Crown Tournament

[jimmykc]

The LJS had a pretty optimistic article that NU will be invited to play in Vegas. I am beginning to warm up to this possibility, especially since it is sponsored by Fox and the games will all be on tv. The tourney should attract a fair number of fans of college basketball since it will not interfere with any NCAA games. Hopefully we will avoid laying an egg and perhaps even win it. What does everyone else think?

[Huskerpapa]

It would be good for the seniors.  It will give them the opportunity to provide a final push.

 

But it isn't the big dance 

Edited Saturday at 04:02 PM by Huskerpapa

[LincecumFan]

5 minutes ago, jimmykc said:

The LJS had a pretty optimistic article that NU will be invited to play in Vegas. I am beginning to warm up to this possibility, especially since it is sponsored by Fox and the games will all be on tv. The tourney should attract a fair number of fans of college basketball since it will not interfere with any NCAA games. Hopefully we will avoid laying an egg and perhaps even win it. What does everyone else think?

Sounds like a great idea to me. As long as it isn't on Peacock. I already spend a small fortune on audio/visual subscriptions and I am not adding Peacock, unless I hit the lottery!

[HuskerFever]

13 minutes ago, jimmykc said:

What does everyone else think?

 

I think this is a tournament that FOX will fund and do whatever it takes to succeed. And in order to legitimize it, they need to attract teams by paying them.

 

If they're successful, the NIT just turns into a mid-major afterthought (as if it's not already trending that way; See: P5 teams opting out of the NIT in the recent past due to lack of interest, outflux to the transfer portal, etc.).

 

We'll see how ratings turn out, but they've timed the tournament well, have financial backing to it, and are doing the right things to make it far more attractive than the NIT. Time will tell.

[millerhusker]

Absolutely. Isn't there a pretty good NIL deal for participating teams?

 

Of course the big dance should be the goal every year. But I'd sure be happy if the program just gets to where we were in the 90s (with some tourney runs mixed in). Went to 5 NCAA tournaments and 4 NITs in the 90s. Won a conference tourney. Won an NIT. Was a 3 seed one year. Multiple NBA players. Had a Big 12 POY. Pretty damn fun decade. 

 

Steve Sipple gets on the radio and scoffs at the crown tournament and rants about how there's absolutely no reason Nebraska can't be in the tournament every single year, because he thinks Georgia and Oklahoma and whoever else are (he just doesn't notice those teams when they aren't). He thought Creighton had been in every year under McDermott. They've missed it four times. There are literally only three schools - Michigan St, Kansas, Gonzaga - who go to the tournament every year. All other programs, even the bluest of the blue bloods, miss the tourney (and the NIT) from time to time. UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Indiana, UCLA, Syracuse, Louisville, Michigan, Texas have all had bad teams in recent years. Matt Painter and Greg Gard have had some atrocious teams. 

I don't see why Nebraska can't get back to what we were in the 90s, and that's a great place to be for about 95% of college basketball programs. Making the NCAA tournament and the crown tournament in back to back years is a good start. 

[hhcmatt]

The timing of this tournament for building next year's roster is the one downside to this event.  Not sure about other teams but for Nebraska it should have almost zero effect.  Connor, Berke, and Gavin are the only scholarship guys active next season that might leave between now and then.  We've known for 9+ months we've needed to recruit a ton of guys. As a season ticket holder I don't have to buy a home ticket and potentially see this team fold again at home.

 

46 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

Steve Sipple gets on the radio and scoffs at the crown tournament and rants about how there's absolutely no reason Nebraska can't be in the tournament every single year

 

Steve has developed this soft target schtick for Nebraska Basketball being a 'dream job' over the years because it 'has no expectations' which landed pretty well. The problem is that when you roll that out these days it's almost comically blind to the fact that the football team can't get out of its own way to make a bowl game.

[Navin R. Johnson]

1 hour ago, millerhusker said:

Absolutely. Isn't there a pretty good NIL deal for participating teams?

 

Of course the big dance should be the goal every year. But I'd sure be happy if the program just gets to where we were in the 90s (with some tourney runs mixed in). Went to 5 NCAA tournaments and 4 NITs in the 90s. Won a conference tourney. Won an NIT. Was a 3 seed one year. Multiple NBA players. Had a Big 12 POY. Pretty damn fun decade. 

 

Steve Sipple gets on the radio and scoffs at the crown tournament and rants about how there's absolutely no reason Nebraska can't be in the tournament every single year, because he thinks Georgia and Oklahoma and whoever else are (he just doesn't notice those teams when they aren't). He thought Creighton had been in every year under McDermott. They've missed it four times. There are literally only three schools - Michigan St, Kansas, Gonzaga - who go to the tournament every year. All other programs, even the bluest of the blue bloods, miss the tourney (and the NIT) from time to time. UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Indiana, UCLA, Syracuse, Louisville, Michigan, Texas have all had bad teams in recent years. Matt Painter and Greg Gard have had some atrocious teams. 

