Fullbacksympathy

My point is that we performed better at that tournament than we were supposed to. We finished 4th--ahead of Dayton--and improved our RPI by 20 spots with a top 50 win. It matters a lot if we win 18-19 games, and I think that's a very real possibility.

Whoops... I meant of Clemson/CU/KU... forgot about USD, but I probably shouldn't have. They'll be tough. I hate scheduling Dakota teams in any sport.

So, we started the year in the high 90s and are now mid-70s. Good. Really need to get at least one win in the next three.

Cool. I know your knowledge of bigs is better than mine. I'll keep an eye on those specific matchups. Thanks for the input!

Our young roster showed against Va. Tech. We'll lay an egg here or there, but I'm still very encouraged by what I've seen. Even the VT loss will still help our RPI at the end of the year, and the Dayton win will prove to help. If we can go 1-2 in the next three games, I'd call that a very successful start to the season. We played awful and were up at half, down 6 with a minute left against what is likely a tournament team. Take that how you want, but I think it's a good sign.

I agree that he's the difference. I don't agree that he is going up against anyone more talented than him, nor do I think he will all season. Bigger? Barely, when you consider a 7' wingspan, but definitely not in strength. He's the most athletic big I've ever seen at Nebraska.

McVeigh needs to prove early in the game that he can make an outside shot or two. If not, Roby needs to get his minutes. We have a good team.

This. It'll be interesting to see if Tai can hound Ball. Kid is legit. I look forward to that matchup.

I think we'll throw both at him. I think Jordy will get some real minutes tonight if he's too much height/weight to handle.

Agree with the Lewis analysis (the points in the paint difference was incredible), but disagree with the Mo analysis. We held Dayton to 38% shooting last night and kept their NBA SG in check fairly well despite an extremely ticky tac ref squad. We held La Tech to 37% shooting. Our defense has been extremely good this year because we no longer have to double the post. This year and last year are different planets, personnel wise. Having a talented 7' Fr as a fresh body, plus Roby's ability to play the 4 make a huge difference. That's two bodies we didn't have last year which allow Jacobson and Morrow to play together, and those two are a tough duo on both ends. Dayton did seem to get to the lane at will, but that is literally the quickest team we'll face all season, and we had a lot of blocked shots.

This game is the result of Miles not lowering the bar on his recruiting over the years. The standard of athleticism is set and, despite our youth, we have a complete roster that can match up with just about anyone. While we might not have any NBA-ready players, we don't really have any weaknesses at any position. We whooped Dayton's ass for most of the game because we had superior athletes and decent depth. Same with La Tech. This is why I've advocated for Miles to get two more years after this season. He has completely changed the standard of athlete acceptable to put on a Nebraska jersey. Great, great win. UCLA will be extremely tough. They have one of the best half court offenses I've seen in years. Super skilled bigs. Incredible true frosh at PG, and a great senior leader at SG. We can outrun them though. They are very Wisconsin-esque.

LOL

We have a complete roster of talented, high-character kids who get along well. That's going to make us a tough out for anyone who plays us. Unfortunately, we are also very young, so we're likely to lay a few eggs here and there. That said, I don't see anyone on our schedule who will blow us out. Beat us by 10-12? Sure, but I suspect we're going to start learning how important it is to change the athleticism of the roster the way TM has when we play these top 15 teams. When I look at CU, they are very talented, but not loaded with NBA players like KU. They're talented like we are, but they have more experienced players. We'll match up well. I actually think the Dayton game coming up is the most important game of the non-con. This is an annual tournament team that we are very capable of beating despite being an underdog. They play with a ton of intensity that we're going to have to match. Beat Dayton and the CU predictions will start getting a whole lot closer.

I think Taylor has easily been our must underrated player. Say what you want about his offensive skill, but he did a great job taking care of/moving the ball last night. Defensively, I think he's pretty far above average. Being as big as he is and able to really guard the 2 is huge for us. He's a very good defender--strong and tough, not to mention tall. We needed him out there to hound those guys last night. I like his game.

I agree. AWIII wasn't going to be anything more than honorable mention All Conference again. Again, not a criticism. He's a good player, but good players are replaceable.

Roby will replace him. Give him 5 more games. He was already going to get some of White's minutes this season, and he's a better all around offensive talent. Gill is another ball handler--we needed that more than White. McVeigh has filled our shooter role pretty well thus far in White's absence. Really, our added depth will replace him. White is a good college player, though. Not taking anything away from him, but he's not a great player. Just good.

