NU wrestling team picked
lo win Big Eight crown
y Tim Pearson
aft Reporter_
There’s a first time for everything.
Coach Tim Neumann and his Ne
aska wrestling team hope that say
g holds true as they shoot for their
rst-ever Big Eight title Saturday at
le Lloyd Noble Center in Norman,
kla.
The No. 2 Comhuskers go into the
leet chosen by conference coaches
s the favorite to win.
Neumann said motivation for the
leet shouldn’t be a problem, even
tough Nebraska had beaten every
lig Eight team this season, with
Nebraska’s only conference loss to
owa State in a dual Jan. 6.
“These guys are cranked up,” he
aid. “There have been times where
’ve been worried about them not
I getting cranked up, like against Min
tesota and Northwestern, but their
ntensity is always high.”
Nebraska’s highest-ever finish in
the Big Eight Tournament was sec
ond in 1990. Neumann said that this
year’s team might be just as talented
ks the 1990 team.
“I don’t know if we’re quite as
talented, but this team has done a heck
of a job of coming closer to their
potential than any other team,” he
said.
Every Husker wrestler can win at
the Big Eight meet, Neumann said,
but it wouldn’t be easy.
Senior John Buxton will move
down to 118 for the Big Eight meet.
Neumann said this move would ben
efit both Buxton and the Huskers.
‘‘He made a heck of a sacrifice
going to 118, but it gave him a legiti
mate chance of winning the Big Eight
and nationals,” he said.
At 158, Neumann said, Earl
Harrison of Iowa State could give
Husker senior Matt Lindland, ranked
first in the country at 34-0, some
trouble.
“Lindland has his work cut out for
him,” he said. “Earl Harrison gives
him a hard time, but I anticipate Matt
to win the tournament.”
In what Neumann called the tough
est bracket of the tournament, senior
Corey Olson will go for his first Big
Eight title at 177. Olson’s two losses
this season have come to No. 1 Matt
Johnson of Iowa State.
“I told Corey yesterday that this is
his biggest match yet,”Neumann said.
“He’s as good of a wrestler as we’ve
had here, and he hasn’t won the Big
Eight. /
■ “If he wins, he’ll get the top seed at
the NCAA meet.”
A Big Eight title, Neumann said,
would give the Huskers a huge mo
mentum boost heading into the NCAA
Championships March 18-20.
“We’re one of the four teams that
can win the national title. Whoever
puts the most guys in the finals will
win,” Neumann said.
Comhusker tennis team prepared
for tough competition, coach says
Rated teams not
causing pressure
By Beau Finley
Staff Reporter - _
It seems logical that the first real
test few the Nebraska men’s tennis
team will be during midterms.
The Comhuskers will travel to
Corpus Christ!, Texas, this weekend
to play in the HEB Team Tennis
Tournament. Five Top 25 teams will
compete at the tourney.
The Huskers, a perfect 3-0 on the
season, enter the tournament after
posting a 5-2 win over Wichita State
in Lincoln last Saturday.
Coach Kerry McDermott said the
play of the team was a welcome change
from the two previous outings.
‘‘I was pleased with our overall
performance against a solid team like
Wichita State,” McDermott said. “I
was impressed especially after last
weekend’s disappointing effort”
The Huskers defeated Indiana State
and Creighton two weeks ago. In those
matches, Nebraska lost a total of two
matches, both by No. 1 player Matthias
Mueller.
McDermott said the victories had
given the team the desire to take on
the top teams in the nation.
“We are ready,” McDermott said.
“The first few matches got us some
confidence. We want to play tougher
competition.”
Nebraska will get its wish as it
opens the tournament against No. 8
North Carolina.
History may be on the side of the
Huskers, though. Four years ago, an
unranked, McDermott-coached Ne
braska team pounded No. 7 Texas 5
1 in the same HEB Tournament.
McDermott said the position of
opening the tourney against the
Tarheels was ideal.
“There is no pressure on us,”
McDermott said. “We just \tfant to see
how we’ll doagainsta team like this.”
Tournament
Continued from Page 8
more competitive game from Iowa
State and said the Huskers wouldn’t
overlook the Cyclones.
“We’ll focus mi (Iowa State), Beck
said. “(The Huskers) know if they
lose, they’re gone from the tourna
ment.”
