game to go. SFA topped NU in game five (159-173), but it was not enough and the Huskers won overall, 962-902, for their third-straight victory. In the fourth match of the day, the Huskers took on No. 1 Jacksonville State. JSU came out on top in games one (165-224) and two (214-226), taking a 71 pin lead. NU then shot an impressive 257 to JSU’s 178 and took an eight-point advantage with two games to go. In game four, Jacksonville State edged the Huskers 172-168, but NU came out on top in game five (221-187) to seal the 1,025-984 win.Up next was the fifth and final match of the day where the Big Red faced Southern. NU dropped the first two games,192-210 and 216-163, and Southern held a 71 pin advantage. In game three, Nebraska cut the deficit to 25 with a 221 win over Southern’s 175. Southern then stretched its lead to 56 with a 241-210 win in game four, but the Huskers made up the ground and then some in game five (248-184) to finish the day undefeated, 1034-1026.The Huskers continue competition at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic tomorrow starting at 11:55 a.m. (CT). Each team will play five traditional matches, with NU facing No. 20 Oklahoma Christian, No. 13 Merrimack, No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s, No. 8 Duquesne and Adelphi. Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@NEBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook. Additionally, all matches will be broadcasted on BOWL.com (subscription to bowltv required).&nbsp; &nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsLas Vegas, Nev.&nbsp;- Behind five-straight wins, the Nebraska bowling team sits in second place with 4,923 pins (196.9 average) at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic after the first day of competition. The Huskers are currently the only school in the 20-team field to hold an undefeated record.&nbsp;In the first match of the day, NU faced St. Anselm in a five-game total pinfall baker match. The Huskers led by 53 pins after the first game, as NU shot 187 and the Hawks rolled a 134. In game two, St. Anselm scored a 171 and the Huskers shot 167, before NU bounced back in game three with a 221 to take a 94 pin lead with two games to go. The Huskers added eight more pins to their lead in game four and topped the Hawks 189-158 in game five to claim the 919-786 victory. Up next, the Huskers faced No. 10 Maryville. In game one, Maryville topped NU 170-166, but the Huskers responded and shot 182 to Maryville 139 in game two to take a 39 pin lead. In game three, NU increased its lead to 55 as the Huskers shot 186 and the Saints rolled a 170. NU then held the pressure by posting scores of 212 and 237 in games four and five and claimed the overall victory, 983-843.With the 2-0 overall record, NU faced No. 9 Stephen F. Austin in the third match of the day. The Huskers came out strong in game one, 247-181, and grabbed the early 66 pin advantage. SFA got back a few pins in games two (169-183) and three (185-193), but NU held steady in game five to top the Ladyjacks 202-172 and lead by 74 pins with one game to go. SFA topped NU in game five (159-173), but it was not enough and the Huskers won overall, 962-902, for their third-straight victory. In the fourth match of the day, the Huskers took on No. 1 Jacksonville State. JSU came out on top in games one (165-224) and two (214-226), taking a 71 pin lead. NU then shot an impressive 257 to JSU’s 178 and took an eight-point advantage with two games to go. In game four, Jacksonville State edged the Huskers 172-168, but NU came out on top in game five (221-187) to seal the 1,025-984 win.Up next was the fifth and final match of the day where the Big Red faced Southern. NU dropped the first two games,192-210 and 216-163, and Southern held a 71 pin advantage. In game three, Nebraska cut the deficit to 25 with a 221 win over Southern’s 175. Southern then stretched its lead to 56 with a 241-210 win in game four, but the Huskers made up the ground and then some in game five (248-184) to finish the day undefeated, 1034-1026.The Huskers continue competition at the Stormin’ Blue &amp; White Vegas Classic tomorrow starting at 11:55 a.m. (CT). Each team will play five traditional matches, with NU facing No. 20 Oklahoma Christian, No. 13 Merrimack, No. 15 Mount St. Mary’s, No. 8 Duquesne and Adelphi. Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@NEBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook. Additionally, all matches will be broadcasted on BOWL.com (subscription to bowltv required).&nbsp; &nbsp;

