Nebraska basketball, baseball’s no good, very bad Friday
Nebraska basketball and Nebraska baseball had what can only be described as a disaster of a Friday afternoon.
The Nebraska basketball team and the Nebraska baseball team came into Friday knowing one of two things could happen for each squad. Either both teams could prove they were a bit better than people thought, or they were exactly as mediocre as people expected.
It turns out there was actually a third option. The Nebrasketball team was looking to punch their ticket to the Big Dance. The Nebraska baseball team was looking to hang with a historical power of college baseball.
Instead of showing the NCAA Selection commission they belong in the tournament, the Cornhuskers lost by 19 points to Michigan. In the process, they played likely their worst game of the year at the absolute worst time.
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Darin Erstad’s boys were trying to overcome pitching injuries and poor offensive performance. Instead, they lost 9-1 and allowed not one but two grand slam home runs.
Friday afternoon was one of those days that started with a ton of promise and ended with an awful lot of questions. Those questions are especially prominent for head coach Erstad, who might have just kicked off a “make or break” season.
While the Huskers’ baseball team had a good regular season last year, they were quite awful in the postseason for the second straight year. The offense has been the problem for a while. That’s odd only because Erstad was an offensive genius as a hitter and most Nebraska fans thought he’d be able to bring a similar offensive approach through his coaching.
Instead, the Huskers have long been hampered by a lack of power and any real standout hitters.
Tim Miles is likely not on the hot seat after taking a team projected to finish in the Big 10 cellar to 4th place in the conference. Still, another horrendous postseason game for the Nebrasketball team has to make people wonder.
Why did the Huskers come out and play so horribly? Why did they continue to play horribly in the second half, after it seemed like they might have righted the ship at the end of the first period?
The season is just getting started for the 5-4 Husker baseball team so they can put this bad Friday behind them easier. The Nebraska basketball team has to sit and wait for another nine days before they’ll know their fate. If they do go the NIT, the question is going to be whether or not the fanbase will be excited enough to head to PBA in droves for their first-round game.