WBB 2025-2026 Season Thread

[SWVAHusker]

If we don’t beat Indiana, do we miss the NCAA Tournament?

Yes. The NCAA tournament is not going to happen now.

Charlie Creme wrote about this a couple weeks ago. The committee left out Oregon a few years ago despite their good NET ranking because the Ducks collapsed late in the season. Not only does Nebraska have a lengthy losing streak during Big Ten play on its record, their last impression is a 20 point utter collapse against a poor Indiana team. The OOC SOS ranking of somewhere around 220 will further hurt Nebraska.

 

[SWVAHusker]

Up by 18 with 15 minutes to go against a team below you in the standings, and you can’t get to the finish line? So sad.

Whatever message Amy Williams is "selling" her players are no longer responding. Somebody's got to be held responsible for this mess, and it should be the HC and her staff.

 

[CrnhskrBob]

Just heard!!
20 pt lead

Ouch!
Sorry, choke job
Disappointed in Amy

Sorry, but she fails to
keep her team above
water]
Just enuf to win fails
once again!

69 72
lead most of game.

Sorry, but this, again, is on Amy

 

[CrnhskrBob]

At least our baseball team pulled out a win vs
So Dak St
5 4
scoring winning run in btm of the 8th
after blowing a 2 run lead in the top
of the 8th

 

[CrnhskrBob]

Whatever message Amy Williams is "selling" her players are no longer responding. Somebody's got to be held responsible for this mess, and it should be the HC and her staff.

Just heard!!
20 pt lead

Ouch!
Sorry, choke job
Disappointed in Amy

Sorry, but she fails to
keep her team above
water]
Just enuf to win fails
once again!

69 72
lead most of game.

Sorry, but this, again, is on Amy

I see we agree

 

[SWVAHusker]

The problem now is, who does Nebraska go get? Amy Williams was the coach everybody wanted when things went south with Yori.

Lindsey Moore is no longer coaching, and has been out of the game for a few years. The Huskers can't even do "the Bo Pelini thing" and rehire Yori. She's been just a "program adviser" at Creighton since 2018. It's unlikely she has the same recruiting contacts anymore.

I say this only half in jest, does Nebraska go hire Ann Prince? In addition to her coaching at Elkhorn, she won an AAU NC in 2024. She's retired from Elkhorn, and would be a first time college coach, but we'd at least keep Britt.

Unless the Huskers somehow sneak in to the NCAA tournament, the decision on Williams, and who the Huskers get if she's fired will tell a lot about how much the AD cares about WBB.

 

[BGRed]

I am at the tournament and have no idea what happened. First half was fire, 32 points from Hargrove and Prince. Indiana adjusted and shut down Hargrove. Hot shooting turned to ice. Players missed a lot of open shots. Crowd was heavy Indiana.

Everything that went great in first half was opposite in second.

 

[BGRed]

The problem now is, who does Nebraska go get? Amy Williams was the coach everybody wanted when things went south with Yori.

Lindsey Moore is no longer coaching, and has been out of the game for a few years. The Huskers can't even do "the Bo Pelini thing" and rehire Yori. She's been just a "program adviser" at Creighton since 2018. It's unlikely she has the same recruiting contacts anymore.

I say this only half in jest, does Nebraska go hire Ann Prince? In addition to her coaching at Elkhorn, she won an AAU NC in 2024. She's retired from Elkhorn, and would be a first time college coach, but we'd at least keep Britt.

Unless the Huskers somehow sneak in to the NCAA tournament, the decision on Williams, and who the Huskers get if she's fired will tell a lot about how much the AD cares about WBB.

Hard call to make. The core is back + Potts and Koupal. I lean toward staying the course to see if this core can make improvements next year.

 

[BIG READ]

Amy’s a true “Nebraska Girl,” so letting her go won’t be easy—especially with three talented recruits she brought in joining an already strong returning core. Replacing her this year might be premature, though there are some impressive young coaches, even at the high school level, turning programs into talent magnets. Amy had a rough year, but given all she’s done for Husker Nation, she’s earned a reset in my opinion.

Ann Prince might be a stretch to jump straight from high school to a Big Ten head coaching job—perhaps a staff role alongside Britt’s final two seasons in Lincoln would make more sense. Still, there are some intriguing candidates out there: Vanessa Blair-Lewis from George Mason and Aaron Roussell at Richmond, both major mid-major names whose teams regularly upset Power Four programs and contend for NCAA tournament berths. Another name in that tier is Fairfield’s Carly Thibault-DuDonis. All three will likely be in the mix for bigger jobs this spring, but if something unexpected happens, they could quickly become very hot prospects.

 

[SWVAHusker]

Creme's Bracketology posted this morning has the Huskers as the Last Team In because Mississippi State, Stanford and Texas A&M also lost. Had any of those teams won, they'd have been the Last Team In. He projects 11 seed Nebraska to play 11 seed Richmond. That's a One and Done recipe for the Huskers. Senior 6-2 F Maggie Doogan will eat the Huskers frontcourt for lunch on offense, and Amiah Hargrove will not have an easy time scoring. Doogan's a potential WNBA player.

