1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Bill Moos Book review: February 11th, 2026, 12:00pm

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

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Welcome to the drive with Aaron Davis and Nick Sainert. Former football national champion speaker and author Aaron Davis. Pain is a teacher if you use it. And the lessons in the carnage of pain, sometimes you're elusive. They hide their stealth. The work is finding the lessons through the pain. There's always a message in the mess. Depends on if we want to get dirty and look for it.

Nick Sainter. Driving left side is bored, picks up his dribble looking for some help, decides to go up strong with it, and the layup will rattle home. Jack Riley picks the pocket of BJ Bradford up the floor. to Jack Posterider. Watch out. The Feecy in the lane kicks it out. Three ball, Townsley, right wing, it's good. It's on 93-7 the ticket and the ticket FM.com.

Maybe say dead. Nick, what do you think about dead gummit? I don't mind it. I would never use it. You like the word, Dadgummit? It's not that I don't like it. I don't love it either. Well, when Coach Osborne said, Deadgumet.

I know. He was mad. Run it again. That's what I've heard. Nebraska would like to run back this 80 to 77 overtime law. to the Purdue boiler makers. Folks, the fight was real. They were down 22 points in the second half, didn't take their first lead until overtime.

First OT against preseason, number one, Purdue. Nebraska, though, I will say this. They refused to quit, and that matters a lot in March. You raised a 22-point lead, which was just phenomenal against the top 15 opponent that says something about your ceiling. Swim before we get in the numbers,

your initial thoughts on the game. Yeah, it just felt like, you know, Nebraska, I'll say this holistically. Nebraska hasn't played a complete 40 minutes of basketball. It feels like in a while. I mean, you even go back to like the Minnesota game and they struggled in the first half a little bit. And then the Michigan game, they played really, really well throughout the 40 minutes,

just struggled in the second half in comparison to the first half. And then. So you mean tip off to final buzzer? It just didn't feel like they, They've played a full 40 minutes of basketball. The way we saw them play earlier in the year against the Wisconsin, right? Like that Wisconsin 90 to 60 win just seems so foreign and impossible nowadays, excuse me, because Wisconsin just won on the road last night at Illinois.

And so I go back and forth of whether or not and how frustrated to get about these losses. Because let's just think, once again, big picture here. Nebraska went on the road and beat Illinois a couple of weeks ago. Nebraska went on the road, beat Minnesota, beat Ohio State on the road, has beaten Indiana. Now Nebraska's lost against Illinois at home, and now Purdue's gone on the road at Nebraska and won. Illinois went on the road to Purdue and won. Wisconsin, who is 16 and 7, now 17 and 7, went on the road to top 8 per Illinois and just won last night. Like I think it's important for us just because we've never been here.

That part. Swam. These things happen. That part. Nick, I'm not that upset about it. Sure. I'm really, I'm really, I mean, obviously I would have wanted to win. But Swim, it's so easy for me.

I don't want to speak for all Nebraska fans. I'm going to speak for me. Last night for literally about a minute, I'm thinking, man, if they want to done this, AD, you know where Nebraska basketball has been for their entire, their entire, uh, program for the history. We've never been in this position before. I'm not excusing a slow start. I'm putting it in perspective for myself.

For Nebraska to be slugging it out with Purdue. Now, of course, you have the one-offs where Nebraska beat, you know, Purdue, they were right number one a year ago, two years ago, whatever it was. Well, I have to keep myself reminded, bro, this is going to happen. We're talking about they didn't lose to incarnate word. Yeah. They didn't lose to North Dakota.

I'm not knocking those schools, but I'm saying the caliber of, basketball they're playing it happens to your point Illinois lost just last night what Nebraska's three losses this year have been to top five Michigan top 10 Illinois and top 15 Purdue that's why it's swim this morning I wasn't that I was you know last night I was I'm like okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay nobody understands that joke other than us tonight I'm sorry it's a joke inside joke I'm sorry like to be a part of one something you know 80, are you more upset than you would have been if they would have won?

Eddie, are you more upset than you would be if they would have won? If so, then you're upset. Like, you know, I would say last night, I guess, I just for me, Thomas, I'm looking at it more historically. This feels, I mean, why it doesn't feel as bad to me. It's really strange because I'm, I'm not the moral victory type of guy. No, I know what I means. It was not, it was not great to lose last night. And I was pretty deflated.

I'll say this. I was pretty deflated after. lost. I think that there's a way you can look at this thing and analyze it in a couple of ways. This is not, none of the stuff that we're saying about how Nebraska's lost to, hey, top 15 Purdue, top 15 Illinois and top five Michigan. I, at least, I'll speak for myself, this is not me justifying those losses. So I feel like Nebraska was good enough to win all three of those games. I absolutely do. Were there Avenue? news to where it feels like Nebraska, because of faults of their own, lost that those games.

