March Madness is here for the Nebraska women’s basketball team. 

In the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons, the Huskers look to repeat last year’s postseason performance by reaching the Round of 32. After a quarterfinal loss to eventual Big Ten champion UCLA in the conference tournament, NU was locked in as the No. 10 seed in the Birmingham 3 bracket against No. 7 Louisville. That sent Nebraska to Forth Worth for the first two rounds, despite travel issues that caused a delay in NU’s arrival. 

A first-round win would be a welcome result in a season that’s capped Nebraska’s true potential with season-ending injuries to reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalite Potts and point guard Allison Weidner. A victory would likely pit the Huskers against host site team TCU, who’s the No. 2 seed in the regional.  

Here’s all you need to know as Nebraska takes on Louisville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night in Texas. 

Full Bracket

How to Follow Along 

Louisville Scout

Head Coach: Jeff Walz | 18th Season | 485-145 (.770) Louisville & Career HC Record | 16x NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2x NCAA Runner Up, 4x Final Four, 4x Elite Eights, 4x Sweet 16 | 4x ACC Regular season championships, 1x ACC tournament title | Winningest head coach in Louisville WBB history.  

All-Time Series: Louisville leads 3-1 (Nov. 29, 2018 last meeting, 85-68 Louisville).

ACC Regular Season Finish: 13-5, T-4th 

ACC Tournament: L, 61-48 to No. 3 seed Duke in ACC quarterfinal. 

All-ACC Selections: Jayda Curry, Sr., G, (First Team) | Tajianna Roberts, Fr., G (Second, Freshman Teams)

Notable Wins: #11 Duke (70-62), #13 Georgia Tech (69-60), #14 Clemson (70-68, OT), #21 Cal (70-63), #21 Florida State (83-69).

Projected Lineup: Nyla Harris (9.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG) | Olivia Cochran (10.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG) | Imari Berry (5.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG) | Ja’Leah Williams (7.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG) | Tajianna Roberts (13.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG). 

Outlook: In the midst of historical struggles for the men’s basketball team – which is king in Louisville – Jeff Walz on the women’s side has created one of the most successful and consistent programs in women’s basketball. Four appearances in the Final Four and two national runner-up finishes will create that reputation. Plus, 16 NCAA tournament appearances in his 18 seasons alongside four ACC regular season titles shows how constant the success has flowed through the Cardinals. 

This year hasn’t been any different with a fourth place finish in the ACC. First-team All-ACC guard Jayda Curry leads the team with 13.4 points per game while ranking second on the team with 3.1 assists per contest. She’ll be one to watch for since she missed both of the Cardinal’s ACC tournament games with a shoulder injury. A dominant post, 6-foot-3 forward Olivia Cochran pours in 10.1 points per game and a team-best 6.7 rebounds. Another tall forward at 6-foot-2, Nyla Harris averages nine points and 5.5 rebounds per contest in 31 games. Tajianna Roberts is an example of the bright future for Louisville as the ACC All-Freshman pick averages 13.1 PPG while tying Curry with a team-leading 51 three-pointers. She was also named to the All-ACC second team. 

Louisville doesn’t necessarily come into the tournament red hot having lost three of its last five games, but that’s due in part to tough matchups with two defeats coming to ranked foes (No. 3 Notre Dame & No. 9 North Carolina). 

Alexis Markowski will be tested down low with her post defense, but will also have a touch matchup on the other side of the floor. Her ability to put up numbers will be the key for Nebraska who looks to win an NCAA Tournament game for the second-consecutive season. 

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.