Nebraska Roster

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1 HUskers.com Nebraska Roster Nebraska Women's Basketball Team: Back Row (from left): Strength Coach Rusty Ruffcorn, Athletic Trainer Julie Tuttle, Associate Head Coach Sunny Smallwood, Assistant Coach Shimmy Gray-Miller, Emily Cady, Jordan Hooper, Adrianna Maurer, Meghin Williams, Katie Simon, Head Coach Connie Yori, Director of Operations Jan Bethea, Assistant Coach Dayna Finch. Front Row (from left): Graduate Assistant Manager Dominique Kelley, Hailie Sample, Rebecca Woodberry, Tear'a Laudermill, Lindsey Moore, Sadie Murren, Brandi Jeffery, Courtney Aitken, Rachel Theriot, Video Coordinator Austin Thoms. Numerical Roster No. Player Yr. Ht. Pos. Hometown (High School/Other School) 00 Lindsey Moore*** Sr. 5-9 G Covington, Wash. (Kentwood) 3 Hailie Sample* So. 6-1 F Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus) 10 Meghin Williams*** Sr. 6-1 F Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (Summit) 1 Tear'a Laudermill* So. 5-9 G Riverside, Calif. (Canyon Springs) 13 Brandi Jeffery* So. 5-7 G Vacherie, La. (St. James) 14 Katie Simon* So. 6-2 F Roseville, Calif. (Roseville) 21 Sadie Murren Fr. 5-8 G Colon, Neb. (Wahoo) 22 Courtney Aitken Fr. 5-9 Fr. Dannebrog, Neb. (Centura) 23 Emily Cady* So. 6-2 F Seward, Neb. (Seward) 24 Rachel Theriot Fr. 6-0 G Middleburg Heights, Ohio (Midpark) 33 Rebecca Woodberry* So G Phoenix, Ariz. (Tolleson Union) 35 Jordan Hooper** Jr. 6-2 F Alliance, Neb. (Alliance) 55 Adrianna Maurer** Jr. 6-3 C Shawnee Mission, Kan. (Bishop Miege) Alphabetical Roster Player No. Yr. Ht. Pos. Hometown (High School/Other School) Aitken, Courtney 22 Fr. 5-9 G Dannebrog, Neb. (Centura) Cady, Emily* 23 So. 6-2 F Seward, Neb. (Seward) Hooper, Jordan** 35 Jr. 6-2 F Alliance, Neb. (Alliance) Jeffery, Brandi* 13 So. 5-7 G Vacherie, La. (St. James) Laudermill, Tear'a* 1 So. 5-9 G Riverside, Calif. (Canyon Springs) Maurer, Adrianna** 55 Jr. 6-3 C Shawnee Mission, Kan. (Bishop Miege) Moore, Lindsey*** 00 Sr. 5-9 G Covington, Wash. (Kentwood) Murren, Sadie 21 Fr. 5-8 G Colon, Neb. (Wahoo) Sample, Hailie* 3 So. 6-1 F Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus) Simon, Katie* 14 So. 6-2 F Roseville, Calif. (Roseville) Theriot, Rachel 24 Fr. 6-0 G Middleburg Heights, Ohio (Midpark) Williams, Meghin*** 10 Sr. 6-1 F Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (Summit) Woodberry, Rebecca* 33 So G Phoenix, Ariz. (Tolleson Union) Position Legend: G--Guard; F--Forward; C--Center *--denotes letter earned at Nebraska Nebraska Coaching Staff Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986) Associate Head Coach: Sunny Smallwood (Boise State, 1983) Assistant Coaches: Shimmy Gray-Miller (Michigan, 1994), Dayna Finch (Creighton, 2004) Director of Basketball Operations: Jan Bethea (St. Augustine's, 1995) Administrative Assistant/Video Coordinator: Austin Thoms (Taylor, 2010) Graduate Assistant Manager: Dominique Kelley (Nebraska, 2012) Women's Basketball Athletic Trainer: Julie Tuttle (Creighton, 1991) Husker Pronunciation Guide Emily Cady KAY-dee Tear'a Laudermill TEAR-uh Adrianna Maurer A-dree-ana MAU-er Sadie Murren MUIR-en Rachel Theriot TEAR-ee-o Husker Homes The 13 members of the Husker women's basketball team come to Nebraska from eight states across America. Arizona (1): Rebecca Woodberry California (3): Tear'a Laudermill, Katie Simon, Meghin Williams Kansas (1): Adrianna Maurer Louisiana (1): Brandi Jeffery Nebraska (4): Courtney Aitken, Emily Cady, Jordan Hooper, Sadie Murren Ohio (1): Rachel Theriot Texas (1): Hailie Sample Washington (1): Lindsey Moore Huskers By Class Seniors (2): Lindsey Moore, Meghin Williams Juniors (2): Jordan Hooper, Adrianna Maurer Sophomores (6): Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear'a Laudermill, Hailie Sample, Katie Simon, Rebecca Woodberry Freshmen (3): Courtney Aitken, Sadie Murren, Rachel Theriot Huskers By Maor Actuarial Science: Sadie Murren Broadcasting: Meghin Williams Business Administration: Hailie Sample, Katie Simon Communication Studies: Lindsey Moore Dietetics/Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science: Adrianna Maurer Marketing/Advertising & Public Relations: Rebecca Woodberry Nutrition Science: Courtney Aitken Psychology: Jordan Hooper Undeclared: Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear'a Laudermill, Rachel Theriot