Huskers 5-0 after Day One in Vegas

Story by Chadron State Athletic Communications

CHADRON, Neb. --&nbsp;Danny Woodhead, a Chadron State Football running back from 2004-07, has been selected as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class, The National Football Foundation and ESPN announced on Monday. Woodhead is undoubtedly the most successful and well-known football player that Nebraska has produced in the 21st Century.&nbsp; Now he's the first Chadron State College football player going into the College Football Hall of Fame. Although just 5-8, 185 pounds when he arrived at Chadron State in the fall of 2004, he had already come up big in everything he had done athletically.&nbsp; As a senior at North Platte High School when he rushed for 2,037 yards and 31 touchdowns, he was the Nebraska Gatorade Football Player of the Year, offensive captain of both the Omaha World-Herald's and Lincoln Journal Star's all-class, all-state football teams and was Huskerland Report's Player of the Year.&nbsp;Since both of Woodhead's parents, Mark and Annette, were Chadron State graduates and older brother Ben was a senior wide receiver on the CSC team, the Eagles had an inside track in landing him.&nbsp;Danny didn't start the first game his freshman year, but he clinched the starting job in the third game when he rushed for a school-record 306 yards and scored five touchdowns. It launched a fantastic career. He would rush for 300-plus yards three more times, set the NCAA II record for most 200-yard or more games (19), score touchdowns in 38 consecutive games and romp at least 50 yards to the end zone 21 times. He became college football's all-time leading rusher with 7,962 yards, rolled up 9,480 all-purpose yards and scored 109 touchdowns (tying him for the most in college football annals), helping him win two Harlon Hill Trophies, which go to Division II's outstanding player. In addition, Woodhead was NCAA Division II's National Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2007 and graduated with a 3.72 GPA as a health and physical education and math major. Two years later, he was voted the RMAC's All-Time Outstanding Offensive Player when its All-Century Team was selected.&nbsp; He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.He was not drafted by an NFL team in the spring of 2008, but ended up enjoying a 10-year career in the National Football League. After playing in 11 games for the New York Jets before being released, the Patriots quickly nabbed him and he played for them the next three years, rushing for 547 yards and five touchdowns in 2010 and catching a TD pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.The next four years he was an all-purpose back for the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers.&nbsp; He also was an invaluable piece of Philip Rivers' arsenal.&nbsp; He caught 76 passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns his first year there in 2013.After missing most of the 2014 season, he returned in 2015 for another excellent season, grabbing 80 passes for 755 yards and 6 TDs and also rushing for 336 yards and three more scores. Another ACL injury in the second game ended his 2016 season. The following winter, he signed a three-year contract with Baltimore, but injuries allowed him to play only eight games for the Ravens and he retired in early 2018. During his NFL career, he played in 101 games, rushed 517 times for 2,238 yards, caught 300 passes for 2,698 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. During his farewell message, the media reported that the ever-gracious Woodhead thanked God, his family, his agent, his former coaches, singling them out by name, his former high school, college and NFL teammates and the medical personnel who had helped him along the way. Woodhead, who was inducted into CSC's Hall of Fame this year, will officially be inducted into the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at the 66th&nbsp;National Football Foundation Annual Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 5.7 million people has played or coached college football and only 1,304 (0.02%) of them can claim the honor of being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame like Danny Woodhead can.

