Thursday Morning Sports – Husker Men Fall to Northwestern, Loper Football Adds Passing Game Coordinator, Loper Basketball Hosts Bearcats, Broncos Fall to Concordia, NFL MVP Finalists Announced, Local Sports Schedule

TOMINAGA’S BIG DAY NOT ENOUGH FOR HUSKER MEN: 

Keisei Tominaga collected 22 points – one shy of his career high – but the Nebraska men’s basketball team fell to the Northwestern Wildcats 78-63 at home Wednesday.

The Cornhuskers (10-11, 3-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Tominaga, who had 22 points. Jamarques Lawrence tacked on a career-high 12 points and Sam Griesel added eight points and four steals.

Nebraska fell behind 43-30 heading into halftime after Northwestern closed the first half on a 13-2 run.

Nebraska is back in action Saturday traveling to Maryland.

LOPER FOOTBALL ADDS PASSING GAME COORDINATOR:

Nebraska Kearney head football coach Ryan Held announced Wednesday that Moses Harper will be the Lopers passing game coordinator. 

Harper is the sixth full-time assistant Held has hired since becoming head coach in late December. Eric Lee Jr. will be UNK’s defensive graduate assistant (secondary); an offensive grad assistant will be named tomorrow and round out the staff.  

Harper most recently was the tight ends coach and Director of Football Operations at Missouri Western (2022). He also coached Division II member William Jewel (Mo.) College and at two junior colleges in Fort Scott (Kan.) C.C. and Coahoma (Miss.) C.C.

SPRING FOOTBALL TICKETS FOR SALE NEXT WEEK; GAME SET FOR APRIL 22:

Tickets for Nebraska’s April 22 Red-White Spring Game will go on sale next week to Husker fans. Nebraska football season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase spring game tickets on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. (CT), with the public on-sale beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. (CT).

Reserved tickets for the spring game are $10 in advance and will be $20 on the day of the game if tickets remain. Any available club tickets will be $20. Youth 12th grade and younger, including high school students, will be admitted for $1 and must secure a reserved ticket in advance.

Kickoff time for the April 22 Red-White Spring game will be 1 p.m. CT. Television coverage will be provided by BTN, with the game available on the Huskers Radio Network, the official Huskers App, and on KGFW and KQKY (HITS 106) in Kearney. 

LOPER WOMEN’S HOOPS NOW RATED No.13/19 NATIONALLY:

The Nebraska Kearney women’s basketball team moved up three spots to 13th in the latest edition of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Top 25 poll.

This is UNK’s highest WBCA ranking since being ninth in the Jan. 4, 2002, edition of the poll. The Lopers are also 19th in this week’s Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) rankings.

The Lopers (18-3) have won five in a row heading into weekend home games vs. Northwest Missouri (Thursday night) and No. 30 Missouri Western (Saturday afternoon). MWSU handed UNK a 68-65 setback in early December.

STORM ACQUIRES GOALTENDER VIA TRADE:

The Tri-City Storm has acquired goaltender Cameron Korpi from the Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL) in exchange for goaltender Niklas Erickson and future considerations. 

The Storm will retain the USHL rights to Erickson, and he will be placed on the team’s affiliate list. Korpi appeared in four games in net for Tri-City previously this season as an international replacement player. 

Cameron Korpi, 18, of South Lyon, Michigan, joins the Storm full-time after making his debut with the team on December 17th, 2022, in Tri-City’s 5-2 home victory against the Lincoln Stars. Korpi is the only goaltender for the Storm this season who has won four consecutive games in net for the team. He posted two wins over the Lincoln Stars and two wins over the Omaha Lancers during his time with the Storm previously this season.

HUSKER SOFTBALL RATED No. 21 IN PRESEASON TOP 25:

The Nebraska softball team will begin the 2023 season at No. 21 in the Preseason Top 25 announced by Extra Inning Softball on Tuesday, Jan. 24. 

The Huskers, who also are receiving votes in the USA Softball Poll, are one of two Big Ten softball teams in the Extra Inning Softball Top 25, joining No. 6 Northwestern. Nebraska is also scheduled to have regular-season non-conference clashes with No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Virginia Tech, No. 12 Arkansas, and No. 24 Arizona, giving the Huskers eight regular-season games against preseason top-25 opponents. 

Nebraska opens the 2023 season on Friday, Feb. 10 at the Houston Invitational. The Huskers will take on Lamar in game one starting at 10 a.m.

