NUdiehard

We are so screwed

I expressly stated that there is revenue share and there is "third-party" NIL. But yes, I used "NIL" as a general term for pay-for-play because that is what they both are in the end. But if you want to argue semantics even tho the distinction was clear . . . As for boosters, they can do whatever they want with their money. They can buy a new scoreboard, put their name on a brick wall, pay for new field turf, put ipads in locker rooms, name a weight room after themselves, or even burn it if they want. Its their money. But if they want to actually give the teams coaches and teams the best chance to win, then they should give to the players. The Athletic Department has plenty of money to pay for scoreboards and concession stands, so for the life of me I can't understand why an individual would want to give the AD even more money. But hey, it's their money.

This is a lot of interesting information, but it totally misses the point. How much "basketball revenue" NU generates or even NU's total athletic department revenue is irrelevant because under the new revenue sharing rules the total amount that can be contributed to NIL from the ath. dept is capped at $20.5 million. Of that amount, approximately 75% will go to football and approximately 10-15% will go to basketball. So at most, the NU men's hoops team will get $2-$3M from the athletic department. In contrast, Creighton is in the Big East and does not have a football team. Thus, even though Creighton's revenue sharing cap is much lower, almost all of it will go the Creighton men's basketball team. Most projections say a team like Creighton will receive approximately $5-6 million just from "revenue sharing" funds alone. Basically, twice as much as NU hoops. On top of this, Creighton already had a larger "third-party" NIL support and that will almost surely continue. This is a loop hole that is going be exploited by Big East teams that don't have football until or unless someone steps in to correct it. With that in mind, is it fair to compare the state of the Husker program to the state of Creighton's program? Imagine if the roles were reversed and Fred had twice as much money to dole out to transfers as Creighton. Does anyone doubt this would help him close the gap between the two programs? When NIL was implemented, I thought it might help NU because we do have a lot of local and state support for our teams. But the reality is that it simply has not helped, and may have set us back even more. In Nebraska, the football team takes first, second and third fiddle, and the hoops team gets the scraps. Most all other P5 schools have bigger boosters to support their hoops programs. When NIL was implemented, I also hoped the AD would leverage the massive state support more to the players and less to the athletic department since the athletic department already is flush with cash. For instance, rather than ask booster's to contribute $100 million for new "facilities", instead ask them to contribute those funds to NIL. But I have not seen any evidence oft his happening. Does this mean Fred and Nebraska hoops can never be successful? Absolutely not. But let's all be honest, it makes what was already a very, very hard job even harder. Nebraska hoops has always been at a disadvantage because of its lackluster tradition and success, but now it has a double whammy when adding in lack of NIL support. Good luck finding a coach that even wants to walk into that situation, let alone be able to consistently win with two-arms tied behind his back. This is why I support Fred and will choose him all day every day. Those who believe the team's record here at NU is solely about the coach is living in fantasy land and will be sadly disappointed when they find out the next coach will live under the same limitations as Fred does now.

Maybe we are just debating semantics at this point. I just don't consider a "bouncy four" to be a "post" or a "rim protector". With that said, sure, why not add a "bouncy four", as long as we have the money to get a PG and dynamic wing to go with him. One other thing to consider that may seem out of left field. But could Frager be some version of an athletic 3/4 combo player. He was listed at 6'7" and 220 lbs as a 17 year old freshman last year. He should easily be able to add 10 lbs of muscle by next season. In comparison, Gary was listed at 6"6" and 226 lbs. I have never seen Frager play, but I have always envisioned him more as an "athlete" than a "skilled" player. Is this wrong?

