Huskers Tip Big Ten Tournament with Indiana

• Ten of Nebraska's 11 losses this season have come to current NET top-30 Big Ten teams, including NET 2 UCLA, at NET 6 Michigan, at NET 8 Minnesota, twice to NET 9 Iowa, NET 14 Maryland, at NET 15 Michigan State, at NET 17 Ohio State, NET 22 USC and at NET 26 Oregon. NU's 10th setback was a one-possession midweek road loss at Wisconsin (63-60, Jan. 21).

• Despite several double-digit final scores, the Huskers have been in nearly every game in the closing minutes. In eight of Nebraska's 11 losses, the Big Red were within two possessions of their opponents in the final six minutes.

• Last season, Nebraska earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a 10-8 Big Ten mark and a No. 40 NET ranking. Nebraska's No. 25 NET ranking this season is better than six Big Ten teams that earned NCAA berths a year ago. Four of those six Big Ten teams won NCAA Tournament games, including NET 28 Maryland, which advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Illinois (32), Indiana (35) and Oregon (41) also earned wins while Nebraska (40) and Washington (43) both suffered losses by five points or less.

Scouting the Indiana Hoosiers
• Indiana (17-13, 6-12 Big Ten) has built impressive momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament by winning six of its last eight games. The Hoosiers opened league play 0-10, including a 78-73 loss at Nebraska (Jan. 8). After a 95-67 home loss to Michigan (Jan. 29), Indiana got three straight wins to open February against Northwestern, at Wisconsin and against Purdue (Feb. 8). Following back-to-back losses to USC and UCLA, the Hoosiers reeled off consecutive wins against Oregon, at Rutgers and Penn State to close the season.

• Last season, Indiana finished with a 20-13 record and advanced to the NCAA second round, after tying Nebraska for eighth in the final conference standings at 10-8. It marked the sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament that Indiana won at least one game, including a trip to the 2021 NCAA Elite Eight. The Hoosiers own 10 straight 20-win seasons under 12th-year Hoosier head coach Teri Moren.

• The Hoosiers have dominated the series with Nebraska in recent years, posting nine wins in the last 11 meetings.

• All-Big Ten guard Shay Ciezki is the only returning starter from last year's team. The 5-7 senior, who started her career at Penn State, is averaging 23.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting 46.2 percent (78-169) from long range.Ciezki is also a 91 percent free throw shooter and leads Indiana with 45 steals. In the first meeting with Nebraska this season, Ciezki erupted for 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting.

• UCLA transfer Zania Socka-Nguemen matched her season-high with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while adding 11 rebounds against the Huskers in Lincoln in one of the five Big Ten games she played during the year before being forced out by injury.

• Lenee Beaumont, a 6-0 redshirt sophomore, is completing her first season as a starter after missing last season with an injury. Beaumont played 30 games as a freshman in 2023-24 and averaged 3.0 points per game. This season, she is averaging 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while adding 3.1 assists. Beaumont is also shooting 37.6 percent (44-117) from three-point range. She was scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in 35 minutes at Nebraska. She has produced double figures 25 times this season.

• Edessa Noyan, a 6-3 transfer from Virginia, has replaced Socka-Nguemen in the starting five the last 10 games. The junior forward from Sweden has averaged 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on the year while making 19 starts. She is shooting 55.8 percent from the field. She did not score against the Huskers in Lincoln, but she did grab five rebounds.

• Freshmen Nevaeh Caffey and Maya Makalusky round out Indiana's starting lineup. Caffey, a high school teammate of Nebraska's Natalie Potts at Incarnate Word Academy, has started every game and averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds. Caffey has produced double figures in six of the last seven games including a career-high 18 points to close the regular season against Penn State.

• Makalusky, who has made 20 straight starts, is averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 boards. She has produced double figures in five straight games beginning with a career-high 29 points on 5-of-10 three-point shooting in a loss at USC (Feb. 12). She has hit 58-of-155 (.375) of her threes this year. She had 12 points before fouling out in the first meeting at Nebraska.

• Transfers Phoenix Stotijn (2.1 ppg), Jerni Kiaku (3.4 ppg) and Jade Ondineme (1.4 ppg) have been regular contributors.

• Indiana was affected by the departure of Valentyna Kadlecova, who returned home to her native Czech Republic at the conclusion of the first semester. Kadlecova made 10 starts in the first 11 games.

