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I couldn't agree more that he made the smart move. Thomas Allen is a good kid and I can say this confidently after a personal interaction I had with him after the Butler game. As a lot of you probably know, about 30 minutes after home games a lot of the players come out of the locker room to see friends, family or to sign autographs for kids. We were tipped off to this nugget last year after the UTSA game. My 9 year old couldn't have been more thrilled to meet his favorite players. My son and I drive back for a game once a year but made a second trip this year over his spring break to see the NIT game. One player he had never gotten a chance to meet during the three games we had seen in person, including Butler, was his favorite player - Isaiah Roby. We were meandering around the players tunnel a good 45 minutes after the Butler game and the security guard told everyone that was left that the Arena was closing in 10 minutes. The security guard and I got in a conversation and I was explaining to him that we were from Colorado and my son was hoping to meet Isaiah. We were told that there were other NIT media obligations for certain members of the team and that most players wouldn't be coming out. Well, Thomas Allen was standing pretty close by and happened to hear part of the conversation as he didn't have the same media obligations since he didn't play. He asked me who my son was trying to meet and I told him Isaiah. He whipped out his phone and called Isaiah on the spot and asked him where he was because "there was a kid from Denver that came all the way out to the game to meet him". Isaiah was getting treatment on his legs but told Thomas that we was more than happy for him to bring me and my son back so that he could meet him. Thomas escorted us back to the locker room and my son got the opportunity to meet his favorite player: Whatever Thomas Allen decides to do is ok in my book. Coaches can leave on their own or get fired and the kids are stuck either having to play for a new coach they don't know or potentially lose a year by transferring. I hope to see Thomas back in a Husker uniform but wish him nothing but the best wherever he goes. I'll be a fan of his wherever he is playing. I should also add that Roby couldn't have been any more generous with his time. He talked to my son for a few minutes, signed his poster, and certainly didn't have to take time out of his treatment. One thing I can say about every player we've met and quite honestly, we've met just about everyone over our past 3 trips is that all of those young men on the team were very respectful and gracious with the time they gave the hoard of kids after each game. I think this is a testament to Coach Miles and the character of the players he brought into Lincoln.

Someone on campus just told me ... Good guy whatever happens. I expect he's done, but he's been a great guy and he's run a clean program and I absolutely wish him the best no matter what.

There is a need to reiterate the fact that Coach Miles IS a good coach. He would not have worked up to this level in the business if he was not a good coach. He was in fact, coach of the year just a couple years ago. He is well respected by his peers and he will not be unemployed long, once he leaves Nebraska. It simply isn't working out at this point. There are a number of reasons or perhaps excuses why, but it does appear the end is near in the Miles/Nebraska relationship. There is absolutely no reason or excuse to bash him, denigrate him or to create issues that aren't real issues. Goodness, he respects the university and has publicly said good things about our Director of Athletics. Nebraskans are supposed to have class, perhaps we should exhibit some of that class as this season winds down.

I don't care what others say. This was one of the brightest eras for Nebrasketball in quite some time. Sad to see it coming to an end. Sure, things didn't always go as planned. But to run a clean program, make our first dance in 20 years, achieve our first 5* (transfer) of the Rivals era, and countless other things is huge. I remain 100% behind the assumption that we don't get Hoiberg if we don't hire Tim 7 years ago.

A long time ago, I used to watch every game and soak up every word the talking heads said, every point, all the analysis, all their expert opinions, all their insider insights, all their unnamed sources. Then the play, the game, the season, the career would happen and even if that talking head knew all the right people, all the right tactical and strategic details, even if they were the best informed SOB (scholar of basketball) they had (charitably) a 25% chance of being right. So I now understand that "knowing" and "actually happening" are not the same thing. If you see someone on this board with 10,000 posts (or HHC in their screen name) understand that we have listened to 20,000 posts from guys who "know a guy" or "saw the next coach at Valentino's" or "have the inside dirt" Charitably, <5% of those have been right, so it's not personal. If you KNOW and want to share, great, when your prediction comes to pass, you will be vindicated but if you want to stifle disagreement by citing your unnamed sources then the bulletin board world isn't your best platform and you should start a blog.

What a disappointing way for things to come to an end. - Roby was killer. Just torpedoed any chance we had to make a game of it. The whole F2 thing with the TCU player was not good either. - It didn't help that JPJ didn't show up for the first half either. 0-10 at the break was pretty killer, too. Nice that he came out on fire in the second. - Tanner played his butt off, but he's not a guy that can carry a team. If you add that to normal JPJ and Roby games, maybe we've got something to work with. - And now we wait for whatever's next. I think it comes quickly. Probably tomorrow if it doesn't come tonight. If the rumors are true, the future is exciting, but right now, I'm bummed with how this season and this game went. If this is the end for Coach Miles, I'll always remember this era of Nebraska basketball fondly, for many reasons. I wish, oh how I wish, it would have ended differently...

