Is Nebraska Basketball gonna make March Madness?

Nebraska basketball had a hell of a win on Saturday. It was the kind of win that makes the college basketball world stand up and take notice, even if it was over a lowly Minnesota team that seems to just be playing out the string.

The win improved the Huskers to 15-14 on the season and started Nebraska basketball fans really start talking about the possibility of making March Madness quite a bit more interesting. Hoiberg’s Heroes are now squarely on the bubble, even if they’re going to need to continue defying the odds in order to have a real shot at the Big Dance.

When it comes to answering the question, “is Nebraska basketball gonna make March Madness,” the answer is; “it depends.” There are quite a few different factors that it depends on. Right at the top of the list is that the Cornhuskers need to keep winning. That might be a taller order than fans realize.

On the one hand, the Nebraska basketball team gets to finish out its season at home. On the other, they’ll have to finish it off against Michigan State and Iowa. Two of the better teams in the Big Ten. Yes, this squad already beat the Hawkeyes once this year but that just might mean that Fran McCaffery’s squad is gunning for payback. Meanwhile, Michigan State is not only firmly on the bubble but seems almost a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament. These next two tilts are going to be tough and vitally important and if Keisei Tominaga and company somehow emerge 17-14 then they’ve made a very strong argument.

Is Nebraska Basketball gonna make March Madness?

Is the argument strong enough? That likely won’t be answered in the regular season. The Nebraska basketball team is currently rated 93rd by KenPom and NET ratings. They actually dropped five spots after Saturday’s win. That’s what happens when teams you’ve beaten like Creighton continue to struggle down the stretch.

Just a week ago it seemed like looking at former opponents’ records was a fool’s errand. Now suddenly Husker fans are likely cursing out the Bluejays for stumbling just when they had the Big East title in sight.

The Nebraska basketball team’s low rating means that even if they do manage to finish the regular season 17-14 they’re going to need to win a game, and maybe even two in the Big Ten tournament. That too, will be a tall order.

However, if the Nebraska basketball team can somehow finish 19-14, they would seem to be a near lock for the Big Dance. Should they finish above .500, the NIT could still come calling.

So is Nebraska basketball gonna make March Madness? It seems quite a bit more likely than anyone saw coming just a month ago.