Dan Hoppen
DAILY NEBRASKAN
For the Nebraska women's basketball team, much of this season consisted of rewriting the record books and setting a new precedent for women's athletics in the Cornhusker state. The Huskers developed a habit of exceeding expectations and turning even their harshest critics into fans.
That's why it's such a surprise that NU's season ended with such a resounding thud.
The Huskers looked tired and failed to match Kentucky's enthusiasm during their 76-67 loss in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday. They struggled with the Wildcats' quickness and energy for the entire game.
While the loss was disappointing, it allows for a chance to finally put the historic season in perspective.
A sign held up by two young fans during the first half said it better than anything I can write in the next few hundred words.
The poster read, "When I grow up, I want to be like Suh."
Only Suh's name was crossed out and replaced with "Kelsey."
The simple fact that even a handful of fans have grown to appreciate Kelsey Griffin as much as they do NU's superstar defensive tackle speaks volumes to what the Huskers accomplished this year. They made women's basketball relevant at the University of Nebraska.
Actually, that's an understatement. For many Nebraska fans, women's basketball became a priority.
This team made a football-crazy state care about a sport played after January. Keeping track of Husker basketball scores became nearly as important as staying up-to-date on the football team's next batch of recruits.
"I think that we have helped put Nebraska on the map," Griffin said.
The Huskers drew 2,356 fans to their first home game of the year, an 86-62 victory over Davidson on Nov. 13. The spectators were quiet and polite, content to simply enjoy a basketball game rather than be a part of it.
But that changed as the season went on and the win total grew. Casual fans caught basketball fever and flocked to the Bob Devaney Sports Center in droves. The Huskers drew 10,000+ fans to each of their last seven home games, and a good percentage of Tuesday's Sprint Center crowd made the three-and-a-half-hour drive from Lincoln to support NU.
"It didn't end the way we'd like to," senior Cory Montgomery said. "But we still had a really good season, and we accomplished many different things for the Nebraska program. If you look back, we still had a really successful season. It just didn't end the way we wanted it to."
The big question now is what does this season do for the future of the team? The Huskers lose three starters and two key bench players, but the emphasis on women's basketball in this state is already paying dividends. Alliance's Jordan Hooper received offers from both Yori and NU volleyball coach John Cook, but chose hoops over a volleyball program that is perennially one of the nation's best.
"We definitely think (our success) has helped us in recruiting," Yori said. "We're seeing a number of our recruits who are showing more interest in us and are a little higher caliber level player than we've been able to get interested in us."
Even after the painful loss, it's hard not to think about the future of this program. No, they're not going to win 32 games or grab a No. 1 seed in the national tournament every year. But with a solid foundation laid, this can become a program consistently competing for the Big 12 title and, every once in a while, can have a season similar to this one.
"I'm really excited to see where Nebraska is going to go," Griffin said. "And I know it's only going to get better from here on out."Dan Hoppen is a sophomore news-editorial major. Reach him at danhoppen@dailynebraskan.com.
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