It's not surprising that Nebraska basketball fans were feeling a little mopey on Monday morning. After all, a Huskers team that started the year 20-0 finished last week without a win. However, for those who were feeling a bit down, NU's No. 9 ranking in the latest AP Top 25 should give them a little lift.
Despite two straight losses, pollsters still think Fred Hoiberg's crew is among the best in the country. This is still relatively uncharted waters for the Cornhuskers, who are used to arguing about making the NCAA Tournament bubble, not staying in the top half of the AP rankings.
In the long run, this ranking isn't much more than bragging rights, but that alone makes staying in the Top 10 important for Nebraska. There are still some analysts out there who don't believe NU is as good as it's looked so far this year.
Nebraska stays inside the AP Top 10 in latest rankings
There's also the argument that staying in the Top 10 means that it will be easier for the Huskers to climb back into the Top 5 and get back in line for a No. 1 seed in the tournament, should they return to their winning ways.
After decades of being little more than an afterthought in the college basketball world and having to fight for even the slightest level of respect, staying highly ranked is a new sensation. It shows that despite losses to Michigan and Illinois, the doubters are indeed dwindling. That will also help with a push from journalists and talking heads when it comes time to seed the team.
In that regard, Nebraska staying ranked this high isn't a total surprise. FanSided's prediction earlier in the day, before the poll was out, had the Huskers sitting at No. 10. Yet another sign that the believers are outnumbering the doubters as NU tries to keep a historic season humming.