Creme's comments on the Huskers were interesting, as he said Nebraska's in "for now." IMO, should Utah or Arizona State win another game, or should BYU get to/win the Big 12 Tournament championship game the Big 12 gets another bid and the Huskers are out.

Women's Bracketology: One final projection before the bracket is revealed

All 31 auto-bids are spoken for. Will UConn or UCLA be No. 1 overall? And where will the hosts be seeded?

www.espn.com

 

[SWVAHusker]

Amy’s a true “Nebraska Girl,” so letting her go won’t be easy—especially with three talented recruits she brought in joining an already strong returning core. Replacing her this year might be premature, though there are some impressive young coaches, even at the high school level, turning programs into talent magnets. Amy had a rough year, but given all she’s done for Husker Nation, she’s earned a reset in my opinion.

Ann Prince might be a stretch to jump straight from high school to a Big Ten head coaching job—perhaps a staff role alongside Britt’s final two seasons in Lincoln would make more sense. Still, there are some intriguing candidates out there: Vanessa Blair-Lewis from George Mason and Aaron Roussell at Richmond, both major mid-major names whose teams regularly upset Power Four programs and contend for NCAA tournament berths. Another name in that tier is Fairfield’s Carly Thibault-DuDonis. All three will likely be in the mix for bigger jobs this spring, but if something unexpected happens, they could quickly become very hot prospects.

Very familiar with Vanessa Blair-Lewis, as she coaches at my alma mater George Mason. She's awesome, but I doubt she'd be a good fit for Nebraska. Mason's record vs. P4 programs under Lewis actually isn't good. As a mid-major, the only P4 programs Mason's played under Lewis are Maryland and one game against Ole Miss and an NCAA tournament game against FSU. The closest they've come is an 85-77 loss to the Terps a year or two ago. They got blown out by FSU in the first round last year. They got blown out by UMD and Ole Miss this year. As far as Top 25 teams go, the closest they've come is taking #25 Princeton to OT before losing by two this year. Sadly for me, it looks like the only way Mason gets to the Big Dance this year is to win the A-10 again despite their good overall and A-10 records.

She's spent her entire career on the East Coast, which could present recruiting challenges moving to a Big Ten school. She played and then coached at Mount St. Mary's (MD), and then went to Bethune Cookman (FL) before spending the past five years at GMU. Lewis is signed through the 2029-30 season. She's been a HC at the college level for 26 years. She clearly likes to put down roots and build programs. IMO, this would look like an underwhelming hire for Nebraska.

Aaron Rousell is a much more realistic name for Nebraska IMO. He graduated from Iowa in 2001 and coached at Minnesota State and the University of Chicago before moving on to Bucknell and then Richmond. IMO, this year's Richmond team is his best yet. He might be looking to "cash in" and move to a P4 program now, because he loses his best player Senior F Maggie Doogan after the season.

 

[BGRed]

Creme's Bracketology posted this morning has the Huskers as the Last Team In because Mississippi State, Stanford and Texas A&M also lost. Had any of those teams won, they'd have been the Last Team In. He projects 11 seed Nebraska to play 11 seed Richmond. That's a One and Done recipe for the Huskers. Senior 6-2 F Maggie Doogan will eat the Huskers frontcourt for lunch on offense, and Amiah Hargrove will not have an easy time scoring. Doogan's a potential WNBA player.

Creme's comments on the Huskers were interesting, as he said Nebraska's in "for now." IMO, should Utah or Arizona State win another game, or should BYU get to/win the Big 12 Tournament championship game the Big 12 gets another bid and the Huskers are out.

Women's Bracketology: One final projection before the bracket is revealed

All 31 auto-bids are spoken for. Will UConn or UCLA be No. 1 overall? And where will the hosts be seeded?

www.espn.com

FWIW CBS also has a bracket projection. They had Nebraska as a 10-seed and not one of the last four in going into yesterday. CBS does not seem to have dropped them based on today's update. The article shows bubble games of interest today.

Women's Bracketology Bubble Watch: Clemson takes down Virginia for crucial win

Eight bubble teams are in conference tournament action on Thursday

www.cbssports.com

 

[SWVAHusker]

FWIW CBS also has a bracket projection. They had Nebraska as a 10-seed and not one of the last four in going into yesterday. CBS does not seem to have dropped them based on today's update. The article shows bubble games of interest today.

Women's Bracketology Bubble Watch: Clemson takes down Virginia for crucial win

Eight bubble teams are in conference tournament action on Thursday

www.cbssports.com

That article's somewhat misleading in that it references CBS Sports bracketologist Conner Groel's latest bracket, and that bracket was released on 2 March. He hasn't updated it since the conference tournaments started.