Story by Chadron State Athletic CommunicationsCHADRON, Neb. --&nbsp;Danny Woodhead, a Chadron State Football running back from 2004-07, has been selected as a member of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class, The National Football Foundation and ESPN announced on Monday. Woodhead is undoubtedly the most successful and well-known football player that Nebraska has produced in the 21st Century.&nbsp; Now he's the first Chadron State College football player going into the College Football Hall of Fame. Although just 5-8, 185 pounds when he arrived at Chadron State in the fall of 2004, he had already come up big in everything he had done athletically.&nbsp; As a senior at North Platte High School when he rushed for 2,037 yards and 31 touchdowns, he was the Nebraska Gatorade Football Player of the Year, offensive captain of both the Omaha World-Herald's and Lincoln Journal Star's all-class, all-state football teams and was Huskerland Report's Player of the Year.&nbsp;Since both of Woodhead's parents, Mark and Annette, were Chadron State graduates and older brother Ben was a senior wide receiver on the CSC team, the Eagles had an inside track in landing him.&nbsp;Danny didn't start the first game his freshman year, but he clinched the starting job in the third game when he rushed for a school-record 306 yards and scored five touchdowns. It launched a fantastic career. He would rush for 300-plus yards three more times, set the NCAA II record for most 200-yard or more games (19), score touchdowns in 38 consecutive games and romp at least 50 yards to the end zone 21 times. He became college football's all-time leading rusher with 7,962 yards, rolled up 9,480 all-purpose yards and scored 109 touchdowns (tying him for the most in college football annals), helping him win two Harlon Hill Trophies, which go to Division II's outstanding player. In addition, Woodhead was NCAA Division II's National Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 2007 and graduated with a 3.72 GPA as a health and physical education and math major. Two years later, he was voted the RMAC's All-Time Outstanding Offensive Player when its All-Century Team was selected.&nbsp; He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.He was not drafted by an NFL team in the spring of 2008, but ended up enjoying a 10-year career in the National Football League. After playing in 11 games for the New York Jets before being released, the Patriots quickly nabbed him and he played for them the next three years, rushing for 547 yards and five touchdowns in 2010 and catching a TD pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.The next four years he was an all-purpose back for the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers.&nbsp; He also was an invaluable piece of Philip Rivers' arsenal.&nbsp; He caught 76 passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns his first year there in 2013.After missing most of the 2014 season, he returned in 2015 for another excellent season, grabbing 80 passes for 755 yards and 6 TDs and also rushing for 336 yards and three more scores. Another ACL injury in the second game ended his 2016 season. The following winter, he signed a three-year contract with Baltimore, but injuries allowed him to play only eight games for the Ravens and he retired in early 2018. During his NFL career, he played in 101 games, rushed 517 times for 2,238 yards, caught 300 passes for 2,698 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. During his farewell message, the media reported that the ever-gracious Woodhead thanked God, his family, his agent, his former coaches, singling them out by name, his former high school, college and NFL teammates and the medical personnel who had helped him along the way. Woodhead, who was inducted into CSC's Hall of Fame this year, will officially be inducted into the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at the 66th&nbsp;National Football Foundation Annual Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 5.7 million people has played or coached college football and only 1,304 (0.02%) of them can claim the honor of being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame like Danny Woodhead can.

Woodhead named to 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class

Former Nebraska
head coach Frank Solich is one of 22 individuals who will make up the
2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class. The 19 players and three coaches were
announced on Monday afternoon by the National Football Foundation and the
College Hall of Fame.

The electees were
selected from the 2024 national ballot of 78 players and nine coaches from the
Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 32 coaches from the divisional
ranks. 

Solich becomes
the seventh Husker coach in the Hall of Fame, joining Tom Osborne, Bob Devaney, Biff Jones, Dana X.&nbsp;Bible, Fielding&nbsp;Yost
and Eddie N.&nbsp;Robinson. Overall, Nebraska has 27 members in the Hall,
including 20 players. Solich is the first Nebraska inductee since offensive
tackle Zach Wiegert in 2022 and gives Nebraska nine inductees in the past 18
classes. Other recent Nebraska inductees include Eric Crouch (2020), Aaron
Taylor (2018), Trev Alberts (2015), Tommie Frazier (2013) and Will Shields (2011).


During his 22
seasons as a head coach, Solich compiled a record of 173-101, including a 58-19
record in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach from 1998 to 2003, followed by
115 wins as the head coach at Ohio University.
Solich led the Huskers to the 1999 Big 12
Conference championship. The Huskers finished No. 3 in the AP Poll in 1999
after beating Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl and rolling to a 22-6 win over Texas
in the Big 12 Championship Game. NU added
a co-Big 12 North Division title in 2001, when the Huskers met Miami in the
Rose Bowl for the national championship. 