I can see an argument for an athletic 3/4 player, like a Juwan Gary replacement. But what I don't understand is a true back-to-the-basket center. For instance, there is indication we are interested in Oscar Cluff, listed at 6'11" and 260 lbs and appears to be similar to Morgan and maybe Mast (except for the 3 point shooting). Unless he comes here for dirt cheap, I can't see any reason to spend any significant amount of NIL on a player like him. Mast can do everything he can do, but better. They can't play on the floor at the same time, and Mast should play 30+ minutes per game and Berke can be backup 5. I just don't get that offer (if there is one) at all. For those saying we need a "rim protector". Do we really? I interpret a "rim protector" to be a guy who is primarily a 5 and is athletic and can defend the rim. Okay. Are you going to play this "rim protector" instead of Mast? You most likely can't play them together because Mast cannot guard the opposing 4 and a rim protector doesn't do any rim protecting if he is guarding on the perimeter. So what is the point? Again, if NU had unlimited NIL and could just stack a roster full of high quality players, then sure, go for it. Get another big. But NU clearly does not have these type of funds available, so they have to be extremely judicious in how they use those funds. Spending significant funds on another center doesn't make any sense to me at all.

I don't understand the obsession with thinking we have a major need for one let alone two big men. Mast is our "big man". He is our center next year and should play 30+ minutes/game barring injury. Berke can cover the other 10 minutes/game as backup. Yes, we can and should get an additional "backup" big, but it should be more in camp of a "cheap" big, a body, not a stud big. The vast bulk of the NIL needs to be spent on a PG and a wing. We don't have the dollars or the luxury to spend any significant sum of money just to have "depth" at any position, including the center position. The reality is NU doesn't have sufficient NIL to field a roster with quality depth. We have to try and get 4 to 5 good players and hope no one gets injured. That is our best bet. It is a gamble, but at least it gives us a chance. Trying to get "everything" will get us nothing just like it did this past year.

Bolis has had one year in juco and one year redshirting at NU. In light of the new juco rules, will Bolis be a freshman with 4 years of eligibility next year?

You need to re-calibrate your numbers. $6M was "middle of pack" last year. Starting in the fall of 2025, $6M puts Minnesota and Nebraska at the bottom of the barrel. The reason is because the revenue sharing dollars factor in for the first time this fall. And ALL the teams get this revenue share. So if a team had a $6M last year, then it increases to $10M this fall, and so forth. That is why Nebraska's NIL is increasing from $2.3M to $6M. Most of the increase is NOT because of more 1890 style NIL, it is just adding the revenue share from the athletic department.

If this is true, then it pretty much solidifies Nebraska is in the bottom of the barrel when it comes to NIL, right in line with Minnesota. I realize that $6M is significantly more than the reported $2.3M NIL budget this past year. However, this must be put in context. 2025 is the first year that schools can use the Ath. Dept. revenue to directly fund NIL, so that is going to significantly boost the overall numbers of all schools. This would indicate NU is allocating about $3M from the athletic department to men's basketball. We know that the total amount available from the ath. dept. is $20.5M, so 15% to men's hoops is not totally unreasonable. But all schools will allocate at least this much as well, so it still comes down to the NIL available from donors and collectives. As stated above, Maryland has $10M from one single booster solely for men's basketball and Indiana has a "blank check". If I am Fred, knowing what I have coming back (which isn't much, but should include 4 solid rotation players in Mast, Berke, Connor and Sam H), I would put the bulk of the available money on getting 2 or 3 studs and then just try to fill in the gaps. I would rather have 1 or 2 studs to combine with Mast, Connor and Berke than 7 below average players. And if you fill the gaps with 6 under the radar "cheap" players, maybe one of them surprises and outplays his contract.

