3 takeaways as Nebraska upsets Caitlin Clark, No. 2 Iowa

It turns out that nobody can win in the Vault, not even Caitlin Clark as the Nebraska women’s basketball team beat the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes.

When the fourth quarter started between Iowa and Nebraska women’s basketball, it seemed like there was a better chance of Catilin Clark breaking the NCAA women’s scoring record, than there was of the Huskers winning the game.

Nebraska women’s basketball started the fourth quarter down by 14 points after all. But in the fourth quarter, Jaz Shelley, not Caitlin Clark was the best player on the floor.

DOWN GOES #2 pic.twitter.com/r14dyoIGem

— Nebraska Women's Basketball (@HuskerWBB) February 11, 2024

Clark went scoreless. Shelley scored 10 of her team-high 23 and Nebraska women’s basketball needed all of them to beat Iowa. When the Hawkeyes got up by nine points, Shelley answered with a massive 3-pointer.

Then, after five points in short order from freshman Logan Nissley, Shelley gave the Huskers the lead with a triple with 32 seconds left.

ARE YOU SERIOUS? pic.twitter.com/pQ1OZUPorQ

— Nebraska Women's Basketball (@HuskerWBB) February 11, 2024

She made four free throws down the stretch and Caitlin Clark didn’t make a single field goal in the final 10 minutes as the Huskers held on for the 82-79 win.

Here are three takeaways.

Jaz Shelley’s defining moment

Jaz Shelley has had a great career with Nebraska basketball, but she cemented herself as a Cornhuskers legend on Saturday.

To be clear, Shelley had a lot of help. Alexis Markowski was huge in the second half. Natalie Potts delivered in a big way and so did Nissley, who is another reason to be excited about the future.

This was all about Jaz though. She delivered when the game was on the line and she made sure that she was going to play in the NCAA tournament this season, which leads me to my next point.

Nebraska women’s basketball is heading to Big Dance

The Huskers dropped back onto the bubble after a bad loss to Rutgers recently. But after beating Michigan on the road, and then knocking off second-ranked Iowa, there’s no doubt that Nebraska is heading to the NCAA tournament now.

Nebraska is 16-8 overall. The Huskers also have some impressive wins, which will now include a quadrant-1 win over Iowa. There are still five games to go, which includes a tough road trip to Ohio State on Wednesday, but as long as the Huskers get a couple more wins, they should be dancing.

Amy Williams has built something special

The former Nebraska women’s basketball walk-on player turned head coach, has taken the Huskers to new heights. Yes, this sellout had a lot to do with Clark. Yet, the Huskers lived up to being on that stage.

What’s really exciting is that some of Nebraska’s biggest performers are slated to be back next season. Markowski is only a junior. Potts and Nissley are freshmen. Plus, you have Britt Prince, a five-star, slated to join the Nebraska women’s basketball team next season, so the future is bright.

But the 2023-24 Huskers proved they are capable of big things too. Hopefully, this is the start of a special run. Either way, it’s a defining achievement for Williams’ program.

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