Preview & prediction for Nebraska women’s basketball vs. Oregon State

The Nebraska men’s basketball might have laid an egg on Friday night, but the Nebraska women’s basketball team didn’t, notching their first NCAA tournament win in a decade.

It also allowed Nebraska fans to get some semblance of revenge on Texas A&M and their new AD Trev Alberts for the victory in the men’s game.

Nebraska women’s basketball didn’t play its best game against the Aggies. Jaz Shelley struggled with her shot and it felt like a grind. That’s in part due to the Aggies being an elite defensive team. They made things hard on the Huskers.

Breaking down Nebraska vs. Oregon State

Oregon State will too. They are the third-seeded team in the region and playing on their home court. Shelley, who spent two seasons at Oregon before transferring to Nebraska, knows the Beavers well. They are dynamic offensively and are 32nd in women’s college hoops in points per possession. They also are among the top 100 in 3-point makes, attempts, and percentage. Their defense is solid (allowing 59.6 ppg) and ranks 29th in defensive 3-point percentage.

Sophomore Raegan Beers (6-2) is a stellar player inside, averaging 17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Thankfully, Nebraska women’s basketball has its own elite big in Alexis Markowski. The Huskers also have two stellar freshmen — Natalie Potts and Logan Nissley — who played like anything but a freshman over the past few weeks. Potts has played that way all season, which is why she won Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Timea Gardiner (6-3) and Talia von Oelhoffen (5-11) are two others to watch for the Beavers. They shoot the lights out (both average double figures) and since they are the host team this will essentially be a road game. We all know how Nebraska fans travel though and sometimes, grinding out a win in the first game of a tournament is a blessing.

Survive and advance. That’s the name of the game. Can Nebraska do that on Sunday and make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013?

Nebraska women’s basketball vs. Oregon State prediction

Tip-off time is set for 3 PM CST and the game will be shown on ESPN. You can also listen to the game on Huskers.com. Oregon State is a heavy favorite at -7.5 points. That seems like too big a spread. Nebraska has beaten Iowa and should have done it twice.

The Huskers will have to be better than they were on Friday, particularly Shelley. She notched six assists, but she’s going to have to get hot. Markowski needs the game of her life, but put me down for the upset. I’d take the Huskers with the points and also think they’ll win outright, extending their tournament stay one week.

This team is underrated and the oddsmakers are underrating them too.

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