I just hope the next coach, whoever it is, works as hard through adversity as Tim Miles does. The writing has been on the wall for awhile. It would have been easy to just cash in his chips and phone it in the last few games of the season. Thomas Allen is out with injury; Nana Akenten chooses to repeatedly violate team rules and you're forced to suspend him; you're down half a dozen players across the season and now you're down to 8 players available, including just three of the original starters and three other guys who weren't even rotation guys. And yet he's still arguing with the refs in the Iowa game and doing whatever they can to gameplan for Rutgers. We might get smoked by Maryland today, but it won't be because Miles and the staff quit on the team or on the season. He has a lot more character than a lot of the guys who are calling for his head.

When Tim first got here I took my son to the open scrimmage down in Lincoln. When the scrimmage was over and everyone got in the autograph line, my son and I were literally the last people in line. My son wanted to tough it out so we waited. By the time we made it to the tables to meet the team, coach had left because he had family in town and it was getting late. It was disappointing but I understood. Someone asked me for my contact info so I gave it to them, not really expecting anything. A week later I received a padded envelope from the university. I opened it up and inside was a miniature replica of the court with a nice handwritten message on it from coach thanking my son and I for coming down. I was really surprised he went through the trouble for just a fan he would likely never meet in person. That spoke volume to me about how much he cared about the fans. That’s a big part of why I am loyal to Tim. He’s a class act.

Again, I'm sorry my attempt at humor offended you. I wasn't trying to step on any toes; I'm genuinely surprised at your reaction. I thought the reference to the fire swamp from "The Princess Bride" was quite apropos. And I thought the unicorn would bring some levity to the discussion. I was obviously wrong. These periods of adversity bring out the worst in us. People aren't as interested in laughing about things. It's one of the reasons I started an off-topic thread about barbecue sauce: I wanted us to have something to connect with that wasn't controversial. I think we're nearing the end of an era for Husker hoops. To me, that's always a sad thing. I don't see much chance that Miles will be our coach next year. I think I've been pretty clear about that for a very long time. Since before the season, I predicted he'd either leave of his own accord or get shown the door. I think we're looking at the latter of those two situations. I don't know that I ever "went on an island for Miles." I've always wanted all the coaches we've had to do well here. I'll want the next one to do well. I won't apologize for defending coaches from criticism that I think is unfair. And I'm not going to go out of my way to attack the coach, either. If that makes people think I'm "on an island" for a coach, so be it. Not going to lose sleep over that characterization. But let me be clear: I recognize Miles ain't perfect. There are holes in his game, so to speak. But he checks as many of the boxes as any coach we've had here in awhile and his wittiness and charm at media days and social media savvy brought Husker hoops some favorable attention. He's not going to be the subject of insulting memes like Francis "Psycho" McCaffrey. And he wasn't bland like Barry Collier. This is a guy you had to hope would do well here. And if you didn't hope for that, then you're kind of effed up in my opinion. And I think picking coaches is a crapshoot and while the next guy might be really good at things Miles wasn't so good at, it's also highly probable he won't check off all the boxes either. But, whoever it is, you can know right now that as long as he's officially the head coach of the Huskers, I'll have his back. Unapologetically.

Miles had no problem doing it 3 times.

Sam McKewon said it really well on the radio today. "Tim Miles made it cool to be a Nebraska Basketball fan again."

Yes, it's "good" Brady injured his back. You're opening hoping for people on our team to be injured so we can't play. You come on here like they are supposed to just lay down and quit for your benefit. They want to play; they've earned the right. You want those kids not to play? Get the AD to grow a set and take it from them. Until then, our team is on the court.

Amen. I'm all about family first -- and him missing a game for his daughter's wedding actually makes me think MORE highly of him. I wouldn't have even minded him missing Friday's game if need be. But you really mean to tell me he couldn't have attended a basketball game on Thursday afternoon and flew out right afterward? Instead, only showing up to the Rutgers game gives the appearance not of support but of an expected loss, which AGAIN he continues to hammer away at. I work in PR. Last season's statement of a need for consistency, and pointing out the 14-15 season right after one of our winningest seasons in school history, used the language of a poor expected outcome. I said so at the time, and will say so now -- that should be for the fans and media to point out, but not an athletic administration trying to put itself in a position to set a tone of optimism and winning. It was absolute incompetence. It stands out even more when you contrast his behavior and language over the last year to his behavior and language when talking about Ernie Kent -- who by any metric was an absolute failure at Washington State, yet he kept extending him and talking about his accomplishments in glowing terms. Now, we have someone you actually CAN make a case for, and instead the disdain is palpable even to the national media. I've made it pretty clear I'm no Bill Moos fan. This is why. The man is utterly incompetent when it comes to even giving the impression of leadership, and my criticism extends to those in his communications division putting out this nonsense. No matter what he does now, he has eroded the fanbase's trust with his inconsistent policies and disinterest in this program, and created his own conundrum with his visible lack of support for his current staff. To me, both as a fan and someone who does this for a living, his handling of the basketball program is absolutely inexcusable. It isn't that hard to at least give the impression that you'd prefer to see your team win. (I still recall Sipple writing that someone made a "he better get this back on track" statement in December -- WHO in their right mind would say something like that, at that point, to one of the state's most well-known columnists? I remember thinking at the time that no matter how much I dislike Creighton, you would NEVER hear Rasmussen or his staff say something like that.) Instead, he (and his staff of "communications" buffoons) made themselves absolute laughingstocks and it is mind-boggling to me how poorly they have handled not just this situation, but the entire last 365 days. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