Nebraska vs. Indiana Series History
• Nebraska trails the all-time series with Indiana, 13-7, but the Huskers claimed a 78-73 win over the Hoosiers in Lincoln (Jan. 8, 2026). Britt Prince led Nebraska with 20 points and seven assists, while Jessica Petrie added 18 points and seven boards. Logan Nissley pitched in 11 points to put three Huskers in double figures. Shay Ciezki led Indiana with a game-high 31 points, while Zania Socka-Nguemen added 19 points and 11 boards. Maya Makalusky put three Hoosiers in double digits with 12 points, but IU got just 11 points from the rest of its roster.

• Indiana is 9-2 against Nebraska over the last 11 games, with Nebraska's only victories coming in Lincoln, including a 72-55 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Feb. 14, 2022).

• The all-time series in Lincoln is tied 5-5, while Indiana is 8-2 against the Huskers in Bloomington. Indiana owns seven consecutive wins in Bloomington dating back to a 67-64 NU win at Assembly Hall on Feb. 21, 2015. The two teams have never met on a neutral court.

• A total of 18 of 20 meetings in the series have been as Big Ten foes, beginning with a 62-48 Husker win in Lincoln (Jan. 5, 2012). Nebraska won the first four meetings as conference opponents, including a 67-38 win in Bloomington on Jan. 10, 2013 - NU’s fewest points ever allowed to a Big Ten foe in a conference game.

Prince Captures All-Big Ten Honors
• Nebraska's Britt Prince earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and second-team accolades from the coaches when the conference announced its annual awards Tuesday, March 3.

• Through 29 games as a sophomore, the 5-11 point guard from Omaha is averaging a team-best 17.3 points per game while hitting 54.3 percent (188-346) of her shots from the field, including 36-of-79 threes (.456).

• Prince, who advanced to the list of 10 players on the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Midseason Top 10 (Feb. 2), was also a member of the Lieberman Award Preseason Top 20.

• She owns two 30-point performances, nine 20-point efforts and 26 double-figure scoring games this season. She is coming off her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds while matching her career highs with eight assists and two blocks in a win over Rutgers (Feb. 28).

• Prince was the MVP of the Emerald Coast Classic Beach Bracket (Nov. 24-25) after leading the Huskers to a tournament title with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting in a 91-82 win over NET 36 Virginia. She averaged 24.0 points and 6.5 assists in the tournament, including 18 points and a season-high seven assists in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne.

• She established her career high with 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting in a win over ORU (Nov. 19).

• Prince produced a 28-point, six-rebound, six-assist effort in a win over Northwestern (Jan. 28). She hit 10-of-15 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 threes and all six of her free throws.

• She put up 27 points at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1), when she added five rebounds and four steals.

• Prince had 23 points, two assists and two steals in a win over Samford (Nov. 8).

• She accounted for 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals while committing just one turnover in Nebraska's win at Washington (Feb. 22). Her performance included a game-winning three-pointer with seven seconds left to shoot the Huskers to a 66-65 victory. It was her fifth 20-point effort in Big Ten Conference play.

• Prince opened Big Ten action with 20 points in a win at Penn State (Dec. 6) and produced 20 points and four assists in a win over Illinois (Jan. 24). She added 20 points and seven assists in a win over Indiana (Jan. 8).

• Prince, a two-time Gatorade and MaxPreps Nebraska High School Player of the Year at Elkhorn North, earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors while leading the Huskers to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

• In the NCAA Tournament, Prince led the Big Red with 14 points and six assists against Louisville. She averaged 17.0 points and 5.3 assists over three Big Ten Tournament games, including a season-high-tying 24 points against tourney champion and NCAA No. 1 seed UCLA.

• Prince was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 21, 2025) after going for 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high six steals in a win at Iowa (Jan. 16, 2025), when she hit a career-high five three-pointers.

• Prince averaged 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a true freshman.

Potts Announces Plan To Redshirt, Return in 2026-27
• Nebraska redshirt sophomore Natalie Potts will not return to the court in competition this season as she continues her rehabilitation from injury.

• Potts, who made the announcement on Thursday, Jan. 29, plans to return for her fourth year at Nebraska in 2026-27 with up to three years of eligibility remaining.

• “I am making slow but steady progress, and I appreciate the thoughts and encouragement of Husker fans everywhere,” Potts said. “I love my teammates and coaches and will give them my full support as we push for the postseason. I really want to be out there fighting to win with them, but I am just not in position to do that yet.”

• Potts, who was the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, suffered a knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 season against North Alabama (Nov. 19). The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., underwent surgery Dec. 4, 2024, and was eligible for a medical redshirt last season.

• She hoped to return to practice midway through the 2025-26 season, but her participation has been limited while she regains strength.  Potts has returned to active participation in Nebraska game-day shoot-arounds, but she will not return to competition this season.