A possible semifinal showdown
with Oklahoma State, a team that has
beaten Nebraska twice, looms as the
next big test for the Huskers.
Yedsena said that the third time
will be the charm for Nebraska.
“When you beata good team twice,
it’s hard to beat them a thftd time,”
Yedsena said.
Beck said her team would rely on
its four seniors in the tournament.
“Our experience has to come to
play,” Beck said. “We have the expe
rience and we need to use it to win.”
Tubbs
Continued from Page 8
ment,” he said. “We’re always trying
to get better.”
But Tubbs said the momentum had
been difficult to build because of the
absence of Sooner center Bryan
Sallier, who has been out of the Okla
homa lineup since mid-February with
pneumonia.
Tubbs said he was uncertain when
Sallier would return to the lineup, but
he added that Sallicr’s health was
improving.
“His health is good, but he is still
pretty weak,” Tubbs said. “As far as
playing, I have no idea, but it’s not
going to be any lime soon.”
Tubbs said the Sooncrs would need
to concentrate on their rebounding,
shooting and ball control in order to
beat the Huskers.
“Both teams are very competitive,”
he said. “Nebraska is one of the hot
test teams in our league.”
Oklahoma
Continued from Page 8
like to go into the Big Eight Tourna
ment with an idea that we’re already
in the NCAA; right now I don't really
have that idea.”
Oklahoma is also searching for a
return trip to the NCAA tourney and
the Sooners will bring their usual
high-scoring lineup to Lincoln.
Four Oklahoma players average in
double figures in scoring, but the fifth
starter is out. Center Bryan Sallier,
who is trying to recover from a boul
with pneumonia that nearly took his
1 i fe, hasn ’ t played for almost a month
But even without Sallier, the Soon
ers have been able to succeed, defeat
ing second-place Oklahoma State last
Monday.
Although the Comhuskers were
picked to finish fifth in a preseason
poll of Big Eight media, they will be
looking to wind up in the conference’s
upper division.
With the opportunity to end up
among the conferenced lop foui
teams, Piatkowski said he was glad to
be playing at home.
It’s nice to have our last game of
the year to be at home, and I think
we’ll be really fired up for the game,”
(19-9, 7-91 PPG ppQ
C Derrick Chandler 10.9 8.0 <*$!
F Bruce Chubick 8.3 5.8
F Terrance Badgett 7.1 3.8
G Eric Pfatkowski 16.6 5.9
G Jamar Johnson 9.6 3.0 j
(19-9, 7-6) ppg rpg
C Ryan Minor 4.0 2.7
F Jeff Webster 17.2 6.1
F BryattVann 16.4 6.0 j
G AngelO Hamilton 14.7 4.9 *
G Tarry Evans 14.8 2.6 ■
he said. season’s record of 207,950 fans.
Notes:
• Nebraska is expected to set a
Devaney Center attendance record
for the third-straight year. The Husk
ers have drawn 199,517 fans so far
this season, and with Sunday’s sell
out, they are expected to eclipse last
• Sunday will be center Derrick
Chandler’s final home game. The 6
foot-1 Osenior from Mitcnellville, Md.,
leads Nebraska in rebounding and
owns the Husker record for blocked
shots in a season with last year’s 91
rejections.
Baseball season opens
with Peru State game
From Staff Reports
Nebraska will open its baseball
season this weekend with two
games against Peru State.
The Comhuskers will play the
Bobcats in single nine-inning games
at Buck Beltzer Field on Saturday
at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
following the Nebraska-Oklahoma
basketball game.
Last season, the Comhuskers
opened with Peru State a full month
earlier, on Feb. 1.
r-'
Nebraska had planned on open
ing its season with a four-game
series against Western Illinois last
weekend, but inclement weather
cancelled the games.
There will be no admission
charge this weekend.
NU will also host games next
week against Oral Roberts on Tues
day and Wednesday before begin
ning play at the Pepsi/Johnny Quik
classic in Fresno, Calif., on March
13.
Alternative^A ^
Everything
tanning should be.
48th & R, Centro Plaza ^
466-1201 1
■" .-. ..
I Nebraska Track & Field
"Husker Last Chance" at
the Devaney Track. 1
Saturday
March 6
11:30AM
Admission
General Public - $2.00
UNL students - Free w/ I.D.
For ticket info, call 472-3111
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