aphilso1

Really wish we could decline the halftime break when on the road and just play 40 minutes straight.

Huskers 76 Hoosiers 70

Huskers 80 PSU 71

Huskers 82 Wolverines 70 3.

Huskers 67 Cats 78

I despise BYU's fanbase so KSU is particularly easy to cheer for in their next game. I may even wear a little purple on Saturday.

Huskers 67 Illinois 84

Every single basket still counts. If you're up 10 and make a three pointer as time expires to win by 13, that basket still counts towards your net efficiency rating (and against your opponent's net efficiency). As for why the formula is the way it is, I don't have any insider knowledge but can draw reasonable conclusions: -By only using a range of 1 to 10 for margin of victory, it is essentially weighting points scored at the end of close games greater than points scored at the end of blowouts. It also reduces the punishment for emptying your bench at the end of games that are well in hand. Again, it doesn't completely remove the penalty if your walk-ins can't maintain the margin of victory, because bricks on offense and inept defense still count against your efficiency numbers. But it also doesn't punish you twice. -By counting all overtime games as a 1 point margin of victory, it is ensuring teams aren't punished for forcing overtime and ultimately losing. In other words, it recognizes that forcing overtime and losing is a better performance than not even making it to overtime. Perhaps a better way to think of how the data works, is in the importance or weight assigned to any given basket. A basket made on offense or allowed on defense counts towards only one metric in a blowout (net efficiency). A basket made/allowed in a game decided by less than 10 points is more important than one made in a blowout, and the formula reflects this by including it in a second metric (margin of victory). A basket that ultimately decides the outcome is the most important of all, and the formula incorporates this basket into all metrics (winning %, adj win %, team value index, net efficiency, and margin of victory).

All the data is still considered, but it's just not weighted equally. Every made shot, turnover, and offensive rebound that happens in overtime and in blowouts still counts towards a team's offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. They just don't double dip by impacting both the efficiency and margin of victory. Schedule tough. Win on the road. Score lots of points per possession. Hold your opponents to few points per possession. Rebound. Win the turnover battle. Lose by a little and win by a lot. These are still the things that impact NET rankings.

"Scoring Margin This value has a point differential capped at 10 points in each game. All overtime games are capped at one point." https://www.si.com/college/2018/11/04/college-basketball-rankings-net-system-explain A 10 point vs a 1 point win is significant when scoring margin can only range from 1 to 10. That's literally the min and max within the NET calculation.

Nebraska got more than a fair share of the borderline calls, but all of the egregiously bad calls went Wiscy’s way. Feels like overall officiating was a wash.

Hedging your bet? Nebraska is the road team.

What. Did. I. Just. Watch.

Huskers 80 Badgers 70

Why list Thomas Allen here? He got like 10 minutes per game and never started. Should be Evan Taylor.

1. 2017. Just a silly talented starting five. Depth was a problem, but just talking starting five they are tops and it isn’t even a tough question. Zero true weak links among the starters (assuming the actual primary starters, not sure why Allen is listed here) and four of them were absolute studs. 2. This year. Not sure whether this crew will ultimately put it together like the 2014 team, but this starting five has the ability to play well together like the 2014 guys did and is more talented. One weak link (JLaw). 3. 2014. Two weak links (Rivers and freshman Tai) but had three solid role players off the bench that masked this. Since we are only grading starters in this exercise, this team clearly feels like the weakest. Mix and match starting five: Glynn Keisei Petteway Gary Copeland It’s hard putting Keisei in my five when there are so many more versatile options available. But he’s the best pure shooter, and there are plenty of defenders and rebounders in this lineup. Edit: Gary over Roby. I forgot this was sophomore Roby, not junior Roby. He hadn’t quite figured out how good he was yet.

Nebraska 67 Terps 76

Lawrence's path to retaining a starting spot seems a lot better at PG than SG. I recognize that his 3PT% was much higher last year playing off the ball, but to my eyes he had a lot of shots drop that didn't look like they should have. That combined with a relatively small sample size allowed him to hit at a 37% clip from deep. I don't think he is as bad as this year's 27% indicates (he has been forced into taking quite a few low percentage shots to avoid shot clock violations), and I will admit he seems more comfortable as a catch and shoot shooter than as someone who creates his own shot. But watching the rotation on his shot vs someone like Keisei is night and day difference. Lawrence just isn't a shooter. And he also isn't great at finishing at the rim. So if he isn't a shooter and isn't a slasher, do we really want him to be a long-term answer at the 2? His best fit would be as a combo guard coming off the bench, basically like Sam. Someone who can log some minutes as the primary ballhandler or as the off-guard. He isn't a great passer, great playmaker, or a great shooter, but he also isn't terrible at anything. And he defends well. There's a spot for him in the rotation for sure. If he can make a leap from year one to year two as a PG, then I think he gets the nod over Ulis. But if he doesn't then I think Ulis is the 1 and either Hoiberg, Janowski, or a to-be-named transfer will be the first choice 2.

OSU 69 GBR 78 15

Three thoughts: 1. Mast has more cuts and scrapes than any player I’ve ever seen. 2. Really would be nice to have more production at PG to break us out of funks. 3. Hoiberg once again showed he is an X’s and O’s savant.

Nebraska 78 NW 70

Rutgers 78 Nebraska 70

Iowa 85 Nebraska 78

Bring your skis! Alta and Snowbird still have great powder end of March.

I will have two stints up my nose and unable to breath on March 21st. But if the Huskers play in SLC I will be present and as loud as my reduced airways allow.