NEBRASKA HOOPS DROPPED BY MICHIGAN’S HOT SHOOTING:
A game of runs did not go Nebraska’s way Wednesday night. Michigan’s hot shooting proved to be too much as the Wolverines defeated the Huskers 93-72 in Ann Arbor.
The Huskers got out to a great start. Keisei Tominaga’s off-ball movement was tough for Michigan to keep up with and allowed Nebraska to put up easy shots. After a Tominaga three, NU held a 12-11 lead with 14:34 to go in the first half.
The Wolverines took over from there. Michigan proceeded to go on a colossal 30-5 run, giving the hosts a 41-17 lead.
The loss dropped Nebraska to 11-14 overall and 4-10 in the Big Ten. The Huskers’ next game is at 3 p.m. Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
HUSKER BASEBALL SET TO RETIRE ERSTAD, GORDON, AND KOMINE JERSEYS:
The Nebraska Athletics Department has announced that former Nebraska baseball All-Americans Darin Erstad, Alex Gordon and Shane Komine will have their jerseys retired in a ceremony prior to the start of the Huskers’ game against Illinois on Friday, March 24.
Erstad, Gordon and Komine become the first three players to earn the high distinction in the program’s 117-year history.
Erstad was a history maker on the diamond, and he was also the starting punter on the Huskers 1994 national championship football team
After earning freshman All-America honors in 2003, Gordon was honored as a first-team All-American in both 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was the consensus national player of the year.
One of the top pitchers in NCAA history, Komine rewrote the Husker pitching record book while leading the program to new heights. He posted a 41-8 record with a 2.84 ERA over 68 career appearances and 59 starts, tossing 18 complete-games and four shutouts.
THREE HUSKER ALUMS RECEIVE COMBINE BIDS:
A trio of Huskers earned NFL Scouting Combine invites.
Linebacker Ochaun Mathis, wide receiver Trey Palmer and tight end Travis Vokolek all received invites this week.
The NFL announced that 319 prospects received Combine invites for the event that runs from Feb. 28 through March 6.
All three former Huskers have been busy since the end of the season. Palmer was selected for the Senior Bowl and had a strong week of practices leading up to the game. Mathis played in the East-West Shrine Game in January, while Vokolek also played in the East-West Shrine Game, though he didn’t record a catch.
Notably left off the list was EDGE rusher Garrett Nelson, who became one of the last Huskers to declare for the NFL Draft.
BIG RED FOOTBALL ASSISTANT COACH WAGER’S CONTRACT FINALIZED:
The salary information of Husker tight ends coach Bob Wager was provided by the university on Wednesday, giving a complete picture of the dollar figures attached to Matt Rhule’s on-field coaching staff at Nebraska.
Wager will make a base salary of $315,000 and has a contract that runs three years. The former successful head coach of Arlington Martin (Texas) High School was the last of the full-time assistants whose salary information had not been supplied before Wednesday.
Prior to coming to Nebraska, Wager posted a 206-100-1 career record as a high school coach in Texas, working with numerous future FBS and NFL talents – including coaching No. 1 NFL draft pick Myles Garrett.
FORMER HUSKER LUE ADDED TO USA TEAM BASKETBALL STAFF:
Los Angeles Clippers coach, and former Husker men’s basketball player, Tyronn Lue will replace Phoenix’s Monty Williams on the USA Basketball men’s national team coaching staff for this year’s World Cup and next year’s Paris Olympics.
Lue joins head coach Steve Kerr of Golden State and fellow assistants Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Mark Few of Gonzaga on the staff. Williams stepped down because of family commitments.
The U.S. has not yet qualified for either this summer’s World Cup or the 2024 Olympics. The Americans — who use mostly G League players in qualifying games, before filling the roster with NBA talent for the major tournaments — will look to clinch a World Cup berth in the sixth and final window of qualifying games for that tournament later this month.
SUNS SWAP WITH NETS FOR DURANT:
The Phoenix Suns pulled a midnight blockbuster on Wednesday, acquiring 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns added Durant to a starting lineup that already includes an All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, along with center Deandre Ayton.
Phoenix sent Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and additional draft compensation to the Nets.
The 34-year-old Durant is still playing at an elite level, averaging nearly 30 points per game this season.
WESTBROOK TRADED FROM LAKERS TO UTAH:
The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Russell Westbrook to Utah and reacquiring guard D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota in a three-team, eight-player deal.
Los Angeles is also getting guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from the Jazz, bolstering its core around LeBron James in a bid to jump-start its sputtering season. The Lakers fell to 25-30 on Tuesday while James set the NBA’s career scoring record, and they sit in 13th place in the 15-team Western Conference.
The Lakers are sending Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and their first-round pick in 2027 to Utah with Westbrook.
HUSKER WOMEN’S HOOPS RETURN HOME FOR ILLINOIS MATCHUP:
The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena tonight to open an important two-game series with Illinois.
Tip-off between the Huskers (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten) and the Fighting Illini (18-6, 8-5 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m with KGFW’s pregame beginning after a shortened Sports Nightly at 6:45.
Nebraska and Illinois are both battling for position in the heart of the Big Ten standings. The Huskers are coming off their second straight win, a 78-66 victory at Northwestern on Monday night in Evanston.
Illinois comes to Lincoln as one of the nation’s most improved teams under first-year Head Coach Shauna Green. The Fighting Illini own an 11-game improvement in the win column from a year ago (7-20) and have already secured just their second winning season since Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
LOPER SWIMMING SITS FIFTH AFTER DAY 2 OF RMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Nebraska Kearney women’s swimming and diving team sits in fifth place after two nights of the 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships in Grand Junction, Colo.