Nebraska added a final No. 8 national ranking by
the Associated Press in both 2000 and 2001. The 2001 Huskers featured the
nation's top college player - Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 Hall of Fame
inductee Eric Crouch. A four-year starter, Crouch added Walter Camp National
Player-of-the-Year and Davey O'Brien awards while becoming Nebraska's career
leader in total offense.

A product of the Nebraska football program first
as a player, then as an assistant coach, Solich's career at
Nebraska&nbsp;spanned four decades since first arriving in Lincoln in 1962 to
play fullback in Coach Bob Devaney's first season.

Although Solich&nbsp;was not with Nebraska
during all 42 of those seasons, as he spent more than a decade as a high school
head coach in Nebraska before joining the Husker coaching staff as an assistant
in 1979. &nbsp;During his playing and coaching tenure as a Husker, all 29
Nebraska teams&nbsp;he was associated with&nbsp;played in a bowl game.

In his final game as NU's assistant head coach
and running backs coach, Solich helped the Huskers to a third national
championship in a four-year span with a resounding 42-17 win over Tennessee in
the Orange Bowl, helping Osborne go out as a reigning national champion.

Following his head coaching career at Nebraska,
Solich guided Ohio University's program for 16 seasons from 2005 to 2020.
During his time at Ohio, Solich coached the Bobcats to 12 winning seasons, 11
bowl appearances and four MAC East division titles.&nbsp; He is the winningest
coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference.

In addition to serving as the head coach for one
Hall of Fame player (Crouch) and a position coach for another (Mike Rozier),
Solich played for Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Devaney and worked for 19 seasons
as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne.
&nbsp;
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class
will officially be inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented
on Dec. 10, 2024, at Bellagio Resort &amp; Casino in Las Vegas. Solich will
also be recognized with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by
Fidelity Investments, at a to be determined Nebraska home game this fall. The
accomplishments of the 2024 class will be forever immortalized at the
Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 10th&nbsp;Anniversary
in Atlanta on Aug. 23.

A coach becomes eligible for the College Hall of Fame three
full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he
is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He
must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at
least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.

Comments on Frank Solich Being Named to the College Football Hall of
Fame

Hall of
Fame Head Coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska Head Coach, 1973-1997

“Frank Solich is very deserving of
his selection in the College Football Hall of Fame.&nbsp; I want to thank him
and congratulate him on all that he has done for the sport of football.

“Frank excelled as a running back
at Nebraska and went on to have successful coaching stints at Omaha Holy Name
and Lincoln Southeast high schools.&nbsp; He came to my coaching staff at
Nebraska as a graduate assistant coach as I had no openings on my staff.&nbsp;
This represented a considerable financial sacrifice on his part.&nbsp; He was a
great recruiter, recruiting players like Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar and many
others.&nbsp; He ran our football camps and coaches clinics and I could see
that he had excellent management skills.&nbsp; He was good with football
strategy and related well to players and the public.&nbsp; 

“Most assistant coaches have areas
of strengths and weaknesses, but Frank was accomplished in all areas so I
recommended that he become the head coach in 1998.&nbsp; He won a Big 12
championship, played for a National Championship and went to a bowl game each
year at Nebraska.

“He then took a football program
at Ohio University from a position of long-term mediocrity to being a
consistent contender in the MAC conference and a team that went to a bowl game
nearly every year.&nbsp; This was a major turnaround for Ohio under Frank’s
leadership.”

Nebraska
Director of Athletics Trev Alberts, 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee

“I am thrilled for Coach Solich
and his family on his well-deserved selection to the College Football Hall of
Fame. Very few individuals have made a bigger impact on the Nebraska Football
program than Frank Solich. He was a great player here, one of the most
successful assistant coaches in college football history and a
championship-winning head coach. Including his decorated coaching career at
Ohio University, Coach Solich made significant contributions to college
football for nearly 50 years, and always did so in a first-class and
professional manner.”

2020
College Football Hall of Fame Inductee Eric Crouch, 1998-2001 Nebraska
Quarterback

“I can’t think of
a better person, player, coach, and friend to be joining the College Football
Hall of Fame. Frank Solich has earned it the hard way, through perseverance and
dedication to college football. I am honored to have played for him at the University
of Nebraska. Congrats to Coach Solich and his family.”

