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Nebraska Basketball: 2015 Football Invades Big Red Roundball

By Brandon Cavanaugh

Jan 1, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tim Miles watches during a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tim Miles watches during a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chances are if you’re a fan of Nebraska basketball, you’re a fan of the football team, too. In that case, the way that the Huskers’ 2016-2017 season is playing out may look awfully familiar.

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In 2016, Nebrasketball lost to Gardner-Webb. In 2015, Nebraska football lost to Purdue. The roundballers beat Top-25 teams in Indiana, Maryland and Purdue. The footballers bested No. 3 Michigan State. Then there are the losses.

Tim Miles’ crew has lost to three teams by one-point margins including then-No. 7 Wisconsin. It let the game get away from them versus Michigan State, Michigan and Northwestern (twice.) Mike Riley’s fumbled away wins versus Wisconsin and Iowa.

It’s like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Who got football in Nebraska basketball?

The games, while often heart-wrenching or simply frustrating as of late, show quite a bit of potential despite senior leader Tai Webster usually being the spark.

Glynn Watson Jr. has turned into another member of the Huskers’ scoring attack while fellow sophomore Ed Morrow is a dominant defender and plucks rebounds off the rim like apples from a tree. Freshmen Joriah Horne and Jordy Tshimanga are finally finding their strides.

Sophomore forwards Jack McVeigh and Michael Jacobson have been putting on performances that have Nebrasketball fans wondering where these guys have been all year after a rocky start.

Much like their padded counterparts, the 2016 Nebraska basketball team is on its way to something better. The football team will have its style of quarterback under center in 2017, the roundballers have a young nucleus of talent that gets a big injection in Georgetown transfer Issac Copeland next season.

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It’s easy for fans to be frustrated under the current circumstances, but much like athletic director Shawn Eichorst not jettisoning Riley, it doesn’t appear to be Miles’ turn either — not yet.

He’s got something going here and while 2016 likely doesn’t end with a ticker tape parade leading to The Vault, Nebraska’s Twittertastic head coach is building something that could turn out to be very entertaining.

Much like his colleagues in North Stadium, he deserves just a bit more patience before being tarred and feathered.

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