McKewon on WBB's chances entering B1G Play

[Red Don]

Good read in Saturdays OWH (Sam McKewon)

YOUNG HUSKERS SHOW PROMISE ENTERING RUGGED BIG TEN
If you’re looking for the right barometer to measure the Huskers’ 9-2 nonconference campaign, you probably wouldn’t look at the 88-46 loss at No. 1 Connecticut....

You would, instead, circle four games — North Carolina State, Creighton, at California and Arkansas State. Those were, as the Husker coaches and players might say, the “grind-it-out games.â€

NU’s relatively young and inexperienced team — two freshmen and a fifth-year senior transfer started for most of November and December — finished 3-1 in those games and took Cal, ranked 21st, to overtime on the road. Over the first 11 games, Yori said, NU saw a little of everything in terms of offense and defense.

KEYS TO CONFERENCE PLAY
As the Nebraska women’s basketball team transitions to conference play and tries for its fifth straight NCAA tournament bid, here are five keys to watch:

1. Responding to a brutal opening stretch. The Huskers will face three of the league’s best teams right off the bat, with two of the games — Maryland and Northwestern — on the road......

2. Finding a way to slow dominant scoring teams. The league is full of dynamic offenses this season. The Huskers will face three of them — Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota — on the road..... NU’s perimeter defense has been spotty at times, especially against better opponents.....

3. Balancing the offense between the inside presence of Jessica Shepard and the efficiency of Rachel Theriot. Shepard’s post presence changes how a defense can manage the Huskers, which should free up more perimeter shooters........... when the interior game isn’t working, Theriot remains Nebraska’s best offensive option. She’s shooting 51 percent from the floor and 61.5 percent from 3-point range.......

4. Getting healthy and staying that way......... The Huskers need the big three — Theriot, Shepard and Natalie Romeo — to play every game while freshmen Rachel Blackburn and Maddie Simon return to the lineup......

5. Kyndal Clark’s jumper sticking around....... Clark’s No. 1 asset is her 3-point shot. If she can average between eight and 10 points, Nebraska’s a very dangerous offensive team — it would have four scorers on the floor in crunch time.......

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/young-...cle_18cc9f40-2a9e-5b4e-8d83-7ce48ddc8d1f.html