Miles Ahead: Nebrasketball Season Recap

It has been said hundreds of times in the last month. "No one expected this from Nebraska." It is true that only the most crazed Husker fans would have predicted Tim Miles' team to finish where they did in the B1G. This team has shocked the entire conference with their talent and tenacity, they are playing like a true B1G contender, not like the forgotten program at a "football school". Spurred on by two transfers and an untouted sophomore, Nebraska has announced their true arrival in the B1G.

The non-conference season was no cause for celebration in Lincoln, but the team was able to win against major conference teams Georgia and Miami. Losses to Creighton, UMass, and Cincinnati were expected, and dropping one to UAB was not a big surprise. When the conference season started it appeared that the most recent conference addition was going to take their place at the bottom of the standings and wait for Rutgers to join them next year. However, after starting 0-4, Nebraska stunned #17 Ohio State to grabbed their first conference win in the new Pinnacle Bank Arena. A loss at Penn State followed, then after another home victory against Minnesota, the team announced the dismissal of third-leading scorer Deverell Biggs. Surprisingly the dismissal seemed to improve the Huskers and they finished 9-2, including a win against MSU in the Breslin Center.

Ohio State ruined the Huskers hopes for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with a furious comeback in the second round of the BTT, but the committee saw enough from Miles' team to award them with an 11 seed and a match-up with former Big 12 foe Baylor. Terran Petteway will get to play his first tourney game in his home state of Texas, which is also the home state of opponent Baylor. He, Shavon Shields and Walter Pitchford will look to spur their team to a cinderella run, and maybe Nebrasketball can capture the imagination of the whole country.