Basically you're saying that if Nebraska coaches and players simply played and coached 100% perfect at all times, then Nebraska could complete just fine in the B1G. Are you a coach? If so, I want to come watch your games so I can see basketball played in its 100% pure form. No mistakes, perfect schemes, no missed free throws ever, perfect box outs at all times, perfect spacing at all times and perfect defensive rotations. 100% pure basketball. Lol. Almost all the coaches in the B1G are top notch. If Izzo can "buy" much better players, do we just expect Fred to coach circles around Izzo so that our scrappy bunch of hustlers can out run his thoroughbreds? This is lazy thinking. The only way to judge a coach by his winning percentage is if all other things are equal. If they aren't equal, an if other coaches have a bigger budget to buy better players, its absurd to expect the coach with the lower budget to consistently still win with one hand tied behind his back. I've been trying to point this out for two years now, glad it is finally coming to light. At least now everyone can have a better understanding of where we stand and why things are the way they are. The next question, of course, is why are things the way they are and how can it be changed. To me, that is the much more interesting question, and one that nobody seems to want to explore or address. And this includes all our journalists and Nebraska basketball analysts and writers. There are still many questions about NIL and the upcoming revenue sharing program (many of which have been already asked in this thread) and even though we are now over two years into NIL, I have not seen one single journalist or Nebraska basketball writer shed any light on these questions. Could be laziness on their part, but I think it is more than that. I think they probably are instructed by the athletic department to not share this information because it reflects poorly on the athletic department and the hoops NIL program. The only reason the AD would keep this information secret is if he knows it is does not reflect well on the program's NIL status. Here are just a few of the questions that I challenge any sports journalist, beat writer, podcaster, analyst (Washut? Just? Wilson?) of insider to answer: 1. What was Nebraska basketball's NIL budget the past two seasons? 2. What was the average NIL budget for B1G teams the past two seasons and what was the range from lowest to highest? 3. How are NIL allocations determined? For instance, if 1890 has $10 million in donations, who determines how that $10M is spread throughout all the UNL programs? Is Matt Davidson making these decisions? Does the AD or the Athletic Dept. have any say in this (even if they are not "supposed to", do they do it behind closed doors? 4. I realize NIL donations to 1890 are often designated specifically to one specific team, but what about "general" donations that have no specific designations? Who decides where those funds go? 5. Here is a question: Can coach Hoiberg donate to NIL for his players? If so, can the Ath Dept work out an "arrangement" in which Hoiberg gets a "raise" of $3M and then it is "understood" that at least $2M of that will go towards NIL contributions. You may laugh, but this is the type of "creative" accounting that must be considered to get an advantage. 6. Are there any other possible "loopholes" for the Ath. Dept to "funnel" NIL money to the players? If there is a way, I am sure other schools are doing it. 7. On that vein, I have been saying for years that the AD should be directing the "donors" to donate to NIL rather than to the Ath. Dept. for things like "facilities". The NU Ath Dept is flush with cash, and in a much better position than most other Ath. Dept. financially. So why is the Ath. Dept asking for donations for "facility" upgrades that it could pay for itself? If revenue sharing to NIL is "capped", why not direct the donors to contribute to NIL (which is not capped) rather than facilities which can be paid for 100% by the Ath. Dept? Or heck, just forget about the stupid facilities upgrades if they don't have the funds. I guarantee 99% of Husker fans would rather have a winning team than a new scoreboard! 8. What are the specific details involved in the new revenue sharing program that starts this year? What is the "top" amount that can be contributed by the ath. dept.? How is this amount calculated? Is it the same exact dollar amount for every school? Or is it based on what conference the school is in (in other words, does every B1G school have $20M, but maybe an ACC school only has $15M). 9. Let's assume NU has $20M of revenue sharing funds available starting this fall. How are these funds allocated between all the mens and womens programs at NU? 10. Do the women get half of the money under Title IX (I don't think so, but this seems like a simple question to ask and answer). 11. If not, who decides how much goes to each team? Is there a formula? is it based on roster size? Will it be the same ratio every year? Or will the AD just AD HOC a different ratio each year based on what he thinks best for that season? 12. How are other B1G schools deciding how to allocate the revenue sharing funds? And how does our hoops mens team compare to the other teams in the B1G when it comes to revenue sharing funds available to players? These are just a few of the many questions about Husker NIL that to this day remain completely unanswered (and maybe even unasked). I'm sure there are many more that I will think of later, and many on this board will probably add. I suggest we continue to ask these questions until we get answers. We support this program and our team year after year after year. At a minimum we at least deserve disclosure. We may not like the answers, but at least tell us the truth so we can know where we stand and what we can realistically expect going forward.

Where is the conflict? We have seen multiple reports that NU is lacking in the hoops NIL arena. Show me one credible report that says NU hoops is in the upper echelon of NIL payments. I'll wait. Until I see it, I don't see a conflict.

