Why does Nebraska struggle with MBB?

[intrepid27]

I know this may be covered in other threads but I'd be curious to get some new perspectives. Why do some programs struggle so much in certain sports? It looks like Huskers will miss the dance again despite having a coach that took ISU to a number 2 seed. I'd be curious to hear opinions on not just Nebraska but other schools as well.

https://www.si.com/college/nebraska...nded-its-tournament-hopes-cornhuskers-big-ten

 

[dahliaclone]

I know this may be covered in other threads but I'd be curious to get some new perspectives. Why do some programs struggle so much in certain sports? It looks like Huskers will miss the dance again despite having a coach that took ISU to a number 2 seed. I'd be curious to hear opinions on not just Nebraska but other schools as well.

https://www.si.com/college/nebraska...nded-its-tournament-hopes-cornhuskers-big-ten

In the end, Nebraska will make it in I think. Bubble is incredibly soft. I you want my personal opinion, while I love what Fred did for us, I also think he maybe isn't as great of a coach as we think. Maybe TJ had a lot to do with the success Fred had here.

 

[madguy30]

Fred didn't take ISU to a 2 seed.

Point taken though he was really successful.
Seems like he can't recruit the same way so the talent hasn't been there.

 

[carvers4math]

In the end, Nebraska will make it in I think. Bubble is incredibly soft. I you want my personal opinion, while I love what Fred did for us, I also think he maybe isn't as great of a coach as we think. Maybe TJ had a lot to do with the success Fred had here.

They came pretty close to #15 Michigan last night. I watch them and root for Sam when there isn’t a decent game on. Sam is pretty undersized but someone has taught him some good defense.

 

[Drew0311]

I know everyone says "Football School or "basketball School" or in Iowa's case, "womens basketball school". However, it's pretty true. Most schools are usually known for something. Iowa State is known for Basketball and has always been. Nebraska is a football school. So when recruiting for basketball it seems it was very hard to get recruits. Sure a couple good players here and there. Just when you think "Where am I giong to go play basketball, Schools like Nebraska, Minnesota and so on don't get recruits. Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, K STate are known as basketball schools and it shows.

 

[TitanClone]

I know everyone says "Football School or "basketball School" or in Iowa's case, "womens basketball school". However, it's pretty true. Most schools are usually known for something. Iowa State is known for Basketball and has always been. Nebraska is a football school. So when recruiting for basketball it seems it was very hard to get recruits. Sure a couple good players here and there. Just when you think "Where am I giong to go play basketball, Schools like Nebraska, Minnesota and so on don't get recruits. Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, K STate are known as basketball schools and it shows.

Throw in Creighton is right up the road selling out a massive arena every game.

 

[simply1]

It’s tough to figure out really, they’ve got nice facilities. I assume there’s some nil available.

 

[CyGuy5]

I don’t know, but I hope they continue to struggle with it until the end of time

 

[not-the-manager]

I wouldn't yet say they'll miss the dance, they have two cookies (on paper) at home and a Q1 road game left. Michigan would've been great for them but won't hurt.

As for why Nebraska MBB has struggled for almost the entirety of the program's history, there are too many reasons to list. I would just say in the current environment (NIL) they are pretty well cooked. Creighton is next door and doesn't have to fund a football team. Speaking of, as a Lincolnite I can tell you little has changed in people's hearts and minds since the 90s—football still comes first at Nebraska, and nothing else is particularly close. Volleyball may even be second. So basketball isn't a funding priority. I agree with @madguy30, they just haven't been able to recruit a Big-Ten caliber roster six or seven deep since Hoiberg took over. Last season was probably his best team, and only because Tominaga finally blossomed, after years of being a disappointment relative to what he was billed as. But, they got a tough draw first round. Now Williams and Gary will graduate, so it looks like Hoiberg will have his second or third mini rebuild coming up. (And last year's transfer portal cycle was not pretty for them in hindsight.)

 

[Cyched]

Because they touch themselves at night

 

[AuH2O]

Fred didn't take ISU to a 2 seed.

Point taken though he was really successful.
Seems like he can't recruit the same way so the talent hasn't been there.

Fred was ahead of the curve in offensive style, as well as taking the sit one/play 1-2 transfers. Grad transfers he wasn't really ahead of the curve but was a pretty early adopter.

Those advantages are gone now. Not to mention, it's one thing to grind through things you don't like about college coaching (i.e. recruiting) when you are on your way up with an NBA dream. Putting in the work it takes to be great at recruiting when you're probably not getting another head NBA gig is probably a little tougher to swallow.

As for Nebraska as a whole, they chewed up a ton of years with teams under Nee and Myles in particular that were generally not that bad, but rarely good. People kept showing up and buying tickets, so there just didn't seem to be enough urgency to move off of them quickly enough. With the lack of football success over the past decade and money that can now get poured into bball, they are probably getting less and less patient in bball.

 

[Cy4All]

If memory serves when Fred came to ISU Pollard asked him how he plans to turn the program around and into a winner. Fred's plan was to find skilled players with a rocky past looking for a fresh slate. Essentially inventing roster building through transfers. At the time it was an NBA view of roster building which Fred was good with coming from an NBA front office position.

