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Hard to know. Trev loves bringing back historically bad coaches. 

At the start of the season, if someone said Huskers would be 7-1 after 8 games, most would likely have taken that.  Not great, because we would know the loss was most likely to Creighton, but at least the Huskers took care of business in all the other games.  If it was also known that Huskers would win comfortably and beat the spread on most games, that would be a bonus.  With that said, we have now seen enough of this team and the players to get a good feel for what we have and don't have, areas of surprise (in a good way) and areas of concern.  This is my general "state of the team" overview at this stage of the season, feel free to comment or disagree.
 
1.  This team is not as deep as we all hoped/thought coming into the season.  We have 6 legit rotation players (Keisei, JL, Williams, Allick, Mast and Gary).  After that it drops off pretty fast.  Unless CJ is hitting 40+% on his 3s, it is hard to justify his playing time.  He is small, slow and really struggles on defense.  Sam H plays incredibly hard and is scrappy on defense, but he is also small and limited offensively.  Scrappiness only take you so far in the B1G.  But so far, the biggest dropoff has been Boogie.  He is playing decent minutes and averaging a whopping 2.5 pts/game, at 19%FG and 13% (2-15) on 3s, while on defense he is S-L-O-W.  
 
2.  Time for the time/rotation to shorten/change.  CJ, Sam and Boogie's minutes all must decrease, and based on their play, at least one of them should be completely out of the rotation (as of now, that would be Boogie IMO).  On the flip side, time to give Rice some rotation minutes and see what he can do.  If Eli shows he can be a solid contributor, this will likely come at CJ's expense (unless CJ suddenly gets on fire from 3, which he is capable)
 
3.  This is not last year's team (at least not yet).  There is some selfish play, and dare I say there may even be some tension/hostility between certain players.  I thought maybe I was just reading too much into things, but based on other peoples posts, others have observed some of it as well.   
 
4.  Keisei is still the most potent offensive weapon on this team.  And it appears that some players on the team resent this fact.  This must end.  The primary goal should be to get Keisei as many good/open looks as possible.  Keisei should not be having to do constant step-back's to get open, nor should he have to constantly create shots off the dribble.  Last year, his teammates ran sets and set picks to get him open looks, time for this year's teammates to do the same.
 
5.  Everyone loves Allick and his effort, but he is what he is.  The experiment of having his shoot multiple 3s each game has to end.  And frankly, he should never be the offensive focal point, whether inside or outside.  Have others noticed he has a bit of "butter" hands?  He rarely catches the ball cleanly, whether  by pass or rebound.  Too much risk going into him too often, only when he is wide open and has a clear advantage.
 
6.  JL deserves considerable praise for all his work in converting to PG, and overall, he has been pretty solid in that role.   But why oh why did his conversion to PG result in him forgetting how to shoot?  Man, what an unfortunate tangent  He's playing massive minutes yet averaging only 4 points per game on 32% FG and 20% on 3s (5-25).  
 
7.  Many people believe today's modern college basketball is largely guard-oriented.  Our 3 primary guards (JL, Sam and Boogie) are averaging 4.0, 2.5 and 2.4 points per game, and 2 of those 3 (JL and Boogie) on atrocious shooting percentage.  This just isn't going to get it done.  Creighton wasn't even guarding JL at the 3.  Same with Boogie.  This results in a clogged paint, or more emphasis on Keisei, making things significantly more difficult for all the other players. 
 
8.  Right now, the only players on this team who I feel confident shooting a 3 are Keisei, Williams, Mast and Sam.  If Rice was playing, I would probably add him to the list.  I really want to add CJ, but man he just is so inconsistent.  We wanted to believe we could play 5 out, but we can't.  It is not reality at this time.  
 
8.  Wrong players shooting the wrong shots.  There have been too many games in which Gary, or Allick or Boogie shot more 3s than Keisei or Williams.  Last game, Allick and Gary combined for more 3s (6) than Keisei and Williams combined.  And McDermott laughed all the way to a 30 point victory.  I realize the defensive emphasis was on Keisei and Williams, but this goes back to the team running an offense as team designed to get the best shooters the best shots.  
 
