All good points. Just a hunch on my part.

Just because last year’s team was successful doesn’t mean this year’s team will be. They have a really solid 1-2 punch, and then Pitchford and Webster are good, but I’m not impressed with anyone else. Their depth is going to be tested, especially if they happen to have any injuries or suspensions during the season.

Still, I think last year’s team just got hot at the right time moreso than they were really good. They started the B1G 0-4 and then won 11 of their next 14.

Last year, their incredibly successful squad finished, 272nd in the nation in ppg, 251st in rebounds, 342nd in assists, and 251st in FG percentage. Basically, if you look at their team from a statistical standpoint, it is hard to quantify how they were so successful.

I’m not saying I think they will stink or that they aren’t even one of the better teams in the B1G. I just think they are the perfect example of an overrated team. Lots of bounces went their way last year. What if some of them don’t this year? You may be right about them, but I’m not buying it.

True. Tubby is a good coach IMO. Maybe not top 5 but very good. As much as I love the old venues, Minny will just be average with those facilities and those miserable winters. I believe state of the art facilities will become even more important over the coming years in attracting good coaches and players. Which is why I was such a big proponent for a new building in Bloomington.

Besides Wisc., who is bringing back more from a successful squad? And they learned they could win this year. I’d say anywhere from 2 – 5, so I have to disagree with them being over rated.

Agreed. I think they are probably out of the cellar at least for awhile now. Building a program is hard work, but building a program that has continued success is much harder.

Look at our situation as a perfect example. Crean basically took over a brand new program, built it up until it had success, and now has taken a couple steps back. If it is hard to build continued success at IU, it will be harder at Nebraska.

Facilities are important. Remember when Minny promised Tubby new facilities when they hired him? They fired without ever breaking ground. Thought he got the short end of the stick there.

I’m not sold on this current group either but as I said above Nebraska has made the investment and I think long term whether Miles is at the helm or another coach they will no longer be one of the bottom dwellers in the conference.

I had no idea. Wow. He looks a good ten years younger.

Tim is 48. Same age as Crean. He’s not what most would refer to as a “young coach.” He also had loosing records in both the Mountain West (28-50) and North Central Conference (22-26) before landing the NEB gig. That being said, he turned some heads last year. He has some veteran players coming back. Let’s see what he is able to do with it. The B1G is always rough, even in a “down year.”

I think you make a really good point. It’s one thing to have a breakthrough season and be the “feel good” story of the B1G. It’s another thing to come into the season with a lot of expectations and to enter games as a ranked team with a target on your back. I’d put their first 3 or 4 guys ahead of nearly everyone else in the league but I think their depth is pretty iffy. The preview says that Nebraska has a “seemingly favorable schedule”…I don’t see it that way. They play Rutgers, Northwestern, Penn State and Purdue only once a piece (not getting comparably easy shots at road wins at Rutgers or Northwestern and not getting to host Penn State or Purdue). That means they don’t play any of the expected “bottom tier” teams twice and in what could be a really crowded conference race, that could be a big deal.

All that being said, I think Petteway is a really tough matchup because of his multi-faceted offensive game and ability to get to the line seemingly at will, Pitchford is a really hard stretch 4 to matchup with and Shavon Shields is a really good complimentary piece in the backcourt. Plus, Tai Webster will almost surely be improved after being mostly underwhelming. I’m looking forward to seeing how they adjust to life in the spotlight.

Shows what can happen when you make the investment and have leadership willing to do what it takes to be successful.

I think they were severely underrated last season, but I think they are being overrated this year. This team is good, no doubt about it, but I don’t believe they will challenge for a B1G title. I don’t think they finish in the Top 4 either. They should still make the NCAA and give a lot of people trouble, but I’m not ready to call them a “favorite” until they show they can win in back to back years.