After a 22-win season, Nebraska Basketball is looking to take the next step and participate in the NCAA Tournament. What should be expected of the Cornhuskers?
Expectations, every season begins with expectations. Each team is going to have some sort of expectation and expected finish within their conference, whether those be good or bad. It is up to each team to live up to those expectations or prove to the skeptics that they were not as good as the projections say.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are entering unchartered territory for both their basketball program and their players. They have lofty expectations entering the 2018-2019 season. Many projections have Nebraska finishing near the top 4 of the Big Ten Conference this year. Nebraska is also a trendy preseason NCAA Tournament pick.
None of the preseason hype means anything if teams do not play to their potential. Many teams with the lofty expectations have often taken the bad early season non-conference loss, essentially ending their NCAA tournament hopes. While Nebraska could be a feel-good story if they play to their potential, they are not without their skeptics. Some knocks on Nebraska are their depth behind their four superstars. The Huskers have also not played well in the past when expectations have been placed on them.
The expectations placed on Nebraska are not without reason. Last year they experienced one of the best seasons in school history. The 13 conference wins were the most in school history. Even though Nebraska had a 22-11 record they were left out of the NCAA tournament. It appears with the scheduling done by head coach Tim Miles he hopes to rectify the NCAA tournament problem. Can Nebraska improve on their record and make the tournament? If Nebraska makes the tournament can they finally win a game?