Tipoff: 11:31 pm CST

Location: Williams Arena - Minneapolis, MN

Television: Big Ten Network

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

Nebraska lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday evening, in a game that showed us a 40 minute snapshot of the 2011-12 team and the season so far. Caleb Walker got things started with a dazzling alley-oop dunk on the Huskers' first possession, and slowly but surely, things started to dissolve from there. To me, the flow of the game was a microcosm of Doc Sadler and this Husker team this year. Brandon Ubel came out of nowhere and scored a career high 17 points, and yet it didn't matter. All season long we've had unpredictable play from a variety of guys on the roster, which has led to high-highs, and some very low-lows. Sadler showed that he had the brains and playbook to come up with one remarkable play, one monster right-hook to start things off, but not the coaching depth to go the full 15 rounds. Fans were pumped after the initial burst of energetic play, but you could almost sense that they were just waiting for the inevitable. The Huskers played hard until the end, and none of it really mattered versus a superior opponent.

I remember one glaringly illustrative moment on television during this game, where Bo Spencer had an open fast break with trailers, and he inexplicably throws the ball out of bounds rather than scoring or getting fouled. An extreme WTF? moment for all. The camera cuts to a close up of Doc Sadler's face, and in the background there is a fan right behind the bench...laughing hysterically. That pretty much sums it up for this season. Our best player, and he can't even be counted on to score a layup in transition. Doc just gave that blank stare, and the fans laugh to hide the pain.

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 8:05 pm CST

Location: Devaney Center - Lincoln, NE

Television: ESPNU

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

Senior night. The last gasp for Huskers Bo Spencer, Caleb Walker, Brandon Richardson, and Toney McCray in front of their home crowd. I've enjoyed watching these young men give their full effort this season, and despite what record they end up with...they all gave it their best efforts. We wish them the best of luck tonight on their home court against the Hawkeyes of Iowa.

Speaking of Hawkeyes, we had a chance to exchange some questions with Ross from Black Heart Gold Pants, our SB Nation sister site. We discuss Iowa and Nebraska, as well as the direction of both teams, the new conference, and tonight's predictions. Thanks Ross!

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 7:05 pm CST

Location: Breslin Center - East Lansing, MI

Television: Big Ten Network

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

Tipoff: 5:30 pm CST

Location: Mackey Arena - West Lafayette, IN

Television: Big Ten Network

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

I'm still shaking my head, for two reasons.

1. I picked one of the worst possible games this season to miss. I was even in Omaha, with my brother in law...but we decided to take our wives out for dinner. The dinner was crap, and I had to miss what I can only imagine was pure delight- seeing Nebraska lay down the wood..and do whatever they wanted against Myers Leonard and the "Fighting" Illini.

2. Doc Sadler, after essentially falling off the cliff, he has still managed to cling on for dear life by a pinky finger. Summer 2012 will probably still be spent searching for Nebraska's next basketball coach, but the win over Illinois certainly throws one of the strangest kinks into a quite bizarre season for Doc.

Purdue is up next, and I was able to get a brief exchange going with Travis over at Hammer and Rails. Read after the jump, and follow the link for my answers to his questions on the Big Ten, and Nebraska's game tonight.

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 4:00 pm CST

Location: Devaney Center - Lincoln, NE

Television: Big Ten Network

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

I have dinner plans with the wife, which would have been null and void if the Huskers were playing better. But I'm eating out tonight, can you blame me?

Now.......let's go get a win you bastards!!!

GBR!

Tipoff: 12:03 pm CST

Location: Bryce Jordan Center - University Park, PA

Television: ESPNU

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

We're in some tough times again for the Nebraska men's basketball team. Doesn't seem like it's been quite long enough since that 2-14 conference season to be going through this again, but alas..here we are. Fan apathy is back in full swing, the Big Ten is as brutal as it's been in years, and everyone is again shaking their head at Doc Sadler's chances of remaining head coach of the Cornhuskers.

