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My Final Four

March 19, 2009 at 8:53pm By: D.M.B. Posted in D.M.B. Sports Report

Missouri, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Syracuse

with Pittsburgh cutting down the nets in Detroit.

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The Ides of March

March 15, 2009 at 5:17pm By: D.M.B. Posted in D.M.B. Sports Report

It’s selection Sunday and soon the best tournament out there will ramp up.  As is the annual tradition around here, the Big Red will not be participating so there will be no bubble watch when the selections are made.  Its different story all together up the road on I-80 where Creighton is squarely on the bubble.  The Blue Jays are right in that 64th-67th team area and will either be the last few teams in or the last few teams out.

I for one, hope the Blue Jays are not in. Being a UNL grad, I cheer for Nebraska and against Creighton.  I’ve heard so many times over the years that I should cheer for Creighton because they’re from the state of the Nebraska.  If Duke out of the tournament, do they cheer for North Carolina? No. If Kansas State is out, do they cheer for Kansas?  Absolutely not.  Just because Nebraska isn’t as good annually in basketball doesn’t mean I have to cheer for a team that is.  I for one, would rather cheer for a fellow Big 12 team before I cheer for Creighton.

If championship week is any indication of what this years tournament will be like, it should be a fun 3 weeks.

UPDATE: Creighton is not in.  They of course, were one of the 1st two teams out.  Arizona was announced early on and once you saw that, Creighton was dealt a big big blow.  And once Northern Iowa (MVC tourney champion) was put at a #12 seed, you knew the boys in blue were going to be the NIT.

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Major gift to UNL makes Student Life Complex a reality

March 10, 2009 at 11:33pm By: D.M.B. Posted in D.M.B. Sports Report

Last month I said UNL gave the city an indirect ultimatum of 18 months to get a city arena at least in the works.  It seems that NU will go ahead with plans to make improvements on the Bob Devaney Sports Center and build a practice facility connecting to the BDSC thanks to a 10 million dollar gift from Tom and Mary Hendricks.  More specifically, this gift not only closes the fund raising for the Student Life Complex (but continues for the Devaney Center Improvement Projcet), but it will give a new practice facility for the mens and womens basketball teams.  It also includes new practice facilities for wrestling and women’s and men’s gymnastics and updates planned for the athletic medicine and strength and conditioning facilities for each Husker sport that competes or trains at the Devaney Center.

This has been a long time coming for the Devaney Center. As I’ve said before, as of last year, Nebraska was the only Big 12 team that didn’t have, constructing, or had plans in place for a basketball practice facility.  For Nebraska ever to become a upper half Big 12 school, a practice facility would be needed.  Just like football, recruits like new flashy things…and practicing in Mable Lee Hall isn’t new and flashy.  In fact, its down right deplorable for a Big 12 school.  Thanks to the Kendricks family, Nebraska finally has moved into the 21st century on the basketball front. 

Now, the NU press release specifically points out that “Nebraska athletics is still looking to participate in a downtown arena project with the City of Lincoln in the future. However, the basketball practice facility would continue to be located and fully function from the Devaney site, without compromising the City Arena Project.” But I seriously question that.  I mean if it took only a month from announcement to the first major gift of 10 million dollars…it tells me that NU is serious about making NU basketball facilities top notch.  Could the city of Lincoln’s apprehension on going forward with the arena be the end of a dream of a downtown arena?  I think time is running out for the city.

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