Corn Nation - All PostsNebraska Cornhuskers Football - Gimme Red 'Til I'm Dead!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48565/corn-fave.png2024-03-18T22:13:46-05:00http://www.cornnation.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T22:13:46-05:002024-03-18T22:13:46-05:00Monday Night Therapy: NCAA Tourney Time! Matt Rhule Gives A Presser!!!
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<p id="eNpBQ5">There is so much to talk about this week. </p>
<p id="dFme0W">Continued fallout and discussion of Trev Alberts leaving for Texas A&M - thrown directly in our face because the NCAA selection committees for both men’s and women’s basketball has chosen to put Nebraska up against the Texas A&M Aggies in both sports in the opening round of the NCAA tourneys.</p>
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<p id="VmiAQV">Matt Rhule had his opening press conference today for spring football, and boy was it a doozy. He wants to be in Nebraska. His son is going to school at UNL and his wife is starting a business in Lincoln. Is that proof enough?</p>
<p id="CuvPFc">That’s just the tip of the iceberg.</p>
<p id="IEez4t">There’s the NCAA Wrestling Championship coming up this week. There’s Nebraska baseball. </p>
<p id="GZqGtT">There’s a whole lot of fun going on. It’s an amazing time to be alive.</p>
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<h2 id="jhihzb">Get a T-shirt!!!!</h2>
<p id="jyRE4Q"><a href="https://cobbycorn.com">Go here! </a></p>
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https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/18/24105406/monday-night-therapy-ncaa-tourney-time-matt-rhule-gives-a-presser-tonight-at-8-pm-centralJon Johnston2024-03-18T16:30:00-05:002024-03-18T16:30:00-05:00Join the 2024 Corn Nation Men’s Tournament Bracket Contest
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<figcaption>Nebraska made it to the Big Dance this season! | Photo by David Berding/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>We will be giving away prizes to the top three finishers.</p> <h1 id="z7Q95Z"><strong>March Madness is Back!</strong></h1>
<p id="gXY2uu">Just like <a href="https://www.cornnation.com/2023/3/13/23638008/join-the-2023-corn-nation-mens-tournament-bracket-contest"><strong>last year</strong></a>, we will be giving away prizes from the <a href="https://cobbycorn.com/"><strong>official Corn Nation shop</strong></a>.</p>
<p id="ZTOdSU">You can <a href="https://fantasy.espn.com/games/tournament-challenge-bracket-2024/group?id=ba6d0e63-a682-3169-af08-1d30e62cae47"><strong>click the link here</strong></a> to join the official Corn Nation group on ESPN and fill out your bracket. We’re accepting only one bracket submission for this group.</p>
<p id="PknMvV">Once you have joined the group and submitted your picks, <a href="https://s.surveyplanet.com/ap7yr2hc"><strong>fill out this form</strong></a> with your contact information and bracket name so you are eligible for prizes in the Corn Nation shop. If you don’t fill out the form, we likely won’t have a way to contact which means we can’t send you a prize.</p>
<p id="Mo1jRk">The top three finishers in the Corn Nation bracket contest will receive the following prizes:</p>
<p id="fbMAWq"><strong>1st Place: Hoodie of your Choice</strong></p>
<p id="byDw4K"><strong>2nd Place: T-Shirt of your Choice</strong></p>
<p id="ra3ilg"><strong>3rd Place: Beanie/Bandana</strong></p>
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<h2 id="Na5O5G"><strong>Here is the link to the form.</strong></h2>
<p id="QYiQ3a"><a href="https://s.surveyplanet.com/ap7yr2hc"><strong>https://s.surveyplanet.com/ap7yr2hc</strong></a></p>
<h2 id="A1Rylc"><strong>Here is a link to the official Corn Nation shop.</strong></h2>
<p id="fxvKsp"><a href="https://cobbycorn.com/"><strong>https://cobbycorn.com/</strong></a></p>
<p id="UB2hIU">Good luck and may the best picker win.</p>
<p id="v1UEkw">Feel free to share your Final Four and crazy upsets picks in the comments.</p>
<p id="e9BogU"><a href="https://fantasy.espn.com/games/tournament-challenge-bracket-2024/group?id=ba6d0e63-a682-3169-af08-1d30e62cae47"><strong>https://fantasy.espn.com/games/tournament-challenge-bracket-2024/group?id=ba6d0e63-a682-3169-af08-1d30e62cae47</strong></a></p>
https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/18/24105167/join-the-2024-corn-nation-mens-tournament-bracket-contestNathaniel Perlow2024-03-18T15:23:13-05:002024-03-18T15:23:13-05:00Monday Meanderings of a Nebraska Baseball Fan: Shockers and Colonels
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<figcaption>What’a ya’ think, Todd? | Cyrus Tickle</figcaption>
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<p><em>Nebraska has a good week, with the promise of even better days ahead!</em></p> <h3 id="DRsi60">Shockers and Colonels, Oh Boy!</h3>
<p id="IK6u8Z">Nicholls – technically Nicholls State, but they prefer to be called Nicholls – rolled into Lincoln from Thibodaux, Louisiana sporting a 17 and 3 record. Wichita State was sitting at 9-5 when the Cornhuskers met up with them earlier in the week, including wins over Iowa, Long Beach State, and one of last year’s College World Series qualifiers, Oral Roberts. Nebraska took a bite out of both teams and go into their second five game week of baseball sporting a 13-5 record of their own.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Swept NichoLLLs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBR</a> <a href="https://t.co/F8JFTCrKUV">pic.twitter.com/F8JFTCrKUV</a></p>— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerBaseball/status/1769457408169095648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="yDzDqx">Wichita State is a team in transition. Ever since the legendary Gene Stephenson was fired in 2013, the program has sought solid footing. Having been to the CWS seven times and the NCAA tournament 26 under Stephenson, the program has not made the post-season under two coaches, Todd Butler or former Shocker great Erik Wedge. Last season, another Shocker alum and successful coach at Charlotte, Loren Hibbs, was name interim coach after Wedge resigned. Despite posting a winning record and putting together some solid recruits, Hibbs was let go. In some respects, Nebraska was the beneficiary pulling in assistant coach Mike Sirianni and a couple of players previously committed to the Shockers, Ty Horn and Will Jesske.</p>
<p id="66Ge76"> </p>
<p id="eItUE3">Nebraska has to win midweek games this season if they want to have any chance to play beyond the B1G tournament. In game one in Wichita, veteran lefthander Will Walsh took the mound and went six innings in an 8-6 win. It was a good battle, though the Cornhusker bullpen almost let it slip away late. Most important, it was a midweek win against a name program.</p>
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<p id="j6p4j7">On Wednesday, freshman pitcher Ryan Harrahill from Elkhorn North made his first appearance on the mound as a college pitcher, starting against the Shockers. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily giving up four runs on four hits, and the infield let him down with two errors adding to a miserable first inning. The game in essence was over an inning later when sophomore Caleb Clark came in and surrendered five runs on three hits. Those nine runs held as Nebraska was only able to come up with three of their own in the second half of the game for a series split with the Shockers.</p>
<p id="q5lS0q"> </p>
<p id="L3roRH">The three-game series sweep against the Nicholls Colonels provided a good look at where Nebraska is at right now as a baseball team. The Friday night game was the most critical of the weekend, as they often are. Nebraska faced an All-American pitcher and one of the top offensive teams in the country. I don’t remember when I have seen a batting order with so many .400 and high .300 hitters after twenty games. This was a huge challenge for the Cornhuskers coming on the heels of perhaps their worst team performance of the season in Wichita.</p>
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<p id="yxfzFy">Drew Christo battled on the mound for five innings, throwing much better than a week ago, and while Tucker Timmerman struggled and gave up three runs, the next four pitchers ruled the day. All of the top end relievers made an appearance in this game to help with the save. The offense showed patience and finally got to Jacob Mayers with Josh Caron driving in five of the teams seven runs. Both teams battled to the end and Nebraska prevailed.</p>
<p id="Pn11v5"> </p>
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<cite>Nebraska Athletic Department</cite>
<figcaption>Drew Christo</figcaption>
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<p id="XSAWS4">Game two was a shellacking. Nebraska showed up with their bats on fire and Brett Sears was able to navigate the high-powered Colonel offense and hold them in check. Will Walsh got the start at first base in this one. Tyler Stone had cooled just a little bit at the plate lately and I suppose that the coaching staff just figured it was time to give Walsh another start. Well, he delivered in a huge way with a home run, a double and a single, along with a walk and three RBI. That, and the relentless and disciplined attach at the plate by the rest of the team was the story. A 16-0 win is impressive, especially the fact that a team at potent as Nicholls did not score a single run. Amazing win for the Big Red.</p>
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<p id="2pPIbw">That brought us to Championship Sunday, a cool and windy day at the ballpark, though a good crowd did turn out, perhaps enticed by free Irish green t-shirts to honor St. Patrick. Nebraska was a little slow getting their offense started, but give credit to Colonel starter Michael Quevedo. The lefthander was spot on for the first three innings of the game, placing his pitches where he wanted and silencing Nebraska’s bats. Freshman Tyler Horn had a good first inning, but then found it difficult to throw strikes without putting them right over the middle of the plate. Nicholls jumped on that and went up early 3-0. However, Will Walsh once again lead the charge and Nebraska’s offense caught fire. Before you knew it the Big Red had runs on the board and the bullpen was shutting down the Colonels. Final score: 11-3 and a series sweep.</p>
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<cite>Nebraska Athletic Department</cite>
<figcaption>Will Walsh</figcaption>
