Nebraska Basketball: Tim Miles' Wish List for the Rest of 2016-2017
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The Nebraska basketball team has been solid out of the gate in conference play. At 3-1, they sit towards the top of the standings despite playing four quality opponents.Head coach Tim Miles and the team have performed admirably thus far. A home loss to Northwestern stung, but it doesn’t erase their torrid start. Road upsets of Indiana and Maryland put the Huskers on the map and the wild win over Iowa was Nebraska’s first since February 23, 2013 — Miles’ first year. The investments he and his staff have made in this program are beginning to bear fruit.The upstart Huskers have been exuding confidence and playing quality basketball, but the conference slate remains daunting. What else can Nebraska hope for as the season wears on?A NCAA or NIT invitation is at the top of the list every year, but a lot of things have to go right for that to happen. More importantly, Miles must develop a sustainable formula to make that a reality in 2017 and beyond. What would the Husker head coach wish for in order to bring that to fruition?Here is Tim Miles’ wish list for the rest of the season.Next: Own the Middle of the Pack
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Own the Middle of the Pack
Nebraska showed flashes of improvement in 2015-2016. but ended up with just a 5-14 conference record. Losses to teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Northwestern contributed to the disappointing season. Those weren’t bad teams, but they were beatable. The Huskers have to win more of those if they want to compete in the postseason.
The next four games on the schedule have a similar feel. Nebraska plays Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers and Northwestern again before entering a gauntlet that includes Purdue, Michigan State and Wisconsin. The Huskers need to take advantage of several winnable contests before they hit that meat grinder of a stretch.
The victory over Iowa was a great start, but the loss to Northwestern put a damper on things. Though a quality group, the Wildcats are the type of team Nebraska must learn to consistently beat in order to make noise in the Big Ten.
Things don’t get any easier going forward, as contests with traditional powers Michigan and Ohio State loom. Both teams are having “down” years by their lofty standards, but that doesn’t make either a pushover. After that, Nebraska travels to Rutgers which has been a cellar-dweller recently but has 11 wins already.
It won’t be easy, but Nebraska has to beat the middle of the pack to be successful.
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Bring Back “The Vault”
During Nebrasketball’s magical 2013-2014 season, Pinnacle Bank Arena became known as “The Vault” as the Huskers piled up 15 wins on the strength of a deafening home crowd.
Since then, the Huskers have lost a ghastly 17 times at home.
Even more troubling, Nebraska has now been upset at home by a nonconference cupcake three years in a row. Incarnate Word exposed what was supposed to be a tournament team in 2014-2015. The next season it was Samford who pulled the upset. Fans were stunned when it happened yet again this season against Gardner-Webb.
The Gardner-Webb debacle may sting the most in light of how the Huskers have played lately. Were it not for that defeat, Nebraska would be sitting at 10-6 with one of the nation’s toughest schedules — and without a single “bad” loss.
Now, Nebraska is under more pressure to win a lot of Big Ten games to make up for that RPI-killer of a defeat. If the Huskers barely miss out on a NCAA or NIT berth, we might be pointing back to Gardner-Webb saying, “What if?”
Look no further than the ’13-’14 team to see how imperative it is to protect home court. That squad won only four games away from home, meaning they made the postseason primarily on the strength of home victories.
The Huskers have been road warriors so far in ’16-‘17, but nobody will be overlooking them from here on out. It won’t be easy to continue racking up road wins.
At 1-1 in home Big Ten play, Nebraska is at a crossroads. Great opportunities await with Purdue, Michigan State and Wisconsin all traveling to Lincoln. If the Huskers win most of their home games, it will undoubtedly have a postseason resume that’s hard to ignore. If they don’t, Big Red basketball fans will be saying “maybe next year” all over again.
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Catch a Break on the Injury Front
Nebraska has endured two significant injuries in the past few weeks that will test the depth and resolve of this team. The Huskers made it through the nonconference portion of the schedule relatively unscathed, but then the backcourt took a hit with the loss of Anton Gill for the season.
Gill had an up-and-down start to his Husker career, but he seemed to be gaining confidence and growing into his role before his season was cut short. The junior transfer from Louisville endured cold spells but also had two 10-point games during nonconference play. The Huskers have played well in Gill’s absence thus far, but they’ll miss the depth he provided.
That was evident in Nebraska’s win over Iowa when Tai Webster logged an absurd 49 minutes of court time. Webster’s effort was valiant, but it also put a spotlight on the depth issue at guard.
Even more significant is the loss of sophomore forward Ed Morrow, who is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
Morrow had foot trouble all season as a freshman, so his latest ailment is deeply concerning. The Chicago native had looked healthy through the Iowa game and was a vital part of the front court rotation.
Morrow has averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this year. The 6’7″, 234-pounder has been a big part of Nebraska’s offensive success with nearly four offensive rebounds per game. He’s also routinely been asked to guard bigger guys and has usually held his own. Morrow’s production will be very difficult to replace.
These two major injuries mean that Nebraska cannot afford any more personnel losses. More than that, the Huskers will probably need Morrow back to full strength soon if it wants to be competitive throughout Big Ten play. A quick return for Morrow may not be likely, but you can bet coach Miles is hoping for it.
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Score Another Recruiting Victory
Nebraska fans got some great news recently with the commitment of Georgetown transfer Isaac Copeland. The junior will be eligible to play beginning next season if he is granted a medical hardship waiver.
Copeland was a five-star player coming out of high school and averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore for the Hoyas. The 6’9”, 220-pounder will be instrumental in helping replace Tai Webster’s production next season. He’s an impressive addition to what could be a really good Husker team.
Recruiting has been better than it’s been in 15-plus years under Tim Miles and Nebraska needs to keep the momentum going. The Huskers might be in position to keep up the momentum with a couple of 2018 players.
One is point guard Keyshawn Embery, the No. 103 overall player in the country according to Rivals. Glynn Watson is developing into an all-conference caliber player for Nebraska, but they should already be looking for his heir at point guard. Embery could be that guy.
Another name worth watching is Kezo Brown. The guard was once considered a future five-star player before he fell off the map due to injury issues. A former teammate of Ed Morrow, he mentioned Nebraska as one of just two schools who stuck with him even when he was down.
A Brown commitment would be a coup for Nebraska, but it doesn’t seem far-fetched since bigger schools cooled on him.
Embery and Brown would be major scores for the Huskers in recruiting. Both would be key parts of what Miles wants to build at Nebraska. These are the types of players that must keep coming to Lincoln in order to make Nebraska basketball relevant on a national stage.
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