Nebraska Huskers Basketball

There hasn't been this much excitement in the state of Nebraska about the Cornhuskers' hoops team in a long time.

Regardless of the fact that the Cornhuskers just finished their second year of Big Ten play in the bottom-third of the conference, there are signs of hope on campus and around the city of Lincoln. 

Nebraska has a young, energetic head coach in Tim Miles who seems to be wise beyond his years. They have arguably the premier practice facility in all of college basketball. They'll also have a new home to move into next season -- the NBA-esque Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Needless to say, there is a lot to look forward to in terms of recruiting and building a program that can compete in college basketball's premier conference. There is, however, one thorn still stuck in Nebraska's side: The Creighton Bluejays.

Creighton University sits just about 40 miles east of Lincoln down I-80 in Omaha, the state's largest city. For years, Creighton has been sort of a pesky little brother to the Cornhuskers. They were the feisty mid-major team who shared the state with Nebraska, a long-time Big Eight and Big 12 school. 

Every once in a while, Creighton gets the best of the Cornhuskers head-to-head (Nebraska leads the all-time series 25-21). For the most part, however, the two teams and their fans were resigned to the fact that one of the programs played in an elite conference and the other was a big fish in a small pond that was the Missouri Valley Conference. Everyone knew their role.

Lately, however, the tide has begun to change. Creighton's followers dwarf the the Nebraska fans in numbers. The Bluejays are consistently in the top 10 of all of college basketball in attendance and have become regulars in a 20-win club annually. Those factors combined with the national exposure of the program have led to rumors that Creighton may be on the verge of joining the seven Catholic schools who are breaking away from the current Big East Conference.

A move to the new Big East would come with both pluses and minuses for the Creighton program. It would mean more national exposure and money for the university. However, fans would have to deal with the fact that those 20-wins seasons they've gotten used to would be much harder to come by.

For Nebraska, a Creighton move to a power conference would no doubt hinder the progress the Cornhuskers program is trying to make in the power conference they already reside in.

As of now, the two schools recruit two different types of athletes. Nebraska recruits more athletic players capable of creating their own shot against Big Ten players of the same or high caliber. Creighton recruits more fundamentally sound team-oriented players who excel based on the system they are in and their ability to shoot the ball. These players usually are locks to stay for at least three or four years as opposed to the "one and done-ers" who populate the power conferences.

Creighton's move would mean the two schools would be recruiting the same players to the same region to play in two different power conferences.

As of now, it would be hard to argue against the school of thought that says Creighton would have an immediate recruiting advantage over Nebraska, as they have established more of a basketball pedigree as of late. The Bluejays also already have pipelines in places like Minneapolis, South Dakota and Iowa—all places where Nebraska would like to establish the same. 

Creighton also has the added advantage of being the "keepers of the western door" for this newly redesigned Big East, giving Midwest and West Coast kids a chance to play in a premier basketball conference focused on cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. without having to travel across the country to do so.

Nebraska can still sell kids on the prestige of playing in the Big Ten, but the only track record they have in the conference is one of failure so far. On the other hand, Creighton has multiple recent wins over power conference teams and RPI rankings to make the case that they'll be able to finish in the top half of their new conference on a consistent basis.

In a state where college basketball is on the rise and fan allegiance is at a premium, one must question if there is room for two programs in two different power conferences to succeed on the ever-changing landscape that is college sports.

Put the jerseys on hangers boys, you've done enough already. Pack up the balls, hose down the locker room and call it a season. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are 10-10 and are already overachievers this season.

While these statements may be seen as a bit facetious, they are also true. The Huskers have nothing to gain the rest of the season.

Most people looked at the Huskers schedule at the beginning of the year and picked out eight games they could possibly win and struggled to believe they could win a game in the Big 10. The only thing that is going to happen over the next 11 games will be heartbreak and frustration, but that's nothing new to fans of Husker basketball.

With the season nearly two-thirds finished, Nebraska is 10-10, and this could be one of the last times they see .500 this season. If it were possible, the Huskers would be better off playing games in a closed gym against the rest of their opponents and building toward the 2013-14 season.

Coach Tim Miles has Nebraska pointed in the right direction, but some fans in the Cornhusker state were spoiled by the nine wins compiled in non-conference play. Against the boys of the Big 10, Nebraska is next to last in rebounding and last in scoring and some would say those are the bright spots.

After the Huskers most recent loss to Illinois, Coach Tim Miles commented on the team's rebounding woes saying, "I've coached a lot of games at a lot of different levels, and I don't think that I've ever been this disappointed or embarrassed in one area of the game."

