Sports Softball team may be weekend’s ‘sleeper’ By Darren Fowler Staff Reporter Not yet having played a game could be an advantage for the Nebraska softball team this weekend. The Comhuskers open their spring season today with a doublcheadcr in College Station, Texas, against 5-2 and 15th-ranked Texas A&M. Game time is 5 p.m. at the Lady Aggie Softball Field. Friday through Sunday the Husk ers will compete in the 10-team Aggie Invitational I at Bee Creek, Texas. Because the Huskers are getting off to a later start than their competi tors, Nebraska coach Ron Wolforth said he thinks they could be the “sleeper” of the tournament. Tournament competitors include Texas A&M, 14th-rankcd Louisiana Tech, eighth-ranked Long Beach State, fourth-ranked Oklahoma State, McNeese State, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin State and Tcxas Arlington. ‘‘I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that we could win the whole thing,” he said. With the opposition not knowing what to expect, he said, Nebraska could surprise other teams with its team speed and improved pitching. Nebraska boasts a team average 5.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Wolforth has called this year’s team the fastest Husker softball squad ever. ‘‘(The other teams) will have no idea of the quality of our speed,” Wolforth said. Going by last year’s records, he said, other coaches will underesti mate Nebraska pitchers Marie Bowie and Stephanie Skegas. Bowie went 14-12 as a freshman last season, while Skegas finished 18 16 as a sophomore. Both pitchers have “improved 30 to 40 percent’’ since the fall season ended, Wolforth said. Bowie posted a 7-2 mark during the fall. Skegas went 3-2. * T think our pitching is really solid now,” Wolforth said. Nebraska’s chances in the tourna ment oould rest on the Huskers’ per formance in Thursday’s doubleheader, Wolforth said. He predicts Texas A&M will reach the College World Series this season. He said the Aggies are the best defen sive team in the country. Beating the Aggies, he said, could build the Huskers momentum going into the tournament. Nebraska stampedes Buffaloes, loses battle for Big Eight cellar By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Colorado won the Battle for the Big Eight Cellar Wednesday night at the Bob Dcvaney Sports Center. Six Comhuskers scored in double figures to lead the Nebraska men’s basketball team past the Buffaloes 96-82 before 11,087 fans. The win, Nebraska’s 10th of the season, knocked Colorado into eighth place in the conference standings. It was an “honor” Nebraska men’s basket ball coach Danny Nee was happy to not get. “Our guys did everything right that they had to do to win,” Nee said. “Tonight was a team performance, and 1 ’ m proud of our guys. ’ ’ Colorado, now 10-17 overall and 2-12 in the Big Eight this season, has lost 52-consccutivc, regular season, Big Eight road games. The last conference road win for the Buffs was in 1983, when Colorado beat Kansas 75-74 in Law rence, Kan. * The last 11 -win season for Colorado was 1984 -85, when the Buffs posted an 11 -17 mark. Nebraska led 37-27 at halftime, and the Huskers coasted to a 17-point lead midway through the second half. The Buffaloes cut Nebraska’s lead to eight, 69-61, on an eight foot jump shot and free throw by Colorado center Shaun Vandiver with 8:08 left in the game. But that was as close as the Buffs would come. Colorado was led by Vandiver, who led all scorers with 26 points. Guard Reggie Morton added 23 points, hitting seven of 13 three-point shots. Nee said the Huskers played intense, but “they’ve lost their emotion.” “The kids aren’t tired - they want to play - but I’d like them to play up to a higher level,” Nee said. The game was the last at the Sports Center for Huskcr seniors Ray Richardson and Rich ard van Poclgecst, who scored 16 and 12 points, respectively. Richardson, who transferred to Nebraska last season from Hiwassce (Tenn.) Junior College, said he was excited for his final home game at Nebraska. “I wish I had been here for four years instead of two,’ ’ he said.4 ‘The game was extra special, because if we would have lost, it would have felt real bad.” Van Poclgecst agreed. “If we would have lost this game,’ ’ he said, “the media would have been all over this program.” Van Poclgecst said the team’s losing record has taken most of the pressure out of the game. As a result, he said, the team has been playing a lot “looser.” Wc ve been playing with more of a team concept,” van Poclgcest said. “It was our last home game of the year, and we were out to have fun. “I just hope we can keep this going for a little while longer.” Nebraska, 10-16 and 3-10, will travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State on Sat urday for the last regular-season game. Colo rado has completed its regular season. Note: Nebraska’s seventh-place standing in the Big Eight will likely give the Huskcrs another game against second-place Oklahoma in the first round of the Big Eight Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., March 9-11. Richardson said that even though the Soon ers will be heavily favored, the Huskcrs won’t be intimidated. “Without 50 or 100 turnovers, 1 think wc can play with them,” he said. “Wcjust have to go down there with that in our minds.’’ Butch Ireland/Dally Nebraskan Colorado’s Shaun Vandiver, 35, and Nebraska’s Kelly Lively, 34, get tangled up fighting for a rebound during Wednesday’s game. 1. ATO At 2. A TEAM 3. E«tabll«hmant 4. B*ta Sla A 5. Slg Bp A-3 6. THm Edge 7. DU-A 8. BruMHwr* 9. Fill A 10. TEAM ILtfw I B-O Study Bunch BO SA_E B BO The Lavcahackrre 40 « ■_IXJT BO_■ ■J 1. Bubble Snarl* 2; FYI 3. K**bl*r* 4. 8. A. Splkere 5. Killer Veee Z 3* Fire & Ice 7. CHI Phi #3 mmm 8. 6 Peck Atteckere 9.