Friday Flakes: Is Nebraska the Hardest Job in Men’s College Basketball? Also a Corn Nation Teaser

Let’s start with this tweet.

Will Cain is a smart guy, so I don’t have qualms with him as a person, but I do want to address his list. I actually downloaded the podcast episode so I could hear the segment.

I know. I know. I know.

He’s trying to get a reaction. Sports writers love lists because it causes reactions. So I will not give him a reaction.

I am going to sit here quietly.

Or not.

It is an uninformed take on the situation here at Nebraska. It’s an outsiders take. So I’ll give an insiders take.

Does he know that Nebraska basketball plays in a beautiful new arena which is usually sold out?

Does he know they have new practice facilities which stand right up there with anybody in the country?

Does he know Nebraska ranked 11th in the country in average attendance? More than Michigan State, Maryland and Purdue.

Oh, and the rumor is that they are willing to spend close to $4 million a year for a basketball coach? The investment by the athletic program is there.

Sounds just like Rutgers, Penn State, Washington State and Northwestern...to him I guess.

I don’t believe Northwestern belongs in that group either and it isn’t just because they are in the B1G. The biggest legit knock against Nebraska is the location. As people who live outside of “fly-over country” would say...”It is in the middle of nowhere.” Except they likely have not been out here.

I’ve driven up and down. Left and right. Throughout the east coast. Sometimes every time you get off their highways or the interstate you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, except you are surrounded by trees.

But I digress...

The main issue is getting to Lincoln. The amount of direct flights in and out of Lincoln and Omaha are particularly limited when compared to the larger cities. That is definitely a reality.

Another main issue for Will Cain is whether you are a football school (which Nebraska obviously is) then that is detrimental to your program. I think that is a cop-out for college athletic directors.

Fortunately for Nebraska, the resources for the basketball program has not been a problem over the past several years and will not be a problem.

The last main point he had was about what conference you played in and whether there were “big dogs” at the top. But that wasn’t his criteria. He asked where it was the most difficult to have a “winning” basketball program.

To me, a “winning” power five basketball program is a team that regularly makes the NCAA tournament. Whether you have “big dogs” at the top of your conference is almost irrelevant. There are years where the Big 10 could get 10 teams, or like last year when they only get four. It changes every year.

So when you have the facilities, athletic department commitment and fan support that Nebraska has there really is no excuse at this point to not build a winner.

I have said for years that Nebraska Basketball (both men’s and women’s) is a sleeping giant. Some have said that Nebraska fans could not care less about basketball. I think that is said by people who think that NBA players don’t start playing defense until the playoffs.

In the end, is it harder to win at Nebraska than most schools? Yes. All you need is the right coach to change that in a heartbeat.

It’s all up to Bill Moos to make that happen.

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One last thing about fan support

People want to claim that the state of Nebraska is merely a football state. Well as I said above, when it comes to men’s basketball the Huskers ranked 11th in the country in average attendance. Do you know who was 5th? Creighton.

So you have two of the top 11 in average attendance in the country FOR BASKETBALL only 45 minutes apart in a “football state.” Nebraska isn’t a football state. It is a “sports” state. We sell out events all the time. College baseball, conference tournaments, and boxing events.

The support is already there and if both programs can do what I think it possible then the lid could break off.

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Sometimes the Book Can Ruin the Movie

I still remember standing in Barnes and Noble just wasting time before I needed to be somewhere. I picked up the book The Martian by Andy Weir.

I read the first line of the book, then immediately walked over to the cash register and bought it.

If you’ve read the book, you likely still remember the first line.

Regardless I loved the book and was excited for the movie. Like most times when I watch a movie after reading the book I left underwhelmed. It is almost a cliche, but the book was better than the movie.

However, several years later I continue to hear how people still love the movie. Some have said that it was the best movie of the year. My general response is that it wasn’t that great of a movie.

Well this week I decided to give the movie another try.

Guess what, I changed my mind. It is a great movie. I truly enjoyed The Martian on the second viewing. I think I would enjoy it even more on a third viewing.

As time passed I was able to mentally separate the book from the movie and I think it allowed me to simply enjoy it instead of comparing it to what happened in the book.

Sometimes the book ruins the movie.