So I don't post nearly as much as I used to (duh) but believe me, I watch EVERY game and sometimes, kind of miss the old report cards I used to do from 2004-2015. I also regularly read this awesome website that Matt does a GREAT job with. Anyway, I've been absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how good of a FLOOR COACH (especially situationally) Fred Hoiberg is. Sure, we all know he can recruit... we all know he played in the NBA 10 years... we all know he was in the T-Wolves front office... We all know he built ISU into a winner, regularly put guys into the NBA and coached the Bulls... we also all know he can recruit. But nobody really seems to comment on his floor coaching much. Here are six instances I've noticed that I've been yearning for out of a Nebrasketball coach for YEARS and YEARS and NEVER SEEN. These are little things that will make a HUGE difference when we upgrade the talent and are competing for postseason. They are as important as free throws. 1. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RUNNING CLOCK INSIDE 1:00 LEFT AT THE END OF THE FIRST HALF The first time I noticed this was against Southern Utah, and it ALSO manifested itself the very next game. It hasn't presented an opportunity since then, but two straight games, I saw Hoiberg do the following. In the first half, our bench is right in front of us on defense, obviously. The opposing team made a shot with around 36 seconds left and our guys were running out of bounds and about to pass it in with 36 seconds left. He YELLED and told them to WAIT - the clock is running - run it down to at least 32 before you in bound (you get 5 seconds, after all). This completely eliminates one possession (which can be huge) and it's something NO COACHES EVER DO. EVER. He did it twice in a row. I've never seen anyone mention this. How many one possession games are there in conference when you are where you need to be? Why do no other coaches do this? (I promise you, they don't) 2. BRINGING IN PLAYERS WHO DON'T PLAY TO FOUL AT THE END He's done this in one game for sure, but it seems like two. Maybe at Indiana? I don't know how many times I see dumbass coaches leave their starters with 3 and 4 fouls in there to foul at the end. ESPECIALLY OUT OF A TIMEOUT. Drives me insane. I get that you want a steal and keep your best guys in, but when there's a 5% chance of that, it makes more sense to bring in Arop or Charlie or Kavas or whomever to use their fouls and then bring back in your key players with 3 and 4 fouls during the free throws. This might sound ho hum but name me one other college coach who does this. 3. WILLINGNESS/LACK OF STUBBORNNESS TO MIX UP DEFENSES AND EVEN PLAY (GASP) A LOT OF ZONE We haven't had a coach willing to play semi consistent zone since...... well I go back to Danny Nee and I don't remember it (outside of some of Danny's teams). I don't believe Doc ever did much when he was here - ditto on Miles (outside of small stretches). Same with Barry. I can't tell you how many times I yelled at the TV "switch out of the damn man" and my good friend Dustin who also watches every game would say, "He doesn't believe in it. We don't play zone." Hoiberg has shown that he will adapt defenses based on opponent and game situation MUCH MORE than any of our coaches throughout the last 25 years. He has his team prepared for EVERYTHING. 4. CALLED PLAYS/SETS OUT OF TIMEOUTS GETTING EASY SHOTS I'm willing to bet if you went back out of a timeout when we had possession, we run a set or play that gets us a good look 4 out of 5 times. And that's with (no knock on our guys) semi inferior talent. 5. ADJUSTING AT HALFTIME A coach who actually (Gasps) adjusts at halftime??? We've seen this many times this year. 6. LITERALLY NOBODY EXCEPT FRED AND THOR’S FAMILY THOUGHT THOR WAS A BIG TEN PLAYER. I don’t think this gets brought up enough. Fred was literally the only one who spotted Thor’s strength and upside to want to keep him around. None of us saw upside or ability with Thor. Fred did and we see Thor becoming a better player each game. The shooting ability from three point land out of Thor from last year to this year is one of the most remarkable year to year improvements I’ve ever seen at the college level. These are just six of many examples - #1 and #2 and #6 are the ones I REALLY wanted to point out because I haven't seen anyone ever talk about them. These are HUGE THINGS that coaches just don't do and that will win us games down the line. Fred is a freaking winner. He's all class. He's a name. He's a recruiter. He's a "wow" factor. But let's not forget he's a HELL. OF. A. FLOOR. COACH. If he can't get it done here, we literally are screwed.