Nebraska
Head Football Coach Matt Rhule

“Coach Solich’s record speaks for
itself, and he is most deserving of this special honor. More importantly, he
has always put his players first and greatly impacted their lives on and off
the field. To me that is the definition of a Hall of Fame coach. Coach Solich
is someone who I have always respected and looked up to and he has been so kind
and supportive of us since we have been here at Nebraska, and I can’t thank him
enough.”

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsFormer Nebraska
head coach Frank Solich is one of 22 individuals who will make up the
2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class. The 19 players and three coaches were
announced on Monday afternoon by the National Football Foundation and the
College Hall of Fame. The electees were
selected from the 2024 national ballot of 78 players and nine coaches from the
Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 32 coaches from the divisional
ranks. Solich becomes
the seventh Husker coach in the Hall of Fame, joining Tom Osborne, Bob Devaney, Biff Jones, Dana X.&nbsp;Bible, Fielding&nbsp;Yost
and Eddie N.&nbsp;Robinson. Overall, Nebraska has 27 members in the Hall,
including 20 players. Solich is the first Nebraska inductee since offensive
tackle Zach Wiegert in 2022 and gives Nebraska nine inductees in the past 18
classes. Other recent Nebraska inductees include Eric Crouch (2020), Aaron
Taylor (2018), Trev Alberts (2015), Tommie Frazier (2013) and Will Shields (2011).
During his 22
seasons as a head coach, Solich compiled a record of 173-101, including a 58-19
record in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach from 1998 to 2003, followed by
115 wins as the head coach at Ohio University.
Solich led the Huskers to the 1999 Big 12
Conference championship. The Huskers finished No. 3 in the AP Poll in 1999
after beating Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl and rolling to a 22-6 win over Texas
in the Big 12 Championship Game. NU added
a co-Big 12 North Division title in 2001, when the Huskers met Miami in the
Rose Bowl for the national championship. 

Nebraska added a final No. 8 national ranking by
the Associated Press in both 2000 and 2001. The 2001 Huskers featured the
nation's top college player - Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 Hall of Fame
inductee Eric Crouch. A four-year starter, Crouch added Walter Camp National
Player-of-the-Year and Davey O'Brien awards while becoming Nebraska's career
leader in total offense.

A product of the Nebraska football program first
as a player, then as an assistant coach, Solich's career at
Nebraska&nbsp;spanned four decades since first arriving in Lincoln in 1962 to
play fullback in Coach Bob Devaney's first season.

Although Solich&nbsp;was not with Nebraska
during all 42 of those seasons, as he spent more than a decade as a high school
head coach in Nebraska before joining the Husker coaching staff as an assistant
in 1979. &nbsp;During his playing and coaching tenure as a Husker, all 29
Nebraska teams&nbsp;he was associated with&nbsp;played in a bowl game.

In his final game as NU's assistant head coach
and running backs coach, Solich helped the Huskers to a third national
championship in a four-year span with a resounding 42-17 win over Tennessee in
the Orange Bowl, helping Osborne go out as a reigning national champion.

Following his head coaching career at Nebraska,
Solich guided Ohio University's program for 16 seasons from 2005 to 2020.
During his time at Ohio, Solich coached the Bobcats to 12 winning seasons, 11
bowl appearances and four MAC East division titles.&nbsp; He is the winningest
coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference.

