Frosted Flakes: Frustrations

The Nebraska men’s basketball team did not make the NCAA Tournament and I am not terribly surprised.

They had a great year. They went 13-5 in the Big Ten Conference and 22-10 overall. A great record for any team in any conference. They, for the most part, beat who they were supposed to beat along with way. Many times, in very convincing fashion. A few players even made some of the All Big Ten teams.

What they did not do wast beat any notable opponents and lived in the middle of a weak conference. They had their chances. I know many of us would like to go back and turn those losses to the likes of Kansas, UCF, and St. Johns into wins. Having those would have most likely pushed us into The Dance.

But those wins did not happen.

I am also sure the eye test criteria that we hear about was also not met. The last couple of games against Indiana and Penn State were very nice wins but probably a little too late. Also, they were both on the Big Ten Network and I would not be surprised if few of the committee members were watching those games this late into the season.

It’s over, time to move on.

Now, what I have been having a hard time wrapping my head around is the NIT placement. For some reason Nebraska was passed over for one of the four #4 spots in the tournament. Even Penn State received one of those spots. I mean no disrespect to the Nittany Lions. They also had a decent year. But were they more deserving than the Huskers? Did they beat the right teams at the right time? Did they pass the “eye test”?

So, to start the post season the Cornhuskers will play Mississippi State in Starkville. A team that they beat in an exhibition game back in October. The Bulldogs are a #4 seed in the tournament with a 22-11 overall record and 9-9 in the SEC.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one. Hopefully I will know more about why the NIT chose to place the Huskers in this position by the time I publish my preview tomorrow because right now I’m still racking my brain as to why this happened.

With that said, the Nebraska women’s basketball team should be headed to the NCAA Tournament. We will know tonight how that turns out. They have also had an amazing year. Coach Amy Williams has turned this team around very quickly and should be rewarded with a bid.

Anyway, on to flakes...

Cornhuskers

Huskers left out of NCAA Tournament, will open NIT play on the road | Men's Basketball | journalstar.com
It wasn’t enough. Nebraska’s 22-10 regular season that included a 13-5 record in the Big Ten wasn’t good enough to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket

Tim Miles surprised, confused by Huskers being a No. 5 seed and traveling to Mississippi State for NIT | Men's Basketball | omaha.com
The Huskers maintained slim NCAA hopes going into Sunday but instead will be playing in the NIT for the 18th time in school history.

NCAA Tournament 2018: 9 biggest snubs in the field - SBNation.com
Now that the field of 68 is set, it’s time to look at a few of the teams whose hopes were crushed during the Selection Show. Thanks to the depth of this season’s bubble, it’s a longer list than you’d expect.

Four Nebraska wrestlers earn seeds for NCAA Championships | Wrestling | omaha.com
Four of the seven Nebraska wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA Championships earned seeds in their weight classes on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the Sporting World

NCAA revenues clear $1 billion in 2017, for the first time - SBNation.com
It’s the first time the NCAA has cleared $1 billion in annual revenue. It won’t be the last.

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The Palestra

NFL draft 2018: Leighton Vander Esch went from 8-on-8 football to top prospect - SBNation.com
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More Noise and Other Disturbances

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