Miles doesn't realize the hope that exists for Nebraska basketball with him at the helm. He doesn't believe in moral victories and will likely age ten years over the next two.

He built Colorado State into one of the more entertaining basketball teams in the country and possesses the type of personality that can make the Huskers into a winning program.  But it is going to take time, much like his four year build at CSU, just to get to a winning record at 19-13.

Given his career track of turning teams around in three to four years, one would have to believe that Miles understands that, but with a 1-5 record in the conference you can't help but wonder if his coaching sanity will be questioned at the end of the regular season.

The remaining schedule leaves very few opportunities for victory and even fewer if the Huskers don't perform well Saturday against an ailing Northwestern team, who has felt the sting of life without Drew Crawford.

Nonetheless, the Huskers have overachieved for season one of the Miles era, and while the fire for Husker basketball is more like a few smoldering embers of a campfire doused by a monsoon, there is no doubt the future of Husker basketball is back on course.

Husker fans are just hoping it's not the Magellan route.

After season-opening wins for Minnesota and Indiana on Monday over Michigan State and Iowa respectively, Big Ten basketball once again tips off Wednesday evening.

First, Nebraska travels to Columbus to take on the eighth-ranked Buckeyes, followed by a road game for Illinois at Purdue. Here's a breakdown of each team's starting lineups, accompanied by game predictions.

Nebraska vs. Ohio State

Center: Andre Almeida vs. Amir Williams

Power Forward: Brandon Ubel vs. Deshaun Thomas

Small Forward: Dylan Talley vs. Sam Thompson

Shooting Guard: Ray Gallegos vs. Lenzelle Smith Jr.

Point Guard: Benny Parker vs. Aaron Craft

Williams recently won the starting center job over Evan Ravenel for Ohio State, though hasn't performed at par with preseason expectations. That's why gigantic Almeida gets the edge here.

At power forward, each team's best player stands. Unfortunately for Nebraska, Deshaun Thomas gets the easy win here as he's able to beat opposing defenses in a multitude of ways.

Ultra athletic sophomore Sam Thompson matches up with Dylan Talley at the three position, one in which the more experienced Talley wins.

The backcourt is in the Buckeyes' favor as both Smith Jr. and Craft beat out Gallegos and Parker. Smith Jr. has made a huge jump from a season ago, while Craft is OSU's floor general and defensive stopper, though has struggled offensively.

Prediction: Ohio State 68 Nebraska 53

Illinois vs. Purdue

Center: Nnanna Egwu vs. AJ Hammons

Power Forward: Tyler Griffey vs. Jacob Lawson

Small Forward: Brandon Paul vs. DJ Byrd

Shooting Guard: DJ Richardson vs. Terone Johnson

Point Guard: Tracy Abrams vs. Ronnie Johnson

In the middle, freshman force AJ Hammons of Purdue gets the nod over Egwu, a sophomore from St. Ignatius in Chicago.

Senior Tyler Griffey gets the Illini on the board up against sophomore Lawson, who's sporting a mohawk this season.

The biggest matchup of the game comes at small forward as gunslinger DJ Byrd will need to keep Brandon Paul in check as Paul leads the Illini in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Paul's better all-around games get him the edge here.

At shooting guard, slasher Terone Johnson eeks out a win over long range bomber Richardson.

The point guard position breaks the tie as Abrams is coming off the best game of his career, while the younger brother of Terone, Ronnie, has had his freshman ups and downs.

Prediction: Illinois 69 Purdue 66

Nebraska is the leading school on the radar of top New Zealand prospect Tai Webster, as reported by Rivals.com. 

Webster, a 17-year-old guard, rose to prominence after an outstanding showing for the New Zealand national team earlier in the year. He put up impressive numbers against some of the world's top sides, often leading the way as the team battled in the absence of many of its more established players.

His talents have been well-documented, and he has received offers from seven colleges including a handful of major programmes. Nebraska, though, appears to be the leading contender of these, and it was reported by JournalStar.com that he is planning an official visit to the University later this year.

Indeed, he may still be one of world basketball's best kept secrets. Those in New Zealand who have seen him play have praised him for years as he has consistently stood out through age-grade tournaments.

In a recent Under-19 National Tournament, he scored 42 points in the Championship Game, keeping his team in touch by himself for a long stretch while their opponents maintained a lead with an unbelievable shooting performance.

