Norm Peterson

We're fortunate to have a few really high motor, unselfish guys. Allick is one. So is Gary and so is Sam Hoiberg.

Ultimate tell: has the line moved? If not, then he's gonna play.

There's a part of me -- the Husker Hoops PTSD part -- that worries we won't bring our "A" game tonight and that we'll somehow manage to sneak into the NIT. As a 5-seed. For a road game. Please, just win this one tonight so I can rest easy.

Feels like we were never rewarded for playing a tough schedule and now it looks like we are being rewarded for beating up a bunch of patsies. So, I guess the schedule will look soft again next year. Lesson for the NCAA: You get what you reward. Or, as Tim Miles would have said, "You get what you tolerate."

What was it last year?

I gotta think if we win the next two, we're a lock regardless of what happens after that.

I'm actually impressed that roughly 2/3 of the people on this board who voted in this poll thought our ceiling was over 20 wins.

Bump for some perspective. I'm thinking we all have a little Husker hoops PTSD.

Age/experience Depth Quality bench Buy-in More shooters Maybe a little more athleticism Lack of injuries Partial list

I'm not going to go back and cut and paste comments from old threads. I just remember there seemed to be a consistent complaint earlier in the season that we didn't have anyone on this roster who had lateral quickness and explosiveness and that was going to affect our ability to play good defense, and probably also score on the offensive end. I think we've done better than the vast majority of people on this board would have expected. So what happened? What is different about this team that allowed us to go from a .500 squad a year ago to a probable NCAA tourney entrant this year?

Hunter made a mistake going to Gonzaga and having to be a role player there. One of the articles posted indicated he got to the point where he wasn't even going to try to score in games and would just settle into a defensive role because he didn't want to get yanked and chewed out by Mark Few. He would have been better served to come here and develop with a lot of playing time where he had a greater chance of being a focal point of our offense instead of thinking he had to just pass the ball to everyone else. But he's having a good time at Wake now, so I guess good for him.

Yeah, but they just put 13-7 on the table. That was one I didn't think they'd get. They now have 2 remaining home games against Iowa and Minnesota.

He's a good player. Only a sophomore.

Northwestern just kicked our 3-seed in the nuts.

"Hey, they really like me down there. They really, really liked me."

Darn.

His auntie sees you. And she's not amused.

Thoughts and prayers

We have a road game against Ohio State on Thursday, a home game against Rutgers, and finish on the road at Michigan, which is a veritable who's who among the bottom three teams in the league.

Northwestern's final four games of the regular season include AT Maryland tomorrow night and at Michigan State alternating with home games against Iowa and Minnesota. And neither of those home games are gimmes. And, again, they need two games just to get to 12. Which, if they do, we hold the tie-breaker.

Well, since Wisconsin just lost one of the games they needed to win to stay ahead of us ... They close with two at home including against Illinois and Rutgers. And they finish on the road at Purdue. And we hold the tie-breaker.

National player of the week.

Every day? That's dedication.

Boy, wouldn't his auntie just love that?