Story by NU Athletic Communications

Pitching: LHP Will Walsh (2-0, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Buss (2-0, 0.00 ERA)

Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

• The matchup between Nebraska and K-State on Tuesday night can be seen on ESPN+.

• Fans can also listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action tomorrow night on the Huskers Radio Network.

• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.

• Through 290 all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 173-117 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series.

• Nebraska and K-State meet in a midweek matchup for the third consecutive season after the two teams met on the diamond for one game in Manhattan in 2023.

• The Huskers have won the last two games over the Wildcats, including a 6-1 victory over K-State in Manhattan last season.

Huskers vs. Top 25 Foes in Bolt Era

• Nebraska has played at least three games against Top 25 opponents every season since head coach Will Bolt’s first season at Nebraska in 2020.

• Tuesday night’s matchup with the 23rd-ranked Wildcats is NU’s second game against a ranked foe this season after suffering a 6-3 setback vs. No. 21 Texas Tech on opening weekend.

• Under Bolt, the Huskers have knocked off a Top 25 foe in every season, excluding the 2022 campaign where the Big Red went 0-3 vs. ranked opponents.

Big Red on a Seven-Game Win Streak

• Nebraska comes into Tuesday night’s matchup riding a seven-game win streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest win streak for NU in the last 10 seasons.

• In the seven games, the Husker offense is hitting .319 at the plate and scoring 9.1 runs per game, while the NU pitching staff has compiled a 2.29 ERA and limited opponents to 2.7 runs per game.

Walsh Gets the Nod on Tuesday Night

• Will Walsh is set to toe the rubber tomorrow night at No. 23 K-State. Walsh is 2-0 in five starts, posting a 4.12 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 24 innings.

• The Leawood, Kan., native is coming off consecutive quality starts in his last two midweek outings.

• Walsh allowed three runs on six hits in six innings at Wichita State, before striking out a season-high nine batters and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings vs. North Dakota State last week.

• Nebraska comes into the week as one of six teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.

• The Huskers have limited opponents to just 11 stolen base attempts on the season and are one of five teams to hold opponents to 11 stolen base attempts or less on the year.

Scoreless Streak From NU Starting Pitchers

• Over the last four games, Nebraska starting pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 23.1 innings of work, posting 31 strikeouts to just five walks.

• This season, Husker starters are 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA, posting quality starts in five of their last 10 outings.

Caron’s RBI Production Through 22 Games

• Josh Caron has been a key contributor for the NU offense this season, hitting .296 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored.

• The junior leads the Big Red with five home runs and eight multi-hit performances this season.

• Since 2012, Caron is one of four Huskers to drive in 26-plus in Nebraska’s first 22 games to start the season.

Timely Two-Out Hitting for the Huskers

• The Husker offense has found success at the plate with two outs this season.

• Nebraska is hitting .300 (75-for-250) and has recorded 60 of its 149 RBI this season with two outs.

• 17 Huskers have recorded a two-out hit through the first 20 games, including six Huskers with at least six hits.

• Rhett Stokes is hitting .382 with seven doubles, nine RBI and 14 runs scored, while Cayden Brumbaugh holds a .339 hitting clip with five doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.

• Riley Silva leads the Huskers with 22 runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .293 in 21 starts.

• Joshua Overbeek holds a .325 batting average with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs in 11 starts, while Garrett Anglim is hitting .321 with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 20 games, including 15 starts.

• Cole Evans and Tyler Stone are both hitting .290 at the plate, with Evans recording four doubles, a homer and 13 RBI and Stone tallying three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI this season.

• Casey Daiss has recorded a team-best four saves in seven relief appearances. The junior has struck out five and compiled a 2.57 ERA across seven innings.

• Kyle Perry and Tucker Timmerman have made a team-high 10 relief appearances for the Big Red. Perry has three saves in six innings, while Timmerman is 2-0 with a save in 11.1 innings.

• Kyle Froehlich has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work while making six relief appearances for the Huskers.

• Evan Borst and Rans Sanders have come out of the pen seven times in their debut with the Big Red. Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while Sanders has tallied a save and struck out five across seven innings.&nbsp;