I wouldn't be so down in the dumps about these things, if they weren't all so glaringly truthful. Doc Sadler is very likely to get the axe after this season, as Osborne will show respect for what he's done here, letting him finish the season, before politely sending him on his way to a better suited mid-major job somewhere. Truth be told, I've always held the opinion that Doc Sadler is the best assistant coach in the BCS conferences. He's in the wrong job, for now.

Fans in Nebraska will come and go with the basketball team. That will never change. As long as football is the classic 1969 Chevy Camaro, in perfect shape sitting in the garage, the basketball team will always be the oft-neglected 1989 Ford Escort parked on the curb. Until there is equal interest, equal care, and a spot in the garage for the Ford, there will never be comparable results or dare I say- success. It's not that it can't happen, but it appears that most fans are perfectly content to maintain the norm, make backhanded jokes about the mere existence of the second-highest grossing sport on campus, and generally sit back and wait until their buddies come over to see the Camaro in the garage.

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 7:30 pm CST - Location: Bob Devaney Sports Center - Lincoln, NE

Television: Big Ten Network

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

Tipoff: 12 pm CST - Location: Bob Devaney Sports Center - Lincoln, NE

Television: Big Ten Network

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

Question of the day: Is Nebraska actually a good defensive team, as they've been labeled?

This question has been bouncing around in my head all season, and you have to wonder after Thursday's loss at Northwestern. Nebraska looked silly, as they continuously opened allowed Wildcat players to get near the rim and take open shots. Conversely, Nebraska was harassed 30 feet from the basket almost all game, and it showed in the final results. So have we seen a decline in Doc's system? What's the deal? Playing soft isn't going to win many games in the Big Ten this season, and Nebraska is now faced with an almost impossible task of winning enough games to qualify for post-season play.

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 6:02pm CST - Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena - Evanston, IL

Television: ESPN2

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

Let's just get it out there, for those who aren't aware. Yes, these are the only two Div I teams in college basketball that have yet to win an NCAA tournament game. Well, South Florida is now technically in that group I guess, as part of the Big East. Though, they joined in 2005...so that can't really count.

Nebraska and Northwestern. The battle of the "N"s. Who get's to claim the NU moniker? (For the record, I think that whole thing is stupid. )

Let's take a quick look; and I do mean quick, as I have some serious ravioli cooking in the kitchen that has to be done by game time. At least I'm done with working nights, which means I can now watch Nebraska make it's push into the post-season!

Continue reading this post »

Tipoff: 6:02pm CST Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena - Iowa City, IA

Television: ESPNU

Live Stats and Internet Radio: Huskers.com

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network | KLIN 1400 in Lincoln - KFAB 1110 in Omaha - KRVN 880 in Lexington

Play by play - Kent Pavelka Color - Matt Davison

No big trophies here. No forced rivalries, or fabricated "hate". Just two teams that you might say have little more than pride to play for at this point in the season. Okay, the Hawks still have a shot in the league I suppose..

Iowa, after starting off the season a bit cold, showed signs of life recently - winning games versus Wisconsin in Madison, and Michigan at home in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes are a bit of a conundrum in my book, as they have been playing a little game of Jekyl and Hyde. On one hand, they've taken down two Top 25 teams in the conference, and are averaging over 70 ppg.On the flip side, this is also a team that was blown out by Creighton, manhandled by Ohio State, and even dropped a home game to Campbell, by 16 points.

Nebraska hasn't fared any better, winning a single tough game - Indiana, and just two games so far in the Big Ten. We had our own (ahem) "issues" against those world-beaters at Ohio State, and have suffered as much embarrassment at home as we can probably tolerate without rioting in the streets. No, there aren't many people showcasing this game, or parading the so-called inter-state rivalry in front of any fans that will listen. This is basketball, not football, and the stakes for this game could hardly be less enticing.

Continue reading this post »