It did come as a surprise to many just how good this boy was though. Sure, it was predicted he would end up a very good player, but few expected him to be capable of scoring over 20 points against the likes of Greece and Angola at just 17 years of age. He has proven himself against grown men and has gone up against NBA talent, showing he will certainly have the physicality to play at the college level.

His shooting skills have been well documented, after putting on a clinic against Angola at the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers and shooting 62.5 percent from beyond the arch at the tournament. But what is even more impressive is his explosiveness and finishing ability. It is this more than anything that has made him such a hard player to guard for his peers in his homeland.

In saying this, he will have to adjust to play in the USA. But there is no doubt he has the skill set to do this and could very well end up better than fellow Kiwi prospect Steven Adams.

While traditionally known as a football school, Nebraska look to be showing an increased focus on basketball as was reported by ESPN. If what he has shown so far is anything to go by, Tai Webster could very well be the player to get this programme off the ground. 

Other schools to make offers to Webster include Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Virginia, LSU and Saint Mary's. 

According to various sources, including Andy Katz at ESPN, Colorado State head coach Tim Miles is planning to leave the program that he took from the cellar of the Mountain West in 2007-08 to an appearance NCAA Tournament this past season, in order to take the vacant head-coaching job a the University of Nebraska.

The vacancy at Nebraska was left after former UTEP coach Doc Sadler was fired on March 9th, following six mediocre seasons.

Cornhusker fans are hoping that Miles can do the same thing to their program, which has struggled mightily in both the Big 12 and the Big Ten in recent years, that he did with the Colorado State program.

The 45-year old Miles, who grew up in South Dakota and is very active on Twitter (@CoachMiles), played basketball at the University of Mary in North Dakota.  Then he began a very successful head -coaching career in the NAIA and D2 ranks at Mayville State and Southwest Minnesota State, where he reached the Elite Eight of Division Two in his final season.

Miles was later hired at North Dakota State, where he was a key figure in the program's transition to Division One basketball, leading the team to a 20-8 record in his final year, only the third in the program's short Division One history.

In 2007, Miles took over a Colorado State team that was in shambles, only returning two players, and failed to win a conference game in his first season. After gradually improving the team, Miles led his team to a .500 record and a CBI appearance by his third season.  This was followed by an NIT appearance the next year, and this year's NCAA tournament appearance and 20-12 record.  This was Colorado State's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003.

Miles will take over a Nebraska program that has not made the NCAA tournament since 1998, and is coming off a 12-18 record in their first year in the Big Ten.

With leading scorers Bo Spencer and Toney McCray both graduating, Miles will have a very steep uphill battle at Nebraska to be able to compete in the very strong Big Ten.  But, based on his prior success at a struggling program, Miles looks to be a slam-dunk choice to potentially rebuild this Cornhuskers program from scratch.

In the Chris Hatch Doctor Power Rankings—the top eight goes a little something like this:

1.  Dre
2.  J
3.  Sadler
4.  Seuss
5.  Jekyll
6.  Grant (Jurassic Park, duh)
7.  Frankenstein
8.  Quinn, Medicine Woman

Unfortunately, due to a tragic turn of events, Sadler's name may be moving down in the rankings.  You see, after a lackluster sixth season as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers' basketball team, Doc flatlined. 

Last Friday, in the year of our lord 2012, Kenneth "Doc" Sadler got the axe.

His faltering career at Nebraska finally grounded to a brutal halt, mercifully ending what had been one of the most heinously unattractive seasons in Nebraska basketball history.

After the Huskers lost to Purdue in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, the final chapter of Doc's career slammed shut.

The Husker basketball program finds itself back at square one.  Or perhaps they find themselves still at square one.  With Doc Sadler's teams it was always one step forward, two steps back, a couple directly to the side in a defensive shuffle drill and ultimately ending up right back where we started.

I like Doc.  I really do.  I like the way he interacts with the fans, with the media.  I like the fact that he's the antithesis of Bo Pelini.  He's folksy and welcoming and genuinely seemed to really want to be at Nebraska.

But make no mistake, it was time to part ways. 

Doc's commitment to defense was intense.  He was so busy keeping his nose to the grindstone that he rarely had time to try to smell the roses of offensive production.  His teams were gritty on defense and grisly on offense.

In his final season as head coach Doc started to lose weight.  His weight seemed to mimic the Huskers' offensive production.  Thinner and thinner.  Eventually the Huskers' offensive production became so gaunt that even Skeletorlina Jolie would have stuck her twiggy leg out of her dress-slit and shouted, "Just beef it up!"