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsMarch 26, 2024Manhattan, Kan. | Tointon Family StadiumTuesday, March 26 – 6 PM CTPitching: LHP Will Walsh (2-0, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Buss (2-0, 0.00 ERA)TV/Streaming: ESPN+Radio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers AppFollow the Game• The matchup between Nebraska and K-State on Tuesday night can be seen on ESPN+.• Fans can also listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action tomorrow night on the Huskers Radio Network.• Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and android devices.Nebraska vs. Kansas State• Through 290 all-time meetings, the Huskers hold a 173-117 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series.• Nebraska and K-State meet in a midweek matchup for the third consecutive season after the two teams met on the diamond for one game in Manhattan in 2023.• The Huskers have won the last two games over the Wildcats, including a 6-1 victory over K-State in Manhattan last season.Huskers vs. Top 25 Foes in Bolt Era• Nebraska has played at least three games against Top 25 opponents every season since head coach Will Bolt’s first season at Nebraska in 2020.• Tuesday night’s matchup with the 23rd-ranked Wildcats is NU’s second game against a ranked foe this season after suffering a 6-3 setback vs. No. 21 Texas Tech on opening weekend.• Under Bolt, the Huskers have knocked off a Top 25 foe in every season, excluding the 2022 campaign where the Big Red went 0-3 vs. ranked opponents.Big Red on a Seven-Game Win Streak• Nebraska comes into Tuesday night’s matchup riding a seven-game win streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest win streak for NU in the last 10 seasons.• In the seven games, the Husker offense is hitting .319 at the plate and scoring 9.1 runs per game, while the NU pitching staff has compiled a 2.29 ERA and limited opponents to 2.7 runs per game.Walsh Gets the Nod on Tuesday Night• Will Walsh is set to toe the rubber tomorrow night at No. 23 K-State. Walsh is 2-0 in five starts, posting a 4.12 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 24 innings.• The Leawood, Kan., native is coming off consecutive quality starts in his last two midweek outings.• Walsh allowed three runs on six hits in six innings at Wichita State, before striking out a season-high nine batters and allowing four hits in six scoreless innings vs. North Dakota State last week.Huskers Control the Running Game• Nebraska comes into the week as one of six teams nationally to limit opponents to seven stolen bases or fewer this season.• The Huskers have limited opponents to just 11 stolen base attempts on the season and are one of five teams to hold opponents to 11 stolen base attempts or less on the year.Scoreless Streak From NU Starting Pitchers• Over the last four games, Nebraska starting pitchers haven’t allowed a run in 23.1 innings of work, posting 31 strikeouts to just five walks.• This season, Husker starters are 8-2 with a 3.35 ERA, posting quality starts in five of their last 10 outings.Caron’s RBI Production Through 22 Games• Josh Caron has been a key contributor for the NU offense this season, hitting .296 at the plate with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored.• The junior leads the Big Red with five home runs and eight multi-hit performances this season.• Since 2012, Caron is one of four Huskers to drive in 26-plus in Nebraska’s first 22 games to start the season.Timely Two-Out Hitting for the Huskers• The Husker offense has found success at the plate with two outs this season.• Nebraska is hitting .300 (75-for-250) and has recorded 60 of its 149 RBI this season with two outs.• 17 Huskers have recorded a two-out hit through the first 20 games, including six Huskers with at least six hits.Bats in the Nebraska Lineup• Rhett Stokes is hitting .382 with seven doubles, nine RBI and 14 runs scored, while Cayden Brumbaugh holds a .339 hitting clip with five doubles, eight RBI and 14 runs scored.• Riley Silva leads the Huskers with 22 runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .293 in 21 starts.• Joshua Overbeek holds a .325 batting average with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs in 11 starts, while Garrett Anglim is hitting .321 with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs in 20 games, including 15 starts.• Cole Evans and Tyler Stone are both hitting .290 at the plate, with Evans recording four doubles, a homer and 13 RBI and Stone tallying three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI this season.Huskers in the Pen• Casey Daiss has recorded a team-best four saves in seven relief appearances. The junior has struck out five and compiled a 2.57 ERA across seven innings.• Kyle Perry and Tucker Timmerman have made a team-high 10 relief appearances for the Big Red. Perry has three saves in six innings, while Timmerman is 2-0 with a save in 11.1 innings.• Kyle Froehlich has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings of work while making six relief appearances for the Huskers.• Evan Borst and Rans Sanders have come out of the pen seven times in their debut with the Big Red. Borst is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings, while Sanders has tallied a save and struck out five across seven innings.&nbsp;

No. 23 Kansas State preview & notes

The No. 5 Nebraska men's gymnastics team is heading to Columbus, Ohio where they will take on their conference competitor, No. 7 Ohio State, in their final regular season competition of the season this Tuesday, March 26. The meet will commence at 3 p.m. (CT) at the Covelli Center.

Last Time OutNebraska bested Illinois in their final home meet of the season, where they pocketed the win with a score of 416.550-406.050.&nbsp;Seniors Sam Phillips and Cooper Giles were honored in their final Husker appearances.&nbsp;

The Huskers took home five event titles, including a personal best from Luke James on floor (14.60), Chris Hiser on rings with a season best, Taylor Christopulos on vault (14.75), a personal best from Max Odden on high bar (13.85), and a personal best from Sam Phillips in the all-around (80.65).

Notably, six Husker gymnasts highlight the top 10 rankings in the NCAA, based on a four-score average. Christopulos sits in sixth on floor (14.067) and ninth on vault (14.617), Giles in eighth on pommel horse (14.183), Hiser in eighth on rings (13.883), Zac Tiderman in sixth on high bar (14.017), and Phillips fifth overall in the all-around (79.683).

Ahead of the meet, No. 5 Nebraska highlights the team rankings in second place on vault (72.25) and third in the nation on high bar (68.067), based on a four-score average. The Huskers occupy fourth on pommel horse (67.60), and fifth position on floor (68.417), and rings (67.617). Nebraska maintains sixth place on parallel bars (67.55).

Scouting the CompetitionNo. 7 Ohio State moves into the 12th week of competition with an overall record of 8-3. The Buckeyes are coming off a loss against Illinois, 406.350-413.200. The competition was highlighted by Parker Thackston earning the Buckeyes’ first event win of the day by scoring 14.700 on pommel horse. Donovan Hewitt tied for the rings win with a season-high 14.200.

Fans can follow @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet. The competition will be livestreamed on Big Ten Network for subscribers beginning at 3 p.m. CT.

Story by NU Athletic CommunicationsThe No. 5 Nebraska men's gymnastics team is heading to Columbus, Ohio where they will take on their conference competitor, No. 7 Ohio State, in their final regular season competition of the season this Tuesday, March 26. The meet will commence at 3 p.m. (CT) at the Covelli Center.Last Time OutNebraska bested Illinois in their final home meet of the season, where they pocketed the win with a score of 416.550-406.050.&nbsp;Seniors Sam Phillips and Cooper Giles were honored in their final Husker appearances.&nbsp;The Huskers took home five event titles, including a personal best from Luke James on floor (14.60), Chris Hiser on rings with a season best, Taylor Christopulos on vault (14.75), a personal best from Max Odden on high bar (13.85), and a personal best from Sam Phillips in the all-around (80.65).Notably, six Husker gymnasts highlight the top 10 rankings in the NCAA, based on a four-score average. Christopulos sits in sixth on floor (14.067) and ninth on vault (14.617), Giles in eighth on pommel horse (14.183), Hiser in eighth on rings (13.883), Zac Tiderman in sixth on high bar (14.017), and Phillips fifth overall in the all-around (79.683).Ahead of the meet, No. 5 Nebraska highlights the team rankings in second place on vault (72.25) and third in the nation on high bar (68.067), based on a four-score average. The Huskers occupy fourth on pommel horse (67.60), and fifth position on floor (68.417), and rings (67.617). Nebraska maintains sixth place on parallel bars (67.55).Scouting the CompetitionNo. 7 Ohio State moves into the 12th week of competition with an overall record of 8-3. The Buckeyes are coming off a loss against Illinois, 406.350-413.200. The competition was highlighted by Parker Thackston earning the Buckeyes’ first event win of the day by scoring 14.700 on pommel horse. Donovan Hewitt tied for the rings win with a season-high 14.200.Follow the HuskersFans can follow @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet. The competition will be livestreamed on Big Ten Network for subscribers beginning at 3 p.m. CT.

