The Big Ten Conference announced the women’s basketball schedule on Thursday and now Nebraska knows its path for what it hopes is back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s possible the Huskers could be ranked this season for the first time since early in the 2022-23 season. Below are four things that stand out about the schedule.
The two with Iowa
The series with Iowa should still be intense even with Caitlin Clark in the WNBA. In the expanded 18-team Big Ten, there’ll be fewer times when NU plays an opponent twice each season, but there will still be lots of Nebraska against Iowa games.
OUR 2024-25 FULL SCHEDULE
🗓️ get these marked down Husker Nation pic.twitter.com/KwRD9ncSax
— Nebraska Women’s Basketball (@HuskerWBB) September 19, 2024
The 18-game league schedule includes 16 single-play games and one home and away opponent — for Nebraska this time that’s Iowa.
Last season, Nebraska beat No. 2 Iowa in Lincoln before losing to the Hawkeyes in overtime in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
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Iowa won’t be as good, but still has some great players including forward Hannah Stuelke and transfer guard Lucy Olsen. She ranked third in the country in scoring last season (23.3 per game) for Villanova. And people around here know that Fremont’s Taylor McCabe can shoot it.
The two matchups will come in a stretch of four weeks. The Huskers are at Iowa City on Jan. 16 and Iowa comes here on Feb. 10.
The next BIG thing
Clark is gone, but the Big Ten still has a must-see player with Southern California sophomore guard JuJu Watkins.
She averaged 27.1 points per game while earning first-team All-American honors last season, including a 51-point game. She helped USC reach the NCAA Elite Eight.
Like Nebraska’s win against Iowa last season, beating USC would get Nebraska national recognition and likely a better NCAA seed.
The Huskers play at USC on Jan. 1 as part of a two-game visit to Los Angeles. Nebraska plays at UCLA on Dec. 29.
The BIG finish
Wins late in the season look good for the NCAA Tournament committee. Nebraska’s final stretch of the regular season doesn’t include any teams ranked at the end of last season with road trips to Illinois and Northwestern and home games against Oregon and Washington.
Nebraska went 13-3 at home last season as part of an overall record of 23-12.
The Creighton game
Creighton finished ranked 23rd last season and should be really good again this season. The game against the Bluejays is always a great test to see how determined Nebraska is to play great defense.
That’s Nebraska’s sixth game of the season, on Nov. 22 in Omaha.
Creighton has won the last two matchups, including 79-74 last season.
Top Journal Star photos for September 2024
Lincoln Christian’s Brett Maher (14) sits in the locker room with his teammates ahead of the game against Auburn on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at Lincoln Christian High School.
First District Republican incumbent Mike Flood (left) and Democratic challenger Carol Blood debate on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at Nebraska Public Media.
Lincoln Bike Kitchen Executive Director, Shari Shanks, hangs bike pedals on hooks at the new Lincoln Bike Kitchen headquarters inside the old Muny Pool building Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. The Lincoln Bike Kitchen accepts bikes in all conditions and will break unusable ones down for scrap parts.
Gypsy Anton of Lincoln, 13, (from left) listen to music with her brother Silver Anton, 11, mother Jen Leonard, and sister Sophia Leonard, 12, during Porch Jam Sunday near Cooper Park.
Nebraska’s Ty Robinson (right) blocks a pass by Northern Iowa quarterback Aidan Dunne (10) in the second quarter on Saturday, Sep. 14, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Volunteers Devin Flemming (left) and John Sjuts, of Lincoln, fill bags of food to distribute on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at West Lincoln Elementary. The Backpack program allows students in need to take backpacks full of food home.
Nebraska’s Jacory Barney (17) dances in the endzone as he celebrates scoring a second quarter touchdown against Northern Iowa on Saturday, Sep. 14, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Members of the UNL Army ROTC’s Big Red Battalion climb the steps of Memorial Stadium during a silent stair climb in remembrance of those lost in the 9/11 attacks on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Lincoln.
Starting at 6:00 a.m., various members of the branches of UNL ROTC, first responders in the surrounding Lancaster areas, and former military members began a silent stair climb workout that involves climbing 2,071 steps, or about 110 flights of stairs. This was the number of stairs that were present at the World Trade Center, which first responders climbed in an effort to rescue people from the towers. The cadets only count the stairs going up, not down. Representing those first responders who never got a chance to descend safely.
