Protecting its perfect record isn't Nebraska's primary goal at the Big 12 Conference tournament. Coach Connie Yori figures her third-ranked Cornhuskers (29-0) need only one win in Kansas City, Mo., to assure themselves a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The rest of the Big 12 field is a strong one, filled with ranked teams, and the Huskers have beaten them all.

"The regular-season title is a great test of toughness and consistency," Yori said. "It was a terrific championship for us, and we feel great about winning that. We'll go to the Big 12 tournament and do our best and see where that takes us."

Yori said she would rather keep her starters healthy and fresh rather than push them hard through what, for them, would be a three-games-in-three-days grind to win the championship.

"There is a pretty relaxed atmosphere right now," said Yori, the Big 12 coach of the year. "I don't think we have to go down there and run the table to get a No. 1 seed."

The tournament opens today and will include seven teams ranked in the Top 25. All seven appear to have NCAA bids locked up, with five of them in line for seedings of No. 4 or higher -- Nebraska, Iowa State (23-6), Oklahoma (21-9), Texas A&M (22-7) and Texas (21-9).

Cristy McKinney resigned as coach of the women's team. In a statement released by the school, McKinney said a change was needed for her and the university after her five years running the program. She had a 13-18 record this year and a 58-93 record at Clemson overall.

Tayrn Wicijowski scored 22 points, including six in overtime, to lead Utah (21-10) to a 51-45 victory against New Mexico (18-12) in the second round of the Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas.

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