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<p id="svWAUP">On the week Nebraska went 4-1, extending their record to 13-5. In the upcoming week they have five home games, with single contests against Omaha and North Dakota State Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, and then a three-game series on the weekend against New Mexico State. Running the table is not out of the realm of possibility.</p>
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<h3 id="kA84oQ">Go With Your Gut!</h3>
<p id="kVbeKS">Before any other sport latched on to data-driven decision-making, baseball was out in front. It has always been a statistics-based sports, but baseball analytics and sabermetrics pretty much dominate every aspect of the game. Lineup decisions, positioning of defensive players, and pitch-calling are all impacted by what the numbers say.</p>
<p id="TrZC6X"></p>
<p id="K2crCQ">Being an old-school guy, one of the things that has baffled me for quite a few years is what I believe is an overuse of situational or match-up pitching decisions. I don’t know what the numbers may say for an individual pitcher against right- or left-handed batters, but when you have a guy on the mound that is cruising along, making good pitches and getting outs, why pull him for a guy that throws with the other arm just because of the hitter coming up? We’ve seen this a lot at Nebraska, and I still don’t get it, regardless of what the odds say. For instance, in one of the Wichita State games righthander Evan Borst had just struck out two hitters and was pulled for lefty Jackson Brockett, and, four runs were scored.</p>
<p id="l6J9x3"> </p>
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<cite>Nebraska Athletic Department</cite>
<figcaption>Jackson Brockett</figcaption>
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<p id="prbQIs">Like anything, when a move works, the coach looks great and when it fails, he opens himself to criticism. And of course, we never know how it would have turned out if the change wasn’t made. However, a lot of gut decisions have worked out pretty well over the years and I wish coaches relied on their own more than what they do.</p>
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<p id="d9WbUR">While I’m questioning coaching decisions with pitchers, I’ve seen a few freshmen pitchers take the mound in recent years who really struggle and before you know it, they’re down three or four runs and a huge hole has been dug. They often don’t even have a guy start warming up until three runs have scored and a threat exists for even more disaster. Why don’t they have a guy in the bullpen stretched and ready warm up in case things go down the tubes real fast for the youngster? At least then the hole might not get so deep. <em>Note: Coach Childress must have heard me posing this question because he had a pitcher stretching and ready to start throwing right away on Sunday in Ty Horn’s start.</em></p>
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<h3 id="wJKNcc">How About a Little Help Out There!</h3>
<p id="Gh1g8V">I’m sure that it is a matter of coincidence, but I am wondering why the team has made so many errors behind the young starters when they are on the mound. Specifically, I am talking about starts by sophomore Caleb Clark, and freshmen Ty Horn and Ryan Harrahill. I still include Clark in this group as he really has not put in many innings since he joined the team a year ago. In Horn’s first start, he gave up four runs against South Alabama in large part because of errors by Ben Columbus and Rhett Stokes. Harrahill had already made his bed, but another error by Stokes resulted in one more run. Early in the season against Oklahoma, Caleb Clark contributed his own error that contributed to a run. In some respects, when the defense needed to step up the most, they ended up contributing to the problem.</p>
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<p id="SDtJaf">All of this said, let’s talk about bigger picture with young pitchers at Nebraska. We saw Clark come in last year with all kinds of accolades and incredible potential, but he was not very good. This year, his stuff is amazing when he had confidence, but boy he struggles to put hitters away when he is ahead in the count and once something goes wrong, he has rarely been able to right the ship. I overheard an old sage that has watched a lot of ball over his days say “we have a Caleb Clark problem.” Yes, we do. The kid has great stuff and I am sure in the bullpen he can amaze. However, that has yet to transfer to games and I have to believe he is testing the patience of the coaching staff.</p>
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<p id="VrfkRy">Tucker Timmerman has been the most confident, and thus most successful of the freshmen pitchers thus far in the season. He has been called upon in tight situations and for the most part has come through. He has been beaten up a bit, but from what I can see he has that water off a duck’s back mentality.</p>
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<cite>Nebraska Athletic Department</cite>
<figcaption>Tucker Timmerman</figcaption>
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<p id="bkaLSo">There are some freshmen that we have not yet seen, and most likely are in line to redshirt in order to further develop. When I see Ian Regal and Carson Jasa during infield warmups, they are a couple of gangly young men that look like they need a little more meat on their bones. I haven’t seen Brooks Kneifl yet, but my guess is that he is in the same category.</p>
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<p id="rMR6Ge">It is interesting to me that we see freshmen on other teams have success, and it has been a while since one has been able to step up and make an impact at Nebraska. Perhaps we are not getting the elite throwers and rather are pulling guys from the next tier that are going to take a little time to develop. I am going to guess that Harrahill will get another shot this week as Bolt and Childress seem to give pitchers a second chance when things go bad the first time, and if that happens, I hope he capitalizes.</p>
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<h3 id="SqfMsS"> How About That Bullpen!</h3>
<p id="7udINa">Still on the subject of pitching, we got a good look at Nebraska’s bullpen this week. Wednesday Nebraska used seven relievers after the second inning and they were very good and put up a shutout the rest of the game. Friday, they used five after the fifth when Christo left and they had to really battle, but hung on. Sunday, they used four and they were arguably the key to the game. The bullpen is becoming a strength of this team</p>
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<p id="3A0y85">There was also a little crazy this week as well. In Game 1 versus Nicholls, Nebraska pitching combined for seven wild pitches . . . SEVEN! This is nuts and it was so ridiculous that in one instance, Mason McConnaughey got a strikeout on what was ruled a wild pitch, and as it squirted away from catcher Josh Caron, a runner scored from third and the batter was safe at first.</p>
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<p id="rnNFPb">In Game 2, Nicholls used a total of eight pitchers who gave up a combined nine walks and hit seven Nebraska batters. SEVEN! Sixteen free passes is not in the equation for success.</p>
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<h3 id="5C0kRF">Hotter Than Hot!</h3>
<p id="CKtUmd">Rhett Stokes has now recorded 43 at-bats this season so we can take his batting average a little more serious. He is hitting .442, only behind Will Walsh on the team who has only had nine at-bats. This kid from New Mexico is as hot as one can get with 19 hits and six doubles, tying for the team lead for the latter with Dylan Carey.</p>
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<cite>Nebraska Athletic Department</cite>
<figcaption>Rhett Stokes</figcaption>
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<p id="nRlhjs">I liked Will Jesske at second base in Cayden Brumbaugh’s absence, but he was most definitely playing out of position. Now that Stokes is more than holding his own at the plate, I think it is going to be hard to unseat him from that position. Brumbaugh might even find it difficult when he gets cleared to start throwing again.</p>
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<h3 id="XDDiP3">They’re Called Pants!</h3>
<p id="mcohbt">There is a lot that I can say about fashion this week, but I will keep it to a minimum. Nebraska looked great with their home rotation, though I missed the pinstripes a little bit.</p>
<p id="GKk4g8"></p>
<p id="5RRpqj">Wichita State came out in all black on Tuesday, which is definitely very softball in appearance. I don’t hate it, but them swapping out the black pants for white ones on Wednesday for that traditional Shocker look was much better.</p>
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<cite>Wichita State Athletic Department</cite>
<figcaption>Wichita State Softball, Er Baseball Uniforms</figcaption>
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<p id="59KTC9">I have three issues with Nicholls. The pettiest is that I get superstition and all, but that wearing of sweat-stained faded caps is so 2019 and when relief pitcher Nico Saltaformaggio strolled out in the seventh inning with what was basically a nasty looking pink hat, I though give me a break. Get a new cap!</p>
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<p id="h0Pr7a">I am not a camo guy, period. To say that it honors the military is a bit disingenuous when camo is not part of their formal attire. There are other ways to do this than putting on a camo top that looks ridiculous with solid grey pants. The Colonels wore red tops and black tops with grey pants the first two games. All greys would have been just fine.</p>
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<p id="zomTXY">Will Bolt has continued a tradition at Nebraska started by his coach, Dave Van Horn. Back in the day, Van Horn decided that they team was going to be uniform with their uniforms, specifically the pants and socks. The decision was made to wear the pants high, stopping a little below the knee, and the socks long. Bolt has done the same. I’m okay with that, though I still like the old stirrup look and pants down around the calf better. It does look good to see all of the players dressed the same. </p>