2 12 nebraska women's basketball Nebraska Schedule Date Day Opponent Site Time (Central) Oct. 29 Monday Pittsburg State (exhibition) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Nov. 4 Sunday Nebraska-Kearney (exhibition) Devaney Center 2:05 p.m. Nov. 9 Friday North Carolina A&T (HuskersNside) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Nov. 11 Sunday Temple (BTN.com) Devaney Center 2:05 p.m. Nov. 16 Friday Northern Arizona (HuskersNside) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Nov. 18 Sunday at South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. 2 p.m. Nov. 20 Tuesday Sam Houston State (BTN.com) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Nov. 23 Friday at USC (Pac-12 Network) Los Angeles, Calif. 4 p.m. Nov. 28 Wednesday Maryland (Big Ten/ACC Challenge) (BTN) Devaney Center 7 p.m. Dec. 1 Saturday Idaho State (HuskersNside) Devaney Center 2:05 p.m. Dec. 5 Wednesday at Creighton Omaha, Neb. 7:05 p.m. Dec. 8 Saturday Florida State (HuskersNside) Devaney Center 2:05 p.m. Dec. 16 Sunday at South Florida Tampa, Fla. 1 p.m. Dec. 20 Thursday Oral Roberts (BTN.com) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Dec. 29 Saturday Grambling State (HuskersNside) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Jan. 2 Wednesday Wisconsin (BTN.com) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Jan. 5 Saturday Purdue (CBS) Devaney Center 1 p.m. Jan. 10 Thursday at Indiana (BTN) Bloomington, Ind. 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 Sunday at Penn State (ESPN2) University Park, Pa. 1 p.m. Jan. 17 Thursday Illinois (BTN.com) Devaney Center 7:05 p.m. Jan. 20 Sunday at Minnesota (BTN) Minneapolis, Minn. 5 p.m. Jan. 24 Thursday Michigan State (BTN.com) Devaney Center 2:05 p.m. Jan. 31 Thursday at Ohio State (BTN) Columbus, Ohio 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3 Sunday Minnesota (BTN.com) Devaney Center 2:05 p.m. Feb. 7 Thursday at Northwestern (BTN.com) Evanston, Ill. 7 p.m. Feb. 11 Monday at Iowa (BTN) Iowa City, Iowa 6:30/7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 Thursday Ohio State (BTN) Devaney Center 8 p.m. Feb. 21 Thursday at Michigan (BTN.com) Ann Arbor, Mich. 6 p.m. Feb. 24 Sunday Iowa (BTN) Devaney Center 2 p.m. Feb. 28 Thursday at Wisconsin (BTN/BTN.com) Madison, Wis. TBA March 3 Sunday Penn State (BTN/BTN.com) Devaney Center TBA March 7-10 Thursday-Sunday at Big Ten Tournament Hoffman Estates, Ill. (Sears Centre Arena) TBA March Saturday-Tuesday at NCAA First and Second Rounds 16 Predetermined Sites TBA (Baton Rouge, La.; Boulder, Colo.; College Park, Md.; College Station, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Durham, N.C.; Iowa City, Iowa; Knoxville, Tenn.; Louisville, Ky.; Lubbock, Texas; Newark, Del.; Queens, N.Y.; Spokane, Wash.; Stanford, Calif.; Storrs, Conn.; Waco, Texas) March 30- Saturday-Tuesday at NCAA Regional Championships Four Predetermined Sites TBA April 2 (Norfolk, Va.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Spokane, Wash.; Trenton, N.J.) April 7 & 9 Sunday-Tuesday at NCAA Women's Final Four New Orleans, La. (New Orleans Arena) TBA Key Nebraska will play its final home season (games listed above in bold) at the 13,595-seat Bob Devaney Sports Center, located at 14th and Court streets in Lincoln. The playing court at Nebraska runs East and West with the team benches and scorer's table located on the North side of the court. The postgame media room is located ust off the Southwest corner of the court. Schedule Notes Schedule Packs Postseason Punch Nebraska's 31-game regular-season schedule features 18 games against 2012 postseason squads. NU's schedule is highlighted by 12 games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams, including a matchup with Elite Eight qualifier Maryland and two games with Sweet 16 Penn State. The Huskers play three games against 2012 WNIT teams and three contests against WBI participants. Huskers Face Conference Champs Seven Times Nebraska will play seven games against six