Norm Peterson

Yeah. Nothing until, like, Sunday.

I don't think grad transfers are interested in being developed. It's go-time for them. It's not about development. It's about the opportunity to get on the floor and maybe play against better competition than they'd face otherwise, or with a better team than they'd play for if they stayed. Some kids think they were overlooked coming out of high school. They think they were better than the offers they had. They proved at a mid-major level, for instance, that they were worthy of playing in a big-boy league and they want a chance to see what they could do. Duby Okeke, for instance. Other players will look at the roster of incoming recruits and returning players and think about playing time and their ability to contribute. If they don't see themselves getting minutes on the current roster but think there's a team out there that could use their skill set, they might make a change. Moses Abraham, for instance. Still other players think they have a shot at playing for a winner or improving their draft stock if they go somewhere else. He Who Shall Not Be Named, III, for instance. But I don't think any grad transfers are thinking about development when they choose a new program. They're thinking about opportunity, seeing the floor, and playing at a level commensurate with their goals.

The thing about this team that makes an 11-, 12- or 13- win conference season seem not just possible, but even plausible if not likely, is that we have six guys who can score the basketball. We've had teams where you felt pretty good because you had 3 guys who could score the basketball. We have six. No exaggeration. Six. Any team that scouts us has to account for six guys who can score the ball. And I mean six guys who can score at the rim, from mid-range, and from beyond the arc. If we have more than one or two guys who are "feelin it," look out.

I think you're mostly correct. I think Tim will be looking for another starter, and I also think the roster is not yet set. I think Heiman will be a solid backup for a B1G team a year from now, but he's probably not yet going to be starting material next year. At least if we want to remain competitive for the top half of the league. If we want to remain in contention for the top half of the league, we will need to find a suitable replacement for Copeland and hope and pray that Roby stays. Seems to me our best bet is a grad transfer big. That kid from Tulane we played a few years back who did a grad transfer after that season? That kind of player. We have minutes and we have a backcourt, so we should be an attractive landing spot for someone who wants to try to really make their mark in their final season.

I'll take it. I'll take it right now. Don't even have to play the games.

I wonder when the last time was that the hoops team was ranked on January 1.

Inexcusable for OSU to be 4-5 right now. No way they should have lost at Charlotte or Tulsa. They should be 6-3 at worst, not 4-5. This was supposed to be a Q1 win against a top 50 team on a neutral floor and those guys have ruined it. Jerks.

If it’s not, you run out of real estate. There has to be some floorspace in between the out of bounds and the three point line so that a player can catch, get his feet set, and shoot the ball. The width of the floor determines that, at some point, you have to square off the three-point arc.

So you think Sipple just called Moos up and chatted with him over the phone before the game? I guess I assumed chatting with someone probably meant chatting with them in person.

Remember the CU reaction when Miles was tossed from our NCAA tourney game b/c he went outside the coaching box? Pretty unsympathetic. I'm old enough to remember when CU people thought the coaching box was sacrosanct.

Besides, what is his position with the athletic department? High ranking vis-à-vis basketball? I don't think so.

Moos wasn't at the game. Couldn't have been him.

In fairness to Creighton ... They are young. They have some really talented sophomores. Would love it if we had a kid like Ballock who could catch and shoot that quickly and accurately. The youth issue isn't just an excuse. It wasn't just an excuse for us 2 years ago and it's not just an excuse for them this year. They have some players and they demonstrated that by beating Clemson and hanging with Gonzaga. But experience has its advantages and that favored us this year.

I think it was after a made basket, though. So, I don't think that counts as a transition basket. But, yeah, I remember watching that and I remember seeing Miles pissed that our guys let it happen. And it didn't happen again after that.

Sssshhhh. Don't blow Hank's cover.

Yes

Hey, Mose. Good to see ya. Thanks, and good luck to the Jays going forward as well.

Yes. Absolutely correct. I turned to the guy next to me when Palmer went out and said we need to be able to keep scoring with him on the bench. Next thing I turnaround and we've extended the lead and now we're up 30-14. It was beautiful.

Texas Tech is undefeated and curb-stomped us on a neutral floor (neutral in terms of location; not necessarily in terms of officiating) and they're #12 to our #11, according to Sagarin. I think they should be ahead of us.

Another thought I had about Sipple's "high-ranking school official" comment was who that school official could possibly be. Is the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences a "high-ranking school official?" Sure. But, in this context, Sipple wouldn't have referred to them as such. In the context of the athletic department, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences doesn't really qualify as "high-ranking." The list of those who would qualify for that designation is … very short: Hank Bounds Ronnie Green Bill Moos Marc Boehm That's it. Anyone other than those 4 people doesn't really count as a "high-ranking school official" in the context of talking about an athletic program. I have a guess as to who that official was, but I can tell you I doubt it was Moos or Boehm.

I saw that. And my thought was "If you're a 'high-ranking school official' and you find yourself in Steve Sipple's company, and there's even a remote chance of an unattributed, off-the-record, negative comment of yours about the basketball program winding up in his weekend column, it would be smart to shut your pie hole." You hear that? You know who you are, Mr. high-ranking school official. Chances are good you read this board, at least from time to time. Shut your pie hole. Thanks, Norm P.S. I'm sure I'll have more suggestions for you as the season progresses.

That's what she said?

Funny how Nebraska basketball usually is the one using the football program for recruiting purposes. I don't recall the football team bringing recruits to a hoops game before, though. If there was EVER a basketball game to bring football recruits to, though, this was it. The "HUSKER POWER" chant to start things off was on point. The crowd was loud and proud. And everyone in the arena was a Husker football fan, so ...

A give you an A- but you can raise it to an A if you type it out, double spaced.

That's what she said?