Just how good has the Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball start to the season been? National analysts are taking some serious notice of Hoiberg’s Heroes.
While most people thought the Nebraska Cornhuskers would be better than at any time in Fred Hoiberg’s tenure, just how much better has been a bit of a surprise on the national stage.
The Huskers are currently 7-0 on the season and for the first time in more than a decade, they look like a complete team. There isn’t just one or two players that Nebrasketball is looking to lead them. There are many.
It’s also true that for the most part, the Nebraska basketball team hasn’t exactly played a juggernaut of a schedule. The Duquesne Dukes are the best opponent so far.
Despite Nebrasketball not looking great in its last outing, there’s more belief in what they can do the rest of the way than we’ve seen for a while.
Just how much is the national media are believers in what Hoiberg is trying to do in Lincoln? That’s still debatable when you consider the Nebraska Cornhuskers still aren’t getting many votes for the Top 25 despite the stellar record.
On the other hand, Andy Katz seems to be sold. He recently named the Huskers a Big Ten Sleeper.
Nebraska Cornhuskers the surprise of the conference?
Katz recently released his weekly Power 36 Rankings and the Nebraska basketball team moved just a little more comfortably inside that ranking. The last time he released the rankings, the Hoiberg’s Heroes were just inside the rankings at number 35. This week they moved up a couple of spots to 33rd.
As for why he believes the Nebraska Cornhuskers should be ranked among the 36 best teams in the country he wrote:
"“The Huskers are my sleeper team in the Big Ten. They are undefeated and not even completely healthy yet. Watch out for Fred Hoiberg’s crew.”"
For what it’s worth, KenPom doesn’t have NU that much further down in its ratings. Nebraska is currently ranked as the 47th-best team in the country.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have a chance this weekend to prove they’re for real and should be taken seriously by everyone. They’ll be taking on 15th-ranked Creighton on Sunday. A win will almost certainly get them into the Top 25 for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.