9.  Overall, this team is slow and rather unathletic.  Even against teams like Duquesne, this was evident.  Which means we have to beat teams with skill, teamwork and shooting.  So far, the shooting has been a let down, but some of this is because they still are not playing 100% as a team.
 
10.  Before the season I stated I was curious about Williams because I had never seen him play.  His stats seemed solid, yet he wasn't a starter at Charlotte.  So far, I still am curious.  What is he?  He definitely has been "solid".  But can he be bettter?  Once again, his stats are excellent (14.6 pts/game on 45/42/90).  But does he have a killer instinct.  Can he take his game to the next level in the big games (had only 6 points vs. Creighton).  Many call him "mature", "disciplined", etc.  I hope it is all these "positive" attributes, but it is hard to know based on his demeanor.  He also is the player that seems to have an issue with Keisei.  
 
11.  Time for Fred to start playing the top 6 more minutes per game.  He is treating the players like they are made of glass.  Keisei is being subbed out within the first 5 minutes of the game.  No players are playing more than 28-30 minutes?  Versus Creighton, Williams only played 21 minutes and Keisei only 25.  I realize it was a blowout, but in contrast, Creighton had players playing 33, 33, 32, 28, 28 minutes.   Nebraska only had one player with more than 28 minutes (JL with 29).  
 
12.  The rebounding in the last 3 games has been a massive disappointment.  Is this a bad fluke, or is it the reality of this team.  Some of this goes back to the lack of athleticism of the players, but some of it is because of lack of block outs, positioning, and just flat out fighting for rebounds.  Can they get the rebounding mojo back, or will they continue to get dominated by the bigger and more athletic teams in the B1G?
 
 

Ditto on Trev and the athletic department. I don’t want to trash them, but they really don’t look like they care a whole lot about the men’s basketball program. Between that and the halftime entertainment, it was a bad look. If you’re going to run it back with a historically bad coach, one would think you would be a little more concerned with the optics and the product. This is a red letter game, why wouldn’t they have better halftime entertainment? I mean we aren’t playing at the Bob anymore. At least try to look like you care. We packed the house and created a great environment, stop taking the fans for granted. They may not always be there. Care more. 
 
Just my two cents. Go beat Minnesota. 

We just beat a Team that will qualify for the NCAA Tournament & shot 90% from the line. Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 

From the start of the season when most of us thought that Coleman would play hero ball. It has been nice to see him pass to the open guy for some buckets.

I know where Henderson and York are. York used to be a class b power in football a couple of years ago. Henderson produced Steve Ott in the 90’s and Chad Buller was a walk on in the early 2000’s

Couldn't watch last night, traveling but was able to listen to the second half......
 
Kent and Jake are a lot of fun.
Jake was in midseason form, angry at the officials and their inconsistency. Jake brought B1G Conference intensity.
Kent was a true grizzled vet rounding into form, easing into the season. Once called "got it" on a CJ airball. 
Line of the night was Jake complaining that Rienk's mask could not get knocked off his face by itself and that he had to be fouled. Kent responded that his CPAP mask seems to work its way off his face without much contact 😂

This is the first team to hold their first 3 opponents under 55 points since the Mighty Mites of 2008-09

It's sort of funny to me how people seem to be down a bit on Boogie. I saw a guy who passes like he knows where everyone is supposed to be on offense, was able to hit our bigs for easy buckets, and at least one Sam Griesel backdown on a smaller defender.

This guy screams starting PG who averages 6-7 assists a game starting for Nebraska.
Remarkable pickup at this point in the year.
 

As someone who was behind making coaching change earlier this year, I am excited for this commitment. This kid can flat out hoop. If Fred can parlay the upcoming season into a success, this will be an excellent building block moving forward.

In this crazy small world of ours at one point he was teammates with Lance Jeter and Jason Dourisseau on pro-team Donar
 

 
https://basketball.eurobasket.com/team/Donar-Groningen/461?Page=1&Year=2018-2019

Just remember to call a doctor if it lasts for more than 4 hours.

Robin says to be prepared for some good news this afternoon 

McCollum and Wrightsell will both be done with visits early next week so we may have our lead guard situation wrapped up by then. 
 
