Nebraska (12-10, 3-9 — NET: 36, SOS: 99): For the past month, we’ve marveled at how much different Nebraska’s situation was this season, relative to a year ago, when the Cornhuskers went 13-5 in a bad Big Ten and didn’t get all that close to an at-large bid. This season, the Big Ten is better, and Nebraska’s metrics are better, and so surely an improved Huskers team would take advantage of both of these facts on the way to an NCAA Tournament bid. Ahem. After a 13-4 start, Nebraska has lost six in a row. The latest — Wednesday’s 60-45 home loss to Maryland — felt like the nadir. Then again, Tim Miles’ team has to play Purdue in Mackey Arena on Saturday, so maybe Nebraska hasn’t yet found its bottom.
Either way, we’re at the point now where a team that seemed relatively safe even a couple of weeks ago has fallen all the way down to the cut line. If a win at Purdue is too much to ask (and it probably is), three straight against Minnesota, Northwestern and Penn State before the Boilers make a return trip to Lincoln on Feb. 23 is a reasonable request. Nebraska needs to turn things around, and soon.
