T-4th in Big Ten

[GoBigRed]

Is what we would be right now had Leslee tipped in a 1 ft shot against Michigan and had we not dropped our underpants in the final seconds at Penn State.

That's how big of a difference a few seconds can be in basketball.

Sometimes it takes a young team a little longer to learn this. I hope they recognize this, and I hope it burns them to do better, to finish games.

We are right there, but at the same time, we need someone to take charge and make this team figure it out.

At the end of this season we're probably going to be wondering what could have been. I hope next year is the year we don't leave ourselves wondering that.

[PimpMario]

Is what we would be right now had Leslee tipped in a 1 ft shot against Michigan and had we not dropped our underpants in the final seconds at Penn State.

That's how big of a difference a few seconds can be in basketball.

Sometimes it takes a young team a little longer to learn this. I hope they recognize this, and I hope it burns them to do better, to finish games.

We are right there, but at the same time, we need someone to take charge and make this team figure it out.

At the end of this season we're probably going to be wondering what could have been. I hope next year is the year we don't leave ourselves wondering that.

 

Seriously.  Let it go.  We can't do this every single year.  We have won adn will win our fair share of close ones.  

 

I am so sick of playing "what if."

 

We didn't deserve to win either of those games.  We didn't play 1 possession of defense against Michigan and we played like absolute horse crap against Penn State; just terrible.  

 

Lets be happy with the Minnesota win and hope we can find a way to win 2 league games away.

[busticket]

I've been thinking the same thing. To be this close in year 2 of a major rebuild is very good. As much as it stings us the fans to have seen us miss those 2 golden opportunities, I know it stings the kids more. I hope they use this to push themselves that much harder in practice to get us over the hump.

[tcp]

bad game to play. we could have easily lost tonight and against OSU, too.

that's the thing about teams that play close games: they'll drive you nuts if you let them.

so maybe don't let them.

[hhcmatt]

Penn St could also have 4 wins.

Good teams find a way to win.

We're not there yet but we're a heck of a lot closer than last year and it's starting to look like we could be that team next year.

[busticket]

It is. Would coulda shoulda can drive one nuts. Yet knowing that, my brain keeps wandering there!

[GoBigRed]

Penn St could also have 4 wins.

Good teams find a way to win.

We're not there yet but we're a heck of a lot closer than last year and it's starting to look like we could be that team next year.

That's what I was trying to get at.

[PimpMario]

I just wish everyone could move on.  I hate being constantly reminded.   It is simply not healthy to dwell on the past.  You have to forget the bad plays and losses.

[Huskerpapa]

  Penn State, Michigan, Purdue...man oh man.

[Norm Peterson]

I think it goes to show that we might be closer than we think.  Yeah, we could have lost tonight.  Only a 4 pt game.  But we were in command and they had to foul and hope we missed freethrows.  Up 14 with less than 13 to play?  Up 8 with like a minute left?  I'd say the game was pretty well in the bag and if we had lost, I definitely would have said it was a game we should have won.  

 

Iowa plain beat us.  Not a game you walk away from thinking you should have won.  But Penn State and Michigan?  And maybe also Purdue?  Yeah, you feel like you let a few really slip away there.  Assume, hypothetically, that we win the games you feel like we really should have won and subtract the ones where you think maybe we snuck away with one and the conference games where you feel like we peed it down our leg outnumber the ones where we maybe got away with a win we didn't really deserve by about 3 to zero.

 

This isn't to say what if.  This is to say, hey, we could be closer to turning that corner than you think.

[royalfan]

Need to somehow find a way to be 7-7 after 14 league games.  The path to that mark is clear.  Win our four home games and win at NW(which won't be easy).  I don't think we can beat Michigan St. on the road, but there are some scenarios where we can be in the game late at Michigan.  They are playing a bit over their heads right now IMO.  Longshot, I know.  But it is not incredibly far fetched to be 7-7 after 14 games. 

[HuskerFever]

Need to somehow find a way to be 7-7 after 14 league games.  The path to that mark is clear.  Win our four home games and win at NW(which won't be easy).  I don't think we can beat Michigan St. on the road, but there are some scenarios where we can be in the game late at Michigan.  They are playing a bit over their heads right now IMO.  Longshot, I know.  But it is not incredibly far fetched to be 7-7 after 14 games. 