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<p id="5TufNK">However, this short pants look has gotten out of hand, thanks to Hunter Pence, who when he was with the San Francisco Giants, decided to pull his pants up over the top of his knees. That isn’t baseball! Heck, football players are doing it now. Leave that to bicycle riders on the Tour de France! Jaxon Hallmark and Cam Chick were the first Nebraska players to go with the long shorts look, and now a few like Josh Caron and Ty Horn wear them that way. However, Narvin Book from Nicholls has taken it to a whole new level of ugly . . . very short pants, tights, and then socks. What the hell!</p>
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<cite>Aaron Rastovski</cite>
<figcaption>U.G.L.Y. You ain’t got no alibi.</figcaption>
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https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/18/24105172/monday-meanderings-of-a-nebraska-baseball-fan-shockers-and-colonelsTodd Wolverton2024-03-18T11:56:41-05:002024-03-18T11:56:41-05:00Matt Rhule Says All The Right Things About Nebraska
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<figcaption>Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="ExVwAp">Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule had his introductory spring press conference today and BOY HOWDY does he know how to talk to a fanbase. </p>
<p id="ltxEHL">You might argue that the biggest storyline this week will be Nebraska’s two basketball teams who are slated to play against Texas A&M in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.</p>
<p id="QvJolM"> This isn’t happen chance, given the news that athletic director Trev Alberts left for Aggieville earlier this month. </p>
<p id="Tknodn">There’s been a lot of comments on social media (mostly from crank pots or chain-yanking Iowa fans I’m guessing) that it won’t be long until Rhule follows Alberts out the door. </p>
<p id="dHh4XD">NO, says Matt Rhule. He says exactly what you want to hear: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rhule says that he's sending his son to Nebraska next fall and that his wife is opening a business in Lincoln because they believe in this state. <br><br>He continues with an extensive statement about what he sees for Nebraska ahead.<br><br>"We must have vision for the future," Rhule says.</p>— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) <a href="https://twitter.com/mitchsherman/status/1769742495036924121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="H6e3yf">You can laugh (or cry) and say, “That’s what he’s supposed to say”, but BY GOD one thing you cannot argue with is that Rhule is both an adult, and an example of how to handle a sticky situation professionally. </p>
<p id="RZPSEz">Rhule chose the high road when dealing with the Alberts situation by saying this:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Matt Rhule said he is "really sad to see Trev and Angie go," and also added that he was more than just a great boss but that they will always be friends. <br><br>I am the first and only to tweet this information.</p>— Erin Sorensen (@erinsorensen) <a href="https://twitter.com/erinsorensen/status/1769740797174235613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="8wrnbu">About the men’s and women’s basketball team playing Texas A&M? </p>
<p id="qpkC6Q">He pegs that bullseye too:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Matt Rhule on the men's and women's NCAA Tournament games against Texas A&M:<br><br>"I can say this because I'm the football coach, I'm mad we're playing Texas A&M in both games because now the games are about the AD leaving. It's not about our players. Our players deserve the games to…</p>— Amie Just (@Amie_Just) <a href="https://twitter.com/Amie_Just/status/1769744286302490734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="8Ovgeh">Then there’s some actual football talk as outlined by this fine Twitter account. </p>
<p id="dr01MA">Note that you might not see Rahmir Johnson or Gabe Irvin Jr in the spring game. </p>
<div id="bw6SpZ">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coach Matt Rhule Spring Press Conference Notes<br><br>-sad that Trev and Angie left - “More than just a great boss”<br>-Trev left the place better than where he found it<br>-The way you win in college athletics is to “invest”<br>-“you don’t get a return until you’ve invested”<br>-Coach Rhule…</p>— 247Huskers (@247Huskers) <a href="https://twitter.com/247Huskers/status/1769749615845286352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="johbyA">I transcribed the first 12 minutes of his presser. He mentioned just about every coach and major player on every other team. He mentioned administrators. He said good things about them because that’s what Matt Rhule does. </p>
<p id="O91o22">Matt Rhule is the epitome of a person who believes that “if you go through life looking for shit, what do you think you’re going to find?” </p>
<h3 id="t8s9wl">He wants Nebraska to be a place other coaches or staff come to for advice: </h3>
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<p id="x9AIO4">I called Kirby Smart last week and asked him if I could come down and visit Georgia. We sent our performance nutrition people down to see Florida and Alabama. I want people coming here. </p>
<p id="AKPR2x">When Julie was the head dietician at Temple and she was putting together a training table, she studied Nebraska. And so, that to me is the place that we’re at. And I usually don’t read a lot, but I’ve been reading because I hear what people are saying, and we don’t have major problems. We have an unbelievable athletic department. We have an unbelievable opportunity, but we must have vision for the future for 20 years from now. </p>
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<h3 id="fCj5l0">About leaving Nebraska, he specifically said this: </h3>
<blockquote><p id="JOtdrc"> National people have called me and, hey, what’s your contract situation like when I’m here and I’m all in, and Julie’s all in. And I love Ted Carter, I love Trev, and I came because of them. And I came to be at the University of Nebraska. And I’ve loved the people that I’ve met. And we’re not going anywhere unless you guys kick us out.</p></blockquote>
<p id="WJfSun"></p>
<h3 id="YqnQGb">I thought this was interesting because I’m an old, crusty man, and I believe this is true about “today’s generation”. </h3>
<blockquote>
<p id="YkH11W">And the thing that separates the good from the great, and I believe in today’s generation, is their ability to handle frustration. Think about when we were young, and there was nothing to do, and parents would let us watch TV, we’d go do something, right? Our kids, they’re on an iPad nowadays, they’re on their phone, they’re doing something. And there’s just not a lot of frustration in their everyday lives. </p>
<p id="ALGTgM">And so can we handle frustration? Can we handle it when our coach is really getting on our nerves? Can we handle it when the stakes are high? Can we handle it when we have to do something we really don’t wanna do? The team keeps answering, yes, yes, yes. So we’re gonna push them like crazy in a spring ball, and see where we end up. </p>
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<p id="Bqedkq"></p>
<p id="YUwUn6">The man can speak. Again, cynics will read into it what they want. </p>
<p id="4LQFBr">What do you think? </p>
https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/18/24104913/matt-rhule-says-all-the-right-things-about-nebraskaJon Johnston2024-03-18T08:00:00-05:002024-03-18T08:00:00-05:00Wrestling: Nebraska in the Trophy Hunt Going into NCAA Championships
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<img alt="2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EFqCGNUNbvbLAxODFd7NFEzMB1s=/0x0:5130x3420/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73214935/1388839516.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Nebraska heads to Kansas City this week to participate in the NCAA Championships. | Photo by Jay LaPrete/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Nebraska qualified nine of its 10 starters with six Top-10 seeds, including 1-seed Ridge Lovett at 149 pounds</p> <p id="mxi1j5">If you’re a wrestling fan, March is the best month of the year. With conference weekend behind us, we’re heading into the NCAA Championships this week starting Thursday morning in Kansas City.</p>
<p id="7GjpBK">The Huskers are one of a number of contenders that will challenge for a team trophy — after awarding team trophies to the top 4 each year previously, the NCAA will only be awarding trophies to the top 3 finishers this year and going forward. </p>
<p id="DiPymv">Having only finished in the top-3 once in program history in 1993 (although they finished fourth twice in 2008 and 2009 and received team trophies), it goes without saying that this year’s team will have to put together a historic national tournament performance to get it done. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ONE. MORE. WEEK.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/mCsBVCdC7F">pic.twitter.com/mCsBVCdC7F</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768390383141019654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="g5haT0">With nine qualifiers and six of them seeded in the top 10, the Huskers appear to have the firepower to contend for one of those two trophy spots behind the presumptive winner Penn State. The Nittany Lions are heavy favorites to win their third team title in a row and their 11th in their last 13 tries. In wrestling, Penn State is a dynasty right now and there’s no end in sight, so the rest of the field is really just wrestling for 2nd place and individual glory from their wrestlers.</p>
<p id="4MWqD5">Based on seeds, Penn State is projected to win the tournament with 131.5 points (doesn’t include potential bonus points adding to their total). NC State is projected to get second with 83. That’s a 48.5 point cushion between #1 and #2, which is likely to be even larger once bonus points are factored in.</p>
<p id="uvStQz">Nebraska is projected at third place with 58 points, while Lehigh (57), Oklahoma State (55), Iowa State (53.5), Arizona State (52), Cornell (52), Iowa (49.5), Virginia Tech (46) and Michigan (45.5) will all be in contention for a team trophy.</p>