And this is all anyone really needs to know at this point. When anyone complains about coach Fred this or coach that, forget it. Its all about the benjamins. Whenever Fred and Husker Hoops is recruiting a big-time recruit who has multiple P5 offers, I don't even pay any attention. No doubt he will visit, love the team and coaches and system, and then at the last minute go sign somewhere else for more money. Seen it time and time again. Its actually quite amazing what Fred has done with his paltry NIL budget coming from this emaciated hoops program. The fan support is absolutely elite. But the financial support is total dog crap. And until or unless that changes, we will never be better than what we are now, and that is clinging by a thread to hopefully squeeze into the tourney every few years. Complaining about a coach who has two arms tied behind his back and two legs cut off from the knees down is silly IMO. With that said, I sure would like more information on how things will change next year with the new rules on Athletic Department money going to players. I have heard and read different versions and it is hard to determine if this will help NU or not. There are so many questions: How is the money divided between teams? Who decides? Does every school get to contribute the same amount or is it based on revenue of the program? If based on revenue, is it just media revenue, or also include attendance, etc revenue? Etc., Etc., Etc. In the end, the only way NU would have an advantage from the new rules is if Nebraska has MORE athletic dept money available to pay players than other B1G and P5 schools. If not, and if all schools have the same allotment, then nothing is gained and it goes back to who has the most NIL, of which we most certainly do not.

I am curious if anyone has some anecdotes on how Janowski has been performing in practice. I agree he is not very quick, and his ball-handling skills are not elite. But based on the high school video I watched he seemed to be a straight up hooper. He is also a strong, solid dude. I was just perusing the roster on Huskers.com and they list Janowski at 6'4" and 208 lbs--as a freshman. Just as a comparison, Cale (who is a brick house) is listed at 6'4" and 195 lbs. And barrel-chest Worster (a 5th year senior) is listed at 6'5" and 210 lbs. And lest there be any confusion, anyone who has seen Nick warming up at games can quickly see there is not an ounce of fat on him. It is all lean muscle. Fred's point guards have rarely been traditional point guards. If someone like Sam G could play PG in the B1G, then maybe Jano could too. If not, he should still be able to find a role at the SG assuming he can keep up on defense. Holding out hope he can be a good one, but am a bit concerned that we have not heard anything through the grapevine about his performance in practice so far this year. With that said, I haven't heard anything about Frager either, so maybe it is just more under seal this year, I don't know.

As long as we are talking about defensive issues, the thing that drives me crazy, beyond anything else we do (and probably to an unhealthy degree) is seeing Meah, who is a 7'1" giant, constantly JUMPING at every pump fake or shot attempt or close out, over and over and over again. Even when it's a guard who penetrates into the lane Meah will jump in trying to block him. Dude! Just stop jumping. Meah should never jump on the defensive end. Ever! Just stand with two hands up and make the offense player shoot over you. Good grief. Do the coaches coach him at all, or is he simply incorrigible? After just two games it was clear that Meah was not the answer and I am glad the coaches are finally in agreement by taking him out the starting lineup and reducing his playing time. BTW, this is a good lesson. For YEARS people on this board and casual Husker fans have been clamoring for a true big man. Well, be careful what you wish for. There is reason the traditional big man has largely gone the way of the dodo. Players who can't dribble, pass or shoot, and can't defend the pick'n roll are liabilities in today's game, even at 7'1". And players who are 7'1" and CAN dribble, pass and shoot are extremely rare and sure as heck aren't coming to DONU.

Rollie didn't just randomly decide to shoot a bunch of threes last night. He responded to the way Illinois was guarding him, which as HuskerBB pointed out, was to completely NOT guard him at all when he was above the key. This is the problem of having a guard that can't shoot a lick and it is why the lane is so clogged and it is so difficult for players like Brice to get to hoop or get open looks. Should be noted Illinois also did not guard Cale or Morgan when they were behind the 3 line and only half guarded Gary behind the line. Morgan is crafty inside, but his inability to hit the three distinguishes him from Mast who would let them fly. Ulis also can't shoot a lick and is a big reason why his minutes have dropped. Sam can shoot well enough but he is so small it is hard for him to get any shots off without getting blocked. Still hard for me to believe Fred assembled a team of so many terrible shooters. As sad as it is that our players are such poor shooters that the opponent doesn't even need to guard them at all, I do believe the soft coverage helped lead to the very low number of turnovers by the Huskers last night.