I don't see why Nebraska can't get back to what we were in the 90s, and that's a great place to be for about 95% of college basketball programs. Making the NCAA tournament and the crown tournament in back to back years is a good start. 

 

It still amazes me even sports writers don't realize how difficult it is to make the NCAA tournament.  They see 64 (now 68) teams making it so must be easy not taking into account how many automatic bids go out to conference winners and if there are upsets it takes even more spots.  Add in the Big East conference and others that don't have football and teams like Gonzaga, San Diego State, St Mary's the field gets very crowded. 

[Silverbacked1]

I really would like for us to go to this.  With our “old players” that really aren’t going to be going anywhere, we could field a very competitive team.  Even if we lost a couple to the Transfer Pool we could still have enough around to be okay with being there.  
Heck maybe we could win two tournaments this year

[OmahaHusker]

4 hours ago, millerhusker said:

Absolutely. Isn't there a pretty good NIL deal for participating teams?

 

Of course the big dance should be the goal every year. But I'd sure be happy if the program just gets to where we were in the 90s (with some tourney runs mixed in). Went to 5 NCAA tournaments and 4 NITs in the 90s. Won a conference tourney. Won an NIT. Was a 3 seed one year. Multiple NBA players. Had a Big 12 POY. Pretty damn fun decade. 

 

Steve Sipple gets on the radio and scoffs at the crown tournament and rants about how there's absolutely no reason Nebraska can't be in the tournament every single year, because he thinks Georgia and Oklahoma and whoever else are (he just doesn't notice those teams when they aren't). He thought Creighton had been in every year under McDermott. They've missed it four times. There are literally only three schools - Michigan St, Kansas, Gonzaga - who go to the tournament every year. All other programs, even the bluest of the blue bloods, miss the tourney (and the NIT) from time to time. UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Indiana, UCLA, Syracuse, Louisville, Michigan, Texas have all had bad teams in recent years. Matt Painter and Greg Gard have had some atrocious teams. 

I don't see why Nebraska can't get back to what we were in the 90s, and that's a great place to be for about 95% of college basketball programs. Making the NCAA tournament and the crown tournament in back to back years is a good start. 

Sipple is entertaining, but he’s an old

football head that just flirts with college basketball. I listened to that segment too and couldn’t believe how naive he was talking about making the tourney. Made it seem like it’s so easy. It’s extremely difficult over a 4 month stretch of games.

[millerhusker]

13 minutes ago, OmahaHusker said:

Sipple is entertaining, but he’s an old

football head that just flirts with college basketball. I listened to that segment too and couldn’t believe how naive he was talking about making the tourney. Made it seem like it’s so easy. It’s extremely difficult over a 4 month stretch of games.

I actually like listening to Sip and Busch talk about random stuff in the mornings. But they know nothing about basketball, which is fine but I find myself arguing with my radio when they talk about it as if they’re experts. 

[hhcmatt]

2 hours ago, millerhusker said:

I actually like listening to Sip and Busch talk about random stuff in the mornings. But they know nothing about basketball, which is fine but I find myself arguing with my radio when they talk about it as if they’re experts. 

 

I used to like to listen to Sip and Jake but it's a goof with Busch. If I'm listening to sports radio in the am it's 1620

[realist22]

21 hours ago, Navin R. Johnson said:

 

It still amazes me even sports writers don't realize how difficult it is to make the NCAA tournament.  They see 64 (now 68) teams making it so must be easy not taking into account how many automatic bids go out to conference winners and if there are upsets it takes even more spots.  Add in the Big East conference and others that don't have football and teams like Gonzaga, San Diego State, St Mary's the field gets very crowded. 

It shouldnt be that difficult for NE with the money, resources, and fan support.  I get the history, but at some point that has to change.  Why has NW, Wisc, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa St make it seem so easy?  I get population and recruiting but in bball you only need 3 of the right dudes to make a difference.  In a power conf where 10-15 teams have a chance to make it, there is no reason NE isnt consistantly in the tourney. 

[hhcmatt]

11 minutes ago, realist22 said:

It shouldnt be that difficult for NE with the money, resources, and fan support.  I get the history, but at some point that has to change.  Why has NW, Wisc, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa St make it seem so easy?  I get population and recruiting but in bball you only need 3 of the right dudes to make a difference.  In a power conf where 10-15 teams have a chance to make it, there is no reason NE isnt consistantly in the tourney. 

 

Wisconsin fans want to fire Gard every other year, Iowa St recently had a 2 win season, I'm not even sure how Northwestern makes this list, Iowa just fired their coach and even Creighton doesn't make it every year. To be a fan is to suffer.

[millerhusker]

28 minutes ago, realist22 said:

It shouldnt be that difficult for NE with the money, resources, and fan support.  I get the history, but at some point that has to change.  Why has NW, Wisc, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa St make it seem so easy?  I get population and recruiting but in bball you only need 3 of the right dudes to make a difference.  In a power conf where 10-15 teams have a chance to make it, there is no reason NE isnt consistantly in the tourney. 