I like beating Iowa. - Night and day different from the Rutgers game. - It's fun beating Iowa - Thor has turned into a difference maker. Don't think I would have predicted that one. - It's wonderful beating Iowa - We seem to play better when Green isn't playing much. I wouldn't have predicted that one, either. - It's good to beat Iowa - I thought Yvan and Kevin did pretty well against Iowa's trees. - I think beating Iowa something everyone can get behind. - Defense did a good job across the board. - Who doesn't think beating Iowa is a good idea? - Easley needs to be in the rotation. There's an open scholarship for next year. Maybe he should get it? - Lol. Iowa hates PBA. That's cool. - I thought it was interesting that right after Fran got T'd up, Iowa got a bunch of calls in a row... - Any night you beat Iowa is a good night. - Crowd was into it all night. - I enjoy beating Iowa

Statement from Coach Tim Miles: “Thank you to the University of Nebraska for a remarkable journey. It was a great honor to represent this University the past seven years. I am extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish during my tenure, most notably developing relationships with so many fantastic people associated with the Huskers. “A special thank you and deep gratitude to our players and parents who have been with us and supported us over the years. Thanks to our coaches, legends, alumni and to all of the support staff who interact with our program on a daily basis and made the experience one I will always cherish. “To the fans, students and supporters who make Pinnacle Bank Arena such an incredible venue, much respect and thank you as well. “My family will always be cheering for the Huskers and look forward to seeing #Nebrasketball make history in the near future. GBR!” Tim Miles

Permit me a brief rant here -- this really ticks me off. If I'm remembering correctly, these used to go out in mid-February. I get that we were in a swoon, but there were still enough games left on the schedule that the NIT was still very much a possibility, if not the NCAA. It's possible I'm reading too much into this (but given the apparent trend, I don't think I am) -- but the fact that our own athletic department didn't see fit to send so much as an email indicating that this might be on the horizon is frustrating to me. It's fascinating that @hhcmatt started really talking about it on Twitter, then suddenly there was an emergency conference call and oh hey, an email giving fans all of THREE DAYS to reply (assuming they all have email to begin with...which, with our fan base, isn't necessarily a given). The administration dropped the ball here, whether accidentally or intentionally, and it's yet ANOTHER example of a lack of support for this program. If we're going to have high-performing expectations of the basketball program (as we should) that should include the WHOLE program -- players, coaches, staff, and administration, and yet again, one of those entities slides right on by until a fan with a following calls it out on social media. Why will this administration not take this program seriously and at least demonstrate the very very basic step of preparing for the possibility of the postseason? Why do they not even show this extremely passive but generally expected motion of support? Instead it sends the message that even the athletic department doesn't believe in this team and that's a really crappy place to be.

As we all get ready to head into a new era of Nebraska basketball, I wanted to take one last look back and thank Tim for everything he accomplished and for putting this job on the map. Sure, the inside of our house isn't complete yet, but you would be absolutely lying to yourself if you say that Tim and Co. didn't lay a solid foundation for this program to take the next step. There were certainly lows throughout his time here, but here were oh so many highs as well. It's easy to remember the lows, and there have been enough threads about that for one lifetime. I wanted to point out a few of the highs and my fondest memories. March 24th, 2012: Tim Miles was named the next head coach of the University of Nebraska. November 8th 2013: Tim Miles and Co. open Pinnacle Bank Arena. Not only did we knock off America's darling (Florida Gulf Coast), we started what would become one of the best home court advantages in both the Big 10 and the nation. In addition to this, we would go on a run for the ages later this year. February 16th, 2014: Nebraska is in the heart of the Big 10 season. Sitting at 13-10 and 5-6, there is some hope in Husker nation that we might be able to make something of this season. A huge road game loomed at Michigan State. Result? Nebraska in the upset. I would say the game that started it all for our dancing hopes. March 9th, 2014: We all remember it. How could you not? One of the best atmospheres I have ever seen... and it was on TV. NO SIT SUNDAY was a resounding success. The famous Kent quote of "Let's Twerk" still rings in my mind. Chills every time I watch this. The Petteway three was one of the loudest moments I think I have heard on TV. March 16th, 2014: For the first time in nearly 20 years, Nebraska gets the opportunity to dance.

I just feel lucky that we have the basketball savant that is Marc Boehm getting to work with and oversee his soon to be 4th basketball coach. He’s done such great work here. Consistent winning. Lots of NCAA Tournament appearances in his 19 years. Continued domination of Creighton. Player after player into the NBA. Marc also helped oversee the magnificent handling of Connie Yori and ensuring our women’s team lost the one great thing it had over the last 25 years. Marketing wise, Marc helped lead this program into all of our hearts. Constantly with the hottest basketball gear for sale. For example, I love that we can find the shirt with Herbie spinning a basketball for sale that literally every Husker fan wants. And I love that we’ve had bobble heads for basketball. Oh wait, never mind. #LifetimeContract #OnlyConsistentPartOfWorstEraOfHuskerHoopsHistory

I can't figure out how to downvote on my phone and I'm not currently at a computer to do it there. But please let this suffice instead: actively rooting for your own team to fail because you want to fire someone sooner is a fairly crappy thing to say. Who are you to say that the guys wouldn't rather spend spring break playing the game they love with the teammates they love? I'm sorry if it may inconvenience you as a "fan" to have to wait another few days for a group who has worked countless hours over the past year (or several years) trying to represent this university and state well to get canned so you can have your replacement if choice potentially be hired instead. Or not, who really knows at this point. But this team, and these coaches, have done things the right way, worked more hours than most can even begin to understand, and put together a last stand that just about anyone else in the country can at least respect if not applaud. If you want a loss so you can personally be happier, that's cool. But please don't even pretend to call yourself a fan or hide behind some "long term health of the program" line of BS. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

We're done here

Watching the replay of last night's game and he's excited as anybody about Trueblood's performance. Here's a guy that is personally invested in our school. I certainly don't mean to say other players aren't, but his off-court demeanor speaks volumes even though his career is over. Thanks again, Isaac, and all of our seniors!