teams that won conference titles in Maryland headlines the list of conference champs after claiming the 2012 ACC Tournament title. The Terps finished with a 31-5 record at No. 6 in the final AP poll after advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Huskers will face Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue and Big Ten regular-season champ Penn State at the Devaney Center. Big Sky champion Idaho State will also visit Lincoln, while the Huskers will play Penn State, Summit League champ South Dakota State and Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion Creighton on the road this season. Overall, Nebraska will play 15 games against teams that finished among the top three in their respective conferences. Non-Conference Schedules Offers Tough Tests Nebraska expects to face one of the toughest regularseason schedules in school history in NU's Strength of Schedule has been ranked among the top 30 nationally in four of the past five seasons and the Huskers could face a top-20 schedule this season. Six of Nebraska's non-conference opponents won 20 or more games last season, led by Maryland's 31. Perhaps an even stronger indicator of the depth of NU's non-conference schedule is that 12 of the Huskers' 13 opponents won at least 14 games a year ago. Big Ten Brings Big Games Every Night A record seven Big Ten teams advanced to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and the conference promises to be as tough from top to bottom in Five of Nebraska's eight Big Ten home games will come against 2012 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, beginning with Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue (Jan. 5) and ending with Big Ten regular-season champ Penn State (March 3). In between, the Huskers will also face Michigan State (Jan. 24), Ohio State (Feb. 14) and Iowa (Feb. 24). Season Tickets A Reserved (Sold out) $190 B & C Reserved $152 Faculty/Staff A Reserved $171 Faculty/Staff B & C Reserved $133 General Admission Adult $76 General Admission Youth/Senior $38 Wheelchair (Adult)/(Youth/Senior) $76/$38 Single-Game Tickets Adult A-Level $11 Adult B & C-Level $9 General Admission Adult $5 General Admission Youth/Senior $3 Children Under 6 Free UNL Students Free with ID For season ticket packages or single-game tickets: Huskers.com / BIG-RED INTRODUCTION 2012 NCAA TOURNAMENT

3 Nebraska Travel Destinations USC Los Angeles, Calif. Nov. 23, 4 p.m. South Dakota State Brookings, S.D. Nov. 18, 2 p.m. Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Creighton Feb. 11, v Omaha, Neb. v 6:30/7:30 p.m. Dec. 5, 7:05 p.m. Big Ten Tournament Chicago, Ill. March 7-10 Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. Jan. 20, 5 p.m. (BTN) Northwestern Evanston, Ill. Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Feb. 28, TBA Ohio State Columbus, Ohio Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m. (BTN) Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. Feb. 21, 6 p.m. HUskers.com 13 Penn State University Park, Pa. Jan. 13, 1 p.m. (ESPN2) South Florida Tampa, Fla. Dec. 16, 1 p.m. Indiana Bloomington, Ind. Jan. 10, 5:30 p.m. (BTN) Nebraska Travel Plans Nebraska at South Dakota State Depart: Nov. 16 Return: Nov. 17 Fairfield Inn & Suites 3000 LeFevre Drive Brookings, SD Phone: (605) Fax: (605) Nebraska at USC Depart: Nov. 22 Return: Nov. 24 Marriott Downtown 333 South Figueroa Los Angeles, CA Phone: (213) Nebraska at Creighton Depart: Dec. 4 Return: Dec. 5 Doubletree Hotel 1616 Dodge Street Omaha, NE Phone: (402) Fax: (402) Travel Mode: Bus Nebraska at South Florida Depart: Dec. 15 Return: Dec. 17 Embassy Suites 3705 Spectrum Blvd. Tampa, FL Phone: (813) Fax: (813) Nebraska at Indiana Depart: Dec. 4 Return: Dec. 5 Holiday Inn 1710 North Kinzer Pike Bloomington, IN Phone: (812) Fax: (812) Nebraska at Penn State Depart: Jan. 12 Return: Jan. 13 The Penn Stater 215 Innovation Blvd. State College, PA Phone: (814) Fax: (816) Nebraska at Minnesota Depart: Jan. 19 Return: Jan. 20 Hotel Minneapolis-Marriott 215 Fourth Street South Minneapolis, MN Phone: (612) Fax: (612) Nebraska at Ohio State Depart: Jan. 30 Return: Jan. 31 The Blackwell 210 Tuttle Park Place Columbus, OH