Scouting: No. 6 Indiana is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the Associated Press poll. Last season Indiana reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time, and the Hoosiers returned five starters from that squad. Indiana is on a seven-game winning streak that includes an impressive 70-63 win against the Big Ten’s top program, Maryland. The Hoosiers’ two losses are each against top-five teams (Stanford and North Carolina State). All-Big Ten forward Mackenzie Holmes leads Indiana in scoring (17.9 points per game) while making 62% of her field goals.
Trending: Nebraska has two of the top three-point shooters in the Big Ten in Ashley Scoggin (45% on threes) and Jaz Shelley (43%). Nebraska is one of just two teams (also Abilene Christian) in the nation with two shooters ranked among the top 30 in the nation in three-point field goal percentage.
Forecasting: Nebraska is a much better team than last season. Now we’ll see if Nebraska can close the gap, or beat, an Indiana squad that crushed the Huskers by 36 points last season. Nebraska had only seven players available for that game, but depth is a strength of the Huskers now. The Hoosiers dominated Nebraska in rebounding, 61-35.
— Brent C. Wagner
Photos: The Husker women meet Iowa in front of a jumping PBA crowd
Nebraska's Ashley Scoggin (0) goes up for two around Indiana State's Mya Glanton (left) and Caitlin Anderson and in the second quarter Dec. 11 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.