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It's time for the Big Ten Basketball Tournament!!!!!
A little excited? Yeah, why not? The Big Ten is the best basketball conference in the nation, and if Nebraska can compete in this conference, we can compete with anyone. That means a NCAA tourney win in our future and getting that "Never Won A Tourney Game" off our backs.
I realize that's not that important to most Husker fans. Most of us would rather it was football football football all the time. Football feeds the ego of the state and that's it.
I've wished for a good basketball program for years. It's not that I'm a huge basketball fan, but if you really want to be serious about being a good overall sports program, and I believe that's what most Nebraskans want, you have to be good at men's basketball.
Will it ever feed our ego? I know it's doubtful, but I'd like you to consider the possibility. Hell, there's always the chance that football won't exist in a couple decades as parents chose to place their kids in other sports because of the inherent injury dangers in football. And what will we do then?
Today is Big Ten tourney day. Today is the start of building towards the goal of being competitive in the best conference in the nation. Just beat Purdue and then worry about the next game after that. If that means that Ray Gallegos (Dylan Talley, Brandon Ubel, et al) has to have the best game of his career, then let's hope he can do it.
We'll be looking at what others are saying about the tourney.
But first....
Let's start a college football program: Where should we put it? - SBNation.com
If you could plant a new school with a football program anywhere in the country (or elsewhere!), where would you put it? It's not as easy to answer as it seems, since plenty of other schools have already had the same idea you just had. There are lots of college football programs in Texas already, I'm saying.
UNL students weigh in on new parking meter rate - Daily Nebraskan: News
The hourly rate at downtown Lincoln parking meters jumped 50 cents to $1 Monday, according to the Associated Press. City officials hope the fee increase will boost revenue and discourage people from parking in spots for long amounts of time, which would make more convenient parking available, the AP reported.
When are current students going to learn that while college used to be about getting an education that prepared you for a career in real life, today it's about screwing you OUT OF EVERY CENT POSSIBLE SO THAT YOU START LIFE INDEBTED AND BEHOLDEN TO THE MAN.
The effect of pressure - Football Study Hall
Nice analysis of what happens when you bring pressure against an offense.
Can UNL Be Capital of Human Performance? - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
"A decade from now, our vision is that Lincoln will be the human performance capital of the nation, if not the world,"
Hail Varsity Magazine: Sorting out special teams
–Redshirt sophomore Mauro Bondi and redshirt freshman walk-on Spencer Lindsay are the two leading contenders for placekicking duties right now according to special teams coach Ross Els. Bondi and redshirt freshman Sam Foltz are both working at punter.
Brandon Vogel at Hail Varsity breaks down special teams.
Pelini said Nebraska’s defense "made some significant progress" during practice sessions on Monday and Wednesday. Better practice habits. More attention to detail. Guys’ grasp of concepts has been enhanced. They’re playing faster. "I’ve seen us make a big jump in the last two days as to where we were over the first week," Pelini said.
Apparently it's not that difficult to overcome being "mentally weak".
Hail Varsity Magazine: Martinez playing the role of mentor this spring
With the senior quarterback firmly established as the Huskers’ starter and some young quarterbacks behind him needing snaps, Martinez said he has sat out the majority of live drills this spring. No need to risk injury, but that doesn’t make it any easier for Martinez to accept.
Basketball
The tourney will start off at 11:30 this morning with Minnesota taking on Illinois on BTN. After that you've got Michigan vs Penn State and then at 5:30 PM is Nebraska vs Purdue on ESPN2, and then Iowa vs Northwestern, also on ESPN2.
The whole thing is being played at United Center in Chicago.
2013 Big Ten Tournament: Your tourney guide to Chicago - Land-Grant Holy Land
Heading into the Windy City to watch the Buckeyes this weekend? Planning an early Spring Break trip to Chi-Town? Not sure where to go, what to see, and what to avoid? Don't worry, the Land Grant Holy Land Chicago Bureau has got you covered.
The OTE Big Ten Tournament Pick Em - Off Tackle Empire
A Big Ten Basketball Tournament Pick Em? Sure, why not. This should whet your appetite until next week when the real fun starts. This one's for pride and I promise I'll tabulate sometime next week.
Give it a shot. Hell, pick Nebraska all the way through. What do you have to lose?
Make Your Shots And Move On - The Champaign Room
In January the Gophers shot 60% from three and the Illini shot 13%. Minnesota won by 17. In February the Gophers shot 29% from three and the Illini shot 48%. Illinois won by four. That's it, really.
Talk about two schools who really want to win a game. Minnesota has mightily underachieved this season. Mightily. They have talent, they just don't have the will. If there's one team that could legitimately surprise everyone, it's probably the Gophers.
TDG's Big Ten Tournament Preview, Can The Gophers Make a Run? - The Daily Gopher
I'd like to pick an upset here, but after recently seeing both of these teams beat the Gophers, I was much more impressed with Purdue. This might be an ugly game with a lot of fouls as both teams are known more for their defensive abilities than having prolific offenses.
The quoted bit is about Nebraska vs Purdue. The Minnesota guys don't give us much of a chance. I say, when you've got Tim Miles, you've always got a chance.
Big Ten Tournament primer: everyone else in the first round - Maize n Brew
Nebraska is just ahead of Penn State for title of worst offense in the conference. I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time describing it. In the four factors, the Huskers are 11th (eFG%, 43.3; OR% 25.8), 12th (FTA/FGA, 26.2), and somewhat surprisingly second in TO% at 16.2. Defensively, they are no higher than eighth in the four factors.
Blah, blah blah, Nebraska sucks.
Fascinating Map Of Where Meth Lab Accidents Happen In The U.S
The meth epidemic in one map. ..
And as it turns out, when we called them "Methzou", we weren't just joking. HOLY COW MISSOURI.