TREV ALBERTS – SPORTS NIGHTLY COMMENTS:

ALBERTS – RHULE’S WORK ETHIC IS EXCEPTIONAL:

Athletic Director Trev Alberts joined Sports Nightly for his monthly radio show Tuesday night and had nothing but praise for the work done by new Head Football Coach Matt Rhule and his staff in their first few months on campus…

The Huskers inked Rhule in late November and his staff have been at a record pace since; boosting recruiting numbers for the 2023 class and hitting the transfer portal early and often.

ALBERTS – RHULE’S RELATIONSHIPS SECOND TO NONE:

Athletic Director Trev Alberts joined the Sports Nightly desk for his monthly show Tuesday night, and the Huskers’ AD heaped praise on his new head football coach and his staff’s relationship building…

The Huskers immediately bumped their recruiting class from the mid-60s ranking to a Top 25 class in just four weeks time. 

ALBERTS – STAFF RESPECTS TRADITION; MUST BE INNOVATIVE:

Trev Alberts, Nebraska Athletic Director, has been pleased to see his new football staff has taken time to learn of the Husker Football traditions, but also continuing to look to the future…

The Huskers’ new head coach Matt Rhule has stated his most important change for the Big Red will be the recovery methods used for his athletes. 

HURTS, JEFFERSON, MAHOMES AMONG NFL MVP FINALISTS:

Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes are finalists for The Associated Press 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards.

The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 9. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the start of the playoffs.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Bengals QB Joe Burrow also are finalists for MVP.

San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons are the finalists for AP Defensive Player of the Year.

Brian Daboll, Doug Pederson and Kyle Shanahan are the finalists for AP Coach of the Year award

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

WEDNESDAY:

• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • Women’s Basketball: @ Concordia
    • Concordia 73-62 HC
  • Men’s Basketball: @ Concordia
    • Concordia 80-42 HC

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Basketball: CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
    • #8 KCHS v. #4 Columbus Scotus Central Catholic – 5:30 PM @ Boys Town
• UNK:
  • Women’s Basketball: v. Northwest Missouri State @ Health & Sports Center – 5:30 PM
  • Men’s Basketball: v. Northwest Missouri State @ Health & Sports Center – 7:30 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Swimming & Diving: @ Westside Invite
  • Wrestling: @ Garden City Invite, Garden City, KS – 8 AM
  • Girls Basketball: @ Lincoln North Star – 5:45 PM
    • KGFW Pregame at 5:30 PM
  • Boys Basketball: @ Lincoln North Star – 7:30 PM
    • KGFW Pregame after KHS GBB
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Swimming & Diving: @ Westside Invite
• UNK:
  • M/W T&F: v. Charlie Foster Classic Invite @ Cushing Coliseum – 3 PM
  • Wrestling: @ Grand View, Des Moines IA – 7 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • M/W T&F: @ Charlie Foster Classic Invite @ Cushing Coliseum – 3 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney High Girls Basketball @ Lincoln North Star (5:45 PM – 7:45 PM)
  • Kearney High Boys Basketball @ Lincoln North Star (7:45 PM – 9:45 PM)

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Swimming & Diving: @ Westside Invite – 8 AM
  • Wrestling: @ Garden City Invite, Garden City, KS
  • Girls Basketball: @ Omaha Benson – 1 PM
    • KGFW Pregame at 12:45 PM
  • Boys Basketball: @ Omaha Benson – 2:45 PM
    • KGFW Pregame after KHS GBB
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Swimming & Diving: @ Westside Invite
  • Wrestling: @ Doniphan-Trumbull Invite – 9:30 AM
  • Girls Basketball: CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
    • #8 KCHS v. TBD (Finals)
• UNK:
  • Women’s Basketball: v. Missouri Western State @ Health & Sports Center – 2 PM
  • Men’s Basketball: v. Missouri Western State @ Health & Sports Center – 4 PM
• HASTINGS COLLEGE: 
  • M/W Bowling: @ Bronco Baker Bash, Hastings, NE – 10 AM
  • Men’s Wrestling: @ GPAC Duals: v. Morningside – 11 AM
  • M/W Tennis: v. Tabor – 12 PM
  • Men’s Wrestling: @ GPAC Duals: v. Northwestern – 12:30 PM
  • Women’s Basketball: v. Dordt @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 2 PM
  • Men’s Wrestling: @ GPAC Duals: v. Briar Cliff – 3:30 PM
  • Men’s Basketball: v. Dordt @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 3:45 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney Girls Basketball @ Omaha Benson (12:45 PM – 2:45 PM)
  • Kearney Boys Basketball: @ Omaha Benson (2:45 PM – 4:45 PM)

SUNDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • N/a