Sports Nee: Chances for postseason bid slight Hy Mark Uerowitscn Senior Reporter Any chance ihc Nebraska men’s basketball team had of receiving a post-tournament bid vanished when the Comhuskers ended the regular season by losing nine of their last 10 games. Nebraska coach Danny Nee said at his weekly press conference Mon day that it would now take a miracle for Nebraska to make the NCAA or NIT Tournaments. He said the only way the Huskers could receive a post season bid is if they win three games in the upcoming Big Eight Tourna ment. “If that happens. I’ll be in heaven,” Nee said. Nebraska, now 13-17 overall and 4-10 in the Big Eight, will face Kan sas Stale in the first round of the conference tournament Friday at 6:10 p.m. at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. In other first round games, Iowa State faces Missouri at 12:10 p.m., Oklahoma plays Colorado at 2:10 p.m., and Kansas faces Oklahoma State at 8:10 p.m. Last season, Nebraska advanced to the final four of the NIT Tourna ment and ended the season with a 21 • 12 record. Nee said a lack of famili arity with the Big Eight prevented the Huskcrs from finishing with a .500 record this year. “This year, not just our youth, but our inexperience hurl us,” Nee said. But Nee said this season helps build for the future. “Looking back over the year, the one bright spot is that we got a lot of our young people that first-hand experience you can’t teach or coach,” Nee said. “The numerical is disappointing because I feel there was a couple of games we could have won. “If we would have had a .500 record or 16-14, we would have been successful. We just missed it by a couple of games.” Nee said after a qual ity season last year, the Huskers didn’t meet some expectations this season. “When you’re in a situation like we’re in where we took two steps forward last year with a new coach and new staff and we took a half a step back this year,” Nee said. Nee said he hopes Nebraska’s trip to Australia in May will give the Huskers even more experience next year. “The Australian trip is pretty important for us,” Nee said. “We have to have a great spring and summer,” he said. “One of the keys to get this program to where we want to get it is the Australian trip. We have to go over there with a consistency with our play — we have to know the guys night in and night out.” Butch Ireland/Daily Nebraskan Bob Cook, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumnus, protests the officiating at a recent Cornhusker game. Cook’s feelings have been shared frequently by Nebraska coach Danny Nee this season. UNO, Arkansas top Huskers’ list for upcoming play By Steve Sipple Senior Reporter Nebraska baseball coach John Sanders said it is becoming difficult, but the Comhuskers must continue to focus on one game at a time. Nebraska, now 10-0 after a weekend sweep against Northern Colorado, faces the Univer sity of Nebraska at Omaha today before playing No. 8-rankcd Arkansas this weekend in Fay etteville, Ark. For now, Sanders said, the Husk ers must worry about the Mavericks. “Every game is a test,” Sanders said. “I know our players arc aware Arkansas is a good ballclub. They know they Tc ranked, they know we’re playing them on the road, and it’s going to be a good series. “But we ha vc to keep it all in perspective and not look by UNO. We’ll be up for it.” Nebraska, which moved up to No. 20 in the latest Collegiate Bascball/ESPN national rank ings, will play the Mavericks in a single nine inning gamcat 1:30p.m. at Buck Bclt/cr Field. The game will be UNO’s season opener. Sanders said the Huskcrs must keep concen trating on their own play and not worry about who their opponent is. If they play well, he said, they don’t have to worry about looking past opponents. “I’m concerned about how we stack up against ourselves,” he said. “We just have to keep hammering away and climbing the lad der.” Nebraska has dominated teams during its unbeaten streak. The Huskcrs have outscorcd opponents 132-32 on the season and have compiled a team batting average of .310 while holding their foes to a .206 average. But Sanders said the Huskers failed to show discipline at the plate when a season-high 10 Husker batters struck out during their 13-1 victory against Northern Colorado. He said what concerned him most about that was the team’s swinging at bad pitches and letting good ones go by. Sanders said he was puzzled by the offensive lapse. “It beats me,” he said. “If you figure it out, let me know. That’s abig thing we want to stress for (today).” UNO coach Bob Gates said the Huskers have been playing strong in the early season. He said that win or lose, the Mavericks’ trip to Lincoln will help his players improve. “If they want to play professional baseball, they have to see what it takes,” Gates said. “Sometimes players come out of high school and they were great players in their neighbor hood. They need to see other great players.” Gates said UNO won’tenter the game think ing it has everything to gain and nothing to lose. “I don’t think that way,” Gates said. “It’s nice to win. The thing that is important is for us to get ready for the North Central Conference season.” Husker pitcher John Kohli, a senior left hander, will start on the mound, Sanders said. Kohli has started two games this year, pitching 4.1 innings and giving up seven runs on 10 hits. He has compiled a 8.31 earned run average. Gates did not name a starter. Comhuskers learn about themselves, injuries By Mike Kluck Staff Reporter Although its hopes lor an unde feated season were shattered last week, Nebraska’s softball team members learned more about them selves while compiling a 5-3 record. “We found out this weekend that we are not the No. 2 team in the nation, which slings a little bit,” Cornhusker coach Ron Wolforth said. “It popped our balloon awfully quick. But with a few minor adjust ments, I have no doubt that we are going to be the best team we can.” Nebraska, currently ranked No 2 in the nation, defeated Baylor 9-1 and then compiled a 4-3 record in the Roadrunner Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. Wolforth said Nebraska did what it wanted during its win against Baylor. He said the Huskers used a combina tion of strong pitching by Donna Dcardorll and a balanced hitting at tack to overcome the Bears. Wolforlh said Nebraska’s record in the Roadrunncr Classic was de ceiving because the Huskcrs were plagued by injuries throughout the lineup. Nebraska defeated Baylor 3-0 in the first game, but lost lcadoff hitter Jill Rishcl to an ankle injury for the rest of the four-day tournament. Rishcl injured her right ankle sliding into home plate. “We lost some of our intensity when we lost our lcadoff hitter,” Wolforlh said. “She gels a lot of things to happen, and with her out, it puts added pressure on our (second through fifth) hitters. With her out we lose a dimension of our game, and we’re a little less aggressive.” Other injured Huskcr players in cluded Deardorff, who was hospital ized before the tournament with an undiagnosed pain in her stomach, and shortstop Jane Kremer, who suffered a deep thigh bruise. Wolforth said those injuries hurt Nebraska in the tournament’s second round as the Huskers lost 3-1 to New Mexico. Nebraska led 1-0 going into I the sixth inning before giving up a walk, a base hit and a home run to lose the game. Bui Nebraska rebounded from the loss by defeating prcscason No. 18 ranked Nichols Slate 4-2 and Stephen F. Austin 6-1. The Huskers then ral lied from a 1-0 loss to Arizona State and beat California Slalc-Fullcrlon 7 2, but was eliminated later by the Titans 1-0. Cal Slatc-Fullcrlon was the nation’s top ranked team in the prcscason poll. Wolforth said that although Ne braska needs to work on its intensity and improve its defense, the Huskers will be successful if they continue to hit and pitch as they have been. i ST. PATRICK’S DAY [BASIL -^attu'iuup LIE AWAKE THE LIMIT NEW BRASS GUNS THOSEGUYS -tAunadeuf, watcA H—900-/ attAe PLA-MOR BALLROOM 6600 WEST“0” <*(( uic/come cOichA <3fiecia(