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I like to think of myself as a true Nebrasketball fan. And so i got to thinking, what has changed to make Nebrasketball in to one of the biggest stories in this state.

 

I apologize, but below is a bit of word vomit-- not as organized as i would like and a bit long to read... But here is why i think Nebraska is having a special year.

 

The easy answer is Tim Miles. And while he is a big part, i think that Tom Osborne and the Administration did a few things to create Nebrasketball into a house hold name....

 

 

The biggest question we all asked was "what would come first, the fan support or winning?"

 

 

 

 

I am a bit shocked to say, but the fan support came first and has made a big difference, but that is a big part because of the new arena. The shift to changing Nebrasketball has been threefold.

 

So the three obvious things that have started to shift things is this:

1. Tim Miles

2. The Pinnacle Bank Arena/Practice facility(facilities in general)

3. The fan support

 

These three have allowed for Nebraska to start to get the recognition I always knew it could get to. Commentators are calling our home arena a tough place to play... ABOUT DANG TIME WE TURNED OUR FOOTBALL FAN SUPPORT IN TO BASKETBALL SUPPORT!

 

Tim Miles came in and knew what he had to do. He had an opportunity. The Arena, a new practice facility and a new conference. So Tim ran with it. He talked the talk.. He got people excited. He started getting big recruits to just show up... Reason #1 allows for reason #3 to become a factor.

 

At the end of the day, we didnt need winning in order to get the fan support because #1 and #2 above. The Fan support is here, and therefore I think makes it even easier for winning to come. Obviously you need the talent, but again, #1 and #2 above allowed for us to get the talent in the door, and #3 will allow for us to get even more of that talent..

 

 

The talent is here, but I figured it would take two years to turn this talent in to a well coached machine... and then Petteway started to show that he could carry us through the bumps of being a newer/younger team. Petteway leads my list of secondary reasons why we are here.

 

A. Players who were under appreciated elsewhere- Petteway/Pitchford

B. Bo Pelini

C. Creighton's success

 

These three reasons above relate more to the first 3 i mentioned, but i think they have a lot to do with why Option 3 has been so good.

 

A- Petteway is the first guy to get NBA-talk since ... Well since Lue(i believe). He isnt just a scorer, but he is a leader. He isnt scared to take the big shot. He isnt scared to drive. But he also isnt scared to let others score(IE Shields/Pitchford). He wants this team to win and he is only a Sophomore. Petteway and Pitchford didnt get the love elsewhere. Petteway proved to people like Pat Knight and Miles that he could be a great player and the coaching staff at TT just didnt see it. He came somewhere where a coach would just let him go and do what he needs to. We arent the island of misfit toys, but we are the island of second chances.

 

B- This isnt meant to insult Pelini in a thread all about positivity. That being said, the negativity of the football team and Bo Pelini(by some/not all) has made us all want to find some positivity with the 'skers. So, now that a little success has been shown and we have a coach who is bubbly, likes to goof off, is good with the media and represents the team in such a good light. When people talk about Nebraska it is only positive things. Coach Izzo and Pitino(MN) are raving about Miles... the BTN network loves his tweets at halftime and the fan base seems even more in love with him because he is the polar opposite of all the things we dont like about Bo(some people).

 

C. Creighton has been the toast of Nebraska... Getting national love-- and all of this has made me sick.. So when Nebraska has a little success, it feels good. All of a sudden this rivalry is picking up even more. People are being forced to pick a side now. Both teams are having success. And i think that some peoples hate for Creighton is only increasing with their success, and therefore making their love for nebraska grow. Nebraska doesnt want to be seen as option #2 in this state and i think the Nebraska fans see this as a direct competition--therefore are stepping the fandom up.

 

 

 

This all said, it has been awesome to watch. All of a sudden Huskerboard is going ape.. New threads each day--people following recruiting.. a game thread that had 7 pages... This is what I am talking about. People are truly excited and I just freaking love it.... I have been waiting so long for things to finally get to this point...

 

 

This all being said, we have momentum and we cant let it stop. Need to get good players in. Need to keep the good ones we have and cant slip.

 

 

 

So that is my take... Nebrasketball is back thanks to 3 main reasons...

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This is a team that the fans can like. They're working their butts off...they're not perfect but you just know that you can't ever count them out...they seem to be enjoying themselves and they're fun to watch. In some ways, they're a little extension of Tim Miles's personality. I think fans sense that Nebraska basketball is going to be fun for a lot of years to come.

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Good summary and I'm going to throw one more factor out there to help the fan support.

 

Big Ten Network.

 

This has allowed people like me to see almost every game. That us more important than some people realize. It is very hard to get excited about something you can't watch.

No kidding. In the Big 12 when the team would intrigue me a bit I could never watch any of the games it seemed. The BTN is a godsend.

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If nothing else, it just feels so good to be in the conversation about NCAA seeds and bubbles and all that.

 

March Madness is really the one thing every year that I never gave two monkeys about, mostly because I never had a dog in the fight. The only time I ever got caught up in all the bracket nonsense was back in the early 90s when the Huskers were part of it.

 

You see plenty of middle of the road teams from middle of the road conferences get it in every year, and win a game or two, and you wonder if that's too much to ask for once in awhile.

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If nothing else, it just feels so good to be in the conversation about NCAA seeds and bubbles and all that.

 

March Madness is really the one thing every year that I never gave two monkeys about, mostly because I never had a dog in the fight. The only time I ever got caught up in all the bracket nonsense was back in the early 90s when the Huskers were part of it.

 

You see plenty of middle of the road teams from middle of the road conferences get it in every year, and win a game or two, and you wonder if that's too much to ask for once in awhile.

 

I dream of the day it is a forgone conclusion at this point that they are in and we are just wondering about that seed we are. Baby steps...baby steps......

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The fact NU was picked last was a joke though. They didnt finish 12th last year and that team was awful.

Exactly. The Nebraska brand brought us that prediction, but you'd think the league writers would have at least considered a differing selection. Lazy, pure and simple.

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The fact NU was picked last was a joke though. They didnt finish 12th last year and that team was awful.

Exactly. The Nebraska brand brought us that prediction, but you'd think the league writers would have at least considered a differing selection. Lazy, pure and simple.

 

I would have said 8th.. would be best.. kind of shocked we are this successful after how poorly we started.

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I thought we were better than 12th but I'm not sure I'd have gone higher than 8th. I think we got a little help because several of the teams we play twice are toward the bottom of the conference - even though we lost a couple of them. But we've also had a couple really good wins and played a couple others tough. Color me impressed.

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