Norm Peterson

By the looks of things, this should have been two fairly evenly-matched teams. Wyoming is ranked fairly middle-of-the-pack in the nation by Kenpom (180th) as are we (137th). They finished 4th in the Mountain West last year and had 25 wins, so they certainly weren't bad. Looking at the rosters, we have similar size. The biggest difference is that we have 3 top-100 recruits/transfers now eligible that we didn't have last year. And we've shed ourselves of some of the locker room issues that might have held us back a bit last year. I take this as a very good sign for us.

Just curious what people think.

Getting closer to that, 49r.

Near as I can tell, Nebraska was 40% for threes on the day, across both the morning and the afternoon scrimmages. Morning: Shavon, 18 pts on 3-4 from three Andrew, 16 pts Morrow, 14 pts (take note, those who think Ed is just a glass cleaner) Watson, 13 pts 52-35 rebounding advantage (fantastic for a "small" team) and 23 assists. In the afternoon, Watson was 8-11 shooting. Is he the Day 1 starter at point? He ran the reds in the public scrimmage. I am GEEKED!

When I posted the above, there were 47 total votes and 11 of them were for 2 years or more to make the dance.Now, there are 48 votes and 12 for 2 years or more. After what I saw tonight, I'm more confident than ever. And someone who waited until now to cast a vote was obviously unmoved by the newbies' performance at the scrimmage tonight. Personally, I was blown away. Norm, you do it every year. Actually, this isn't true. I looked it up. Last year, when we went into the season ranked but didn't make the dance, I was very optimistic. The year before when we did make the dance, I had been rather pessimistic. The year before that, I was pessimistic and, turns out, I was right. So, I've been wrong two of the last three years. Which means I'm due.

Now you just sound like a GEICO commercial, Norm! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3L9OP2CLFM Good commercial, but I'm pretty confident that Norm would believe that Geico sucks. Geico is just a year away, two tops. They still need a big man.

I love the picture of that fence post. To me, that kind of scenery is beautiful. I love Nebraska. Having said that, I think the goal posts in the lower picture are safe if they're in Lincoln. It's toward the end of tornado season and we rarely have touchdowns in Lincoln anymore. They say it's because Lincoln sits in a valley; I think it's because Tom Osborne retired too soon.

Agree about Leslee; disagree about Morrow and Rivers being even. Rivers was a bit too passive in his approach to the game. Yeah, he could occasionally hit a face-up J, but he only had 129 points in 709 minutes last year. That's about 6 points every 40 minutes. Or 4 points per game, based on the minutes he played. If you take away the points scored on free throws, he only accounted for about a bucket per game. So, what real impact did his face-up game provide for us? On the other hand, did you see where Morrow was Johnny-on-the-spot being in the right place to snare rebounds and get the put-backs? That's based on a knack for making plays. That's something Rivers never showed in 4 years. Let alone his freshman year.

So, is Tim trying to tell us something? Does someone need to tweet out a "boom"?

I pretty much agree with your take, cwg. I was impressed with Gill and think he'll be a real difference maker when he's eligible next year. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to watching the growth of the freshmen this season. I want to emphasize that my being blown away was in part to do with a guy who can't play for us this season and in part to do with freshmen that are still making the transition to college hoops. I am by no means saying these guys are ready for the big time right at this moment. But, if you look at them as the freshmen they are and base your evaluation on them accordingly, there's a hell of a lot of reason for optimism. For those who were able to watch, how would you compare Ed Morrow's game right now to David Rivers as a senior? Granted, Ed's a little raw offensively, but man does he go after rebounds. And with as quick of a leaper as he is, if he's near the basket when he gets the board, he'll be back up there in the blink of an eye getting a shot off. I wish he didn't feel like he had to face up to the basket every time he does get the ball. If he could develop a couple of post-up moves it would be nice. But here's a kid who's set to make an impact off the bat. The other notable freshman was McVeigh. He surprised me a bit. He's a better shooter than I expected. He's comfortable and capable of taking those shots and did you see him catch the back door pass from Tai Webster? He knows how to get the ball out of his hands quickly inside and get off a shot in traffic. He knows what he's doing on the floor. Watson was a facilitator, which we expected him to be. He made a couple of floaters, which shows he can be a threat to score when we need that. But mostly, right now, we need him to distribute. And he did that. Jacobson didn't play but he did shoot the ball in warm-ups. He has a good stroke, even from deep. He was spotting up beyond the arc and had a nice looking shot. A legit threat from that distance, I would think. Plus, he's continuing to grow and, if he's right about where he's headed, he'll be 6'10" before long. With good muscle weight. Like a Brandon Ubel in stature but with a better perimeter jumper. Can he put it on the floor like Brandon? We'll see. Evelyn had a nice second half of the scrimmage. Took some shots; made some shots. He has a quick release even though he doesn't get much elevation on his jumper, so he may be able to get it off even though he doesn't elevate very high. Intriguing player and a kid to keep an eye on. If you look at these freshmen as FRESHMEN and not as veterans, I see a whole lot of promise there. This is a very good class of recruits, as I've exhaustively described in that thread from yesterday.

Besides, HB, I'm a sunshine pumper. It's what I do. And what have you done to our friend who always used to be "geeked" this time of year?

Well, HB, I don't think we're there this year. But if this group doesn't get there in year two, with all the experience they'll have by then, I think it'll mean they just aren't that good and another year after that isn't going to make a difference. Our last NCAA tourney team was full of 2nd year players and a freshman who weren't nearly as highly touted as these recruits. This group of freshmen already have a Spain trip and a full summer more than what Shields and Parker had as freshmen. If Shields, Parker, Webster, Rivers, Petteway and Pitchford can dance as freshman, sophomores and a junior, I don't see why 2 seasons for this group isn't enough time to coalesce into a tournament caliber team. I mean, if they can get there at all, the end of next year should be enough time to prove it.