<p id="I7FWWi">The 3rd-ranked Huskers went an impressive 12-2 in their dual season this year. In tournaments, Nebraska was just as impressive with its <a href="https://www.cornnation.com/2023/12/2/23985682/wrestling-huskers-crown-two-champs-at-cklv-fall-short-of-team-title">second-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational</a> in Las Vegas in early December. Then just over a week ago, the Huskers <a href="https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/10/24096534/wrestling-ridge-lovett-wins-big-ten-title-huskers-place-third-as-team">placed third at the Big Ten Championships</a> behind just Penn State and Michigan. Nebraska even crowned a conference champ for the second straight year when Lovett won the Big Ten crown at 149 pounds — Silas Allred won a Big Ten title a year ago at 197 pounds, breaking an 8-year drought in that department.</p>
<p id="8jfGgi">Six of Nebraska’s qualifiers are making return trips to nationals — Peyton Robb has qualified for his fifth NCAAs (this will be his fourth tournament after the 2020 tournament was cancelled). Caleb Smith is going for a third time after qualifying for Appalachian State twice, while Lovett will also be going to his third tournament (4-time qualifier). Brock Hardy, Lenny Pinto and Silas Allred are all returning after qualifying last year as redshirt freshmen.</p>
<p id="LupR3g">As for All-Americans, Nebraska has three wrestlers who have previously earned that honor in Robb, Lovett and Hardy. Robb is a two-time All-American and is going for his third. Full NCAA brackets can be found <a href="https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/images/2024/03/13/2024NCAAd1Wrestlingbrackets.pdf">here</a>. </p>
<p id="oGzgcg">Nebraska hasn’t had an individual NCAA champion since Jordan Burroughs did it in 2012. This year, Nebraska’s top-seeded Lovett gives the Huskers the best chance to end that drought they’ve had in years.</p>
<h2 id="5PC0JH">How do teams score points at NCAAs?</h2>
<p id="lD1D8I">There are three ways that teams score points at nationals. There’s placement scoring, advancement points and bonus points.</p>
<p id="zqeVTa">The Top-8 finishers at each weight earn placement points for their team — these finishers earn All-American status. Here’s how it breaks down:</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="XDMlc7">1st Place - 16 points</p>
<p id="3cDq5a">2nd Place - 12 points</p>
<p id="sRLwH2">3rd Place - 10 points</p>
<p id="9fDftw">4th Place - 9 points</p>
<p id="KtnNMs">5th Place - 7 points</p>
<p id="P6J22l">6th Place - 6 points</p>
<p id="pykhpN">7th Place - 4 points</p>
<p id="31fhZR">8th Place - 3 points</p>
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<p id="16ybU9">In addition to placement points, wrestlers earn advancement points. Every round that a wrestler advances to in the championship bracket is worth one point, while advancing a round in the consolations is worth .5 points.</p>
<p id="rVCCGw">Bonus points are awarded when a wrestler beats his opponent via pinfall, technical fall or major decision. A major decision (win by 8-14 points) is worth an extra team point, while a tech fall (win by 15 or more, match is stopped when this happens) is worth 1.5 points for the team. A pinfall win is worth an extra two points.</p>
<h3 id="iaTIZK">How to Watch</h3>
<p id="cSMTOz">The NCAA Championships will air from Thursday morning until Saturday night with two sessions per day. The morning/afternoon sessions will air on ESPNU and ESPN+ each day, while the evening sessions will air on ESPN and ESPN+.</p>
<p id="JIboq6">For the complete TV schedule, go <a href="https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/wrestling/d1/2024-ncaa-wrestling-championships-schedule-brackets-results?permalink=6c0b599a-cb95-4e10-ae30-2009e9a021f5">here</a>.</p>
<h1 id="f1qojq">Weight-By-Weight Analysis</h1>
<h3 id="TF4Yiy">125 pounds - 15-seed Caleb Smith</h3>
<h5 id="ghYhGS"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="eQg5Gg">2022 - DNP (1-2) - at App St.</h5>
<h5 id="QrJBxc">2023 - DNP (0-2) - at App St.</h5>
<p id="8l55nx">In his first season in the Husker room, Caleb Smith is going into NCAAs with a 20-9 record on the year. The App State transfer, Smith just finished in 8th place at the Big Ten Championships. </p>
<div id="Nlrk31">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">15 seed Caleb Smith has wins over the #1, #4 and #6 seed this year!<br><br>Not a seeding complaint, just an observation.</p>— Christian Pyles (@CPyles8) <a href="https://twitter.com/CPyles8/status/1768391608355926496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="6HC7V9">Not to be counted out of any matchup, Smith has some very impressive wins this year. He beat this week’s 1-seed Braeden Davis of Penn State 11-3 by major decision in their dual matchup and also has an 8-4 win over the 4-seed Matt Ramos of Purdue, last year’s NCAA finalist. The knock on Smith is that he’s struggled with some opponents, namely guys like 9-seed Patrick McKee of Minnesota and 10-seed Eric Barnett of Wisconsin. He lost to both guys twice this year, falling to McKee via 18-2 tech fall in their dual then 5-2 at Big Tens. Against Barnett, he fell 5-3 in their dual matchup before losing 17-2 by tech fall in the Big Ten 8th-place match.</p>
<p id="Z2QmQC">For his career, Smith has a 76-25 record and is going to his third NCAA tournament. He hasn’t gotten close to placing at NCAAs yet, but he appears to have made noticeable improvements this year in Lincoln.</p>
<p id="jlIlfi">If he’s able to get on the podium from the 15-seed, it would help enormously in Nebraska’s hunt for a team trophy. Let’s take a look at what his tournament path could potentially be.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">125 | <a href="https://twitter.com/gas_caleb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gas_caleb</a> is your 1️⃣5️⃣ seed. He'll face DeAugustino (MICH) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/146IyG2CjO">pic.twitter.com/146IyG2CjO</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768068246496846230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="SedsBV">In the first round, Smith will take on 18-seed Michael DeAugustino of Michigan. Smith beat DeAugustino 8-5 in their dual match this year. If he gets by DeAugustino, which I believe he will, he’ll likely take on 2-seed Luke Stanich of Lehigh. A true freshman, Stanich was #65 on the class of 2023 Big Board. This season, he’s 19-3 on the year and just won the EIWA title. His only losses came to 8-seed Richard Figueroa of Arizona State, 6-seed Troy Spratley and high school phenom Jax Forrest. Considering he lost to a high school sophomore this season, the Lehigh freshman is obviously beatable. I expect the Husker junior to be in this match and possibly pull off the upset win.</p>
<p id="Q8EVLU">With a win over Stanich, Smith could see either 7-seed Jakob Camacho of NC State or the 10-seed Barnett. I think either will be a tough matchup for Smith, especially Barnett who just beat him pretty badly. </p>
<p id="gXXKw1">Looking at the bracket, Smith would then drop down to possibly face 5-seed Jore Volk of Wyoming or 12-seed Anthony Noto of Lock Haven. Volk is the Big 12 champion and has two wins over Smith this year, while Noto is 17-2 on the year and was ranked #1 in the country for a short time early in the season. Either of those matchups will be tough for Smith and he could fall here, one win shy of All-American honors.</p>
<p id="eijyly">If Smith wins that consolation matchup in the “bloodround”, he’ll lock up his first All-American finish, moving on to face 6-seed Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State or the 9-seed McKee. I believe Smith’s chances to be much better against Spratley than McKee based on past history. </p>
<p id="GWmnx9">The matchups don’t get any easier as you go to the next rounds of consolations. In an incredibly deep 125-pound weight class this year, it’s going to be exceedingly hard to make it on the podium through the back side. I’m not saying Smith can’t do it, but (after filling out the brackets) I personally have him falling in the bloodround (Round of 12) to Volk.</p>
<p id="maLGwj">Regardless, he’s been a nice addition to Nebraska’s roster this year and will help anchor this lineup next year as a senior.</p>
<h3 id="V7i23H">133 pounds - 14-seed Jacob Van Dee</h3>
<h5 id="YVoGjH"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="vJOtkj">2024 - First-time Qualifier</h5>
<p id="xUBxj4">In his redshirt freshman season, Jacob Van Dee took over the job and never looked back. He is going into NCAAs with a 22-8 record after finishing in 4th place at Big Tens with some solid wins over tough competition. </p>
<p id="UFaZg5">For Van Dee, his best win this year came against 5-seed Dylan Ragusin of Michigan in their dual, a 3-2 decision. Undefeated at that time, Ragusin went on to become a Big Ten finalist this year. Van Dee then went on to get wins over #11 Brody Teske of Iowa and #12 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State at Big Tens.</p>
<div id="y3Um4x">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">133 | <a href="https://twitter.com/jakevandee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jakevandee</a> is your 1️⃣4️⃣ seed. He'll face Farber (UNI) in the first round. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/4qvphqjYae">pic.twitter.com/4qvphqjYae</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768070102509826264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="ykQ68l">Looking at his path through the bracket, the 14-seed Van Dee will start with a first-round match against 19-seed Julian Farber of UNI. Van Dee has wrestled Farber twice this year, losing both matches — 9-5 at CKLV and 8-1 in their dual. Obviously, Van Dee is a freshman and has improved rapidly this year, but that’s a bit concerning going into a first-round matchup.</p>
<p id="WS7IfF">If Van Dee is able to beat Farber, he’ll likely see 3-seed Kai Orine of NC State in the second round. Orine is 15-2 on the year and just won an ACC title. This is a tough matchup for Van Dee, and I’d expect he falls to the consolations here. </p>
<p id="xeGOFT">On the back side, Van Dee would likely then have to face 20-seed Tyler Wells of Minnesota before facing either 11-seed Zeth Romney of Cal Poly or 12-seed Sam Latona of Virginia Tech. Van Dee fell to Romney 10-4 in their match at CKLV, so this is a tough matchup for him.</p>
<p id="wnwX7P">If Van Dee can advance to the bloodround, I have him facing 9-seed Dominick Serrano of Northern Colorado, a former starter for Nebraska in 2022 that transferred out. What could be more fun than a current and former Husker battling it out with the winner earning All-American honors and the loser going home?</p>
