Norm Peterson

Buck Joyner is now available for any programs in the 300+ strata of Kenpom. Serious inquiries only.

In order to win the Big Ten tournament, we'd have to best a Sweet 16-caliber team and a national top 4 seed. I would MUCH rather get that first NCAA tourney dub. And I've been saying for awhile now that if we manage to get into the round of 32, we are a TOUGH team to prepare for in 2 days. We play a different brand of defense than what anyone will have seen all year, and we have a lot of offensive weapons you'd have to account for. Let's get that NCAA tourney dub because I think we've got a good shot of reaching the Sweet 16.

Now up to #37 in NET. That's a really good sign. 4-6 in Quad 1 games; 4-3 in Quad 2. Undefeated in Quads 3 and 4. Michigan State still in the top 25 but barely hanging on at 25th. Cheer for them to win one in the BTT. Michigan drops 5 spots due to the loss to us but manages to remain a Quad 2 at #132.

I'd rather lose to Illinois and then have a few days to rest. We've been a very good team this year bouncing back after losses.

No, that's true. The thing that stands out maybe the most about this group is that it's a team. It's a group where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. They've got just enough talent that they have the ability to win some games. And this year, we won't be overmatched against a Baylor team that's just way better than us. This year, we'll face a team in the 1st round that we can beat. And we'll face a team in the 2nd round that will have a hard time getting ready for us because they won't have seen anyone like us all year long. Prediction: Next year, you're going to see teams try to copy our defense.

Will I happily take the Michigan/Penn State vs. Indiana winner?

Shout out to our friend @tcp: You're going to fucking live to see a Husker NCAA tourney win. (Sorry for the swear word. It felt appropriate.)

Nick is watching our games and thinking to himself, "boy, did I choose right or what?"

I'm just saying. Maybe there will be a #30 jersey hanging in the rafters after all. Usually it's reserved for NBA lottery picks. They didn't even do it for Venson Hamilton, who was conference POTY. But they gotta do something to honor the guy who leads this program to its first NCAA tourney win. And we aren't the team we are without him. So ... I'm just so freaking geeked and I wanted to share in the feeling of being geeked with the few hundred people on earth who would understand.

I think he was talking about a different tournament.

And the bracketologist that Nick Bah-hee chooses to spotlight in the broadcast thinks Northwestern and Michigan State are 7 seeds, and we'll be in the play-in game in Dayton. #SMDH

But that probably keeps Wisconsin from dropping out of the NET top 25, thus preserving a Quad 1 win for us. So ... GO AJ!

So if 22 wins and 4th place in league gets us an NIT 5th seed, we're at least looking good for an opening round NIT home game, right?

15-point road win @ Michigan and we move up one whole spot in Kenpom. Man, whadya gotta do? Can we please move up more than one spot in NET?

I’m sorry but you did what?

No heart attack.

Mid-season form

The men better be up by 15 with less than a minute to play so that I don’t have a heart attack

My Husker hoops PTSD is kicking in again.

Monty Got a Raw Deal

#33 in Kenpom, and #40 in NET. They credit us for a 4-7 record in Quad 1 games. Wisconsin and Michigan St teetered on the edge of dropping out of Quad 1 status for us, but have remained there and it appears they'll be there for good now. We're 3-2 in Quad 2 and zero losses in Quad 3 and Quad 4. And basically no remaining chance of picking up a Quad 3 or 4 loss. KSU did us a major solid by vaulting way back into the top 75 with a huge win over Iowa State. Now we just need to pick up a road win at Michigan to lock in the #3 seed in the BTT.

I like that stat line.

Bump. We're coming down to the wire on this. We're a team where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. And that means our guys getting post-season recognition might not be commensurate with our conference finish. We're a collection of a bunch of guys who can hurt you but no individual superstars. I still think the branding of Keisei is going to pay some dividends for him in terms of post-season recognition, though.

Kinda straying off topic, but I've been thinking that the next coach's kid likely to become a successful head coach himself is ... Sam Hoiberg. Whatever "it" is, Sam seems to have a lot of it. He really understands the game, has a high hoops IQ (same thing), and a lot of charisma. He's learning a lot from his dad. When he runs out of eligibility, I would not be the least bit surprised to see him get a graduate assistant job somewhere good. Maybe even here.

Not a lot of ball there. Refs would have blown a whistle if it had been us.