 

Our longest conference win streak since joining the Big Ten is 1. This will certainly me a tough feat.

[royalfan]

 

Need to somehow find a way to be 7-7 after 14 league games.  The path to that mark is clear.  Win our four home games and win at NW(which won't be easy).  I don't think we can beat Michigan St. on the road, but there are some scenarios where we can be in the game late at Michigan.  They are playing a bit over their heads right now IMO.  Longshot, I know.  But it is not incredibly far fetched to be 7-7 after 14 games. 

 

Our longest conference win streak since joining the Big Ten is 1. This will certainly me a tough feat.

 

 

Yeah it won't be easy but needs to be done.  We will likely be favored in the 4 home games and possibly a slight favorite against NW as well.  So it is not absurd to consider the possibility at least.  And I don't really care what our longest winning streak is with the clubs we had the last two years.  They had no equipment to seriously compete. 

[hskr4life]

Anyone else see the tweet that we are just outside of someone's AP top 25 ballot. We are tied at 26

[hskr4life]

Need to somehow find a way to be 7-7 after 14 league games.  The path to that mark is clear.  Win our four home games and win at NW(which won't be easy).  I don't think we can beat Michigan St. on the road, but there are some scenarios where we can be in the game late at Michigan.  They are playing a bit over their heads right now IMO.  Longshot, I know.  But it is not incredibly far fetched to be 7-7 after 14 games.

 

Our longest conference win streak since joining the Big Ten is 1. This will certainly me a tough feat.

 

Yeah it won't be easy but needs to be done.  We will likely be favored in the 4 home games and possibly a slight favorite against NW as well.  So it is not absurd to consider the possibility at least.  And I don't really care what our longest winning streak is with the clubs we had the last two years.  They had no equipment to seriously compete.

We can compete with anyone... That in itself gives us a chance in all remaining games

[Concrete]

I think it goes to show that we might be closer than we think.  Yeah, we could have lost tonight.  Only a 4 pt game.  But we were in command and they had to foul and hope we missed freethrows.  Up 14 with less than 13 to play?  Up 8 with like a minute left?  I'd say the game was pretty well in the bag and if we had lost, I definitely would have said it was a game we should have won.  

 

Iowa plain beat us.  Not a game you walk away from thinking you should have won.  But Penn State and Michigan?  And maybe also Purdue?  Yeah, you feel like you let a few really slip away there.  Assume, hypothetically, that we win the games you feel like we really should have won and subtract the ones where you think maybe we snuck away with one and the conference games where you feel like we peed it down our leg outnumber the ones where we maybe got away with a win we didn't really deserve by about 3 to zero.

 

This isn't to say what if.  This is to say, hey, we could be closer to turning that corner than you think.

Agreed.  Using the "well this team could easily be so and so" is a pretty weak argument when a coach has been at a school for a while and has an established program, but I don't see anything wrong with it in this case.  A team chalk full of freshman and sophomores is giving very good big ten teams headaches.  That is a sure sign for optimism IMO.

[Huskerpapa]

We are pretty close.  We certainly now have a player that can be considered a difference maker.  Thank you Mr. Petteway.

[HB]

Here we go again.  In one week, on this board, we were the greatest, then the worst, most disgusting thing ever, and now we're back having a chance to win in every game.  It's so predictable:  When we lose a bunch of remaining games, and we will, the stuff will be flying on here, guys can't coach, it's the lineup, whatever.   Reality:   We have a bunch of weaknesses. We're a couple guys short.  Smith has come down to earth and is struggling with his hands, shot, feet, you name it.  Inexperienced point guard playing a little out of position.  Against the better teams we'll struggle to guard bigs.  We have trouble running an offense through the post, and thus have scoring droughts.  Teams will throw the kitchen sink at Petteway.  We may not have one of our most explosive offensive players.  And that's not a complete list.

