Huskers to Battle Big Names at Devaney Center in 2007-08

Lincoln - The Nebraska women’s basketball team will face some of the nation’s top teams on the Huskers’ homecourt at the BobDevaneySportsCenter during an impressive 2007-08 schedule, Coach Connie Yori announced on Wednesday.

 

The schedule, which is still tentative and does not include televised games that are part of the Big 12 Conference’s contracts with ESPN and FSN, will feature non-conference home battles against traditional Southeastern Conference powers Mississippi and Florida, along with Pac 10 power USC in an eight-game non-conference home schedule.

 

The Huskers, who made their fourth straight postseason appearance with a trip to the 2007 NCAA Tournament last year, will be anchored by returning first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin along with senior forward Danielle Page. Griffin and Page will be the lone returning upperclassmen on the 2007-08 Husker roster that features one junior college transfer, five returning sophomores and a talented class of five freshmen.

 

For season ticket information, contact the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8BIGRED or visit Huskers.com. For the most current schedule information throughout the season, visit Huskers.com.

 

Nebraska’s home Big 12 schedule will include contests with defending conference co-champion Texas A&M, 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Iowa State and Oklahoma State and traditionally strong Texas.

 

Overall, NU’s schedule could feature as many as 15 games against 2007 postseason qualifiers, including 10 games against 2007 NCAA Tournament squads. The Huskers could play six games against teams that finished among the top 25 RPI clubs in the nation a year ago.

 

“From start to finish, our schedule should rank among the best in the Big 12 and the nation again this year,” Yori said. “During the non-conference season, we could play as many as seven games against teams that had 20-win seasons a year ago. Obviously, playing Mississippi at home in the second game of the season after they were in the NCAA Elite Eight last year jumps out at you.”

 

However, the Huskers expect a stiff test at home even before taking on the Lady Rebels. After playing a pair of home exhibition games against Nebraska-Kearney and Nebraska-Omaha, the Huskers open the regular season at home on Friday, Nov. 9, against the University of Texas-El Paso, which finished the 2006-07 season with a 22-8 record in a tie for fourth place in Conference USA.

 

After taking on a pair of 20-win teams in UTEP and Ole Miss (Nov. 11), the Huskers will battle a second straight SEC foe when they face Florida at the DevaneyCenter on Nov. 17. NU defeated the Gators in Florida’s home tournament last season.

 

After opening the season with a three-game homestand, Nebraska will make a long road trip to the Oahu Classic in Honolulu during Thanksgiving break. The tournament field features the Marist Red Foxes, who finished with a 29-6 overall record as the Mid-American Conference champions last year. Marist knocked off OhioState in the opening round and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before falling to eventual national champion Tennessee.

 

The Huskers will face another 2007 postseason club in Hawaii, when NU runs into Utah. The Utes advanced to the second round of the Postseason WNIT last year.

 

“We could play some really talented teams during the first three weeks of the non-conference season,” Yori said. “Not only will we see SEC teams like Mississippi and Florida, but UTEP had a great season last year and Marist made one of the best runs of any team in the NCAA Tournament. It really just shapes up to be a challenging schedule to get us ready for Big 12 play.”

 

After their trip to Hawaii, the Huskers return home for a three-game homestand that opens with an improving Creighton club, before battling Northeast Conference and NCAA Tournament qualifier Robert Morris. The Colonials finished with a 24-8 record a year ago before losing to NC State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers close the stand by battling USC on Saturday, Dec. 8. NU knocked off the Women of Troy on their homecourt in Los Angeles last season.

 

“Last year we felt like our non-conference schedule was the toughest we had in my years at Nebraska,” Yori said. “This year might be even tougher. I would say every year we have been here that our schedule has gotten a little stronger. Our home schedule this season should be a great opportunity for our fans to see some of the best teams in the nation.”

 

After clashing with USC in Lincoln, Nebraska heads to California the following weekend to face Cal State Bakersfield and Long BeachState, before facing one of the toughest tests of the non-conference season at OhioState on Dec. 22 in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes captured the Big Ten title in 2007 and finished the year with a 28-4 record as the No. 12 RPI club in the country.

 

After closing the non-conference season with a pair of home games against Denver (Dec. 30), which won 20 games last year and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Jan. 2), the Huskers open Big 12 play with a pair of home games against Texas (Jan. 9) and Kansas (Jan. 12). The game against the Jayhawks in an FSN national telecast at 11:30 a.m. will open a thrilling day of border battles at the BobDevaneySportsCenter, as Coach Doc Sadler’s Husker men’s team will joust with KU men that same night at the DevaneyCenter in an ESPN national telecast.

 

Nebraska then dives into the thick of conference road action by traveling to defending Big 12 champion and 2007 Sweet 16 qualifier Oklahoma (Jan. 16), before facing IowaState in Ames. The Cyclones tied for fourth in the league standings with the Huskers last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

The Huskers then return home to face defending Big 12 regular-season co-champion Texas A&M at the Devaney Center (Jan. 23), before traveling to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor (Jan. 26). That four-game stretch will pit the Huskers against the top four teams in the 2007 Big 12 final standings.

 

“That is going to be a big stretch in our season. We play last year’s top four teams in the Big 12 in consecutive games and three of the games will come on the road,” Yori said. “Those games will teach us a lot about surviving in the conference season.”

 

NU will then turn its attention to the Big 12 North Division, playing three straight games against intradivision foes, starting with a home game against Kansas State (Jan. 30) and ending with a nationally televised road contest at Missouri (Feb. 3) and Colorado (Feb. 6).

 

A Sunday afternoon home battle with 2007 NCAA qualifier Oklahoma State (Feb. 10) precedes the Huskers’ lone bye week of the 2007-08 season, before NU heads down the stretch in conference play at Kansas (Feb. 17). Three of the Huskers’ final five regular-season games will be played at the Devaney Center, including a Thursday night tussle with the Missouri Tigers (Feb. 21), a Sunday afternoon battle with the Colorado Buffaloes (March 2) and a Senior Night struggle against Iowa State to close the season (March 5).

 

Nebraska heads to Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship March 11-15, and NCAA Tournament play will begin the following weekend. The 2008 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., April 6-8.