Nebraska learned its next destination on Monday morning. The Huskers will be the No. 3 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional hosted by No. 1 seed Oklahoma State. Connecticut is the No.2 seed and will be Nebraska’s first opponent. Harvard is the No. 4 seed and will face the Cowboys to start.
Coach Darin Erstad met with the media after the selection show on Monday and was excited about what he learned.
“The boys deserve it,” he said. “They beat some really quality teams this year and this is three out of four years for our seniors.”
Many outlets had Nebraska projected as a No. 2 seed, so the No.3 ranking was a little surprising. That has never been something Erstad has worried about though.
“I don't care one bit,” Erstad said. “At this time of the year, you can throw all rankings and stats out the window. You just want to get your foot in the door.”
The Oklahoma City Regional is the closest host location for the Huskers, which will be beneficial for the team as well as the fans.
“I’m pumped we’re going to be able to get on a bus and not nine different flights to get everybody there,” Erstad said. “The fans have the ability to drive and that’s awesome.”
Five Big Ten teams—Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois—were selected. Erstad was not surprised either.
“I’m glad the recognized the quality of the league because we see it every week,” he said.
Nebraska is fresh off a long week at the Big Ten Tournament and a loss in the championship game, but Erstad said the confidence of the team is sky high. He also mentioned how the recent loss can help motivate the team.
“Losing that last game gets the bitterness feeling in your body again and I kind of like that,” Erstad said. “It re-stokes the fire and the boys will be ready to go.”
The Huskers will get started on Friday against UConn at 12 p.m. CT in Oklahoma City.
