NU Ready For Senior Night, No. 13 Colorado

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team (17-9, 7-8) is hoping for an NCAA Tournament atmosphere to conclude its regular season while honoring its four seniors on Senior Night when the Huskers battle No. 13 Colorado (21-6, 10-5) at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Seniors Alexa Johnson, Margaret Richards, Keasha Cannon-Johnson and Katie Morse will be honored for their contributions to the University of Nebraska in pregame ceremonies on Wednesday. The four seniors have started all 26 games this season, while leading one of the nation's top turnarounds in NCAA Division I women's basketball.

Single-game tickets are available by calling 1-800-8BIGRED, and the Huskers would love to send their seniors off in front of a season-high crowd on Wednesday night.

Both teams offer plenty of reasons to think that Wednesday's game will have a postseason feel to it. A win for Nebraska over Colorado would give NU 18 wins, matching the Huskers' highest total since finishing 21-12 in 1998-99. It would also secure Nebraska's first .500 or better Big 12 finish since going 10-6 on its way to an 18-13 overall finish during the 1999-2000 season - the last year the Huskers advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

A victory would also strengthen the Huskers' hopes of receiving an at-large bid into this year's NCAA Tournament by locking up the No. 7 seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament, which begins next Tuesday, March 7, at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Along with the historic implications and postseason ramifications, a win against Colorado would also be the first for Nebraska's seniors. The Buffaloes have won eight straight meetings in the series since NU's 79-66 win at the Devaney Center on Jan. 26, 2000. Margaret Richards was the only current player who was on the NU roster to witness the victory, but she was not eligible to compete for the Huskers as a true freshman.

Since that Husker win, Colorado has won each of the past eight meetings, including a 78-63 victory over NU on Feb. 4 in Boulder. Although Nebraska suffered a double-digit loss for the seventh time during CU's eight-game streak, the Huskers owned a 56-55 lead with just over seven minutes to play in the game.

Wednesday's game is also extremely important for Colorado. The Buffaloes are tied for third with Texas Tech in the Big 12 standings. A CU win over Nebraska and a Lady Raider loss at Kansas State would give the Buffs the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament next week.

However, a CU loss and an Oklahoma victory over Big 12-leading Texas in Norman would drop Colorado to fifth place in the standings and force the Buffs to play a first-round game at the league tournament.

The Buffaloes have had plenty of success against the Huskers throughout the history of the series. Colorado owns a 36-17 lead in the all-time series.  The Buffs have won the last three meetings in Lincoln, but Nebraska produced three straight wins over Colorado in Lincoln before CU's recent success.

Although Colorado owns a commanding 26-2 record against the Huskers in Boulder, Nebraska owns a 12-10 series lead over the Buffaloes in Lincoln.