When it was announced that Jorge Brian Diaz wouldn't play tonight, I pretty much didn't give Nebraska much of a chance against #11 Wisconsin tonight in basketball. And frankly, the Huskers didn't lose as badly as I thought they would, thanks to Toney McCray. McCray came out smoking right from the opening tip, leading Nebraska to a 7-0 lead early on. I joked that Nebraska should call time out and take a team photo at that point, because that's about all Husker fans could have hoped for.
From there, Wisconsin launched the rout. I haven't watched much Big Ten basketball in the past, but it's clear that the Badgers are one of the best coached teams in the country. They don't do this with NBA talent; they play solid defense and make open shots. They rained threes all night long on the Huskers.
Meanwhile, it was more of the same bad we've seen over the years from the Huskers. Huskers get out of focus and start jacking up bad shots, with the rebounds leading to fast breaks the other way.
It's going to be easy to jump on the "fire Doc Sadler" bandwagon after this game, but let's not forget that Nebraska was playing this game short-handed with no inside talent. Injuries aren't Sadler's fault, though not having found some sort of reliable inside presence is. Certainly a healthy, in-shape Andre Alameida would make a world of difference tonight.
Should Husker fans be pleased with tonight's game? No. But it's still December, and things could get better once Diaz gets back into the lineup. That being said, Nebraska basketball needs to start answering these questions this season. Sadler owns this roster now, and not having the talent isn't anybody else's fault anymore. Osborne can be patient to a point, but after a while, the excuses for why Nebraska basketball isn't any better can't be accepted.
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