Brian Rosenthal: NU men getting recharged
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The last time the Nebraska men’s basketball team put together a solid stretch, fans responded with yawns.
Doc Sadler’s crew was coming off a well-played victory against Texas Tech, had won three of four games, and was hosting Missouri, a beatable team.
Those who bothered to visit the Devaney Sports Center that Wednesday night — actual attendance was 8,014 in the 13,595-seat arena — seemed uninterested. There was room to lay back and stretch out in the student-section bleachers. People began flying for the exits with four minutes left in regulation, and more departed at the start of overtime.
* The Longhorns are quickly closing in on their school record of 25 regular-season victories. Texas was 25-5 in 2005-06.
Next game: at Texas Tech, Saturday
2. Kansas (24-3, 9-3)
* Two Jayhawks - Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart — had family members killed last week. As Bill Self said, the coaching manual offers no help in those situations.
Next game: at Iowa State, Wednesday
3. Kansas State (18-8, 8-4)
* These road losses - four straight for those who've lost count - aren't exactly helping the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament seeding.
Next game: at Kansas, Saturday
4. Oklahoma (18-9, 6-6)
* The Sooners need a victory against Nebraska to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Remember, no Big 12 team that's finished 8-8 in league play has earned an at-large tourney bid.
Next game: at Nebraska, Wednesday
5. Baylor (18-8, 6-6)
* Baylor ended its freefall against Kansas State and remains a contender in what’s become a muddled race for the No. 4 seed of the Big 12 Tournament.
Next game: at Colorado, Wednesday
6. Oklahoma State (14-12, 5-7)
* Wonder if the OSU higher-ups are still as high on Bill Self as they were before the Cowboys' victory against Kansas? And is this late push enough to save Sean Sutton?
Next game: at Missouri, today
7. Nebraska (16-9, 5-7)
* CBI? NIT? Alphabet soup never tasted so good. Huskers still need two or three more wins to keep alive postseason hopes, but at least there's talk.
Next game: Oklahoma, Wednesday
8. Texas Tech (15-11, 6-6)
* Junior guard Alan Voskuil is averaging 20.5 points over his last four games and shooting 49.3 percent during that span.
Next game: at Texas A&M, Wednesday
9. Texas A&M (20-7, 6-6)
* Texas A&M is a probably a better team that it's shown lately, but three straight losses, including two at home to current 5-7 league teams, results in a big demotion.
Next game: Texas Tech, Wednesday
10. Missouri (15-12, 5-7)
* In their victory against Colorado, the Tigers committed four turnovers and limited the Buffaloes to zero free-throw attempts. That's a winning combination.
Next game: Oklahoma State, today
11. Iowa State (14-13, 4-8)
* Remember Mr. 2.2-points-per-game Sean Haluska and his three three-pointers against Nebraska? He did the same thing Saturday against Texas Tech.
Next game: Kansas, Wednesday
12. Colorado (10-16, 2-10)
* Sophomore Xavier Silas has been dismissed from the team. First-year coach Jeff Bzdelik said it was in the program's "best interest." Silas hadn't played since being benched Feb. 2 against KU.
Next game: Baylor, Wednesday
Player of the week
D.J. Augustin, Texas: Look out. Augustin is breaking out of a slump. The sophomore guard averaged 23 points in two victories last week and shot 60 percent from the floor. Augustin leads the Big 12 in assists, averaging six per game.
Rookie of the week
Michael Beasley, Kansas State: This must be more like a "rookie of the weekend" award. Michael Beasley wins for a fifth straight week, this time because of his Big 12 Conference single-game record of 44 points against Baylor. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Nebraska. Beasley shot 52.5 percent for the week.
Game of the week
Kansas State at Kansas, Saturday, 8 p.m.: K-State won the first meeting, in Manhattan, ending that bizarre streak of home losses to Kansas. The rematch appears to heavily favor the Jayhawks, who are 18-0 at home. K-State, meanwhile, has four straight road losses. The winner stays alive in the Big Conference title race.
That was a bizarre, inexplicable sight, not to mention embarrassing for Nebraska.
Sadler’s grass-roots promotional efforts for a program in need of a public relations makeover seemed fruitless.
Oh, of course, Missouri won, bringing out the cries of “same old Nebraska basketball.”
There’s truth to that. Just when the Huskers provide their faithful with a glimmer of hope … thud. Back to 11th place. Why get hopes up again?
Which brings us to Wednesday night, when Nebraska hosts Oklahoma, another good but beatable opponent.
Could this be a turning point in the young Sadler era?
The Huskers are coming off back-to-back victories against ranked teams for the first time since 1999. Their 5-3 record in the Big 12, following an 0-4 start, is the second-best stretch of any conference team. Texas is 7-1 in that period.
Sadler asked me if Wednesday’s game was televised. He seemed hopeful when I told him it wasn’t.
I’m not one to quote coaches with their “we need to pack the place” speech. Win, and they’ll come.
But fan following of Nebraska basketball seems, well, peculiar. Some say it’s the Devaney Center on a Wednesday night. (Imagine a new arena). Others say support won’t really come until Nebraska goes to the NCAA Tournament and wins a game or two. Sadler said bad parking is the No. 1 complaint he receives from fans. (I’m guessing free-throw shooting is a close second).
How much, exactly, do Nebraska fans care about basketball?
I’m wondering if Sadler has asked himself that very question. Don’t think he simply shrugged off the crowd for the Missouri game as no big deal.
Nebraska fans’ level of commitment will be tested Wednesday night. It’s a big test, too. A midweek sellout is probably a stretch, but another fan performance like that of two weeks ago would be a major concern.
Logjam
How topsy-turvy is the Big 12 Conference?
Nebraska, in 11th place a week ago, is now a game out of fourth place.
“It feels like the weather — just like the weather out here in Nebraska,” said sophomore guard Sek Henry, a Los Angeles native. “It gets hot out here, then it gets cold and snows.
“That seems like the way it’s been with us. It’s exciting for us to be back in the race, but we just have to keep on working hard.”
Nebraska and Oklahoma State are among the league’s hottest teams. Both won at Texas A&M, and OSU, which hosts Nebraska on Saturday, is coming off a victory against No. 4 Kansas.
“I’ve been telling my friends, it’s been the craziest Big 12 season since I’ve been here,” Nebraska senior Aleks Maric said. “Teams are so close, a lot of upsets. Such a tough conference this year.”
The Huskers, at 5-7 in the Big 12, are in a three-way tie for eighth place. Of the four teams tied for fourth with a 6-6 record, Nebraska owns head-to-head tiebreakers over two, with a chance for a third by beating Oklahoma.
“I said earlier, when we were down, that we could only go so far down,” Nebraska sophomore Ryan Anderson said. “Eventually, when the time is right, we’re going to come back up.
“Stuff didn’t go our way, and we were taking blows. I think it’s time for us to give some blows now.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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