Boy oh boy do I have an interesting story to share with my fellow Nebraska basketball diehards - especially ones that follow recruiting and have done so for several years. This morning, I left the worlds largest sportsbook at the Westgate Las Vegas and was Uber'ing it back to the Las Vegas airport for my return trip to KC after 4 days in Vegas. As we drove by the Thomas & Mack Center, I commented to my girlfriend, "Hey, UNLV played there last night against Boise State." I knew that because I had money on UNLV -3 (and they won by 4 in OT). As we drove, for some odd reason, I thought to myself, "I bet Boise State flies commercial and we see them at the airport since its 9 AM and they'll want to get back for classes." I kid you not, we walk into the Southwest terminal and right there in front of us - like LITERALLY in front of us - is the entire Boise State basketball team. If that was the end of this story, it would be cool enough on its own. But it gets WAY more random and small world from this point forward. Two TALL Boise State players are walking in front of my girlfriend and I as we board the escalator to go through security toward Gate B. On the backpack of the player in front of me I see the name, a name I haven't heard in 5 years, and it all flashes back to me. DAVID WACKER WAIT, I thought... How do I know that name? Then I remember reading about him on this very website and how Nebraska hosted him on a recruiting visit before he chose to attend Boise State. I had literally forgotten he played there until that moment. I had to say something, so I say "Hey David". He looks back unexpectedly (because why the hell is this random mid 30's guy talking to him). I say "Didn't you almost go to Nebraska?" He lights up and says "Yes!! I had a great visit there." And then we end up standing in line together for 5 minutes as we head through security. I asked him many nonstop questions and he asked me a couple. Here were interesting things I found out. 1. He LOVED his visit to Nebraska. Commented how cool the football game was and that everyone was so nice. Said the fans were diehards and awesome to him. 2. Craig Smith was the reason he almost committed to Nebraska. He noted "It's a good thing I didn't choose there because he left after like what would have been one year for me." He noted how he's now at Utah State and how cool it was playing against him this year. He said Craig was AWESOME. 3. His parents were really excited about the Nebraska offer and kind of steered him that way. 4. He said he ultimately chose Boise State because he wanted to win a conference championship and that he knew that would be very difficult in the Big 10. He then said, "But don't get me wrong, Nebraska can still get in the tournament every year. That's the great thing about the Big 10. But I really wanted to go to a school where I had a chance to win the conference championship." Found that an interesting mindset. He asked me a few questions about Coach Miles, the current state of the program and seemed surprise by the demise. He asked what I thought the issues were and I told him. He didn't say much but listened intently. He was shocked when I told him Nebraska is the only Power 5 school to never win a tournament game. He said he had no clue. He was an EXTREMELY nice kid and a lot of fun to talk with. I am cheering Boise State on from here on forward as he finishes off his last few college games. I thought I would share this to A. Show how small world it was that I would end up randomly seeing him without even thinking about him all these years later. B. Show you an example of what at least one recruit looks for and thought of his visit. C. Tell you that he has a very positive opinion of Nebraska and enjoyed his visit. Anyone remember him? Hope you found this interesting to read. Dave