No argument from me on that point, but you can see the talent is there.

White was matched up against Gill for the scrimmage and I thought it was the most impressive battle of the night. I think White can play the 2 if it allows us to get another good shooter out there. Otherwise, he probably plays the 3 and you have Webster's defense and slashing ability at the 2. Ultimately, Miles has lots of options. Lots of GOOD options.

Next year, though, I have Watson, Gill, White and Morrow all pencilled in.

In two years, Anton Gill will be a senior. Morrow, Watson, McVeigh, Jacobson and Evelyn will all be juniors. Did you mean next year?

Shields, White, Morrow, Parker (for now) and probably Webster for now but McVeigh isn't far away. In which case, White moves to off guard and McVeigh plays wing. What McVeigh brings to the table in shooting ability will be tough to keep off the floor.

Orher than future classes, this is the most significant.

Could you elaborate for those of us who were either squinting at the Periscope feed or were unable to attend? Check my new thread.

When I posted the above, there were 47 total votes and 11 of them were for 2 years or more to make the dance. Now, there are 48 votes and 12 for 2 years or more. After what I saw tonight, I'm more confident than ever. And someone who waited until now to cast a vote was obviously unmoved by the newbies' performance at the scrimmage tonight. Personally, I was blown away.

I know, I'm never one to go out on a limb, but there, I said it. I'm just frickin' floored at the upgrade in talent that these new guys represent. And whether you count Andrew White as part of this '15 class, or Anton Gill, either way: This is the most significant recruiting class I've ever seen here. And I've been watching a long time. Yeah, OK, Strickland, Woolridge, Boone and Amos Gregory were very highly regarded. No doubt about that. Very talented. But, what we really ended up with out of that class was two very good shooting guards. And not a lot else. I'm going to make a case that this class is more significant than that one. Let's start with positions: Center: The '92 class didn't have one. If Jacobson grows that next inch he's predicting, he'll be 6'9 1/2" which, for all practical purposes in the world of college basketball rosters, is 6'10". He's already 232#. And he's still growing. He said in the paper today that his best attribute is rebounding. But we also know the kid can shoot the ball from deep. In two years, it could easily be that we have a 6'10", 250# center who can drill the trey on the pick and pop. What a weapon. Power Forward: The '92 class had Amos Gregory. Overweight, out of shape, and a little lazy Amos Gregory. Lasted a season. This class has a 6'7" dynamo named Ed Morrow. Holy moly. Our team rebounding just took a big step forward. He won't get a lot of offense. Probably mostly put-backs off of offensive rebounds and maybe some pick-and-rolls. But he's going to be a huge upgrade over David Rivers probably from day 1. Wing: The '92 class had Jaron Boone. Great lefty. A bit of a head case. Could shoot, could drive. Top 10 all-time in scoring at Nebraska. Played during an era of high-octane offenses. This class has Jack McVeigh. McVeigh is longer and he looks to me to be as good if not better from beyond the arc (even though the arc was closer back then.) Probably not as good at slashing as Boone, but a credible threat as a shooter for sure. Clear edge to Boone, but McVeigh is no slouch if you watched him tonight. Shooting Guard: The '92 class had future NBA player Erick Strickland. Never a great shooter but a superb athlete who was a defensive stopper. This class has either Andrew White or Anton Gill, whichever way you want to go with that. Both were higher ranked than Strickland, coming out of high school (though not by a lot.) Both appear to be better shooters than Strickland. Neither probably has his defensive tenacity. Edge probably to Strickland. But maybe not by a lot, actually. Point Guard: The '92 class had Andre Woolridge. I never thought Andre was quite as good as Andre thought he was. And I thought he was a pouter who was more about Andre than team. He ended up doing some good things at Iowa but his impact at Nebraska was minimal. My impression was that he was somewhat of a locker room cancer during his short stay here and it was best for all parties that he moved on. I don't know what kind of attitude Glynn Watson has, but what I saw of his play tonight was as good as anything I saw out of Woolridge as a freshman. If he lasts more than a year and produces even one start, he'll leave a more impressive legacy than Andre did. I'd say odds are pretty good that will happen. Combo Guard: The '92 class didn't have one. This class has Bakari Evelyn. Did you see Bakari tonight? Not bad. Better shooter than I expected. Sure seemed like he knew what he was doing on the floor. Probably buried on the depth chart this year, but if he bides his time, he has a chance to contribute here. Maybe even a lot. Considering depth, overall talent level and the opportunity to contribute right off the bat (given the state of the program and the rest of the roster) this has to be the most significant class in the history of Nebrasketball. Especially after watching things tonight, you have to like the trajectory we're on. And this recruiting class is the biggest reason why.

Anyone want to change their picks after watching the scrimmage tonight? All you guys who said two years or more have some esplainin' to do.

Ed isn't a great shooter, but he doesn't need to be. What he does need to do is develop a little back-to-the-basket skill. He kept trying to turn and face up with Hammond guarding him and then couldn't do anything with it. By the time he would start to drive, the defense would collapse and strip the ball or Ed would travel. If he had a couple of post-up spin moves to create some space, he could be really a handful for opposing bigs. Now, what Ed does reeeeeeaaaally well is rebound. He's a very quick leaper and has fast (and big) hands. He's able to snag balls out of the air that you don't expect him to get. And in the blink of an eye, he's back up with the ball and scoring it. You can really see a difference between a 4-star, top 100 Rivals kid and the marginal 3-stars we've seen in the past. This dude can play. Remember when we used to complain about a kid being "overhyped" and not living up to expectations? I don't think that's going to be an issue, here.

I have no right to know that.

Reds are McVeigh, Morrow, Watson, White and Webster.