Huskers Host USC in Top 25 Big Ten Showdown

NCAA NET No. 11/AP No. 20 Nebraska celebrates its Big Ten Conference home opener by playing host to an Associated Press Top-20 showdown against No. 17 Southern California in a Monday matinee that will be the Huskers 200th all time at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the Big Red (12-0, 1-0 Big Ten) and the Trojans (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten) in Lincoln is set for 2 p.m. (CT) on Monday, Dec. 29, with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Free live audio from the Huskers Radio Network will be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers App, 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 1490 AM/97.3 FM/97.7 HD3 in Omaha with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call for their 25th consecutive season.

A live video stream will be available to subscribers of B1G+.

Monday's game will be Nebraska's first clash of the season with an AP Top 25 foe, while NET No. 23 USC has already played five games against AP Top-25 opponents this season, including No. 1 UConn and No. 2 South Carolina, along with then-No. 9 NC State, then-No. 21 Washington, and then-No. 24 Notre Dame.

One of the nation's top offensive teams, the Huskers improved to 12-0 and produced 80 points for a school-record 12th consecutive game their last time out with an 87-56 victory over California Baptist at PBA (Dec. 21). NU improved to 8-0 at home this season with the victory.

Nancy Lieberman Award candidate Britt Prince has been a catalyst in all areas in a balanced Big Red attack. The 5-11 sophomore point guard from Omaha ranks among the top scorers in the Big Ten Conference at 18.6 points while adding 4.3 assists. The Elkhorn North grad and two-time Nebraska High School Player of the Year owns a pair of 30-point performances (ORU, Virginia) this season, and has scored in double figures in 11 of NU's first 12 games while shooting 61.2 percent from the field, including 48.6 percent from three-point range.

Fellow sophomore Amiah Hargrove also has emerged as a rising star in the conference. An early contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, Hargrove ranks second among the Huskers in scoring (12.4 ppg) while leading NU in rebounding (6.6 rpg). She is shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. In Nebraska's most recent win over California Baptist (Dec. 21), Hargrove finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. 

Junior Jessica Petrie has provided consistency and leadership at both ends in her second season as a starter. The 6-2 forward from Gold Coast, Australia, is averaging 12.2 points and 5.3 rebounds, including a game-high 17 points in the win over Cal Baptist (Dec. 21).

Callin Hake, who rounded out four Huskers in double figures against CBU with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three charges drawn, provides veteran leadership and the emotional heartbeat for the Big Red. The 5-8 senior guard from Victoria, Minn., leads a balanced Husker offense with 5.1 assists per game and a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks 20th in NCAA Division I. Hake is shooting 40 percent (20-50) from long range and 88.5 percent from the free throw line.

Graduate guard Hailey Weaver, who spent her first four seasons at Northwestern, joins a Husker lineup that has featured the same starting five for all 12 games. Weaver is a leader alongside Hake on the defensive end. The Big Red's top ball-pressuring guard ("Pirate" or "Hound"), Weaver leads the Huskers with 19 steals. She is averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds.

Sophomore Petra Bozan rounds out the NU starting five with 9.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. The 6-3 forward from Split, Croatia, is shooting 57 percent from the field, including 67.4 percent (29-43) over the last five games. She produced a career-high 17 points in NU's Big Ten-opening win at Penn State (Dec. 6).

Nebraska's rotation goes 10-12 deep, including significant contributions from Eliza Maupin (8.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Logan Nissley (7.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg), Claire Johnson (5.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg) and Kennadi Williams (3.7 ppg, 2.3 apg), along with Emily Fisher and Alanna Neale.

Nebraska ranks third nationally in bench scoring at 36.1 points per game.

NET 11/AP 20/WBCA 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
4 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - So. - F - 9.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg
1 - Hailey Weaver - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 4.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 8.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - So. - G - 18.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - So. - F - 12.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
21 - Eliza Maupin - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 8.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 7.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
5 - Claire Johnson - 5-9 - So. - G - 5.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
15 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - RFr. - G - 3.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg
34 - Emily Fisher - 6-0 - Jr. - G/F - 1.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg
00 - Alanna Neale - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - RSo. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner [Out] - 5-10 - Gr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
10th Season at Nebraska (170-123); 19th Season Overall (363-232)

 

