UNO Hockey concluded its season Saturday, losing 3-2 to North Dakota in the quarterfinals of the NCHC Tournament. The Mavericks closed the year 18-17-1 overall and 14-9-1 in the NCHC, one of college hockey’s premier leagues. While the season fell short of the goal of a Frozen Four appearance, there are plenty of individual achievements to celebrate. Junior goaltender Simon Latkoczy was named to the All-NCHC First Team while forward Sam Stange was named to the All-NCHC Second Team. Three members of the program are up for NCHC honors of their own.
Last Thursday, head coach Mike Gabinet was announced as one of three finalists for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award for the third time in the last five years, following his fifth winning season in a row. Defenseman Nolan Krenzen was named a finalist for the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year. Simon Latkoczy is a finalist for the conference Goaltender of the Year after posting a conference-high 909 saves and the second-best save percentage (.925). Award winners will be announced tonight at the NCHC Awards Celebration.
The NCAA Tournament Round of 64 started today, with (9) Creighton defeating (8) Louisville 89-75 in the first game of the weekend in Lexington, Ky. Louisville featured former Bellevue West standout Chucky Hepburn. Now Creighton will have the opportunity to face #1 overall seed Auburn on Saturday, provided they take care of 16-seed Alabama State. Creighton is coming off back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances.
(15) Omaha, in its first NCAA tournament game ever, will take on Hall of Famer Rick Pitino and the (2) Saint John’s Red Storm tonight at 8:45 p.m. on CBS. It’s the Johnnies’ second straight game against a team from the Omaha area. Omaha hopes to be the 12th-ever 15 seed to win a tournament game, and the first since Princeton took down Arizona in 2023.
(9) Creighton Women’s Basketball will play their first March Madness game Saturday, March 22 against (8) Illinois. Like the men’s squad, the Lady Jays finished second in the regular and postseason of one of the nation’s top basketball conferences but were awarded a perplexing nine seed in the Big Dance. Creighton is heading to its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament and is led by Big East First-Teamers Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly and veteran head coach Jim Flanery.
Former Creighton Bluejay Baylor Scheierman had a breakout game for the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in a win against the Brooklyn Nets. The former Bluejay and Aurora, Neb. native scored 20 points in just 16 minutes, going 8-9 from the floor and a blazing 6-7 from three, with one in buzzer-beating fashion to take the lead going into the fourth quarter. After swinging between Boston and their G League affiliate Maine Celtics all season, Scheierman may have earned himself a more permanent role in Boston with his latest performance. The Celtics’ next game is tomorrow, March 21 at 8:30 p.m. against the Utah Jazz.
The Omaha Supernovas have yet to lose in March and sit in first place in current PVF standings at 12-4 thanks to their four-game win streak and latest win over the second-place Orlando Valkyries. That game concluded their three-game road trip, and they will be back at the CHI Health Center on Saturday for a match with the Indy Ignite at 6:00 p.m. The Supernovas are 3-0 against the Ignite on the season and should be familiar with the club, as this is the third time they will match up in five games.
LOVB Omaha announced Tuesday that former Stanford middle blocker Sami Francis will join the team effective immediately. Francis will be available for the club as early as its next game against LOVB Austin Friday night. LOVB Omaha sits last in league standings at 4-7 overall. First serve on Friday at Baxter Arena is at 7:00 p.m. The club will be celebrating ‘Healthcare Heroes Night.’
The Omaha Beef are defending their National Arena League title this season. In their first year in the NAL, they picked up right where they left off after winning the CIF in 2023, posting an undefeated season and winning the NAL championship. They are currently 2-1 with their loss coming in the first game of the season to the Minneapolis Warriors on a last-second touchdown pass. That loss snapped a two-year winning streak that started before the Beef moved leagues to the NAL and dates to June 25, 2022, a loss in the CIF championship game. Omaha’s next game is Saturday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Liberty First Credit Union Arena.
With the storm yesterday, it may not feel like baseball season is upon us. However, there will be a clash of two crosstown rivals next Tuesday when Creighton Baseball makes the seven-mile journey to Omaha’s Tal Anderson Field. Creighton is 11-5 and on a three-game win streak, while Omaha is 5-13 and on a three-game losing streak. Both programs have an opportunity to build momentum heading into next week’s matchup with three-game series this weekend. Creighton will host Saint Mary’s at Charles Schwab Field while Omaha hits the road for a weekend with Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla.
Upcoming Games
• Omaha Men’s Basketball vs. St. John’s | Today, March 20 | 8:45 p.m.
• Creighton Women’s Basketball vs. Illinois | Saturday, March 22 | 6:15 p.m.
• LOVB Omaha vs. LOVB Austin | Friday, March 21 | 7:00 p.m.
• Omaha Supernovas vs. Indy Ignite | Saturday, March 22 | 6:00 p.m.
• Creighton Baseball vs. Saint Mary’s | Friday, March 21 – Sunday, March 23 | 6:00 p.m. Friday
• Omaha Baseball at Oral Roberts | Friday, March 21 – Sunday, March 23 | 6:00 p.m. Friday
• Omaha Baseball vs. Creighton Baseball | Tuesday, March 25 | 5:00 p.m.
