The Nebraska men’s basketball
team had a helping hand in the two
players who earned Big 12 Confer
ence player-of-the-week honors.
Colorado’s Chauncey Billups
was named Big 12 player of the
week after a career-high 35 points
in CU’s 79-72 loss at Nebraska
Wednesday.
Texas Tech’s Rayford Young,
who started the first game of his
college career against the
Comhuskers Saturday, was named
rookie of the week. The Red Raider
freshman scored nine points, dished
out eight assists and had five steals.
Young’s five steals were a season
high for Tech this season.
Colorado Coach Ricardo
Patton’s name has been linked to
the coaching vacancy at Memphis.
Patton was an assistant coach at
Tennessee State in Nashville, Tenn.,
and Middle Tennessee State in
Murfessboro, Tenn., and is famil
iar with the Memphis program.
When Patton was asked Mon
day about being contacted by the
Tiger program to fill the spot that
opens when Larry Finch leaves at
the end of the year, he responded,
“no comment.”
■
Tickets for the first-ever Big 12
Conference women’s basketball
tournament are on sale now. Tickets
for the March 4 through 8 tourna
ment at Kansas City’s Municipal
Auditorium will be sold in all-ses
sions form with a cost of $42 and
$30.
■
Kansas State picked up its first
ever Big 12 Conference win with a
67-63 win over Oklahoma Satur
day. KSU had lost 10 straight and
nine consecutive conference games
until defeating the Sooners.
Nebraska’s game with Northern
Iowa concludes the Big 12 non
conference basketball schedule.
The conference stands at 101-32 in
non-conference games this season,
good for a winning percentage of
75.9. The Northern Iowa game was
rescheduled from December 14th,
because the Panthers were trying to
play host to a Division I-A football
playoff game.
■
In the men’s basketball Associ
ated Press top 25 poll, Kansas (23
1 and 9-1 in the Big 12) remained
No. 1 despite losing at Missouri last
week. The Jayhawks lost four of
their first-place votes to Minnesota,
which is ranked third. Iowa State
(16-4 and 7-3) fell to ninth follow
ing its loss at the Hilton Coliseum
to KU Sunday afternoon. Colorado
(17-5, 8-2) remained No. 15, while
Texas Tech (14-6, 6-4) moved up
from 23rd to No. 21.
Big 12 notebook was compiled
by staff reporter Peter
Marhoefer.
Huskers lose ugly at KSU
NU shoots season-low
33.9 percent in dismal
loss to Wildcats.
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Reporter
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Ugh.
Little else better describes
Nebraska’s 61-53 loss to Kansas State
Monday night in a basketball game
marred by 67 missed shots and 33 turn
overs.
“If we would have played up to our
potential, I think we could have won
pretty easily,” NU forward Andy
Markowski said after the game, played
before a sparse crowd of 8,132 at
Bramlage Coliseum.
“We’ve got a
goal to go the
NCAA Tourna
ment, and we
thought we had to
pick up a win
here.”
Nebraska’s
goal and its season
appear to be fad
ing quickly. By
losing for the sixth Belcher
time in seven
games — and for the 11th straight time
in league play on the road — the
Comhuskers fell to 12-11 overall and
4-7 in the Big 12 Conference.
“I just think it’s our attitude com
ing into the game,” Husker guard
Cookie Belcher said. “There’s a lot of
things going on outside the game. We
can’t bring that on the court.”
Two long lapses killed NU on
Monday night. Leading 14-8 after a
Venson Hamilton dunk eight minutes
into the game, the Huskers failed to
score for 8 minutes, 26 seconds, sur
rendering 16 straight KSU points and
falling in a 24-14 hole.
“I thought it boiled down to execu
tion,” NU Coach Danny Nee said.
“Nebraska didn’t execute well enough
to win. I didn’t think we were ready in
any aspect of the game.”
Despite a 7-of-25 first-half shoot
ing performance, the Huskers trailed
only 30-26 at intermission following
a 12-6 NU run in the last four min
utes.
Kansas State (9-12 and 2-9) won
for the second straight time after a 10
game skid, using an effective zone
defense to force Nebraska into low
percentage shots.
NU fired a season-high 19 3-point
attempts, but sank only three, and the
Please see KSU on 8
Finally,
NU cracks
rankings
By Shannon Heffelfinger
Staff Reporter
Late in the season, every vic
tory grows in importance for the
Nebraska women’s basketball
team as it attempts to win the first
ever Big 12 Conference title.
But as the Comhuskers (17-3
overall and 7-3 in the Big 12) have
learned, it takes “quality” wins to
gain respect on the national level.
With NU’s 62-57 upset over
then-No. 14 Texas Tech Sunday at
the Bob Devaney Sports Center,
the Huskers helped both causes.
Their second win over a “qual
ity” team — the first since the 73
67 win Dec. 8 over then ninth
ranked Iowa — the Huskers have
were rewarded Monday with a No.
23 ranking in The Associated Press
top 25 poll. Tech dropped two
spots to 16th.
li is rs u s iinn lop zo appear
ance in school history, and its sec
ond this season. Nebraska was
ranked 25th for two weeks in late
December.
