Bring On The Cats

Mere words cannot describe Nebrasketball.

It must be experienced to be believed.

But I shall try my best to convey the strange state of hoops up north, after the jump.

If I should fail in my endeavor, kindly visit Corn Nation. Yes, they actually do talk about basketball over there, from time to time.

The Story So Far

As you will see below, it is no small feat that the Cornhuskers are 9-3 and about to breach the RPI Top 100. In fact, considering what they lost and what they added, it's a quasi-miracle.

The crown jewel in the resume is a 51-48 win at USC to officially kick off the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, a win that looks a whole lot better now that Mike Gerrity's addition has elevated the Trojans into potential Pac-10 frontrunner status.

But that win was offset by ugly road losses at Saint Louis and Creighton, and a 22-point beatdown last week at the hands of BYU.

Still, when you factor in a win over the same Tulsa team that whooped Oklahoma State, and solid victories over TCU, UMKC and Oregon State, an argument could be made that Nebraska has accomplished as much as or more than some of the "name" teams in the league.

Current Nebraska RPI: 101

 

The Coach

Doc Sadler Fourth Season 64-42 (21-27) at Nebraska 111-58 (46-34) overall Bio

 

The Departures

 

Starters

• Chris Balham (10.1 minutes per game | 2 points per game | 2.3 rebounds per game)
• Ade Dagunduro (25.8 minutes per game | 12.8 points per game | 4.4 rebounds per game)
• Steve Harley (30.2 minutes per game | 10.2 points per game | 3.1 rebounds per game)
• Cookie Miller (28.5 minutes per game | 7.3 points per game | 2.1 rebounds per game)

Reserves

• Alonzo Edwards (4.4 minutes per game | 1.7 points per game | 0.9 rebound per game)
• Nick Krenk (2.4 minutes per game | 0 points per game | 0.1 rebound per game)
• Cole Salomon (3.8 minutes per game | 0.5 point per game | 0.6 rebound per game)
• Paul Velander (23.1 minutes per game | 7.1 points per game | 1.6 rebounds per game)

 

The Veterans

		#3 Brandon Richardson Sophomore Guard 6-0 | 190 Los Angeles, Calif. Bio 20.4 minutes per game | 7 points per game | 1.9 rebounds per game
		#5 Sek Henry Senior Guard 6-4 | 200 Los Angeles, Calif. Bio 26.1 minutes per game | 7.7 points per game | 4.1 rebounds per game
		#14 Christopher Niemann Sophomore Center 6-11 | 265 Kühlungsborn, Germany Bio 0* minutes per game | 0* points per game | 0* rebounds per game *Niemann is redshirting this season after suffering an ACL injury in late August.
		#30 Toney McCray Sophomore Guard 6-6 | 205 Missouri City, Texas Bio 18.7 minutes per game | 6.3 points per game | 4 rebounds per game
		#35 Ben Nelson Senior Forward 6-9 | 230 Atwater, Minn. Bio 3.8 minutes per game | 0.9 point per game | 0.6 rebound per game
		#44 Ryan Anderson Senior Guard 6-4 | 205 Seattle, Wash. Bio 26.2 minutes per game | 11 points per game | 5.4 rebounds per game

 

The Redshirts

		#1 Eshaunte Jones Freshman Guard 6-4 | 190 Fort Wayne, Ind. Bio 19.8 minutes per game | 7.7 points per game | 1.9 rebounds per game
		#12 Matt Karn Senior Guard 6-3 | 190 Philpot, Ky. Bio 3.5 minutes per game | 0.5 point per game | 0.2 rebound per game
		#21 Jorge Brian Diaz Freshman Center 6-11 | 235 Caguas, Puerto Rico Bio 25.1 minutes per game | 8.5 points per game | 4.5 rebounds per game
		#33 Mike Fox Freshman Guard 6-4 | 195 Beatrice, Neb. Bio 3.2 minutes per game | 0.8 point per game | 0.6 rebound per game

 

The Newcomers

		#2 Myles Holley Sophomore Guard 6-4 | 190 Norfolk, Va. Bio 9.7 minutes per game | 3.7 points per game | 1.8 rebounds per game
		#11 Christian Standhardinger Freshman Forward 6-8 | 210 Munich, Germany Bio 0* minutes per game | 0* points per game | 0* rebounds per game *Standhardinger is sitting out at least part of the season due to NCAA amateurism issues.
		#13 Brandon Ubel Freshman Forward 6-10 | 220 Overland Park, Kan. Bio 19.7 minutes per game | 5.2 points per game | 2 rebounds per game
		#15 Ray Gallegos Freshman Guard 6-3 | 175 Jordan, Utah Bio 18.6 minutes per game | 4.7 points per game | 1.9 rebounds per game
		#20 Drake Beranek Senior Guard 6-3 | 185 Ravenna, Neb. Bio 0* minutes per game | 0* points per game | 0* rebounds per game *Beranek is redshirting this season due to transfer requirements.
		#23 Quincy Hankins-Cole Junior Forward 6-8 | 240 Roosevelt, N.Y. Bio 11.9 minutes per game | 4.7 points per game | 3.3 rebounds per game
		#24 Adrien Coleman Freshman Guard 6-4 | 195 Stone Mountain, Ga. Bio 9.7 minutes per game | 2.5 points per game | 0.7 rebound per game UPDATE (12/28/09): Sadler announced today that Coleman intends to transfer from Nebraska.
		#34 Lance Jeter Junior Guard 6-3 | 225 Beaver Falls, Pa. Bio 31.3 minutes per game | 8.5 points per game | 3.1 rebounds per game

My thanks to the Nebraska sports information department for the photos.

