Somehow they won. That was my three word takeaway from Nebraska’s come-from-behind 74-63 win at Wisconsin on Monday. I was thinking about it as I logged in to do a quick edit and post Derek Peterson’s three takeaways from the game.
His impressions were much more nuanced and interesting than my three-word take. It actually explains how the somehow came to be, though I did take some joy in the fact that Derek’s piece opened with the word “somehow.” At least I wasn’t totally off base with my gut reaction.
Others are paying closer attention to Nebraska basketball as well now that the Huskers have won three straight and five of their last six. The Nebraska basketball account put this out there Tuesday morning:
“If you’re sleeping on Nebrasketball, this right here is your wake up call.”
Shoutout to @notthefakeSVP.
✊️ #GBR pic.twitter.com/2IkXV3Rgnm
— Nebraska Basketball (@HuskerHoops) January 30, 2018
Nice nod from a Maryland grad and college hoops junkie. Husker fans certainly aren’t sleeping on Nebrasketball at this point. The Huskers remain in fourth in the Big Ten, which would earn an all-important bye in the conference tournament, and have four of their remaining six games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where Nebraska is 12-1 this season. None of those six upcoming opponents are currently ranked. The opportunity ahead of the Huskers is clear.
And the challenge is still pretty significant. Based on the way things look now, Nebraska could do everything it needs to do over the remaining three weeks of the regular season and still need either a lot of help elsewhere or a good run in New York City to improve its NCAA Tournament stock. It’s a slim margin for error, but it’s at least a little wider than it was two weeks ago.
A tournament bid seemed like just wishful thinking then. Now? It’s still plenty hopeful, but at lest the hope is being backed up by Nebraska’s play.
The Grab Bag
- Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook is headed to Washington D.C. today for the State of the Union address.
- If you're in to stat geekery, here's an interesting proposal for better individual stats in college football from Bill Connelly.
- What's the secret to Northwestern football's success? Pat Fitzgerald credits his strength and conditioning staff.
- ICYMI: Recruiting updates galore. Here's Greg Smith on the impressive collection of in-state talent in the 2019 and 2020 classes, predicting who ends up in the 2018 class and a new offer to an offensive tackle.
Today's Song of Today
Brandon is the Managing Editor for Hail Varsity and has covered Nebraska athletics for the magazine and web since 2012, Hail Varsity’s first season on the scene. His sports writing has also been featured by Fox Sports, The Guardian and CBS Sports.