How consistently, is the question. 8 out of 10 years consistent? That'd be great, but just doesn't happen at 98% of college basketball programs. 

5 out of 10 years? 50% doesn't sound very consistent, but in college basketball it relatively is. Fran made the tournament 7 times and missed 7 times. 

I wouldn't say those programs make it seem easy. Greg McDermott and Steve Prohm made the Iowa St job look hard. Fred made it look very easy there. 

Northwestern has made the tournament three times ever. 

[Navin R. Johnson]

54 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

How consistently, is the question. 8 out of 10 years consistent? That'd be great, but just doesn't happen at 98% of college basketball programs. 

5 out of 10 years? 50% doesn't sound very consistent, but in college basketball it relatively is. Fran made the tournament 7 times and missed 7 times. 

I wouldn't say those programs make it seem easy. Greg McDermott and Steve Prohm made the Iowa St job look hard. Fred made it look very easy there. 

Northwestern has made the tournament three times ever. 

 

Yup.  It is all about perception vs reality.  Yes, Nebraska should have probably made the tournament more in the past but it is just not that easy to do so.

[cornfed24-7]

1 hour ago, hhcmatt said:

To be a fan is to suffer.

To be a Nebraska Basketball fan is to suffer a little bit more in fun and new exciting ways.

[cornfed24-7]

Just now, cornfed24-7 said:

To be a Nebraska Basketball fan is to suffer a little bit more in fun and new exciting ways.

Over and over.

 

[cornfed24-7]

Just now, cornfed24-7 said:

Over and over.

 

In perpetuity

[realist22]

2 hours ago, hhcmatt said:

 

Wisconsin fans want to fire Gard every other year, Iowa St recently had a 2 win season, I'm not even sure how Northwestern makes this list, Iowa just fired their coach and even Creighton doesn't make it every year. To be a fan is to suffer.

But yet they make the tourney all the time and dont find it difficult to get there.  NW makes the list cause they were in a similar spot and have had success in the tourney at a school more challenging than NE.  Creighton has quite a run lately after joining thd big east including an elite 8 appearance.  Hell, Baylor was left for dead years ago and look what happened.1

[realist22]

2 hours ago, millerhusker said:

How consistently, is the question. 8 out of 10 years consistent? That'd be great, but just doesn't happen at 98% of college basketball programs. 

5 out of 10 years? 50% doesn't sound very consistent, but in college basketball it relatively is. Fran made the tournament 7 times and missed 7 times. 

I wouldn't say those programs make it seem easy. Greg McDermott and Steve Prohm made the Iowa St job look hard. Fred made it look very easy there. 

Northwestern has made the tournament three times ever. 

I think once out of every 3 years should be doable considering everything here. All those teams have had more success and oustside of NW, are there or in the conversation almost every year.  If you are fine with things, then why pay a coach top 20 pay to get no results?  Why build an arena and practice facility and spend so much on recruiting if the results are the same?  Why spend money on a roster if you dont need to cause making the tourney twice in 30 years is acceptable?

[The Polish Rifle]

I think the value of non big dance, post season tournaments are for young teams and new coaches. We have an established coaching staff and our 25/26 nucleus will be out of the portal. I think the time spent on this tournament would be better served hosting potential portal targets. 

[realist22]

Just now, The Polish Rifle said:

I think the value of non big dance, post season tournaments are for young teams and new coaches. We have an established coaching staff and our 25/26 nucleus will be out of the portal. I think the time spent on this tournament would be better served hosting potential portal targets. 

Agreed.  If this was a young team, do it.  It doesnt really have much value.  It will be interesting to see if they have enough bodies once the portal opens next week.

[millerhusker]

9 minutes ago, realist22 said:

I think once out of every 3 years should be doable considering everything here. All those teams have had more success and oustside of NW, are there or in the conversation almost every year.  If you are fine with things, then why pay a coach top 20 pay to get no results?  Why build an arena and practice facility and spend so much on recruiting if the results are the same?  Why spend money on a roster if you dont need to cause making the tourney twice in 30 years is acceptable?

I don’t disagree with you. I think we can get to the point where 5 out of every 10 years IS the expectation. But will still acknowledge that is a lofty expectation for Nebraska and many other programs. 
Guess I might be in the minority, but I do believe the program is in a good spot right now and the level of play the last three years can be sustained and improved upon. I haven’t felt that way about the program since the 90s. If next season is a failure, my feelings will certainly change. 

[millerhusker]

Can’t remember, did we decline the NIT in ‘23?  I do remember seeing Nebraska on NITology brackets 

[Navin R. Johnson]

34 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

Can’t remember, did we decline the NIT in ‘23?  I do remember seeing Nebraska on NITology brackets 

 

I think we were like the last team left out of the NIT that year.

Edited 8 hours ago by Navin R. Johnson