How to Watch Nebraska Women’s Basketball vs. Richmond in NCAA Tournament First Four with Preview, Breakdown, TV

Fortunately for the Nebraska women's basketball team, the NCAA Tournament bubble didn't burst.

The prospects of NU taking part in March Madness appeared to be very bleak after its one-and-done Big Ten Tournament. Leading No. 13 seed Indiana by 18 points with 5:45 left in the third quarter, the Huskers were cruising, but then came the Hoosiers. IU shot 17-for-26 in the second half despite playing only six players across the entire game.

A 10-0 run in the final stretch of the third quarter cut the deficit to single digits, but Nebraska held the Hoosiers at arm's length with a seven-point advantage with 2:30 to go. Indiana fired back with an 8-0 run in just 76 seconds to take its first lead of the game at 68-67 with a minute left, paving the way for IU's staggering 72-69 comeback win.

Using a strong NET rating off the back of a historic Big Ten conference performance, the Huskers snuck into the NCAA Tournament field and are now faced with taking down Richmond to earn the right to play against No. 6 seed Baylor.

Here's all you need to know for the Huskers and Spiders Wednesday night.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: Nebraska (18-12, 7-11 B1G) vs. Richmond (26-7, 15-3 A-10)
When: Wednesday, March 18
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
Time: 6 p.m. CDT
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Richmond Scout

Head Coach

Aaron Roussell | 7th season at Richmond; 22nd as HC
148-71 (.676) at Richmond; 460-193 (.704) Career Record
5x NCAA Tournament Apps.
2x Atlantic 10 regular season, 1x Atlantic 10 tournament, 2x Patriot League tournament, 3x Patriot League regular season, 3x UAA regular season
1x ECAC Coach OTY (2025), 1x Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach OTY (2025), 2x Atlantic 10 Coach OTY, 2x Patriot League Coach OTY, 3x UAA Coach OTY
Previous head coach at Bucknell and Chicago
Previous assistant at Minnesota State

2025-2026 Record & Awards

Record: 26-7 (15-3 Atlantic 10, 3rd)
Awards: Atlantic 10 Player of the Year
All-Atlantic 10: 2x First Team, 1x Second Team

Richmond NCAA Tournament History

Appearances: 6th (2026, 2025, 2024, 2005, 1991, 1990)
Record: 1-5
Best Finish: Second Round

All-Time Series

First-ever matchup

Richmond's Maggie Doogan (44) became the first player in over 30 years to win back-to-back Atlantic 10 Player of the Year awards. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Key Returners

Maggie Doogan | F | Sr. | One of the most storied players in program history, the 6-foot-2 forward earned her second-straight Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award, becoming the first player in conference history to accomplish that feat since 1989-1990.
Rachel Ullstrom | G | Sr. | Named Atlantic 10 Sixth Woman of the Year in 2023 before being named to back-to-back All-Atlantic 10 First Teams, scoring over 14 points per game and hitting a team-high 92 three-pointers.
Ally Sweeney | G | Jr. | Returning starter and one of three Richmond players to average more than 10 points while hitting over 40% of her treys and over four assists per contest.
Alicia Newell | G | Soph. | Saw over seven minutes per game as a true freshman before moving into the starting lineup this season, where she's adding over seven points and three rebounds per contest.
Sam Dewey | F | Sr. | A second-year transfer from Illinois, Dewey puts up five points per game in her final season of college basketball.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Tierra Simon | F | Gr. | A Houston native who spent time at Saint Louis, Pearl River CC and Prairie View A&M, Simon has started in 13 of her 33 appearances this season with over four points and three rebounds per game.
Ava Persichetti | G | Fr. | First-year guard chipping in nearly four points per game while seeing an average of 15 minutes a contest.
Rayne Wright | G | Fr. | Another true freshman and local recruit to make an impact for the Spiders in her first year, logging 3.5 points per game in over 13 minutes per contest.

Outlook

A proven program builder, Aaron Roussell has Richmond dancing for the third-straight season, which includes the first NCAA Tournament win in Spiders' history last year against Georgia Tech. Roussell has an impressive track record across multiple levels, finishing with a 161-50 record at Division III Chicago, 151-72 at the Patriot League's Bucknell and a 148-71 mark with the Spiders.

83 of those wins for Roussell have come in the last three seasons, stamped by two Atlantic 10 regular season titles and a tournament crown. Part of that surge is thanks to one of the most dominant players in program history — Maggie Doogan. The 6-foot-2 veteran forward became the first player in more than 30 years to win back-to-back Atlantic 10 Player of the Year awards after scoring 21 points and grabbing nearly eight rebounds per contest. She also leads the Spiders in blocks with 36 and is second with 3.9 assists per contest.

Richmond guard Rachel Ullstrom (22) has earned back-to-back All-Atlantic 10 First Team honors after scoring 14 PPG. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

A star in her own right, Rachel Ullstrom provides key secondary scoring for Richmond, dropping in over 14 points per game and a team-leading 92 treys on 41.3% shooting. After being named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Woman of the year in 2023, she's made the All-Conference First Team the last two seasons. Junior Ally Sweeney rounds out the trio of double-figure scorers with 10.5 points per game while also shooting 40% from beyond the arc. The points production drops off after those three, however, with Alicia Newell (7.3), Sam Dewey (5.2), Tierra Simon (4.4), Ava Persichetti (3.9) and Rayne Wright (3.5) combining to score 24 of the team's 72 points per game.

Much like all teams in the NCAA Tournament field, Richmond is dangerous, especially if it can get going from the three-point line. Doogan and Ullstrom combine for a lethal duo as both rank inside the top 20 for three-pointers made. Regarding common opponents, both squads took care of Penn State in a similar fashion, but that's as far as that goes.

The advantage of playing in the Big Ten is the level of physicality that prepares you for NCAA Tournament games and that'll play for Nebraska. If they can ramp up the defensive pressure and disrupt the shooting prowess of the Spiders, the Huskers should get by, but Richmond can pull this out if they're able to spread NU out and hit their three-pointers. For as much as the Cornhuskers were criticized for their Big Ten performance, I see this being a game where it pays dividends — give me Nebraska to win an NCAA Tournament game for the second time in three years.