Great Op-Ed by Dirk Chatelain in OWH

[hhcmatt]

I think if CU keeps winning, not at this level, because they may never have a team like this again, but competitive in the Big East, which I do think is possible, likely, even, and NU continues to build, I do think that both teams will fill their gyms on most nights. I also think the red/blue divide will deepen and Jayskers will become more prevalent. It'll be a political microcosm...

 

Exactly.

There isn't a set number of people interested in basketball either.  If both teams win then the people interested in basketball will rise in general.

[hhcmatt]

What happens if they hit a Rick Johnson-esque skid again?  Will those 18,000 Omahans continue to show up to watch Creighton play poorly and lose night after night?  Not likely.

 

Does it matter?

If we win we'll sellout our stadium forever regardless of what the boys in blue do up the road.

 

BTW, what would be the fun in being better than a crappy Creighton team?  

What's the point of being the best team in Nebraska by default?

[atskooc]

He's right about the mystical power of the "N". The Baseball team once played on a glorified Legion field  & absolutlely NObody went to those games. Start winning and we all know the rest of the story... The power of the "N" is real, people WILL come out of the woodwork and that's what frightens everyone else in the Big 10.

The power of the "W" is a hell of a lot more powerful than any "N."

[Norm Peterson]

I think if CU keeps winning, not at this level, because they may never have a team like this again, but competitive in the Big East, which I do think is possible, likely, even, and NU continues to build, I do think that both teams will fill their gyms on most nights. I also think the red/blue divide will deepen and Jayskers will become more prevalent. It'll be a political microcosm...

Yeah, they really better enjoy the ride this year because you're so right: Teams like this are special for the very reason that they don't happen often.  Very rarely, in fact.  They might not have this combination of players, or anything close, in the remaining lifetimes of a lot of their fans.  I mean, they ain't Duke, afterall.  And the McDermott kid is just amazing.  Fantastic player.  And you build around him with some guys who have some tools and it makes for a very special Creighton team.

 

I would compare Doug McD to Jordan Hooper on our women's team.  The difference being that Greg McD managed to have some guys around like Wragge and Gibbs and Manigat who can fill out a lineup, whereas Nebraska's women's program has a three-headed monster and not enough talented depth to leverage the kind of player Jordan Hooper is.  The point being that it's not enough just to have that one elite player if you don't have the supporting cast to make the whole team successful. 

 

And not that Nebraska's women aren't good this year.  They are.  But they won't be the team they might have if the quality players had extended a little further down the bench.  And that's what Creighton has and that's why Creighton's season is such a special and rare thing for them.  It's not just that they have Doug McDermott.  They have a supporting cast to go along with him.  And that combo might never happen quite that way for them again.  Certainly it's never happened for them before.

[doc1394]

The comment about 300 level sections being completely empty is 100% false. Ive sat up there every game and while it isn't packer or full, there are people in every section, every game, even section 310 which is set up for student overflow in case they fill up the side court and behind the hoop. I would venture that the 300 level has been 70-80 percent full on average this season and 90%+ for michigan, ohio state, indiana, minnesota, miami, FCGU

From my vantage point in the side court student section, when the people are sitting down, most 300 level sections look more full than the 100 levels right across from me.

[uneblinstu]

 

I think if CU keeps winning, not at this level, because they may never have a team like this again, but competitive in the Big East, which I do think is possible, likely, even, and NU continues to build, I do think that both teams will fill their gyms on most nights. I also think the red/blue divide will deepen and Jayskers will become more prevalent. It'll be a political microcosm...

 

I would compare Doug McD to Jordan Hooper on our women's team.  The difference being that Greg McD managed to have some guys around like Wragge and Gibbs and Manigat who can fill out a lineup, whereas Nebraska's women's program has a three-headed monster and not enough talented depth to leverage the kind of player Jordan Hooper is.  The point being that it's not enough just to have that one elite player if you don't have the supporting cast to make the whole team successful. 

 

I'd go with Kelsey Griffin and that 2009-10 team, but yeah, absolutely.

[Creighton Fan]

Article aint great. Just Dirky tryin to stir up shit again. I git that.some of yall like it cuz it pisses off some fans of the omaha school but it also calls husker hoops fans bamdwagoners or front runners.

Dude shoulda wrote a story.about petteway's improvemt, or something that celebrated da win more. so much more dude coulda done instead of tryin to pit fanbases against each other. Lazy to me.

[uneblinstu]

Article aint great. Just Dirky tryin to stir up shit again. I git that.some of yall like it cuz it pisses off some fans of the omaha school but it also calls husker hoops fans bamdwagoners or front runners.

Dude shoulda wrote a story.about petteway's improvemt, or something that celebrated da win more. so much more dude coulda done instead of tryin to pit fanbases against each other. Lazy to me.

That's Barfknecht's job, not Dirk's.

