How to Watch No. 11 Nebraska Women’s Basketball vs. No. 6 Baylor in the NCAA Tournament with Preview, Breakdown, TV
The Nebraska women’s basketball team made it emphatically clear Wednesday night that it deserved a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Atlantic 10 champion Richmond and their All-America star Maggie Doogan hung tough for 20 minutes with the Huskers, trailing by a bucket in a 34-32 halftime score at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coming out of the intermission, Nebraska came alive.
Using 11-for-17 shooting and four three-pointers, the Cornhuskers squashed Richmond with a dominant 27-point third quarter while holding the Spiders to six points on a 3-for-14 mark. The frame came to a close with a 23-point NU lead, which eventually ended with a 75-56 blowout win for the Huskers. Star point guard Britt Prince scored a team-high 22 points with teammate Callin Hake joining her in double figures with 14. The trio of Petra Bozan, Amiah Hargrove and Jessica Petrie all finished with eight points as Nebraska earned its second NCAA Tournament win in the last three seasons.
With a game-high 24 points, Doogan was the only Richmond player to reach double figures. Outside of her 8-for-13 shooting, the rest of the Spiders combined to go 13-for-40 in a defensive showcase that also saw NU hold Richmond to just 4-for-23 from beyond the arc.
After earning their 19th win of the season, Nebraska gets to hang around the Duke campus a little longer as they now prepare to face No. 6 seed Baylor in the Round of 64. Here’s all you need for know for Friday’s battle in Durham.
How to Follow Along
- Matchup: No. 11 Nebraska (19-12, 7-11 B1G) vs. No. 6 Baylor (24-8, 13-5 Big 12)
- When: Friday, March 20
- Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.
- Time: 1 p.m. CDT
- Watch: ESPN
- Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
Former WNBA Coach of the Year Nicki Collen has led Baylor to five straight NCAA Tournament in all five of her seasons. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
Baylor Scout
Head Coach
- Head Coach: Nicki Collen
- Year at Baylor: 5th
- Baylor & College Career Record: 126-44 (.741)
- NCAA Tournament Apps: 5x (2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022)
- Championships: 1x Big 12 regular season (2022)
- Awards: 1x WNBA Coach OTY (2018)
- Previous Head Coach Stops: Atlanta Dream (WNBA)
- Previous Assistant Coach Stops: Connecticut Sun (WNBA), Florida Gulf Coast, Arkansas, Louisville, Ball State, Colorado State
2025-2026 Record & Awards
- Record: 24-8 (13-5 Big 12, 3rd)
- All-Big 12: 1x First Team, 1x Second Team, 2x Honorable Mention, 2x All-Defensive
- Notable Wins: #7 Duke, #10 Iowa State
- Common Opponent Results: Iowa (L, 57-52)
NCAA Tournament History
- Appearances: 24th
- Record: 58-20 (.744)
- Best Finish: NCAA National Champions (2019, 2012, 2005)
- Final Fours: 4x (2019, 2012, 2010, 2005)
- Elite Eights: 10x
- Sweet 16s: 16x
All-Time Series
- Baylor leads 10-6
- Feb. 9, 2011 in Lincoln, last matchup, 69-45 Baylor
- First NCAA Tournament matchup, second postseason
Baylor guard Taliah Scott has averaged at least 20 points per game in all three of her college seasons across multiple schools. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Key Returners
- Darianna Littlepage-Buggs | G/F | Sr. | A former All-Big 12 Rookie of the Year, the 6-foot-1 Oklahoma City native averages a double-double with 10.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, which earned her All-Big 12 First Team honors last year and a second team pick this season. Plus, she was one of five players selected. to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team.
- Bella Fontleroy | G/F | Sr. | Another hybrid position senior, Fontleroy joined Littlepage-Buggs on the All-Big 12 Defensive Team while also earning honorable mention honors after scoring over nine points and grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game.
- Jana Van Gytenbeek | G | Gr. | After seeing just one game of action before suffering a season-ending injury last year, the former Stanford Cardinal leads Baylor with over six assists per game while scoring 7.4 points to also earn All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
- Kayla Nelms | F | Soph. | A former top-50 recruit, the sophomore forward puts up four points and three rebounds across nine minutes per game.
- Kyla Abraham | F | R-Jr. | The 6-foot-3 junior has appeared in nearly every game since last season, including a stat line of nearly four points and rebounds per contest in 2025-2026.
Impact Transfers/Newcomers
- Taliah Scott | G | R-Soph. | A 20-point scorer since her freshman year at Arkansas, Scott transferred from Auburn where she’s once again leading her team in scoring (20 PPG) en route to All-Big 12 First Team honors in her first year in Waco.
- Yuting Deng | G | Soph. | Originally from China, the 6-foot-2 guard transferred with Scott from Auburn where she’s become Baylor’s top reserve with 6.8 points per game across 31 contests.
- Kiersten Johnson | F | Sr. | A blocking machine that saw low usage in three seasons at Oklahoma, the 6-foot-4 forward has averaged five points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in starting all 32 games.
- Marcayla Johnson | G | Fr. | A first-year guard from Tulsa, Johnson has seen action in all 32 games this season while chipping in over four points and two rebounds per game.
Outlook
A lifetime college assistant that earned her first head coaching position with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, Nicki Collen was quick to move back into the college ranks after a 38-52 record across seasons, which also included being named the 2018 WNBA Coach of the Year after leading the Dream to a WNBA Semi-Finals appearance.
The former Purdue guard has been a wrecking ball since taking over Baylor for the 2021-2022 season. With three national titles since 2005, expectations are high in Waco and she’s met them with a 126-44 record in five years. Although, fans are still waiting for the breakout with the Bears being bounced in the second round for three of the past four seasons — with a Sweet 16 appearance sandwiched in between.
After losing four of the team’s top five leading scorers that finished as Big 12 runner-ups last season, Collen attacked the portal for proven production. There’s nothing more proven than guard Taliah Scott, who has averaged at least 20 points per game in all three of her college seasons, which has included stops at both Auburn and Arkansas. Tigers teammate Yuting Deng joined Scott in Waco and she’s excelled as the team’s top reserve with 6.8 points per game while also providing good height at 6-foot-2. Collen also brought in some post defense with the transfer of former Oklahoma forward Kiersten Johnson. The 6-foot-4 veteran averaged 1.8 blocks per game this season as a full-time starter after seeing limited minutes per game in three seasons with the Sooners.
All-Big 12 performer and Baylor forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs averages a double-double for the Bears. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
Despite the turnover, a solid core of longtime Bears still populate the roster. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs leads the bunch by averaging a double-double with just over 10 points and rebounds per contest. She was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team this year while being honored for her defense with a selection to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Bella Fontleroy adds solid production with over nine points and five rebounds per contest while also earning Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors. Jana Van Gytenbeek appeared in just one game before suffering a season-ending injury last year, but has returned to lead the team with over six assists per game while chipping in seven points.
After a one-and-done showing at the Big 12 Tournament, the Bears arrive in Durham well-rested. However, they were in a similar position against Colorado in the quarterfinals, which ended in a 62-53 loss to the Buffaloes. That said, Baylor will present a much greater challenge than Richmond, though the game plan could be similar. With Scott producing nearly double the scoring output of Baylor’s next-leading contributor, the Huskers can afford to let her get hers — but limiting the impact of her supporting cast will be the real key.
On paper, this is much closer than originally thought. I’m going to listen to my gut on this and choose the Huskers to pull an upset and reach the Round of 32 for the second time in three seasons.
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