Nebraska Basketball: Tim Miles’ Wish List for the Rest of 2016-2017

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.