Huskers Shoot for Road Upset of No. 15 Spartans

Nebraska opens a two-game Big Ten road swing by battling its second straight NET Top-10 team, when the AP No. 24 Huskers take on AP No. 15 Michigan State Thursday in East Lansing.

Tip-off between the NCAA NET 19 Huskers (14-3, 3-3 Big Ten) and the NET No. 7 Spartans (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten) at the Breslin Center is set for 6 p.m. (CT). Live television coverage will be provided by the Big Ten Network with Ed Cohen and Christy Winters-Scott on the call.

• Free live audio from the Huskers Radio Network will be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers App, 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 1490 AM/97.3 FM/97.7 HD3 in Omaha with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call for their 25th consecutive season.

Nebraska is coming off an 83-61 home loss to NCAA NET No. 2 UCLA in Lincoln on Sunday. The Huskers slipped to 3-3 in the Big Ten with all three setbacks to AP Top 20 teams.

Nancy Lieberman Award candidate Britt Prince is trying to help guide the Huskers through the gauntlet of the Big Ten schedule. The 5-11 sophomore point guard owns six 20-point performances this season, including a pair of 30-point games, but was limited to six points and five assists by a physically dominant Bruin defense.

Prince ranks eighth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.3 ppg) and ninth in assists (4.4 apg), while ranking fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.577) and third in free throw percentage (.902). She also leads the Huskers with 25 steals on the year.

Fellow sophomore Amiah Hargrove also has emerged as a rising star in the conference. A contender for Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, Hargrove is averaging 11.9 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds off the bench after leading five Huskers in double figures with 12 points against UCLA. The 6-2 forward is shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 85.4 percent from the free throw line. Hargrove, who missed the loss at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1) after suffering a mild concussion in the loss to No. 17 USC (Dec. 29), is averaging 13.4 points in Big Ten play. She erupted for a career-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting (4-5 3FG) in Nebraska's Big Ten-opening road win at Penn State (Dec. 6).   

Junior Jessica Petrie has provided consistency and leadership at both ends in her second season as a starter. The 6-2 forward from Gold Coast, Australia, ranks second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Petrie, who had 10 points and five rebounds against UCLA, has produced double figures 13 times and scored at least seven points in all 17 games this season. Petrie, who leads Nebraska with a career-high-tying 20 blocks, also owns a career-best 16 steals this season after getting just 12 steals over 68 games in her first two years combined.

Callin Hake provides veteran leadership and the emotional heartbeat for the Big Red. The 5-8 senior guard from Victoria, Minn., is averaging 8.5 points and 4.2 assists per game with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Hake is shooting 40.6 percent (26-64) from long range and 87.5 percent at the line. Hake, who has added 21 steals, also leads the Big Red with 21 charges drawn through 17 games.

Senior Eliza Maupin has earned four straight starts inside for the Big Red. The 6-3 senior is averaging 9.3 points and 4.4 rebounds after getting 10 points against No. 4 UCLA Sunday. Maupin has scored in double figures in five of her last six games, including her first Husker double-double with 12 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1).

Sophomore Petra Bozan earned starts in NU's first 13 games. The 6-3 Croatian is averaging 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field.  She produced a career-high 17 points in NU's Big Ten-opening win at Penn State (Dec. 6). • Graduate guard Hailey Weaver, who spent her first four seasons at Northwestern, started the first 13 games in the Husker lineup as the Big Red's top ball-pressuring guard ("Pirate" or "Hound"). Weaver ranks second among the Huskers with 22 steals. Logan Nissley has earned three straight starts. The 6-0 Nissley is averaging 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists while hitting 51.5 percent of her shots, including 50 percent (27-54) of her threes. She had back-to-back double-figure efforts last week with 11 points in a win over Indiana and 11 more against No. 4 UCLA.

Nebraska's rotation goes 10-12 deep, including significant contributions from Claire Johnson (4.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg), Kennadi Williams (2.8 ppg, 2.2 apg) and Emily Fisher.