No. 5 Huskers battle No. 7 Buckeyes to conclude regular season 

WATERLOO, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm dropped a 7-1 road decision Sunday afternoon at Young Arena to the Waterloo Black Hawks. A.J. Lacroix scored Tri-City’s only goal in the loss. The Storm returns to action next weekend with back-to-back road games against the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars. Friday night’s game at Liberty First Credit Union Arena between the Storm and the Lancers is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm CT.

Grady Deering scored his fourteenth goal of the season just over five minutes into Sunday’s opening period to give the Black Hawks a 1-0 lead in the battle. Mike Phelan and Jaedon Kerr each collected an assist on the scoring play. John Mustard scored his team-leading twenty-fifth goal of the year with less than five minutes to play to increase Waterloo’s advantage to two goals. Gavin Lindberg and Carson Reed each collected an assist on the scoring play. The Storm was outshot by a 13-10 margin in Sunday’s 1st&nbsp;period, and trailed by two goals entering the 2nd&nbsp;period.

Griffin Erdman netted his eighteenth goal of the season at 2:25 of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a three-goal lead in the game. Gavyn Thoreson and Dylan Compton each collected an assist on the scoring play. A.J. Lacroix scored his eighteenth goal of the year at 6:19 of the 2nd&nbsp;period to bring Tri-City within two goals of Waterloo’s lead. Cam Briere and Artemi Nizameyev each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Grady Deering scored his second goal of the game, and fifteenth goal of the season, at 9:03 of the middle period to give the Black Hawks a 4-1 lead in the matchup. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Will Felicio and Jakub Altrichter. The final goal of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period was scored by Jaedon Kerr with one minute left to play. Kerr’s goal was his fifth of the year, and was assisted by Landon Nycz and Jakub Altrichter. Tri-City outshot Waterloo 11-8 in the 2nd&nbsp;period, but trailed by four goals entering Sunday’s final period.

Gavin Lindberg scored his seventeenth goal of the season at 3:50 of the 3rd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a 6-1 lead in the game. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Jakub Altrichter and John Mustard. The final goal of Sunday’s game was scored with less than three minutes to play by Griffin Erdman. Jaedon Kerr recorded an assist on the scoring play. Waterloo outshot Tri-City by a 12-4 margin in the 3rd&nbsp;period, and 33-25 overall in the matchup. The Storm dropped to 26-21-4-5 on the 2023-2024 regular season in Sunday’s road loss.

Cameron Korpi recorded the loss in goal for the Storm after making 26 saves on 33 shots during the matchup. Jack Spicer collected the win in net for the Black Hawks in a 24-save-on-25-shot performance.

The Storm hits the ice again on Friday, March 29th, in a road game against the Omaha Lancers. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. Skate to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>&nbsp;for individual game tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm&nbsp;organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsWATERLOO, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm dropped a 7-1 road decision Sunday afternoon at Young Arena to the Waterloo Black Hawks. A.J. Lacroix scored Tri-City’s only goal in the loss. The Storm returns to action next weekend with back-to-back road games against the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars. Friday night’s game at Liberty First Credit Union Arena between the Storm and the Lancers is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm CT.Grady Deering scored his fourteenth goal of the season just over five minutes into Sunday’s opening period to give the Black Hawks a 1-0 lead in the battle. Mike Phelan and Jaedon Kerr each collected an assist on the scoring play. John Mustard scored his team-leading twenty-fifth goal of the year with less than five minutes to play to increase Waterloo’s advantage to two goals. Gavin Lindberg and Carson Reed each collected an assist on the scoring play. The Storm was outshot by a 13-10 margin in Sunday’s 1st&nbsp;period, and trailed by two goals entering the 2nd&nbsp;period.Griffin Erdman netted his eighteenth goal of the season at 2:25 of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a three-goal lead in the game. Gavyn Thoreson and Dylan Compton each collected an assist on the scoring play. A.J. Lacroix scored his eighteenth goal of the year at 6:19 of the 2nd&nbsp;period to bring Tri-City within two goals of Waterloo’s lead. Cam Briere and Artemi Nizameyev each recorded an assist on the scoring play. Grady Deering scored his second goal of the game, and fifteenth goal of the season, at 9:03 of the middle period to give the Black Hawks a 4-1 lead in the matchup. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Will Felicio and Jakub Altrichter. The final goal of Sunday’s 2nd&nbsp;period was scored by Jaedon Kerr with one minute left to play. Kerr’s goal was his fifth of the year, and was assisted by Landon Nycz and Jakub Altrichter. Tri-City outshot Waterloo 11-8 in the 2nd&nbsp;period, but trailed by four goals entering Sunday’s final period.Gavin Lindberg scored his seventeenth goal of the season at 3:50 of the 3rd&nbsp;period to give the Black Hawks a 6-1 lead in the game. The goal was netted on the powerplay, and was assisted by Jakub Altrichter and John Mustard. The final goal of Sunday’s game was scored with less than three minutes to play by Griffin Erdman. Jaedon Kerr recorded an assist on the scoring play. Waterloo outshot Tri-City by a 12-4 margin in the 3rd&nbsp;period, and 33-25 overall in the matchup. The Storm dropped to 26-21-4-5 on the 2023-2024 regular season in Sunday’s road loss.Cameron Korpi recorded the loss in goal for the Storm after making 26 saves on 33 shots during the matchup. Jack Spicer collected the win in net for the Black Hawks in a 24-save-on-25-shot performance.The Storm hits the ice again on Friday, March 29th, in a road game against the Omaha Lancers. Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 7:05pm CT. Skate to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>&nbsp;for individual game tickets and more information regarding the Tri-City Storm&nbsp;organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Storm drops 7-1 road decision to Black Hawks

NORTH PLATTE - Three local gymnastic teams will be competing in Lincoln this Saturday and Sunday for the 2024 NE State Championships. The event is taking place at the Lincoln Sports Foundation.

