Saturday, March 13, 2010

A Day of Duds for Omaha & Nebraska Sports

After dropping game one last night, the UNO hockey team took Ferris State to overtime, only to have the season end :23 seconds into overtime, losing 3-2.  UNO fans got their hopes up with the Mavs hot streak over the last six weeks, but the streak came crashing to a halt with the loss.  The loss drops UNO to 22nd in the PairWise, effectively eliminating UNO's hopes for an NCAA tournament berth.

It certainly was a fun ride in recent weeks, but the loss doesn't dampen the optimism about the future of the program.  Lots of good young players return next season:  Terry Broadhurst, Brandon Richardson, Alex Hudson, and John Faulkner for starters.  They know what to expect this offseason and will be ready for the Dean Blais system much faster next season.  UNO will miss seniors Eddie DelGrosso, Mark Bernier, and Dan Swanson next season, but I think Blais will find more than adequate replacements.  Disappointed with the loss and the end of the season, but I'm even more optimistic about the future of UNO hockey.

Right after that, UNO's men's basketball season ended with a 75-71 loss to Tarleton State in the first round of the NCAA Division II basketball tournament.  The one bright spot is the wrestling team won their second straight national championship today over at the Sapp Fieldhouse.  That's five out of the last seven years; now THAT'S an accomplishment.

This afternoon, Nebraska's women's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season as Texas A&M beat Nebraska 80-70 in the semifinals of the Big XII tournament.  Nebraska's season will continue in the NCAA tournament next weekend, but now the question is whether the Lady Huskers will hang onto a #1 seed.  Heck of a run though for Connie Yori's group.

Ah well, the sun will come up tomorrow...even if it'll likely be cloudy all day.

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