This year has not gotten off to a great start. Given how big-time of a coach we secured, I don't think anyone assumed we'd start off 0-2 against some pretty poor teams. However, it took me about 2 minutes into the scrimmage to know that this was going to be a team who would struggle. We're skinny, inexperienced as a team, young in most places, have zero height or post players. JUCOs typically struggle to translate in their first year. We start a 17 year old. I guessed 16 total wins this year, and I'm even starting to doubt that. But guess what... it doesn't matter. Fred Hoiberg is a special coach. I have seen some things thus far that have me incredibly excited for the future of this program. Thought I would lay a few out for you all. 1. We run. Make or miss we run. It has been something I have been screaming about for years now. Wings... Must... Run. Bigs who don't get rebounds... Must... Run. Running doesn't mean you have to play fast or take bad, early shots. But it exhausts the defense and always pays off eventually. If you guys have noticed, our wings run straight to the corner and get wide early, right off the break - make or miss. Our bigs are attempting to rim run every time. I love it. It's literally the most important thing to an effective offense getting off to a good start on a possession. It sucks the defense in, then forces them to boomerang back out to close-out, which creates dribble drives and eventual shots. The biggest misconception of our offense and of an offense like Creighton's is that you can't be efficient or get shots late while running. It's just not true. You can run, and drag possessions out. They are not mutually exclusive. 2. The Xs and Os are there. You just can't see it yet. Timing isn't there, fluidity hasn't been achieved, and they're still thinking. I love the free-flowing, ball-screen, dribble drive motion that Hoiberg runs. Also, his sets so far are fantastic (we just can't execute them yet). They're simple, but get you moving. They emphasize spacing and match-ups. He really puts you in a "choose your own death" position on each set. Once the guys pick these up, you'll see. Watch for when Hoiberg holds up a 5 and does a "slice" motion. I believe they literally call this 5-Slice. When I am able to see it again, I will attempt to draw it up. It starts with some purposeful cutting that forces defenders to stick to their man, then hits you with a well timed ball screen that help just can't get to. We've ran it a couple times, but with poor execution and timing. He's also ran some really simple, effective sets against zone that we haven't executed. 3. He Demands respect. One of the toughest things about coaching these days is that you don't know how much you can lean on players and keep them around. Unlike Miles (and I don't fault him for this), Hoiberg just seems to demand respect from his players. His resume and career speak for themselves, so when he says something, you have to listen. It's probably one of the more unfortunate and toughest things about coaching - sometimes you can't get what you want until you've had some success and the players just don't second guess you. For what it is worth, I'm not trying to criticize Miles, as I believe I had this issue as a coach too. It's just something natural about a person that commands respect, and it's hard to cultivate out of nothing. You have to earn it, and often times it's earned by things that really weren't and aren't in your control. God made some men 6'5", square-jawed, and athletic. Some men (myself), he did not. Unfortunately sometimes those things command respect and you can't control it. When things get tough, and players are looking for excuses, having a coach who might be inexperienced/unsuccessful/didn't play pro/etc... can be an easy outlet. But when your coach is Fred Hoiberg, who's had success everywhere, played in the NBA, all the ladies want him and guys want to be him - you don't fall for those easy excuse traps. 4. I just love seeing Doc on the sideline. That's it, just that.

I know it's funny to attack Boehm when nobody outside the athletic department knows what it is that he does, for sure. But I think we should give some credit where credit is due: None of the coaches he took part in hiring and none of the programs under his supervision were caught up in any NCAA infractions. The players graduated on time. Our APR scores were good. We haven't been penalized, sanctioned or placed on NCAA probation. We haven't had scholarships pulled or been banned from post-season play. You can joke and say things like "we banned ourselves from post-season play" or "with our win-loss record, we don't warrant an investigation." Haha. I get the humor. But, in all seriousness, there is intense pressure to win when you're at the helm of a revenue sport in a major conference. A lot of people out there glance sideways at the rules that govern things like recruiting, and white lies and pushing the ethical envelope are rationalized if it leads to a better caliber of recruits. And FBI investigations into neighboring programs have cast a pall over those schools' athletic programs, so pushing the ethical envelope is not unheard of or without precedence even nearby. So far as I know, WE have not been implicated. I would rather struggle to achieve mediocrity while preserving my honor and integrity than win dishonestly. Make fun of Marc Boehm if you want. Talk about the lack of basketball success during his tenure. But don't, then, forget to mention we've run clean programs while he's been here.

While we await the guillotine, I maintain Miles absolutely was the right coach at the time. It didn’t work out as well as it appeared it would, but I wouldn’t call the hire a failure. He was a couple of bad breaks away from three tournament appearances. He helped formulate a plan to make the Vault a true home court advantage with the placement of the student section. Maybe Miles doesn’t deserve a ton of credit for fan support to many, but he gets it from a marketing aspect. I think he helped turn the program into one good enough to attract the attention of Hoiberg, who can be picky about his next job. Instead of piling more dirt on Miles, I choose to be thankful for his contribution to elevating the program.

Everyone to the new Hoiberg Thread!

BREAKING: Creighton University President Daniel Hendrickson announced Wednesday a plan to move CU's official mailing address — and its basketball program — to La Habra, California. The move comes in the wake of California Gov. Gavin Newsom signing into law a bill that would allow student-athletes at California colleges and universities to receive compensation. Currently, NCAA rules forbid student-athletes to receive "extra benefits" beyond the cost of attendance, which includes scholarships and other related expenses to attending a university. Hendrickson said California's new law fits perfectly with CU's current basketball recruiting philosophy. "We've really looked for ways for Coach (Greg) McDermott to be more directly involved in the payment process," Hendrickson said Wednesday in a press conference at the La Habra Holiday Inn. "This will remove all the secrecy and second-parties from our ability to land the best players available." Hendrickson also noted that the university will undertake a fund-raising campaign in order to meet the demands of the nation's top players, and to compete against California programs such as UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal-Berkeley and St. Mary's. "We've always capped our offers at $100,000," Hendrickson said. "We really want to be competitive in this market, though, so we hope our alumni can step up. Every little bit helps. Instead of buying another BMW for their own children, maybe a few donors could do the same for our prospective basketball players." CU students will continue to take classes at Creighton's "satellite campus" in Omaha, but all expressed no worries about attending 'Jays home games in California. "Daddy's jet fits 25 people, so that's pretty much my entire fraternity," said Leighton "Biff" Stonehenge, a junior wealth management major from Glencoe, Illinois. The move will create a dilemma, however, for the local "We Hate Nebraska Basketball Club," whose members proudly identify as "Jayskers." "We'll still root for Frosty and the boys on autumn Saturdays," said Hugh Jass, the group's president. "As for the winters, well, I guess you can now call me a 'Mavsker.' "

