Steven M. Sipple: NU program shows progress
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nobody said progress comes easily, especially when it applies to Nebraska men’s basketball.
Nobody said it would be child’s play for the Huskers to maintain momentum in Year 2 of the Doc Sadler era.
Undeniable progress and maintaining momentum in the program — that’s what Nebraska’s 61-56 victory against Missouri was about Thursday night in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center.
If you’re a basketball purist, it was hard to watch, even excruciating.
If you’re an objective observer, you have to acknowledge you’re witnessing Sadler taking his program to the proverbial next level.
Nebraska isn’t quite ready for the Sweet 16, but stop the presses: The Huskers won a Big 12 Tournament game. For this program, that’s progress. That’s a step forward in a season of many such steps.
“We have so much left to do (in terms of progress),” Sadler said after his team improved to 19-11 overall. “But each time we do something we haven’t done, it’s got to help us.”
Nebraska entered Thursday’s game with a 2-8 record in first-round Big 12 Tournament games. The Huskers were 4-11 overall in the event, including last year’s 54-39 loss to Oklahoma State. It seems Big Red hardly ever plays well in the league tournament. Sadler was well aware of that.
“Believe me, it starts messing with our heads — especially my big head and little brain,” he joked.
Losing Thursday would’ve drained a large share of the energy Nebraska generated with its 7-5 finish to regular-season league play. A loss would’ve jeopardized the Huskers’ National Invitation Tournament hopes, maybe even their College Basketball Invitational chances. But now Big Red seems an NIT lock.
Snicker if you like. Yeah, another NIT bid. But that’s progress in Sadler’s second year.
Nebraska’s 7-9 league record this season already was a step forward (the Huskers were 17-14 overall and 6-10 last season). Big Red pulled off a few more quality wins than it did last season.
Progress is irrefutable.
Is there anybody still out there who thinks Sadler isn’t the right guy to lead Nebraska where no Husker coach has ventured? That is, into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska somehow won two Big 12 Tournament games in 2006 in Barry Collier’s last season in Lincoln. Even so, there seemed little hope for the future of the program. Now hope runneth over for Big Red fans.
It’s been interesting watching Sadler’s crew constantly defeat teams with more talent. Missouri (16-16) is bigger, stronger, faster and deeper than Nebraska. Sadler, though, has proven to be a stellar sideline coach, a savvy tactician, and an absolutely excellent motivator.
Go ahead and try to find more than one game in each of the last two seasons when Nebraska simply wasn’t ready to play. The Huskers were flat this season Jan. 15 at Colorado and last January at Oklahoma. That’s it.
“We’re establishing a building block now,” said Husker senior center Aleks Maric, who scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots as Nebraska held Missouri to its lowest point total of the season.
Nebraska’s defense never relented this season.
If you’re a Husker fan, you cling to the belief that Sadler is in the midst of recruiting scorers and athletes who will match up with the league’s upper-tier teams. These Huskers just out-scrap teams.
Credit Doc’s fire and Maric’s steadiness for keeping Nebraska from unraveling after it started Big 12 play 0-4. The NIT would be nice reward for the Huskers (I see you smirking). It would be another new experience for Sadler’s young players (only Maric and junior Paul Velander have played beyond the conference tournament). It would mean more valuable practice time for the team’s four promising redshirted players.
Remember, small steps.
So now Nebraska gets to play Kansas (28-3). Some reward.
Sometimes progress can be difficult to see if you don’t watch closely.
If you bleed Husker red, that likely will be the case today.
But that doesn’t mean Nebraska won’t throw some roundhouse punches.
“I don’t think you can ask for a better situation,” Sadler said. “You’ve got to beat somebody like that if you’re us, at 7-9 in the conference, in order to get into the NCAA Tournament. Playing Kansas gives us our best opportunity.
“The bottom line is, we’ve got to have a big-time win at this point.”
The second bottom line is, Nebraska needs a miracle to beat fifth-ranked Kansas.
The NCAA Tournament? Sorry, I’m out of bottom lines. But perhaps a wee bit of hope remains. Perhaps feeling that tiny bit of hope is yet another small step forward for a program that’s been stuck in neutral for far too long, without hope.
Alas, Nebraska fans see undeniable progress. Thursday was just another example. The evidence is now indisputable, irrefutable. Big Red fans feel energy and momentum in the program. Bring on the NIT, get the banner ready, and stop snickering.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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