[atskooc]

Article aint great. Just Dirky tryin to stir up shit again. I git that.some of yall like it cuz it pisses off some fans of the omaha school but it also calls husker hoops fans bamdwagoners or front runners.

Dude shoulda wrote a story.about petteway's improvemt, or something that celebrated da win more. so much more dude coulda done instead of tryin to pit fanbases against each other. Lazy to me.

This post calling someone lazy?  The irony is dripping.

[royalfan]

It is awesome watching the Creighton fan's get their panties in a wad.  They are so obsessed with all things Nebraska that all of the longest threads on that dumpster fire of a forum are the ones involving the Huskers.  Can you imagine if we ever get good and they were to struggle?  You seriously might have some folks on suicide watch over there.  And I am only half kidding. 

[hhcmatt]

It is awesome watching the Creighton fan's get their panties in a wad.  They are so obsessed with all things Nebraska that all of the longest threads on that dumpster fire of a forum are the ones involving the Huskers. 

 

Half of their fanbase wears Red in the fall.  The other half hates everything Red.

In terms of moderating a forum, this sounds like my nightmare.....when your own fans hate each other.

[Norm Peterson]

 

It is awesome watching the Creighton fan's get their panties in a wad.  They are so obsessed with all things Nebraska that all of the longest threads on that dumpster fire of a forum are the ones involving the Huskers. 

 

Half of their fanbase wears Red in the fall.  The other half hates everything Red.

In terms of moderating a forum, this sounds like my nightmare.....when your own fans hate each other.

 

And on their board, other than vivid dude who is equal parts stubborn and stupid, the jayskers keep pretty quiet.  The red haters run that particular sand box.

[Creighton Fan]

Article aint great. Just Dirky tryin to stir up shit again. I git that.some of yall like it cuz it pisses off some fans of the omaha school but it also calls husker hoops fans bamdwagoners or front runners.

Dude shoulda wrote a story.about petteway's improvemt, or something that celebrated da win more. so much more dude coulda done instead of tryin to pit fanbases against each other. Lazy to me.

This post calling someone lazy? The irony is dripping.

He's gettin paid for his laziness doe

[Handy Johnson]

 

He's right about the mystical power of the "N". The Baseball team once played on a glorified Legion field  & absolutlely NObody went to those games. Start winning and we all know the rest of the story... The power of the "N" is real, people WILL come out of the woodwork and that's what frightens everyone else in the Big 10.

The power of the "W" is a hell of a lot more powerful than any "N."

 

What you say is true, but here's my point. People in Scottsbluff and Fairbury don't care if Creighton is having a good season. They WOULD care if Nebraska contended for a B1G Title year in and year out. People are invested in the "N", even if they never went to school in Lincoln. You can't say that about Creighton, Doane, or UNO. 

[atskooc]

 

 

He's right about the mystical power of the "N". The Baseball team once played on a glorified Legion field  & absolutlely NObody went to those games. Start winning and we all know the rest of the story... The power of the "N" is real, people WILL come out of the woodwork and that's what frightens everyone else in the Big 10.

The power of the "W" is a hell of a lot more powerful than any "N."

 

What you say is true, but here's my point. People in Scottsbluff and Fairbury don't care if Creighton is having a good season. They WOULD care if Nebraska contended for a B1G Title year in and year out. People are invested in the "N", even if they never went to school in Lincoln. You can't say that about Creighton, Doane, or UNO. 

 

But you can say that about the main state school in just about every state with a D-1 program.  People in Goodland don't care about K-State basketball when they're terrible, but when Huggy-bear shows up, they go bananas.  People in Great Bend don't care about KU football unless Mangino is leading them to bowl games.  People in Fairbury don't care about Nebraska basketball unless they start winning.  We don't care about Creighton unless they're winning games.  Flip Creighton's record this year and the only time we'd mention them is when we played them.  Creighton is good, so we're talking about them.  Wins matter more than anything.

[atskooc]

The N is always present; we always have a team to care about.  The W's aren't always present; people don't care about the team when the team is losing.

[HB]

The N is always present; we always have a team to care about.  The W's aren't always present; people don't care for the team when the team is losing.

I don't know if we're "people", but a whole lot of us on here care for the team when it is losing.

[AuroranHusker]

 

The N is always present; we always have a team to care about.  The W's aren't always present; people don't care for the team when the team is losing.

I don't know if we're "people", but a whole lot of us on here care for the team when it is losing.

 

 

I think the point is the casual fans don't generally care for the product until it has a "winning" formula.

[atskooc]

 

 

The N is always present; we always have a team to care about.  The W's aren't always present; people don't care for the team when the team is losing.

I don't know if we're "people", but a whole lot of us on here care for the team when it is losing.

 

 

I think the point is the casual fans don't generally care for the product until it has a "winning" formula.

