Everyone loves a March Cinderella story.
Nebraska’s bid for a men’s Big Ten title came to an end with a 98-87 loss to Illinois on Saturday. Despite relinquishing a 15-point lead in Minneapolis, one analyst remains bullish on the Cornhuskers’ prospects in the NCAA tournament.
Former Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner has singled out Nebraska as an “under-the-radar” team to watch in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
“Fred Hoiberg was Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year, and the way they play offensively is a very NBA-style type of play,” Pastner remarked during Sunday morning’s SportsCenter, as reported by On3’s Nick Kosko. “They run great offensive sets, and their five-man, Rienk Mast — a transfer from Bradley — can flat out pass the ball and rebound.”
Pastner commended the Huskers for showcasing their best defensive prowess under Hoiberg’s leadership in his five seasons at Lincoln.
“I like Nebraska to secure a couple of wins in the tournament,” he predicted.
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Nebraska boasts its strongest defensive rating (100.1) since Hoiberg assumed the reins in 2019, ranking 29th in overall and defensive efficiency on KenPom.com.
Despite falling short of an automatic bid, the Big Ten program is poised to secure its first NCAA tournament invitation in a decade. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects the Huskers to enter the tournament as a No. 8 seed.
Should Pastner’s prediction come to fruition, Nebraska would script history, as the men’s team has never won an NCAA tournament game in seven attempts.
With this season’s 23 wins marking the second-highest tally in program history, and a string of impressive victories leading up to Saturday’s setback, Nebraska awaits its NCAA tournament destiny, set to be unveiled when the bracket is revealed Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.