LINCOLN — I’ve never bought into this idea of the Husker Hoops curse.
If there was a curse, it was an administration that was never all-in on basketball.
But now I’m starting to reconsider.
Nebraska fans were thrown a couple of bones. They were offered some hope. A patch of blue sky.
Then somebody turned on the water again.
Two season-ending injuries to Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel have knocked a promising Husker Hoops basketball season off track.
Who has season-ending injuries to two starters?
How do these things happen?
Look, it’s not like Nebraska was going to play for the Big Ten title the last weekend. Or spend the week at the United Center in Chicago March 8-12.
Huskers in the NCAA Tournament? That wasn’t on anyone’s Bingo card.
But man, I wanted to see how far Fred Hoiberg’s bunch of ugly-ball grinders could go this season.
How much chaos could they cause? How much fun could they give Husker Hoops fans?
How much did they pack in those lunch buckets?
They had already won at Creighton. Beat Iowa at home. Signature wins. In ink.
Then they scratched out an overtime road win at Minnesota. Won an Ugly Contest with Ohio State.
Their defense and rebounding and scrappy nature gave them a chance in most every game. The Big Ten may be tough, but more league teams than ever seem vulnerable. “Gettable.”
Could a healthy Husker outfit have won five or six or more?
Maybe they force their way onto the NIT board. Maybe they land one of the Alphabet Soup tourneys.
Now?
I look down the schedule and see NU as a distinct underdog in every game except two — Penn State and Minnesota at home.
How many can they win?
This will be a much different team going forward. That’s how impactful Gary and Bandoumel were.
They gave NU tough, physical defenders, who could guard the perimeter or the paint. Bandoumel took on the opponent’s leading scorer.
They brought an attitude. It spread around the team. With Derrick Walker inside and Sam Griesel outside, those four made the Huskers a tough assignment.
The problem: those four only started 10 games together. NU was 6-4, including wins over Creighton and Iowa.
They made opponents uncomfortable, grinding out clock, leaving bruises and making the other guys work for everything.
Now it’s the Derrick and Sam Show. With a host of sidekicks.
C.J. Wilcher, Keisei Tominaga and Wilhelm Breidenbach (4.4 points, 2.8 rebounds) now have to offer more minutes and production. Redshirt freshman Denim Dawson, a 6-6 swingman with potential, no longer can ease his way into the Big Ten.
And true freshman Jamarques Lawrence, a 6-3 guard with high hopes, has to grow up. And quick.
Meanwhile, the team defense takes on a whole new look. Hoiberg will have to throw some off-speed defenses at teams.
And some will take advantage, as Northwestern did in a 78-63 win over Nebraska on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats had 22 turnovers, but 26 points in the paint and 16 second-chance points, along with a 35-23 rebounding edge, spelled doom for the red.
It may be a common theme.
“You’re taking our two best perimeter defenders off the floor,” Hoiberg said.
“There’s going to be adjustments. Different guys are going to have to play different roles. Different positions. And they’re going to have to play a lot of minutes.”
And do it at Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Rutgers and Iowa.
The home schedule, with Penn State, Wisconsin, Maryland, Minnesota and Michigan State, looked less daunting.
So, too, did Northwestern.
But now we’re talking about a Nebraska team with two less leaders, playmakers and defenders, a Nebraska team that could easily wear down in February.
The two saddest words in sports are “What” and “if.” That might be the chorus around Pinnacle Bank Arena come March.
Of course, NU fans might be playing another game:
What if Hoiberg hadn’t waited until the fourth year to go blue-collar defense with this kind of roster?
What if there was more experienced depth in year four?
Good questions. But now that’s water under the Haymarket Pedestrian Bridge.
Of interest now is how Husker fans will view this basketball season.
Will the big wins fade away? Will it be viewed as a step forward — with two asterisks? Will any momentum now be lost?
Better question: How will the Head Husker see it?
It’s hard to imagine Trev Alberts not seeing the progress in this season. Not just in the effort and fundamentals and physicality categories, but the breakthroughs on the scoreboard. Especially that one in Omaha.
Now factor in the two injuries. But they are part of the game, yes?
The rest of the season now looks like an opportunity to build for the future. Lawrence and Dawson will gain valuable minutes.
That’s not what this was supposed to be about.
Just a few weeks ago, this looked like a chance for so much more.
This team had rejuvenated Hoiberg, showed he could play the Big Ten way. Gave his tenure hope.
“I love coaching this team,” Hoiberg said. “I still do. Whatever happens, whatever the outcomes of these games are, it’s been one of the most enjoyable years I’ve had in coaching.”
There’s joy in the grind. But the grind just got tougher.
It’s a brutal plot change for Griesel, who came to NU for a fairy tale ending in his hometown.
“It’s been the best year of my life,” Griesel said. “Very special just seeing how Husker Nation can embrace a Lincoln kid. I’m just trying to take it day by day, hour by hour.”
With Nebraska basketball, that’s all you can do.
1
of 16
C.J. WILCHER
Position: Guard
Hometown: Plainfield, N.J.
SAM HOIBERG
Position: Guard
Hometown: Lincoln, Neb.
RAMEL LLOYD JR.
Position: Guard
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
JUWAN GARY
Position: Forward
Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
SAM GRIESEL
Position: Guard
Hometown: Lincoln, Neb.
JAMARQUES LAWRENCE
Position: Guard
Hometown: Plainfield, N.J.
DENIM DAWSON
Position: Guard/Forward
Hometown: San Bernardino, Calif.
DERRICK WALKER
Position: Forward
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
BLAISE KEITA
Position: Forward
Hometown: Bamako, Republic of Mali
JEFFREY GRACE III
Position: Guard
Hometown: Elmhurst, Ill.
EMMANUEL BANDOUMEL
Position: Guard
Hometown: Quebec City, Quebec
KELSEI TOMINAGAI
Position: Guard
Hometown: Moriyama Nagoya Aichi, Japan
CALE JACOBSEN
Position: Guard
Hometown: Ashland, Neb.
WILHELM BREIDENBACH
Position: Forward
Hometown: Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
OLEG KOJENETS
Position: Forward
Hometown: Kaunas, Lithuania
HENRY BURT
Position: Forward
Hometown: Omaha, Neb.
1
of 16
C.J. WILCHER
Position: Guard
Hometown: Plainfield, N.J.
SAM HOIBERG
Position: Guard
Hometown: Lincoln, Neb.
RAMEL LLOYD JR.
Position: Guard
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
JUWAN GARY
Position: Forward
Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
SAM GRIESEL
Position: Guard
Hometown: Lincoln, Neb.
JAMARQUES LAWRENCE
Position: Guard
Hometown: Plainfield, N.J.
DENIM DAWSON
Position: Guard/Forward
Hometown: San Bernardino, Calif.
DERRICK WALKER
Position: Forward
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
BLAISE KEITA
Position: Forward
Hometown: Bamako, Republic of Mali
JEFFREY GRACE III
Position: Guard
Hometown: Elmhurst, Ill.
EMMANUEL BANDOUMEL
Position: Guard
Hometown: Quebec City, Quebec
KELSEI TOMINAGAI
Position: Guard
Hometown: Moriyama Nagoya Aichi, Japan
CALE JACOBSEN
Position: Guard
Hometown: Ashland, Neb.
WILHELM BREIDENBACH
Position: Forward
Hometown: Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
OLEG KOJENETS
Position: Forward
Hometown: Kaunas, Lithuania
HENRY BURT
Position: Forward
Hometown: Omaha, Neb.
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