Playing in the NIT is kind of like a bowl game, it’s all about attitude and that will be a key factor for Nebraska basketball in its opener against Butler.
At the start of the season, Nebraska basketball certainly didn’t want to be back in the NIT. Yet, that’s exactly where the Huskers find themselves as they get set to host Butler tonight in the opening round.
Back-to-back NIT berths aren’t the worst thing in the world. Heck, two winning seasons in a row have been a rare thing for the Nebraska basketball program, so that right there is worth something.
But this Huskers team had bigger aspirations. They were supposed to be contenders in the Big Ten and earn a pretty good see in the NCAA tournament. It was supposed to be quite possibly the best basketball team Nebraska has ever had and midway through the year, it looked like it might still come true.
‼️NIT AT PBA‼️#GBR pic.twitter.com/1HDoAzTcLc
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) March 20, 2019
Then, slowly and painfully, it all came crashing down. First, there was the injury to Isaac Copeland and then a number of heartbreaking defeats. The Huskers couldn’t get over the hump against good teams until they did it versus Iowa and Maryland when it was too late.
The same problem surfaced against Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals, the one about not closing out big games. Nebraska basketball went up one late but couldn’t build on its lead or seal the deal. The Huskers ran out of gas and their next stop is the NIT.
Butler is a decent team and the Bulldogs come in with a 16-16 record. But if we are being honest, even with just six scholarship players, Nebraska should win this game. James Palmer, Glynn Watson Jr. and Isaiah Roby, along with a mix of other players is enough talent to make a run in this tournament. If, their mind and their attitude are right.
A lot of that has to do with head coach Tim Miles, who is doing an admirable job right now considering he will get fired the second the team is beat and everyone knows it. But he is still coaching and his players haven’t quit either, if they had, the run in Chicago wouldn’t have happened.
This team can do something special over the next few weeks and even if winning the NIT isn’t the goal, it would be a nice feather in the cap for this team and if this group is motivated, it just might have a shot.
But it all starts with a win tonight over Butler and that is all about attitude.