<p id="DUudKG">If Van Dee does in fact get this far and wants to place high, he’ll likely see consecutive matches against guys like 5-seed Ragusin, 6-seed Vito Arujau (last year’s NCAA Champion and senior-level World Champion) and 7-seed Nasir Bailey. </p>
<p id="xepuMZ">I do think that placing on the podium is going to be a tall task for Van Dee, but he’s a tough kid who’s shown he can win tough matches. Much like Smith, Van Dee would really improve Nebraska’s chances if he can reach the podium out of the 14-seed.</p>
<h3 id="IJaDwV">141 pounds - 9-seed Brock Hardy</h3>
<h5 id="TcXREs"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="zCFVjV">2023 - 6th place (3-2)</h5>
<p id="BUy5Iu">Last season, Brock Hardy made it all the way to the national semis but ended up breaking a rib in his match to Iowa’s Real Woods, dropping an 11-1 major decision while noticeably in pain. He then lost a match to Lachlan McNeil in the consolation semis before injury defaulting out of the 5th-place bout, placing sixth to earn All-American honors. Had he been healthy, a trip to the finals was in reach.</p>
<p id="w4AzfC">This season, Hardy has struggled at times but still brings a 19-8 record into nationals after finishing fifth at Big Tens. For his career, Hardy has a 54-19 career record and will be climbing up the Husker career charts if he keeps on track the next two years. As the 9-seed this year, Hardy will have a tough road ahead of him if he wants to stay on track to be a four-time All-American.</p>
<p id="4EzTrs">As for bonus-point potential, Hardy has 12 bonus-point wins this year. He is tied with Allred for second on the team with six pins to go along with four techs and two majors.</p>
<div id="xZGWg6">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">141 | <a href="https://twitter.com/theebrockhardy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theebrockhardy</a> is your 9️⃣ seed. He'll face Cornella (COR) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/bFGr2uuO4D">pic.twitter.com/bFGr2uuO4D</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768071459493089372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="sYCzza">Hardy opens his tournament with a match against 24-seed Vince Cornella of Cornell. Cornella is 14-9 on the year, and I think Hardy gets past him without too much trouble. Moving on to the second round, Hardy will likely see 8-seed Sergio Lemley of Michigan for their rubber match. The two split matches this season with Hardy winning 13-9 in the dual and Lemley winning 4-2 on a last-second takedown in the Big Ten quarterfinal. After how that match ended, I expect a more motivated and focused Hardy in that match.</p>
<p id="ZicaXQ">With a win over Lemley, Hardy will move onto the quarters to face 1-seed Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, the 2024 Big Ten Champion at 141 pounds. Hardy faced Mendez at CKLV in early December, dropping the match via 11-3 major decision. Hardy is a sizable underdog in this one, so I have him likely dropping to the bloodround here.</p>
<p id="RKKR70">In the Round of 12, Hardy could face either 11-seed Josh Koderhandt of Navy, 19-seed Malyke Hines of Lehigh, 20-seed Tom Crook of Virginia Tech or 21-seed Josh Edmond of Missouri. Hardy has a 4-0 win over Koderhandt this season but hasn’t faced the other three. Regardless, I think Hardy makes it past this round to secure All-American honors.</p>
<p id="rWGi1Q">Next up for Hardy will likely be 4-seed Ryan Jack of NC State, 7-seed Cael Happel of UNI or 18-seed Cole Matthews of Pitt. Hardy is 1-1 against Jack in his career and 1-2 against Happel. This match is a true coin flip kind of match.</p>
<p id="PDuXeO">If Hardy advances past Jack or Happel, he’ll likely face 2-seed Beau Bartlett of Penn State or 3-seed Real Woods of Iowa in the consolation semi. Hardy is 1-1 against Bartlett and 0-5 lifetime against Woods.</p>
<p id="hT3FYd">If he can win that match, Hardy would wrestle for 3rd place against someone like 5-seed Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State or 6-seed Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina. </p>
<p id="uQKPs3">I do think Hardy will get to the quarterfinal before a back-side run that will place him in the 4-7 range. As the 9-seed and a returning All-American, Nebraska needs placement points out of the sophomore.</p>
<h3 id="7nVNlj">149 pounds - 1-seed Ridge Lovett</h3>
<h5 id="xCu95F"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="OwaMx4">2020 - Qualifier at 133 (Cancelled due to COVID)</h5>
<h5 id="wTurv5">2021 - DNP at 149 (1-2)</h5>
<h5 id="ACbqMf">2022 - 2nd place at 149 (4-1)</h5>
<h5 id="Jimtf3">2023 - Redshirt year</h5>
<p id="pfqQ2B">The biggest story of the year for the Huskers has been the performance out of top-seeded and top-ranked Ridge Lovett. He’s 24-1 on the year with his only loss of the year a 4-3 decision to Arizona State’s Kyle Parco, the 2-seed at NCAAs.</p>
<p id="yoyiME">Lovett won a CKLV title back in December and has taken out 12 ranked opponents along the way — he twice beat Michigan’s #5 Austin Gomez, in their dual matchup and in the Big Ten final. Those are Gomez’s only two losses this year. Lovett leads the Huskers with seven pins in his 14 total bonus-point wins.</p>
<p id="uGumAr">For his career, Lovett comes in with a 70-16 record and has finished as an All-American once in 2022. Lovett qualified for nationals as a true freshman down at 133 pounds (tournament was cancelled due to COVID) before moving up two weight classes the following year. He didn’t place at nationals in 2021 but he was a Big Ten finalist. He then came back in 2021-22 and made it all the way to the NCAA final where he lost to Yianni Diakomihalis. It was Diakomihalis’ third NCAA title and he went on to win his fourth last season. Lovett redshirted last year, so this is his junior season.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">No surprise here.<br><br>149 | <a href="https://twitter.com/RidgeLovett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RidgeLovett</a> is your 1️⃣ seed. He'll wrestle either Cetta (RUT) or Boyd (CIT) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/xbR6vWSIsS">pic.twitter.com/xbR6vWSIsS</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768072601568506023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="Nl2jIy">Looking at his path, Lovett will open with a first-round matchup against 32-seed Jeffrey Boyd of the Citadel or 33-seed Michael Cetta of Rutgers. That’s easy work for Lovett, advancing him on to face possibly 17-seed Graham Rooks of Indiana in the second round. Lovett beat Rooks by pinfall last weekend at Big Tens, so I don’t think he’ll be challenged here.</p>
<p id="QLNqqs">The quarterfinal round is where Lovett may first be challenged as he’ll take on Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski, one of the most aggressive wrestler in the weight class. He’s hard-nosed and he’ll take it straight to Lovett, so it’s certainly a match to circle. I still think Lovett wins this one, but he might come out of it a bit bloodied and beaten up.</p>
<p id="tP9pNE">Moving on, Lovett will face either 4-seed Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech or 5-seed Ty Watters of West Virginia. Henson gave Lovett a tough match in the CKLV final this year, a 4-3 decision win for Lovett, while Watters is a true freshman who just won a Big 12 title. He’s long, rangy and dominant in the top position. He reminds me a lot of a young Lovett when he was down at 133. I do expect Watters to eventually move up to 157 or higher in his career, but this match would be another fun one to watch. Neither of these are gimmes, but Lovett has been elite all season, so I expect him to win here and advance to his second NCAA final.</p>
<p id="S7OITT">In the final, Lovett could face 2-seed Parco of ASU, 3-seed Jackson Arrington of NC State or 6-seed Gomez. Obviously, Parco gave Lovett his only loss this year, so that’s a matchup I’m sure he’d love to have so he could avenge that. Also, Lovett is 2-0 this year against Gomez, but he’s always dangerous with his big-move potential. Arrington is 18-3 on the year and just beat Henson in the ACC final, so he’s no slouch either.</p>
<p id="0NGngi">Regardless of who he sees in the final, I expect Lovett to bring home some NCAA gold, snapping Nebraska’s national title drought. </p>
<h3 id="IWTvWy">157 pounds - 8-seed Peyton Robb</h3>
<h5 id="Qicued"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="402ve7">2020 - Qualifier at 157 (Cancelled)</h5>
<h5 id="DZcnfa">2021 - DNP at 165 (2-2)</h5>
<h5 id="T9w9FI">2022 - 4th place at 157 (6-2)</h5>
<h5 id="QEB9R6">2023 - 6th place at 157 (3-2)</h5>
<p id="2bFEsC">After qualifying for the cancelled 2020 NCAA tournament, Robb has qualified each year since. In 2021, he was up a weight class at 165 and fell short of the podium. Down at his optimal weight of 157, Robb found the podium in 2022 and 2023 — finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.</p>
<p id="CHtNDE">Last year, he was plagued by a skin infection in his leg that soon threatened him life and limb. At the time, he was on a tear at NCAAs, falling in the semis to this year’s 1-seed Levi Haines of Penn State. He then spiked a fever and still competed in the consolation semis, dropping a 3-1 decision in sudden victory to Jared Franek, then of North Dakota State. Robb then medically forfeited out of the 5th-place match.</p>
<p id="iAnDI2">This season, Robb comes in as the 8-seed with his 21-6 record. He started this season winning his first 14 matches, capturing a title and being named Outstanding Wrestler at CKLV where he downed this year’s 2-seed Jacori Teemer of Arizona State in the final. He also leads the Huskers with nine tech falls. He has 13 bonus-point wins on the year. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">157 | <a href="https://twitter.com/Probb290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Probb290</a> is your 8️⃣ seed. He'll meet Chumbley (NW) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/np6w1XnYk0">pic.twitter.com/np6w1XnYk0</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768073781476495726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="ZRD9Ew">As a senior with a 96-33 career record, Robb is heading into his final tournament in a Husker singlet. If he can win at least four matches this week, he’ll be the newest name on Nebraska’s 100-win list — he’d be the 31st member of that list. Last season, we saw Mikey Labriola get to 100 wins (120-28 career) and we could see another name added to the list for the third year in a row (Taylor Venz finished his career in 2022 with a 101-40 record). Looking ahead, Nebraska has a few more guys poised to join the club on the team right now — Ridge Lovett is 70-16 right now and could eclipse 100 wins next season. Then there’s sophomores Hardy (54-19), Allred (50-14) and Pinto (44-15) who are mathematically on track to get over the 100-win mark or close to it, especially considering their trajectory.</p>
