Now that Nebraska knows where it's playing its first round NCAA Tournament game and who they'll be facing off against, the Huskers also have to face down history when they tip off on Thursday. NU's game will be against the Sun Belt champion Troy, but it will also be against themselves as they try to get their first win in the Big Dance in their eighth appearance.
It's not all that often that a Big Ten program is the darling of the tournament. Usually, that belongs to some upstart mid-major who pulls off some upsets. However, there will be plenty of people, including CBS Selection Sunday Show host Seth Davis, very publicly rooting for NU to get that first program win.
While unveiling who will go where starting this week, several of the hosts made jokes about rooting for teams despite the expectation that they would be neutral. Davis didn't care who knew that he was fully behind Nebraska at least winning their first game against Troy and getting the monkey off its back.
Nebraska basketball faces Troy knowing the program's winless NCAA Tournament history is watching
He's hardly the first analyst who wants to see the Cornhuskers finally get a tournament win. They are the only Major Conference school that hasn't. Adding insult to injury is that they've often been handed defeat despite being the heavy favorites and higher seeds.
Nebraska has obviously made itself the trendy pick to root for. Still, they'll also be a trendy pick for the team that could suffer a first-round upset. Not only is history against the Huskers, but they come into the NCAA Tournament limping to a 6-6 run after a 20-0 start.