I've been searching for a thread to add my thoughts... I am truly disappointed in how this has ended for Coach Miles. I wanted him to succeed in the worst way and it pains me to no end that sometimes, the good guy doesn't win. Coach Miles has done more for Nebraska Basketball than any coach in the past 20 years and I sincerely like the man. I've had a chance to meet him and he will always be a part of simultaneously the best and worst night of my life: Back in 2014, I was invited to a private dinner at a country club in Omaha where the guest speaker was Tim Miles. He was phenomenal that night, telling stories and genuinely having fun. At the end of the night, I had a chance to ask him about his version of the motion offense. 15 minutes later, he had diagrammed multiple options for me on the table using empty beer bottles. It was fantastic and something I will never forget as long as I live. It turns out though, that 15 minutes was something I couldn't really afford to give. Returning home that night and pulling into my garage, I was approached on either side by 2 men pointing guns at me. Without going into a lot of detail, they forced themselves into my apartment and ransacked the place while I lay face down on the floor. Like I said, the best night ever talking ball with Coach Miles turned into the worst night of my life, wondering if I was going to be shot in the back of the head. I wanted to share that story because it is an incredible memory, both good and bad. Thank you Coach, for all you have done for Nebraska basketball and for providing fans like me more access to the program than I ever dreamed possible. While it didn't work out in Lincoln, I look forward to cheering for you at your next stop.

This is a site mostly full of people who appreciate Nebraska coaches while we have them.

Thor has one of the highest basketball IQs of any player we've ever had here. Examples abound. Some stand out: he knew we had 4 team fouls in the half with a minute or so to play and could force Iowa to waste time inbounding the ball rather than getting a shot at the hoop. Just made sure the foul was on the floor. And you could tell he knew exactly what he was doing when he did it. Thor has made the absolute most of the opportunities he's had to see the floor his entire career here. And he has manufactured a jump shot where there was none, which had to take a lot of work and perseverance. Love seeing that kid have success.

Do you own a ski mask and have a sense of adventure?

OK, listen guys, the Rawlinsons sat in front of me at Devaney. Unlike me, she put her real name to her opinions and had them published in the Journal Star. I don't agree with her, but I do not question her integrity or her support for the program. Her family runs a prominent local business, OK? They support the athletic department just fine. You can disagree with her without invective. I think she's blowing things out of proportion, but I can respect that fact that she sees this differently and not get my nose all bent out of joint about it (which I would be far more likely to do with someone who was posting anonymously.)

I haven't seen turnover like this since Tanner Lee was here.

I can live with that choice but I would have preferred this:

Hoiberg hiring a coach that helped him win 28 games and get to a Sweet 16. What an idiot!

This story is taking on Sallie-esque overtones. Indulge me for a minute while an experienced Husker fan shares what could happen by the end of March: 1. Hoiberg signs a contract agreeing to become NU's next head coach. Moos keeps the signed contract at his house in a flour jar in the kitchen cabinet. 2. Moos fires Miles and his staff. 3. The recruiting scandal at U of Arizona blossoms and Sean Miller is fired. The A.D. decides to go for a coach with a clean image. Miles is approached and hired. 4. Hoiberg is approached by other schools indirectly, but Hoiberg says "Sorry, I've already signed a contract with another school." 5. LSU approaches Greg McDermott, who is interested. LSU hires McDermott. 6. Moos catches wind that it is Boehms' birthday. Asks his wife to bake Marc Boehm a birthday cake, which he will bring to the office the next day. 7. Moos calls in his staff and everyone he can find in the hallway to come in and enjoy a little cake celebrating Marc's birthday. Moos does the honors of cutting the first piece. 8. Staff members look on in horror as Moos pulls out remnants of the Hoiberg contract out of the cake, which is now worthless (the contract, not the cake). 8. A staff member instragram's a photo of the cake with the remnants of the contract. The story becomes public. 9. Rasmussen quickly approaches Hoiberg, who agrees to become the next coach at Creighton. 10. A humiliated Moos, resumes the coaching search, signing Ernie Kent to a 5 year contract. These are the things that happen to Nebraska basketball, my friends. Brace yourselves.

This is Nebrasketball in a nutshell. We're worried about a coach we haven't officially hired yet for a job that isn't officially open yet spurning us for another job that isn't open yet, because that coach may leave for another job that isn't officially open yet. And somehow, it all makes sense. Nebrasketball. It's not for everyone.

I upvoted this post, even though I'm on the opposite side of the "should we retain Tim Miles" debate. He has been pure class the entire time he's been here -- great spokesperson for the program, no scandals, kids are graduating, etc. It says a lot about him and every member of his staff that they are still working as hard now as they were in November. Ultimately, coaches are judged by wins and losses. He's been a .500 coach throughout his time here, and 7 seasons is a pretty large sample size. We know what to expect from a Tim Miles team. But even though I long for greener pastures and hope that the next coach will be our version of Coach K, I still have the utmost respect for Tim Miles as a person. He absolutely runs a program with integrity and leads by example. I will always root for him.........unless he gets a job at Creighton with his pal McDermott, in which case screw that f****er!