The three local gymnastic teams competing are:

<a href="https://mega-gymnasticsnp.com/?fbclid=IwAR1JUQsySJNDpKlhBV9vI2TfGDflxZJXAGWnO9LwpFBOabdaMyur99N3h-0">Mega Gymnastics- North Platte</a>

<a href="https://www.legacydanceandgym.com/">Legacy Dance &amp; Gymnastics- North Platte</a>

<a href="https://gymnasticswest.com/">Gymnastics West- Gothenburg</a>

Members of the gymnastic teams are looking to quality for Regionals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 19th-21st if they XCEL Silver, Gold or Platinum's or Compulsory levels 5-8.&nbsp;

North Platte PostNORTH PLATTE - Three local gymnastic teams will be competing in Lincoln this Saturday and Sunday for the 2024 NE State Championships. The event is taking place at the Lincoln Sports Foundation.The three local gymnastic teams competing are:<a href="https://mega-gymnasticsnp.com/?fbclid=IwAR1JUQsySJNDpKlhBV9vI2TfGDflxZJXAGWnO9LwpFBOabdaMyur99N3h-0">Mega Gymnastics- North Platte</a><a href="https://www.legacydanceandgym.com/">Legacy Dance &amp; Gymnastics- North Platte</a><a href="https://gymnasticswest.com/">Gymnastics West- Gothenburg</a>Members of the gymnastic teams are looking to quality for Regionals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 19th-21st if they XCEL Silver, Gold or Platinum's or Compulsory levels 5-8.&nbsp;

Three local gymnastic teams competing at state this weekend in Lincoln

URBANDALE, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s three-game road trip across Iowa beginning with tonight’s game against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena. Tri-City will battle the Waterloo Black Hawks in back-to-back games at Young Arena following tonight’s contest. This weekend’s games will be the last games played outside of Nebraska for Tri-City, as the team enters the final nine games of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm CT.

Tri-City (26-18-4-5) enters this weekend’s road series against the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks as the 4th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Storm’s “magic number” to clinch a spot in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs is currently at six points entering this weekend’s slate of games. Tri-City has posted a 1-1-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Des Moines this season. The Storm finished the 2022-2023 regular season 3-2-1-1 in games played against the Buccaneers. Tri-City has won seven of its last eleven games played at Buccaneer Arena. The Storm notched five of a possible six points in the Western Conference standings in last weekend’s performance at the Viaero Center against the league-leading Fargo Force. Tri-City won a 6-2 decision over Fargo Sunday evening to earn a split in the six-game series. A.J. Lacroix, Trevor Connelly, Seth Constance, August Falloon, Cam Briere, and Cooper Simpson each netted a goal for the Storm in the victory. Tri-City improved to 19-4-0-3 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period, and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season in the win. The Storm outshot the Force by a final margin of 28-26, and improved to 17-12-1-13 when outshooting its opponents this season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering tonight’s road game against Des Moines include Trevor Connelly (26), Ryan Smith (21), Cam Briere (20), Artemi Nizameyev (15), August Falloon (15), A.J. Lacroix (13), and Owen Beckner (12). Tonight’s battle is the first game of the Storm’s current five-game road trip. Tri-City will return home to the Viaero Center to host the Sioux Falls Stampede in back-to-back games on Friday, April 5th, and Saturday, April 6th.

Des Moines (21-26-3-2) currently trails the Lincoln Stars by one point for the final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference standings entering tonight’s matchup against Tri-City at Buccaneer Arena. The Buccaneers have posted a 6-2-1-1 record over the past ten games, and have won two of three games played against the Storm this season. Des Moines dropped back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Gamblers and Madison Capitols last weekend. The Buccaneers have played five of the last six games on the road, but will return to action tomorrow with another home game at Buccaneer Arena against the Omaha Lancers. Scoring leaders for Des Moines entering tonight’s battle against Tri-City include Ben Kevan (19), Liam Watkins (18), Jack Kernan (15), Ashton Dahms (13), and Ilya Protas (12).

Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:00pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Story by Tri-City CommunicationsURBANDALE, IA.&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Tri-City Storm is set for this weekend’s three-game road trip across Iowa beginning with tonight’s game against the Des Moines Buccaneers at Buccaneer Arena. Tri-City will battle the Waterloo Black Hawks in back-to-back games at Young Arena following tonight’s contest. This weekend’s games will be the last games played outside of Nebraska for Tri-City, as the team enters the final nine games of the regular season. Puck drop is set for 7:00pm CT.Tri-City (26-18-4-5) enters this weekend’s road series against the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks as the 4th&nbsp;place team in the USHL’s Western Conference standings. The Storm’s “magic number” to clinch a spot in the 2024 Clark Cup Playoffs is currently at six points entering this weekend’s slate of games. Tri-City has posted a 1-1-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Des Moines this season. The Storm finished the 2022-2023 regular season 3-2-1-1 in games played against the Buccaneers. Tri-City has won seven of its last eleven games played at Buccaneer Arena. The Storm notched five of a possible six points in the Western Conference standings in last weekend’s performance at the Viaero Center against the league-leading Fargo Force. Tri-City won a 6-2 decision over Fargo Sunday evening to earn a split in the six-game series. A.J. Lacroix, Trevor Connelly, Seth Constance, August Falloon, Cam Briere, and Cooper Simpson each netted a goal for the Storm in the victory. Tri-City improved to 19-4-0-3 when leading after the 1st&nbsp;period, and 20-0-2-0 when leading after the 2nd&nbsp;period this season in the win. The Storm outshot the Force by a final margin of 28-26, and improved to 17-12-1-13 when outshooting its opponents this season. Scoring leaders for Tri-City entering tonight’s road game against Des Moines include Trevor Connelly (26), Ryan Smith (21), Cam Briere (20), Artemi Nizameyev (15), August Falloon (15), A.J. Lacroix (13), and Owen Beckner (12). Tonight’s battle is the first game of the Storm’s current five-game road trip. Tri-City will return home to the Viaero Center to host the Sioux Falls Stampede in back-to-back games on Friday, April 5th, and Saturday, April 6th.Des Moines (21-26-3-2) currently trails the Lincoln Stars by one point for the final playoff spot in the USHL’s Western Conference standings entering tonight’s matchup against Tri-City at Buccaneer Arena. The Buccaneers have posted a 6-2-1-1 record over the past ten games, and have won two of three games played against the Storm this season. Des Moines dropped back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Gamblers and Madison Capitols last weekend. The Buccaneers have played five of the last six games on the road, but will return to action tomorrow with another home game at Buccaneer Arena against the Omaha Lancers. Scoring leaders for Des Moines entering tonight’s battle against Tri-City include Ben Kevan (19), Liam Watkins (18), Jack Kernan (15), Ashton Dahms (13), and Ilya Protas (12).Tonight’s game is set to begin at&nbsp;7:00pm&nbsp;CT and will be streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://flosports.link/3pkG3Ge" target="_blank">FloHockey</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://mixlr.com/tri-city-storm/" target="_blank">Storm Radio</a>. Tickets to home games at the Viaero Center may be purchased online by skating to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.stormhockey.com/" target="_blank">www.StormHockey.com</a>, or by calling the Viaero Center Box Office during Box Office hours at 308-338-8144. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

Storm set for three-game road weekend in Iowa

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?

AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.

Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?

AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.

Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?

JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.

Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?

AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?

JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.

We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.

I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.

Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?

AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.

Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.

Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?

JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.

It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.

JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.

Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.

Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.

Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?

JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.

We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.

Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?

JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.

I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.

In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.

Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?

JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.

Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?

JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.

There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Story by NCAA Communications<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/MsaQX58R-Qhb3tgnY.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="20240321 Nebraska Pregame (1)" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what was your reaction when you saw Texas A&amp;M's name pop up on the bracket screen?AICHA COULIBALY: I was super excited because this is the first time I've ever been to the NCAA Tournament. I'm a senior, and it was a lot of excitement. I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. It feels great.Q.&nbsp;Aicha, what's it like when you're watching that show when you're on the bubble? What's the emotions of watching that entire show?AICHA COULIBALY: Like I said, our name popped up and they called our name really fast. I was just sitting in my chair, I was just screaming all over the place and jumping. I was just full of emotions. It's just exciting to see how far we came this season. We had some lows and some ups and downs, and we just kept fighting, and this is where we are at right now, and it feels great.Q.&nbsp;You obviously had one of the better reactions of the selection show Sunday. How do you move forward from that and get ready to play a game against a team like Nebraska?JANIAH BARKER: I think it's just -- first, of course, it's a blessing to be here, and I think it was really, really cool and fun just to be a part of that, and it was all very, very genuine. We came in the next day or two days later. I think we had an off day, we came in and was ready to work. Joni -- after the selection show, we seen the coaches for a little bit and then they left. They wanted to go scout it. They came to us and told us we have a really good chance to do this and they believe in us, and I think we're all excited to be here, and honestly all respect to Nebraska, all respect to everybody here, but we're ready to do what we need to do, which is win.Q.&nbsp;Playing South Carolina, coaches, fans, people will say playing a team like that will make you better. Do you believe any of that, or is that just what people say after you have a game like that?AICHA COULIBALY: I feel like that's what people will say, and I know what our team is capable of and what I am capable of. It wasn't new, and I feel like we just stayed composed and played our game, and that's what we've got to keep doing going into the game tomorrow, as well, against Nebraska.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played a couple years just down the road here at Oregon. When you guys knew you were coming here, what was her reaction and what she has told you about playing in this part of the country?JANIAH BARKER: Honestly if you seen the video that we posted on Texas A&amp;M, she was on the side over here doing one of these. She was really, really excited.We landed in Eugene, actually, and we drove over to here. She's just excited herself. She's back in Pac-12 country, and I think she's excited to play and get back to her regular self because she's back on the court.I'm excited tore her to be back here, and hopefully she can do what she did when she was at Oregon for us.Q.&nbsp;What challenges does Nebraska present to y'all, and what will it take to play a great game tomorrow?AICHA COULIBALY: I think it's going to take a lot of mental focus for us. They have a lot of shooters and we have to be ready to contest every shot.Just stick to our own defensive principles and do what we're told to do and follow the game plan and scouting and stuff, doing our job. It's going to take everybody, not only one person can win this game. Just getting stops and like offensively executing on offense and just staying focused the whole game. It's going to be a mental game for sure, so we've just got to stay locked in and play our game and not get distracted.Q.&nbsp;What's the biggest change for you as a player from last season to this season?JANIAH BARKER: I would think for me as a player, my role. I think last year I was a more freer person just because I was a freshman and just trying to figure out what was really going on. I think this year I have more on my plate as the coaches give me, which is a blessing, as well. But just to be a better leader, just to be a better example of what a good teammate should be, a good player should be, a good listener.It's just a lot of stuff that they told me about me mentally, just learning from those types of things. But I've grown a lot, and I'm really happy for my coaching staff to give me those types of things to get better at and go forward. Yeah, I've grown just being a better Janiah.JONI TAYLOR: I'm excited to be here in Corvallis, obviously, in the tournament. Excited for our team. This was one of our goals for this year, and ready to get out and practice and just get going so we can face a really tough Nebraska team tomorrow. We're going to have our hands full. They shoot it, they have great post presence, really, really good team and have a great body of work, and just excited to get out there and perform tomorrow.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers played nearby at Oregon for a couple years. What's been her reaction to being selected to play here in Corvallis?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think, number one, Endyia is really grateful to be back playing. She understands the impact she has on our team, and she worked extremely hard to get herself back on the court. Excited for her to be able to play, and then to make the tournament and then find out we're coming to Corvallis, I think she's got a ton of fans who are coming to support her. It's a gym she's familiar in, and just excited for her to go out and play again.Q.&nbsp;What's unique or a challenge about playing Nebraska, that matchup?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I mean, they put five scorers on the floor. You look at their starters and four out of five make the all-tournament team in some way, whether it's Freshman of the Year, First Team, all-freshman team. Extremely talented. They play with great pace, and then they can also slow you down, pound it inside. They just have weapons all over the floor, and it makes it hard to double because they can hit you from three. Jaz does a really good job of scoring off the bounce. She's a three-level scorer. They just stretch you defensively.Then offensively they make it really hard, as well. They, in my opinion, from the film that I've watched, they're as good defensively as they are offensively, and I don't think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively.Q.&nbsp;Y'all had one of the better reactions on Sunday for the selection show. How do you move forward emotionally to get ready for the biggest game of the season?JONI TAYLOR: Right. Well, I was really excited about their reaction because I have been in that room a ton of times where when you know you're going, it's like, okay, we're in, what's next. So to capture how they felt, how we all felt, was a really, really special thing, and we wanted them to have that moment. That's what Sunday was for. We also had Monday off. So when we got to work on Tuesday, we were locked in and ready to go, which is something this team has done all year long.We try really hard to be neutral and not ride the wave of being too high or being too low. We've had some really high moments this year, and we've had some really low moments this year, and we've remained really neutral throughout it all, so I think this was par for the course in terms of how we responded.Q.&nbsp;Obviously last year you won nine times and now 19. How does it feel to feel validated and being in March Madness in year two?JONI TAYLOR: Well, I think for us, it's our own internal validation of we're taking the right steps. This is where we wanted to be in year two to get Texas A&amp;M women's basketball back into the tournament. It was one of our key goals for the year, and we did that.I think as a staff, as a program, all it does for us is confirm that we're moving in the right direction. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. But are we moving in the right direction? Sure.In terms of outside validation, we really try hard to not worry about what other people think, say or feel because if they're not in our program every day, they have no bearing on what goes on.Q.&nbsp;Endyia Rogers had her injury late in the season. How is your team different when she is healthy?JONI TAYLOR: You know, I'm going to quote Buzz Williams here. He texted me after the Mississippi State game in the SEC tournament obviously saying&nbsp;congratulations,&nbsp;happy birthday, all the things, but I had been saying it but not in the way he said it, and what he said to me was with Endyia back on the floor, it looks like everybody can sit back in their normal seat at the table. I think that's what she does for us. There's a calm. There's a, okay, let me put down this extra load that I was carrying and just pick up my normal bag that I wear, and you can see that when she's on the floor. Coming off the bench or starting, just knowing that she's available gives everybody a sense of calm, and it allows us to take our normal seats at the table.Q.&nbsp;There was a photo taken of both the men's program and the women's program before both teams left on Wednesday praying in a circle. What does that mean to you being synchronized with your men's program?JONI TAYLOR: I have been fortunate to be at a lot of institutions where there's been incredible men coaches for leaders and incredible staff and young men as players. I have never been a part of something as special as we're a part of now with our men's program at Texas A&amp;M, and that comes from the top down. That starts with Buzz. His young men are who they are because of him and how he leads them and directs them.There is cohesion. There's chemistry there. There's friendship. Our director of athletics culture came to me the day before and said, hey, both teams are practicing, can we pray before we practice and leave. Absolutely.