Senior guard Bo Spencer was the Huskers' leading scorer at 15.1 PPG.  Spencer, in his first and only year with the team (*Author's note: another disturbing Sadler trend: his heavy reliance on transfers and JuCo players leaves the team in a perpetual state of flux.  Spencer follows in the footsteps of Lance Jeter, a fellow point guard that was gone too soon, before the potential could be fully tapped.) seemed to be continually stuck between trying too hard and disappearing. 

Spencer's inability to decide between going 100 MPH or coasting in neutral led to a wild mixture of emotions when watching him play.  I would find myself shouting "Shoot the damn ball!" on one possession followed up by "Quit shooting the damn ball!"  It was this manic depressive play that had us all hoping that the Doc would supply some lithium.  He didn't.

The offense scored 55 points or fewer in 12 games.  Offensive flow in basketball games can be a thing of beauty.  The Huskers were Medusa-ugly.

(*Author's note: To describe what the Huskers looked like on offense this season I have to go off on a quick tangent: I remember once, as a youth, watching a "Wildest Videos Ever Captured" type of show.  In it, a full-grown moose had been hit by a car and somehow smashed backwards through the windshield and was stuck inside of a the completely decimated, smoldering wreckage of the car.  Inexplicably, the moose was still alive. Panicked, near-death, stuck in a twisted skeleton of scorched, fractured metal.  In a nutshell, that was the Husker offense this year.)

I know Doc's a good coach.  I just know it.  But for whatever reason the plays he drew up on his trusty clipboard looked more like a really crappy autograph.  In fact, here's what a play from Nebraska looks like diagrammed out:

I'll stop beating a dead moose here in just a moment.  First, though, here are some brutal statistical team rankings and a little reaction to each.

Points Per Game: 60.9 (308th Nationally)

Rebounds Per Game: 30.0 (324th Nationally)

Field Goal Percentage: .427 (214th Nationally)

I understand that these numbers were skewed, especially the rebounding statistic, due to the Huskers' loss of nearly all their competent big men other than Brandon Ubel. 

However, the first thing that jumps out at me is...how many teams are there in D-1?  Holy hell, how are the Huskers outscoring anyone?  Is my old YMCA Spirit league team now considered D-1?  Moving on.

As you can see, the statistical evidence supports what virtually everyone with a pulse and the Big Ten Network already knew: the Huskers played bad. 

I'm a die-hard Nebraska basketball fan.  I watch our basketball games (*Author's note: which would never be on without the Big Ten and their glorious network.  Reason No. 643 why the move to the Big Ten is great.) with a great deal of interest and had season tickets until my move to Omaha made that too costly.  The Husker fanbase is a sleeping giant for basketball.  We've routinely seen that if the product is good, Husker fans will show up in droves because, well, there isn't anything better to do.

Sadler's offensive woes and struggles to recruit were ultimately his undoing.  He will be remembered for his kind heart and his ability to inspire below-average talent to scrap—although this year the team looked to lose their way in this regard; the teams of past years fought hard to the end—and provided at least one insane upset per year. 

This year's major upset was against the suddenly resurgent Indiana Hoosiers.  As the Nebraska student section came pouring out onto the floor, Doc was caught up in the moment.  He linked arms with a group of euphoric students and danced gleefully at center court.  That's how I'll remember Doc.  A coach by the people, for the people. 

Yes, it was time to send him on his way.  And, yes, I wish him nothing but the best.

(*Author's note: And I'll miss his patented poop-pose on the sidelines.  I just really needed to say that, too.)

Considering that this article is directly following a one point Nebraska victory, I'm sure some of you will think this is an odd time to call for a head coach's head.  Of course, if you actually did think that, you clearly haven't been paying attention to Nebraska basketball lately.  Considering that this is the first article on Bleacher Report regarding the Nebraska Cornhuskers' basketball team since last March, it's safe to say no one is paying much attention to Nebraska basketball.

The Huskers came into tonight having lost three of their last four games.  Oregon, Wake Forest and Creighton were all too much for Nebraska.  It appears that Florida Gulf Coast was almost too hot to handle as well.  Because this is Nebraska, losses to a Creighton team that is currently undefeated and ranked in the Top 25 are forgivable.  Losses to Oregon can be overlooked as well, considering that Dana Altman certainly knows how to coach.  A loss to Wake Forest (who won eight games a year ago) and a one point win over Florida Gulf Coast (10-20 and just 7-13 in the Atlantic Sun) are less palatable.

