Coatney's Call: Ohio State Game Preview

#23 Nebraska (20-7, 9-6) vs. #8 Ohio State (24-4, 11-4)
Sunday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m. (central)
Devaney Center (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: 25-Station Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln); The Wolf 93.3 FM-KTWI (Omaha); 1400 AM-KCOW (Alliance); 1230 AM-KHAS (Hastings); 960 AM-KNEB (Scottsbluff); 
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com
Television: Big Ten Network (Lisa Byington-PBP; Vera Jones-Analyst)

Nebraska will honor three seniors before the final regular-season game at the Devaney Center against Ohio State Sunday.  Fifth-year guard Kaitlyn Burke is fifth in career games played in Husker history and is ninth all-time in three-pointers.  Harleen Sidhu has been injured throughout her career and has only participated in three games this season, but has played 69 games in her career. Layne Reeves has not participated in on-court action this season after suffering through several knee injuries in her career.  She played 24 games during Nebraska's historic 2009-10 campaign. The Huskers will be trying for a season-split with OSU, losing to the Buckeyes 82-68 in Columbus on Jan. 19.

While Penn State has clinched the top seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament, Ohio State still has an outside chance to earn a share of the regular-season conference title with a win over Nebraska Sunday.  Ohio State has clinched the No. 2 seed in the league tourney and will play next Friday at 10:30 a.m. (central) in Indianapolis.  The Buckeyes are 24-4 on the season and 11-4 in Big Ten play after Thursday night's 81-56 victory over Minnesota.

Junior guard Tayler Hill leads the Big Ten and ranks 11th nationally in scoring (20.9 ppg).  She ranks eighth in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (.431).  A candidate for National Player of the Year as a member of the Wade Trophy Watch List, Hill had a double-double with 21 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in the win over Nebraska earlier this season.  

Senior Samantha Prahalis, along with Husker Lindsey Moore, are two of eight finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation's top NCAA Division I women's basketball point guard.  Prahalis ranks fourth on OSU's career scoring list, and she was the Big Ten Preseason Co-Player of the Year.  She leads the conference and is seventh nationally in assists.  Prahalis had 19 points and nine assists against Nebraska earlier this season and averages (20.4 ppg) on the season. She had a school-record 42 points in the win over Minnesota Thursday night. Her 42 points were the most by any Big Ten player in a single game this year.  In league games only, Prahalis leads the Big Ten in scoring (21.9 ppg). 

Junior wing Amber Stokes is Ohio State's defensive specialist. She averages 7.5 points per contest and had 12 points against the Huskers in the earlier game this year.  Center Ashley Adams, a 6-5 sophomore, leads the Big Ten in blocked shots per game and is shooting a league-best .560 percent from the field in conference games.  She averages 7.3 points per game and leads the team in rebounds (6.5 rpg).  She had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds vs Nebraska in January. 

Freshman Kalpana Beach, a 6-1 forward, rounds out OSU's probable starting lineup.  She posted four points and six rebounds earlier against NU and averages 5.1 points per game.

Tenth-year Ohio State Coach Jim Foster has led the Buckeyes to a school-record nine consecutive NCAA tournaments. He is a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Ohio State has won four consecutive games against the Huskers and leads the all-time series with Nebraska 4-2.  NU was victorious in the first meeting ever, defeating OSU in Columbus 63-54 in 1990.  The Huskers upset the then 13th-ranked Buckeyes 60-55 in 2003 in Lincoln in Connie Yori's second season as Nebraska coach. The teams have played four times in non-conference action in the Connie Yori and Jim Foster coaching eras.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska Women's Basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Sunday begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 2:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 3:01 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network, including Lincoln affiliate KBBK 107.3 FM (B107.3), KFFF 93.3 FM (The Wolf 93.3) in Omaha, KWBE 1450 in Beatrice, KCOW 1400 in Alliance, KHAS 1230 in Hastings, KNEB 960 in Scottsbluff, and available to our entire 25 network stations.  All Husker Women's Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us. 

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker women's basketball via social media.  You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women's Basketball Facebook  page or follow the team on their official Twitter page @huskerswbb.  I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red! 

Matt