Basketball Galore
This was another week of putting miles on the family auto and trying to get to a number of events, and at the same time trying to do some non-sports things during the same period.
Didn’t succeed at doing all of those things, but got a lot of things done anyway. Last Thursday was one of those weeks where we had two trips to Lincoln planned for Husker basketball but only made one of the games. I wanted to go to the Illinois game because I thought the Huskers had a pretty good chance to win that one, and deep down I wanted to go to the Michigan game to see a pretty good program in action playing the Huskers.
I have gotten my hopes up too many times when I think the Huskers are getting things turned around in the basketball program, but at the same time I thought this year things were looking better. So we sold the Illinois tickets and decided to make just one trip this week and that would be to watch Michigan.
Monday night I watched the Illinois and Nebraska game on TV and it was really a ragged game and that is a gross understatement. Then it looked as if the Huskers would lose it when they fouled with under 10 seconds left on a made 3-point shot by Illinois. It turned into a four-point play and with less than 10 seconds left, Illinois was up two. But the Huskers got it done with James Palmer Jr hitting a three with three-tenths of a second left, and another Big 10 game goes on the W side of the ledger for the Huskers.
Thursday night’s game now has a little more importance but it is still Michigan and they are not a bad team for sure. Pinnacle Bank Arena (PBA) was almost full and the Huskers got off to a good start and the place got louder and louder, but more importantly the Huskers played better and better as the game went along.
I kept waiting for that five or six minute period where the Huskers would forget how to score or defend but it didn’t come down to that. They had a little lull in the last few minutes, but they kept playing defense and they knocked down free-throws, and all of a sudden the clock ran out and the Huskers were up by 20.
Nebraska scored 72 and held Michigan to 52 points in the game. It was difficult to believe and I was sitting in PBA the entire game. All of a sudden sports people were talking about the NCAA tournament and putting Nebraska in the same sentence. I hope it doesn’t jinx them. The Huskers have four of the next five games on the road, so they will have to be ready each and every night because it will just be more difficult.
By the time this is printed they will have already played Ohio State and that will be extremely difficult to win on the road.
I did see the Huskers play hard, they played as a team, they played smart and they won over a quality team. It will take that kind of effort the rest of the season and if they do all those things, and if they do all those things, (Thank you Good Morning, Vietnam) the NCAA tournament is a possibility.
Friday night, we got back to North Platte and watched the SPVA tournament. I like to watch the tournament but it is also a time to see some friends and old foes from my coaching days.
I got a surprise when former PCHS Principal George Yerger walked in and we got to visit some. The thing he and I noticed the most is that there are a lot of new people in the SPVA and they are mostly teenagers it would appear.
I didn’t make it back on Saturday night but I thought after watching what SPVA games I have this season and then watching North Platte St. Pat’s and the PC game that NPSP would win the boy’s division. Wrong again and congratulations to the Chase County boys in winning the tournament this year.
When the sixth seeded team wins the whole thing either the seeding was messed up or there is balance in the conference, and I have always thought the SPVA had balance.
The season is winding down pretty fast now and it won’t be long before districts roll around and all the marbles get put out on the table and are there for the taking. Teams still have time to get better, but time is winding down fast.