Nebraska basketball: Huskers health has been key to success

James Palmer and Isaac Copeland have been big for the Nebraska basketball turnaround. Roster health has been the secret weapon this year.

Remember before the season started and the Nebraska basketball team was predicted to finish 13th in the Big Ten? The anticipation for the season and the new pieces on the team were tamped down a bit by media which thought the team was going to struggle.

So just how was everyone so wrong about this team? Part of it was obviously the fact that people underestimated just how good James Palmer Jr and Isaac Copeland were going to be.

Isaiah Roby has become a more complete player as well. But what’s the real factor in how the team has been as good and well rounded as it’s been this year?

The hidden secret to the Nebrasketball team’s success has been the fact that almost no one has missed any time due to injury.  When you put the time lost due to being banged up, compared to the rest of the Big Ten, it tells quite a picture.

One Twitter user did indeed put the stats together and it’s quite impressive for the Cornhuskers. He broke down the time missed among major contributors and Nebraska is at the bottom of the list in the Big Ten with those major contributors missing just three percent of the Huskers’ season.

The only team that has been healthier has been Michigan State. The Spartans have had major contributors miss just one percent of the season. It’s no coincidence the two teams are in the top tier of the Big Ten.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Basketball

When you look at the teams that have had starters, or players that normally see the court a lot miss quite a bit of time, it makes sense why their seasons have gone haywire.

Wisconsin, which is suffering through its worst season in 20 years, is at the top of the list when it comes to missed time. Expected major contributors have missed 38 percent of the season already.

Minnesota (25 percent) and Indiana (22 percent) are up there as well. Minnesota came into the season projected to be going to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. It’s extremely unlikely they’ll be making the NIT when all is said and done.

Obviously, there are some outliers. Iowa and Northwestern are near the bottom of the “missed time” list.

Northwestern was another expected NCAA Tournament team that isn’t going this year. Iowa was expected to be better than it is.

Maryland has had big time contributors miss about 30 percent of the season. Despite that, the team has still managed to win 17 games. That makes you wonder what they would have done if they had stayed healthy.

There’s very little question that the Nebraska basketball team has benefitted from staying healthy. There’s also very little question they’ve benefitted from other schools not being able to say the same.