Schedule Set for Big Ten Match Play

The Nebraska men’s golf team will take on Iowa in its first match of the Big Ten Match Play Championships at the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla., on Friday at 7 a.m. (CT). The Huskers learned their initial pairing along with the other Big Ten teams when the conference announced the schedule for the 13th annual event on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

Nebraska, which has advanced to the semifinals in each of its first two Big Ten Match Play appearances under Head Coach Mark Hankins, will enter the tournament as the No. 12 seed against the fifth-seeded Hawkeyes.

The other first-round match-ups include No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Maryland, No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Indiana and No. 6 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Wisconsin. Northwestern claimed the No. 1 seed and first-round byes along with No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Purdue and No. 4 Penn State.

The teams in the field were seeded by using the final fall GolfStat rankings for 2020 (Nov. 11). Each team match will consist of six individual matches.

Although the top four teams earn byes, they will also be in action at 8 a.m., with Northwestern going head-to-head against Minnesota, while Purdue tees off against Penn State.

If the Huskers can get past the Hawkeyes, they will advance to face Penn State at Noon. If Nebraska does not take down favored Iowa, the Huskers would move on to battle the loser of the first-round match between Ohio State and Indiana at Noon.

On the second and final day of Big Ten Match Play competition, the teams will return to the course at 7 a.m. and Noon on Saturday to conclude championship and consolation bracket play.