I understand your reaction. I was hoping the context was implied. I could've been more clear. I meant as far as available candidates at the time of TM's hire.

Totally agree with most of what you said. I truly can't think of a coach who could've recruited better. Coached better? Sure. Miles is young. The season after we made the tourney was a massive disappointment for me from a coaching perspective (control of the team), but that was the only season I felt this way. Regardless, I think these young guys are all very high character from what I've seen, and that should translate to improvement moving forward.

We have a team full of sophomores and freshman--the most talented underclassmen I've ever seen here. That's a big deal, and it takes a long time to establish that sort of talent in an upstart program. There isn't a coach in the country who could've recruited better than Miles in this position. I truly believe that. What has yet to be determined is if he can coach up and develop players of this caliber. The ceiling for these young players is higher than almost any team Nebraska has ever fielded, and it's on Miles and his staff to see them through to their potential. So, yeah, he got them here with an extremely decisive plan and work ethic on the recruiting trail, not to mention a real standard of talent has now been established to suit up for Nebraska. He deserves the chance to coach the fruits of his labor.

If we're looking at how long it actually takes to transform the talent/mentality/ceiling of a bad program, Miles is right on track. You can call this year's team a ho-hum squad like any other year, but they are more talented underclassmen than I ever remember seeing here as a whole, and anyone who knows the game can plainly see that. I believe Miles deserves to coach this sophomore class two more seasons after this one. Their senior year should be his make or break because we will be able to look on a complete roster of his very best recruiting efforts. If he can't take that squad to the tourney and get a win or two, he isn't the guy for the job. I think he's the guy for the job though.

Watson is a future NBA guard with elite quickness, ball handling, scoring ability, vision, defense, and scoring. Look at his stat line. Unreal. I continue to be amazed and proud of Tai's progression as a basketball player. He has gone from average athlete as a freshman to elite athlete as a senior. He's our best defender, and he now has the elevation and quickness to get to the rim at will. Morrow is exactly who I thought we'd see eventually. I never jumped off that train. His bloodline won't let him be anything other than great before he leaves here. Jack looks great and has really found an identity as a guy who can stretch the floor. He did a nice job rebounding as well. As usual, Jacobson was super active. I don't think he's ever going to be a stat-filler, but he's an extremely valuable part of this process working--good defender, passer, very good footwork, and can knock down an open jumper when necessary. I thought Jordy looked great. He runs the floor well and has a good understanding of his body. He'll learn to put the ball back in the hoop soon enough. He's going to be a terror once he bulked up his upper body a bit. Roby will be a great contributor. What a luxury he is with that size and skill set. I really like Evan Taylor. He's an excellent defender and athletic enough to help us offensively as well. Huge upgrade from Benny. Gill will be fine. You can see his ability. I think we'll be a very difficult team to press this year with him being able to help with minutes. His shots will fall. Jeriah seems to have a ways to go defensively, but he can get buckets. We're a much better team than last year.

Man. I just love looking at a roster with no real weaknesses. There are plenty of days where the bench would beat the starters. That's a sign of true persistence and high standards in recruiting. We don't necessarily have any killers (though some might develop into those), but it also looks like a team that will be really difficult to beat. This is the first time in decades that I've looked at a roster and truly felt there are no tragic obstacles to overcome in height, skill, or athleticism. If I was an opposing coach, I wouldn't necessarily be pulling my hair out to scout Nebraska, but I'd tell my players that they'll have to play extremely well to win at every spot on the court. The ISU scrimmage sounded very encouraging. They're a top 25 squad. I think we have a top 50 collection of talent. We might be young, but the kids seem pretty mature and likable. Excited to see them.

For a point guard though? The A:T is one of the first things I look at when judging a PG. That's one of the many reasons why Watson is such a stud.

Wow. The B1G is scary good. I think .500 in conference gets us dancing. Hoping we can split a few of the noncon tossups.

Dayton is the perfect non-con opponent, IMO. We'll be slight underdogs with a shot at a big time win, and a loss doesn't hurt us. Honestly, that's where Creighton is now that they aren't playing in a high school conference anymore. I'm thrilled we have them on the schedule every year. They're another one in that range.