Huskers Tip Big Ten Tourney with Michigan

The Nebraska women's basketball team opens its stay at the 2020 Big Ten Tournament by taking on Michigan Thursday in Indianapolis. Tip-off between the No. 10 seed Huskers (17-12, 7-11 Big Ten) and the No. 7 seed Wolverines (19-10, 10-8 Big Ten) is set for 5:30 p.m. (CT) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. It will be the fifth game of the tournament and the opening game of the second day's evening session. Both Nebraska and Michigan earned first-round byes in the 14-team tournament.

Live television coverage will be provided by the Big Ten Network with Lisa Byington and Christy Winters Scott on the call while Vera Jones provides sideline reports. 

Live radio coverage of Thursday's game can be heard on B107.3 FM in Lincoln and CD 105.9 FM in Omaha beginning at 5:15 p.m. (CT). Stations across the state will also carry the broadcast on the Learfield IMG College Husker Sports Network. Free live audio can be found at Huskers.com, the Huskers App and on TuneIn.

Sophomore Leigha Brown (Auburn, Ind.) leads the Huskers to her home state after earning Big Ten Sixth Player-of-the-Year honors from both the conference coaches and media. Nebraska's leading scorer at 14.2 points per game, Brown was also an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection. She closed the regular season by earning a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll after scoring 22 points at No. 22 Indiana in Bloomington on Feb. 27.

Brown, who was a finalist for Indiana High School Player-of-the-Year honors as a senior at DeKalb High School in 2017-18, leads all Big Ten reserves and ranks 12th in the conference overall in scoring. No other non-starter in the Big Ten ranks among the league's top 25 in scoring.

Kate Cain joined Brown as an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice while claiming a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team from both the coaches and league media. Cain, a 6-5 junior from Middletown, N.Y., leads the Big Ten with 98 blocks this season. Her 277 career blocks rank in the top 10 in Big Ten history and are a Nebraska school record. She needs two more blocks to match her Nebraska single-season record set with 100 in 2017-18, when she also earned Big Ten All-Defensive honors.

Cain, who is averaging 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on the season, led the Big Ten in both blocks (3.6 bpg) and defensive rebounds (6.7 drpg) during regular-season conference play.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan Wolverines
Thursday, March 5, 2020, 5:30 p.m. (CT)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (20,000) - Indianapolis
Live TV: BTN (Lisa Byington, Christy Winters Scott)
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (5:15 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln - B107.3 FM; Omaha - CD 105.9 FM
Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn

Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-12, 7-11 Big Ten)
13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - So. - F - 7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg
31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - Jr. - C - 9.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg
3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - So. - G - 10.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg
5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 8.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Off the Bench
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - So. - F - 14.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 5.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg
44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - So. - F - 1.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg
14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 1.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - RSr. - G - 0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg
1 - Makenzie Helms - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg
Out for Season
33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Fourth Season at Nebraska (59-61); 13th Season Overall (252-170)

Michigan Wolverines (19-10, 10-8 Big Ten)
00 - Naz Hillmon - 6-2 - So. - F - 17.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg
15 - Hailey Brown - 6-1 - Jr. - F - 8.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
1 - Amy Dilk - 6-0 - So. - G - 11.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg
3 - Maddie Nolan - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg
14 - Akienreh Johnson - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 10.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Off the Bench
34 - Izabel Varejão - 6-4 - Fr. - F/C - 5.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
24 - Michelle Sidor - 5-8 - Fr. - G - 3.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg
33 - Emily Kiser - 6-3 - So. - F - 3.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
2 - Priscilla Smeenge - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 1.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg
23 - Danielle Rauch - 5-8 - So. - G - 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Out for Season
5 - Kayla Robbins - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 11.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (Montclair State, 1993)
Eighth Season at Michigan (175-95); 24th Season Overall (445-301)

