Nebraska WBB vs 14/19 Michigan Preview

Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams will take aim at her 300th career win today, while Michigan Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico will try for career win No. 500.

That is impressive!

I’m pretty sure the Wolverines have had this date circled on their calendars for a while now. A year ago, the Huskers dominated a top-10 Wolverine team and then beat them again in the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan is not quite as highly ranked as they were a year ago, but they are still very talented and even more experienced.

Nebraska is coming off a Top-20 win against Kansas, but may (again) be playing shorthanded if Allison Weidner’s leg injury is serious. Weidner was lost in the late part of the game against Kansas and was taken off the court unable to put weight on her left leg. There has been no official word on her status. Fortunately for Nebraska, Sam Haiby (returning from injury) looked like her old self and filled the void during the big three-overtime win.

The Huskers got more help with the return of Issie Bourne vs Kansas (shoulder injury) and the continued emergence of Maggie Mendelson who nearly notched a double-double in her second game as a Husker. Adding them to the Jaz Shelley/Alexis Markowski show seems to be a winning formula for the ladies.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) vs. 14/19 Michigan Wolverines (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten)

Wednesday, December 28, 2022, 6 p.m. (CT)

Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska

Live TV: Big Ten Network Sloane Martin (PBP), Brenda VanLengen (Analyst)

Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (5:45 p.m.) Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst) Lincoln (107.3 FM/1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM) Huskers.com, Huskers App

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten)
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - So. - C/F - 13.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 15.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg

Off the Bench
44 - Maggie Mendelson - 6-5 - Fr. - F/C - 9.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - So. - F - 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - So. - G - 4.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 3.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - So. - F/G - 2.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg
24 - Nailah Dillard - 5-10 - Gr. - G - 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg

Jill’s note: I would be surprised if we see Weidner in the starting lineup. I expect Sam Haiby to take the floor in her place if the injury is serious.

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998) Seventh Season at Nebraska (106-87); 16th Season Overall (299-196)

14/19 Michigan Wolverines (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
33 - Emily Kiser - 6-3 - Gr. - F - 18.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg
44 - Cameron Williams - 6-3 - Jr. - F - 7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
3 - Maddie Nolan - 5-11 - Sr. - G - 7.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg
5 - Laila Phelia - 6-0 - So. - G - 17.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Sr. - G - 14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg

Off the Bench
11 - Greta Campschroeder - 6-0 - So. - G - 4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg
22 - Chyra Evans - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
20 - Alyssa Crockett - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg
10 - Jordan Hobbs - 6-3 - So. - G - 2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
30 - Elise Stuck - 6-1 - Jr. - G/F - 1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg
24 - Michelle Sidor - 5-9 - Sr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
12 - Ari Wiggins - 5-8 - So. - G - 0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg
13 - Kate Clarke - 6-1 - Fr. - G - 0.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg

Head Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (Montclair State, 1993) 11th Season at Michigan (246-197); 27th Season Overall (499-315)

Michigan is averaging 77.6 points and hitting 48.5 percent of its field goal attempts, including 33.2 percent of its threes, while making 5.9 threes per game. The Wolverines own a plus-8.4 (37.5-29.1) team rebounding margin and a plus-4.7 turnover margin. Michigan is surrendering just 57.1 points per game while holding opponents to 38.1 percent shooting.

Former Husker Leigha Brown led Michigan with 25 points against UNC, while sophomore Laila Phelia added 20 points. Brown has moved into a point guard role for the Wolverines in her fifth season overall and third in Ann Arbor. The 6-1 senior is averaging 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-best 5.2 assists.

Nebraska vs. Michigan Series History

Nebraska owns a 16-7 edge in the all-time series with Michigan, including a 79-58 run past the Wolverines in Lincoln (Jan. 4, 2022). The Huskers added a 76-73 win over the Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis (March 4, 2022).

Outside of Nebraska’s lopsided win in January, five of the last six games in the series have been decided by six points or less.

Husker Numbers to WatchNebraska’s Amy Williams is one win away from the 300th of her collegiate head coaching career, including 97 victories at Rogers State (NAIA, 2007-12), 96 at South Dakota (2013-16) and 106 at Nebraska (2016-present).

Alexis Markowski is two points away from 600 and eight rebounds away from 400 as a Husker. She is just five points away from matching her father Andy’s Nebraska career total of 603 points. Andy was a four-year contributor and two-year starter for the Husker men’s basketball team from 1995-96 through 1998-99. Andy finished with 568 rebounds.

Annika Stewart is two points away from 400 in her career.

Sam Haiby is three points away from 1,400 in her career.

Kendall Moriarty has already surpassed her season point total (58-45) from a year ago while tripling her three-point total (9-3) and more than doubling her season rebound total (31-12). She also has doubled her steals total (6-3), more than quadrupled her made free throws (9-2) and matched her season block total (3) from a year ago.

Isabelle Bourne is 39 points away from 1,000 in her career. She is five games away from her 100th career game as a Husker. Her older sister, Callie, recently reached the 1,000-point mark in her fifth season at Idaho State, achieving the milestone at San Diego (Nov. 25) in career game No. 118.