In addition to serving as the head coach for one
Hall of Fame player (Crouch) and a position coach for another (Mike Rozier),
Solich played for Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Devaney and worked for 19 seasons
as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne.
&nbsp;
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class
will officially be inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented
on Dec. 10, 2024, at Bellagio Resort &amp; Casino in Las Vegas. Solich will
also be recognized with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by
Fidelity Investments, at a to be determined Nebraska home game this fall. The
accomplishments of the 2024 class will be forever immortalized at the
Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 10th&nbsp;Anniversary
in Atlanta on Aug. 23.A coach becomes eligible for the College Hall of Fame three
full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he
is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He
must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at
least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.Comments on Frank Solich Being Named to the College Football Hall of
FameHall of
Fame Head Coach Tom Osborne, Nebraska Head Coach, 1973-1997“Frank Solich is very deserving of
his selection in the College Football Hall of Fame.&nbsp; I want to thank him
and congratulate him on all that he has done for the sport of football.“Frank excelled as a running back
at Nebraska and went on to have successful coaching stints at Omaha Holy Name
and Lincoln Southeast high schools.&nbsp; He came to my coaching staff at
Nebraska as a graduate assistant coach as I had no openings on my staff.&nbsp;
This represented a considerable financial sacrifice on his part.&nbsp; He was a
great recruiter, recruiting players like Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar and many
others.&nbsp; He ran our football camps and coaches clinics and I could see
that he had excellent management skills.&nbsp; He was good with football
strategy and related well to players and the public.&nbsp; “Most assistant coaches have areas
of strengths and weaknesses, but Frank was accomplished in all areas so I
recommended that he become the head coach in 1998.&nbsp; He won a Big 12
championship, played for a National Championship and went to a bowl game each
year at Nebraska.“He then took a football program
at Ohio University from a position of long-term mediocrity to being a
consistent contender in the MAC conference and a team that went to a bowl game
nearly every year.&nbsp; This was a major turnaround for Ohio under Frank’s
leadership.”Nebraska
Director of Athletics Trev Alberts, 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee“I am thrilled for Coach Solich
and his family on his well-deserved selection to the College Football Hall of
Fame. Very few individuals have made a bigger impact on the Nebraska Football
program than Frank Solich. He was a great player here, one of the most
successful assistant coaches in college football history and a
championship-winning head coach. Including his decorated coaching career at
Ohio University, Coach Solich made significant contributions to college
football for nearly 50 years, and always did so in a first-class and
professional manner.”2020
College Football Hall of Fame Inductee Eric Crouch, 1998-2001 Nebraska
Quarterback“I can’t think of
a better person, player, coach, and friend to be joining the College Football
Hall of Fame. Frank Solich has earned it the hard way, through perseverance and
dedication to college football. I am honored to have played for him at the University
of Nebraska. Congrats to Coach Solich and his family.”Nebraska
Head Football Coach Matt Rhule“Coach Solich’s record speaks for
itself, and he is most deserving of this special honor. More importantly, he
has always put his players first and greatly impacted their lives on and off
the field. To me that is the definition of a Hall of Fame coach. Coach Solich
is someone who I have always respected and looked up to and he has been so kind
and supportive of us since we have been here at Nebraska, and I can’t thank him
enough.”

Solich named to College Football Hall of Fame

Keeley Vaughan has been named as the new timed events rodeo coach for the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team.

She began serving as interim timed events rodeo coach in September and moved into the more permanent role Jan. 2. Although the team is area-wide, Vaughan will be based out of McCook.

“I’m looking forward to helping the athletes progress in their roping abilities,” Vaughan said. “I really enjoy the horsemanship part of rodeo and always enjoyed helping kids figure out what works for them. I really like being around those who want to win and watching their skills bloom and flourish.”

Vaughan is originally from Klamath Falls, Ore. She won her first leadline class in a horse show at age 2.

“I grew up horseback,” Vaughan said. “My mom ran barrels, and my dad was a cowboy for a local ranch, so I went to work with him a lot. In eighth grade, I wanted to learn how to rope, and my dad taught me the basics. As I got older, I did junior rodeos, junior high rodeos and high school rodeos. I got in with Dean Walker, and he ended up teaching me everything I know and supplied me with a horse. That’s who I owe for all that.”

Because her family’s farm is on the Oregon and California border, Vaughan high school rodeoed in California. She qualified for state all four years in barrel racing, goat tying and girls cutting and competed at the Silver State International Rodeo, which is open to National High School Rodeo Association members who place fifth through 25th at their state finals.

Following her graduation from Henley High School, in Klamath Falls, in 2015, Vaughan continued her rodeo career at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.

“When I went to community college, I was taken care of on a personal level,” Vaughan said. “It didn’t seem overwhelming. I wasn’t just another kid passing through the halls as a number. That meant a lot to me, and that personal feel is something I want to carry on at MPCC.”

