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Nebraska Basketball: Making NCAA Tournament not a given for Huskers

By Leigh Oleszczak

LINCOLN, NE - JANUARY 17: Thomas Allen #12 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Isaiah Roby #15 and Glynn Watson Jr. #5 walk off the court after the loss against the Michigan State Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 17, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - JANUARY 17: Thomas Allen #12 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Isaiah Roby #15 and Glynn Watson Jr. #5 walk off the court after the loss against the Michigan State Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 17, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Heading into the 2018-2019 season, an appearance in the NCAA Tournament seemed imminent for Nebraska basketball. After a horrible loss to Rutgers, however, going dancing isn’t a sure thing for the Huskers.

Nebraska basketball fans are well-aware that the program has yet to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. This season seemed like it could be the one to end that horrible stat, but after losing to a Rutgers team that had no business beating Nebraska, a trip to March Madness isn’t a given for the Cornhuskers anymore.

The Big Ten is a tough conference and that can’t be understated. With that said, however, this was a game that Nebraska had to win. That’s not necessarily because Rutgers is a terrible team, but this game was one that the Scarlet Knights had no business winning. They weren’t good yet they knocked off Nebraska, a team that has had tournament hopes all season long.

Nebraska now sits at 13-6 with a 3-5 record in conference play. One of their three wins came on the road at Indiana (who was ranked at the time), but the other two wins were against a bad Penn State team and a not very good Illinois squad. If the Huskers want to make it to the tournament for the first time in five years, they can’t have another game like they did on Monday night.

One of the biggest problems with Nebraska lately is that James Palmer Jr. hasn’t been his usual self. He went seven of 19 against Rutgers and according to Hail Varsity, shot below 42 percent for the eighth time in his last nine games. In order for the Huskers to be at their best, Palmer has to be at his best and he hasn’t been that over the past few weeks.

This is the best team that Nebraska basketball has had in a long time and it really felt like a win in the tournament would be attainable this year. Instead, this Husker hoops squad has faltered away from the comforts of Pinnacle Bank Arena and as we all know, March Madness isn’t played on anyone’s home court. Nebraska will have to learn to win not only big games on the road, but just GAMES on the road.

Next. NCAA Tournament History for Nebraska. dark

I’m not giving up on Nebraska making the tournament yet obviously, as there’s still a month and a half left of regular season action to play out, but not being able to handle a mediocre Rutgers team isn’t exactly a confidence booster. The Cornhuskers have to get it together and figure out what’s ailing them.

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