Scouting the Michigan Wolverines
• Michigan enters the Big Ten Tournament with a 19-10 record including a 10-8 Big Ten mark. The Wolverines, who earned the No. 7 seed in the tournament, are hoping to solidify their grip on an NCAA Tournament bid and possibly improve their seeding in the Big Dance.
• Michigan had posted three straight wins before falling 78-60 to No. 22 Indiana on Senior Day in Ann Arbor on Sunday. The Maize and Blue own a 7-4 record since suffering a 74-71 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln on Jan. 19. That game marked the last for Wolverine senior forward Kayla Robbins, who suffered a knee injury early in the first half against the Cornhuskers. Robbins was averaging 12.2 points per game entering that contest.
• In the only meeting between Nebraska and Michigan this season, Husker senior Hannah Whitish scored a game-high 20 points by knocking down a season-high six threes. She also had a game-high five assists. Sam Haiby added 18 points and a trio of threes, while Nicea Eliely pitched in 11 points and three threes of her own. Nebraska went 12-for-24 from long range against Michigan, while the Wolverines answered with 8-for-14 three-point shooting. Hailey Brown led Michigan with 17 points, Naz Hillmon had 15 and Akienreh Johnson contributed 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
• Coach Kim Barnes Arico is in her eighth season leading Michigan and her 24th year as a head coach. The Wolverines finished 22-12 and 11-7 in the Big Ten last year, advancing to the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
• Michigan is led by sophomore forward Naz Hillmon, who is averaging team bests of 17.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Hillmon was the 2019 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year and a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference coaches and media this season and has averaged 19.1 points the last 11 games.
• Fellow sophomore Amy Dilk has been solid at the point for the Wolverines, averaging 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds to go along with a team-best 4.4 assists. Dilk earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from league coaches this season, averaging 13.5 points since the injury to Robbins.
• Michigan's only active senior Akienreh Johnson is averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds. She is averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 boards since the first meeting with Nebraska.
• Junior Hailey Brown has pitched in 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds this season. The 6-1 forward has averaged 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in four career meetings against Nebraska, including 8-for-15 three-point shooting. Brown did not play against Nebraska in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament.
• Freshman guard Maddie Nolan has stepped into the Michigan starting five since the injury to Robbins and an injury to Danielle Rauch that followed. The 5-9 Nolan is averaging 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds on the season, including 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds over the last five games.
• Freshman forward/center Izabel Varejão has played a significant role inside, averaging 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds on the season, including 5.8 points and 4.4 boards since the injury to Robbins. Varejão had eight points in nine minutes in the first meeting at Nebraska.
• Michigan has gotten contributions off the bench from Michelle Sidor (3.6 ppg), Emily Kiser (3.3 ppg) and Priscilla Smeenge (1.7 ppg).
• Michigan is shooting 45 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three and 68.7 percent from the free throw line this season. In the possession game, the Wolverines own a Big Ten-best plus-7.6 rebound margin but a minus-0.2 turnover margin.

Nebraska vs. Michigan Series History
• Nebraska owns a 14-5 edge in the all-time series with Michigan, including a 74-71 win in the only meeting this season at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln (Jan. 19).
• The Huskers have won three of the last four meetings with the Wolverines, including a 61-54 victory over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on March 2, 2018, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis - the only neutral site meeting between the two schools. 
• Nebraska is 7-3 all-time against Michigan in Lincoln. The Huskers are 7-2 all-time against the Wolverines away from home, including 6-2 in Ann Arbor and 1-0 at the Big Ten Tournament.
• The series has been evenly matched as Big Ten foes, with Nebraska owning an 8-5 edge since joining the conference in 2011-12. 
• Nebraska was 6-0 against Michigan as non-conference foes dating back to the first meeting between the two teams on Nov. 28, 1980 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The Huskers won 118-92 in the highest scoring game in Nebraska women's basketball history.

Nebraska Streaks
• Kate Cain owns Nebraska's longest streak of consecutive starts (90).
• Nicea Eliely owns Nebraska's second-longest streak of starts (85).
• Nicea Eliely and Leigha Brown are the only Huskers to score in every game this season.
• Kate Cain is the only Husker to record at least one rebound in all 29 games this season.
• Eliely was the only Husker to score in all 30 games last season, and the only Husker to score in all of Nebraska's games against Big Ten Conference foes. She has scored in 63 consecutive games overall. She did not score in a win over Penn State on Feb. 22, 2018, the only time in the past three seasons (including 2019-20, 83 games) that Eliely was shut out.
• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 371 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 250 consecutive games.

Numbers to Watch 
(2) Kate Cain needs two blocks to reach 100 on the year to tie her own Nebraska season record.
(4.0) Kate Cain and Kristian Hudson posted perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester of 2019.
(9) Sam Haiby needs nine points to reach 600 in her career.
(115) Nicea Eliely is scheduled to make her 115th career start, which will move her into 10th in Nebraska history ahead of former WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge (Indiana Fever) on the Husker all-time list for starts.

