Another bad loss for the Nebraska basketball team last nite brings more questions about what direction, if any, the program is going. This time, the Cornhuskers helped Colorado snap its 36-game road conference losing streak by allowing the Bluffs to shoot 61% from the field and 12/17 from downtown.
For us here at PYB, the reason for the 2-13 conference record clicked in last week. Sure, when a team plays eight players in their first year with the program, there will be some struggles with offensive chemistry as players find their roles and the coach settles on his rotation. But what should always be consistent, or somewhat consistent, is defensive effort.
No matter how bad NU was offensively in past seasons, they could most times stay close by busting their asses on defense. This year, it's been pathetic from day one...most likely because the players are still too young to understand team defense entirely and also because they don't yet take pride in it. The younger the player, the more concerned he tends to be with getting his shots, his reps, his 'glory'.
No blocked shots, few steals and the worst three-point defense of any team in recent memory. NU couldn't even stop its shitty non-conference opponents from dropping 10 threes a game. Did Doc Sadler forget how to teach defense? No. Did he fail to instill the importance of defense in this group's collective mind? Maybe. But if they won't listen, those aren't players who will ever succeed in the Big 12. Give them one more year, and see what happens.
PYB also has received more calls for Doc's job from fans who are generally supportive but say they're losing faith. To all in that camp, keep in mind that NU is the only Big 12 school that hasn't at least broken ground on a practice facility (Yes, teams used to do just fine without them 15 years ago when hoops was actually watchable, but such is life in the pussified world of college sports we're now stuck with), and then ask yourself these questions:
1. Who would replace Sadler that would be any better?
1a. Who would actually take the job if NU axed Sadler this early?
2. Wouldn't giving Sadler two more years to develop his freshmen and sophomores be better than blowing up the thing prematurely, and then starting from square one? Bottom line is: making a change will keep NU in the cellar for three or four more years.
3. Does anyone think that if Doc can't do it, anyone can?
4. When was the last time Nebraska produced a LEGITIMATE top-tier Division I recruit from its high school ranks? 1992 with Erick Strickland and Andre Woolridge? 18 years.
5. Have the fans done their part by filling up the Devaney Center on a regular basis?
6. Has Doc really had time to get the ship righted? Barry Collier was a fucking joke and Sek Henry was Doc's only first-year recruit---a last minute offer when he left UTEP and brought Henry along.
That being said, Doc does have his warts. His player rotations are a complete fucking mystery. Christian Standhardinger goes for 25 and 8 in his first start on the road, then plays 12 minutes the next game at home? Bear Jones and Quincy Hankins-Cole get a 'one-game' suspension for 'missing study hall' then play a total of three and five minutes, respectively, over the next two games combined? Brandon Ubel, who is barely Division III talent, keeps racking up big minutes and embarrassing the program with every stumble and turnover? Brandon Richardson was the closest thing NU had to a scoring guard with good ball handling skills and smooth moves, but through misuse has lost most of his confidence?
The next main gripe is the shitty schedule. Wouldn't NU fans rather see some big names come to the Devaney once in a while, even if it meant a couple blowout losses here and there. Wouldn't they rather see where the team matches up compared to some of the big boys in the nation. Sure, there's the bullshit excuse of "teams won't play us in a home & home"....so pull a Gonzaga and go there. Better to have tried and lost than to have just beat up on the likes of SC Upstate, UMKC, UTPA, Chicago State and Jackson State. Take a lesson from the baseball and volleyball teams, who earned reputations as Top 10 programs by playing the best, any time, anywhere. Hopefully the exposure will land a recruit....one recruit....who could get NU over the hump. You never know unless you try.
So, where does NU go from here? Keep Doc, let him try to mold the freshmen into players and competitors and warriors on the defensive end. If he can't do it, we'll know in two years. But patience is a must, especially for a team at NU's level, with few competitive advantages. For the time being, all of you fans who aren't confident enough in yourselves to root for your team win or lose....well you can jump on the women's team bandwagon for now. The rest of us will just feel embarrassed for you.
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