Breathe...Gotta Just Breathe....

An old girlfriend of mine, when I got really upset, used to yelled at me "Matthew! Breathe!" This morning, the day after the layup in Lincoln, I'm going to say the same thing to Bluejay fans. Breathe...and relax.

Basketball isn't football. 1 loss doesn't destroy the season but negativity could if you guys aren't careful. This where your fandom gets tested. I love the fact that Bluejay fans are passionate - Nebraska fans, for the most part, don't really care about their basketball team. You want to feel better - go read the message board posts about waiting in traffic! Yes, that happens when lots of people actually go to a game...first time for many of them to see a full house at the Bob thanks to Jays fans.

However, this team is 3-2. They are at a crossroads just 5 games into the season but let's look at the season as a whole right now. Game 1 - they needed a huge comeback at New Mexico in the 2nd half to win. Game 2 - bad first 10 min. vs. Pine Bluff. Game 3 - Good start, bad last 10 min of 1st half before a huge 2nd half against ORU. - All at home but all inconsistent performances. Game 4 - outrebounded, up by 16 but then outplayed in the 2nd half but still lost by on a last second layup at Little Rock. Game 5 -up by 13 on the road in Lincoln, 24 awful turnovers and yet lose on a last second layup. People - IT'S ABOUT CONSISTENCY! Once they find it - the Jays will be a good basketball team. They are showing in every game that they have been the better team but they aren't strong enough to play 40 minutes. As I said yesterday on air - they are soft in every aspect and that's why I picked them to lose to NU. It was obvious.

The Jays will play 31 games this year in the regular season. They are 5 games in! A long way to go and I believe they have the right coach to get them to 20 wins, the postseason, and a top 3 finish in the MVC.

As for the decision not the play P'Allen - it was the right thing to do to show his star and his team that no one is above the team. I just hope that P'Allen realizes that if he would have played, the result very well could have been different for CU last night. To play that poorly and lose on last second layup - from a guy that P would have been guarding all night, should break his heart. I hope this is the turning point in the season because it's defiantly a low point in the career of the sophomore star.

So in closing, I know it sucks to lose to Nebraska. Their fans don't know basketball for the most part - hell they were the loudest in the 1st half when the football team came out on the court last night - and their coach is just plain annoying with his public comments about CU. He is disrespectful, as are his players and that's why last night hurts to lose to a bunch like that. But this program isn't defined by games against NU, in winning or losing - it's defined for the years of success that has been put together by Dana Altman. Until the home team loses, the Doc vs. Dana rivalry won't really get heated anyways. It's 1-2 based on the schedule, not because NU is the better program. It will be fun in 2 years when the current freshmen and sophomores go back to Lincoln as Juniors and Seniors. I predict that will be the first time the road teams wins in the Doc vs. Dana series.

It's time to regroup as a fanbase and get behind the team. That was the 1st game for nearly EVERY Jay in Lincoln! They know what its like to play in an environment like that now and it will help in games against teams like SIU and Bradley. Everyone needs to take a step back and just breathe....big games are coming against Dayton and St. Joe's. The non-conference is not all lost because of 2 losses on the road by 4 points when the team plays like crap. You need to look at the ceiling for this team and where they could be in February.

Nebraska's Rivalry Saturday

Alabama-Auburn. South Carolina-Clemson. Virginia-Virgina Tech. Georgia-Georgia Tech. All in state battles that has the focus of all their sports fans for that day....but those are football games. The best rivalry in the state of Nebraska is not in football but rather in basketball. Creighton-Nebraska. The Jays have dominated in recent history winning 8 of last 9 regular season games. CU gets the best players in the state and have the nicest building by far with a huge number of fans filling the Qwest Center for every game (16,100 for Arkansas Pine Bluff!)

All of these rivalries have one thing in common - 1 team believes that they are the big brother to other. Alabama, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia all believe they are always better than their little brothers....but in this rivalry - the big brother is the team with only 7,000 students (Sorry Ryan Anderson, see below). One team plays football and that provides a larger conference to play in.....but over the past 20 years - Creighton Basketball is the better of the 2 programs.