I wondered how motivated Nebraska would be and they very much were Nebraska was a three man offense tonight. Palmer, Roby, and Watson end up attempting 45 of our 52 shot attempts (87%), and 28 of our 32 FT attempts (88%) Palmer got off to a slow start but carried the team most of the second half. His 34 points were one short of the B1G tourney record Roby didn't have it tonight offensively but block/altered a lot of shots. He's really one of the elite shot blockers in the conference. Watson also didn't have it shooting but led the team in assists (5) and like Palmer played all 40 minutes. Roby played 39 sitting for that minute with the ankle sprain Tanner was solid as usual and 2nd on the team with 3 steals (we had 12 total) Brady had a couple of nice buckets but was targeted when on the court by Rutgers Thorir played some solid minutes Am I forgetting someone? Ah, Johnathan Trueblood. Led the team in steals with 4 had a nifty move for a bucket, finally hit a FT and most importantly seems to be the vocal guy on the court that we've been missing. I think we'd very much like the guys who are injured to be playing but it's a testament to JT that after spending his career on the bench he was prepared to contribute like he has. On to Maryland!

Dear "Jennifer Rawlinson": We know it's you, Jean Peck. Just 'fess up. Signed, Jayschool (Not my real name, either)

I’ve been a Dead Red NU basketball fan since 1958 and this has me thinking the unthinkable...NCAA tourney win, Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4 and National Championship. I need to take better care of myself so I am around to see it. I’m off to walk two more miles to add to my first two miles so I can keep my blood pressure down.

Nothing says Roll Tide like spending a paragraph talking about Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Huskers!

Nolan Richardson may also be available . But at his age he can only promise 20 minutes of hell.

Good God, how do the people surrounding Bill Moos have jobs? Last year's rollout of the non-extension was a massive flop, they somehow forget to offer season ticket holders the opportunity to purchase postseason tickets, and now his "statement" (which, notably, seems to be lacking so much as a "congrats" or "we are so proud of how this team has battled" or any sort of kudos for the fight they've shown) has national pundits calling him a moron for appearing to let Barry Collier determine the future of our coaching staff -- after opting to skip the game yesterday and today? Forget the lack of leadership he himself is showing here (which is substantial on its own), does he not have a contingent of people responsible for PR? The incompetence here is astounding.

Not stuff the public needs to know. Fans are not owed an explanation.

It’s not a fair comparison between records overall or especially conference records with Collier, Doc and Miles. The Big 12 was good when we were in it but wasn’t nearly as good on average as the BIG on any given year. We also played more conference games per year in the BIG and Miles played a tougher overall schedule. I’m as disappointed and sad about this season as anyone. I’ve been on the fence with Miles the last couple years but clearly he’s not the answer. That said, is the constant bashing of his coaching ability and “I told you he sucked” really necessary? We get it, (and so does Tim) he’s going to get fired. Not being a good enough coach is likely a big reason why. To just rehash and gloat about it doesn’t make it any better. For all all his flaws, this program overall is in better shape than when he took over from Doc. He’s proven you can recruit talent here, he played a little more exciting style and he brought a whole lot of publicity to the program with his personality. Anyone that can’t see and acknowledge that has hate blinders on. The last sat home game on Sunday is against Iowa. Nothing would be better than to somehow beat them so rather than bitch about Miles, I’m just going to the game to cheer for the team and the coach one last time.

I keep coming back to this: in a season like this one, maybe he doesn't change EVERYTHING -- but for giggles, I left everything alone in the bracket generator except flipping the results of the Rutgers and Penn State games. Or Rutgers and Ohio State. Or Rutgers and Illinois. Any of those combos jumps us from 13th to 9th, and if everything else holds steady, we're playing Minnesota and then Michigan State in Chicago with a trip to the NCAA on the line potentially by winning even just ONE game there. Could Jack Riggins have reasonably helped our mentality in two games? I think so, and that changes the trajectory and narrative of this whole season. Is Miles The Guy? I don't know, maybe not. But it's absolute crap for the AD to make abstract rules that are occasionally enforced, even to the detriment of the student-athletes you claim to be serving. As student-athletes, those players were robbed of a service they had started to receive that was doing them some good -- not just on the court, but life lessons. And as fans, I feel like we got robbed too.

At no one in particular and everyone (myself included) Nebraska basketball isn't as good as we want it to be, and because we have emotionally invested in it for this season, or the last 40 seasons, we believe they owe us a return on that investment. These are decent people, trying and not succeeding, not criminals stealing our money or intentionally sabotaging "our" program. It hasn't worked out for any of us. We move on. Older, wiser, but hopefully with some compassion for everyone involved, who tried, but just didn't get there, and a hope that one of these days the effort, skill and opportunities will belong to Nebraska.