<p id="DTWamZ">Anyway, back to Robb, the only senior on Nebraska’s roster (although this is also Nash Hutmacher’s one and only season in a Husker singlet. Next year he’ll be gearing up for the NFL combine after football season).</p>
<p id="tCNOUx">Looking at the bracket, Robb will have a first-round match against 25-seed Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern. Robb is 3-0 in his career against Chumbley, winning their only match this season 5-0 at Big Tens, so I don’t see much threat with this matchup.</p>
<p id="eDPT0m">Moving to the second round, Robb will likely face 9-seed Will Lewan for the third time this year. Robb beat the Wolverine 8-2 at Cliff Keen then 2-1 in their dual. Lewan is hard to score on as he wrestles a very defensive style, but he also isn’t much of a threat to score on Robb. I see Robb advancing here in a close one-takedown match.</p>
<p id="xyfGKJ">In the quarterfinal, Robb will take on the 1-seed Haines. Robb is 0-3 against Haines in his career, dropping a 10-3 decision in their dual this year. This may be a hill too high for Robb to climb, as I have Haines going to the finals again as a sophomore.</p>
<p id="ZCPqbq">With the loss, Robb drops to the bloodround and will likely face 11-seed Brayton Lee of Indiana or 14-seed Cody Chittum of Iowa State. Robb is 2-1 against Lee lifetime, winning a 2-1 decision at Big Tens last weekend. A match against the freshman Chittum and his hard-nosed style would be a fun one to watch, but I expect the savvy veteran Robb gets it done here to secure his third All-American finish.</p>
<p id="BERAc9">Robb would then face someone like 4-seed Ed Scott or 7-seed Peyten Kellar of Ohio in the next round. Robb is 3-0 lifetime against Scott and 2-0 against Kellar. Robb beat Kellar twice this season in both the Navy Classic and at CKLV, winning both matches by tech fall 15-0 and 16-1.</p>
<p id="4svCgD">Moving on to the consolation semis, Robb would face the loser of the semifinal between 2-seed Teemer and 3-seed Meyer Shapiro of Cornell. Personally, I think Shapiro gets to the final, so I think Teemer will be the opponent. Robb and Teemer have wrestled three times with Robb winning all three. In 2020, Robb won a 5-0 decision. In 2022, Robb won a wild 6-4 decision in the consolation semis at nationals (see the end of that below). This season, Robb beat Teemer 6-4 again in the CKLV final. I like Robb to win the fourth installment of this rivalry. </p>
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<p id="sdpFYs">With a win, Robb will find himself in the 3rd-place match against either 5-seed Ryder Downey of UNI, 6-seed Daniel Cardenas of Stanford, 10-seed Jared Franek of Iowa or 12-seed Bryce Andonian. I think it’ll end up being Cardenas or Downey. Robb beat Cardenas 6-4 last year at NCAAs. Against Downey, Robb is 0-1, dropping a 6-5 decision in the dual in January. This could be a coin-flip type of match.</p>
<p id="rnglGk">A 3rd-place finish for a third All-American to end his career would put him at 102-34 for his career, cementing his status as one of the best to ever compete for the Huskers.</p>
<h3 id="U6VgeE">165 pounds - 8-seed Antrell Taylor</h3>
<h5 id="m8IUma"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="Ok8x85">2024 - First-time Qualifier</h5>
<p id="LiERvI">Coming off a redshirt year when he and Van Dee were named co-Redshirt of the Year for the Huskers, they’re both in the NCAA tournament as freshmen. Taylor comes in with a 20-7 record on the year in a brutal weight class that’s loaded with accomplished wrestlers.</p>
<p id="l1nYvt">This season, Taylor has put together a solid freshman campaign with an 11-3 dual record. At Big Tens, he finished in 5th place. His best win of the season came in a 3-2 tiebreaker win over three-time All-American Cam Amine of Michigan in their dual.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">165 | <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorAntrell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TaylorAntrell</a> enters his first NCAA tournament as the 8️⃣ seed. He'll match up against Heller (PITT) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/YVS0IbA8FW">pic.twitter.com/YVS0IbA8FW</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768074753540039114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="XdGFBT">Looking at the 165-pound bracket, Taylor faces a first-round match against 25-seed Holden Heller of Pitt. Taylor would get by the Panther with the 13-7 record on the year.</p>
<p id="gLogrW">In the second round, Taylor will likely face Peyton Hall of West Virginia. Hall is 26-7 on the year out of the Big 12, the premier conference at 165 pounds. Hall will probably be considered the favorite in this matchup, but don’t rule out Taylor.</p>
<p id="NwYzCE">If Taylor downs Hall, he’ll move on to face 1-seed Keegan O’Toole of Missouri. A junior with two NCAA titles to his name already, O’Toole is on track to be a four-timer and will be an incredibly tough out for Taylor. I just don’t see how Taylor beats O’Toole, dropping him to the bloodround where he could face 14-seed Giano Petrucelli of Air Force. Taylor split matches this year with Petrucelli, but I think he gets him here.</p>
<p id="98xIK2">Moving on, Taylor will likely face 5-seed Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin who just pinned Taylor in the Big Ten semifinal. Tough matchup for Taylor who would then drop to the 7th-place match where he’d likely face 6-seed Michael Caliendo of Iowa. Another opponent who downed Taylor in their only match this year, Caliendo would be the favorite here.</p>
<p id="yMskf5">I’m not saying Taylor is going to place, but I do expect him to get a couple wins with the chance to find the podium. If he does place, that will move the Huskers up the team standings for sure.</p>
<h3 id="tBS2lF">184 pounds - 5-seed Lenny Pinto</h3>
<h5 id="bphPtS"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="V4TWoX">2023 - DNP (1-2)</h5>
<p id="GZErc4">Last season, Lenny Pinto burst onto the scene with his 22-11 finish as a redshirt freshman. This year, he’s upped his level and goes into NCAAs with a 22-4 record and got the 5-seed.</p>
<p id="aXaVLZ">Boasting ten ranked wins on the year, Pinto has only lost to guys in the Top 5. His best win this year came against this weekend’s 3-seed Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, a 12-10 decision at CKLV — Plott then beat Pinto later on in Vegas. Pinto also has a win over 6-seed Bernie Truax of Penn State who then beat Pinto in the Big Ten semifinal.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">184 | <a href="https://twitter.com/Goodlen7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Goodlen7</a> has earned the 5️⃣ seed and will face Hopkins (CAMP) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/DU9E7ZZhKo">pic.twitter.com/DU9E7ZZhKo</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768076456884666483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="pW2CEN">Pinto will open his second NCAA tournament with a first-round match against 28-seed Caleb Hopkins of Campbell. In their dual matchup this year, Pinto beat Hopkins 6-5, so this one may be another close one, but I expect Pinto to get the win.</p>
<p id="0w7k3R">In the second round, Pinto will likely face 12-seed Jaden Bullock of Michigan for the fourth time this year. Pinto is 3-0 in that series, beating Bullock 9-6, 10-4 and 4-1 in sudden victory. Pinto should get past the Wolverine again.</p>
<p id="UWaBwI">Moving on to the quarters, Pinto will face 4-seed Trey Munoz of Oregon State. Munoz is 19-3 on the year. These two met at CKLV in 2022 with Pinto winning the match 5-4. Pinto has gotten much better this year, so I expect he’ll get past Munoz in a close match.</p>
<p id="tOwSMT">In the semifinal, Pinto will likely face 1-seed Parker Keckeisen for the third time in his career. Pinto is 0-2 against the Panther junior — falling via 11-2 major decision at CKLV in 2022 and again at this year’s CKLV 8-4. This is a matchup that Pinto wants to prove he’s a title contender. It won’t be easy for him, but he’ll likely need to hit a big move at some point to get the win here.</p>
<p id="8eaT6j">With it probable that Pinto falls to Keckeisen, he’ll then drop to the consolation semifinal where he’ll likely face either 10-seed Dylan Fishback of NC State or 6-seed Truax. Pinto is 1-0 against Fishback with a 4-1 overtime win at CKLV. Against Truax, Pinto is 1-1, dropping the last one 4-2 at Big Tens.</p>
<p id="vFnvgS">For Nebraska to place where it wants to as a team, it probably needs Pinto to finish in the Top 4.</p>
<h3 id="EkRlF4">197 pounds - 8-seed Silas Allred</h3>
<h5 id="WVPuHX"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="F2bxOJ">2023 - DNP (2-2)</h5>
<p id="PZit1W">As a redshirt freshman a year ago, Silas Allred won a Big Ten title and made it to the NCAA tournament, going 2-2 and losing 1-0 in the bloodround to four-time All-American Jacob Warner of Iowa. He finished that season with a 25-7 record.</p>
<p id="oqsDvG">This season, Allred is 24-6 and just finished third at Big Tens with his only loss to #1 Aaron Brooks of Penn State. He had a few hiccups early in the season, but he’s largely been solid lately. He’s 11-2 in his last 13 matches with the only losses coming to Brooks. Allred is not only Nebraska’s leader in wins, he’s its leader in bonus-point wins with 17 — 6 pins, 8 tech falls, 3 majors.</p>
<p id="KdRVBH">At Big Tens, Allred finished third, getting his most impressive win of the season in the 3rd-place match against then-#3 Jaxon Smith of Maryland — a 10-3 decision where he collected three takedowns in the third period. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">197 | <a href="https://twitter.com/silas_allred?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@silas_allred</a> is the 6th Huskers to earn a top-10 seed. He'll match up against Geog (OHST) in the first round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCAAWrestling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCAAWrestling</a> <a href="https://t.co/c2d1Ewg8s6">pic.twitter.com/c2d1Ewg8s6</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768077694229479923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="pQreRg">As the 10-seed at NCAAs, Allred will first face 23-seed Luke Geog of Ohio State. At Big Tens, Allred defeated Geog in the consolation semi via injury default when Geog injured his leg during an Allred takedown and was unable to continue. Allred was up 4-0 in the second period, so I assume the rematch will be all Allred.</p>