Huskers try to pretend that they don't messure themselves against the Bluejays - but just look at the interest level for this game compared the game vs. St. Louis on Tuesday....not even close.
This is the biggest non-conference game of the year by far. No matter what Slingblade tries to say in the media - this game matters to both sides....A LOT! Too bad that Slingblade's own player's are talking the same way as Ryan Anderson did yesterday: "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but we're in the Big 12," Anderson said. "You know what I mean? We're in the Big 12. How much more can we prove? What more do we need to prove to people? They're Creighton. They're like the little brother to Nebraska. You know what I mean? They're in Omaha, we're in Lincoln, and we're in the Big 12. You get what I'm saying? You guys have big brothers? So you know what it's like to have a little brother. He wants to out-do you in everything. "It's not like I'm trying to make it seem like they're down to us or anything. You know, a basketball team's a basketball team. But like I said, we're in the Big 12. What more can I say". Too bad he couldn't play for Dana Altman or in front a crowd bigger than 6,000 per home game.

However, tonight at 7 pm in Lincoln - history won't help the Bluejays and Dana Altman. Coming off of a loss to Arkansas Little Rock, the Jays have will to battle a Husker team that is 4-0 on the year and have looked very good at the Devaney Center including a nice win over St. Louis last game.

Last year, the Jays blew the doors off Nebraska - payback for the upset loss the year before in Lincoln. Tonight, the Jays are 3.5 point underdogs and rightfully so. They are soft in everyway you don't want to be. Soft mentally. Soft physically. Soft period. They have been outrebounded in 3 of their 4 games. CU got dominated by Arkansas Little Rock in the 2nd half on Tuesday night godsakes. Eventhough it was just a 2 point loss - P'Allen Stinnet didn't start and then didn't show up and now, has a supposive wrist injury to deal with. There are problems everywhere with injuries to Justin Carter, chemistry with the post players, and offensive flow with guys like P'Allen.

This game to me has nothing to do with Nebraska. It comes down to the lack of consistency for the Jays and a team that is just lost right now. I wouldn't pick them to beat anyone tonight, let alone Nebraska. The Huskers will guard like SIU - in your face, physical, and hack you down. The Jays aren't tough enough to win tonight in Lincoln. The Jays have more talent but it won't matter right now....long season but the Jays will dominate at home this year and again struggle on the road. I still think the Jays have a very good chance of playing in NCAA tournament - remember it's only November. Long way to go to March.

Sorry Jays fans - I just don't see it tonight: NU 68 CU 62

Ouch

Well hello from Boston. And OUCH for the Jays last night. A 2 point loss on the road at Little Rock is not going to sit well and shouldn't for that matter. However, the bigger issue isn't the loss - it's the way the team lost.

Yes, it is a bad loss on the road but it's just one loss in the non-conference. Last year's loss to Evansville was more embarrassing in my opinion since LR is a tough little team and the Jays were at their place. Shoe in on the other foot for scheduling and it will interesting to see if Dana ever goes back there. It was a lose-lose situation....they lost lost.

The team might have overlooked them but that happens in college basketball. Hell, the LR fans rushed the floor!? The Jays aren't even close to being ranked. They were 22-11 last year and beat 2 teams on the road including Pepperdine this year. Hopefully for CU's RPI, they will go the NCAA's out of their 1 bid league. But getting outboarded by 20 and 25-9 in the 2nd half! Damn, now that is the problem - not the loss.

It won't matter much against Nebraska on Saturday because both teams lack size but the fight you must have to win on the road at places like Lincoln, Southern, Wichita, Drake etc was not shown last night. Dana in his history is only 9-6 at CU in his first true road game. This is not A-Typical for the Jays.

Saturday night- the team better bring their heart with their sneakers this time.

Email of the Day

I was surprised at Antoine Young's dunk last night as CU beat down Arkansas Pine Bluff but after watching this video....I shouldn't have been. Kid has serious ups.....

Young's dunk in HS

Email of the Day

Redneck Hiring Chart

She Had A Point

For those of you are die hard Big Sports 590 listeners - you have heard a Dan Patrick Show promo running that features model Brooklyn Decker - wife of Andy Roddick, talking about the swimsuits that SI gives her to wear. She said she was amazed at what they get away with....well - she wasn't kidding!

NSFW - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2008_swimsuit/models/brooklyn-decker/08_brooklyn-decker_40.html

But how is that not porn! Not that I mind or anything :)

The Prez likes the Shocker!