If he still thinks Nebraska's a 10-seed he's nuts. What has Nebraska done to earn/deserve it? Groel's doing exactly what I previously said Creme's doing. Groel's just worse. They're both overrating the Huskers and giving Nebraska "credit" for the top teams in the Big Ten being very good. The problem is, Nebraska didn't beat those teams. Nebraska's best Big Ten wins were over 8th place Washington at the buzzer and 10th place Illinois. They had multiple ugly losses, including two to bad teams, Wisconsin and Indiana. Recency bias will also probably play a role on how the committee judges that Indiana mess. Groel obviously also doesn't think much of the Big 12.

Another reason I don't think the Huskers have any shot at a 10-seed is because the OOC schedule doesn't help much. That OOC schedule is ranked somewhere around 200-220. The only good OOC win is a neutral site W over Virginia, and that game was months ago.

Here's Groel's latest bracket fron 2 March.

Women's Bracketology: Five biggest questions of conference tournament week

There's everything to play for as we head toward Selection Sunday in women's college basketball

www.cbssports.com

 

[BGRed]

That article's somewhat misleading in that it references CBS Sports bracketologist Conner Groel's latest bracket, and that bracket was released on 2 March. He hasn't updated it since the conference tournaments started.

If he still thinks Nebraska's a 10-seed he's nuts. What has Nebraska done to earn/deserve it? Groel's doing exactly what I previously said Creme's doing. Groel's just worse. They're both overrating the Huskers and giving Nebraska "credit" for the top teams in the Big Ten being very good. The problem is, Nebraska didn't beat those teams. Nebraska's best Big Ten wins were over 8th place Washington at the buzzer and 10th place Illinois. They had multiple ugly losses, including two to bad teams, Wisconsin and Indiana. Recency bias will also probably play a role on how the committee judges that Indiana mess. Groel obviously also doesn't think much of the Big 12.

Another reason I don't think the Huskers have any shot at a 10-seed is because the OOC schedule doesn't help much. That OOC schedule is ranked somewhere around 200-220. The only good OOC win is a neutral site W over Virginia, and that game was months ago.

Here's Groel's latest bracket fron 2 March.

Women's Bracketology: Five biggest questions of conference tournament week

There's everything to play for as we head toward Selection Sunday in women's college basketball

www.cbssports.com

While I don't really disagree with your assessment, since the major NCAA metrics include NET and Nebraska's NET is decent, we shall see how this all shakes out.

 

[SWVAHusker]

George Mason may have just helped Nebraska by beating Richmond in the A-10 semifinals 60-45. Unless #2 seed Mason beats #1 seed Rhode Island in the A-10 finals tomorrow IMO, the A-10 likely only gets one bid and not two bids. IMO, Richmond's out. No way the A-10 gets three teams in, and I'll be at the head of the riot with a torch and pitchfork if Richmond gets in and the loser of the #1 seed vs, #2 seed A-10 championship game doesn't get in.

I'll be rooting for Mason to win its second straight A-10 championship tomorrow. Strongly considering driving down to Henrico, Va for that game.

Either way though, I think the conference tournaments are breaking "right" for Nebraska to get into the Big Dance. Both BYU and ASU lost, and BYU in particular got run over. Both are likely out. There hasn't been any bid stealing IMO, just one conference team replacing another. In fact, since Tennessee continued its really poor play the SEC may even lose a bid. At the very least, I don't think the Vols are an 8-seed anymore, which may help Nebraska move up and unbelievably get a 10-seed.

BTW, this story about Tennessee is nuts. Pat Summitt must be rollling over in her grave, and/or strongly considering coming back and haunting HC Kim Caldwell. You just don't disrespect a senior player like this regardless if they're a good player or not: https://www.espn.com/womens-college...aves-lady-vols-says-senior-day-breaking-point

I loved Tennessee women's basketball so much growing up, when I thought I wanted to be a sports reporter I almost transferred to UT so I could cover the women's basketball team for the student newspaper. The fact that many of the "traditional" WBB power schools like UT, TTU, UVA, Tennessee Tech, etc. have fallen on hard times recently makes what Geno and UConn and Dawn Staley (my favorite WBB player as a kid!) and SC have accomplished even more impressive IMO.

Depending on who the matchup is, I still think the Huskers are probably one and done. The Huskers did get "lucky" in likely not facing Richmond. Doogan would have eaten Bozan and Peatrie for lunch. If Rhode Island beats my Patriots tomorrow, I hope the Huskers don't get matched up with them. Their 6-5 C Albina Syla would eat the Huskers lack of size and strength in the frontcourt up potentially even worse than Doogan would have. (Although, if the Huskers somehow found a way to keep Syla and G Brooklyn Gray from completely "going off" offensively, IMO Nebraska's got better overall talent.)

Oh, Richmond's HC is now probably available should the Huskers not get into the NCAA Tournament and not do well in the NIT, forcing the AD to decide to move on from Amy.