- Thread starter
- #1
Jack_John_Mark
¿Cómo está usted?
- 60,089
- 2,186
- 173
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Location
- Lincoln, NE
- Hoopla Cash
- $ 100.00
- Fav. Team #1
- Fav. Team #2
- Fav. Team #3
Written by Steve Sipple
They say a football program is the front porch of a university.
In Nebraska's case, it's also the living room, dining room and much of the kitchen.
Perhaps I exaggerate. This much is certain: Husker men's basketball coach Doc Sadler understands his program's place in the world.
"Basketball, to me personally, is the most important thing there is," he said. "But I also understand it's not the most important thing here until football season is over."
As Nebraska's football season winds to a close, Doc just might have something brewing in his corner of the kitchen. The Huskers won their seventh straight game Saturday night, a 72-42 decision against Eastern Washington, to improve to 9-2. NU has an excellent chance to finish its nonconference schedule 12-2, what with three cupcakes coming to town before the Big 12 opener Jan. 8 against Iowa State -- another good chance for a "W."
Would 13-2 snag your attention?
"I do think it can be the best team I've had since I've been here," said Sadler, in his fifth season at Nebraska.
Sadler especially likes his squad's chemistry.
"Our closeness as a team has improved greatly in the last couple weeks," Sadler said.
The last couple weeks? Hmm. That time frame just happens to coincide with the period during which talented sophomore forward Christian Standhardinger was suspended for falling behind in school. He announced Friday he was leaving the team, telling our Brian Rosenthal that lack of playing time was the central issue.
It's no coincidence at all that Nebraska has played its best without Standhardinger. Yes, he's skilled and athletic. Yes, he's savvy and competitive. He averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in only 17.7 minutes per game this season.
However, those close to the program say Standhardinger tends to be selfish, and that's putting it mildly. His return to the team would've added more clutter than clarity. He would've mucked up the current chemistry. Based on everything I've heard, the split is best for both parties.
Nebraska pushes forward with plenty to appreciate. If nothing else, this is a team worth checking out. You've already witnessed a certain toughness and resiliency, as the Huskers rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat USC and an 11-point hole to topple Creighton. NU's victory against USC looks even better in the wake of the Trojans' 73-56 triumph against then-No. 20 Texas, followed by a down-to-the-wire 70-68 loss Saturday at No. 3 Kansas.
Nebraska's best performance occurred last weekend, a 70-56 home triumph against Texas Christian. The Horned Frogs opened the second half with a 12-0 run to lead 36-33, but the Huskers never flinched.
"We've had some adversity and come back from it," Sadler said. "We've not played well, and won."
That's mostly because of chemistry and trust among players, intangibles that can hold a team together when life gets rocky in league play. Man, it gets rocky. Nebraska was caught in an avalanche last season, finishing 2-14 in the Big 12.
The Huskers had too many young faces in key roles in a conference that supplied seven of the first 25 players selected in the NBA Draft.
Those young faces lived to tell about it. They're better and stronger for it. How much better? I'd say 8-8 in the Big 12 is realistic. Nebraska hasn't finished above .500 in the league since 1999, when my all-time favorite Husker, Venson Hamilton, was conference player of the year and was complemented by Cookie Belcher.
This year's crew has a nice inside-outside combination in sophomore center Brian Diaz and senior point guard Lance Jeter, a linebacker-sized athlete who can handle the ball and get to the rim.
Meanwhile, Diaz is on the rise, Sadler said. The Puerto Rican has gotten stronger. He plays better in traffic. He's more persistent on defense.
"I think only the players in our locker room, and the coaches, know how good Diaz can become," Doc said. "I think others have seen only flashes of it. ... You don't see guys at 6-foot-11 do what he does skillwise."
Nebraska still isn't as physical inside as it needs to be to compete for league titles, although 6-11, 270-pound Christopher Niemann could help matters greatly if his knee holds up.
Make no mistake, the 6-3, 222-pound Jeter is the team's glue. Sadler relishes having a starting senior point guard for the first time since Charles Richardson in 2006-07, Doc's first season in Lincoln.
"I think Lance is why the team's closer and playing with more confidence," said Sadler, noting that Jeter remained strong even as USC was sprinting to that unsightly first-half lead.
"Ryan Anderson tried to be a leader last season," Sadler said of the former Husker forward. "But with your real good teams, the leader has to be at that point-guard position."
We'll see if Nebraska turns out to be a good team, perhaps even an NCAA Tournament outfit. The Huskers will be in a lot of close games. They'll have to do the "little things" well -- make free throws, avoid turnovers, play strong half-court defense, et al. -- to produce big things for the program and its patient fan base.