• Potts, who earned a spot on the preseason top 20 list for the Katrina McClain Award, will be eligible to take a redshirt this season.

• “Natalie is working diligently and progressing with her rehabilitation,” Nebraska Coach Amy Williams said. “At this time, we believe that it is in the best interest of her long-term health to give her more time to continue to progress and gain confidence with her return to full participation.”

• In 2023-24, Potts was a unanimous choice to the Big Ten All-Freshman team from the conference coaches and was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection by the league media. Potts started all 35 games for a Nebraska team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after working its way to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. She averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on the season.

• Through the first four games of her sophomore season, Potts averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, before suffering her injury 10 minutes into the game with North Alabama at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

• In 2023-24, Potts led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.489), while ranking second among league freshmen in scoring (10.2 ppg) and free throw percentage (.829) in 2023-24. She started all 35 games for the 23-12 Huskers, who advanced to the Big Ten Championship Game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska Excels in NCAA Stat Rankings

• Through 29 games, Nebraska ranks among the top 25 teams in 8 NCAA categories.

• FT% - .787 ranks 11th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten.

• FG% - .478 ranks 12th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.

• Assists Per Game - 18.3 ranks 12th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.

• Average Home Attendance - 5,701 ranks 15th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.

• Bench Scoring - 26.1 ppg ranks 16th nationally and 1st in the Big Ten.

• Assist-to-Turnover - 1.32 ranks 16th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.

• Scoring - 79.7 ppg ranks 19th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.

• NCAA NET - 25th nationally and 9th in the Big Ten

Big Red Triple Threats
• Nebraska is hitting 35.4 percent of its shots from three-point range and averaging 7.8 made threes per game with shooters up and down the lineup.

• Five Huskers are shooting 33.3 percent or better from long range: Britt Prince (.456), Logan Nissley (.436), Amiah Hargrove (.423), Hailey Weaver (.414) and Callin Hake (.333).

• In Big Ten play, the Huskers have knocked down 35.5 percent of their threes while averaging 7.7 makes per game.

Huskers Make Opponents Pay at Free Throw Line
• Nebraska is challenging the school record for best team free throw percentage in Husker history. Through 29 games, the Huskers are shooting 78.7 percent (380-483) from the line. In 2013-14, the Big Ten Tournament champion Huskers hit a school-record 79.6 percent (507-635) of their free throws.

• The top six Huskers in minutes played are all shooting 75 percent or better at the line, including Britt Prince (.901), Logan Nissley (.889), Callin Hake (.875), Amiah Hargrove (.806), Eliza Maupin (.782) and Jessica Petrie (.764).

• Britt Prince has been Nebraska's leader at the line. The sophomore point guard ranks second in the Big Ten by hitting 90.1 percent (91-101) of her free throw attempts. She set a school record (men's or women's basketball) by hitting 56 consecutive makes, which was snapped on her first free throw attempt against Iowa. She made 71-of-66 (.934) in Big Ten play.

• Cathy Owen owns the Nebraska season free throw percentage record (.950, 57-60) with a minimum of 50 made free throws required. Former Husker point guard Rachel Theriot, an Ohio native and long-time European professional, hit 92.6 percent (63-68) of her free throws in 2014-15. Prince, Theriot and Owen currently own five of the top-six season free throw shooting percentages in Nebraska history, including Prince's 87.2 percent (68-78) as a freshman last season.

Husker Forwards Producing Career Years
• Sophomore Amiah Hargrove is proving herself as one of the Big Ten's most improved players in 2025-26. Hargrove's 356 total points are 200 more than the 156 she scored for the Huskers over 33 games as freshman. The 6-2 forward also has more than tripled her total steals this season (19) compared to last season (6). She put up 24 points at No. 11 Ohio State (Feb. 1), which followed her second double-double of the year with 13 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds in her first start of the season against Northwestern (Jan. 28). She averaged 13.7 points in Big Ten play.

• Junior Jessica Petrie has totaled 312 points through 27 games, surpassing her previous season-best total of 210 points (2024-25) in 45 fewer minutes. Petrie's 28 blocked shots and 28 steals are also career bests, exceeding her previous career total of 12 steals through her first two seasons combined as a Husker. She had 20 blocks a year ago.

• Senior Eliza Maupin has scored 190 points for the Huskers through her 24 games this season, already surpassing her previous career-best season total of 146 points as a freshman at Kansas State (2022-23). Maupin's seven three-pointers this season have far exceeded the one triple she hit in her first three seasons at K-State. Her 70 made field goals and 43 free throws made are also the most in a season during her career, while her 18 blocks also have exceeded her previous career season high.