In a performance that perfectly captured both the promise and contradictions of Nebraska women’s basketball, Alexis Markowski’s double-double propelled the Huskers to an emphatic 84-60 dismantling of Rutgers in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Markowski, the 6-foot-3 junior center, delivered a bruising yet graceful 22-point, 14-rebound clinic — a stat line that didn’t just underscore her individual brilliance, but exposed the ongoing disparity between the Big Ten’s top-tier talent and programs still clawing for relevance.
Markowski, the daughter of Nebraska legend Andy Markowski, played with an edge that felt personal. Whether sealing off defenders with brute force or dropping delicate hooks over helpless Scarlet Knight post players, her performance embodied a program still trying to reconcile its blue-collar ethos with the evolving flash of modern women’s basketball. Nebraska, a team perennially hovering on the edge of national respect, played with the desperate energy of a squad tired of being an afterthought.
Rutgers, by contrast, looked like a program in existential crisis. Once the pride of the East under C. Vivian Stringer, the Scarlet Knights spent 40 minutes resembling a relic — outmatched, outpaced, and ultimately overwhelmed. While freshman guard Kaylene Smikle’s 19 points provided a flicker of offensive competency, Rutgers’ inability to match Nebraska’s physicality in the paint was glaring and borderline embarrassing for a program once synonymous with defensive toughness.
The controversy, however, was less about the scoreboard and more about the optics of Nebraska’s dominance. Critics have long accused the Big Ten of propping up Nebraska’s postseason hopes with a schedule that favors its middling programs. Nebraska’s ability to routinely feast on Rutgers, Minnesota, and Northwestern raises uncomfortable questions about the legitimacy of their March credentials. Are they a genuine rising force in the conference, or simply the beneficiary of a favorable draw in a top-heavy league?
Head coach Amy Williams dismissed those concerns postgame, praising Markowski’s relentless work ethic and the team’s commitment to defensive principles. “You can’t fake 84 points in a tournament game,” Williams said. “And you can’t fake Alexis Markowski.”
Still, for all the statistical dominance, Nebraska’s win didn’t entirely silence skeptics. Their perimeter shooting, an Achilles’ heel all season, remained shaky, with the Huskers converting just 5 of 19 from deep. Against a better opponent, those missed opportunities could have spelled disaster.
Yet, perhaps the most controversial subplot involved Markowski herself. Long hailed as the face of Nebraska’s future, her brash, physical style has drawn criticism from opposing coaches who accuse her of skirting the line between toughness and unnecessary contact. Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington stopped short of directly calling out Markowski postgame but noted, “There’s a way to play hard, and there’s a way to play smart.”
Whether Nebraska’s win was a true statement or simply the product of favorable matchups remains to be seen. But on this night, in front of a sparse yet passionate Indianapolis crowd, Alexis Markowski was the truth — a towering, unignorable force in a sport still grappling with what, exactly, success should look like.
Want it to lean even more controversial or fictional?
