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The Nebraska women’s basketball team is set to take on three 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen qualifiers during its nine-game home Big Ten schedule at Pinnacle Bank Arena, after the conference announced the Big Red’s 18-game league slate on Wednesday. The conference made a concerted effort to match top teams against top teams.
The Huskers, who finished 24-9 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament before earning a 2022 NCAA Tournament berth, will take on Michigan (Elite Eight), 2022 Big Ten regular-season co-champion Ohio State (Sweet 16), Maryland (Sweet 16) and Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion Iowa (NCAA 2nd Round) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Overall, eight of Nebraska’s conference games will come against teams that won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2022.
Nebraska, which tied a school record with 16 home victories a year ago, opens Big Ten play against perennial power Maryland on the road in College Park on Sunday, Dec. 4. The first home action will be on Wednesday, Dec. 7 against Wisconsin. This starts a five-game stand that includes three non-conference games (Samford, Wyoming, Kansas) prior to the holiday break, before culminating with the first of two regular-season showdowns against Michigan. Nebraska defeated the Wolverines in Lincoln last season before beating the eventual NCAA Elite Eight qualifiers in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis.
The Huskers then hit the road for a New Year’s Day showdown with 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen qualifier and Big Ten Tournament runner-up Indiana in Bloomington on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. Nebraska split the season series with the Hoosiers a year ago. The New Year’s Day game at Indiana will be a marquee game for the conference and will cap a four-game Big Ten-opening stretch where the Huskers face three 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen teams.
The Huskers will conclude Big Ten regular-season road action at Illinois (Wednesday, Feb. 22) before wrapping conference home action against Northwestern (Sunday, Feb. 26) to complete the season series against both of the Big Ten’s teams from Illinois.
“I think Nebraska could be one of the most dangerous teams in this league,” Big Ten Network Women’s Basketball Analyst Meghan McKeown said on the B1G Network women’s basketball conference schedule reveal special as part of B1G Today. “They return a ton of starters from last season and they added some key pieces from the transfer portal.”
Big Ten Network host Dave Revsine responded with his own praise for the Big Red.
“They were a great story last year. Jaz Shelley, the transfer was incredible,” Revsine said. “Alexis Markowski turned out to be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and really a fabulous player and a ton of fun to watch.”
Nebraska’s 2022-23 Big Ten Schedule
Dec. 4 (Sunday) - at Maryland
Dec. 7 (Wednesday) - Wisconsin
Dec. 28 (Wednesday) - Michigan
Jan. 1 (Sunday) - at Indiana
Jan. 7 (Saturday) - at Rutgers
Jan. 11 (Wednesday) - Penn State
Jan. 14 (Saturday) - Ohio State
Jan. 18 (Wednesday) - at Purdue
Jan. 22 (Sunday) - Maryland
Jan. 28 (Saturday) - at Iowa
Feb. 2 (Thursday) - Michigan State
Feb. 6 (Monday) - at Northwestern
Feb. 9 (Thursday) - Illinois
Feb. 12 (Sunday) - at Michigan
Feb. 15 (Wednesday) - at Minnesota
Feb. 18 (Saturday) - Iowa
Feb. 22 (Wednesday) - at Illinois
Feb. 26 (Sunday) - Northwestern
March 1-5 - Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament (Target Center, Minneapolis)
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