Phone: (614) Fax: (614) Nebraska at Northwestern Depart: Feb. 6 Return: Feb. 7 Hilton 1710 Orrington Ave. Evanston, IL Phone: (847) Fax: (847) Nebraska at Iowa Depart: Feb. 10 Return: Feb. 11 Sheraton Downtown 210 South Dubuque Street Iowa City, IA Phone: (319) Fax: (319) Travel Mode: Charter Bus Nebraska at Michigan Depart: Feb. 10 Return: Feb. 11 Sheraton Ann Arbor 3200 Boardwalk Ann Arbor, MI Phone: (734) Fax: (734) Nebraska at Wisconsin Depart: Feb. 27 Return: Feb. 28 Hilton Madison Monona Terrace 9 East Wilson Street Madison, WI Phone: (608) Fax: (608) Big Ten Tournament Depart: March 6 Return: March 10 Sheraton Suites Chicago/Elk Grove 121 Northwest Point Boulevard Elk Grove Village, IL Phone: (847) Fax: (847)

4 14 nebraska women's basketball Moore, Hooper Lead Four Returning Husker Starters A year ago, the Nebraska women's basketball team was one of the youngest in the nation. Nebraska's 12-player roster featured ust one active senior, while the starting five included two true freshmen that started every game. Two other true freshmen and a pair of redshirts played maor roles throughout the season. But Nebraska's young team grew up fast in its first season in the Big Ten Conference, as point guard Lindsey Moore and forward Jordan Hooper powered the Huskers to the second-most wins in school history and a final top-25 national ranking. The version of the Huskers will still be young, but with four returning starters and 10 letterwinners, Nebraska will add experience to its list of strengths. "Last year's team was one of the youngest I have ever coached," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "They accomplished a lot, and honestly they probably didn't understand how significant it was at the time. Now we've had a full year to work with this group, and we've seen some good growth in the offseason." Moore and Hooper will be expected to lead the Huskers again in The dynamic duo appeared on the 2012 Naismith Trophy Midseason 32, and both have earned spots on the 25-player Wade Watch list this preseason. "Jordan creates matchup problems for opponents because she's 6-2 and can shoot the three," Yori said. "She has a great work ethic and has been improving her game in all areas since her first day on campus. Lindsey can attack teams in a number of ways. She can hit the three, but she can also beat teams off the dribble and get to the basket. She's a smart passer and probably our best defensive player." They are oined by returning starters Emily Cady and Hailie Sample. In , they were the first freshmen teammates in NU history to start every game. "Emily was one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten last year, and she is probably ust beginning to understand her all-around potential," Yori said. "She can drive, hit the mid-range umper, knock down the three and she's a really good passer. She is also an aggressive defender and an excellent rebounder at both ends. She's done a good ob of gaining strength in the offseason. Hailie is a great team defender. She is a good screener, a smart passer and a solid rebounder." In addition to the four returning starters, Nebraska returns senior forward Meghin Williams and unior center Adrianna Maurer to bolster an already potent inside game. Katie Simon, a 6-2 sophomore forward, adds another option inside, while fellow sophomores Rebecca Woodberry, Brandi Jeffery and Tear'a Laudermill all made significant contributions in the backcourt last season. Overall, Nebraska returns 91.3 percent (2,152 of 2,356) of its points, 93.8 percent (1,310 of 1,396) of its rebounding, 81.7 percent (358 of 438) of its assists and 90.8 percent (257 of 283) of its steals. The Huskers also return 99 percent (100 of 101) of their blocked shots. Nebraska's talent and experience led the Huskers to a No. 16 early preseason ranking from ESPN.com and a No. 19 preseason ranking from Lindy's, after NU finished No. 17 in the final 2012 Associated Press poll. "On paper, we look pretty good. Unfortunately, you don't win games on paper," Yori said. "You have to work hard in the offseason, focus on improving yourself and the team on a daily basis, and then give tremendous effort every day in practice. Our