 

The Analysis

If you thought Oklahoma State has a bunch of new faces this season, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Nebraska lost its leading (Ade Dagunduro), second-leading (Steve Harley) and fifth-leading (Paul Velander) scorers to graduation. Dagunduro and Harley were the only Huskers to average double-digit scoring last year.

Making matters worse, the Huskers' best returning player and fourth-leading scorer, point guard Cookie Miller, decided he'd had enough of Doc Sadler's defense-first philosophy and announced his intent to transfer. So if you're counting, Nebraska basically lost almost all of its scoring from last year's 8-8 team, except senior guards Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson.

Into the void stepped this motley collection of talent:

• Drake Beranek, a senior transfer from Nebraska-Omaha who must redshirt this year and will have one year of eligibility remaining in 2010-11.
• Jorge Brian Diaz, a 6-11 freshman center from Puerto Rico who was one of four Huskers to redshirt last season. He couldn't get admitted to Nebraska until Jan. 17, so rather than play half a season, he chose to sit out.
• Incoming freshmen Adrien Coleman (who announced on Dec. 28 that he's transferring) and Ray Gallegos.
• Mike Fox, a freshman guard who spent his fall semester at Northwest Missouri State and his spring semester redshirting at Nebraska.
• Polk Community College transfers Quincy Hankins-Cole and Lance Jeter, who are proving to be two of the better players on the team. Jeter originally redshirted as a freshman wide receiver at Cincinnati.
• Myles Holley, who attended two different junior colleges and will have three years to play three.
• Eshaunte Jones, a freshman who redshirted four games into last season due to a persistent foot injury.
• The perpetually injured Matt Karn, a junior-college transfer who missed last season with a knee injury, the 2007-08 season with a leg injury and the 2005-06 season with a wrist injury. He's a fifth-year senior who's barely played in his college career.
• The even more perpetually injured Christopher Niemann, who sat out his freshman year due an NCAA ruling on his amateur status while playing in his native Germany, tore his ACL in practice on the last week of the season, then tore his other ACL in August and will miss this season, as well. But hey -- at least he can redshirt this year!
• The awkwardly named Christian Standhardinger, who, like Niemann, is plagued with amateurism issues stemming from his playing days in Germany. He has not yet been cleared by the NCAA.
• Brandon Ubel, a cocaine-white freshman from Overland Park who's already one of Nebraska's best players, given that he's 6-foot-10 and can shoot the 3.

Somehow, Sadler has to fuse these parts into a cohesive whole, along with Henry, Anderson, little-used senior forward Ben Nelson, and sophomores Brandon Richardson and Toney McCray.

But if anyone can do it, Sadler can. I've learned not to underestimate the guy.

 

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup

Lance Jeter	Sek Henry	Ryan Anderson	Brandon Ubel	Jorge Brian Diaz
1	2	3	4	5

 

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves

Brandon Richardson	Ray Gallegos	Eshaunte Jones	Quincy Hankins-Cole	Ben Nelson
1	2	3	4	5

 

The Final Verdict

Husker basketball wins the same way Husker football does. They keep it low-scoring and ugly, with an emphasis on defense and forcing turnovers -- both of which produce unconventional scoring. Anderson is the only player averaging double-figure scoring.

The USC win is a perfect case study of how Sadler wins games. And make no mistake, the man wins games.

Our three-game losing streak in Lincoln, despite superior talent every year, is proof of that.

But I think even Sadler might not be able to dig his way out of this one. I suspect he was depending on Cookie Miller to lead this team, and his departure opened a leadership void that Henry and Anderson only partially can fill.

Lance Jeter has been a pleasant surprise to help offset that, but this weird mix of redshirts, transfers and unheralded freshmen sort of reeks of desperation. I dare any Division I coach to assemble a stranger, more haphazard roster -- I don't think it can be done.

Granted, Sadler never has needed much talent to win. His teams improved by one Big 12 victory every year -- from 6-10 his first season, to 7-9, to 8-8 last year -- and if he somehow gets this one to 9-7, given how strong the Big 12 is this season, then he deserves Coach of the Year and the keys to Lincoln.

But my sense is that there will be some backsliding. Maybe if he had gotten one or both of his big, German, Aleks Maric replacements eligible and/or healthy in time for Big 12 play, it would be a different story -- but he didn't, and I will be shocked if Nebraska finishes better than 6-10 this year.

Big 12 preseason prediction: 11th

My predicted finish: 11th

Best-case scenario: 9th

Against K-State?: Loss in Manhattan, toss-up in Lincoln (I hedge here only because of past history.)

 

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

1. Kansas (T-1st with Texas)
   
2. Texas (T-1st with Kansas)
   
3. ???
4. Texas A&M
5. Oklahoma State (T-5th with Texas Tech)
6. ???
7. ???
8. Baylor
9. ???
10. Missouri (T-9th with Iowa State)
    
11. ???
12. Colorado