Apparently there's a big football game this afternoon. Michigan and Ohio State? Yeah, I think I heard something about that. But you know what I'll be watching? Wichita State at George Mason on ESPN2. The Patriots are raising the Final Four banner before today's game.
But then, I've always liked college basketball more than football. Hell, that Texas-Michigan State game was just fun to watch, even though I had nothing invested in the outcome. College Basketball season is just great to watch unfold. In my mind, the tournament at the end of the season makes it the best sport in America. There is nothing in sports with more excitement than March Madness.
If Louisville and Rutgers are playing in football, am I watching? No. Never. Who cares about that? The Big East? Whatever. But if Maryland and St. John's are playing in basketball from MSG, I'm watching that. Two eastern teams there, and yet, I care about that. And its because of the NCAA Tourney, which includes pretty much every team who's any good at all.
And there's so much strategy involved in hoops. That's why I don't care one iota about the NBA. A lot of the players piss me off, and there's just too much perfection. It sounds crazy, but I prefer the imperfection of the college game. I love watching Dana Altman bring a team decimated by injury together. I love watching him get in someone's grill if they don't play defense. I love seeing him get on someone about shot selection.
That's not to say I don't enjoy football. I do. Its just that so much of what really happens takes place away from what you see on TV. Its just one enormous scrum. Because of the uniforms and the helmets, the gladiators are mostly hidden from view. When I watch football, I don't see people. I see coat racks.
In basketball, the gladiators are practically naked by comparison. I like to watch the action away from the ball, many times to see a particular battle between two players or a certain match-up. You can't do that in football. Give me basketball any day. Today, give me Wichita State-George Mason. To hell with Michigan-Ohio State.
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And of course, give me Creighton and Nebraska. Oh by the way, there's a pretty big game an hour west on I-80 tonight! These kind of in-state rivalries, which just don't happen in football, are why I love college hoops. Yes, tonight, from the Bob Devaney Sports Center, the basketball arena named for a football coach, its the 40th meeting of the Jays and the Huskers.
The Huskers hold the edge in the series (22-17), but the teams did not play from 1933 until 1977. The story, as its goes, is CU won 4 of the first 5 battles, followed by a steadfast refusal by Nebraska to play anymore. This meant the Huskers avoided playing, and likely losing, to top teams coached by Red McManus and Eddie Sutton. No doubt, the series would be more even, historically, had the teams played throughout that era.
The Jays have won 8 of the last 10 overall, 7 straight in the regular season, and 3 straight in Lincoln.
But that's enough history. What about this year's game?
Well, I really, honestly wish that Nebraska would get their stuff together. As the only school from the top six conferences with the balls to play Creighton anymore, it would sure be nice if the game meant something beyond the borders of this state. If a win was classified as a "good" win come March, and a loss was classified not as a "bad" loss come that time.
There's been a lot of talk about a caller who made a claim on Matt Perault's radio show this week that Nebraska has the edge in 3 of the 5 starting positions. Most of the talk has been about how ridiculous the claim is, but I'm not so sure. Remember that NU plays 4 guards and a center as we go through this.
Charles Richardson Jr. is a senior point guard, playing at home, against Nick Bahe, who has essentially played one game in three years (two years on the bench at Kansas, and a redshirt transfer year last year). That's likely one they have on CU.
Nate Funk is a senior All-American, former and perhaps MVC Player of the Year, going against Sek Henry, a freshman guard for Nebraska playing in just his second collegiate game. Easily, this one goes to CU. So its 1-1.
Jamel White, NU's sophomore guard, is a talented, solid balller who can score in bunches. Nick Porter, CU's senior forward, will likely be matched up on him at the outset. Porter was the MVC's newcomer of the year, but in a close one, I'd give the edge to White. NU 2-1.
Dane Watts, the Jays junior forward, had a rough sophomore campaign but remains a threat to score, rebound and he plays solid defense, at least most of the time. NU counters with a freshman, Ryan Anderson, who gives up 4 inches to the taller Watts and nearly 30 pounds. Edge to the Jays, 2-2.
Finally, the real battle. The guys in the middle. NU's one true star, Aleks Maric, the 6-11, 265 junior, will patrol the middle and is a fantastic player capable of dropping 40, as he did in a game late last year against ISU. He is also equally capable of disappearing, as he did against the Jays last year in Omaha; after the A-Train blocked his first shot attempt, Maric ran away and was not heard from again. Anthony Tolliver, the A-Train, will patrol the middle for the Jays, and while not as explosive on the high end as Maric, he is much, much more dependable. He never has disappearing act games, but he never has 40 point outbursts either. 16 points and 8 boards, every single night. I'll give the edge to Maric in what is essentially a toss-up because NU is at home. That's 3.
But it doesn't tell the whole story. How well do those 3 play together, i.e. is Creighton's whole greater than its parts? How does the bench factor in? And how will NU's new coach, Doc Sadler, gameplan against the Jays?
Questions one and two run together, actually, because the Jays starters will not play nearly the minutes that NU's will. Creighton may well go 11 deep in this game. While all of Nebraska's talented freshmen will be starting, all of CU's will come off the bench. And, there is this: Nebraska not only DRESSED their STUDENT MANAGER for the first game, he PLAYED 11 MINUTES.
I don't think the bench can be discounted in this game, and indeed, it will be the key in my mind. Creighton will run guys at NU in waves, allowing them to run a full-court press for 40 minutes. The Huskers, 8 deep even with their student manager in uniform (7 without him), will very likely be run ragged by the middle of the second half. This will negate any supposed talent gap between the starters.
As for question three -- Doc Sadler -- I honestly don't know. He has to be better at gameplanning than Barry Collier, who was absolutely worthless as an in-game strategist and was practically scared of the very sight of Dana Altman, who coached circles around him.
Some national pundits have claimed Altman can name his score in this game. The Vegas line is -4.5 for the Jays; local bookies pin it closer to -8 or -9 (not that I'd know). But its a rivalry game, on the road, and it will be close for a while.
As I mentioned earlier this week, you don't have to look any further than March Madness to see instances where a seemingly inferior team beats a better team on one day. There is a chance, somewhere, someday, that this Nebraska team could beat this Creighton team.
Not today.
Prediction: Creighton 73, Nebraska 57.
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