Let's not get carried away. For now, let's just say the Huskers are worth a look.
They say a football program is the front porch of a university.
In Nebraska's case, it's also the living room, dining room and much of the kitchen.
Perhaps I exaggerate. This much is certain: Husker men's basketball coach Doc Sadler understands his program's place in the world.
"Basketball, to me personally, is the most important thing there is," he said. "But I also understand it's not the most important thing here until football season is over."
As Nebraska's football season winds to a close, Doc just might have something brewing in his corner of the kitchen. The Huskers won their seventh straight game Saturday night, a 72-42 decision against Eastern Washington, to improve to 9-2. NU has an excellent chance to finish its nonconference schedule 12-2, what with three cupcakes coming to town before the Big 12 opener Jan. 8 against Iowa State -- another good chance for a "W."
Would 13-2 snag your attention?
"I do think it can be the best team I've had since I've been here," said Sadler, in his fifth season at Nebraska.
Sadler especially likes his squad's chemistry.
"Our closeness as a team has improved greatly in the last couple weeks," Sadler said.
The last couple weeks? Hmm. That time frame just happens to coincide with the period during which talented sophomore forward Christian Standhardinger was suspended for falling behind in school. He announced Friday he was leaving the team, telling our Brian Rosenthal that lack of playing time was the central issue.
It's no coincidence at all that Nebraska has played its best without Standhardinger. Yes, he's skilled and athletic. Yes, he's savvy and competitive. He averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in only 17.7 minutes per game this season.
However, those close to the program say Standhardinger tends to be selfish, and that's putting it mildly. His return to the team would've added more clutter than clarity. He would've mucked up the current chemistry. Based on everything I've heard, the split is best for both parties.
Nebraska pushes forward with plenty to appreciate. If nothing else, this is a team worth checking out. You've already witnessed a certain toughness and resiliency, as the Huskers rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat USC and an 11-point hole to topple Creighton. NU's victory against USC looks even better in the wake of the Trojans' 73-56 triumph against then-No. 20 Texas, followed by a down-to-the-wire 70-68 loss Saturday at No. 3 Kansas.
Nebraska's best performance occurred last weekend, a 70-56 home triumph against Texas Christian. The Horned Frogs opened the second half with a 12-0 run to lead 36-33, but the Huskers never flinched.
"We've had some adversity and come back from it," Sadler said. "We've not played well, and won."
That's mostly because of chemistry and trust among players, intangibles that can hold a team together when life gets rocky in league play. Man, it gets rocky. Nebraska was caught in an avalanche last season, finishing 2-14 in the Big 12.
The Huskers had too many young faces in key roles in a conference that supplied seven of the first 25 players selected in the NBA Draft.
Those young faces lived to tell about it. They're better and stronger for it. How much better? I'd say 8-8 in the Big 12 is realistic. Nebraska hasn't finished above .500 in the league since 1999, when my all-time favorite Husker, Venson Hamilton, was conference player of the year and was complemented by Cookie Belcher.
This year's crew has a nice inside-outside combination in sophomore center Brian Diaz and senior point guard Lance Jeter, a linebacker-sized athlete who can handle the ball and get to the rim.
Meanwhile, Diaz is on the rise, Sadler said. The Puerto Rican has gotten stronger. He plays better in traffic. He's more persistent on defense.
"I think only the players in our locker room, and the coaches, know how good Diaz can become," Doc said. "I think others have seen only flashes of it. ... You don't see guys at 6-foot-11 do what he does skillwise."
Nebraska still isn't as physical inside as it needs to be to compete for league titles, although 6-11, 270-pound Christopher Niemann could help matters greatly if his knee holds up.
Make no mistake, the 6-3, 222-pound Jeter is the team's glue. Sadler relishes having a starting senior point guard for the first time since Charles Richardson in 2006-07, Doc's first season in Lincoln.
"I think Lance is why the team's closer and playing with more confidence," said Sadler, noting that Jeter remained strong even as USC was sprinting to that unsightly first-half lead.
"Ryan Anderson tried to be a leader last season," Sadler said of the former Husker forward. "But with your real good teams, the leader has to be at that point-guard position."
We'll see if Nebraska turns out to be a good team, perhaps even an NCAA Tournament outfit. The Huskers will be in a lot of close games. They'll have to do the "little things" well -- make free throws, avoid turnovers, play strong half-court defense, et al. -- to produce big things for the program and its patient fan base.
Let's not get carried away. For now, let's just say the Huskers are worth a look.
.........and second off, as you will come to find real quickly, I am a hoops fan. 
