Nebraska takes on the Aggies for a first round matchup in Corvallis

Nebraska is back in the Big Dance after just missing it in 2023 and making a decent run in the WNIT, ultimately falling to Kansas who ended up winning the whole thing. The Huskers were in the NCAA Tournament in 2022, but had an abrupt first round exit against Gonzaga.

After a runner-up finish in the Big Ten Tournament falling to #3 Iowa in OT, Nebraska grabs a #6 seed for March Madness. The #6 seed is the Huskers highest seeding in the NCAA Tournament since 2014, where the Big Ten Tournament champion Huskers drew a #4 seed at UCLA.

Nebraska is 8-3 in their last 11 games with wins over NCAA Tournament teams Michigan State and Maryland, two losses coming at the hands of #2 seeded Ohio State and #1 seeded Iowa for the NCAA Tournament.

#6 Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-11, 11-7 Big Ten) vs #11 Texas A&M Aggies (19-12, 6-10 SEC)

Friday, March 22, 2024, 9:30 (CT)/7:30 p.m. (PT)

Gill Coliseum - Corvallis, Oregon

Television: ESPNU (Live Stream ESPN+) Jason Ross Jr. (PBP), Aja Ellison (Analyst)

Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (9 p.m.) Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)

B107.3 FM (Lincoln), 590 AM (Omaha), Huskers.com, Huskers App

Live Stats: Huskers.com

#6 Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-11, 11-7 Big Ten - NCAA NET 25)

22 - Natalie Potts - 6’2 - Fr. - F/G - 10.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg

40 - Alexis Markowski - 6’3 - Jr. - C/F - 15.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg

1 - Jaz Shelley - 5’9 - Gr. - G - 13.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg

2 - Logan Nissley - 6’0 - Fr. - G - 6.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg

15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6’1 - Jr. - G - 3.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Off the Bench

0 - Darian White - 5’6 - Gr. - G - 6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg

14 - Callin Hake - 5’9 - So. - G - 6.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg

12 - Jessica Petrie - 6’2 - Fr. - F - 4.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg

21 - Annika Stewart - 6’3 - Sr. - F - 3.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg

32 - Kendall Coley - 6’2 - Jr. - F - 2.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg

42 - Maddie Krull - 5’9 - Gr. - G - 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Eighth Season at Nebraska (136-110); 17th Season Overall (329-219)

#11 Texas A&M Aggies (19-12, 6-10 SEC - NCAA NET 41)

2 - Janiah Barker - 6’4 - So. - F - 12.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg

32 - Lauren Ware - 6’5 - RJr. - F - 9.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg

1 - Endyia Rogers - 5’7 - Gr. - G - 12.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg

5 - Aicha Coulibaly - 6’0 - Sr. - G - 13.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg

24 - Sahara Jones - 6’0 - Sr. - G - 7.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg

Off the Bench

15 - Sole’ Williams - 5’9 - Fr. - G - 5.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg

3 - Tineya Hylton - 5’7 - Jr. - G - 4.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg

00 - Sydney Bowles - 6’0 - So. - G - 3.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg

14 - Maliyah Johnson - 6’3 - RJr. - F - 2.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg

4 - Kay Kay Green - 5’6 - Sr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg

Head Coach: Joni Taylor (Alabama, 2002)

Second Season at Texas A&M (28-32); Ninth Season Overall (168-107)

Scouting the Aggies

Coach Joni Taylor brings Texas A&M to Corvallis in the NCAA Tournament as an #11 seed after leading the Aggies to a 19-12 record, including a 6-10 SEC record. Taylor is in her second year with the Aggies and improved by 10 games in the win column after a 9-20 season in 2022-2023.

Joni Taylor was the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year at Georgia, she spent seven years with the Bulldogs and took them to four NCAA Tournaments, three of those getting to the second round.

Texas A&M has lost four of its last five games, all four of them being to NCAA Tournament teams (Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, and #1 South Carolina).