focus this year will be the same as it always is. We want to be the best practicing team in the country. If we do that, then good things will happen." Moore returns as the most experienced Husker and arguably the top point guard in school history. The 5-9 senior from Covington, Wash., was one of eight finalists for the 2012 Lieberman Award, presented to the nation's top point guard. Returning starters Lindsey Moore (#00), Jordan Hooper (#35), Hailie Sample (#3) and Emily Cady (#23) lead the Huskers against a loaded schedule that includes 18 games against 2012 postseason teams. Moore, who has started all 98 games in her Nebraska career, has helped lead the Huskers to two of the best seasons in school history. In 2010, she was at the controls of a loaded Husker team that rolled to a perfect 29-0 regular season and claimed the Big 12 title. Along the way, she became the first true freshman point guard in NCAA history to start every game for a team that went unbeaten in the regular season. Moore helped the Huskers finish with a 32-2 overall record, while leading NU to its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen. In , Moore led the Huskers to a 24-9 overall record that included a 10-6 Big Ten mark. She earned second-team All-Big Ten honors behind conference point guards Samantha Prahalis from Ohio State and Alex Bentley from Penn State, who both captured spots on the five-player All-Big Ten first team. In most other years, Moore would have been a firstteam all-league pick. She ranked No. 7 in the Big Ten in scoring with 15.7 points per game, while ranking No. 2 in the conference with 5.1 assists per contest. She also ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten with 2.2 steals per game. Moore enters her final season at No. 16 on Nebraska's all-time scoring list with 1,160 points. She also ranks No. 4 on the school's career assist list with 504, within striking distance of Meggan Yedsena's school-record 696. Moore, who as a freshman distributed the ball to firstteam All-America forward Kelsey Griffin in , will have the luxury of feeding the ball to another All-American in Hooper in Last season, Hooper earned honorable-mention All- America accolades from the AP after leading the Big Ten with 14 double-doubles as a sophomore. Hooper also led the Big Ten with 9.3 rebounds per game, while ranking fourth in the conference with 18.9 points per contest. Her scoring and rebounding numbers ranked among the top 50 players in the nation. The 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., was a first-team WBCA All-Region 6 selection and a first-team All-Big Ten choice. She also became the first sophomore in school history to reach 1,000 points in her career. She enters her unior campaign ranked No. 5 on the NU career three-point list with 134, and No. 8 in career double-doubles with 17. She also ranks 22nd on the Nebraska career scoring list. Moore and Hooper have showcased their explosiveness throughout their careers. Hooper owns four career 30-point games and has produced 20 or more points in 21 of her 64 career starts. Moore has added point games in her career, including a pair of 30-point efforts. Hooper and Moore became the first Husker teammates to each score 30 points in the same game, combining for 63 in a win at Northern Arizona on Dec. 10, As the season progressed, Moore and Hooper got more offensive support from Cady. A tremendous all-around player, Cady ranked among the Big Ten's top-six freshmen in five maor categories, including scoring (3rd, 9.9 ppg), rebounding (2nd, 6.5 rpg), blocks (3rd, 0.8 bpg), assists (6th, 1.7 apg) and steals (6th, 1.4 spg). Along the way, the Big Ten All- INTRODUCTION 2012 NCAA TOURNAMENT

