LINCOLN ‹ While Nebraska coach Connie Yori says she feels like her team possesses a solid NCAA Tournament resume, the Cornhuskers would rather not leave anything to chance.
That desire increases the stakes for the regular-season finale as sixth-place Nebraska (19-10, 8-7 Big 12) looks to cement an upper-division finish in the league standings. The opponent for Wednesday night's 7:05 p.m. (NET) game at the Devaney Sports Center is seventh-place Iowa State (18-10, 7-8).
Despite playing five non-conference opponents who have won their respective conference titles and posting five wins against foes ranked among the top 50 in national RPI rankings, Yori said she has no idea if Nebraska has locked up a NCAA Tournament bid.
"By no means do we think that we're in, so we think Wednesday's game is very important for us, as well as the tournament," Yori said. "But at the same time, we've done a lot of great things and with a 27 RPI and 19 wins and a team guaranteed at least eight wins in this league, I think we've put ourselves in a great position."
Nebraska will be attempting to complete its first regular-season series sweep of Iowa State since the 1994-95 season. The Huskers beat the Cyclones 82-72 on Jan. 19 at Ames, Iowa, ending a 10-game losing streak against Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State has won five of its last eight games to gain consideration for a NCAA Tournament bid as well. That's a fairly impressive feat considering that the Cyclones lost their only senior, Toccara Ross, and star junior forward Nicky Wieben to season-ending knee injuries.
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said he gives his team a lot of credit for playing through adversity. The veteran coach figures the Cyclones will face more of it in Lincoln.
"We know what's at stake going to Nebraska," Fennelly said. "They're a very good team. We haven't played very well over there the last four or five years and they're a team that's going to be in the tournament and it's senior night, so our team understands it.
"We'll go over there and play them as hard as we can and see what happens."
Yori said she's been impressed by the Cyclones, who have adapted well to life without Wieben. ISU's defense has been the key, Yori said.
"They're doing a great job of making their opponents shoot the wrong shots or at least the wrong shots as far as their opponents are concerned," Yori said. "They really lock their opponents down and that's clearly been a focus from what I've seen."
Unlike Iowa State, Yori said Nebraska is largely the same team as it was the last time the two teams met. On that note, she said she'd like to see the Huskers improve their consistency.
"We're still a team that has lapses we need to play for 40 minutes," Yori said. "We're a very young team, as are a lot of teams in this league, but we're a team that hasn't really put 40 minutes together consistently this year and we're going to need to do that Wednesday night and through the Big 12 Tournament."
Game notes
Yori is shooting for her 300th career victory as a college coach. She has 274 career victories at the Division I level, including 10 seasons at Creighton and the last six at Nebraska. Yori had 25 victories in two seasons at NCAA Division II Loras College. Nebraska will honor senior Danielle Page prior to the Iowa State game. The 6-foot-2 forward ranks No. 2 on the program's career list for blocked shots with 195 and needs four more blocks to set the single-season record of 69. The Huskers lead the all-time series with Iowa State 37-31, including four consecutive victories in Lincoln.
Starting Lineups
Iowa St. (18-10, 7-8) Ht. Yr. Ppg. Rpg.
F Jocelyn Anderson 6-4 Jr. 9.4 3.1
F Amanda Nisleit 6-0 So. 6.3 4.5
G Alison Lacey 6-0 So. 14.5 4.0
G Kelsey Bolte 6-1 Fr. 12.7 5.6
G Heather Ezell 5-9 Jr. 10.3 5.4
Nebraska (19-10, 8-7) Ht. Yr. Ppg. Rpg.
F Kelsey Griffin 6-2 Jr. 15.1 7.2
F Danielle Page 6-2 Sr. 12.7 6.6
G Yvonne Turner 5-8 So. 7.9 3.4
G Dominique Kelley 5-7 Fr. 6.8 3.0
G Tay Hester 5-10 Jr. 6.6 4.2
WHEN: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln
TV: NET
RADIO: KRGI (1430 AM)
WEB: Huskers.com (live audio, video)
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