Sooners sweep Huskers
by coming from behind
From Staff Reports
The Nebraska baseball team
had two chances to give the de
fending national champions their
second loss of the season.
But the Comhuskers were swept
by Oklahoma Wednesday.
In the first game, the Sooners’
Rich Hills belted a three-run home
run in the fifth inning to give Okla
homa a 3-2 win.
The Sooners came back again
in the second game as well. The
Huskers were up 4-2 in the fifth
before Oklahoma rallied for three
runs in the bottom of the inning to
take a 5-4 lead.
Nebraska fell to 4-4 on the sea
son and 0-2 in the conference.
Oklahoma improved to 9-1.
Fans can choose
All-Big Eight Team
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
This season marks the first time in
Big Eight history that the fans will
have a voice in selecting Big Eight
basketball players to the “Sprint
InTouch Fans’ All-Big Eight Team.”
Fans will have the opportunity to
choose their own All-Big Eight team
by dialing 1-800-229-BIG8 and vot
ing for a center, power forward, small
forward, shooting guard and point
guard.
Fans can vote from anywhere in
the continental United States, any
time between now and midnight on
March 11. The team will be an
nounced at half-time during the cham
pionship game of the Big Eight Tour
nament.
Mike Goff, Sprint’s director of
corporate sponsorship, said Sprint re
ceived more than 5,000 calls on the
first day the poll was open to fans.
“We have had a far better response
than we ever anticipated,” Goff said.
“This is something that the fans have
needed. It’s good to see they are
taking the time to vote. It allows the
fans to be more in touch with the
sport they’re following, which they
deserve.”
In addition to the All-Big Eight
team, the player with the most votes
will be named Most Outstanding
Player. Goff said if the response was
good this year, the Coach of the Year
might be added next year.
The Big Eight is the only confer
ence offering the fans a vote, but Goff
said that might not last too long.
“We’re only doing this with the
Big Eight because the Big Eight is
the only conference that we have a
sponsorship affiliation with,” Goff
said. “But I think this idea will catch
on. It gives something back to the
fans for following Big Eight basket
ball all year.”
If the poll was going to be offered
for any conference, Goff said it would
be the Big Eight.
“This could happen in every col
legiate sport, but I think it is espe
cially effective in basketball, and
especially in the Big Eight,” he said.
“There is such a good following here,
and right now there are five rated
teams in the conference.
Hoopster hopes weekend
provides cure for woes
JL
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
Nebraska guard Erick Strickland,
who has been looking for something
positive for the 17-12 Cornhuskers,
thinks he may have found it.
Unless the Huskers win the Big
Eight Tournament this weekend in
Kansas City, Mo., they will most
likely miss their fifth straight trip to
the NCAA Tournament.
Considering Nebraska’s first
round opponent — Oklahoma State
— has beaten the Huskers twice this
season by a combined score of 175
118, it would be assumed that Ne
braska would spend its post-season
competing in the National Invita
tional Tournament.
According to Strickland, the NIT
could be the cure for the Huskers’
woes. And a trip to New York for the
NIT Final Four would be fine with
him.
“I’m a little frustrated right now,
but in some ways, it may be good for
us,” the junior from Bellevue said.
“I’d like to be there (NCAA) and do
well, but I think it would be stupid if
we weren’t ready and we didn’t play
well. If anything, we can go, play
well and hopefully win it or at least
get to New York.
“That would then carry over into
next year. We need something posi
tive to happen right now. We’re try
ing our best, but it’s just not happen
ing.”
Strickland is one of four starters
returning next year, when the Husk
ers will have back everyone but
Melvin Brooks, who averages seven
points a game.
None of Nebraska’s current play
ers have ever missed the NCAA Tour
nament in a Husker uniform, but
Strickland said this year had been a
different story.
“It just seems like it is not meant
to be this year, for some reason,” he
said. “Maybe it’s setting us up for
something good next year. It just
seems like something always hap
pens this year, and we just can’t get
over the hump.”
But Brooks, who tied a career high
with 16 points in Sunday’s loss to
Iowa State, said he didn’t want to go
out with a trip to the NIT.
“For me, with it being my last
season, I’d rather go to the NCAAs,”
Brooks said. ‘For them, being that
they can better themselves, I think it
will be motivation next year. They’ll
come back and not want to go to the
NIT their senior years. I think it would
be good motivation for them, but I
didn’t want to go to the NIT as a
senior.”
Strickland, however, said every
one should not count the Huskers out
of die NCAA Tournament so quickly.
He said the Big Eight Tournament
still gave the Huskers a chance.
“We’re going to go in and give it
our best shot,” Strickland said. “Hope
fully, it will turn out for the best.
We’re not quitting by any means.
We’re going down there, giving it
our best shot and then just see what
happens.”
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Pepin gains
conference
honor again
From Staff Reports
Nebraska track and field coach
Gary Pepin was named Big Eight
Men’s and Women’s Coach of the
Year — again.
Pepin has won 14 coach-of-the
year honors. Both the men’s and
women’s track teams won the Big
Eight Indoor Track and Field Cham
pionships in Manhattan, Kan., a week
ago.
This is the second consecutive year,
Pepin has swept the indoor track hon
ors.
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