My favorite hand signal now has presidential approval! :)

Hole In One Madness

So it's the dude from Ill. who hit 5 hole in ones in 1 week vs. James Foley, of High Point, North Carolina, who won 1 million dollars for that golf shot: Both are nuts but I like $$$ that James won :)

One EveryBody....One

"Unity - As One Stand Together!"

Did you see the way the south voted tonight? The Country is split more than it has ever been before. Welcome to the new Confederacy. It's more a red and blue country than ever before and Omaha is right SMACK in the middle of it all. Look how close District 2 was tonight.

The election is over. Barack Obama is the new president!! But it's time to stand up and realize that there are major problems with the South. He is the President of ALL the United States...not just the West and East Coasts....and he's the President for all white people, all minorities...everyone. I hope those people who felt like a black man could not be their president realize the extraordinary gift Barack Obama is to all of us.

We have to come together for the better of us all. I've lived in Alabama. I've lived in Virginia (even though that went blue tonight and was the former capital of the old confederacy). I know what is going on in those states right now and there will be anger and lots of negative emotion towards Obama from many -not all - but many. But Yes - WE - DID! 2 years in the making...

This was history. This was what the I Have A Dream Speech was all about...40 years later. Simply AMAZING. God Bless the USA! I'm so proud of my country tonight....all of it.

Election Day is TOMORROW!

Make sure you Vote tomorrow! Oh....and here's a little something to think about :) Remember the Budweiser WASSUP Commercials? Here's a new spin:

It's NOVEMBER! Basketball's BACK!

Bleed It Blue! Welcome to Basketball Season Jays fans! Here's something to get you fired up!

Bo Says It's His Words Only

As Mitch Sherman points out today, there were over 50 members of the media including 6 writers from JUST the World Herald alone who were left holding their pencils after Nebraska got white washed by Oklahoma 62-28 in Norman last night. Bo's reason for not allowing his team to talk to the media? He is the one who will be speaking for the Huskers - it's his team after all so it's his words only.

While I completely understand why Bo Pelini would not want anyone talking about the embarrassment of the loss, there is not much you can say except that Oklahoma is 10 times the team as Nebraska, but you have to wonder why Bo decided to do this now? Coaches often believe that speaking to the media is a privilege for younger players. Having your name in print is cool and getting to be on TV is great for being BMOC but this is a gamble by Bo that might come up craps. You don't want to end the honeymoon with the media this quickly in my opinion. You've had nothing but love from the Husker media and you give them the middle finger treatment with only contentious press conference quotes to use? "If you don't like it, tough," Bo said. "Ask me the questions you'd ask the players" Ok Coach - that's big of you.

Earlier this year Bo Pelini apologized to the state of Nebraska following the awful performance against Missouri and promised that it will never happen again. Well, it happen just 4 weeks later - this time with a lot of ex Husker greats present. Bo has had a ton of positive press since getting the job earlier this year but if you prevent the news media from doing their job - you are running the risk of changing the tone in which the Huskers will be covered. Bo has a job to do - so does the media. Preventing even coaches from talking is not going to make many friends and it makes Pelini look like a control freak.

It is now time to start questioning the demeanor of the 1st year Husker Head Coach. What is he trying to accomplish by screaming his head off on national TV as his team is getting blasted to the tune of 35-0 after 1 quarter? Wouldn't a timeout to talk to his team be a better use of his voice? What about his behavior towards the refs? Does anyone not believe that Bo's actions on the sidelines are leading to his team having personal fouls in nearly every game including a player getting ejecting last night? His team has 17! on the year. These were my concerns when Bo was hired. I don't believe you can learn to be a Head Coach at a place like Nebraska. The spotlight is too bright if you've never stood on center stage before. So far, I'm right.

As I've stated a number of times before - I'm not saying that Bo's is the wrong guy for Nebraska. He was the perfect hire for the NU family - the ex players, boosters and fans who were alienated by Steve Pederson. But I am saying that I am undecided as to if he's the right guy for the football team. First, Virginia Tech and a flag that hurt his team. Then a pathetic effort vs. Missouri and a public apology afterwards. Then talk that the coaches weren't on the same page for the better part of the year. Now a blow out loss to OU and muzzling of his team. This year is shaping up as a foundation to how Pelini will handle adversity and right now - he's not projecting confidence to anyone following Nebraska football.

(BTW - Did you see ESPN.com's bowl projections:

Insight(Big 12 vs. Big Ten)
Nebraska vs. Iowa <--- !!!! )