Brown Named Big Ten Sixth Player of The Year
• Leigha Brown was named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year by both the conference coaches and media following the conclusion of the 2020 league regular season.
• Through 29 games, the 6-1 guard/forward from Auburn, Ind., leads the Huskers in scoring with 14.2 points per game, while adding 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists off the bench. 
• Brown (12th) is the only non-starter among the top 25 scorers in the Big Ten.
• She leads the Huskers in free throws made (115) and attempted (150) while shooting 76.7 percent at the line. Brown is the first Husker guard to make 100 free throws in a season since 2013 WNBA first-round draft pick Lindsey Moore in 2012-13 (121-150, .807).
• Brown erupted for a season-high 25 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists in the win over Manhattan (Dec. 22). Brown tied her career high with four three-pointers against the Jaspers. She had 18 points in the first half.
• She went off for 24 points while grabbing five rebounds to play a major role in Nebraska's 90-85 OT win at Missouri (Nov. 10). She scored 18 points after halftime to help the Huskers, and she added a huge assist on Sam Haiby's game-tying three-pointer to send the contest to overtime.
• Brown recorded her seventh 20-point effort of the season with 22 points at No. 22 Indiana to close the regular season (Feb. 27). She earned a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (March 2).
• She had a game-high 22 points, including 17 in the first half, in Nebraska's win over Illinois (Feb. 22). Brown tied a career high with four threes, while adding six rebounds and two assists.
• Brown scored 20 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to help Nebraska rally from a 10-point deficit to a win at Wisconsin (Jan. 25).
• Brown had 20 points at Iowa (Feb. 6) and 20 more in a win over Penn State (Feb. 13).
• She owns 22 double-figure efforts on the year, including 14 games with 15 or more points.
• Brown led Nebraska with 19 points, including 15 in the second half, at No. 20 Maryland (Jan. 16). 
• Brown added a game-high 16 points while tying her career high with five assists in a win over Morgan State (Nov. 14). She scored 16 more in a win over Southern (Nov. 20), while pitching in four rebounds and three assists, before contributing 16 again in NU's win over USC (Nov. 29).
• She scored 15 points against Wisconsin (Jan. 9) and a team-high 15 at Minnesota (Jan. 30). She added 15 points in Nebraska's win over Oral Roberts (Dec. 15).
• Brown scored a career-high 30 points in a win over Purdue in Lincoln (Feb. 10, 2019). She scored 22 in the second half to earn a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll as a freshman (Feb. 11, 2019).
• Brown had 20 points at NCAA Elite Eight qualifier Iowa (Jan. 3, 2019), which followed a 19-point effort in a win at Ohio State (Dec. 31, 2018). Those two performances earned Brown Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors (Jan. 7, 2019).

Cain Earns Second Spot on Big Ten All-Defensive Team 
• The greatest shot-blocker in Nebraska history, Kate Cain earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team for the second time in her career in 2020. She was also an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection.
• In Big Ten regular-season play, Cain led the conference in both blocks (3.6 bpg) and defensive rebounds (6.7 drpg).     
• Cain, who has shattered the Nebraska career block record (277), joined the Big Ten's all-time top 10 in blocks with two blocks at Ohio State (Feb. 19). 
• The 6-5 Cain owns 98 blocks on the year and needs two blocks to tie her Nebraska season record (100, 2017-18).
• Cain, who was among the 20 initial candidates for the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award, is averaging 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds on the season.
• She owns five Big Ten double-doubles this season, including 12 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and a career-high four steals at No. 19 Northwestern (Feb. 16).
• Cain had 14 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks against Ohio State (Feb. 2), before just missing a double-double with 13 points and nine boards at OSU (Feb. 19).
• She added five blocks each against both No. 20 Iowa and No. 18 Indiana before getting six blocks in a win over Penn State (Feb. 13).
• After going without a block for the only time this season at No. 20 Maryland (Jan. 16), Cain had multiple blocks in 11 consecutive games, including at least five blocks in six straight games from Minnesota (Jan. 30) to Northwestern (Feb. 16).

Husker Nuggets
• The Big Ten features 11 teams in the top 64 of the Massey Ratings: Maryland (4), Northwestern (6), Indiana (11), Iowa (16), Ohio State (23), Michigan (28), Rutgers (30), Purdue (43), Michigan State (45), Nebraska (48), Minnesota (63).
• The Big Ten has 11 teams in the NCAA RPI Top 100: Maryland (3), Northwestern (7), Iowa (12), Indiana (15), Ohio State (22), Michigan (37), Rutgers (42), Purdue (46), Minnesota (86), Nebraska (88), Michigan State (92).
• Through 29 games, Nebraska is allowing an average of 65 points per game, after allowing 70.1 points per game last season. NU's 2018 NCAA Tournament team allowed 63.6.
• Opponents are shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range against NU. Last year, Husker foes hit 41.1 percent, including 33.4 percent from three. In 2017-18, Nebraska led the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.371) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.299).
• Nebraska has held eight opponents to 55 points or less this season. Last year, NU held only two foes (Radford-39, Kansas-52) to 55 or less. NU held 11 opponents to 55 or less in 2017-18.
• NU's bench has outscored opponent reserves in 24 of 29 games in 2019-20. The Husker bench has outscored opposing benches in 52 of the last 59 games, including double-digit edges 36 times.
• This season, NU's bench has outscored opposing benches 738-467 (25.4-16.1 ppg).
• Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 20 times in the last three seasons (91 games), including five times in the last 20 contests. Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women's basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (311 games).