5 HUskers.com Returning Letterwinners Give NU Talent, Depth Freshman pick became the fourth Husker freshman in history to produce 300 points and 200 rebounds. In Big Ten play she was even better, averaging 12.3 points per game. Through her first eight games as a freshman, Cady averaged ust 4.8 points per game and produced double figures ust once. In the last 21 games, the 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., notched double figures 14 times. She grabbed double-figure rebounds in three of NU's final four games, including a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. All three of Cady's double-doubles came in Nebraska's final 12 games. She notched a double-double against Iowa with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the Big Ten Tournament, after producing her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 12 rebounds in Nebraska's epic triple-overtime victory at No. 15 Purdue on Feb. 2. Her performance at Purdue included a miraculous 30-footer at the buzzer to send the game to a third overtime, where the Huskers eventually prevailed. It was one of her 25 three-pointers on the year, which ranked No. 7 by a Husker freshman in history. Her 216 rebounds ranked No. 3 and her team-leading 28 blocks ranked No. 5 all-time among Husker freshmen. Sample oined Cady, Hooper and Moore in Nebraska's starting five for all 33 games. The 6-1 forward from Flower Mound, Texas, also oined her three teammates on the list of ust nine Huskers in history to start every game as true freshmen. Sample averaged 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists while providing strong defense. She sparked the Huskers' run to the Big Ten title game by averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in four tournament games. Sample's health could play a role in the Huskers' fortunes in She suffered a stress reaction in her leg before NU's NCAA Tournament loss. She also has battled back pain that limited her during the offseason. She was not alone in fighting inuries down the stretch last year. Hooper also nursed a stress reaction in her lower leg before the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers gave her extra rest in the offseason. Moore suffered a knee bruise against Northwestern on Feb. 16, that slowed her physically at the end of the season. Cady suffered a knee inury late in the year that required offseason surgery. "There's no doubt that we wore down a little bit at the end of last season. That probably had a lot to do with playing four games in four days at the Big Ten Tournament," Yori said. "We try to play a deep rotation with 10 to 12 players, but last year we only had 10 active players at the end of the year. Six of them were freshmen, so we probably had to rely a little too much on our starters. Hopefully a year of experience and some fresh legs will help us combat that a little better this season." Williams will be the most experienced Husker off the bench. The 6-1 senior forward from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., played all 33 games last year, averaging 2.2 points and 3.0 rebounds. She oins Moore as the only remaining Huskers from NU's 2010 Sweet Sixteen team. Williams has been limited by inuries throughout her career. Maurer gives the Huskers their lone center on the roster. The 6-3 unior from Shawnee Mission, Kan., averaged 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds through Nebraska's first 10 games of , before succumbing to a back inury. She made her last appearance at Northern Arizona on Dec. 10, and underwent back surgery Jan. 19. Maurer progressed ahead of schedule during an extensive offseason of rehabilitation, and she could provide Nebraska with a stronger presence on the block. "Meghin and Adri's health could be keys for us," Yori said. "If they can stay on the court, they can provide us with some flexibility, versatility and depth inside." Simon also could play a more significant role inside for the Huskers. The 6-2 sophomore forward from Roseville, Calif., runs the floor well and has shown the ability to hit the outside shot. After redshirting as a freshman in , Simon brings two years of experience in the Husker system. Her season was highlighted by a 10-point, five-rebound effort in 19 minutes against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. "Katie had a good offseason," Yori said. "She brings a positive, hard-working attitude to the gym every day, so she is making progress in her game." While health is a concern for the Huskers inside, NU's backcourt could be the deepest in school history. Nebraska must replace three-year starting guard Kaitlyn Burke, but there are no shortage of candidates. Sophomore Brandi Jeffery saw the most action of NU's returning guards. The 2011 Louisiana High School Player of the Year and Parade All-American averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while playing all 33 games. Her 38 steals and 34 assists ranked among the top five Huskers. Sophomore Tear'a Laudermill added 4.