Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.LINCOLN — How does the No. 16 Nebraska women's basketball team view its chance to beat No. 15 Purdue for a share of the Big Ten lead?
Depends on who you ask.
Coach Connie Yori: "We have nothing to lose going in there. ... I don't think we have a lot of pressure on us to win this game, frankly. And that could be a really good thing."
Junior forward Meghin Williams: "They have a target on their back, and we're definitely coming for it."
Freshman forward Emily Cady: "It's nerve-wracking, I guess. We don't want to mess up or anything. But it's exciting, too."
Playing in a new league with six freshmen, NU didn't expect to be 18-3 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten — Yori said again Tuesday she's "fascinated" by this start. But with a variety of experiences and emotions, they'll take their shot at the Boilermakers (18-4, 8-1) on Thursday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
And the Huskers just might be more battle-tested for the tilt to boot.
Purdue hasn't yet played any of the top four teams in the league — NU will be the first. (Nebraska is 1-2 against Penn State and Ohio State.)
The Huskers have a better scoring margin, rebounding margin, shooting percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio than Purdue.
But the Boilers have excelled on defense. They lead the Big Ten in points allowed, giving up just 53.9 per game. Purdue's field-goal percentage defense is first in the league and 11th in the nation at 33.6 percent.
"They're a really good pressure-and-denial team," Yori said. Purdue crowds opposing guards and makes passes outside the 3-point arc hard to complete. Yori compared the style to that of Texas A&M.
Purdue scores with a trio of guards — KK Houser, Courtney Moses and Brittany Rayburn — who combine to average 34 of the team's 62 points per game. Houser, a Lincoln Southeast graduate, is likely to be matched against the point guard Nebraska offered before her, junior Lindsey Moore.
Neither team is too stocked with frontcourt depth, but Nebraska sophomore Jordan Hooper is the Big Ten's leading rebounder, averaging 15.5 boards in her last two games. That helped offset a terrible shooting game at Illinois when Hooper, averaging 19.7 points, made just 4 of 24 shots.
"You never say stop shooting," Yori said. "You never do that."
On nights when Hooper or Moore (16 points per game) are struggling, bench contributions have helped NU.
Williams said Nebraska, unsurprisingly, calls it the "X factor." In two recent road games — Iowa and Illinois — Williams has been it. She scored six points and grabbed four rebounds Sunday.
"I focus more on the road because I understand that, in order to get road wins, you have to be the more focused team," Williams said. "I go into it with a lot different mind-set than when I'm home."
Mackey Arena is arguably the Big Ten's toughest road venue. Purdue leads the league in attendance, averaging 8,468 fans per game. The Boilermakers were eighth nationally in attendance last year.
• NOTES: Nebraska is up to No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. ... ESPN's NCAA tournament "Bracketology" on Monday had the Huskers as a No. 6 seed facing Villanova in College Park, Md. Maryland was the No. 3 seed in the region. NU played Maryland in the second round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, losing 76-64.
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