The Aggies have a strong starting five led by Aicha Coulibaly who is averaging 13.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a team high 2.4 steals per game. Coulibaly has hit only 22 percent (9-41) from three point range this season.

Endyia Rogers adds 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and leads the team with 3.9 assists per game. Rogers has made 34.1 percent of her threes (47-138), making her A&M’s best three point threat. She missed multiple games due to injury, but was back for the SEC Tournament. Rogers was at USC her first two years and then spent her last two at Oregon.

Sahara Jones averages 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, but it’s her defense that she really brings to the table. Jones has only hit just 11-56 threes and 65.6 percent of her free throws.

Janiah Barker leads the inside putting up 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. She also has the ability to knock down the long ball, as Barker connects with 33.3 percent of her three point attempts (21-63).

Lauren Ware, who was at Arizona for her first season, gives the Aggies more size and defensive presence. Ware averages 9.1 points and team leading 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. She was a high school teammate of Nebraska Big Ten All-Freshman guard Logan Nissley.

Texas A&M as a team, is only shooting 27.9 from long range, making 5.2 threes per game. On the flip side, the Aggies hold their opponents to just 4.7 threes per game. The Huskers are averaging 8.5 threes a game. The Aggies are averaging 68.7 points per game and hitting 41 percent from the floor, also making 67.8 percent from the charity stripe.

Nebraska and Texas A&M have faced three common opponents this year (Purdue, Kansas, and Lamar). The Aggies beat the Boilermakers 72-58, while the Huskers went 3-0 against Purdue this season. Texas A&M beat Kansas 63-52, Nebraska fell to the Jayhawks 69- 52. A&M defeated Lamar 83-51 and Nebraska rolled to a 75-61 win against Cardinals.

Husker Report

Nebraska is averaging 73.4 points per game while holding their opponents to 64.4 points per game. The Huskers are shooting 42.5 percent from the floor, including 33.7 percent from long range. Nebraska corrals 41.4 rebounds per game with a +8.5 margin in that category, they also add 16.9 assists per game, but commit 14.4 turnovers a game.

Alexis Markowski notched her 19th double-double of the season and 40th in her career to join Husker legends Kelsey Griffin and Jordan Hooper atop the Husker career double-double list.

Markowski’s next double-double will put her in soul possession of the career double-double record at Nebraska, this would also be her 20th of the season which would match Griffin’s school record 20.

Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski produced two of the best individual performances by Huskers in conference tournament history to grab spots on the Big Ten All-Tournament team after Nebraska’s Championship game appearance.

Shelley set the Nebraska conference (Big Ten, Big 12, Big Eight) tournament scoring record with 82 points (20.5 ppg), breaking the bar set by 2014 Player of the Year Jordan Hooper who scored 79 points. Shelly had also broke Nebraska’s assist record with 34, breaking the mark set by 2014 Big Ten Tournament MVP Rachel Theriot. Jaz also shattered NU’s conference tournament season (16) and career (35) three point records. Hooper held the previous conference tournament three point mark with 20.

Markowski had a record performance of her own with 45 rebounds over four conference games. Those 45 boards are not only a Nebraska record but the second highest total by any player in Big Ten Tournament history. Alexis had 66 points, which were fifth most ever by a Husker and 15 assists also fifth most by a Husker in tournament history.

Natalie Potts earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Potts has 20 double figure scoring game on the season, including a 21 point game in the OT loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. The 21 point effort is her second 20 point game, she had 22 points against Lamar early in the year. Potts earned eight Big Ten Freshman of the Week Awards, matching current teammate Alexis Markowski’s award total from her 2022 Freshman year.

Logan Nissley also captured Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. Nissley has been in the starting lineup the last eight games, she has scored in double digits four times as a starter. In her first career start, Nissley tied her career high 18 points in a road win against Purdue. She has hit 55-141 three pointers which ranks her as #3 in Nebraska history in made threes by a freshman. Nissley’s 39.0 three point percent also ranks #4 among freshmen in Husker history.