The future of Nebraska Basketball will be decided Sunday.
Head coach Tim Miles job is safe for the day. According to a statement from Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos, his evaluation process of the basketball program will occur after Selection Sunday for the NIT Tournament.
What this means as of right now is that the future of the basketball program for next season hinges on Sunday. To me, it is rather simple. If Nebraska makes the tournament, Tim Miles will stay aboard. If they do not make the tournament, we will probably see a change on the sidelines next season.
This season, Miles and his staff have had to encounter challenges. Injuries plagued them throughout the course of the season and perhaps the biggest one was Issac Copeland. Once Copeland went down, it seemed like the team fell apart a bit as well. All in all, it was an up-and-down season for Nebraska basketball as they played sluggish throughout the second half of the season. Nevertheless, the magic of March was felt by the team as they managed to put together two straight wins in the Big 10 tournament. After a grueling two days in the Big Ten Tournament, they fell at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers by a 66-62 score.
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— Sean Callahan (@Sean_Callahan) March 15, 2019
Tim Miles is a great person. He has energy, and it is very clear he loves coaching the game of basketball. He is the type of coach I would want to play for, and it seems like he is not afraid to go to bat for his players in any situation (obviously within reason). He seems like he is a fun coach to play for and one that players like playing for. However, in terms of success on the court, he just has not been able to reach the level that many thought he could. Particularly this season, with so many seniors and experience on the roster, it is safe to say they did not meet expectations in the regular season.
Miles has a 115-113 regular season record in seven seasons at the helm of Nebraska basketball. His conference record is a little less impressive as he carries a 52-76 regular-season mark. There is no doubt he has had his moments of success as the Nebraska basketball coach. In 2013-2014, he led the team to a 19-13 record which was good enough for them to make it to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They were defeated by Baylor 70-64, abruptly ending their season. In the 2017-18 season, Nebraska basketball received an at-large bid in the NIT tournament after recording a 22-10 record. They lost to Mississippi State by a 66-59 score.
Miles has had success for Nebraska basketball, but with the way this season has gone overall, he may be on thin ice. I I’m sure the announcement on Sunday won’t shock anybody, but for now, Tim Miles is safe. The future of the Nebraska basketball program will be determined on Sunday. Buckle your seatbelts, it should be a wild ride either way.