Alonzo Verge Jr. and Bryce McGowens were honored Monday, as the Big Ten Conference announced its weekly honors. Verge shared Big Ten Player of the Week honors with Iowa's Keegan Murray, while McGowens was named Freshman of the Week.

Both were recognized following the Huskers' 2-0 week which included road wins at No. 23 Ohio State and No. 10 Wisconsin. It marked the first time in program history that Nebraska won consecutive road games against ranked opponents.

Verge averaged 19.5 points on 50 percent shooting, 8.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in two wins to post his first weekly honor. The senior posted his team-best fifth double-double at Ohio State with 13 points and 11 assists and keyed NU's win at Wisconsin with a game-high 26 points and six assists. He scored nine of his 26 point in Nebraska's decisive 12-0 run en route to its first top-10 road win since 2014. Verge is the first Husker to be named Big Ten Player of the Week since Jan. 22, 2018 (James Palmer Jr.).

McGowens starred in the Huskers' 78-70 win at Ohio State, with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line. It was his 11th 20-point game of the season, breaking NU's freshman record, while he became just the fifth Husker freshman or sophomore to score 500 points in a season. It marked McGowens' eighth Freshman-of-the-Week award, which is the second-highest total since the conference began the award in 2010-11. McGowens has won the weekly award five of the past six weeks dating back to Jan. 31.

In addition to the player awards, Nebraska was chosen as Dick Vitale's Team of the Week on ESPN.com following the wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin. The win over the Buckeyes snapped a 24-game losing streak against ranked teams dating back to 2019.

The Huskers open Big Ten Tournament action on Wednesday, March 9, against Northwestern. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (Central) on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network.

Baseball at K-State Moved to Wednesday

Due to weather and travel complications with the K-State baseball program returning to Manhattan from last weekend's series, Nebraska's midweek matchup at Kansas State has been moved to Wednesday, March 9.

First pitch between the Huskers and Wildcats is set for 4:02 p.m. on Wednesday at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.

Wednesday's game can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and Android devices.

Huskers Cruise Past Oklahoma Wesleyan

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Nebraska beach volleyball team swept Oklahoma Wesleyan 5-0 on Monday at the Hawks Championship Center. The Huskers improved to 4-4 on the season heading into their final home match tomorrow.

All five pairs and an exhibition were straight-set sweeps for the Huskers. Kenzie Knuckles and Madi Kubik started the day off for the Big Red with a 21-9, 21-17 victory at No. 1, and Bekka Allick and Lexi Rodriguez followed with a 21-5, 21-9 win. Keonilei Akana and Ally Batenhorst put up the same score, 21-5, 21-9, before Nicklin Hames and Lindsay Krause teamed up for a 21-6, 21-8 win. In the fifth match, Anni Evans and Hayden Kubik combined for a 21-6, 21-8 win. Maisie Boesiger and Kayla Caffey, playing for the second time this season in an exhibition, remained perfect on the year with a 21-10, 21-13 victory.

Nebraska is at home again on Tuesday hosting Ottawa (Kan.) at Noon at the Hawks Championship Center. A free live stream will be available on the Husker Volleyball Twitter and Facebook pages. 

Following Tuesday's match, the Huskers will fly to Honolulu, Hawaii where they will play seven matches in six days at Queen's Beach beginning on Thursday, March 10. NU finishes the beach season with six matches in California from March 17-19. 

Nebraska 5, Oklahoma Wesleyan 0
March 7, 2022
Lincoln, Neb. (Hawks Championship Center

1. Kenzie Knuckles/Madi Kubik (NEB) def. Addie Mathias/Katie Lindley (OKWU) 21-9, 21-17
2. Bekka Allick/Lexi Rodriguez (NEB) def. Natalie Ater/Nicole Bott (OKWU) 21-5, 21-9
3. Keonilei Akana/Ally Batenhorst (NEB) def. Makaila Keith/Ashlynn Farrell (OKWU) 21-5, 21-9
4. Nicklin Hames/Lindsay Krause (NEB) def. Angelina Arvizu/Allison Howard (OKWU) 21-5, 21-7
5. Anni Evans/Hayden Kubik (NEB) def. Reese Parris/Anne Surrell (OKWU) 21-6, 21-8
Exh. Maisie Boesiger/Kayla Caffey (NEB) def. Natalie Ater/Ashlynn Farrell (OKWU) 21-10, 21-13
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Chinander Highlights Communication and Urgency During Spring Practice

Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Erik Chinander met with members of the media following Monday's spring practice. Chinander discussed the importance of getting all players on the same page during spring practices.
 
"I think number one is just the communication," Chinander said. "For some of these new guys the way that we practice things are moving pretty fast and furious. It is do I get lined up and then can I communicate with whoever I need whether it is linebackers to defensive line whether it is safety to safety or safety to corner or safety to outside linebacker. Whatever the case may be it is just getting your feet set in the ground and getting your eyes where you are supposed to be and being able to verbalize what your job is."
 
Chinander spoke about the young defensive linemen and the sense of urgency they have displayed.
 
"There is a different urgency and also they are taking a huge workload," he said.  "At that position there is not a ton of depth right now just by sheer numbers so those guys are taking a ton of reps. I think it is good for them. It has been hard on them. They have been really tired and they have been gassed but it has been really good for them when we get a lot of reps and we get a lot of film to watch with those guys but they have had a sense of urgency."
 
He was asked about the importance of hosting on-campus recruiting events for Nebraska.
 
"It is huge at Nebraska," Chinander said. "When you can get a guy on campus and get him to Lincoln that is the biggest selling point we have just to be around the people available and to be in the stadium and to be in these facilities. Getting a guy on campus here is a make or a break deal."
 
The Huskers will continue their spring practice on Wednesday. The annual red-white spring game is set for April, 9 at 1 p.m. (CT) with national television coverage by the Big Ten Network.