Nebraska's 77-game Big 12 winning streak ended in 2003 with a defeat at Kansas State, and the Cornhuskers failed to advance beyond the regional round. Nebraska received the top overall seed in the 2004 NCAA tournament, kicking off an NCAA-record 88 straight weeks of the Cornhuskers being rated first in the AVCA weekly poll. The Huskers lost in the first round that year. Kansas State's loss to Nebraska ended what was then a school record 33rd consecutive season undefeated conference play campaign. The Wildcats had not been defeated during their run until that year when Nebraska dropped a 3-point decision to Kansas State in Manhattan. This marked the first time since 1992 that K-State had won a game against a ranked team. Before the 2003 season, Nebraska fans were excited about the potential of this team which was loaded with talent. As it turned out, this squad fell short of expectations at 4-14 in its only season under head coach Nancy Howard. Two players (Kaitlyn Burke and Jordan Hoerner) accounted for more than 10 points per game while seven others scored between four and nine points per contest. Burke and Hoerner were both All-Americans after they led Nebraska to its first No. 1 ranking in nearly 20 years. Despite losing their two leading scorers, people still expected big things from this team which included a return trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years.