No. 3 Huskers Set Path for Big Ten Tournament

The Nebraska women's basketball team earned the No. 3 seed and a double-bye for the 2018 Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this week. The Huskers, who finished the regular season with an 11-5 conference mark and a 20-9 overall record, will open their seventh Big Ten Tournament on Friday night against the winner of Thursday night's game between No. 6 Michigan and either No. 11 Penn State or No. 14 Illinois.

Nebraska's game on Friday will be the final contest on the tournament's third day in Indianapolis. The Huskers will tip off 25 minutes after the conclusion of the 5:30 p.m. (CT) game that involves No. 2 seed Maryland and either No. 7 Indiana or No. 10 Michigan State.

The Huskers, who will try to advance to their third Big Ten Tournament Championship Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since joining the league in 2011-12, could have a path that presents huge opportunities. Nebraska could have a chance to avenge an overtime loss to then-No. 23 Michigan on Jan. 13 (69-64). The Huskers led the Wolverines 62-59 before Nicea Eliely was called for a foul on a Deja Church three-point attempt with 0.7 seconds left. Church hit all three free throws to send the game to overtime.

If Nebraska can get past the quarterfinals, the Huskers could face a Maryland team that escaped with a pair of narrow victories over the Big Red in February. NU's first loss to the Terrapins came in Lincoln on Feb. 4, when the No. 11 Terps escaped with a 64-57 win. In the final game of the regular season, the Huskers took the Terps to the brink. After trailing by 14 points in the third quarter, the Huskers rallied to take a one-point lead on a Hannah Whitish three-pointer with 48 seconds left at the XFINITY Center in College Park. Maryland regained a two-point lead before Whitish got a clean look at three-pointer from the right wing in the closing seconds. Her shot hit back iron and caromed off to give the Terps a 77-75 win and the No. 2 seed.

No. 7 seed Indiana is also a potential foe for the Huskers in the semifinals, and the Hoosiers handed Nebraska an 83-75 setback on Feb. 17 in Bloomington. It was Nebraska's first loss in a true road game this season.

If the Huskers can advance to Sunday, they could meet up with No. 14 Ohio State, which earned the tournament's No. 1 seed after claiming the Big Ten regular-season title with a 13-3 record. The Buckeyes opened the Big Ten season with a 73-61 win over the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Dec. 28.