The headline isn't meant to be misleading.
Nebraska still has a shot at making the NCAA tournament, and the path is really quite simple. The Huskers will have to go to Washington D.C. and win the Big Ten tournament next month.
How realistic is it? If you would have asked me three weeks ago, I would have told said you were loco. Completely off the deep end. Drinking the Husker Kool-Aid.
Now?
While it's the kind of long shot most Vegas bettors would shy away from, the door is open, and the path is there.
The biggest reason the Huskers are still in play, is because while there are many adjectives to describe the Big Ten this year, "strong" isn't one of them.
Let's run down the list, and see how Nebraska has fared this season:
1. Purdue - Win.
2. Wisconsin - OT loss.
3. Maryland - Win, on the road.
4. Northwestern - Two losses, but a team dealing with injuries now.
5. Michigan State - A loss, and we'll see round two this week.
I think you get the point.
The most important thing for Nebraska at this point is avoiding Wednesday night. The bottom four seeds all have to play an extra game in the double-bye format, and since the conference expanded to 14 teams, no school that played the opening round has even made it to the semifinals.
In fact, no team seeded lower than #3 has won the tournament since 2001 (Iowa - #6), but this isn't exactly a vintage Big Ten. The last time a team seeded outside the top four went to the final was Penn State (#6) in 2011. Given how the league has played out this year, it shouldn't shock anyone if that changes.
It's an unlikely scenario, but not quite the miracle climb it looked to be a couple of weeks ago. Stay off Wednesday night, and lets see what happens.
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The NBA All Star Game on Sunday night was...well, it was something.
Steph Curry is NOT ending up on a poster tonight. ?? pic.twitter.com/CKsdKMMoaO
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 20, 2017
I'm not going to hate on the players for putting on a show for the fans. It's a fun night for them, it's a fun night for the fans (at least the ones that can stand to watch), and in the end, nobody really cares who wins.
I just hope that everyone who watches the game realizes it's not representative of what NBA basketball is all about. It's essentially become the Pro Bowl.
Watching the game (loose definition) Sunday night made me realize why Major League Baseball still reigns supreme when it comes to All Star games. It's because the game, and the way it's played, in large part, doesn't change.
Are hitters more aggressive in the MLB All Star Game? Sure they are. But do pitchers only throw 75 MPH? Of course they don't.
Do we give each team six outs per inning in the MLB event? Nope. Does the entire side get to bat each inning, and no defense is played at all? Not a chance.
Maybe that's why I like the MLB All Star Game the best - it's the one that most closely resembles, and best represents, the competitive game that's played each day.
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Back to college hoops for a moment. I haven't looked at the conference RPI recently, but here's how I'd stack the leagues up, based just on the eyeball test:
1. ACC
2. Big 12 (and it's close)
3. Pac 12
4. Big East
5. SEC
6. Big Ten
7. American
8. A-10
9. West Coast
10 - ??? - Probably all one bid leagues from here on out
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Contact the writer:
Joe@AM590ESPNRadio.com
Twitter: @JoeESPN590
