Nebraska basketball bracketology update, plus more Cornhuskers news

Nebraska basketball beat Penn State by 19 points on Saturday and here’s what it means for bracketology plus more in our Nebraska Cornhuskers news roundup.

After a week off, the Nebraska basketball scored an important win on Saturday over Penn State. The 19-point victory was essential for the Huskers, but the margin of victory was key too.

We have heard Fred Hoiberg talk about the margin of victory before because it matters, especially when it comes to the NET rankings. There is a cap on point margin which is 20, so beating Penn State by 19 points gave Nebraska basketball a boost in the NET rankings going from 53rd to 50th.

Nebraska basketball also jumped up six spots in the Kenpom rankings to No. 40. The selection committee uses the NET rankings — not the Kenpom, but still, it shows that the metrics really like the Cornhuskers.

Yet, in terms of bracketology, the win didn’t move the needle. Nebraska basketball is still projected as a No. 11 seed according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. The Cornhuskers are still among the first four byes in his latest projection posted on X.

pic.twitter.com/VBwuVpEpwi

— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 18, 2024

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are projected in the NCAA tournament in 99 of 102 bracketology projections via Bracket Matrix with an average seed of 10.59.

Nebraska (18-8, 8-7) trails third-place Michigan State by just one game in the Big Ten standings. Wisconsin (9-6) and Northwestern (8-6) are also just ahead of Nebraska in the race for a top-four spot in the Big Ten tournament, which includes a double bye.

Nebraska Cornhuskers women’s basketball rally for key win

After a blowout loss to Ohio State earlier this week, the Nebraska women’s basketball team needed a bounce-back win on Saturday and got one against Purdue, despite falling behind by 10 points at the end of the first quarter.

Saturdub – now to finish business at home pic.twitter.com/ifTHheK80A

— Nebraska Women's Basketball (@HuskerWBB) February 18, 2024

Yet, the Huskers stormed back with 24 points in the second quarter on their way to a 77-65 win. Alexis Markowski was dominant with 20 points and 21 rebounds. Jaz Shelley was stellar with 18 points, an effort that included a couple of treys. Freshman Logan Nissley also scored 18 points, making a trio of 3-pointers.

Next up for the Huskers is a home game Tuesday against Northwestern. Nebraska basketball is fourth alone in the Big Ten women’s standings right now with a 9-6 record. They are 17-9 overall.

Nebraska Cornhuskers lose late to Texas Tech in baseball

After a win over Baylor on Friday to open the season, Nebraska baseball suffered a 6-3 loss to 21st-ranked Texas Tech on Saturday after the Huskers allowed three runs to the Red Raiders in the ninth inning.

Joshua Overbeek led the Huskers with four hits in the loss. Nebraska baseball had 10 hits total and sophomore Dylan Carey added a hit and a game-tying RBI after belting two doubles in Friday’s win.

Yet, Nebraska didn’t have any extra-base hits. Mason McConnaughey got the loss after coming on in relief for the Cornhuskers. Will Walsh, the starter, allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out four batters.

Next up is Oklahoma on Sunday at 10:30 CST.

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