Nebraska begins the month of March on the road, as the Huskers travel to Champaign, Ill., for a matchup with the Fighting Illini Wednesday evening.

Tipoff from the State Farm Center is set for 9:06 p.m. and the contest will be televised nationally on BTN with Eric Collins and Shon Morris on the call. Wednesday’s game is also available online and on mobile devices on the BTN2Go app. It is the third game of a BTN tripleheader on Wednesday.

The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the 37-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

Nebraska (13-15, 5-11 Big Ten) wraps up a stretch where seven of the last 10 games have been away from home. The Huskers had their longest break since the start of Big Ten play, as Nebraska has been off since a 81-57 loss at Ohio State on Thursday evening. In that game, the Buckeyes shot 54 percent, including 11-of-19 from 3-point range, and put four players in double figures.

Freshman Tarin Smith was one of the highlights for the Huskers in the loss to the Buckeyes, scoring a career-high 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including all three of his 3-pointers. Smith has become more of an offensive threat in the last month, averaging 6.2 points per game on 57 percent shooting over Nebraska’s last six contests. He has shot 50 percent or better in all six games dating back to Feb. 7.

Junior Terran Petteway had 12 points and three assists while David Rivers came off the bench for 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Rivers’ 10-point effort was his highest total since scoring 12 points in the season opener.

The Huskers are in a tie for 11th place entering the last week of the season, one game back of Minnesota, in hopes of avoiding the first-round game in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

Illinois is 18-11 on the season and 8-8 in Big Ten play following an 86-60 win over Northwestern Saturday evening. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Illini. Rayvonte Rice led five Illinois players with 19 points, as the Fighting Illini went 14-of-29 from 3-point range in the victory.

The Nebraska women’s basketball team opens play in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament by taking on Illinois on Thursday in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Tip-off between the No. 7 seed Huskers (20-9, 10-8 Big Ten) and the 10th-seeded Fighting Illini (15-15, 6-12 Big Ten) at Sears Centre Arena is set for 6 p.m. (CT), as Nebraska shoots for its third win of the season against Illinois.

Eric Collins and Christy Winters Scott will be on the television call for the Big Ten Network, while Lisa Byington will provide sideline reports. Live radio coverage from the Husker Sports Network is available with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln, 93.3 FM in Omaha and 880 AM KRVN in Lexington. Free live audio is available on Huskers.com.

Nebraska closed the Big Ten regular season by winning three of its last five games, including its most complete effort of the year with a 74-50 run past Minnesota on Feb. 24. The Huskers suffered a 78-60 loss to Big Ten Tournament No. 3 seed Ohio State on Senior Day in Lincoln on Sunday. Nebraska’s four seniors combined for 48 points and 33 rebounds, but Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year Kelsey Mitchell answered with 28 points and 10 boards for the Buckeyes. Fellow freshmen Shayla Cooper (13 points, 18 rebounds) and Asia Doss (14 points) helped OSU end a five-game losing streak to the Huskers.

Emily Cady and Brandi Jeffery closed their home careers at Nebraska with double-doubles, including 21 points and 13 rebounds for Cady. It was Cady’s 11th double-double of the season and 33rd of her career. She earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season by averaging 12.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on the year.

Jeffery notched the first double-double of her career with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four assists. The 5-7 guard from Vacherie, La., has more rebounds this season (186) than in her three previous seasons combined (184) for the Big Red. She is averaging 7.7 points and 6.6 rebounds.

Senior Tear’a Laudermill added honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades for the Huskers, while Hailie Sample was named Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-9, 10-8 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 12.5 ppg, 10.4 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 7.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 7.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Off the Bench
33 – Rachel Theriot (OUT) – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 16.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 4.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 3.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.5 ppg, 0.2 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – Redshirting
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (261-151); 25th Season Overall (456-291)

