The Nebraska Cornhuskers are trending towards making the NCAA Tournament this year. While Nebraska is historically a college football power, they have not had anywhere close to the same success on the college basketball court. To date, Nebraska has never won an NCAA Tournament game. There is a chance that it might be coming to an end, based on Joe Lunardi's latest for ESPN...
The esteemed bracketologist has Nebraska projected to be one of the last four teams into the NCAA Tournament along with the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. We would be looking at the Huskers facing one of those three teams in Dayton as part of the last four in. Fate would have it, Lunardi has Nebraska slated to face bitter rival Oklahoma.
Although both college football powers have left their former league, these were the two schools that used to run the old Big Eight. While Nebraska has had its moments in Big Ten play since leaving for its new league, Oklahoma is the better college basketball program historically. If we end up getting this game in Dayton, it will be Fred Hoiberg vs. Porter Moser, two coaches who really need to win in March.
Nebraska is 17-11 on the season, 7-10 in Big Ten play, losers of their last two, with three games left.
Nebraska hoops could be facing traditional rival with history on the line
I firmly understand just how big of a deal this may be for a historically downtrodden program like Nebraska. There are reasons why colleges are either basketball or football schools for the most part. Athletic budgets are finite and there is only so much money that can be allocated. Nebraska hoops is making a come-up!
In this day and age, I think any time you have the chance to see a program do something historic, you have to be rooting for it, right? Nebraska hired Hoiberg to be a catalyst for change for the Cornhuskers on the hardwood. The Mayor of Ames had tremendous success leading his alma mater of Iowa State before seeing if he could improve the Chicago Bulls' fortunes in the NBA. He could not...
Ultimately, potentially seeing Oklahoma and Nebraska square off in Dayton as part of the last four in adds national intrigue to March Madness far beyond that of a casual fan. These two schools hate each other. For them to possibly face each other with an NCAA Tournament win on the line would be huge. Oklahoma could end up getting it, but this win in Dayton would mean even more to Nebraska.
Just getting into the tournament will be a big deal for the Cornhuskers, but they will have to earn it.