The five-day event got underway Tuesday night with the 800-free relay and some time trials. UNK picked up 34 points on day one and then 36 points on Tuesday. Today’s events included the 50 and 1,000-freestyles, 200 individual medley, 200-medley relay and men’s 3-meter diving.
Action resumes Thursday at 10 a.m. Central with the events being the 100-buttefly, 400 I.M., 200 free, women’s 1-meter and the 400-medley relay.
HUSKER T&F SWEEP BIG FIELD ATHLETES:
Nebraska track and field athletes Till Steinforth and Axelina Johansson swept the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
Steinforth broke the Nebraska heptathlon school record and Devaney Center facility record at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational over the weekend
Johansson recorded not one, but two school-record throws to win the shot put title at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational with one of the all-time best throws in NCAA history.
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Swimming & Diving: HAC Diving Championships @ Lincoln Southwest – 9:45 AM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Swimming & Diving: HAC Diving Championships @ Lincoln Southwest – 9:45 AM
- UNK:
- Women’s Swimming: @ RMAC Championships @ Grand Junction, CO
- Women’s Basketball: v. Central Missouri @ Health & Sports Center – 5:30 PM
- Men’s Basketball: v. Central Missouri @ Health & Sports Center – 7:30 PM
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- Men’s Basketball: v. Nebraska Wesleyan @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 7:30 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Sports Nightly (6 PM – 6:45 PM)
- Nebraska Women’s Basketball v. Illinois (6:45 PM – 10 PM)
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Wrestling: DISTRICTS @ North Platte
- Swimming & Diving: HAC Championships @ Fremont YMCA – 11 AM
- Girls Basketball: @ Lincoln Southeast – 5:45 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Lincoln Southeast – 7:30 PM
- KGFW Pregame after KHS GBB
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Wrestling: DISTRICTS @ Mitchell
- Swimming & Diving: HAC Championships @ Fremont YMCA – 11 AM
- Girls Basketball: v. Lincoln Christian – 5 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. Lincoln Christian – 7 PM
- UNK:
- Women’s Swimming: @ RMAC Championships @ Grand Junction, CO
- M/W T&F: @ Gorilla Classic @ Pittsburg, KS
- Women’s Tennis: v. Colorado Mesa @ Ernest Grundy Tennis Center – 10 AM
- M/W T&F: @ Ichabod Invitational @ Topeka, KS
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- M/W T&F: @ Concordia Indoor Invite – 10 AM
- Men’s Tennis: v. Colorado Mesa @ Ernest Grundy Tennis Center – 4 PM
- Women’s Tennis: v. Colorado Mesa @ Ernest Grundy Tennis Center – 4 PM
- Women’s Basketball: @ Briar Cliff – 6 PM
- Men’s Basketball: @ Briar Cliff – 7:45 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney Girls Basketball @ Lincoln Southeast (5:30 PM – 7:30 PM)
- Kearney Boys Basketball @ Lincoln Southeast (7:30 PM – 9:30 PM)
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Wrestling: DISTRICTS @ North Platte – 8 AM
- Swimming & Diving: HAC Championships @ Fremont YMCA – 2 PM
- Girls Basketball: v. Columbus @ Kearney High School – 3:30 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 3:15 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. Columbus @ Kearney High School – 5:15 PM
- KGFW Pregame after KHS GBB
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Wrestling: DISTRICTS @ Mitchell
- Swimming & Diving: HAC Championships @ Fremont YMCA – 2 PM
- UNK:
- Women’s Swimming: @ RMAC Championships @ Grand Junction, CO
- M/W T&F: @ Ichabod Invitational @ Topeka, KS – 11:30 AM
- M/W T&F: @ Gorilla Classic @ Pittsburg, KS
- Women’s Basketball: v. Lincoln U. @ Health & Sports Center – 2 PM
- Men’s Basketball: v. Lincoln U. @ Health & Sports Center – 4 PM
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- Men’s Tennis: v. Ottawa – 12 PM
- Baseball: v. William Penn, IA @ Winfield, KS – 12 PM
- Softball: @ Bethel, KS @ North Newton, KS – 1 PM
- Women’s Tennis: v. Ottawa – 1 PM
- Women’s Basketball: @ Morningside – 2 PM
- Softball: @ Bethel, KS @ North Newton, KS – 3 PM
- Baseball: v. William Penn, IA @ Winfield, KS – 3 PM
- Men’s Basketball: @ Morningside – 3:45 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney Girls Basketball v. Columbus (3:15 PM – 5:15 PM)
- Kearney Boys Basketball v. Columbus (5:15 PM – 7:15 PM)
SUNDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- Women’s Tennis: v. Augustana @ Ernest Grundy Tennis Center – 9:30 AM
- Softball: @ Colorado Springs – 1 PM
- Women’s Tennis: v. Cowley, KS College @ Ernest Grundy Tennis Center – 2 PM
- Wrestling: @ Central Oklahoma – 2 PM
- Softball: @ Colorado Springs – 3 PM
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- Women’s Wrestling: @ Warrior Open @ Fremont – 9 AM
- Men’s Bowling: @ Baker Invitational @ Lawrence, KS – 10 AM
- Women’s Bowling: @ Baker Invitational @ Lawrence, KS – 10 AM
- Baseball: v. Southwestern @ Winfield, KS – 12 PM
- Baseball: v. Southwestern @ Winfield, KS – 3 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Women’s Basketball @ Michigan (12 PM – 3 PM)