 

Lest you all think this is unduly negative, what I think is more negative is being caught up in the moment and then flaming our guys (coaches and players) after our losses.  I am impressed with our efforts to overcome some of our issues, and love how well we play at home.  We're not as good as people think we are when we win, and we're not as bad as they think we are when we struggle.  Credit to our guys for competing, and hopefully when we lose this place won't implode.  But it will.

[nuled2dance]

Need to start with winning two in a row. Indiana didn't look sharp today. A rocking crowd can really help. In response to a few of you I have not given up in the team. I'm a die hard and a few on here can back that up. I sadly have found myself to amped up after so many wins only to be brought crashing down like we all did against penn state. It is all fun and game sto talk about what we need to do and what could happen but in reality we need to start a win in streak first. The team needs to find a way to win on the road as well. I think royal said it best we need to find a way to be 7-7 at done point if not better. I just hope these guys can string it together. I have not had this much fun going to Husker home games in the last 12 years. When we get that place rocking not many teams can beat us there. I hope we show Indiana that on Thursday.

[hskr4life]

Here we go again.  In one week, on this board, we were the greatest, then the worst, most disgusting thing ever, and now we're back having a chance to win in every game.  It's so predictable:  When we lose a bunch of remaining games, and we will, the stuff will be flying on here, guys can't coach, it's the lineup, whatever.   Reality:   We have a bunch of weaknesses. We're a couple guys short.  Smith has come down to earth and is struggling with his hands, shot, feet, you name it.  Inexperienced point guard playing a little out of position.  Against the better teams we'll struggle to guard bigs.  We have trouble running an offense through the post, and thus have scoring droughts.  Teams will throw the kitchen sink at Petteway.  We may not have one of our most explosive offensive players.  And that's not a complete list.

 

Lest you all think this is unduly negative, what I think is more negative is being caught up in the moment and then flaming our guys (coaches and players) after our losses.  I am impressed with our efforts to overcome some of our issues, and love how well we play at home.  We're not as good as people think we are when we win, and we're not as bad as they think we are when we struggle.  Credit to our guys for competing, and hopefully when we lose this place won't implode.  But it will.

Couple things...

1. No one is saying anything unreasonable.... We do have a chance in every game and if you can not see that then you need to look at how we have done. If your ready to give up on the guys... Which by the sound of it you are... Then so be it. Some of us are not though.

2. You talk as if you think we're so far away yet we compete with every team in the league. You also act as if we are demanding NCAA bids this year... Is it not reasonable to think we are a strong contender for NIT if we finish .500? Is it not reasonable to believe we can win 5 or 6 more games? We have a chance in EVERY game we play the rest of the year... Period.

[royalfan]

The most encouraging thing I have seen of late is the fact that we have seemed to buy in on defense as well as learn how to play together at that end.  We had no shot without cleaning that up.  Now, it probably happened a little too late to make a charge at the tourney, but with many of the guys back next year, hopefully they will understand this aspect from day 1 in the coming years.  This year we needed to somehow win more than our fair share of tight ones.  Unfortunately we are losing more than our fair share of them.  Not quite out of it, but on the ropes.  Not in my DNA to give up hope of dancing until it is impossible to get an at large and we lose a tourney game. 

[doc1394]

I'm just hoping for a win against Indiana. 

[royalfan]

Won't be easy.  Proud program in need of a win badly.  Need to get that one and go from there. 

[nuled2dance]

I agree with you but I agree with HB as well.

We also continue to lose the same games it seems year after year Period.

Think back to the previous seasons a few stand out....beating OU with joe hitting that three, beating Okie state in the bob and in Stillwater, beating KU, beating an undefeated Texas, now beating OSU last week but plunging at a bad Penn STate team that couldn't score in the first half.....I'm sure we have many more.

I think most people are just wanting to see more consistent end results. It doesn't make anyone any less of a believer or die hard. It's just reality that yes this team as any other team could win the rest of their games. Sadly history doesn't back that up with us. That being said lets kick the Hoosiers ass and show them Nebraska will be a force to be dealt with moving forward.

[HuskerFever]

I'm more worried about keeping Petteway, et al. on our roster for next year... There's some promising things ahead if we don't face the typical attrition we always seemed to get.