Nebraska (21-9) (NET: 43)
4-7 (Q1), 3-2 (Q2), 7-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
Even after last Thursday’s tough loss at Ohio State, this Nebraska team is zoning in on their first trip to the Big Dance in a decade. They took care of business against Rutgers over the weekend and have won five out of six games down the stretch.
The most impressive win on the year is of course their 16-point victory over Purdue from January. The Cornhuskers have done major damage at home this season, picking up other Quad 1 wins against Michigan State and Wisconsin. A December win at Kansas State also stands out.
The Quad 2 losses came at Minnesota and Rutgers and have both been avenged in recent weeks. The issue for the Cornhuskers is their lack of success on the road, with Indiana the only Big Ten team they’ve beaten away from home.
This recent hot trend has seen Nebraska finally get the job done away from Lincoln and they’ll get one more shot at Michigan next Sunday. Beating the Wolverines won’t push the needle in their favor too much, but a loss at Michigan would be extremely detrimental.
Nevada (23-6) (NET: 40)
5-5 (Q1), 2-0 (Q2), 5-1 (Q3), 11-0 (Q4)
We can almost consider the Wolf Pack firmly in the field. They’ve won five straight games, most notably needing a buzzer-beater to win at Colorado State earlier this past week. They also beat Fresno State and have looked good while winning eight of their last nine.
Nevada secured Quad 1 wins over Washington and TCU way back in nonconference play, while the others have come during this recent stretch. The Wolf Pack upset Utah State on the road before winning over San Diego State, and of course there’s also last week’s thriller over the Rams.
On the contrary, a Quad 3 loss at Wyoming doesn’t sit well and punctuated a tough stretch in the middle of January. Fortunately, that’s the only non-Quad 1 loss for Nevada’s entire season and a team that started the season hot is playing well again right now.
They do have another Quad 1 opportunity at Boise State this week, with the Wolf Pack hoping to avenge a home loss from early January. They’ll then finish the season at home against UNLV. Two wins this week might cement their place in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year.