 

Yes, I was using "people" in a general sense.  Of course those of us here care about the team, win or lose.  But as was noted the other night, the traffic this site has seen was at its all-time high when we beat Michigan State.  That doesn't happen if we lose that game. 

 

There is nothing mythical about the N in and of itself.  The football fans have been great at traveling to see games, but that's only because we knew we'd win the game (or have a great chance to do so).  The attendance at basketball games has been poor for the last decade and a half.  Why?  Not enough W's.  People showed up this season because of the new digs.  No new arena, we're not averaging five-digit attendance.  Now that we're winning (especially at home), there's a solid chance people will stick around for next year.

[roscoe]

I think if CU keeps winning, not at this level, because they may never have a team like this again, but competitive in the Big East, which I do think is possible, likely, even, and NU continues to build, I do think that both teams will fill their gyms on most nights. I also think the red/blue divide will deepen and Jayskers will become more prevalent. It'll be a political microcosm...

Yeah, they really better enjoy the ride this year because you're so right: Teams like this are special for the very reason that they don't happen often.  Very rarely, in fact.  They might not have this combination of players, or anything close, in the remaining lifetimes of a lot of their fans.  I mean, they ain't Duke, afterall.  And the McDermott kid is just amazing.  Fantastic player.  And you build around him with some guys who have some tools and it makes for a very special Creighton team.

 

I would compare Doug McD to Jordan Hooper on our women's team.  The difference being that Greg McD managed to have some guys around like Wragge and Gibbs and Manigat who can fill out a lineup, whereas Nebraska's women's program has a three-headed monster and not enough talented depth to leverage the kind of player Jordan Hooper is.  The point being that it's not enough just to have that one elite player if you don't have the supporting cast to make the whole team successful. 

 

And not that Nebraska's women aren't good this year.  They are.  But they won't be the team they might have if the quality players had extended a little further down the bench.  And that's what Creighton has and that's why Creighton's season is such a special and rare thing for them.  It's not just that they have Doug McDermott.  They have a supporting cast to go along with him.  And that combo might never happen quite that way for them again.  Certainly it's never happened for them before.

According to the BlueJay fans sitting in front of me at the Nebraska game last year you are incorrect. These 4 older gentlemen were actually talking and comparing Creighton to NC, Duke and KU. Both talentwise and on tradition and historical standpoint. It was all vomitworthy.

[HuskerFever]

According to the BlueJay fans sitting in front of me at the Nebraska game last year you are incorrect. These 4 older gentlemen were actually talking and comparing Creighton to NC, Duke and KU. Both talentwise and on tradition and historical standpoint. It was all vomitworthy.

 

I don't know.... Duke's "futbol" program was pretty good last year.

[Silverbacked1]

There were a ton of drunk Jays fans at the Bob last year. Had a run in with 5 getting into their limo. One wanted to fight my son because my son told him to shut and go home. They were yelling about how their basketball win was like Wisconsin beating us in the Big 12 championship football game.

They all backed up pretty quickly when his two brothers, a friend and I stepped up,to ask what the problem was. We even had a kid who was walking by asking if we needed any help. Had to laugh. they back tracked pretty quickly when I asked if there was a problem that needed to be taken care of.

[Norm Peterson]

 

According to the BlueJay fans sitting in front of me at the Nebraska game last year you are incorrect. These 4 older gentlemen were actually talking and comparing Creighton to NC, Duke and KU. Both talentwise and on tradition and historical standpoint. It was all vomitworthy.

 

I hate that.  I really do.  I don't typically like sitting next to other team's fans and I have found that people in my section seem to regularly sell their tickets to fans from the opposing Big 10 teams we've faced.  But hearing Creighton fans trying to surpass the loudness of our crowd -- even though there are fewer of them -- grates on me like no other. 

 

On the bright side, had you succumbed to the vomitworthiness of it all, at least you would have barfed on the 4 Bluejay fans in front of you.  (Or should I say le Bleujay fans in front of you?)

[roscoe]

According to the BlueJay fans sitting in front of me at the Nebraska game last year you are incorrect. These 4 older gentlemen were actually talking and comparing Creighton to NC, Duke and KU. Both talentwise and on tradition and historical standpoint. It was all vomitworthy.

I hate that.  I really do.  I don't typically like sitting next to other team's fans and I have found that people in my section seem to regularly sell their tickets to fans from the opposing Big 10 teams we've faced.  But hearing Creighton fans trying to surpass the loudness of our crowd -- even though there are fewer of them -- grates on me like no other. 

 

On the bright side, had you succumbed to the vomitworthiness of it all, at least you would have barfed on the 4 Bluejay fans in front of you.  (Or should I say le Bleujay fans in front of you?)

My son brought his best friend to the game and he was even getting tired of their "immaculate" self proclamation. My son and his friend were 13 years old.