NET 19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-3, 3-3 Big Ten)
21 - Eliza Maupin - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 9.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg
12 - Jessica Petrie - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 7.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-8 - Sr. - G - 8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - So. - G - 18.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Off the Bench
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - So. - F - 11.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg
4 - Petra Bozan - 6-3 - So. - F - 7.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
5 - Claire Johnson - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg
1 - Hailey Weaver - 6-0 - Gr. - G - 3.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg
15 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - RFr. - G - 2.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg
34 - Emily Fisher - 6-0 - Jr. - G/F - 1.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
00 - Alanna Neale - 5-10 - Fr. - G - 1.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - RSo. - F - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner [Out] - 5-10 - Gr. - G - Redshirt
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
10th Season at Nebraska (172-126); 19th Season Overall (365-235)

NET 7 Michigan State Spartans (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten)
14 - Grace VanSlooten - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 14.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg
10 - Ines Sotelo - 6-3 - Fr. - C - 5.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
1 - Rashunda Jones - 5-8 - Jr. - G - 12.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg
23 - Jalyn Brown - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 10.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg
35 - Kennedy Blair - 5-9 - RSo. - G - 13.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Off the Bench
5 - Emma Shumate - 6-1 - Sr. - F - 7.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg
9 - Sara Sambolic - 5-7 - Jr. - G - 3.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg
33 - Juliann Woodard - 6-0 - So. - G - 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
32 - Marah Dykstra - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Head Coach: Robyn Fralick (Davidson, 2004)
Third Season at Michigan State (60-20); 12th Season Overall (252-96)

Scouting the Michigan State Spartans
• No. 15 Michigan State returns home after getting back-to-back wins over Washington and Oregon on a West Coast trip last week. The Spartans (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten) fought their way to an 85-81 win over Oregon in Eugene late Sunday afternoon.

• The Spartans also opened with a Big Ten loss at Wisconsin (78-64, Dec. 7), before running to wins over Rutgers (Dec. 28), at Indiana (Jan. 1) and at home to Illinois (Jan. 4). In last Thursday night's win over No. 23 Washington in Seattle, the Huskies jumped to a 25-14 lead after one quarter before Michigan State outscored them, 48-22, in the second and third periods combined.

• Michigan State enters the week at No. 7 in the NCAA NET rankings thanks to top-10 national rankings in scoring margin (9th, +30.3) and scoring offense (7th, 88.5 ppg). The Spartans are shooting a stellar 50.2 percent (7th) from the field, including 38.7 percent (5th) from long range. Even more impressively, MSU owns a plus-10.3 turnover margin (6th) by forcing opponents into 22.1 turnovers per game (22nd), while committing just 11.8 miscues per contest (11th). Michigan State also carries a plus-5.9 rebound margin.

• Grace Van Slooten has been Michigan State's top returning player. The 6-2 senior forward is averaging 14.6 points per game, while ranking second on the squad with 6.3 rebounds. Van Slooten also leads MSU with 16 blocks and is tied for second on the team with 33 steals. She notched a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in Sunday's win at Oregon, after getting 17 points and eight rebounds in last Thursday night's victory at No. 23 Washington. Van Slooten had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench before fouling out in a loss at Nebraska last season.

• Kennedy Blair has been one of the Big Ten's most improved players. The 5-9 redshirt sophomore ranks second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg), while leading the Spartans in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and assists (5.7 apg). Blair is hitting 51.8 percent of her shots from the field, but just 28 percent (7-25) of her three-point attempts. She had 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win over the Ducks, after leading the Spartans with 21 points and five assists in the win at Washington.

• Purdue transfer Rashunda Jones has made a major impact in the Spartan backcourt. The 5-8 junior is averaging 12.9 points with a team-best 44 steals on the season. Jones also ranks second on the team with 3.9 assists per game, while adding 3.5 rebounds. She led the Spartans with game highs of 23 points and five steals to go with six rebounds in Sunday's win over the Ducks, after notching a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to go with four assists and three steals in the win at Washington.

