It is the start of high school basketball season in Nebraska.
Ranchhand 2 had his teeth rearranged by a ground ball during his first baseball game, and then broke a hip during his first cross country meet. I have a large package of bubble wrap ready for his first basketball game.
The Husker women’s basketball team face a huge challenge tomorrow (Thursday) when they go up against #4/#5 Louisville in the Big Ten/ACC challenge. This season, I figured Nebraska to have a chance at a run for a conference title. The Huskers returned their top scorers as well as a core of battle-tested upperclassmen. They also added talented newcomers. All of this pointed toward a step forward from the team that finished third in the Big Ten last season.
Count me surprised that the Husker women are sitting at 2-3. Count me even more surprised that the program appears to be hitting “reset” and returning to a youth movement. Nebraska’s four freshmen are combining to average 29.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while the two sophomores (Kate Cain, Taylor Kissinger) have combined to average 18.8 points and 10.2 boards per contest.
There is a lot of season left and this Husker women’s team is fun to watch. I have no idea what will happen next, but I’m going to enjoy the ride.
Frosted Flakes
Huskers’ 4-8 season under Scott Frost offers hope for 2019 | News & Observer
Nebraska went 4-8 for the second season in a row. This 4-8, however, has an entirely different vibe.
Nebraska Football: How No Bowl Game in Scott Frost's First Year Can Pay Off in the Long Run
However, only someone who hasn’t watched this team over the course of the season or chooses to not acknowledge what it has accomplished on a deeper level can claim Mike Riley’s last year mirrors Frost’s first.
Future of Frost’s offense bright after special season of broken records | Sports | dailynebraskan.com
The hiring of head coach Scott Frost brought a new offense to Lincoln that Husker fans had never seen.
Nebraska Tames Tigers in Littlejohn, 68-66 - Shakin The Southland
Clemson fails to hold up their end of the bargain in the ACC/Big 10 challenge. What does it mean for the Tigers season?
Huskers earn 7 seed, host Hofstra in first round
The Nebraska volleyball team was selected as the No. 7 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night and will host the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center next weekend.
After surgery, 2-year-old Husker fan steals spotlight during The Wave with lone Nebraska sign | Football | starherald.com
Some extra encouragement for the Huskers hung in a window at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital on Friday. The "GBR" sign, spotted from Kinnick Stadium when the
Balanced attack leads Nebraska women's basketball team to 38-point win | Women's Basketball | journalstar.com
The Nebraska women’s basketball got a 38-point win against Radford, 77-39, on Sunday afternoon in Coral Gables, Florida.
Miramontez Tabbed First-Team All-Region - Husker Soccer
Sinclaire Miramontez earned first-team All-North Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches.
Sportsin’ Stuff Outside the 402/308
Pepperdine Waves overcome school tragedy, wildfire evacuations en route to 2018 NCAA volleyball tournament
A schoolmate was killed in a mass shooting and a wildfire threatened campus. On Sunday, Pepperdine volleyball got to celebrate a berth in the NCAA tournament.
College football: One Big Ten school paid students to stay at games.
Maryland students won $28,000 in scholarships for staying at home football games this season. The Big Ten school wants to increase attendance.
UCF Knights QB McKenzie Milton has blood flow restored to right leg
UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton still has nerve damage and faces reconstructive surgery on his right knee, but "immediate surgery" has helped to restore blood flow.
Why aren’t more women coaching men? - SBNation.com
There are currently only six women coaching in men’s professional sports. It’s not about ability. It’s about access.
This table tennis block is so good it looks impossible - SBNation.com
What a play!
College Football Playoff rankings: How Oklahoma, Ohio State, UGA get in | SI.com
If every favorite wins on Saturday, Sunday will have just as much debate as it has drama. But any one of these upsets could change everyone's plans.
AP top 25 poll: What preseason edition got right and wrong | SI.com
It's always a fun exercise to go back and look at what did—and didn't—pan out from the preseason AP poll at the end of the regular season, and this year didn't disappoint.
More Noise and Other Disturbances
Inside the search for the Bible and other original sacred texts
In the shadowy world where religion meets archaeology, scientists, collectors, and schemers are racing to find the most precious relics.
The Genius Neuroscientist Who Might Hold the Key to True AI | WIRED
Karl Friston’s free energy principle might be the most all-encompassing idea since Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. But to understand it, you need to peer inside the mind of Friston himself.
How ancient viruses got cannabis high: Ancient viruses contributed to the evolution of hemp and marijuana -- ScienceDaily
THC and CBD, bioactive substances produced by cannabis and sought by medical patients and recreational users, sprung to life thanks to ancient colonization of the plant's genome by viruses, researchers have found.
Brain-computer interface enables people with paralysis to control tablet devices | News from Brown
Three people with paralysis participating in the BrainGate clinical trial, an effort that includes Brown University researchers, chatted with family and friends, shopped online and used other tablet computer applications, all by just thinking about pointing and clicking a mouse.
Houston-area ATM mistakenly dispenses $100 bills, not $10s - ABC News
An ATM in the Houston area has been shut down and was temporarily guarded by law officers
Engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts
MIT engineers have flown the first silent, fuel-free “ion plane.” The light aircraft is the first plane to fly with no propellers, turbine blades, or other moving parts.
Then There’s This
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Helping Marvel superheroes breathe -- ScienceDaily
Marvel comics superheroes Ant-Man and the Wasp possess the ability to temporarily shrink down to the size of insects, while retaining the mass and strength of their normal human bodies. But a new study suggests that, when bug-sized, Ant-Man and the Wasp would face serious challenges, including oxygen deprivation.
Police officer rescues chicken from fire - ABC News
A police officer who saved a chicken from becoming a roaster is taking a ribbing from his fellow officers.