Husker Women’s Basketball shake off nerves before showdown against Purdue

According to Jordan Hooper, the women's basketball team goes into every game telling themselves that the team they're playing is "the best in the conference" and that "this is our biggest game of the year."

But this way of thinking will be more than just a motivational tool when the Huskers step onto the court tonight because their opponent, Purdue, is the best in the conference and tonight's showdown is their biggest game of the year thus far.

Much rides on the line for a resurgent Nebraska team, including tournament positioning, AP rank (currently No. 16) and their own pride and respect from opponents. Oh, and one other thing: first place. Ohio State is off Thursday, so if the Huskers win, they'll tie Purdue for first place in the conference with a 8-2 record and hold the tiebreaker.

For the team, this is not just another game.

"This is definitely a huge game and everybody knows it," Hooper said. "I don't think we're letting that get to us, we're taking it one practice at a time, one film session at a time. We're going to go out there and play our hearts out and just see what happens."

Before anyone gets too ahead of themselves, going into West Lafayette and beating Purdue is no small feat. The only team to beat Purdue at the Mackey Arena so far this season is consensus No. 2 Notre Dame, who rolled the Boilermakers 66-38 on Dec. 10.

While Purdue's No. 15 ranking and 8-1 conference record (18-4 overall) look great, outside of a win over Texas A&M in non-conference play, PU's best win is probably against Kansas State. The Boilermakers have lost to Central Michigan and Iowa (their last game) by 30 points combined and their eight conference wins have come over Minnesota (twice), Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State and Northwestern – who all rank No. 6 or worse in the conference. PU has won five games by five or fewer points and their four losses were by an average of more than 17 points.  

The Huskers have a similar resume, with one big win (at Penn State), some blowout losses and wins over lesser Big Ten schools. With four seniors and two juniors amongst its top eight players, PU will have a decided experience edge over the young Huskers. Those young Huskers will have to play an extremely strong game to beat what coach Connie Yori believes may be the toughest team in the conference.

"Purdue is a really good basketball team and they're especially good at home," Yori said. "They know they're playing for a lot, and we have a chance to go in and compete against one of the best teams in the league. I'm sure our guys will be very excited to play this game."

Unlike Nebraska's top-heavy team, Purdue has a sort of ensemble roster, with no player in the conference's top 13 scorers. Hooper, Lindsey Moore and Emily Cady average more points than the Boilermakers' entire starting lineup. But Purdue doesn't win with offense: its defense does the job, ranking first in the conference in points per game allowed and in field goal percentage defense. For a Husker team that hasn't shot particularly well of late, PU's staunch defense could be a problem.

But the thing is, the Huskers are pretty sure they're ready for Purdue's defensive look.

"They are a really good defense, but we'll get some open looks, our coaches have a good plan," Moore said. "They play the same style as we do, so we kind of know how their defense is going to come at us. I think the game will be higher scoring than everyone expects."   

Hooper, in particular, would like a good shooting night – she was 4-for-24 from the field against Illinois, a performance she knows must improve for the Huskers to have a chance Thursday.

"It wasn't my best shooting night (against Illinois) ... clearly," Hooper said with a chuckle. "Oh well. I'll bounce back, I'll be fine. You can't dwell on a really bad shooting night or you'll stay in the rut, and I'd really like to get out of it."

So, with the media converging on Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, perhaps it's fitting for the Huskers to be heading out there for a big game of their own.

"It's a weird coincidence we're playing (close to Indianapolis) with the Super Bowl so near," Moore said. "It is a big game but we're not trying to make it a bigger deal than it is. It's still just a game, and a lot can happen, there's so much of the season left. They're a good team, it should be a good game."

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