NET 23/AP 17/WBCA 16 USC Trojans (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten)
8 - Gerda Raulusaityte - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 3.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg
9 - Jazzy Davidson - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 16.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg
10 - Malia Samuels - 5-6 - Jr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg
11 - Kennedy Smith - 6-1 - So. - G - 11.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg
25 - Kara Dunn - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 12.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Londynn Jones - 5-4 - Sr. - G - 12.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
0 - Vivian Iwuchukwu - 6-3 - So. - F - 4.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg
7 - Yakiya Milton - 6-5 - Jr. - F - 3.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg
13 - Dayana Mendes - 6-3 - So. - G/F - 2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
6 - Laura Williams - 6-2 - RFr. - F - 2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
4 - Rian Forestier - 5-11 - So. - G - 2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg
24 - Brooklyn Shamblin - 5-9 - So. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg
12 - JuJu Watkins [Out] - 6-2 - Jr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb (Brown, 1999)
Fifth Season at USC (102-39); 16th Season Overall (337-167)

Nebraska 1 of 3 Unbeaten Basketball Schools
• Nebraska is one of just three remaining NCAA Division I schools with undefeated men's and women's basketball programs.

• The Husker men's team coached by Fred Hoiberg (12-0) and the women's team coached by Amy Williams (12-0) join Iowa State (W: 13-0; M: 12-0) and Vanderbilt (W: 12-0; M: 12-0) as the only unbeaten basketball schools remaining in NCAA Division I.

• It is the first time the Husker men's and women's teams have started 12-0 the same season.

• Over the last five seasons, the only school to have both men's and women's teams start 12-0 was Tennessee (W: 13-0; M: 14-0) in 2024-25.

• Nebraska is the only school in the Big Ten since the Huskers joined the conference in 2011-12 to have both its men's and women's basketball programs start 11-0.

Nebraska All-Time Win Streaks
Season                                Wins
1. 2009-10 (1-30)                   30
2. 2025-26 (1-12, active)        12
    2021-22 (1-12)                   12
4. 2012-13 (19-28)                 10

Huskers Hitting 80 at Historic Rate
• Nebraska has scored at least 80 points in each of its 12 games to open 2025-26, including three 100-point scoring efforts.

• The only other time Nebraska produced 80 or more points in eight consecutive games came from the 1987-88 Big Eight Champion Huskers in an eight-game span from Jan. 6 at Maine (L, 82-89) through a 94-82 win at Oklahoma (Jan. 27). The 1987-88 Huskers went 7-1 during the stretch - previously the longest streak of scoring 80 or more points in school history.

• USC is the strongest defensive team the Huskers have faced this season. The Trojans are holding opponents to just 54.3 on 35.3 percent shooting despite playing five top-25 teams in their first 12 games. USC held perennial Final Four teams UConn (79) and South Carolina (69) under 80 points. In fact, UConn is the only team to score 70 against the Trojans so far this season.

Efficient Big Red Spread Wealth, Share Rock
• As a team, NU ranks 10th nationally in scoring offense (89.6 ppg), while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (.522) and 11th in scoring margin (32.9 ppg).

• NU ranks eighth in assists per game (21.3 apg) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73).

• Nebraska's early season depth has been remarkable, especially considering the Huskers have been playing without injured Katrina McClain Award candidate Natalie Potts and Allison Weidner, a graduate guard redshirting with a leg injury in 2025-26. In 2,400 game minutes, Nebraska's five starters have combined for approximately 1,365 minutes (56.9 percent), while the reserves have played approximately 1,035 (43.1 percent). The starters have scored 59.7 percent of NU's points, while the bench has produced 40.3 percent of Nebraska's scoring.

• Nebraska ranks third nationally in bench scoring (36.1 ppg), including 45 points in a Big Ten-opening road win at Penn State (Dec. 6).

• As a team, Nebraska leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally by shooting 52.2 percent from the field through 12 games. Only two Husker teams have ever hit 50 percent or better from the field - 1991-92 (.503) and 1987-88 (.500).

Scouting the USC Trojans
• Coach Lindsay Gottlieb has kept the Trojans in the top 25 this season despite a new-look roster that has been without JuJu Watkins, the reigning national player of the year. Watkins, who led USC to the Elite Eight and the Big Ten regular-season title last year, was injured early in a 96-59 second-round NCAA Tournament win over Mississippi State at the Galen Center in LA (March 24). Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals last season.

