All those associated with the Nebraska basketball team hoped this was going to be the year. The year they not only made the NCAA Tournament but win their first ever tournament game.The Huskers returned their top four leading scorers, and 1st team All-Big Ten guard James Palmer Jr. was primed for another fantastic season. All was well in Lincoln, as the Huskers started the year out 11-2 and headed into the new year hoping to continue their success. Now, the Huskers have lost four straight and were an abysmal 2-6 in the month of January.
The Good
The Huskers seemed to play the part as a team who could make tournament run in March back in November and December. They routed Seton Hall and Creighton at home, took down Clemson on the road, and only suffered two losses to #16 Texas Tech and Minnesota. There was no panic in Lincoln. The offense was averaging 80 points a game, and the stingy defense was only allowing 57 points a game.
The Bad
The calendar then turned to January, and the Huskers lost two straight on the road to Maryland and Iowa, where they lost their identity on the defensive end. They bounced back with wins over Penn State and Indiana to give the fanbase a little juice once again, setting up one of the biggest home games in school history with Michigan State coming to town. 2 weeks ago the Huskers lost to the Spartans by six and since then the wheels have come off and and are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament.
The Ugly
What has gone wrong in these last four games? First, the offense has been atrocious. They have averaged 61 points in the past four games on 34% shooting. Also, losing your second leading scorer, Isaac Copeland, to an ACL injury while having one of the worst benches in America does not help the cause. The struggles are not necessarily because of fantastic defenses. In the last game against Wisconsin, the Huskers missed a total of 15 layups. James Palmer Jr. is not looking like the All-Big Ten player he is, and there is almost no post presence. This is certainly not a recipe for success.
What Now?
Where do the Huskers go from here? They are 13-8 with 10 games left. 6-4 or 5-5 would put them on the bubble. Anything more than that would give them a good chance with the resumé they have. Going .500 will be no easy stretch with road games at Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State. Maryland, Purdue, and Iowa come to Pinnacle Bank Arena and certainly nothing is a given right now. With the absence of Copeland, the Huskers are a totally different team especially on the offensive hand. There is nothing I have seen that convinces me Nebraska will be able to the train going again. A promising start may leave the Huskers out of the dance