Lindsey Moore's journal: Nebraska ready for the Big Ten Tournament after a few days of rest

Thursday, March 7
2013 Big Ten Tournament

We’re super-excited to be headed to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament. After ending our Senior Night in Lincoln on Sunday in front of almost 11,000 Husker fans in the last women’s basketball game in the history of the Devaney Center, we got to take a little extra break by getting a first-round bye in the tournament.

I had lots of family and friends at the game from back home in Washington. It was great to have my mom and dad at the game, along with my sisters. They have given me a lot of support on and off the court through the years – especially when it came to choosing Nebraska as the place I wanted to continue my basketball career four years ago. Honestly, it is the best decision I could have made. My four years in Lincoln have been awesome. I’ve definitely had some ups and downs, but all of that has helped me grow and mature as a player and a person on and off the court.

Monday is almost always our favorite day of the week – off day. We bust it hard every day in practice and games, so our bodies need that day off, and we try to make the most of it with lots of rest. And, of course, my roommate, All-American forward Jordan Hooper, and I watched "The Bachelor" – women tell-all. Love that drama, but most of all, love being in the room and listening to what "Hoop" has to say about those girls. Her commentary is definitely a bonus. It adds to the show.

Tuesday, we spent some time preparing for Northwestern, a possible first-round opponent, but we mainly focused on us. Those are always the best practices. After practice, we had a team dinner at the Hewit Center (dining hall) with one of our lucky booster club members who won the prize at our team’s golf outing in the fall. It’s always great to do something special for our fans, because they give us so much support at home during the season. Luckily, I didn’t have to play in that golf tournament with our boosters, because I probably would have injured or maimed a few of them. My swing looks good, but my slice is wicked. I hit it hard, but I have no idea where it’s going, except generally to the right.

Before practice on Wednesday, I did a call with the Doug & Daddy Radio Show out of the Hastings/Kearney/Grand Island area in central Nebraska. They’re just one of the many sports talk shows I’ve had the opportunity to do in my four years as a Husker. As a communication studies major and a point guard, I don’t mind talking – on or off the court.

Later on, I made an appearance at our weekly press conference. Part of my responsibility as a leader on our team for the past few years has been talking to the media on behalf of our team. We get great coverage in Nebraska though, and overall it really helps to add to our winning atmosphere at our home games. Anything it takes to get more fans in the stands, I’m definitely willing to do.

Wednesday, we prepared for Iowa, and as it turns out, they beat Northwestern in the tournament’s first game today. This will be the sixth time in the last 14 months that we have played Iowa, so we have a pretty clear understanding of their personnel and what they are trying to do on offense and defense. I’m sure they feel the same about us. Luckily, we’re 5-0, but at Nebraska we never take an opponent for granted. We are focused for every team on our schedule and treat them all like the biggest game of the year.

Today, we spent our last day in Lincoln before traveling to Chicago. We had a good practice today with a lot of energy. I think everybody was really ready to get the tournament started. With our normal Sunday/Thursday schedule in the Big Ten, this is like having an extra day. Our bodies appreciate the break from the grind, but mentally we were ready to play today.

The coaches and some of our players were able to watch the Iowa/Northwestern game before our practice, which helped get us focused for today’s practice. After practice, we headed to the airport for our charter flight to Chicago on one, big sweet plane. Ah, the luxury of postseason basketball. Winning has its perks.

When we get to hotel in Elk Grove, we’ll just enjoy a relaxing evening. Maybe we’ll do a little homework or in my case, just watch the other Big Ten games in the other half of the tournament. Tip tomorrow is at 11:30 a.m., so it won’t be a late night for the Huskers. We’ll be tucked in promptly at 9:30.

Our march in March starts tomorrow. It’s winning time and we want to be ready.

Go Big Red!

Lindsey M00re (Zeroes) @seym00re