Nebraska basketball: Road to NCAA Tournament becomes clear

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 19: Nebraska basketball player Evan Taylor speaks to the media during the 2017 Big Ten Media Day at Madison Square Garden on October 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 19: Nebraska basketball player Evan Taylor speaks to the media during the 2017 Big Ten Media Day at Madison Square Garden on October 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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AMES, IA – DECEMBER 7: Jack Nunge
AMES, IA – DECEMBER 7: Jack Nunge /

Nebraska basketball has four games left on the schedule it just cannot afford to lose.

When talking about bad losses, there are four more games for the Nebraska basketball team that would automatically go into the bad loss column. The first of those four would be a January 27 loss to Iowa.

The Hawkeyes are now 1-6 in conference after a Saturday afternoon loss to Purdue. They will be coming to Lincoln.

The Huskers would have no excuse for a loss in this game. It’s one of the gimmes in the path to six more wins.

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The second bad loss would be a February 10 game at home against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are not as bad as they have been. It’s why I haven’t marked a road game immediately following Ohio State as a bad loss.

Both contests against Rutgers are winnable. The matchup in Lincoln is a must win.

The third game the Cornhuskers can’t afford to lose is a February 18 game against Illinois. While this game is on the road, the close contest against the Illini in Lincoln was a mirage.

A look at the two teams shows an obvious talent gap between the two teams. Illinois still hasn’t won a conference game. The Cornhuskers cannot be one of, or their only win.

The final must-win game of the season comes on the last day of the regular season. A February 25 game in Lincoln against Penn State will be a big game.

The Nittany Lions are good, but not great. The Huskers will be looking to make their final push for the tournament. The Nebraska basketball needs to close out with a victory.