Illinois Fighting Illini (15-15, 6-12 Big Ten)
34 – Jacqui Grant – 6-3 – So. – F – 9.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg
32 – Chatrice White – 6-3 – Fr. – C – 14.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg
15 – Kyley Simmons – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 9.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
20 – Brittany Carter – 6-0 – Sr. – G – 8.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg
22 – Ivory Crawford – 5-10 – Sr. – G – 15.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Off the Bench
10 – Amarah Coleman – 5-11 – Fr. – G – 7.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg
3 – Taylor Tuck – 6-0 – Sr. – G/F – 2.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg
21 – Brooke Kissinger – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 1.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg
12 – Ashley McConnell – 5-9 – So. – G – 1.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg
25 – Kennedy Cattenhead – 5-10 – RFr. – G – 0.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
5 – Nia Oden – 5-10 – Sr. – F – 0.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg
00 – Sarah Hartwell – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg
2 – Taylor Gleason – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg
Head Coach: Matt Bollant (Winona State, 1994)
3rd Season at Illinois (43-50); 13th Season Overall (325-105)

Lincoln – Emily Cady and Brandi Jeffery both recorded double-doubles, but Ohio State used a 15-0 run to end the first half to propel the Buckeyes to a 78-60 women’s basketball win over Nebraska on Senior Day for the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

With the loss, Nebraska ended the regular season with a 20-9 overall record and a 10-8 Big Ten mark. Ohio State improved to 21-9 and 13-5 in the conference. The Buckeyes secured the No. 3 seed and a double bye at next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill., while Nebraska earned the No. 7 seed and a first-round bye.

The Huskers will play their first game at the Sears Centre Arena on Thursday, when they take on 10th-seeded Illinois. Tip-off between the Big Red and Fighting Illini is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be televised live by BTN.

Cady, a 6-2 senior forward from Seward, Neb., led the Huskers with 21 points and 13 rebounds to produce the 33rd double-double of her career and 11th of the season. Jeffery, a senior from Vacherie, La, notched the first double-double of her career with 10 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

Fellow senior Hailie Sample, a 6-1 forward from Flower Mound, Texas, pitched in nine points, six rebounds and three assists, while senior guard Tear’a Laudermill (Moreno Valley, Calif.), contributed eight points on the afternoon.

Nebraska’s four seniors ended their home career with a combined 55-11 record, on their way to a school-record 95 victories over the past four seasons The group combined for more than 500 appearances and more than 350 career starts.

The seniors, who combined for 48 points on the afternoon, had their Senior Day spoiled by Buckeye freshmen Kelsey Mitchell, Asia Doss and Shayla Cooper. Mitchell, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, erupted for 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Doss scored a season-high 14 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Cooper added 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Ameryst Alston gave Buckeyes four players in double figures with 12 points.

As a team, Ohio State hit 43.8 percent of its shots, including 10-of-23 three-pointers. The Buckeyes matched the Huskers on the glass, while winning the turnover battle, 12-9.

Nebraska, which matched Ohio State shot for shot for the first 16 minutes, went cold at the end of the first half and the cold shooting carried over to the second half.

The Huskers ended the game at just 31.4 percent (22-70), including just 6-of-22 from three-point range. NU hit just 27.5 percent of its second-half shots.

Nebraska and Ohio State were locked in a back-and-forth battle for the first 16 minutes, until Laudermill, who was guarding Mitchell for most of the first half, was whistled for her second foul of the game with 4:40 left.

Mitchell hit a pair of free throws to put Ohio State up 32-30 at that point, before Chandler Smith scored on a putback to tie the score at 32 with just under four minutes left. But the Buckeyes took control of the game, finishing the half on a 15-0 run that included Nebraska missing three layups and two open short jumpers.

Mitchell, who finished the half with 16 points, scored 10 without Laudermill on the floor in the final 4:40. Doss also had a big first half for the Buckeyes, knocking down her first three three-pointers of the half on her way to 11 points. Doss entered the game with 15 straight misses from long range.

Cady, Jeffery and Sample kept the Huskers in the game in the first half on Senior Day. Cady finished the half with 13 points and four rebounds, while Jeffery added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Sample pitched in seven points.

Nebraska cut the lead to 12 points early in the second half, but was unable to pull closer the rest of the way in the 18-point setback.