Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

Nebraska basketball fans are stupid. So are their football fans, but that's another story for another time. Somehow, farmers in Indiana and Iowa can grasp the concepts of James Naismith's game, but the rubes in Nebraska cannot.

PYB says this not because we hate so-called NU basketball fans (well, we hate a lot of them), but because we have to hear the same song and dance from them every season. After not doing their part for nearly 15 years by supporting their team, they show up in volume a game or so AFTER their 'beloved' Huskers beat a rated team. Only problem being it is usually against a more highly rated team (Kansas) that has NU physically outmatched--by a long shot. Then, after the inevitable blowout, they give up on the team for the rest of the year and don't show up for home games where Ken Sadler's squad has a chance to win and needs their support the most. Loud crowd ain't turning a 34-point loss into a win, but it will turn a six-point loss into a win.

Such was the case Saturday night against Ohio State, as the Suckeyes were vastly superior at every position on the floor and three spots into the bench. Bo Spencer would be the only NU player who would play for Thad Matta's squad. Any semi-savvy basketball fan could tell this because Nebraska was rarely able to get into its half-court offense. Buckeye guards continually blocked shots by NU guards and forwards with ease.

Nebraska would not win this game if they played it 1000 times in Lincoln. Basketball is all about matchups, and this one is horrible for Nebraska. So, NU fans showed their lack of knowledge by acting horrified about the 34-point loss. It was inevitable. Sit back, bet big on the Buckeyes, rake in your dough and enjoy it. Bobby Knight would. Oh wait, gambling is illegal--Nebraskans wouldn't do that.

A 15-point loss wouldn't have been any better. Wouldn't have mattered. What does matter is that NU has a chance to win its next seven games and needs to win three of them--at least. Their roster is devoid of talent, and blowouts will happen. Get over it.

What also matters is that Sadler doesn't have a point guard for next year. In fact, he has nothing at all except two big men who can score 15 against bad teams but only score four points against most good teams. George Diaz is a pussy and is pushed around every game. Doc will have to sign a difference-maker in his next class, or he'll be gone. As much as we like him, that's just the fact of the matter.

PYB thinks that maybe Doc just isn't cut out to be a head coach at this level of Division I, just like Dana Altman wasn't. But it's obvious he can teach defense and is a good X and O guy and may be cut out to be a top-notch assistant at a great program. We won't be surprised to see him racking up NCAA tournament trips after NU inevitably dumps him for another underwhelming hire.

The only other path would be to go with a big name, if you could get any big name to come to Lincoln. It would have to be a coach who can push the limits of the NCAA rules to get guys to come in from basketball talent hotbeds. We say push the envelope, because unless your Ohio State, USC or John Calipari you can't outright cheat. The new facilities will give someone that chance. But it's no layup.

There is literally ZERO talent base at the Nebraska high-school level. The state hasn't produced a legitimate Division-I prospect for 20 years. What about Mike Gesell, in Sioux City, you say? Well, he scores a lot of points, but his team is 9-5 and just lost to another Class B team last nite. Any top-notch Division I recruit can carry a Class A team to a state championship or close to it. Losing to Beatrice?? Doesn't happen if you're a true next-level guy. That's a fact.

So, as we move from here, PYB waits for NU to drop two more home games it should win. Partly because the team isn't very good and doesn't play to its limited potential. But moreso because 6,400 fans show up and sit on their hands and grumble rather than just making the best of the current situation, being loud and helping its team to a victory. How about putting on a good face for potential future recruits? Guarantee that they notice the moribund environment at most games.

Guarantee they notice the nerd-ridden student section. Seriously....the section has BOTH a douche thats wraps himself in a Snuggie and thinks it's cool AND a guy who dresses up like the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. For lack of better insight, what the fuck??? And Associate AD Marc Boehm says this will intimidate other teams at the new arena. We're sure Tom Izzo is shaking in his boots.

Sadly, the basketball team's current situation is just part of a larger problem within the athletic ranks at NU. Its teams' competitiveness is at an all-time low across the board. Football sucks, basketball sucks, baseball sucks......even volleyball sucks in relative terms.

We're SURE you noticed how NU fans have started 'following' wrestling more closely, since the team is actually rated. That increased coverage in the OWH.....no coincedence. Nebraska fans want a winner, but they don't want to work for it. It's the new American way. Just ask any new-age athlete. Or any illegal immigrant using your tax dollars while sitting in the emergency room waiting to pop out her fourth illegitimate kid.....

Talk about another story for another day.....

--PYB