Huskers to Face Challenging 2008-09 Schedule

Lincoln - The Nebraska women’s basketball team will take aim at one of the best schedules in school history when the Huskers open pursuit of their sixth consecutive postseason trip in 2008-09.

 

Nebraska could play as many as 21 games against 2008 postseason qualifiers, including as many as 15 games against 2008 NCAA Tournament teams. The Huskers’ 15-game regular-season home schedule at the Bob Devaney Sports Center will feature NCAA Tournament-caliber competition on a nightly basis, with 10 home foes advancing to postseason play in 2008, including seven visitors who advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament.

 

“Last year, our schedule was the most challenging in school history, and it allowed us to finish with one of the best RPIs and strength of schedules in school history,” Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. “We think our schedule this season has a chance to be even better than last year, and our fans at the Devaney Center should be treated to some of the best action in college basketball night-in and night-out.”

 

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.

 

The Huskers, who earned their second straight NCAA Tournament trip in 2008, return a talented and experienced roster to face the loaded schedule. Nebraska returns 12 of the 13 players from its 2007-08 squad that went 21-12 and advanced to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin headlines the list of four returning Husker starters. She will be joined by senior guard Tay Hester, junior point guard Yvonne Turner and sophomore guard Dominique Kelly, as returning starters from a year ago.

 

Nebraska, which lost only starting forward Danielle Page from last season’s squad, also returns juniors Cory Montgomery, Nikki Bober, Kala Kuhlmann and Nicole Neals as major contributors to NU’s success the past two years, along with returning sophomores Kaitlyn Burke, Catheryn Redmon, Jessica Periago and Monique Whittaker. The Huskers will also welcome a pair of freshmen - guard Layne Reeves and forward Harleen Sidhu.

 

The Huskers will open their season on Halloween night, Friday, Oct. 31, with an exhibition game against Chadron State. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 7:05 p.m. Nebraska will then venture west down Interstate 80 to close the exhibition season against Nebraska-Kearney on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The Huskers will battle the Lopers at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island with tip-off set for 7:05 p.m.

 

The game between Nebraska and UNK will mark the Huskers’ first appearance in Grand Island since Dec. 8, 1982, when NU defeated the Lopers at Grand Island Northwest High School.

 

“We are excited about the chance to take our team to the central part of the state,” Yori said. “We know we have great fans across the state who support our program, and we wanted to give them a chance to watch us in person. We also have great respect for Coach Carol Russell and her program at Nebraska-Kearney, so we are hoping for a great environment at the Heartland Events Center.”

 

Nebraska tips off its regular season at the Devaney Center against Weber State on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7:05 p.m. After traveling east down I-80 for its annual duel with Creighton at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha on Monday, Nov. 17, at 7:05 p.m., the Huskers will return home to face Southern Utah on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 5:05 p.m.

 

The Huskers head to the Rockies for the Thanksgiving holiday, beginning with a Monday, Nov. 24, contest at Denver, before facing Butler and either New Mexico or William & Mary in Albuquerque, N.M., Nov. 28-29. New Mexico won the Mountain West Conference Tournament and advanced to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The potential game against New Mexico will start an amazing stretch of competition to close the non-conference season.

 

After returning home from Albuquerque, Nebraska opens a four-game home stand by battling 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifier Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:05 p.m. Four days later, the Huskers will face four-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State. Tip-off against the Buckeyes, who have advanced to six straight NCAA tournaments, is set for Noon on Saturday, Dec. 6.

 

Nebraska wraps up its four-game stand by playing host to Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 9) and Long Beach State (Dec. 12) at the Devaney Center.

 

After closing out the first semester with Finals Week, Nebraska will travel to El Paso, Texas, to square off with UTEP (Dec. 20). The Miners are coming off the best season in school history in 2007-08, when they won the Conference USA title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before falling to eventual NCAA runner-up Stanford.

 

The Huskers return from Christmas break to battle Pac-10 power Arizona State at the Devaney Center on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 2:05 p.m. The Sun Devils have advanced to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament each of the past four years.

 

Nebraska wraps up its non-conference slate with a New Year’s Day matchup at defending Southeastern Conference champion LSU at Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers have advanced to five consecutive NCAA Final Fours and will be scheduled for a return trip to Lincoln in 2009-10.

 

“Our non-conference schedule is definitely going to prepare us for the Big 12,” Yori said. “I can’t imagine too many other teams in the country who are willing to take on the challenge of potentially playing six of their final eight non-conference games against teams that went to last year’s NCAA Tournament. In basically a one-month stretch, we will play five conference champions from a year ago. That is the kind of schedule you will face if you want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. The amazing thing is that the Big 12 schedule will probably be more challenging than our non-conference schedule.”

 

Nebraska begins Big 12 play at home against Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7:05 p.m. The Sooners advanced to second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament and feature senior All-American Courtney Paris, the 2007 National Player of the Year. The Huskers’ home Big 12 schedule also includes battles with 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Iowa State (Jan. 24), Baylor (Feb. 4) and Kansas State, along with 2008 Postseason WNIT participants Kansas (Jan. 21), Texas Tech (Feb. 14) and Colorado (March 3), in addition to a Missouri club that returns all five starters from a year ago.

 

The Huskers’ Big 12 road schedule includes showdowns at 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Texas (Jan. 14), Kansas State (Jan. 27), Texas A&M (Feb. 8), Iowa State (Feb. 18) and Oklahoma State (March 7). Texas A&M advanced to the 2008 NCAA Elite Eight and won the Big 12 Tournament title, while Oklahoma State went to the 2008 NCAA Sweet 16 and will feature last year’s Big 12 Player of the Year, Andrea Riley. The Husker schedule also includes road games at Missouri (Jan. 17), Colorado (Jan. 31) and Kansas (Feb. 28).

 

“From top to bottom, the Big 12 will be one of the best conferences in the nation.” Yori said. “We open against two of the traditional powers in college basketball against Oklahoma and at Texas, and then the schedule just seems to be one great game after another.”

 

The Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Championship (March 12-15) returns to the COX Convention Center, in 2009, but the format will be different than the 2007 tournament in Oklahoma City. The women’s tournament will move its opening round to Thursday from its normal start day on Tuesday. The women will not have a day off built into the tournament like past years, but will instead play second-round games on Friday, semifinals on Saturday and a championship game on Sunday.

 

First- and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament will be held in 16 predetermined sites around the country March 21-24, before NCAA Regionals are contested March 28-31 in Oklahoma City, Okla., Berkeley, Calif., Raleigh, N.C., and Trenton, N.J.  The 2009 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be played at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., April 5-7.