Husker Women bring spirit to NCAA practice

Q.&nbsp;The opportunity to win Nebraska's first NCAA Tournament game, is that something you guys are thinking about heading into this one?

RIENK MAST: Yes, most definitely. Obviously going into the season, it's a big goal to be here, and you know that Nebraska's never won an NCAA Tournament game, but now to actually be here and be in this position and have this opportunity, just super excited to go out there and hopefully write some history.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, the A&amp;M players and Coach Williams were talking about your guys' scouting report of what they thought of you. And they used "pretty" talk about the offense. What have been your impressions of A&amp;M now that you have time to look at them and what jumps out about their strengths and weaknesses?

BRICE WILLIAMS: They're just an aggressive team. I wouldn't say anything special about them. They just had their identity of trying to out-tough the opponent, and that's the emphasis this week. We just can't get punked, just going to focus on that.

Q.&nbsp;Keisei has taken the college basketball world by storm the past couple of weeks. I don't know if you buy into "Japanese Steph Curry" hype. But what's it like to play alongside him? Do you have an anecdote that he played in a practice or anything that stands out?

RIENK MAST: It's obviously special to play with somebody that draws in this type of hype and this type of excitement around himself. He draws a lot of attention on the court, which makes it a little bit easier for us to play. I know for myself, I definitely look for him and try and feed him the ball whenever I can during the game.

But it's been pretty special to have him, like have him on our team this year, like an anecdote for -- he was with his national team, but one of the first practices that he was back, we were playing a little 5-on-5, and it was three possessions in a row.

First one he hit just a normal 3. Then when you let him hit one 3, he gets on fire, like, right away. So then he hit a step-back 3. And then right the next possession he got switched, the 5 switched out on him and he took him one-on-one and hit another step-back 3, like, three possessions in a row.

That was the first time that I really saw what type of player he was in person and he's been special this year.

BRICE WILLIAMS: The stuff you all see out there on the court on game days, it's crazy. Like Rienk said, he's definitely a guy who can heat up just by making one shot.

But the stuff he does after practice or shoot-arounds, when he's hitting turnaround, half-court shots, like he'll turn around, he won't look at the basket. Him and Rienk do it every time after shoot-around. But Keisei makes them on a regular -- it's just crazy the stuff he does off camera.

Q.&nbsp;Both of you guys transferred in for this moment. You set this goal ahead of you at the beginning of the season. But now that you're here how cool is it to be in this spectacle and be in March Madness and see the city and all the hype around it?

BRICE WILLIAMS: It's new. It's exciting. Like you said it's the goal we set out to do when we transferred here. But at the same time we came -- we wanted to win here. We didn't want to just be here.

So while we're excited, I think we're both just trying to, you know what I'm saying, write history. Put our name down in history with Nebraska and just make a run.

RIENK MAST: We're not here for just one game. Everybody will say that. If you ask the Texas A&amp;M players, they'll also say we're not here for just one game. But obviously excited to be here. But we don't want to be here just for one day; we want to extend this journey a little bit longer.

Q.&nbsp;How unique is it -- you've been around Keisei Tominaga, but to know this game is being live streamed in Japan. And to get that kind of reach, is it fun? Do you have some family members who in parts of the world that may be able to watch this game because of him that otherwise would not have been able to -- they would have been checking an app trying to keep up with the game?

BRICE WILLIAMS: I don't have any family in Japan or anything, but it's just crazy that one guy can draw so much attention nationally, worldwide. It just shows that the game can bring everybody together.

But it's just cool. It's cool that everybody over there can see him play and support him. He's kind of a celebrity over there, I heard. It's all necessary.

Q.&nbsp;I'm just wondering, we talked to you guys on Sunday and we asked you how big of an impact Fred can have. Now that you've had some preparation, some practices going into this game, he's played in the NCAA Tournament. He's coached in it. Just what kind of help has Fred been during this process?

