Chuck Taylor

Right, basketball is all that matters. Football just gives a recruit a chance to get his photo taken at the game and post it on Instagram. Ed Chang has a bunch of them. It also shows that Lincoln isn't a backwater town if the recruit is from a big city. Hey, football, girls, parrrrrrrrrties!

I can't wait either. Very excited by the roster potential, very concerned that so few of these guys have played together.

It seems like Glynn is the only one who fits that description. I like Copeland a lot, but I doubt he can take over a game and make sure we don't have scoring droughts. I don't know that you could expect that out of anybody else on the roster.

Sooooo, I guess I misread this. I thought the sarcasm was dripping from this post, but others seem to take it seriously. Or are they being sarcastic too? I am not being sarcastic, or ironic, or sardonic, just clueless.

I'd like to think we can improve on offense, especially on 3s, but I think defense might be the more important area. Here are our KenPom numbers for the last four season: 2016-17: 147 offense, 77 defense 2015-16: 87 offense, 114 defense 2914-15: 264 offense, 28 defense 2013-14: 112 offense, 34 defense Considering that half of D-1 is low majors or just plain bad programs, those offensive numbers are pretty sad. I just don't see how you jump from 147 to around 75 on the backs of two freshmen shooters and one transfer. The defense, on the other hand, can make a jump with our increased length and athleticism. I'd think we could make top 50 on defense, and that's tournament caliber. We were 261 in unadjusted offensive efficiency last year, 210 in defensive efficiency, according to TeamRankings. Pretty awful, but adjusting to the tough schedule makes it look a little better.

So 3 spots open, right? I support Norm's premonition too.

No kidding. Plus they just have 9 scholarship players. Yeah, they don't need him.

The top 144 countdown has Ohio State 10th in the league, 76 overall. Seems a little high. http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/15064

Sad to say, but that's where we stand right now. We have a faded brand in football and no brand in basketball. These are national marketing deals and right now there's more demand for Louisville and their slimebag coaches than DONU. I think Eichorst got the best deal he could.

Boxing would have a bigger following if everyone had his style and skill. Bud's an artist in the ring.

TP left after freshman year with a coaching change. Palmer had 2 years at Miami and apparently didn't see any increased playing time or he wouldn't have left . We've had good luck with both TP and AWIII in similar situations, but I don't think it's a formula that allows you to project somebody in the top 6-8 players in the BIG at a position with a ton of talent on other rosters. I don't have Norm's wherewithal to chart out all of the other teams' guys at that spot, but you could see how it translated with Roby. The guys with the best chance of being in the top level this year are Glynn (obviously) and Copeland. I expect to see good improvement from others, but I'm just not as optimistic that any of them will be in the top half of the BIG this year.

Sorry to dredge this up again, but I can't stand the bagging on guys who leave. One minute they're great, then they're awful. Yeah, MJ averaged 6 and 6. But he was a sophomore, so maybe his numbers improve too? Iowa State is a much better program than us and they took him, even though "he just isn't that good." THANK YOU.

Burke's Wanjang Tut to UNO, will redshirt. Had decent mid offers from FGCU and Charlotte, had originally signed with Little Rock. He wasn't that skilled when I saw him a couple of years ago, but seemed to have a 10-foot wingspan. http://www.omaha.com/uno/blog/former-omaha-burke-standout-wanjang-tut-will-redshirt-first-season/article_e63e2df0-7ef0-11e7-b31a-671b5945bb36.html

Just numerically speaking, if we're being picked to finish 12th, then it's not possible for so many of our players to be ranked so high in the BIG. I haven't seen anybody on the board pick us to finish as high as 6th, which (numerically speaking) would mean we have players that are as high as 6th in the league. I realize having a POY could change the equation, as would having a super-duper Xs and Os coach. But just as a numbers thing, the talent evaluation on this thread seems a little optimistic. Palmer had trouble getting on the floor at Miami, for example, but now he's in the top half of the BIG?

The staff has made the decision that we're not going to get anybody better at his position. Hate to say it, but TM's status has to be a drag on recruiting. How can it not be? With 5 scholarships available (now 3?), it was worth taking a shot on a local big guy. He may not be a 5 star but he's not chopped liver (failed to find a chopped liver gif).

I think we'll all be ready to put on our raccoon coats and lift our pennants high when the season starts, but there's good reason for "realism" about this season. We finished over 100 in most metrics last year with an abysmal record, then lost Tai and four other guys in the offseason. Norm, I know you think the team just got beaten down, but that's just a postseason analysis. Good teams don't get beaten down. We couldn't shoot and our defense wasn't good enough to make up the difference. Take Copeland out of the mix for part of the season, add the chemistry issues of blending him in later to a team that's picked to finish 10+ in the BIG and you've got something to be legitimately concerned about. For those of us who are "on the ledge" about not having Copeland, it's just a basketball issue, not a matter of loyalty.

No. 99 in the top 144 countdown, 12th in the BIG: http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/14987 They had us 103 preseason last year.

If we don't squeeze every drop of juice out of this roster, then Miles will be gone and Copeland's fifth year of eligibility won't matter. He'll take his talents elsewhere. IDK if his arrival led to Ed and MJ leaving, kind of irrelevant at this point, but I do know that his missing a third of the season is a major, major problem. This is a generally inexperienced roster, and this is a guy who we absolutely know can score at this level. Glynn is the only other player on the roster you can say that about.

Two things NBA teams don't see: (1) an elite defender (2) an elite shooter. He's 24 years old, so his upside is limited and the talent pool for wings is much larger than for PGs or bigs. Could he make an NBA roster? Sure, a lot of guys could in the right situation. Bruce Bowen didn't make it to the NBA till he was 25 or so, but he played for a coach who saw the things he could do. Creighton's Tolliver has made a good living too, and he's not an elite player by any stretch. Terran needs to learn to do something that makes him a valuable piece, because he won't make it on his overall talent. And I'm sure he knows that.

That couldn't happen ..... could it?

He's getting some decent offers, but still no high majors so far, even though he's had plenty of exposure this summer. Miles' hot-seat status this year might make it tough to sell some guys on coming here, might not be an issue for him. I still think we'll offer at some point since we have 5 openings.

Says his "godfather" is no longer an assistant there. It's a family thing, right?

I'm going to New York. Can't miss a chance to see a game in the Garden. Like going to the Rose Bowl.

His best offers seem to be Colorado and Wash State, so not like he's not good enough for us. The Sudanese community seems to have a growing impact on these kids' future, i.e. the Luol Deng camps and organization. Maybe they're steering kids to the Pac 12 (like Chang)? And maybe we're out of the picture after the Aguek situation? Dunno, just a random Sunday morning theory before trying to figure out which wolf was in the Game of Thrones trailer.

I think we'll offer for that reason: 5 spots, take a chance.