Both were pretty high usage players this season. I believe Wrigthsell had a more talented team around him and played a slightly tougher schedule.
 
Wrightsell higher volume. McCollum higher TS% and EF% (not a huge difference between the two players here).  McCollum gets to the line more often. Both are elite free throw shooters. Three point shooting is also comparable. 
 
McCollum's assist rate was >2x Wrightsell's.  McCollum turned the ball over more, but was really their only point guard that played. Wrightsell shared ball handling/distributing duties pretty evenly with other guards. 
 
Analytically, Wrightsell appears to be the better defender. I don't have an eye test to go off of to add to this. 
 
About the same height/length. Wrightsell is heavier, stronger. Both are quick enough. Neither appear to be real explosive. Will finish below the rim (McCollum much more efficient at "close 2s"). 
 
Offense eye test from minimal film (feel free to add to this or dispute it): Wrightsell is a shoot first, aggressive combo guard who can score on all three levels. McCollum a bit more of a technician and under/in control, has some next level pure point guard skills and is also a smooth scorer.
 
If we had to choose between the two, I'd sill prefer McCollum. But wouldn't really argue with anyone who'd choose Wrightsell. Both are capable of playing at this level. 

I was sitting in the Student Section by some well to do elderly ladies dressed up in their Creighton attire. During warmups I said out loud to my buddy, “I HATE Creighton.” The ladies turned around aghast & said “do you really”? YES, was all I said…

They would be the most intriguing backcourt around for sure. That’s a lot of threes that are going to get chucked up though. When they are going in, look out. When they aren’t, there’s not enough defense there to prevent from getting rolled on. It would be entertaining no doubt though. 

That’s why I was careful to say home court player!  I would expect some serious duds on the road and huge upsets at home.  

They would be the most intriguing backcourt around for sure. That’s a lot of threes that are going to get chucked up though. When they are going in, look out. When they aren’t, there’s not enough defense there to prevent from getting rolled on. It would be entertaining no doubt though. 

I don’t call it in that moment, but it was a foul. But for Creighton to lose in that fashion with an Omaha kid challenging on the last play? *chef’s kiss*

I don’t call it in that moment, but it was a foul. But for Creighton to lose in that fashion with an Omaha kid challenging on the last play? *chef’s kiss*

You hate to see it.

The fact that we have invested so much makes it sting even more. We have an amazing arena and practice facility. We have a fan base that sells out the arena. Bramlage is a dump compared to the PBA. We erected practice facilities at a similar time and by all accounts Hendricks is far superior to Ice. 
 
The expectations clearly aren’t that difficult here. We retained a 40-83 coach with a .228 conference winning percentage and it wasn’t even a question. Why? Because we finished .500. We have had 3 winning seasons out of our last 12. Doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency to change that either. 
 
The decision was made to retain Fred. I’m 100% in his corner to get this turned around. I’m hoping we get some transfers, turn the corner and never look back. But from a 10,000 foot view, this program is a total mess and it’s going to take some serious soul searching to fix it. Now excuse me while a grab a box of tissues, a gallon of Häagen-Dazs, and depressingly cry as Creighton makes the Elite 8 tonight. 

The fact that we have invested so much makes it sting even more. We have an amazing arena and practice facility. We have a fan base that sells out the arena. Bramlage is a dump compared to the PBA. We erected practice facilities at a similar time and by all accounts Hendricks is far superior to Ice. 
 
The expectations clearly aren’t that difficult here. We retained a 40-83 coach with a .228 conference winning percentage and it wasn’t even a question. Why? Because we finished .500. We have had 3 winning seasons out of our last 12. Doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency to change that either. 
 
The decision was made to retain Fred. I’m 100% in his corner to get this turned around. I’m hoping we get some transfers, turn the corner and never look back. But from a 10,000 foot view, this program is a total mess and it’s going to take some serious soul searching to fix it. Now excuse me while a grab a box of tissues, a gallon of Häagen-Dazs, and depressingly cry as Creighton makes the Elite 8 tonight. 

Totally. Kansas State expects to be successful in basketball and that’s the difference. I don’t think they would put up with how bad we have been lately.