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Wednesday Big Ten Preview: Nebraska at Penn State

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Wednesday Big Ten Preview: Nebraska at Penn State


The Big Ten has three games on Wednesday and two of them have serious NCAA Tournament implications. The biggest will be in Bryce Jordan Center, as the Nebraska Cornhuskers hope to lock up a bid to this year’s March Madness. It should have a significant impact for multiple bubble teams.

With March Madness looming, every game counts! Here’s a breakdown of Wednesday’s Big Ten matchups and what’s at stake.

-Nebraska Cornhuskers at Penn State Nittany Lions

  • Time/TV: 6:30 PM ET (BTN)
  • KenPom Spread: Nebraska by 1

It’s been quite a ride for the Nebraska Cornhuskers so far this season. The Huskers jumped out to an incredible 12-2 start and seemed poised to cruise to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in January, as the group lost six in a row, including two at home. Fans were panicking before Nebraska managed to get back on track, winning five of its last six games. The Huskers now enter Wednesday poised to lock up a bid to the field of 68.

This figures to be a crucial game for Fred Hoiberg and crew. While beating Penn State won’t boost the team’s resume all that much, it’s the downside of this one that needs to be mentioned. If Nebraska were to lose this one, it would be a blemish difficult to overcome with just weeks of the regular season remaining. It’s more about avoiding a land mine than scoring a massive win.

Standing in Nebraska’s way is a reeling Penn State team that’s lost 11 of its last 12 games, including a handful in brutal fashion. Its season is nearly over, but not quite yet, as the group still has time to secure a Big Ten Tournament bid to keep the dream alive. Winning on Wednesday would be a key piece of that process.

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On the court, the game will center around Penn State’s backcourt, which has been led by Ace Baldwin this season. Baldwin dominates the team’s possessions and has one of the nation’s better assist rates. Sam Hoiberg, Connor Essegian, and Rollie Worster will need to find a way to to slow down Baldwin in transition and when he’s feeding wings moving toward the hoop. If they can pull it off, Nebraska’s probably going to win. However, it’ll be easier said than done — Baldwin has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

One other thing to watch is how the teams battle on the boards. Neither group is a particularly great rebounding unit, but it generally presents as an area of weakness for the Huskers. If Penn State can get a big game from Yanic Konan Niederhauser down low, it could be a way to keep the game close enough to pull off an upset. However, it doesn’t seem all that likely given Penn State’s struggles as of late.

-Oregon Ducks at Iowa Hawkeyes

  • Time/TV: 8:30 PM ET (BTN)
  • KenPom Spread: Oregon by 1

This one has a similar feel to the game above, but with fewer postseason implications. Oregon is in better position for the Big Dance than Nebraska and Iowa’s resume will end up far better than Penn State’s, so there isn’t the same downsides. Still, this is a game the Ducks need to get momentum going again in Eugene.

It figures to be a fun matchup, as both sides are offensive led units that can light things up on any given night. Jackson Shelstad has been going off for the Ducks over the last few weeks and Payton Sandfort remains one of the league’s more explosive offensive players. Expect both sides to hit some big shots on Wednesday night.

The biggest question will lie upfront — can Iowa find a way to slow down Nate Bittle and Supreme Cook? Bittle has been excellent over the last two games and projects to have a serious advantage with Owen Freeman sidelined for the season. It’s why Iowa got torn apart by Maryland on Sunday and it will be the team’s biggest obstacle here.

-Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Washington Huskies

  • Time/TV: 10:30 PM ET (BTN)
  • KenPom Spread: Washington by 2

Entering this season, these teams couldn’t have been viewed more differently. Rutgers entered in the top 25, while the Huskies looked like the league’s bottom dweller. It seemed like when we got to this game in February, Washington would be going through the motions, while Rutgers was looking to put the final touches on an NCAA Tournament bid.

Unfortunately for Scarlet Knight fans, it hasn’t turned out that way.

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Washington not only enters this one with a chance, but is outright favored by KenPom and Vegas. And the projections aren’t surprising either, as Washington gets home court and has been playing better than the Scarlet Knights. The Huskies also figure to have a clear matchup advantage down low with Great Osobor against Rutgers’ group of revolving big men. Unless Rutgers gets a massive night from Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Washington is probably going to win this one.

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Picks Record This Season: 93-28

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Which Big Ten team do you think will make the biggest statement on Wednesday? Drop your predictions below!”



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No. 16 Florida State baseball outclassed by Nebraska, drops two of three in Arlington

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No. 16 Florida State baseball outclassed by Nebraska, drops two of three in Arlington


No. 16 Florida State (4-2) struggled mightily in its final game in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, falling to Nebraska 10-1 with only two hits.

Almost nothing went FSU’s way on Sunday as Link Jarrett received only one out from his starter, Payton Manca, the offense continued to sputter, and the defense lacked the savviness the head coach expects. Today was an example of what the worst version of Seminole baseball could look like this year: an unproven team that lacks high-end talent struggling against veteran rosters that punish mistakes.

The Noles immediately fell behind the eight-ball in the top of the first, as Payton Manca recorded only one out in his second start of the week while allowing three earned runs. After Chris Knier settled the game down with a 1-2-3 second, the Cornhuskers tacked on two more in the third, putting Florida State behind 5-0.

Jarrett’s team did not record a hit the first time through the lineup and had only one baserunner, Noah Sheffield, who was hit by a pitch. Myles Bailey finally put FSU in the hit column and on the board in the bottom of the fourth as he blasted his second home run of the year to left-center, but the homer did not provide the spark FSU hoped it would, as the HR was Florida State’s only extra-base hit of the game.