<p id="u00kPJ">In the second round, Allred will have a tough task as he faces an opponent that majored him this year in Iowa’s 7-seed Zach Glazier. Allred seemed off in January when this match happened, so I do think he can get the win this time with how he’s been wrestling lately. </p>
<p id="QtPswu">Next up in the quarters will be as far as Allred will go this year as he’ll face 2-seed Trent Hidlay of NC State. Hidlay is undefeated and smashing everyone and looks like he’s on the war path toward Brooks in the final. It’s a match I want to see for sure.</p>
<p id="P9xY56">With the likely Hidlay loss, Allred will fall to the bloodround and could face 5-seed Jacob Cardenas of Cornell or 12-seed Rocky Elam of Missouri. Allred lost to Cardenas via 17-1 tech fall at CKLV, so that’s a tough matchup for him. He hasn’t faced the three-time All-American Elam. Like I said, Allred has been peaking lately and looks like he could beat Cardenas or Elam, but it’ll be a tall task as he’ll be at risk of falling in the bloodround for the second straight year.</p>
<p id="QlkeIx">Let’s say he gets the win, Allred would likely move on to face 6-seed Lou Deprez of Binghamton — he’s 23-2 on the year. Allred will have another tough match here. </p>
<p id="BFqyXd">With a win, Allred would move on to face 4-seed Michael Beard of Lehigh, a former Nittany Lion. One of the best in the country the last couple years, Beard will be a tough out. With a win, Allred would likely see 3-seed Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State for third, an opponent he’s struggled against historically. </p>
<p id="bD7aiW">Regardless, Allred breaking through the bloodround and scoring placement points would be important for Nebraska. </p>
<h3 id="2m1ZpI">285 pounds - 29-seed Nash Hutmacher</h3>
<h5 id="1ZCmAQ"><strong>NCAA tournament history</strong></h5>
<h5 id="aYzPSY">2024 - First-time Qualifier</h5>
<p id="tBmG1V">In one of the biggest stories of the year for Nebraska, current Husker and future NFL defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher joined the team in December, cut 45 pounds to 285, and took over the starting gig at heavyweight. </p>
<p id="oceRM0">He’s 7-6 on the year and just picked up two upset wins at Big Tens on the way to placing sixth to auto qualify for NCAAs. He beat both #24 Seth Nevills of Maryland 7-0 and #32 Bennett Tabor of Minnesota 9-1 by major decision on the back side of the bracket. All six of his losses came to ranked opponents, including to #1 Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">HWT | ❄️ <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePolarBear605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThePolarBear605</a> is your 2️⃣9️⃣ seed. He'll face Cohlton Schultz (ASU) in the opening round.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToughTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ToughTogether</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBR</a> <a href="https://t.co/SPd9yynHLu">pic.twitter.com/SPd9yynHLu</a></p>— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling/status/1768079063321632885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="gg3A0e">Looking at the bracket, Hutmacher will first face 4-seed Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State. A Greco-Roman world-teamer, Schultz is also a former NCAA finalist. He’s 9-1 on the year. This matchup will probably be the “biggest” match weight-wise in the tournament, as Hutmacher routinely weighs in right at 285 pounds and Schultz often tips the scales at 280. </p>
<p id="DDIHJb">Hutmacher is facing very long odds here, and I expect him to hit the back side early. He’ll start with a match against 20-seed Daniel Bucknavich of Colorado State who is 23-4 on the year. This will likely be a close match as the Polar Bear tries to score some team points.</p>
<p id="zsKMyg">If he beats Bucknavich, Hutmacher will face 14-seed Boone McDermott of Oregon State. McDermott is 18-9 on the year and I could see Hutmacher beating him. With a win, Hutmacher could face 11-seed Josh Heindselman of Oklahoma who is 22-6 on the year. That’s about as far as I can imagine Hutmacher making it, but with his want-to and work ethic, I’m sure he can leave me eating crow on Friday, which I would love. </p>
<p id="DwSCRP">If he does, He could move on to face Ohio State’s 9-seed Nick Feldman before 5-seed Nathan Taylor of Lehigh. Then would come a match against 3-seed Wyatt Hendrickson and a 3rd-place match against either Schultz or 7-seed Taye Ghadiali of Campbell. </p>
<p id="qIOGKG">That’s a tough road for Nash Hutmacher or anyone to get through unscathed. </p>
<p id="XnjALs">Regardless, just qualifying for this tournament was a huge accomplishment. Whatever he does this weekend is all just gravy.</p>
https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/18/24103868/wrestling-nebraska-in-the-trophy-hunt-going-into-ncaa-championshipsDylan Guenther2024-03-18T07:00:00-05:002024-03-18T07:00:00-05:00Corn Flakes: DANCE DANCE DANCE!
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<figcaption>Dillon Galloway</figcaption>
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<p>The Husker men and women found out their seeding and opponent...which seems a little too much of a coincidence</p> <p id="l6jNVx">Well, the Husker men and women are both going dancing. And their opponents are...I mean their opponent is...Texas A&M?!?</p>
<p id="2tHUOa">Yep, the same school our athletic director just jilted us for.</p>
<p id="uCEKYk">Seems like a little too much of a coincidence. What do you think?</p>
<h2 id="pjHsOR">Corn Flakes</h2>
<p id="KeJWba"><a href="https://www.knopnews2.com/2024/03/15/huskers-nfl-maliek-collins-jack-stoll-find-new-homes/">Huskers in the NFL: Maliek Collins and Jack Stoll find new homes</a><br>The new league year began in the National Football League (NFL) this week, along with it NFL free agency, in which numerous transactions have occurred.</p>
<p id="SzRDFj"><a href="https://www.klkntv.com/former-huskers-sing-praises-of-interim-ad-dennis-leblanc/">Former Huskers sing praises of interim AD Dennis Leblanc</a><br>"Dennis is responsible for more successful Huskers than probably anyone else alive," former football player Mike Stuntz said.</p>
<p id="1N9Zr1"><a href="https://saturdaytradition.com/illinois-football/3-takeaways-from-illinois-massive-b1g-tournament-comeback-vs-nebraska/">3 takeaways from Illinois' massive B1G Tournament comeback vs. Nebraska</a><br>Illinois will play for a Big Ten Tournament title after rallying in the second half against Nebraska in a semifinal win.</p>
<p id="w8eK4C"><a href="https://huskers.com/news/2024/3/15/ossi-rhode-garner-all-american-honors">Rifle: Ossi, Rhode Garner All-American Honors - University of Nebraska - Official Athletics Website</a><br>More accolades for the rifle team.</p>
<p id="KHNUEe"><a href="https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/17/24104359/nebraska-baseball-sweeps-nicholls-taking-the-final-11-4">Nebraska Baseball Sweeps Nicholls Taking the Final 11-4 - Corn Nation</a><br>Will Walsh once again comes up big with his second home run in two days</p>
<p id="cSCAuj"><a href="https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/16/24103390/huskers-softball-recap-nebraska-9-creighton-0-caitlyn-olensky-billie-andrews-sydney-gray-bluejays">HUSKERS SOFTBALL Recap: NEBRASKA 9 Creighton 0 Bluejays Caitlyn Olensky Billie Andrews Sydney Gray - Corn Nation</a><br>For those tired of games undecided until the final swings or extra innings or both? The Huskers had your back today.</p>
<h2 id="ft5opu">Sports!</h2>
<p id="7IaXcx"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/wrestling-girls-high-school-c1e18531cf36831e158282ea08ca9775">Girls are falling in love with wrestling, the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport | AP News</a><br>Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, sanctioned by a surging number of states and bolstered by a movement of medal-winning female wrestlers, parents and the male-dominated ranks of coaches and administrators who saw it as a necessity and a matter of equal</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you read my post about finding the goodness in loss or hard moments I said I would share this video.<br><br>My husband Doug has been at the top of this sport. He has won a state title, a NCAA title, the US Open, World Team trials, placed 5th at the world, and was an Olympian.… <a href="https://t.co/nY4Gj1QXO0">pic.twitter.com/nY4Gj1QXO0</a></p>— Allyson Schwab (@allysonschwab) <a href="https://twitter.com/allysonschwab/status/1768302082161864946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="QbIdaP"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-14/la-lebron-card-spiegel-lawsuit">The ‘King of Collectibles’ pulled a million-dollar LeBron card from auction. Is it legit? - Los Angeles Times</a><br>Two L.A. sports card collectors owned a rare LeBron James card they hoped to sell for big bucks — until an auctioneer dubbed the “King of Collectibles” upended the plan.</p>
<h2 id="fX8vzf">Then There’s This</h2>
<p id="hsZYJX"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240315-the-super-strength-irish-moonshine-making-waves">The super-strength Irish ‘moonshine’ making waves</a><br>A once-bootlegged spirit, poitín has become a symbol of Irish determination, encapsulating heritage and identity – especially on St Patrick’s Day.</p>
<p id="fIwjyn"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240314-fungi-can-be-used-to-clean-pollution-and-combat-climate-change">In Cleveland, mushrooms digest entire houses: How fungi can be used to clean up pollution</a><br>In the struggle to combat pollution and fight climate change, a growing number of scientists are beginning to look to one of nature’s oldest biotechnologies: fungi</p>
<p id="KxtWr2"><a href="https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/americans-want-to-be-remembered-for-their-creativity-not-fame-or-fortune/">Americans Want to Be Remembered For Their Creativity –Not Fame or Fortune</a><br>It’s not fortune or fame Americans want to be remembered for—it’s their creativity, according to a new poll. But most need more confidence.</p>
