Up and coming college basketball programs

[Huskerpapa]

Nice to see us front and center on this guys radar.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2061279-up-and-coming-college-basketball-programs-to-watch-in-the-2014-15-season#articles/2061279-up-and-coming-college-basketball-programs-to-watch-in-the-2014-15-season/page/5

 

OK, maybe we're a year late here on Nebraska. When a program that's historically been an also-ran in two different conferences ponies up for a brand-new arena, it's a good sign that a commitment has been made to basketball.

Pinnacle Bank Arena bore witness to only one loss in 2013-14, and that was a last-minute heart-breaker to Michigan. It's already become an intimidating stronghold, thanks to the crowd-rousing efforts of coach Tim Miles.

Miles' Twitter exploits are becoming legend, with his latest goodwill gesture to Husker Nation taking the form of grabbing lunch with two random dudes simply because they asked. Glad-handing fans is always a valuable skill, but Miles wouldn't have put the Huskers back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998 if he wasn't procuring talent.

Lincoln is sort of like a rich man's Ames, Iowa, far enough off the beaten path that Nebraska will have to become a tremendously sexy program to draw elite freshmen. So like Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg, Miles is making a living on the transfer wire, attracting All-Big Ten performer Terran Petteway from Texas Tech, center Walter Pitchford from Florida and power forward Leslee Smith from junior college.

A pair of 3-star freshmen are joining the program this fall, New Jersey point guard Tarin Smith and Oklahoma City center Jacob Hammond. New Orleans wing Jordan Cornish, a former Tennessee commit, is also on the Huskers' radar, but none of these three look like program-changers.

All that said, the 2014-15 season is pivotal for the long-term growth of Nebrasketball. The Huskers are already getting some too-early top-25 love and could make a push for the title in the Big Ten, where the usual suspects (Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State) have lost a lot of talent recently. Success in that endeavor could bring even more excitement to Lincoln in future years.

[HuskerFever]

FWIW, here's a quick look at the full list:

 

Arkansas (SEC)

LSU (SEC)

Minnesota (Big Ten)

Nebraska (Big Ten)

Rhode Island (A10)

SMU (AAC)

Tulsa (CUSA)

Utah (Pac 12)

[Creighton Fan]

Rhody just signed a huge revruit. They gonna be legit wif hurley.

Think Tulsa gonna drop off wif manning going ta wake.

[Huskerinexile]

Always good to get a positive mention. It seems like Larry Brown and SMU are separating from this group, with top 25 rating last year.

Agree with the comments on talent. The article is not accurate on B1G. Michigan, OSU and Mich st may have lost some talent, but have plenty left on the roster or coming in.

[Norm Peterson]

Jordan Cornish not a program changer, huh?  Well, now.  That puts things in a bit different perspective.

[jimmykc]

I don't know about SMU and Brown separating from the group, but I'll bet they separate from each other before long, given Larry's notorious track record.

[Norm Peterson]

I don't know about SMU and Brown separating from the group, but I'll bet they separate from each other before long, given Larry's notorious track record.

Hater.

[Norm Peterson]

Juuuuust kidding.      

[doc1394]

Juuuuust kidding.      

Almost as bad as your Walter comment

[Cazzie22]

How can Tulsa be a comer?  Tulsa had "Strollin" Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Bill Self winning games for a long time.

[jimmykc]

Perhaps Danny is beginning to follow the peripatetic blueprint of his old mentor. Remember I said he would never stay at KU for as long as he did. Or perhaps my memory fails me. At any rate, Tulsa (along with Butler and Ohio) has long been known as a breeding ground for successful coaches. The "comer" tag must only apply to this year and not past history.