Bill Self's Toupee

It is a rough comparison to make, but here goes... I think this season was going to be a rough one if we didn't make a coaching change this spring. Winning half of our games seemed like a reasonable expectation. Not what I wanted, but it seemed to fit where we were as a program. Then we actrually saw a coaching change. And a monumental shift in the roster, with all the uphill work that entails - players getting to know each other and their coaches, learning how to play as a team, even simply getting adjusted to a new school. That's a lot to deal with. That said, I have the same expectations for this season as I did in March... win half the games this year. But, oddly, I don't feel frustrated with that expectation now. I think it is because this is Year 1 for Hoiberg rather than year 7 for Miles.

With the information on the team coming from their trip to Italy, the season suddenly seems around the corner. I was out walking (trying to sweat off a pound or four) and thinking, and tried to put together a roster of my favorite players. I thought I'd share what I came up with, and see what other people would come up with. The only rule... 13 players, and they must have played for at least one full year at Nebraska. I also limited myself to players I actually have watched play. Here's my roster: Bigs: Aleks Maric, Rich King, Verson Hamilton Forwards/Wings: Eric Piatkowski, Carl Hayes, Bruce Chubick, Isaiah Roby, Terrance Badgett, Shavon Shields Guards: Erick Strickland, Clifford Scales, Tyronn Lue, Cookie Belcher Heavy on the Danny Nee, I know... but we had the most talent then.

Le Mer (Beyond the Sea) Original: Charles Tenet Cover: Julio Iglesias (uses as the finale in the remake of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy) Can't explain it, but I really dig this tune.

There was good discussion on this week's OWH Pick Six Podcast about the upcoming season.

Yeah, that whole situation was baaaaaad.

I read an article stating the AAC does not want a partial participant in their conference. Here's the link: Yahoo Article by Pete Thamel

I think NBA teams will notice how Roby has improved from mid-season to end-season to combine. He is exhibiting the ability to grow and still has potential for more growth. To me his stock is continuing to climb.

Thanks, gents! So in a season you can either play 29 games -OR- 27 games + a qualifying regular season multiple-team event (early-tourney). Said event can have up to 4 games for your team, to a maximum of 31 games. (The B1G teams will have 20 Conference and either 9 non-Conf games -OR- 20 Conference and 8-11 non-Conf games (depending on the number of games in the " early-touney".) That's where I picked up the poorly thought out idea of "early-tourney that only takes up one non-Conf slot".

Did I imagine that early-tourney rule then? Does anyone have any idea what I might be thinking about here?

I think a team can be in one non-conf tourney during a season which only takes up one of the non-conf slots. So with Southern Utah, we still have 5 more opponents? 01) Southern 02) UC Riverside 03) @Creighton 04) Caymans Classic (3 for the price of one?) 05) Big 10/ACC Challenge 06) Southern Utah 07) ? 08) ? 09) ? 10) ? 11)?

Correct!

If we get one more recruit then Thor most likely will not be here next season. I think today's activity is a pretty clear sign that the coaches fully expect Roby to be drafted.

“The first thing you notice about Yvan is his size and physicality, especially for just turning 17 in March. He gives us an immediate physical presence which was a priority for us. He has unbelievable upside and is someone we think can develop and flourish in our system.” - Coach Fred Hoiberg Yvan Ouedraogo (pronounced Ivan way-drah-O-go) from Bordeaux, France has signed his National Letter-of-Intent to play basketball for Nebraska. Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg announced Monday morning that Yvan Ouedraogo (pronounced Ivan way-drah-O-go) has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play basketball for the Husker basketball program next season. This past season, Ouedraogo played in 26 games for Centre Fédéral de Basketball, which is a program in the top amateur league in France. Despite turning 17 in March, he averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Ouedraogo was also selected for the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in the U18 Division, averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds against some of Europe’s top youth competition, including a nine-point, 10-rebound performance. He has also represented France in international competition, including the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championships, when he averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Nebraska currently has two scholarships remaining for 2019-20 (three if Isaiah Roby stays in the draft) View full article

I would add 2% to that probability. Everytning from how we are recruiting, what Roby is doing and saying, to how the coaches have responded to the situation clearly shows (at least to me, anyway) that Roby is not coming back. It appears to me that there are fans who want him to return (because it helps Nebraska more than it helps Roby) that are trying to find reasons for him to come back. Is Roby a bit raw for the NBA? Most likely. But most players are. Could Roby benefit from a year under Hoiberg? Probably. But with Copeland's injury clearly in Roby's mind, why risk it? For me, I am glad that his is pursuing the opportunity in front of him.

Does anyone know how you can get to watch practices? Man, it would be fascinating!