Lincoln East’s Raheem Popoola (13) leads his team out onto the field before the game against Grand Island on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, at Seacrest Field.
Nebraska’s Harper Murray (27) embraces Bergen Reilly (2) after scoring a kill against Creighton in the first set on Tuesday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska’s Tommi Hill (6) celebrates a pick-six during the first quarter of the game against Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s Jacory Barney (17) celebrates as fans rush the field after the game on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Terence “Bud” Crawford (center) takes the field next to Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola (left) and Mikai Gbayor on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska fans storm the field after winning the game against Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 28-10.
Police investigate the scene of a shooting Sunday in downtown Lincoln near 11th and P streets where one man was killed and another man was injured.
While teammate Dante Dowdell (23) celebrates a touchdown with his teammates, quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) reacts toward the home sideline in the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s Dante Dowdell (23) is tackled by Colorado’s Shilo Sanders (21) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Wahoo players pray in the locker room ahead of their match against Ashland-Greenwood on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at Wahoo High School.
Lincoln Southeast’s Zayvion Campbell (left), Lincoln Southwest’s Nathan Mensah (center) and Southeast’s Mason Mehta (right) dive after the ball in the end zone during the second quarter on Friday at Seacrest Field. The play resulted in a Lincoln Southwest touchback.
Ian Plumlee, of Lincoln, dances with his daughter, Josephine, 4, as Sandy Creek Pickers performs during the Nebraska Bluegrass Concert Series on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, on Nebraska Innovation Campus.
Jeff Gold speaks after being installed as the University of Nebraska’s ninth president during an investiture ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.
Junior Dylan Zephier (center) dances with senior Jordyn Guse next to senior Helina Cooper (back left) and freshman Liam Hoffschneider during a Unified music class, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at East High School.
Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola walks in the Legacy Walk on Saturday outside Memorial Stadium.
A great blue heron perches on a rock in the shallow water of Holmes Lake on Tuesday.
Nebraska’s Leyla Blackwell (11) throws a volleyball into the stands before the match against TCU on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at the Bob Devaney Center.
The Huskers run on to the field to kickoff the game against UTEP on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s MJ Sherman (48) sacks UTEP’s Skyler Locklear (9) during the first quarter of the UTEP game on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Norfolk Catholic players line up on the field before during the game against Bishop Neumann on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at Bishop Neumann in Wahoo.
Nebraska’s Isaiah Neyor (18) catches a 59-yard touchdown pass while defended by UTEP’s Jaylon Shelton (9) in the second quarter, on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly (2) watches a husker light show as a highlight reel of last year plays before the match on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at the Devaney Sports Center.
New University of Nebraska-Lincoln students run out onto the field during the tunnel walk tradition at Memorial Stadium on Friday.
Lincoln Christian’s Truman Paulsen holds the Spirit Sword after defeating Lincoln Lutheran on Friday at Aldrich Field.
Framed through a children’s play set, Jordyn Anderson, 3, pushes her friend Jordan Lara, 4, in a Cozy Coupe toy at the playground outside at Las Abejitas’ location at First Lutheran Church on Friday. Las Abejitas, one of only two bilingual child care centers in Lincoln, is opening a second location at First-Plymouth Church in September.
Waverly celebrates after defeating Lincoln Lutheran in five sets Thursday at Lincoln Lutheran High School.
Thursday afternoon’s football game between Lincoln East and Elkhorn South was postponed due to weather. The teams will make up the game Friday at Seacrest Field.
Lincoln East’s Deacon Gehle (from left) and Presley Hall practice passing back anf forth while waiting out a rain delay at Seacrest Field on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024.
From left, U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer, Pete Ricketts, 3rd District Congressman Adrian Smith, 1st District Congressman Mike Flood and 2nd District Congressman Don Bacon attended the annual summit hosted by the Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln chambers of commerce on Thursday at Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland.
Runners, including Tyler Pooschke (first left) and Mak Krause (right) are led by run lead Trevor White (first right) as they take off along the Billy Wolff Trail for the first-ever run held by the Telegraph Run Club on Wednesday. The new run club is meant to be a welcoming, open and free to any who wishes to join.
Nebraska’s Nash Hutmacher hands a football back to Henry Erikson of Beatrice, 8, and Brent Erikson during football fan day, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at Hawks Championship Center.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.
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