What makes the start to this season so difficult to stomach is that arguably this is Doc's most talented team.  He has LSU transfer Bo Spencer as his starting point guard, as well as a newcomer from the JUCO ranks in Dylan Talley who seems to be instant offense.  Doc also has returning starters Brandon Richardson and Jorge Brian Diaz.  Caleb Walker rounds out what should be a pretty good offensive bunch.  While that group seems like they should be good enough to hang with what will be an incredibly tough Big Ten, Doc's team has struggled to score.  That has been the story of Doc's entire career at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers rank 159th in the nation in scoring.  They rank 145th in rebounds per game, and 119th in field goal percentage.  That's a team that needs to rely on its defense to  win games. That is why it's unfortunate that Nebraska allowed Oregon to shoot 49% from the field and allowed Wake Forest to shoot 44%.  While Florida Gulf Coast shot just 40% from the field, they shot 45% (9 for 20) from three point land.  In fact, had the Eagles shot better than 50% from the free throw line, they would have defeated Nebraska.

Perhaps the worst news for Doc Sadler is that the two wins he thought he could hang his hat on this season are far less impressive than once thought.  While Nebraska managed to beat USC in overtime, it turns out that most teams that play the Trojans are able to beat them.  USC currently boasts a resume that includes an embarrassing 42-36 loss to Cal Poly and an 11 point loss to UNLV.  The other win that had Big Red fans and Big Ten pundits claiming Nebraska would make some noise was a dominating victory over Rhode Island.  The Rams put together a nice team (20-14, 9-7) in the strong Atlantic 10 a year ago.  Nebraska's 83-63 win seemed to be a signal that they were ready to take the next step.  Rhode Island currently has one win in their nine games. The Rams have losses to teams like Cleveland State, Brown and Boston University.

Showing signs of real promise and progress followed by the lows of bad losses to mediocre teams has been the Doc Sadler legacy.  Last year, Doc's team looked like it might actually be a contender for the NCAA tournament after getting off to a good start that included a 70-67 victory over 2nd ranked Texas.  Nebraska followed up that accomplishment by dropping five of their final six games.  That streak was topped by a 27-point loss to Wichita State in the opening round of the post season NIT.  Want more frustration?  The one win in that terrible stretch was an 11-point win over 24th ranked Missouri.

Enough is enough.  While Doc Sadler was given a two year extension prior to that embarrassing season-ending loss, athletic director Tom Osborne has to right that wrong.  Doc Sadler should not return to Nebraska next season, and the sooner his special brand of basketball leaves the state, the better. 

If you can't beat 'em in football, well, heck, just beat 'em in basketball.

Nebraska fans finally got their revenge against the hated Texas Longhorns with a monumental 70-67 shocker in Lincoln. 

The win was easily the biggest of coach Doc Sadler's career, trumping an earlier upset this season over then-11th ranked Texas A&M, and thrusting the 18-8 (6-6) Huskers onto the NCAA tournament bubble.

Officially ranked No. 2, the Longhorns rode into Lincoln with an 11-0 conference record, widely considered the top team in the nation after No. 1 Kansas dropped a road game against Kansas State days before.  Had the rankings been revised mid-week, the 'Horns likely would've held the official No. 1 rank.

The Huskers overcame 18 points a piece from guards Jordan Hamilton and J'Covan Brown, and a wild late-game rally from the frantic 'Horns.

Leading 64-53 with just 1:51 left, Nebraska allowed Texas to storm back and tie the game at 65 in just over half a minute.  Fortunately, behind some clutch free throws from guards Brandon Richardson (he missed two during that last Texas run) and Drake Beranek, the Huskers held on.

After Brown missed a deep three as time expired, Richardson triumphantly heaved the ball into the air, and a hysterical student section stormed the court with hurricane forces, burying the team in red bodies.

Widely known for their stifling defense, Nebraska had a fabulous day offensively, hitting shots as often as they missed, and cutting through the equally stout Longhorns defense for layups and hook shots.

Centers Jorge Brian Diaz and Andre Almeida abused Texas for a combined 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting.  Forward Toney McCray scored 14 points and pulled down six rebounds and Richardson added 15 hard earned points.

Back up guard Eshaunte Jones, one of Nebraska's best shooters, hit three huge three-pointers on four attempts, igniting a thunderous crowd in Lincoln.

While the win gave the Huskers a huge boost towards making their first tournament in over 10 years, the team still has important tilts at home against Kansas State and Missouri, and road battles against Iowa State and Colorado.

If the Huskers can win just two of those four games, a 20-10 (8-8) record might be enough to squeeze Nebraska into March Madness.