Husker Women Basketball Fans Optimistic About Big 12 Title Contention

Even though everyone knows the Big 12 Conference women's basketball season hasn't started, and the Huskers are facing the toughest conference in the country again this season, Nebraska fans are optimistic following last weekend's victory over then No. 5 LSU - a win that catapulted NU to 14th in AP's national rankings.

The triumph also elevated the expectations of Nebraska's loyal fan base. In a Huskers.com Fan Poll that drew more than 1,400 votes, nearly 400 fans, or 28 percent, said they see the Huskers winning the 2009 Big 12 Conference Championship. Another 270, or 19 percent, envision a runner-up finish.

In addition to the 47 percent predicting a first- or a second-place conference finish for the Huskers, another 43 percent of the voters envision a top-four league finish for Nebraska.

The Huskers, led by All-America candidate Kelsey Griffin, have two more non-conference games remaining this season - against Albany Dec. 30 in a 3:05 p.m. tipoff at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and a road game Jan. 4 at Vermont.

Nebraska's Big 12 opener is at Iowa State Jan. 9. The Huskers' league home opener is a Tuesday night game against No. 17 Texas. Single-game tickets are available on Huskers.com.