She started out studying sports medicine at Treasure Valley, but because of low enrollment, the program was canceled. Vaughan was already on the rodeo team, so she stayed but changed her major to equine production.

She qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing in 2016 and earned an associate degree a year later.

Vaughan subsequently returned home and took a job training rope horses for Bill Hill Quarter Horses. She also stepped up her game in the rodeo arena, buying a Women’s Professional Rodeo Association card and qualifying in breakaway roping for the WPRA World Finals in Waco, Texas in 2018.

Vaughan made her way to the Midwest four years ago where she continues to compete at amateur rodeos and local jackpots. She has spent the past couple of years working for H. J. Farms and Ranches at McCook.

She was asked to mentor the MPCC Rodeo Team’s breakaway contestants prior to her selection as interim and is looking forward to building on the momentum that has already been established.

“Moving forward, I really want our top breakaway roper to win the region,” Vaughan said. “Our men’s team has been doing great things all season, and I want to continue that, but I also want to get the ball rolling on the women’s team. I would love to see them start making more short gos and placing at more rodeos, so I plan to focus on getting a little stronger in that area.”

The MPCC Rodeo Team has had a break in competitions since October. The season will resume in April.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704742439614.jpeg" alt="Keeley Vaughan" />
 <figcaption>Keeley Vaughan</figcaption>
 </figure>Heather Johnson MPCCKeeley Vaughan has been named as the new timed events rodeo coach for the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team.She began serving as interim timed events rodeo coach in September and moved into the more permanent role Jan. 2. Although the team is area-wide, Vaughan will be based out of McCook.“I’m looking forward to helping the athletes progress in their roping abilities,” Vaughan said. “I really enjoy the horsemanship part of rodeo and always enjoyed helping kids figure out what works for them. I really like being around those who want to win and watching their skills bloom and flourish.”Vaughan is originally from Klamath Falls, Ore. She won her first leadline class in a horse show at age 2.“I grew up horseback,” Vaughan said. “My mom ran barrels, and my dad was a cowboy for a local ranch, so I went to work with him a lot. In eighth grade, I wanted to learn how to rope, and my dad taught me the basics. As I got older, I did junior rodeos, junior high rodeos and high school rodeos. I got in with Dean Walker, and he ended up teaching me everything I know and supplied me with a horse. That’s who I owe for all that.”Because her family’s farm is on the Oregon and California border, Vaughan high school rodeoed in California. She qualified for state all four years in barrel racing, goat tying and girls cutting and competed at the Silver State International Rodeo, which is open to National High School Rodeo Association members who place fifth through 25th at their state finals.Following her graduation from Henley High School, in Klamath Falls, in 2015, Vaughan continued her rodeo career at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.“When I went to community college, I was taken care of on a personal level,” Vaughan said. “It didn’t seem overwhelming. I wasn’t just another kid passing through the halls as a number. That meant a lot to me, and that personal feel is something I want to carry on at MPCC.”She started out studying sports medicine at Treasure Valley, but because of low enrollment, the program was canceled. Vaughan was already on the rodeo team, so she stayed but changed her major to equine production.She qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing in 2016 and earned an associate degree a year later.Vaughan subsequently returned home and took a job training rope horses for Bill Hill Quarter Horses. She also stepped up her game in the rodeo arena, buying a Women’s Professional Rodeo Association card and qualifying in breakaway roping for the WPRA World Finals in Waco, Texas in 2018.Vaughan made her way to the Midwest four years ago where she continues to compete at amateur rodeos and local jackpots. She has spent the past couple of years working for H. J. Farms and Ranches at McCook.She was asked to mentor the MPCC Rodeo Team’s breakaway contestants prior to her selection as interim and is looking forward to building on the momentum that has already been established.“Moving forward, I really want our top breakaway roper to win the region,” Vaughan said. “Our men’s team has been doing great things all season, and I want to continue that, but I also want to get the ball rolling on the women’s team. I would love to see them start making more short gos and placing at more rodeos, so I plan to focus on getting a little stronger in that area.”The MPCC Rodeo Team has had a break in competitions since October. The season will resume in April.

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