The Husker softball team opened their season in grand style over the weekend, with five wins in five games in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Huskers defeated Illinois-Chicago three times and New Mexico and New Mexico State once each, outscoring their foes by a combined 47-13. Tatum and Taylor Edwards each bashed three home runs as the Huskers batted .397 as a team. The Huskers play five games in Tucson, Arizona this coming weekend.

Pitchers and catchers reported to Scottsdale, Arizona for the ceremonial opening of spring training for the Colorado Rockies yesterday. After a franchise-worst 98 losses in 2012, familiar faces take new places in charge in the dugout – Walt Weiss is the new manager, and Dante Bichette is the hitting coach. But most of the players remain the same, as the Rockies hope that better health for their pitchers and for star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will lead to a turnaround.

The North Platte Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs each picked up victories in game one of the East-West Shootout. At the Dawghouse, Drew Callaghan’s 25 points and 18 rebounds led the Dawgs to a 68-47 win over Gering. It’s the sixth win in a row for the Dawgs, who are 13-5. The Lady Bulldogs got a win at Gering, cruising to a 59-39 triumph. That’s three in a row for the girls, who improve to 8-10. Tonight the Dawgs and Lady Dawgs take on Alliance. ESPN Radio 1410 will bring you the girls game from the Panhandle tonight, with pregame coverage starting at 8 PM.

With the South Sub-region standings tightening up, the North Platte Community College Knights begin a crucial weekend tonight. The Knights host Trinidad State at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium. North Platte leads the sub-region on a tiebreaker over Lamar. Both teams are 8-3 in the sub-region entering the weekend. In North Platte’s first meeting with the Trojans this season, they earned an 86-55 victory on the road. Tonight’s tipoff is set for 7 PM.

In a defensive struggle in Evanston, the Husker women’s basketball team earned their fifth consecutive win with a 55-50 triumph over Northwestern. Jordan Hooper and Lindsay Moore each cracked the 1,500 career point barrier. Hooper scored a game-high 19 points, while Moore added 16 points. The Huskers led by as many as 15 in the second half and held off the Wildcats down the stretch by making 16 of 18 free throws. The Huskers are now 17-6 and 7-3 in the Big Ten. They play at Iowa Monday night.

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried is one of six players who will participate in the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend in Houston next Saturday night. Three players from each conference were selected. Faried is the sixth Nugget to participate in the Slam Dunk contest, and the first since JR Smith back in 2009.

Nuggets in the Slam Dunk Contest:

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – 1993

Robert Pack – 1994

Darvin Ham – 1997

Chris Andersen – 2004

JR Smith – 2009

Kenneth Faried – 2013

Nebraska will renew its rivalry on the gridiron with a long-time Big Eight and Big 12 opponent, as the Huskers have signed a contract to play four games against the University of Colorado between 2018 and 2024.

The border rivals will first meet in Lincoln on Sept. 8, 2018, before a return matchup in Colorado on Sept. 7, 2019. Colorado will also play host to the Huskers on Sept. 9, 2023, with the Buffs returning to Memorial Stadium for a matchup on Sept. 7, 2024.

The games with Colorado will be the first in the series since both schools left the Big 12 Conference following the 2010-11 athletic season, with Nebraska moving to the Big Ten Conference and Colorado to the Pac-12 Conference. The teams last met in the regular-season finale in 2010, and that meeting marked the 63^rd consecutive year the two schools had met on the gridiron.

“There is a lot of great history between Nebraska and Colorado on the football field, so I think this will be an outstanding series for both schools,” Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini said. “I think our fans will enjoy the matchups, particularly those in Western Nebraska who can make the short drive out to the games in Colorado.”

Overall, Nebraska holds a 49-18-2 advantage in the all-time series between the schools, including a 26-8 record against the Buffs in Lincoln. Nebraska won the final three meetings against Colorado from 2008 to 2010, and owns a 15-4 record against CU since 1992.

The 2019 game at Colorado gives Nebraska three scheduled non-conference games in that season, joining previously announced home contests against South Alabama and Northern Illinois. The matchups in 2018, 2023 and 2024 are the first scheduled games of those seasons for Nebraska.

Colorado is one of two long-time conference foes Nebraska has recently agreed to play in a non-conference series. Nebraska announced in November that it has agreed to a home-and-home series with Oklahoma in 2021 and 2022, with the first matchup in Norman and the 2022 game at Memorial Stadium.

“We are pleased to add another quality opponent to our future non-conference schedule,” Nebraska Associate A.D. for Football Jeff Jamrog said. “It is great to have future games with both Colorado and Oklahoma, two of our long-time rivals in the Big Eight and Big 12 conferences. Coach Osborne, Shawn Eichorst and Mike Bohn (Colorado A.D.) all put a lot of work into making this series happen, and it is good to have this finalized.”

–Keith Mann, Nebraska Sports Information

The North Platte Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs begin play in the annual East-West Shootout tonight. This year, the boys get to stay home while the girls make the three-day trek through the panhandle. Tonight the opponent for the Dawgs and the Lady Dawgs is Gering. The boys will try and extend their five game winning streak, while the girls shoot for a third straight win. You can hear the boys game tonight on ESPN Radio 1410. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 before the tipoff at 7.

The Husker women’s basketball team strives for five straight wins tonight as they take on Northwestern in Evanston. Nebraska’s rout of Minnesota on Sunday moved their Big Ten record to 6-3. That has them in a tie for third in the conference, two games back of Penn State for first. Northwestern is 3-3 in the league. Jordan Hooper and Lindsay Moore are both likely to hit the 1,500 career point mark tonight. Hooper needs three points, while Moore needs 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 PM.