NCAA Tournament Guide: What you need to know for Nebraska’s first weekend
Let’s just say Nebraska is more than familiar with the NCAA Tournament, and it all begins Friday against Florida A&M.
Let’s just say Nebraska is more than familiar with the NCAA Tournament. How familiar?1
Well, Nebraska is set to embark on its 43rd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, securing the No. 2 overall seed for 2024. Fresh off their 36th all-time conference title and a dominant 19-1 Big Ten season, the Huskers will host the first and second rounds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this Friday and Saturday.
The tournament kicks off later today with Miami facing South Dakota State at 4:30 p.m. CT, followed by Nebraska (29-2) taking on SWAC champions Florida A&M (27-6). Friday’s winners will meet in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Back to the familiarity aspect of this all: Nebraska boasts 130 NCAA Tournament victories—the second-most in history. The home court advantage? Yeah, it’s real. Nebraska has 41 straight wins at the Devaney Center and 22 consecutive home NCAA Tournament victories dating back to 2013. The team has also won its last 36 first-round matches, a streak dating back to 1984.
Not bad.
Leading the charge for the Huskers in 2024 is an impressive lineup of talent. Harper Murray paces the team with 3.28 kills per set and 30 aces. Opposite hitter Merritt Beason adds 2.99 kills per set, while middle blocker Andi Jackson boasts a .442 hitting percentage—sixth nationally and tops the Big Ten. Setter Bergen Reilly, the two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, leads the offense with 11.12 assists per set, complemented by 15 double-doubles this season. On defense, Big Ten Libero of the Year Lexi Rodriguez anchors the back row with 3.80 digs per set as she closes in on Nebraska’s career digs record.
Again, not bad.
Nebraska’s motto this season has been “Race for the Roses,” a nod to the Final Four location in Louisville, Kentucky. The Huskers begin that journey toward their season goal later today, starting with a matchup against Florida A&M.
Fun fact: Nebraska and Florida A&M have met before. The two faced off in 2004 at the NU Coliseum, when the Rattlers upset the Huskers 3-1 (30-25, 16-30, 30-28, 30-28).
“This is going to be payback for me,” coach John Cook joked on Thursday, sitting next to Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson. “They weren't born yet, but for me, this is payback.”
As for Miami and South Dakota State, Nebraska has faced the Hurricanes once, in 2002. The Huskers swept that one an NCAA Regional Semifinal at the NU Coliseum. And then there’s South Dakota State, a team Nebraska holds a 2-0 record over. The other two meetings took place in 1975 and 2007, with the latter coming at an NCAA First Round match at the NU Coliseum.
Everything you need to know for Nebraska-Florida A&M (First Round):
Watch: ESPN+
Date: Friday, Dec. 6
Time: 7 p.m. CT2
Radio: Huskers Radio Network and affiliate radio stations
Location: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska
If Nebraska advances, everything you need to know for the Second Round:
Watch: ESPN+
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Radio: Huskers Radio Network and affiliate radio stations
Location: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska
Scouting report
Florida A&M
Florida A&M enters the NCAA Tournament as the SWAC champions for the third time in four years, boasting a 27-6 overall record and a perfect 16-0 mark in conference play. This marks the Rattlers' 13th NCAA Tournament appearance, following back-to-back trips in 2021 and 2022, where they were eliminated in the first round by Florida both years.
The team is led offensively by Brooke Lynn Watts, who averages 3.65 kills per set and has a team-high 37 service aces. She is complemented by Iyonnie Sanford, who adds 2.66 kills per set. Defensively, Florida A&M is formidable, ranking sixth nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.142) and fifth in aces per set (2.11).
Miami
Miami (21-10, 12-8 ACC) has secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Last season, the Hurricanes advanced to the second round before being eliminated by Wisconsin. Miami is no stranger to Lincoln, as the Hurricanes competed in the NCAA First Round in 2022, falling to Kansas in a 3-0 sweep. This year, Miami's résumé includes impressive five-set victories over then-No. 1 Texas on Sept. 7 and No. 5 Stanford on Nov. 1.
Offensively, Flormarie Heredia Colon is a standout, ranking second in the ACC and 35th nationally with 4.30 kills per set. Grace Lopez provides additional firepower with 3.54 kills per set.
South Dakota State
South Dakota State (27-2, 15-1 Summit League) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, earning an at-large bid after winning the Summit League regular-season title. This marks the Jackrabbits' second appearance in the Division I era.
The team is led by Sylvie Zgonc, the Summit League Player of the Year, who averages 4.41 kills per set, ranking 25th nationally. Sydni Schetnan contributes 2.50 kills per set along with an impressive 1.28 blocks per set. Defensively, South Dakota State is strong, ranking 10th nationally in blocks per set (2.77) and holding opponents to a .160 hitting percentage, which ranks 15th in the country.
Notable quotes:
Head coach John Cook on Florida A&M:
“They've got athletes, their coaches are from Turkey, so they play an international kind of style of volleyball. They set one player really, really fast by the fastest tempo we've seen all year at left side. So they're probably not as refined as a lot of the Big Ten teams because they're running all these patterns and everything. To do that, you got to pass, so the key for us will be can we serve them and get them out of system all the time and take all that away. They do some nice things. They've got athletes and you know, they're they're I mean, Merritt’s already played them a couple times already. They're very consistent being in the NCAA tournament and they have a very cool nickname, the Rattlers, and we're all in one against them. This is going to be payback for me. They weren't born yet, but for me, this is payback.”
Setter Bergen Reilly on the loss to Penn State:
“I think we just learned a lot about ourselves and just there's like there's always going to be things we can get better at, and I think that we kind of went on a streak there where we weren't losing a lot of sets, didn't lose games for however many games it was. I think it was just kind of a reminder to ourselves to come in every single day, work every day, and that we're not invincible and we're going to have to work really hard. There's a lot of good teams this year, so I think it was good for us. I think that we needed a little gut check and I think that it'll kind of propel us forward in the tournament.”
Middle blocker Andi Jackson on how she approaches the tournament now with experience:
“I think the exact same. Obviously postseason, we've talked about it. It's like the third season of season and everyone 0-0 now and the game forgets. Not that we're going to forget everything that we've done leading up to this point, but also at the same time, it doesn't matter that we had such an amazing season, like we were Big Ten champs. Everyone forgets it now because it's postseason and so just going in with that mindset, the game forgets and this is a brand new season. Everyone is 0-0.”
I can’t put a footnote in a caption of a photo, so I’m putting it in the first line of this story. But look at the photo and see if you can find me. It’s like Where’s Waldo, and when you spot me, it’s obvious.
-Or- 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first match, but no sooner than 7 p.m.