<p id="Ud26rf"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/mar/15/why-jalapeno-not-spicy">Iced spice: are jalapeños really losing their heat? | Food | The Guardian</a><br>A story exposing a pepper conspiracy has sparked a five-alarm panic – but heat seekers still have options</p>
https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/18/24104632/corn-flakes-dance-dance-dance-march-madness-nebrasketball-husker-womens-basketballranchbabe2024-03-17T20:09:48-05:002024-03-17T20:09:48-05:00March Madness: Nebraska WBB Heads to Corvallis to Battle Texas A&M
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<figcaption>Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Well this should be good</p> <p id="6QYGce">After just missing the NCAA Tournament last year and battling their way in the WNIT, Nebraska has found their way back in the Big Dance.</p>
<p id="sIKwY3">Nebraska picks up the #6 seed in the Regional 1 in Albany bracket. They will play #11 seeded Texas A&M in Corvallis, Oregon. Time and date still to be set.</p>
<p id="CGugPz">Oh, if this looks oddly familiar it’s because it’s the same matchup the men drew. Coincidence? I don’t think so.</p>
<p id="tPQRyl">I’m just praying that both teams get a win and maybe we’ll move on from all of this for the time being. Maybe someday Nebraska will stop being the punching bag of the sports world. (Just my opinion)</p>
<p id="MrQ5lF">Anywho, I DO NOT want to take away want an amazing accomplishment this is for the lady Huskers and how excited this state is for them. Nebraska will head into March Madness with a 22-11 record, 11-7 in Big Ten play.</p>
<p id="KBFKn1">Let’s hope they can avenge their first round exit against Gonzaga from two years ago. March is here and I think we’re in for a good one. </p>
https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/17/24104409/march-madness-nebraska-wbb-heads-to-corvallis-to-battle-texas-a-mjaden.miller2024-03-17T18:44:57-05:002024-03-17T18:44:57-05:00Nebraska Baseball Sweeps Nicholls Taking the Final 11-4
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<figcaption>Big Red Sweep Colonels | Nebraska Athletic Department</figcaption>
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<p><em>Will Walsh once again comes up big with his second home run in two days</em></p> <p id="NaK753">When both teams take their batting practice before the game inside, that’s a pretty good indication that there might be better things to do outside than play baseball. When you look at the team from Thibodaux, Louisiana all shivering in their sweatshirts (they didn’t have coats!), you know they would rather be back home!</p>
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<p id="bqcAXr">Despite the cold windy day, and the shivers, the boys from Louisiana struck first, taking advantage of freshman starter Ty Horn’s struggle finding the strike zone in the second inning. Horn walked the first two batters, and after a sacrifice bunt by Drake Anderson, Garrett Felix hit a deep fly ball to rightfield to score the first run of the game. Fortunately, Horn was able to prevent any further damage. </p>
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<p id="o3opnV">Nicholls starter Michael Quevedo was able to hold the Cornhuskers at bay, keeping them from stringing together hits and putting any runs on the board. Horn struggled again in the top of the third, walking leadoff batter Parker Coddou and then giving up a double to the best hitter on the Colonel’s team, Edgar Alvarez. Coach Rob Childress then took his second walk to the mound and pointed to the bullpen to bring in lefty Jackson Brockett.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Colonels add two runs in the 3rd and lead 3-0!</p>— Nicholls Baseball (@Nicholls_BSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nicholls_BSB/status/1769422959217709172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="3QDzuh">On Brockett’s first pitch, McCrae Kendrick slashed a single to right-center, scoring two more runs to put Nicholls up 3-0. Quevedo remained solid in the bottom of the third having only given up one hit, though Cornhusker batters were forcing him to throw a lot of pitches. After Jackson Brockett found his form and shut down the Colonels in the top of the fourth, Nebraska’s batters found their groove.</p>
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<p id="HFXKEU">Cole Evans and Josh Caron finally got to Quevedo with a single and double respectively. Up came yesterday’s star, Will Walsh, who pounded a ball to leftfield in the teeth of the wind for a three-run homer to tie the ballgame. Gabe Swansen reached on an error, but was forced out on a ground ball hit by Rhett Stokes. That brought up shortstop Dylan Hufft, who smacked a single that was mishandled by the right fielder to score Stokes. Nebraska had taken the lead, 4-3.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">BOOM. <a href="https://twitter.com/will_walsh30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@will_walsh30</a> with a 3-run shot to tie it up. <a href="https://t.co/S0ISqrTMIq">pic.twitter.com/S0ISqrTMIq</a></p>— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerBaseball/status/1769429623530827790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="17Tnuy">The Cornhusker bullpen then took over the game. After Brockett’s strong fourth inning, Kyle Froehlich pitched two solid innings, facing seven batters and getting a strikeout. Bobby Olsen came on, and while walking the leadoff batter who eventually scored, shut down the power part of the Nicholls lineup. Omaha transfer Rans Sanders finished the game pitching the final two inning, facing only seven batters and securing the win.</p>
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<p id="GmplZw">Nebraska also scored five runs in the sixth inning and another two in the seventh. In the fifth, that guy Will Walsh got it going again as he started the inning off with a base hit, and moved to second on a wild pitch. He advanced to third base on a deep fly out to center by Gabe Swansen. Rhett Stokes, the hottest hitter on the team, rapped a double to score Walsh. That brought up Dylan Hufft who was promptly hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Riley Silva poked a single that scored both runners. Silva then scored on a double by Joshua Overbeek, who scored on a single by Josh Caron two batters later. At the end of the sixth inning, Nebraska was in control, 9-3.</p>
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<p id="w8ZUhl">After Nicholls score their final run in the top of the seventh, Nebraska scored two in the bottom of the inning. Gabe Swansen seems to be swinging the bat a lot better and doubled, eventually scoring on Rhett Stokes’ second double of the game. Stokes advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Dylan Hufft, and another one by Case Sanderson. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Providing some insurance.<br><br>RBI double from Stokes makes it 5-3 Big Red. <a href="https://t.co/4ZLcE122jk">pic.twitter.com/4ZLcE122jk</a></p>— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerBaseball/status/1769442123495911898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="uHLG4N">As mentioned earlier, Rans Sanders shut down the Colonels in their final two at-bats, resulting in Nebraska sweeping the series with an 11-4 win.</p>
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<p id="QCxhOu">Nicholls came into this series with a 17-3 record and are flying back to Louisiana adding three to the loss column. Nebraska won the hard-fought battle on Friday night and then the offense became relentless on Saturday and once they got going on Sunday. This team puts a lot of pressure on pitchers and a defense because of the speed and aggressive nature of the head coach. Now they are starting to show a little bit of power, which makes them all the more difficult to face.</p>
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<p id="QVWILN">Up next are the Omaha Mavericks who will travel to Lincoln for one game on Tuesday, first pitch at 6:05. Nebraska did not fair really well against the instate rival last year, and definitely look forward to turning the tables on them.</p>
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<p id="FjIJbr"><em><strong>Notes:</strong></em></p>
<p id="SWeMUp">· For the first game this season, Dylan Carey was not in the starting lineup. The sophomore has struggled all season at the plate and has not been able to find any consistency. He’s an incredible talent, but right now Dylan Hufft is the better option at shortstop.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Flashin' the leather. <a href="https://t.co/ollT9ns1Hf">pic.twitter.com/ollT9ns1Hf</a></p>— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuskerBaseball/status/1769439869024301237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="ArpkOh">· Coach Will Bolt has stated the thing he is most happy with over the past few games has been getting the leadoff batter on base. Six of eight today and yesterday is good production.</p>
<p id="BExbct">· Will Walsh is off to an amazing start as a position player. Coming into Saturday’s game, he had one official at bat and was hitting .000. He’s had five hits in the last two games, including two home runs and two doubles. Tyler Stone may have a tough time getting back in the lineup.</p>
<p id="ZQSGpO">· Rhett Stokes continues his amazing streak hitting at Haymarket Park. He has been three for four in every game until today, when he went two for five. Is it possible he is the Big Ten Player of the Week for a second week in a row?</p>
<p id="TFnSL8">· Josh Caron continues to drive in runs. Two RBI today pushes his team leading total to 22 on the season. This also speaks to the ability of batters in front of him to get on base. </p>
<p id="cAZyH6">· Today was the first time I’ve noticed the Canadian flag flying in left field. Usually, they have the American and Nebraska flags, and sometimes a POW flag. As a number of veterans attend Nebraska baseball games, it is apparent one of them pointed out that the stars and stripes hang on the left when displayed in this manner as they were switched shortly before the first pitch.</p>
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https://www.cornnation.com/2024/3/17/24104359/nebraska-baseball-sweeps-nicholls-taking-the-final-11-4Todd Wolverton