This is something that is just part of the system today so he now doesn't have a leg up on everyone by already having a plan of attack. Everyone else is doing it too now.

With the plan in place he then needed to evaluate the talent and see who would fit the program. It worked well at first since Fred was driven and motivated to make his plan work. Over time Fred famously began to hate the recruitment process and later transfers didn't pan out as well. If you look back and see who was involved with some of the best transfer recruits you'll find TJ's name frequently. The real talent evaluation was likely done by TJ or some other assistants. We have seen TJ still being successful in this process and I believe this proves he was the true source of making this system work.

I believe this isn't working at for Fred at Nebraska because he doesn't have the same quality of people around him, he doesn't have the same passion and drive, and he isn't doing something nobody else considered viable.

 

[JM4CY]

They put this into the world. Cursed themselves until the end of time.

 

[Bigman38]

Throw in Creighton is right up the road selling out a massive arena every game.

For my money this is their biggest barrier. Being a distant second in a state where there isn't much talent is a steep hill to climb.

Watched them a handful of times this year, what Hoiberg is getting out of that roster is impressive.

 

[AuH2O]

In the end, Nebraska will make it in I think. Bubble is incredibly soft. I you want my personal opinion, while I love what Fred did for us, I also think he maybe isn't as great of a coach as we think. Maybe TJ had a lot to do with the success Fred had here.

Literally every season at least since ISU was back in NCAA tourney contention under Fred, probably before that, everybody says the bubble is soft/weak. Every year, everybody says this exact same thing.

At some point has something structurally changed that makes this so? Is it that there have become 40 or so programs that have really separated themselves as perennial locks or close to it, that there is always this big dropoff?

Just wondering, because from when I started regaining interest in bracket predictions in 2011-12, every year everybody seems to say the bubble is weak this year.

 

[madguy30]

Literally every season at least since ISU was back in NCAA tourney contention under Fred, probably before that, everybody says the bubble is soft/weak. Every year, everybody says this exact same thing.

At some point has something structurally changed that makes this so? Is it that there have become 40 or so programs that have really separated themselves as perennial locks or close to it, that there is always this big dropoff?

Just wondering, because from when I started regaining interest in bracket predictions in 2011-12, every year everybody seems to say the bubble is weak this year.

Conversely I'd like to know what a 'strong' bubble is.

Aren't they both a collection of marginal teams that the committee may or may not pick?

I do think the top of college basketball seems stronger this year than prior seasons. A few teams getting upset early would be pretty shocking.

Maybe coaches have honed in better for NIL/transfer situations.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I don't know, but I'm okay with it.

 

[Malone]

While in Ames Fred benefitted greatly from Abdelmassih’s…certain skills…getting us players in questionable ways. And also imo benefited greatly from Bobby Lutz helping to jump-start things in the in-game coaching realm.

Nebraska suffers from our main issue - lack of in-state talent to rely upon. That will never change. We counter it with a TJ who recruits the Midwest like a mad man and sells himself. Fred doesn’t feel the need to sell himself. That will always be a road block to Fred/Nebraska’s success. That program won’t get the talent Fred got in Ames without guys like Abdemassih/TJ making it happen. Doesn’t look like they have that guy right now based on their current roster construction.

Nebraska could be big winners with the right coach, just like any program.

 

[mapnerd]

While in Ames Fred benefitted greatly from Abdelmassih’s…certain skills…getting us players in questionable ways. And also imo benefited greatly from Bobby Lutz helping to jump-start things in the in-game coaching realm.

Nebraska suffers from our main issue - lack of in-state talent to rely upon. That will never change. We counter it with a TJ who recruits the Midwest like a mad man and sells himself. Fred doesn’t feel the need to sell himself. That will always be a road block to Fred/Nebraska’s success. They won’t get the talent they got without guys like Abdemassih/TJ making it happen. Doesn’t look like they have that guy right now based on their roster construction.

Nebraska could be a winning program with the right coach, just like any program.

Holy crap I haven't heard that name in a looong time.

 

[CYdTracked]

I honestly wonder if Fred would have been able to sustain the success he had at ISU had he stayed. While we had a good run under him we had some flawed rosters at times and we basically played a style of ball where we did not play very good defense and had to out-score teams with hot shooting to compensate. TJ's style where we are consistently good on the defensive side gives us a good floor most nights to compensate when we have a poor night of shooting that we can usually keep the game within reach of winning with our defense.

As for Nebraska it is crazy how they don't have a single NCAA tournament win in the history of their program. They have had some decent hires over the years too but none of them could take them to the next level. Doc Sadler at one time looked like he might be the guy to finally turn things around, he had winning seasons 4 of his 6 years but couldn't do any better than 20 wins or make the dance. He's on KU's staff now but has been a head or assistant coach at other stops too. Nebraska finally has new BB facilities too which if you ever went to a game at their old coliseum, it was a dump and a stark comparison to how the money is spent on FB there kind of like how KU had the opposite problem for a long time where BB was supreme, and their FB program was a doormat program. Nebraska has always played in a good basketball conference too whether that was the Big 8 12 or 10 where you should be able to recruit on the strength of your conference and get comparable talent.