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On to the flakes...

SPORTS!

Mohamed Barry Growing Into Leadership Role for Huskers | Hail Varsity
As important as this spring is for continuing to learn the grow comfortable within the schemes, it is equally vital in the team's attempt to cultivate new leadership following the departure of every team captain from a season ago.

One of the players attempting to fill that void is senior inside linebacker Mohamed Barry.

Hot Reads: Huskers' Hit Rate on Transfers Is Promising So Far | Hail Varsity
It was a good day for Nebraska's newest "old" guy. Old guy, very much respectively speaking here. Senior defensive tackle Darrion Daniels is only old in a college football context.

Power Five Basketball, 'Non-Basketball' Schools and Nebraska's Place | Hail Varsity
“Nebraska's never been a basketball powerhouse, and I don't know if they ever will,” he said. “They'll be a program that, every once in a while, maybe can get in the NCAA Tournament. But they're not ever going to be a program that's going to consistently win the Big Ten.

Moos sticks to script in handling of Husker basketball job | Men's Basketball | journalstar.com
It sure seems like we've seen this movie before, probably because we have.

Steven M. Sipple: Grad transfer Daniels heeded father's wisdom, and Blackshirts benefiting | Column | journalstar.com
Darrion Daniels says his father taught him at a young age to do what he's supposed to do in life, no matter who's watching.

Nebraska football coach Scott Frost would tell you the youngster apparently heeded his dad's wisdom.

Ruud doesn't count out freshmen in picking up linebacker duties
Barrett Ruud flashed a grin and then spoke the truth. "I did it. How hard is it?"

He did indeed do it. He was a middle linebacker who played at Nebraska as a true freshman. It can be done and he is proof. Of course that's Nebraska career tackles leader (432 of those bad boys) talking.

That time Matt Patricia threw a trash can at Rob Gronkowski during Patriots practice
Rob Gronkowski was down. He wasn't getting up. For an instant, Matt Patricia thought his coaching career might be over.

The 2019 MLB Poll: Who’s the funniest, the best, the most overrated? How tense are labor relations? And who’s afraid of Aaron Judge? – The Athletic ($)
As​ we​ did​ last​ season,​ this spring​ The Athletic had our beat writers​ ask​ as​ many​ players as​ they could​​ — about a third of the league overall, including players from all 30 teams — about a wide range of topics. We covered the best players in the game, managers they would and would not want to play for, their feelings on the current labor situation, and more, from the silly to the serious.

“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.

The 50 Best Movies of 1999, Part 1 - The Ringer
Welcome to 1999 Movies Week, a celebration of one of the best years in film history. Throughout the week, The Ringer will highlight some of the year’s best, most interesting films, but there’s no better way to prove what a high-quality, diverse year ’99 was at the box office than by ranking the movies. Here is Part 1 of The Ringer’s ranking of the 50 best movies of 1999. Come back tomorrow as we reveal the top 25.

Kenyan science teacher who gave most of his earnings away wins $1 million prize - ABC News
A Kenyan science teacher who gave the majority of his earnings to the poor has been awarded a $1 million teaching prize for his work.

Also he is a Franciscan friar..they tried burying that fact in the article.

Avengers: Endgame's Final Runtime Reported to Be 182 Minutes, According to AMC Theaters | Mental Floss
Time and space will likely not matter to Marvel fans who have been anxiously awaiting Avengers: Endgame's arrival in theaters. But for fans who care how long the epic finale of Phase 3 will be, let’s just say you might want to invest in the extra-large popcorn and soda to get you through it. And somehow be able to hold your bladder.

Rivers may have flowed on Mars for longer than anyone realized
The surface of modern Mars is a parched memory of water. What little remains of the life-giving liquid trickles from salty seasonal seeps, languishes in pockets as underground lakes, or sits frozen in sheets of ice.

Teaser: Something May Be Coming

Many of you know about the Five Heart Podcast where Greg and Hoss mainly focus on Nebraska football while also diving in on many of the other sports at Nebraska.

Well you know what is better than one Corn Nation podcast? Two. Especially a podcast that may have a different set of priorities.

Maybe.

Soon.

Music Scott Frost Would Be Proud Of

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!