• Three other 2024-25 Trojan starters - Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall and Talia Von Oelhoffen - are also gone from last year's team, along with top reserves Avery Howell, Kayleigh Heckel and Clarice Akunwafo.

• Sophomore Kennedy Smith adds a strong defensive identity as USC's lone returning starter. The 6-1 guard is averaging 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while being a lockdown defender. Smith ranks second on the team with 1.9 steals while also ranking second with 3.5 assists. Smith's length, athleticism and physicality can affect all five opposing offensive players, but she is hitting only 31.4 percent of her shots from the field, including just 16.3 percent (8-49) of her three-pointers. She had seven points as a starter in USC's 75-55 win over Nebraska in LA on New Year's Day.

• Jazzy Davidson is a leading contender for national freshman-of-the-year honors. The 6-1 guard is averaging 16.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, while adding team bests of 3.7 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals. She is a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

• UCLA transfer Londynn Jones has added an explosive long range threat. The 5-4 senior ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game primarily off the bench. She owns a team-best 21 threes (.375) while hitting a team-best 83.9 percent of her free throws. Jones had 11 points and five turnovers against the Huskers in a win for the Bruins in LA last season.

• Georgia Tech transfer Kara Dunn gives the Trojans three players averaging double figures at 11.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Dunn, who is USC's most consistent long-range threat (.388),  scored 22 points and hit three threes for Georgia Tech two years ago in an 80-72 loss at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Dunn's 13-point first half at PBA included a half-court buzzer beater that gave the Yellow Jackets a 32-22 halftime lead. Dunn put up 16 points, 14 rebounds and four steals in No. 17 Tech's win over the No. 23 Huskers in Atlanta last season. 

• Malia Samuels has been USC's primary No. 4 starter, averaging 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds. She is a solid defender and a low volume shooter. She has hit just 25 percent (3-12) of her free throws, but ranks third on the team in steals and owns USC's second-best assist-to-turnover ratio. Samuels scored two points in 12 minutes off the bench last year against the Huskers, as one of only two active Trojans  (joining Kennedy Smith) to find the scoring column in last year's game against Nebraska.

• Gerda Raulusaityte has assumed the role of fifth starter. The 6-3 forward from Lithuania has managed 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Vivian Iwuchukwu has provided a dominant physical presence as well, especially at the defensive end. The 6-3 forward from Nigeria has split six starts in 12 games with Raulusaityte and is averaging 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds.

• Yakiya Milton (3.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Dayana Mendes (2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Laura Williams (2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) round out USC's regular contributors.

• USC is an outstanding defensive team, holding quality opposition to just 54.3 points per game on 35.2 percent shooting, including 24.2 percent from three-point range. USC foes have hit just 63.3 percent of their free throws. The Trojans have also won the battle of the boards 39.8-37.9, while owning an impressing plus-6.2 turnover margin.

• Offensively, USC has managed 70.7 points per game on 41 percent field goal shooting, including 30.1 percent from long range. The Trojans have connected on just 66.5 percent of their free throws.

Nebraska vs. USC Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with USC, 5-4, but the Trojans snapped the Big Red's five-game series winning streak with a 75-55 win on New Year's Day 2025 at the Galen Center. JuJu Watkins led the No. 4 Trojans with a game-high 26 points while drawing 12 fouls. Kiki Iriafen added 14 points. Logan Nissley led Nebraska with 14 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting, while Britt Prince added 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

• The first meeting between the schools came with a 72-70 USC win in Los Angeles on Jan. 12, 1977. The teams met again in Los Angeles in the 1988 NCAA Tournament, with the Trojans notching a 100-82 win. In the 1993 NCAA Tournament in LA, No. 15 USC defeated No. 22 Nebraska, 78-60.

• NU started a five-game win streak against the Trojans with a 72-65 win in Los Angeles (Nov. 26, 2006). The Huskers added 18-point wins over USC in Lincoln in 2007 and 2011, before beating the Trojans, 74-65, in LA in 2012. NU capped the streak with a 67-54 win over USC at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas (Nov. 29, 2019).

• Monday's game will mark the fifth time USC has faced the Huskers as a ranked team, while it will be the fourth time the Huskers have been ranked at the tip. It will be the second time both teams were ranked in the top 25 at game time, joining the 1993 NCAA Tournament matchup.

