Nebraska and Missouri State are going dancing, as the No. 11 seed Cornhuskers and No. 16 seed Bears punched their tickets to the 64-team Big Dance bracket with Wednesday's First Four wins.
Nebraska topped mid-major standout Richmond 75-56, as Husker guards Britt Prince and Callin Hake's combined 36 points helped neutralize Spiders star forward Maggie Doogan's game-leading 24-point, 10-rebound double-double.
"As a senior, there's definitely a sense of urgency that I want to fight for more games with these girls," said Hake after the Huskers' season-extending win. "I think we did exactly that today."
Wednesday's nightcap saw Missouri State down Stephen F. Austin 85-75, with Bears guard Kaemyn Bekemeier's 22 points leading her team's five double-digit scorers to secure the win — and a Friday date with No. 1 seed Texas.
"We can't get too high on this one," said Bekemeier. "I know we're really excited to play against a really high level team.... It's just going to make us a better team and better basketball players individually."
The First Four will wrap up on Thursday night ahead of Friday's first-round tipoff — though one team fighting for qualification could find itself short-handed.
No. 10 seed Arizona State's head coach Molly Miller might miss the Sun Devils' First Four clash with fellow 10 seed Virginia due to illness, with the team traveling to Iowa without the first-year boss on Wednesday.
No. 16 seeds Samford and Southern will also square off on Thursday, battling for a shot at challenging No. 1 seed South Carolina on Saturday.
How to Watch Thursday's First Four March Madness Games
First Four action continues on Thursday night with Southern facing Samford at 7 PM ET before Virginia takes on Arizona State at 9 PM ET.
Both clashes will air live on ESPN2.