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game despite being limited by midseason illness. The explosiveness of the 5-9 guard from Riverside, Calif., on defense can change the complexion of the game. Her quickness also puts pressure on opposing defenses, while she has shown the ability to knock down the three. "Brandi and T learned a lot from a year on the court, and during the offseason," Yori said. "Hopefully we can see them apply that this season." Rebecca Woodberry, a 5-10 sophomore, could play a maor role. A talented scorer, the 2010 Arizona High School Player of the Year averaged 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 31 games off the bench. "Becca has proven she can score, and she gives us experience in the backcourt," Yori said. "She could play a pretty big role for us this year." Nebraska improved its depth by adding freshmen Rachel Theriot, Sadie Murren and Courtney Aitken. Theriot, a 6-0 point guard, ranked among the nation's top-100 prospects by multiple recruiting services. A three-time All-Ohio pick, she averaged 16.6 points, 11.0 assists and 6.0 boards at Midpark High School in "We are really excited to add her to our team," Yori said. "She brings great size to the point guard position, and she can also play shooting guard. We love Rachel's versatility. She is an unselfish player who loves to set her teammates up to score. We think she could have a bright future at Nebraska." Murren was a second-team All-Nebraska pick as a senior at Wahoo High School in Ranked among the top 250 prospects in the nation by several recruiting services, Murren was a three-time first-team Class C-1 All-State selection for the Warriors. She averaged 17.6 points per game as a senior, after averaging 16.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.0 steals as a unior. Murren also played with Emily Cady for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars. "We're excited about Sadie oining our team," Yori said. "She can shoot the three and get to the basket, but I think her toughness sets her apart. She has been well-coached, and we expect her to immediately bolster our backcourt." Although she was offered a basketball scholarship to Nebraska-Kearney, Aitken chose to walk on with the Huskers and follow a childhood dream. The 5-9 guard is from the same hometown - Dannebrog (pop. 306) - as former NU starting point guard Jina Johansen ( ). A first-team Class C-2 All-State pick in 2012, Aitken averaged 17.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists as a senior at Centura High School. "Courtney loves Nebraska basketball, and she is already proving herself as a great teammate," Yori said. "She is pretty athletic and gives us more size at the guard spot. She is a solid rebounder, and a pretty good passer and defender. She is also an outstanding communicator." While Nebraska will have more talent, depth and experience than a year ago, the Huskers will face a much more difficult schedule. NU will play 20 games against teams that won 18 or more contests in , including 18 against postseason teams. Twelve of NU's 29 regularseason games will come against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams. The Big Ten also sent a record seven teams to the NCAA Tournament last year. "We think we have put together another top-25 schedule," Yori said. "We will be tested early and often in the non-conference season in what could be the toughest non-conference schedule we've ever had here at Nebraska. "Just because we've got more experience and depth doesn't necessarily mean we're going to win more games. But in the end, we might be a better basketball team than we were last year, even if we have a few more losses." Nebraska's three freshmen (from left, Sadie Murren, Rachel Theriot, Courtney Aitken) will try to help the Huskers climb the ladder in the Big Ten in