RIENK MAST: Just mainly kind of explaining to us, like, how to stay poised during games. These games, most of them will come down to the wire. They'll be one-possession games.

What we've talked about is just staying poised and level headed and not get too sped up or too nervous or excited, or whatever, just staying level headed and staying in the moment.

Q.&nbsp;You've only been at Nebraska for one season, played for Coach Hoiberg for less than a year, but what impact has he had on your developments not only getting ready for this season but preparing you for the next level?

BRICE WILLIAMS: What he's done for me, instilling confidence in me. Obviously playing a new position I've never played before at point guard. Kind of running the show. And if whether I make a mistake or make multiple mistakes, he's shown that he has confidence in me, and that helps me have confidence in myself.

He's given me freedom to make mistakes and learn while pumping me up behind the scenes. Just having confidence in myself and my game and that's just propelled me forward.

RIENK MAST: Just obviously he's played and coached at the next level and especially coaching aspect of how he approaches a game. I believe he still approaches the game the same way when he was coaching the Bulls as he is approaching the game now.

So just to learn from him kind of how it goes on at the professional level and how preparations go, and just learning a lot of how he looks at Xs and Os of the game. Just his basketball IQ is enormous. And learning from him has been really good.

Q.&nbsp;I know you're probably overhearing the stuff but you're the only Power Five team to not have won a game in a tournament. Is that something you guys talk about often? How do you work through that? And what's the motivation to go and win this to get that kind of monkey off the back?

BRICE WILLIAMS: We talk about it multiple times. We talked about it a lot, kind of just to go along with our season, first it started with the road games. Then once it started coming down to the wire we started talking about we never won.

But everybody talks about how we have a special group, and we don't want to just be, like, some people talk about. We definitely want to get the monkey off our back and win our first one. But like I said, we just want to make a run. We just want to make a run.

RIENK MAST: Obviously everybody's aware. But, like, you can't let it define us too much. You can't go into the game, like, oh, this is like the opportunity of a lifetime. Obviously it's a high-pressure game, but we can't be thinking too much about, oh, we've never won a game here.

It's just, all right, this is one game that we have to win. And we can't be too caught up in the history of it all. We've just got to focus in on the moment.

Q.&nbsp;There are many great shooters these days, but what people say about Keisei is different. They say best show on TV or fun to watch. Why do you think Keisei is that kind of player?

RIENK MAST: He's very unassuming. He's 6'2", not too athletic. But when he goes out on the court he plays with the type of swagger and type of attitude that is almost unmatched.

And the way he shoots the ball, how Fred teaches us to shoot, with holding your follow-through and sticking your shot and all that. It doesn't really matter for him, as long as it gets out of his hands clean and he gets a somewhat decent look, you know this thing is going in more times than not. That's something I personally have never seen other than with Keisei.

BRICE WILLIAMS: Probably the degree of difficulty. None of his shots are open. None of his shots are like wide open. They're all usually fading away or super, super quick release. But I would probably just say the degree of difficulty and how much he makes those difficult shots, how often.

Q.&nbsp;Brice, coming off the Big Ten Tournament and your strong performance in that one-and-done environment, how does that impact your confidence coming into a similar situation but obviously higher stakes?

BRICE WILLIAMS: The pressure was definitely on. And, you know, in those games it was a lot of different crowds. It was a lot of different people rooting for you, a lot of different people rooting against you.

But heading into the tournament now, that was a neutral site. So we were basically on the road. All we had was ourselves pretty much.

For us to play how we did, I know we gave up the last one, was the noise, but we still played pretty good. We looked at one another and played for one another. And that was good heading into the tournament now where everything is a neutral site again. It was encouraging.

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Fred Hoiberg.

FRED HOIBERG: Want to say how excited we are to be in this opportunity right now. When we put this group together we thought we had a chance to be here. I give our guys all the credit in the world for continuing to buy in, be very professional throughout this entire season regardless of the circumstance.

Whether we won, whether we lost, we generally prepared the same way, and these guys have been extremely coachable. And I'm really excited for them to have this opportunity.

Q.&nbsp;Just an opinion, do you think the uniqueness of your systems maybe give you an advantage in a situation like this, your systems on offense and defense?

FRED HOIBERG: Well, I don't know about that. I think at this time of year obviously it's, the importance is how your team is playing and how they're hanging in there together when you've been through as many battles as we have.

And I know this, we're playing a hot team. We're playing one of the hottest teams in the country right now that came off a five-game winning streak. And their loss, their lone loss in that stretch, to Florida, was as good a 20 minutes that they had played all year. They had a 20-point lead in the first half against Florida in that game. I know we're playing a hot team.

That being said, I really do like the way we're playing, I think our guys have done a great job of sharing the ball. We found the right guy, whoever has had it going. And this team has been very selfless all season long.

We've had a good week of prep. I'm sure A&amp;M has had a great week of prep as well. And you've got two teams playing really good basketball squaring off tomorrow.

So, again, we've all got our unique systems. A&amp;M is a very unique system on both sides of the ball, and I know this, whatever offense they're running, we have to be tied together. Defensively we've been pretty darned good with the exception of the Illinois game. We had a lot of miscues in that game.

And offensively, I know we're going to have to play with pace. Whatever defense they're in, we just have to go out and continue to share it and continue to move. And we've had the benefit of playing a couple of teams that have played multiple defenses. Michigan played a lot of them. I was really pleased with how we moved in that game, whatever defense they were in. And that's what it's going to take for us tomorrow to have a chance to win this game.

Q.&nbsp;I know Keisei was recruited by Coach Billy Gillispie. What memories, things stick out to you, and in working with Coach Gillispie, is there any part of his coaching that you see Keisei develop?

FRED HOIBERG: As you know, it's not easy playing for Billy. He's a very demanding coach, and he does a phenomenal job. So the fact that Keisei played under Billy, I think, is a huge benefit for us.

I remember talking to Billy in the recruiting process and just talking to him about how he enjoyed coaching Keisei, and he loved him. He said, the thing I like the most about Keisei is his competitive spirit. I can yell at him. I can get on him, and he never snaps back at me. He's just got a smile on his face.

I said, Coach, it's because he doesn't know what you're talking about. He can't understand you. As he's gone on -- he had the added benefit, there was a Japanese trainer (indiscernible) Ranger, and that helped him learn the language a little bit. When he got to Nebraska he had got a girlfriend and that really helped his language.