Prince Named to Nancy Lieberman Watch List

  • Nebraska's Britt Prince was named to the list of 20 women's college basketball players on the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 27. The Lieberman Award was the first of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Fan voting for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.

• Prince, a 5-11 sophomore from Omaha, Neb., returns for her second season at Nebraska after averaging 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a true freshman.

• Through 12 games this season, she is averaging a team-best 18.6 points per game while hitting 61.2 percent (90-147) of her shots from the field, including 17-of-35 threes (.486).

• Prince was the MVP of the Emerald Coast Classic Beach Bracket (Nov. 24-25) after leading the Huskers to a tournament title with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting in a 91-82 win over Virginia. She averaged 24.0 points and 6.5 assists in the tournament, including 18 points and a season-high seven assists in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne.

• Prince established her career high with 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting in a win over Oral Roberts (Nov. 19).

• She added 20 points in a Big Ten win at Penn State (Dec. 6).

• She opened 2025-26 with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in a win over Northwestern State (Nov. 3).

• Prince followed with 23 points, two assists and two steals in a win over Samford (Nov. 8), before getting 18 points and a season-high seven rebounds in a win over Creighton (Nov. 12).

• She added 16 points, two rebounds and three assists in a win over North Dakota State in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Nov. 16).

• Prince had 17 points, four rebounds and five assists in a 92-53 win over Bradley (Dec. 3).

• She had eight points, five assists and five steals in an 87-35 win over Omaha (Dec. 9), before going for 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and no turnovers in a win over Illinois State (Dec. 14).

• Prince, a two-time Gatorade and MaxPreps Nebraska High School Player of the Year at Elkhorn North, earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors while leading the Huskers to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

• In the NCAA Tournament, Prince led the Big Red with 14 points and six assists against Louisville, after powering Nebraska to two wins at the Big Ten Tournament by averaging 17.0 points and 5.3 assists over three games, including a season-high-tying 24 points against Big Ten Tournament champion and NCAA No. 1 seed UCLA.

• Prince was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21) after going for 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in a road win at Iowa (Jan. 16), when she hit a career-high five three-pointers.

Potts Earns Spot on Katrina McClain Watch List
• Nebraska's Natalie Potts was included on the list of 20 women's college basketball players named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 30. The McClain Award was the fourth of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Fan voting for the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.

• Potts, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore from O'Fallon, Mo., returns for her third season at Nebraska in 2025-26. She was the 2023-24 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 campaign. Potts was averaging team bests of 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first four games prior to her injury. She was shooting 69.4 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent (8-11) from three-point range to lead the Big Red to a No. 19 national ranking and a 4-0 start.

• In 40-minute production, Potts put up eye-popping numbers of 28.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per 40 to rank among the best players in the Big Ten through the first four games last season.

• In 2023-24, Potts led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.489), while ranking second among league freshmen in scoring (10.2 ppg) and free throw percentage (.829) in 2023-24. She started all 35 games for the 23-12 Huskers, who advanced to the Big Ten Championship Game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

• Potts, who won 8-of-15 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards during the regular season, was the most consistent freshman in the conference from start to finish. She won the inaugural weekly honor on Nov. 13, 2023, before claiming the final two freshman awards on Feb. 26 and March 4. She won at least one weekly honor during all five months of the season. Her eight weekly awards matched the total of fellow Nebraska Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski in 2022.

• Potts, who also claimed an honorable-mention All-Big Ten award from the conference media, was a unanimous choice on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the conference coaches.

• After suffering her knee injury against North Alabama (Nov. 19, 2024), Potts underwent knee surgery (Dec. 4). She continues to rehab with hopes of returning to the court mid-season.

Nebraska By The Numbers
• Britt Prince (.612) ranks 13th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten in field goal percentage.
• Britt Prince (18.6 ppg) ranks 36th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten in scoring.
• Callin Hake (2.90) ranks 20th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Nebraska (.522 FG%) ranks 4th nationally and leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage.
• Nebraska (89.6 ppg) ranks 10th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten in scoring offense.
• Nebraska (36.1 ppg) ranks 3rd nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten in bench scoring.
• Nebraska (21.3 apg) ranks 8th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten in assists per game.
• Nebraska (+32.9 ppg) ranks 11th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten in scoring margin.
• Nebraska (1.73) ranks 9th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.