With two games remaining in the regular season, IU (18-10, 10-6) sits in prime position to lock up one of the four double-byes guaranteeing a spot in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Hoosiers, tied for fourth in the conference, were projected as a 10-seed in this week’s ESPN bracketology for the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Before playing at home with No. 11 Penn State to finish the season, IU will face Nebraska (17-10, 8-8) at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Lincoln, Nebraska. The last time the two teams played, almost three weeks ago, the Hoosier defense stifled the Huskers 59-47 at Assembly Hall.
A big reason why IU was able to hold Nebraska at less than 50 points was the Hoosiers’ game plan against star freshman Jessica Shephard. At 6-foot-4, Shephard is the frontrunner for Big Ten freshman of the year. The Nebraska native averages 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
On Feb. 8, IU Coach Teri Moren primarily chose junior center Jenn Anderson to defend Shephard. Anderson frustrated Shephard with 11 turnovers and four fouls. Though Shephard still finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, it wasn’t enough for Nebraska to threaten IU’s lead.
“Shephard is a tremendous post player in this league,” Moren said after the first meeting. “I thought Jenn Anderson did a really great job of making her uncomfortable. She had 18, but it was a well-earned 18 because of Jenn’s focus to keep her at bay and off-balanced.”
Since its first meeting with IU when it stood at 7-4 in the Big Ten season, Nebraska has lost three of its last four games. Three of those games were played against teams in the Big Ten’s top four.
Shephard scored a game-high 26 points in a 73-66 upset against No. 17 Michigan State last Sunday. Nebraska most recently lost to Purdue at home Sunday, 68-50.
IU, meanwhile, looks for its third Big Ten road win of the season. After snapping its 1-36 mark in Big Ten road games against Northwestern earlier this year, IU has only defeated last-place Illinois away from Assembly Hall.
Moren looks to guide her team at Pinnacle Bank Arena after seeing IU’s comeback fall short in Iowa on Sunday. A pair of 3-pointers were missed on the final possession, making a 76-73 Hoosier loss to the Hawkeyes.
Sophomore forward Amanda Cahill scored a game-high 22 points and collected 14 rebounds in the losing effort.
“We got a good look and it just didn’t go down,” Moren said. “For that we’re disappointed, but we still have a lot of basketball ahead of us. We have to hold our heads up high. Now we have to go back and figure out how to tackle Nebraska on the road.”
The Hoosiers will likely secure a double-bye with wins against the Huskers and the Nittany Lions to finish the season. Third-place Michigan State and fourth-place Minnesota both have games against the conference’s powerhouses, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Maryland.
“We have to hold our heads up, have a short memory and move on,” Moren said. “That’s kind of the grind of the Big Ten. We have to realize that all those wins at home have been precious for us. We’ve got to bounce back in a big way.”
