[Husker] Huskers Finish a “Disappointing” 10 and 3 in Pre-Conference

[NUStLNorris at aol.com]

I posted before the Huskers current basketball season began that if NU  
finished anything less than 11 and 2 in the pre-conference portion of their  
schedule, it would have to be labeled “disappointing.”  Factoring the  strength, or 
lack thereof, their schedule (ranked in- or-around 310 out of  340?!); the 
heavy home-court tilt (11 home, two away); etc., 12 and 1 would have  been a 
realistic goal.  There were only four legitimate opponents -- five  if you want 
to include the Louisiana Tech team that beat Bobby in Lubbock (the  others 
being Creighton, Marquette, UAB and Florida State).
 
Well, they just finished defeating a one-win Northern Colorado team, and I  
haven’t heard from many, if any, who aren’t “disappointed,” or worse 
APATHETIC  about Husker hoops.  They and their 10 and 3 record face Big XII  
competition next with Kelvin Sampson’s always-prepared Sooners coming to  town.  Yikes. 
 (12:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN+ … carried by KMTV and KOLN  in the past).  
 
I need to start another thread sometime under the heading, “Give Me Reasons  
-- NOT Excuses -- Why NU Can’t Field a Consistently Competitive Top 25  
Basketball Program.”
 
Maybe someone who knows more than I can shed some serious light.  As I  look 
at it, the only reason that sounds plausible to me is that they just don’t  
want one.  And that doesn’t make sense when you consider who NU’s Athletic  
Director is.  
 
Facilities?  Academic Support?  Fan support?  Athletic  Tradition?  
Money/Revenue-generation potential?  Why can’t it happen  here when it’s been shown 
elsewhere that it can be done?
 
This team, this program, isn’t going to just “flip the switch” when  
conference play starts, are they?  I wish they would, but I haven’t seen  it.  Tonight
’s game is the first I haven’t witnessed, either in person or  on the tube, 
all season.  The Creighton game just floored me.  The  Florida State game this 
past weekend gave me a similar feeling.
 
I suppose that a 10 and 3 record at this point should be acceptable when  you 
consider that NU’s two heralded sophomore returnees -- Joe McCray and Aleks  
Maric -- haven’t even shown up yet.  I can’t believe how bad they’ve  been.  
Without getting in to it, I think Joe didn’t work enough during the  
off-season and Maric probably worked too much.  Grand Island’s Wes  Wilkinson has been, 
by far, NU’s best player.  I’ve liked what I’ve seen in  Marcus Walker and 
Jamel White, the two true freshman guards, and I can see (at  times) why B.J. 
Walker was heralded coming out of JuCo.
 
But where is the fire, the passion, the sense of urgency?  Where are  the 
leaders?  Isn’t anybody taking the status-of-the-program  personally?!
 
It all comes back to Barry Collier, a good guy by anybody’s definition, but  
he hasn’t won here.  I don’t want to get into any knee-jerk job speculation  
conversation here.  I’ve heard it too much and it gets old.  But so  does 
losing.
 
Here comes the conference season.  I can’t believe how much I’m not  looking 
forward to it.  And the Big XII has looked much better -- both at  the top 
and top-to-bottom -- in previous years.
 
I hope I have to post here a few times over the next two months, making  sure 
to include the words “pleasantly surprised” in my musings.
 
One way or another, I’ve gotta’ believe that some “defining moments” are  
going to occur to Husker Hoops over the next year or two. 
 
Dave Norris
 
P.S.  NU won tonight by a score of 60-50 over a one-and-whatever  Northern 
Colorado team.  Winning in spite of a 21-point-run by Northern  Colorado (nine 
to end the half then the first 12 of the second half).  It  was a three-point 
game with about ten minutes to play.   Ouch.