• Jalyn Brown has recently entered the starting lineup. The 6-1 senior guard is averaging 10.1 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40 percent (14-35) from three-point range. She also has hit 55.1 percent of her shots from the floor. Brown had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the win at Oregon.

• Ines Sotelo rounds out MSU's starting five. The 6-3 center is averaging 5.4 points. Sotelo is the only active Spartan to start in last season's loss at Nebraska. She had six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes.

• Michigan State, which has lost past starters Theryn Hallock (10.6 ppg) and Isaline Alexander (9.6 ppg) to injury, gets significant contributions off the bench from Emma Shumate. The 6-1 senior forward is averaging 7.4 points while shooting a team-best 45.3 percent (39-86) from long range. Shumate had 10 points on 3-of-9 three-point shooting at Oregon.

• Sophomore Julianna Woodard has pitched in 4.9 points while hitting 43.6 percent (17-39) from beyond the arc. She had nine points on 3-of-8 three-point shooting against the Ducks. while junior transfer Sara Sambolic has pitched in 3.5 points. Marah Dykstra, a 6-2 senior forward, has added 3.6 points while hitting 44.4 percent (12-27) threes.

 

Nebraska vs. Michigan State Series History
• Nebraska leads the all-time series with Michigan State 13-6 with all 19 meetings as Big Ten foes.

• The Big Red won the lone meeting with the Spartans last season, an 85-80 victory  in Lincoln on Jan. 8, 2025. Alexis Markowski dominated the game with 28 points and eight rebounds, while Allison Weidner played her best game of the season with 11 points and six assists. Three days later (Jan. 11) Weidner suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice ahead of NU's game at Rutgers.

• Britt Prince (10), Logan Nissley (6), Jessica Petrie (6) and Callin Hake (4) all started last year's game with MSU. Michigan State starters Julia Ayrault (21) and Theryn Hallock (18) led the Spartans.

• The Huskers won both games against the Spartans in 2023-24, including a 73-61 victory over MSU in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at the Target Center in Minneapolis (March 8, 2024). Nebraska also opened Big Ten play with an 80-74 win at Michigan State (Dec. 9, 2023).

• Jessica Petrie (11) and Natalie Potts (10) both produced double figures at the Breslin Center, while Potts added a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards in the Big Ten Tournament win.

• Nebraska, which is 7-0 all-time against Michigan State in Lincoln, will be playing its seventh game away from Lincoln in the last nine meetings with the Spartans. In the only meeting at PBA with Michigan State since 2019, the Huskers fought to a 71-67 win over the Spartans (Feb. 2, 2023).

• On Feb. 27, 2021, Michigan State chose not to play on Nebraska’s Senior Day, despite traveling to Lincoln. As a result, Nebraska played three consecutive games in the series at East Lansing before the February 2023 win at PBA. The Huskers won the previous meeting in Lincoln, 82-71, Feb. 17, 2019.

• The Huskers are 4-5 against Michigan State all-time in East Lansing, and 2-1 against the Spartans at the Big Ten Tournament, including an 85-58 pounding of MSU on March 8, 2014, on the way to Nebraska’s 2014 Big Ten title.

• Eight of Nebraska’s 13 wins have been by 10 points or less, while each of MSU’s last three wins have been by single digits.

• Nebraska is 12-4 in its last 16 meetings with the Spartans, even though 11 of the 16 games have been played away from Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Prince Named to Nancy Lieberman Watch List

• Nebraska's Britt Prince was named to the list of 20 women's college basketball players on the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 27. The Lieberman Award was the first of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Fan voting for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.

• Prince, a 5-11 sophomore from Omaha, Neb., returns for her second season at Nebraska after averaging 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a true freshman.

• Through 17 games this season, she is averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game while hitting 57.7 percent (120-208) of her shots from the field, including 25-of-50 threes (.500).

• 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 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.

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

• She produced a 27-point performance at No. 14 Iowa (Jan. 1), when she also recorded five rebounds and four steals, before getting a game-high 17 points to go with a team-high four rebounds in the win over Purdue (Jan. 4).

