The Crown has arrived for Nebraska basketball, plus more Huskers news

The wait for The College Basketball Crown is finally over. Nebraska basketball has joined 15 other teams in Las Vegas and the action gets underway this afternoon.

Nebraska basketball opens the single-elimination tournament tonight against Arizona State at 7:30 p.m.  CST on Fox Sports One.

Arizona State has lost 12 of its last 13 games. The Sun Devils were 13-17 on the season but they are still ranked as the No. 71 team according to the Kenpom rankings.

Nebraska basketball is ranked 50th going into The College Basketball Crown, making the Huskers the second-highest-rated team in the tournament behind Boise State (48th).

If Nebraska basketball wins, it will face either Georgetown or Washington State on Wednesday. In terms of the matchup, Arizona is a little worrisome due to their 3-point shooting.

Adam Miller, the former Illinois guard, shot over 40 percent this season and makes nearly two triples per game. As a team, Arizona State made 8.8 per game, which was third in the Big 12.

3-point defense was a weakness all season for Nebraska basketball. Arizona State kicked its leading scorer, BJ Freeman, off the team in February. Yet, Alston Mason is scoring over 13 points per game and will run the show. He’s one of three Arizona State players to average over 1.6 3-point field goals per game.

For Nebraska, Rollie Worster is out. Braxton Meah practiced earlier this week, so he should be good to go. This tournament is about Brice Williams and Juwan Gary. They wanted to play for this championship and if they play their best basketball, they can end a 29-year drought without a postseason championship.

The last one Nebraska won was the 1996 NIT. Winning the College Basketball Crown would feel a lot like that. If the Huskers win three games this week, it will also be the first time in 26 years that the program has had consecutive 20-win seasons.

Nebraska baseball with a huge series win

The Nebraska baseball team has been struggling but finally got off the mat this weekend by taking two of three against fifth-ranked Oregon State.

After a win on Friday night, thanks to a stellar outing on the mound from Will Walsh, Oregon State blasted the Huskers on Saturday. In the rubber match, the Huskers notched a 16-7 win, giving them their first series win over a top-5 program since 2011.

Tyler Stone led the way at the plate with a 3-for-5 effort that included a home run, three RBI, and three runs scored. Nebraska, which scored a season-high in runs, also got three hits and three RBI from Riley Silva. Max Buettenback and Will Jesske also hit three-run homers in the win.

Jackson Brockett allowed three runs on four hits and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Luke Broderick got the win after allowing zero runs in a relief appearance. Nebraska baseball is now 12-15 on the season and will play Creighton Tuesday at Haymarket Park (6 p.m.).

Huskers clinch softball series

Following their win on Saturday over Purdue, Nebraska softball won its sixth straight on Sunday with a 6-0 shutout win over the Boilermakers.

Hannah Camenzind pitched five scoreless innings and allowed just two hits as she earned her fifth win of the season. Jordy Bahl grabbed the save by pitching two scoreless innings.

Olivia DiNardo and Samantha Bland each delivered two RBI in the win. DiNardo also had two hits as the Huskers improved to 26-8 and 6-1 in the Big Ten. Game three will be on Monday at 4 p.m. CST (Big Ten Network).

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