Sunday, January 09, 2011

Sunday Night Dessert: Husker Hoops Gets a W

I watched a bit of the Nebraska-Iowa State game last night, ugly as it was, especially in the second half. The Huskers blew a 12 point lead in the second half thanks to some really, really spotty defense at times and some absolutely horrific shooting. With under 10 seconds left, the Huskers discombobulated just like they did last season with a pass nearly going out of bounds.  Drake Beranek, replacing the injured Brandon Richardson, saved the ball but could only heave a desperation three-point shot as the shot clock was running out.  Iowa State grabbed the rebound, and set up for a final play, only to turn the ball over themselves.  Lance Jeter, who threw the errant pass, was fouled with under a second remaining, and after bricking the first free throw, nailed the free-throw to salvage the win.

It's a win, but it was an ugly, ugly win. It also was the type of game that Nebraska found a way to lose last season, so it's hard to complain too much about it. It's progress, but you'd like to see more of it.

Look out this week for the "Pelini/LSU" rumors to fire up in the next few days. I don't know how interested Pelini would be in returning to the SEC, but I honestly believe that up until November, Pelini and his family definitely preferred Lincoln. I don't know if what has happened since would change things. but it's hard to completely dismiss the notion of an SEC school making a strong bid for Pelini's services. Like it or not, the SEC seemingly has control at the top of the college football world (pending tomorrow night's championship game) and that might have some appeal to Pelini. But deep down, I think Pelini likes Nebraska and isn't likely to jump ship.

It's nice that Casey Martinez confirmed that his son will be returning to Lincoln and wants to compete and take on a leadership role on the team. But in some respects, that confirmation only serves to entrench the perception that Martinez isn't much of a leader. That message was one that Taylor should have issued himself, not his father. It's great to have parental involvement, but not to this degree.

This weekend, UNO hockey gets a second chance to restart their season against the opponent that began their recent slump:  Bemidji State. UNO was cruising along in the top five nationally, then got swept by the Beavers.  Since then, it's been up and down.  Now UNO returns home for the first time in over a month, with home games four out of the next six weekends.  Last season, this was the time when UNO cranked it up into high gear; I have this feeling it might happen again.

Finally, a comment about some of the recent current events. As a Millard North alum, I was concerned about all that happened at rival Millard South this week. It was nice to see how the school and the community rallied in support.  But it doesn't change what happened. A lot has been said nationally in the past week about the Constitution and the rights we all enjoy and hold so dear. But recent tragedies might not have happened if people took the responsibilities of their freedoms more seriously.

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