• Prince opened Big Ten play with 20 points in a win at Penn State (Dec. 6) and produced her third 20-point effort in conference play this season with 20 points and seven assists in a win over Indiana (Jan. 8). She also led all players with 18 points and seven assists against No. 17 USC (Dec. 29).

• She tipped 2025-26 with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in a win over Northwestern State (Nov. 3).

• Prince followed with 23 points, two assists and two steals in a win over Samford (Nov. 8), before getting 18 points and a season-high seven rebounds in a win over Creighton (Nov. 12).

• She had 16 points and three assists in a win over North Dakota State in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Nov. 16).

• Prince had 17 points, four rebounds and five assists in a 92-53 win over Bradley (Dec. 3).

• She had eight points, five assists and five steals in an 87-35 win over Omaha (Dec. 9), before going for 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and no turnovers in a win over Illinois State (Dec. 14).

• 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.

Potts Earns Spot on Katrina McClain Watch List

• Nebraska's Natalie Potts was included on the list of 20 women's college basketball players named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List on Oct. 30. The McClain Award was the fourth of the Naismith Starting 5 award watch lists announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

• Fan voting for the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award is open at http://www.hoophallawards.com.

• Potts, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore from O'Fallon, Mo., returns for her third season at Nebraska in 2025-26. She was the 2023-24 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of the 2024-25 campaign. Potts was averaging team bests of 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first four games prior to her injury. She was shooting 69.4 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent (8-11) from three-point range to lead the Big Red to a No. 19 national ranking and a 4-0 start.

• In 40-minute production, Potts put up eye-popping numbers of 28.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per 40 to rank among the best players in the Big Ten through the first four games last season.

• 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.

• Potts, who won 8-of-15 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards during the regular season, was the most consistent freshman in the conference from start to finish. She won the inaugural weekly honor on Nov. 13, 2023, before claiming the final two freshman awards on Feb. 26 and March 4. She won at least one weekly honor during all five months of the season. Her eight weekly awards matched the total of fellow Nebraska Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski in 2022.

• Potts, who also claimed an honorable-mention All-Big Ten award from the conference media, was a unanimous choice on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the conference coaches.

• After suffering her knee injury against North Alabama (Nov. 19, 2024), Potts underwent knee surgery (Dec. 4). She continues to rehab but has not yet returned to practice with the team.

Nebraska Excelling in NCAA Stat Rankings
• Through 17 games, Nebraska ranks among the top 25 teams in 11 NCAA categories.
• FG% - .501 ranks 8th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten.
• Bench Scoring - 31.0 ppg ranks 10th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
• Assists Per Game - 19.0 ranks 12th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
• Assist-to-Turnover - 1.47 ranks 14th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten.
• FT% - .781 ranks 14th nationally and 2nd in the Big Ten.
• Average Home Attendance - 5,476 ranks 14th nationally and 5th in the Big Ten.
• Scoring - 84.4 ppg ranks 17th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.
• NCAA NET - Nebraska ranks 19th nationally and 7th in the Big Ten.
• Scoring Margin - +22.1 ppg ranks 21st nationally and 7th in the Big Ten.
• 3FG% - .366 - ranks 22nd nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten.
• Turnover Margin - +6.53 ranks 24th nationally and 5th in the Big Ten.

Big Red Triple Threats
• Nebraska is hitting 36.6 percent of its shots from three-point range and averaging 8.1 made threes per game with shooters up and down the lineup.

• Five Huskers are shooting 37.5 percent or better from long range: Britt Prince (.500), Logan Nissley (.500), Callin Hake (.406), Amiah Hargrove (.393) and Hailey Weaver (.375).

• In Big Ten play, the Huskers have knocked down 39.5 percent of their threes while averaging 8.2 makes per game.

• Hargrove (.692) leads the Huskers from beyond the arc in league play, while Prince (.526), Nissley (.500), Hake (.375) and Eliza Maupin (.375) give Nebraska five players hitting 37.5 percent or better from long range through six Big Ten contests.