NebraskaRon

Terps are gonna be a great addition to the B1G. Congrats on the great win over Duke yesterday Ron! Thanks, 49r -- it is a bit of a dream come true for me having been in NE for many years. I will root for who needs it the most when they are head-to-head! :-)

Super Job, Dave -- I always go directly to your report right after the game. Reports very enjoyable and informative. My TERPS upset Duke yesterday and tip off against the Tar Babies in a half hour -- there is hope. They went from next 4 out to first 4 out with the Duke win -- maybe they can sneak in with a win today! FEAR THE TURTLE!

Great question -- I have long thought Virginia may well be part of the next wave in the Big Ten. They are an excellent Academic School and above average in athletics -- I think they would be a good fit. Maryland, Virginia, and Penn State all have a competitive history. Virginia is currently a big rival for Maryland and when I went to school, Penn State was always the rival. I played against hated Penn state as a freshman. (So I was the only one not surprised when Penn State re-drew the football field for UNL. ). Plus the geography of Maryland, Virginia, Penn State, and Rutgers really fits -- great for fans at away games. From my perspective, North Carolina is a different story. While UNC may fit Academically and Athletically, it certainly does not fit culturally. The Carolina Schools, including UNC, live in a completely different world -- southern vs middle Atlantic In many ways, Maryland and Virginia view the Carolinas much like UNL viewed Texas -- always sick and tired of playing second fiddle to a Carolina controlled ACC. The ACC BB tournament has never been away from Tobacco Road -- a constant irritant to the TERPS. I see Virginia fitting nicely in the Big Ten, but not so much UNC. I think Georgia Tech has many of the same issues as UNC -- which I guess brings us back to Virginia and Kansas as not too bad a choice.

So who will you be rooting for when Nebraska consistently plays the Terps? All-American -- sorry I missed your question up to now; it is an interesting one. My Son is a sophomore at NE -- he received a full academic scholarship offer from Maryland and a partial from NE. So "we" choose NE even at greater cost -- I guess that starts to tell the story. However, he is also a big TERP fan as am I, so we know we have some decisions to make. Here is where we come down based on our discussions: Football -- no contest--NE: Even though I played for Maryland as a Freshman, moving to NE in 1972 has made me a die-hard fan Lacrosse -- no contest -- TERPS: this one is obviously easy also. My son and I are big Lacrosse fans and the TERPS are now #1 again this year. We watched TERPS defeat #1 Loyola Saturday in a repeat of last years National Championship game. I hope Nebraskians will learn about this fantasic sport. Baseball -- no contest -- NE: Never really followed college baseball until Dave Van Horn as I grew up in a major league town. Could not root against Erstad Volleyball -- no contest -- NE: Obvious choice -- and I love the sport. NE is unbelievably Basketball (Men's) -- situational NE or TERPS: TERPS obviously have a great BB tradition with conference championships and a national championship -- I went to games with my Dad as a boy. But I was also a NE BB season ticket holder when Danny Nee came. I love what Tim Miles is doing. I follow every game of both NE and TERPS and, I guess, when they play I will root depending on the situation and who needs it more -- it will no doubt be difficult. Basketball (women's) -- situational: First, I am a fan of Women's BB -- maybe because of my age I find the women's game more like the game I played in my youth. I did start on my high school team, but nothing beyond (can't jump, you know.) Again, TERPS have a great tradition with conference and national championship -- great coach and recruiting. BUT, NE is right there also. I do follow all the games of both teams and faced a tough decision when they played this year. Following my situational approach, i rooted for NE this year as I thought they needed it more and it would mean more to them. They could meet again in the Dance -- so more decisions. As to the TERPS joining the Big Ten, I have written my thoughts on why I strongly support the move on a number of blogs previously -- I think it is great for both Maryland and the Big Ten. Many have looked at the surface of this decision and concluded it is not good based upon just looking at football and money -- but it goes much deeper. A the Big Ten becomes acquainted with Maryland's Academics and sports other than football, I feel the decision will grow to be recognized as positive for both. By the way, it was NOT a popular decision among the Maryland alumni, students, or local community. Nebraska supporters learned what the Big Ten is really about when NE joined and Maryland supporters will also learn in the years to come.

BTN2Go is nothing more than the internet version of BTN -- it is only on BTN2Go if it is on BTN. BTN.com is the subscription service that has non-BTN games. I subscribe to BTN.Com and use both it and BTN2Go when I travel and in my Florida home. BTN.COM is a great service for Big Red fans.

Thought some might enjoy -- http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bs-sp-maryland-men-advance-0113-20130112,0,6133839.story

What to say? I don't know about Rutgers, but as a Maryland grad and 30 year Husker fan, it is difficult for me not to be ecstatic about adding the TERPS to the B1G. Why Maryland? It is easy to look on the surface and say it is all about money and TV screens as many above have observed. Let's look deeper -- it was not about money when Big Red was added and I don't think it is about money now. So what IS it about? First academics -- Maryland is a highly ranked public University. They would rank in the upper third of the B1G in academics immediately. Academics is a much bigger part of the equation than some recognize. Prior National Championships in football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, women's basketball, women's lacrosse and women's field hockey -- and that is just from memory. Quite a few National Championships to add to the B1G. Basketball and Football on the rise both with new coaches the last two years -- basketball will be much more competitive this year that expected and football in 2 years when the young players develop. Great basketball facilities in basketball, acceptable in football, and excellent in Olympic sports. And, yes, money and TV does make the list. At least for me, I hope what we hear is more than rumors -- would love to have them invited to the B1G party.

Thanks for the memory, JimmyKC. Kinda neat Terp KU connection. I went to school with Gary and of course saw almost all of his games in Cole Field House. He was as fiery as a PG as he later was as a coach. Met him a couple times as a coach -- not sure he remembered me from our school days, but he was nice enough to say he did. One of my favorite memories from those days was being in the student section for Lefty's first game. He was viewed as a savior and the crowd went wild when he entered the court for the first time. The crowd would not stop, so almost without thinking he created his later famous hands over his head victory move to quiet the crowd -- it became a tradition. I loved my days there -- although I never really enjoyed the Fxxx Duke chants and Tee shirts. You could never say the students were not enthusiastic and supported the team -- I would rather be a part of that then watching in a church atmosphere. We'll get there soon with Tim I believe.

What is the right way for Big Red to start BB practice? At this point, no doubt quietly as they did. But I for one hope it is not always so. As our team becomes more relevant as we all expect, let's hope we can attend HUSKER HYSTERIA for our first practice. I was a student at Maryland in the 60's (1960's that is ) when our new coach Lefty Driesell began the now historic Maryland Madness and started Maryland back on the path to national relevance. The students responded strongly and to this day it is virtually a sold out event in the Comcast Center. i was reminded of this wonderful experience as I watched last nights event broadcast on DirectTV -- how I wish I was there! We all have bucket lists for the future of Big Red Basketball -- how about adding HUSKER HYSTERIA?

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Yes, I made it over. Great job with the new software. First unread will add greatly to enjoyment. I don't post often unless I think I can add something significant -- but I read daily and enjoy the many thoughtful comments. Can't wait for the season -- and particularly 2013-14. Meanwhile I will also be following my TERPS this year -- we will be much improved even though we lost the Twins to Kentucky.