After watching the Huskers
hassle her team into 19 turnovers
and 35-percent shooting, Tech
Coach Marsha Sharp said NU’s
position in the poll is justified.
“There isn’t any question that
they’re a top 25 team,” Sharp said.
“They’ve proven that all year. I’ve
put them there since November.”
Additionally, the Huskers, who
previously shared second place in
the league with Tech, now stand
alone at 7-3, but in fourth place.
No. 11 Texas, 14th-ranked Kansas
and Colorado share the conference
lead at 8-2. The top four teams in
the league earn first-round byes in
the league tournament.
NU forward Anna DeForge
said the Huskers’ win over the Red
Raiders puts them in position to
challenge those three teams for the
conference crown.
“It is a huge win for our program
to beat a team of that caliber and
tradition,” DeForge said. “It puts us
a step ahead in the conference.”
With three teams tied for the
top spot, and Nebraska a game out
heading into the final two weeks
of conference play, a slip-up could
cost any team its shot at the title.
Matt Miller/DN
ANNA DeFORGE drives against Texas Tech’s Rene Hanebutt in Sundays
game. After beating the Red Raiders 62-57, NU earned a spot in The
Associated Press top 25.
The first season in the Big 12
has been eventful, with upsets fre
quently occurring. Texas and Colo
rado have lost to Kansas State and
Oklahoma State, and llth-place
Missouri gained only its second
league win by defeating the
Jayhawks last Wednesday.
Nebraska has lost to co-league
leader Colorado twice and lost to
Kansas at home last week. NU
travels to Kansas and Texas in the
next two weeks. The Huskers are
capable of defeating both teams,
Sharp said.
Sharp, who guided Tech to a
23-point blow out against Texas
last week, said NU is on the same
level as the league leaders.
“Both teams (Texas and NU)
push the ball hard but Nebraska is
much better defensively,” Sharp
said. “They are different types of
teams. Defense is where they make
their living. They made us do
things we don’t normally do.”
By taking advantage of a suc
cessful defensive effort to post its
17th victory, NU put itself on the
fast track to a 20-win season. NU
Coach Angela Beck said record
ing 20 wins might be a determin
ing factor in NU earning its fourth
ever NCAA Tournament bid.
Nebraska has had only seven
Women's
APTOP25
Team Rec. Prev.
1. Connecticut (37) 22-0 1
2. Old Dominion (3) 21-1 2
3. Stanford (1) 23-1 3
4. Louisiana Tech 21-2 4
5. North Carolina 20-1 5
6. Georgia 18-4 6
7. Alabama 19-4 7
8. Tennessee 18-7 9
9. Virginia 18-4 10
10. Florida 17-5 13
11. Texas 16-4 8
12. Vanderbilt 16-6 16
13. LSU 19*2 11
14. Kansas 17-4 12
15. Illinois 18-4 18
16. Texas Tech 14-6 14
17. Notre Dame 20-5 15
18. Duke 16-6 20
19. Stephen F. Austin 20-3 21
20. Michigan St. 18-4 24
21. Arkansas 15-7 17
22. Clemson 15-7 19
23. Nebraska 174
24. George Washington 17-4
25. Tulane 19-3
20-win seasons since the program
began in 1974.
“Seventeen this early is sweet,”
Beck said. “If we get 20 wins, it’s
going to be hard to keep us out. A
lot depends on the conference race.
If we can stay in the top four, I
think we have a legitimate shot.”
Fast group
strengthens
soccer team
Walker says three
signees and walk-on
are great additions.
By Vince D’Adamo
Staff Reporter
The fruits of a 23-1 season have
paid dividends for the Nebraska soc
cer program.
NU Coach
John Walker said
after landing three
quality recruits
and one walk-on
that NU has a
good chance to
continue its
newfound win
ning ways.
The
Cornhuskers
inked Karina Walker
LeBlanc, a 5-foot
9 goalkeeper from
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Julie
Greco, a 5-2 striker/midfielder from
Omaha Marian, and Christine Gluck,
a 5-5 midfielder from Chino, Calif.,
last week to national letters of intent.
Sara McCrea, a defender from Las
Vegas will walk on to the soccer team
in the fall.
Walker struck gold with last
season’s recruiting class of Lindsay
Eddleman, Isabelle Momeau, Jenny
Benson and Sharolta Nonen, all of
whom played vital roles during NU’s
23-1 season.
But Walker is quick to point out
that last season’s class came to NU
under a different situation.
“Last year we needed our freshmen
to contribute for us to become nation
ally prominent,” Walker said. “We’re
looking for this year’s class to add
depth.”
LeBlanc was the starting goal
keeper for the Golden Ears Royals, an
under-19 club team. Greco helped lead
Omaha Marian to the 1996 state cham
pionship and was also a player on the
Gladiator El Pique club team.
Gluck was one of the top players
in California in 1996 during her career
at Don Lugo High School and with the
Southern California Blues club team.
Walker described Gluck as a player
with a blue-collar work ethic.
Walker said this year’s class is
Please see SOCCER on 8