Listen, the thing with Keisei, I'm so proud of his growth over the last couple of years. His first year at Nebraska, there were some games he just couldn't play. He just got overwhelmed by physicality.

Now he doesn't back down from anybody. I don't care who it is. He's going to go out there. He's going to give you an effort. He's going to make contact with you, and the way that he is guarded, his ability to create separation, has been absolutely phenomenal.

I'm just proud of him for everything that he's done to make him the type of player that he is right now. And obviously there's a lot of attention. He's getting a lot of it. It's important, as I've talked about with the team, to really try to limit the distractions this week. There's so much noise, social media with everything going on.

The team that limits those distractions a lot of times are the teams that move on at this time of year.

So it's important. We love it. He's getting a lot of attention. But he's always had that. He's played on the world stage. He helped his national team at Japan accomplish something that's never been done before. And that's what we're trying to accomplish here at Nebraska.

Q.&nbsp;When you were recruiting him from Ranger, what were the things that stood out that he was doing at that level, and saying, okay, let's see how we can bring this up to the new level?

FRED HOIBERG: Shooting from half court. That was the thing that I liked. He shot 44 percent on shots over 25 feet. He just has always had that range.

The thing that I loved was his confidence. You see him out there playing with a joy and a confidence and a swagger. That's why he's able to play against more athletic, more physical players, is because he plays with that drive and he plays with that joy and confident swagger every time he steps on the court.

It's not just games. If you saw him in practice, he's the same guy. And that helped set the tone for our guys every day.

He's just been a joy to coach. I've said this multiple times. He's going to go down as one of my all-time favorites.

Q.&nbsp;You talked about distractions earlier. What has it been like for you and your staff having to balance the transfer portal opening up this week and prepping for the NCAA Tournament and the overlap that's been there?

FRED HOIBERG: It's not a lot of fun. I'll be honest with you. It's, I know, a big part of the job, and you have to be on top of everything early in the process or you won't have a chance.

You want to be preparing obviously 24/7, but you have to be on top of that. And our staff does a good job with it. I think there's, what, 500 names in there already. You have to be ready for it.

But at this time of year, for us, for me, it's all about doing everything I can to prepare the team and put a game plan together to give us a chance to beat, again, one of the top teams in the country here these past six weeks.

And we'll worry about that. When this journey ends hopefully not for a while, we'll get on top of it, but our staff is doing a good job right now keeping everybody in the loop on what's happening on that front, at the same time staying very focused on the task at hand.

Q.&nbsp;You've obviously had a lot of success on the NCAA Tournament stage. Is there some secret to winning an NCAA Tournament game?

FRED HOIBERG: Well, you've got to be tied together. You have to fight through adversity. This is the biggest thing at this time of year is you have to find a way to stay together when things aren't going your way.

And I can promise you tomorrow night, at some point, that's going to happen to us. And what will define our success is how we handle that adversity.

I'm confident, our group has been through a lot. We've been through a lot of highs and lows, and I do think we're playing as good as we played all year right now. So hopefully we handled that well.

We did not handle it great at Ohio State. That was the one time I thought that we really kind of got away from it. But we learned from it. I think we've grown and gotten better.

Defense and rebounding this time of year is critical, and we're playing the best offensive rebounding team in the country. And they're so good at getting into your body and hitting you first, and if we allow that to happen, it's going to be a long night.

They average almost 18 offensive rebounds a game. That's a crazy number. 44 percent of their misses they get back. Their offensive rebounding percentage is historically good. So, for us, we have to find a way to battle them. We've got to guard the ball. And we have to finish off possessions.

Q.&nbsp;What does the contract extension mean to you? And considering where things were for you just a couple of years ago, to have that long-term stability now, how much of an advantage is that going forward, building this program?

FRED HOIBERG: I appreciate the leadership believing in us. That's first and foremost. I've talked a lot about how much we've loved our time in Lincoln. For me, with our family's ties, with both grandfathers working at the university, one as the head coach for nine seasons in basketball, the other one, sociology professor for 20 years.

Spent a lot of time in Lincoln growing up. My parents are graduates of Southeast and also University of Nebraska. My dad got his Ph.D. at Nebraska. I was born in Lincoln.

We absolutely love it. And it's kind of cool how life has come full circle. And very likely my career is going to end in Lincoln.

I just am really appreciative of the belief. And we're going to do everything we can to make this a consistent goal for this team to be playing at this time of year on this stage. And there's no reason in the world we shouldn't have that with the facilities, with the fan support.

We absolutely love it. I'm appreciative, my staff, getting taken care of. And hopefully we're here doing special things for a long time.

Again, but it goes back to the leadership. I haven't met Troy since he got the job. I know I talked about this. He used to ref my high school games. Sounds like he's going to be out there today. I'm looking forward to getting together with him and hopefully building it together with a guy that I think has great leadership skills.

And also the president as well. Just really excited about it. And hopefully we do some great things here long term.

Q.&nbsp;Wade Taylor had some pretty high praise for you guys, but in terms of slowing him down and the opportunity to go against a great player like that, what's your approach to him?

FRED HOIBERG: He's playing at an unbelievable level. Preseason player of the year and certainly that's how he's playing right now. But his degree of difficulty on his shots -- you see those early shots he made in the SEC Tournament, pulling up from 28, 29 feet on the first couple of minutes of the game and just setting the tone, over length, contested, if he's hitting shots like that it's going to be a tough game to win. That's who he's been here these last couple of weeks.

But it's their whole team. Their guards are playing at a high, high level. Their bigs know their roles. Garcia's ability, he has 153 offensive rebounds. That's incredible. We think Juwan Gary is a good offensive rebounder. He's got 61.

So these guys pose a lot of problems. And the way Taylor is playing right now, he's the head of the snake. It starts with him. I'm so impressed with his overall game and how the team is playing as a whole. We'll really have to be on point to give ourselves a chance to win this game.

Q.&nbsp;I assume C.J.'s good to go? And also Eli, could he play if you had to play him?

FRED HOIBERG: C.J., he's been back on the practice court. It's good to have him back. He struggled a little bit that first day, kind of had him in and out. But he's been fine the last couple since we've been down here in Memphis.