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The only silver lining from Sunday’s finale in Texas was the season debut of Trey Beard. Beard fell ill last weekend and was scratched from his start. Jarrett said on Saturday he would be available in some capacity today, and the FAU transfer entered the game in the fourth. The lefty needed just eight pitches to retire Nebraska in order before posting a strikeout as part of a 1-2-3 top half of the fifth. Unfortunately, his outing came apart in the sixth as NU tagged him for three runs and chased him after 2 1/3 IP out of the bullpen, but his struggle may have come from fatigue. Beard provided enough positives to see why the coaching staff was so high on him, mainly his ability to use multiple secondary pitches, including the devastating changeup.

Trailing 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the top of the FSU lineup, Brayden Dowd, Sheffield, and Bailey each struck out as the awful day at the plate continued. Nebraska pushed out in front 10-1 in the seventh and locked the game down by allowing only one hit in the latter innings. Florida State fell 10-1 on Sunday and will have multiple questions to answer heading into a season-long nine-game homestand.



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Nebraska baseball drops 5-3 game to Kansas State after bullpen struggles to deliver

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Nebraska baseball drops 5-3 game to Kansas State after bullpen struggles to deliver


Nebraska baseball needed to reset quickly after having less than 24 hours to move past its 4-2 loss to Louisville. The Huskers battled against former Big 12 foe Kansas State, losing 5-3.

The Huskers grabbed a lead in the third inning thanks to a string of extra-base hits. Unfortunately for NU, the bullpen had its struggles with command allowing K-State to grab a late lead.

Here is an instant recap from the Huskers second loss of the weekend….

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Clutch two-out hitting benefits NU early

Carson Jasa was tasked with starting the game on the rubber for NU and performed well overall. Jasa set a dominant tone early, showcasing an elite fastball that sat between 96-98 mph throughout the opening frames. The sophomore right-hander paired his high-velocity heater with sharp slider command, using the breaking ball to freeze former Husker Robby Bolin for a called third strike to open the game.

K-State countered with Donte Lewis, who utilized a steady mix of a 91-93 mph fastball and a sweeping 81-83 mph slider. Lewis leaned heavily on his breaking ball, frequently targeting the back door against Nebraska’s left-handed hitters to disrupt their timing.

The Wildcats manufactured the game’s first run in the top half of the second inning to take a brief 1-0 lead. K-State utilized a small-ball approach to move the runner and eventually cross the plate on a situational groundout.

The Huskers finally broke through against Lewis in the bottom of the third inning to seize a 2-1 lead. After Mac Moyer sparked the rally with a one-out single, Case Sanderson and Joshua Overbeek delivered consecutive two-out doubles. Overbeek’s barrel drove in both Moyer and Sanderson, providing Jasa with his first lead of the night and shifting the momentum toward the Nebraska dugout.


Wildcats knot it up with big sixth inning

NU extended its lead to 3-1 after a botched double-play attempt by the Wildcats when the shortstop’s errant throw to first following the force at second allowed Jeter Worthley to hustle home. The defensive lapse and Lewis’s sudden inability to find the zone forced K-State to the bullpen, bringing in senior Carson Liggett to stabilize the game.

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Jasa continued to overpower the Wildcats through the middle frames, racking up his seventh strikeout of the night in a clean fifth inning. However, the sophomore right-hander began to lose his fluidity in the sixth, appearing to guide his slider rather than throwing it with the conviction seen early on.

As he grew fatigued pitching coach Rob Childress opted to stick with Jasa to face the left-handed Shintaro Inoue. The decision proved costly as the next batter Carlos Vasquez hammered a hanging slider for a two-out, two-RBI single to tie the game, finally chasing Jasa in favor of J’Shawn Unger, who induced a massive strikeout to strand two.


Command collapse hands K-State the win

The pitching staff’s grip on the zone slipped away in the eighth as the relief appearances completely lost the zone. After Unger surrendered a leadoff single, the command issues became contagious when Grant Cleavinger and Kevin Mannell entered only to struggle with their location, issuing back-to-back walks that loaded the bases.

The lack of strikes allowed the K-State offense fire up as the free passes forced the Huskers into a defensive shell. The Wildcats took full advantage of the lack of control, using a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to turn a tie game into a two-run lead. The Husker pitching staff allowed 7 walks in total and struck out 9.

Chase Olson entered for NU and impressed with a clean inning. Unfortunately for NU, Liggett continued to dominate. Buettenback and Worthley flew out before Moyer ended the game on a pitch-clock violation to end a frustrating night at the plate for NU. Liggett finished with 4 1/3 innings pitched, 3 strikeouts and allowing only one hit

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The Huskers will have a quick turnaround into Sunday. They will battle No. 16 Florida State at 2:30 p.m..


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Barstool Open raises money for UCP Nebraska in Omaha’s Old Market

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Barstool Open raises money for UCP Nebraska in Omaha’s Old Market


OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Teams of four made their way through 12 bars and restaurants in Omaha’s Old Market Saturday for the Barstool Open, an annual fundraiser benefiting United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska.

The event, now in its 28th year, uses a pub crawl format with putting to raise money for UCP Nebraska, a nonprofit that serves families across the state affected by cerebral palsy.

One in 345 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with the condition.

UCP Nebraska provides emergency grants, community events, and 12 free technology libraries where families can borrow adaptive devices at no cost.

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“It’s an affordable fundraiser for people to join us,” said Mel Mixan of United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska. “People feel really good about supporting our mission and the individuals that we serve.”

Mixan said all funding raised through events like the Barstool Open stays in Nebraska.

“All of our programs are powered by fundraising efforts so it really truly makes a difference and all the money stays here in Nebraska,” she said.

Participant Colton Elliott said the cause drew him to the event.

“We thought it would be a great cause, it’s something fun to do, so we thought why not do it and see what we can do for people with cerebral palsy,” Elliott said.

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