NUdiehard

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.

https://footballscoop.com/news/diego-pavia-granted-injunction-opens-door-for-juco-athletes-to-gain-extra-eligibility According to one court, juco seasons may not count towards eligibility. This could shake things up. Bring back Keisei!

Starting Meah mucks up the whole offense and that leads to the stagnant offense throughout the game because it prevents the offense from getting into a rhythm early and then guys get down and start pressing. For the life of me I can't understand why he starts. He should be a 5-10 minute a game player, at most. I would be fine with zero minutes against lesser/smaller teams. His detrimental role in the starting lineup is compounded by the fact that Rollie and Gary can't shoot. Hard to believe Hoiberg is starting a lineup with three guys who can't shoot. Ugh! Watching basketball is not as fun when the players on your team can't shoot. Last year any of 4 or 5 guys could go off from the 3 point line on any night (Keisei, Wilcher, Mast, Williams, Lawrence, etc.) That made if fun--electric! After three games of watching this team the only thing I have felt is annoyed. Now that I've got that off my chest, I'll try to find some positives. Like many above, I do agree there could be some potential in some of these players if the lineups are adjusted. More minutes for Connor, Gavin and Morgan. Less minutes for Meah and less for Ulis or Sam. My roster is the exact same as Hugh's above, except that battle for the 8th spot is between Sam and Ulis. As of this point, I have no idea what Ulis brings to the table. So far all I have seen is a guy who can kind of dribble and is an okay athlete. He is not a good shooter. I have not seen any indication is a good creator or distributor. He is just . . . there. Does not really bring anything of substance that i have seen so far. But the season is early so he should have more time to show what he can bring and then it must be decided between him and Sam for those minutes.

Agree completely. From what I have seen, eems pretty easy to tighten up this rotation. Unless there are injuries or unusual circumstances, Meah and Ulis are out. Roll with the remaining 8. Brice is the backup PG. Must have more shooting on the floor. Last night's starting lineup with three non-shooters in Worster, Gary and Meah was sluggish, clogging and a bit brutal to watch. With that said, would like to see Worster fire up a few more threes. He was not even looking at the basket from behind the arc until that three at the end of the game. Even if he only makes 30%, he needs to fire a few up just to keep the defense honest and create some gravity. Berke should be PF and backup center. BTW, Berke is listed on the roster at 6'10" and 244 lbs, which is the exact same height as Morgan and actually 2 pounds heavier. Berke could be that high post passing center similar to what Mast was last year.

A little concerning that we started a lineup of 6-5, 6-6, 6-7, 6-10, 7-1, with a bench of 6-4, 6-10 and 6-8 and still got "out physicaled"

I am not a fan of the current starting lineup. Not enough shooting and I don't think Meah should be starting. My preference would be: Worster Williams Gary Berke Morgan There will be difficult decisions on lineups. If it was just about offensive potency, I would go with Worster, Essegian, Williams, Gary, Berke. It seems like Essegian could be similar to Keisei in his ability to stretch the floor and make 3s, but he is a weak defender and so is Berke so it is hard to play them together. Not sure Morgan is a strong enough defender to make up for Essegian either. Tough call. But I just don't like the current starting lineup because that means three players are poor shooters (Worster, Gary and Meah).

I would be shocked if the coaching staff tried to "push" or "nudge" JL out. After JL's departure, NU now has 6 open scholarships. Fred may be able to find a couple nice additions that are an upgrade to the team, but there is almost no chance that he lands 6 players of higher caliber than JL. And logic dictates that if he can't get all 6 better than JL, then there is no reason to push or nudge someone like JL to leave. For instance, let's say the staff is able to land 3 players better than JL, but the other 3 are worse than JL. Why would the staff want to the net result to be worse? Why not just sign the 3 upgrades and keep JL who is (probably) far better than the 6th player signed out of the portal?

Illinois shot 8 more 3-point shots than Nebraska. Nebraksa shot 42 2-point shots to IU’s 34. But please carry on with your enlightened takes about the foul disparity.

That game was pure fun. Hoiberg ball at its best.

I think I get what you are thinking, but not sure I agree with the logic. The first step for ANY recruit coming to UNL is getting the nod of approval from the the coaching staff, including HCFH. Although Fred made mistakes in his first 3 years (mostly trusting he who shall not be named), most would agree he has learned his lesson and now knows exactly what type of players he wants (which I am assuming does NOT include primadonnas). Thus, if HCFH is recruiting the player, I feel confident that recruit meets HCFH's criteria for what he wants on the team (which includes being a team player). If this is the case, the next crucial step is securing the commitment from the athlete. If NIL is a factor, then we should generally be able to make sure NU is in line with whatever other schools may be in the picture to make sure it is not the deciding factor. And please don't say "well, if money is all that matters we don't want him anyway." Who on this board, if they were interviewing for a job, would not at least give some weight to the salary/compensation offered by the different prospective employers. Plus, there are ways to pay significant NIL without it leading to the "recruits running the program." For instance, it is my understanding that Creighton pays all of its starters the same amount (which his a pretty significant sum) and pays the non-starters the same amount. This makes sense, because this would prevent any one player from being resentful of what another player is making. There are other options along these lines that could be implemented. Last, I want someone who really knows to answer this question. Is NU Hoops "total" NIL package this year as larger or larger than Creighton's total NIL package? Anyone? If the answer is no, then that is unacceptable.