Husker Corner
Fansided

Abysmal Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball effort raises questions about progress

By Oliver Vandervoort

Dec 3, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts after a call during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts after a call during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Nebraska Cornhuskers came into the game against Creighton talking about how important it was, so what does that say about their performance?

The Nebraska basketball talked an awful lot this week about how big the game against Creighton was to them. Creighton, meanwhile, seemed to talk about the game like it was just another game. That should have been a tipoff for what we saw on Sunday afternoon.

From the opening tip, the Huskers looked like the moment was too big for them. They looked like a team that wanted to pull off an improbable upset instead of a team that belonged on the court with the team they were playing.

Nebraska looked frantic. They looked out of control. They looked like once the plan for the game didn’t work, they didn’t have a Plan B. And they looked far too similar to what other Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball teams have looked like under Fred Hoiberg. Most distressingly, they looked like a team that couldn’t or simply refused, to adapt to what was happening on the court.

After an early season schedule that featured seven wins over seven cupcakes, and a blowout loss to the only Top 25 team on the schedule, its impossible to know whether this Nebraska basketball team is actually better than the ones that came before it.

Was this just a bad game? Or was it what Husker fans can expect to see against teams with real talent?

Nebraska Cornhuskers offer up questions after abysmal performance

The 29-point loss tied for the biggest blowout in the series. The last time Creighton won by this many, was 1932. I know the argument will be to throw this game out, but I’d sure like Hoiberg and his staff, at the very least, to look at what caused it.

Because the effort was not there from Nebraska for all 40 minutes.

The good news is that Nebraska Cornhuskers fans won’t have to wait long to see whether this was a one-off, or what they will look like against even just mediocre opponents.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are on tap on Wednesday.

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