Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.LINCOLN — The Nebraska women's basketball team is shooting just 37 percent from the floor vs. Big Ten foes. Just 28.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Huskers' league record is 8-3.
So while that 63-52 loss to Michigan looks plenty ugly, it's still worth remembering, as NU plays at Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. Monday, the outlook remains pretty darn sunny.
"We've been lucky with a capital 'L'," NU coach Connie Yori said.
Yori said that, of course, 24 hours before the loss to the Wolverines, who built a wall around the paint and dared the Huskers (19-4 overall) to shoot them out of that defense. It never happened.
"Shooting has a tendency to be contagious," Yori said after the loss. "When shots go in, it makes the next shot a little easier. But when you go oh-for-eternity, it makes each shot a little bit more challenging."
Maybe a trip to Williams Arena in Minneapolis is a cure. With a smile, Yori described the Gophers' home court as a "great shooting environment."
Two years ago, NU's first two NCAA tournament games were there. The Huskers won both, shooting 48 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range. Then a freshman, guard Lindsey Moore missed just two shots in those first- and second-round games.
But young Minnesota 12-14 overall, 4-8 in the Big Ten and probably a year away from contending for postseason play, has been a much tougher foe at home than on the road.
The Gophers beat Ohio State and Michigan State in Williams Arena. They lost by just three to Penn State. Plus, UM has the kind of rangy guards — freshman Rachel Banham is the best, averaging nearly 16 points per game — who can frustrate the Huskers' perimeter shooters.
NU shot just 35 percent from the field in a 64-49 win over Minnesota in late January.
"They're physical," Yori said. "They're pretty athletic. They like to drive to the basket. We'll be challenged. It ain't gonna be easy."
A win Monday would put the Huskers in a three-way tie for second with Ohio State and Purdue. The Buckeyes beat the Boilermakers 80-71 Sunday. Penn State, at 10-3 in the Big Ten, leads the league by a half-game.
NOTES: Monday's game will be televised by the Big Ten Network. ... Left for dead just three weeks ago, Iowa put itself squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble with its fifth straight win Sunday — this one over Michigan State 74-57. The Hawkeyes are 16-10 overall and 8-5 in the Big Ten. ... After beating Ohio State by one last week, Illinois did the same to Indiana — still winless in the league — with a 61-60 victory. It's the Illini's fourth win in six games.
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