I absolutely do. I think Michigan, they lost that game because, sure, the officiating was, was bad against Michigan for a top five matchup. But Nebraska could not hit the broadside of a bar and offensively in the, in the second half against Michigan. Berke missed four bunny layups on the doorstep. And you lose by three against the Wolverines on the road. And out rebound. Right. And you got out rebounded, yes. But so like that's the way I look at that one. Illinois, same kind of thing. You just, you went through a slump where you just could not hit shots. And then last night is, I felt like the energy was pretty flat from from the get go. And that's where I go back to, once again, not justifying losses, but as we kind of turn and pivot to these final seven games of the regular season and then beyond for how long, however long Nebraska goes in the postseason, I look at. and go, yeah, you know what, there is hope because it doesn't feel like Nebraska's playing their best basketball right now.

You would hope that as February winds down and March kind of ramps up, then Nebraska starts to play some of that, that December basketball that we saw from this team a few months ago. So the numbers don't lie. The numbers always tell the truth. It's your P&L. It's your report card for the game, which are the stats. The first 20 minutes, you know, it cost them. It's like Coach Weber said yesterday in the press, you know, that first three, three. minutes. They got blasted and Purdue blitz to a 14-1 start. Husker shot just 32% in the first

half, only 24 points at halftime. That was a season low. The burn timeout early, including two within 11 seconds. You can't spot elite team 16 minutes of uneven basketball and expect to survive, even with the valiant effort to come back. And Nick, this is, this has been a thing in Nebraska's losses. Obviously, there's two different issues with Nebraska. Men's women's basketball, women being the turnovers, the men in the games they've lost. Purdue won the boards. 54 to 37 swim.

Yeah. 54 to 37. A 21 to 6 offensive rebound advantage. Here's the second chance points. Here's what kills you swim. 17 to 6 in second chance points. This is the tail to take. And it ain't even the slick surface. All right. It ain't some of the questionable

calls, which I'm not blaming this even remotely on the refs. The refs didn't spot them 13 points. You know, Kaufman and Wren had 19 rebounds. That's a PBA record. Yeah. When you give up 21 offensive boards, you're playing defense twice every possession.

I mean, you can't win games like that, especially not against a team like Purdue. And it was unfortunately, it was unfortunately just some of the, the offensive boards and the second chances were at the worst times. Yes, they were. Yes, they were. A couple of texts that I want to get to. And this

is, this is funny, just to know that everybody nobody agrees universally Frank starts out his text by swim you apparently don't watch any other college basketball Dan from Canopy goes 100% correct Nick this is the best part

is the Frank came too like Frank Lucas you're never going to please everybody but let's start with Frank here he goes swim you apparently don't watch any other college basketball what happened to the Huskers has happened to every team in college cheer up gloomy Gus.

That's your new name. I guess I'm Gus. Gus, Gus. No, no, I think, I feel like I've,

I've somewhat put a positive, realistic spin on this. I'm not, I'm not sitting here saying it's okay that Nebraska's lost to three teams. And, you know, I'm happy that Nebraska's lost.

I don't subscribe to this, this mindset that Nebraska needed to lose a game before the Big Ten tournament so that there's no pressure. I don't subscribe to that notion at all. But, I've been one of the loudest on this show of talking about how there is a reason why no undefeated team since Indiana in 76 has been able to win the title as an undefeated team. There's a reason.

It is almost impossible to go out and win and stay undefeated throughout an entirety of a college basketball season. It's very difficult to do. Gonzaga was the closest to do it just a couple of years ago when they lost in the national championship. Yeah. That was a heck of a run. Dan from Canopy says 100% correct, Nick, not the best basketball and Nebraska's only lost three games so far. Three. That is it.

Like I will once again, AD. I don't do the whole moral victory thing, but there, Nebraska, what were we saying at the beginning of this season? Avoid losing bad games to the North Dakota's letter on your schedule, right? And Nebraska was maybe the schedule looking back, 2020 vision wasn't as daunting in the non-con as, We thought it was going to be because teams like Oklahoma are underperforming. Kansas State is underperforming and might move on from Jerome Tang after this year. New Mexico was for a while the best non-conference win that you had. Now, it was also on a neutral site floor,

so that gave it a little bit of a boost in the net as well. So I think it's important. Perspective is crucial in these types of conversations because remember what we were wanting at the beginning, of the year. It doesn't make the loss any easier to swallow. No. But at the end of the day, Nebraska's, I don't see myself or any Husker fans, and this is a kudos, a round of applause to Husker fans. I don't see anybody kind of reacting like chicken little sky is falling type of mindset after a loss. No, and I think it's a healthy,

it's a healthy mindset after dealing with a loss the way they did it. Cubsker, Good Morning. He goes one consistent issue this year has been rebounds on offense. We get out. Rebounded offensively 21 to 6. That tells me that leads to a lot of one and duns, which means no point. Somebody other than my boy, Sammy, needs to stick their nose in the dirt to get boards offensively outside the last two minutes of the game when it's desperation time. Cupsker, here's what I'm going to say to this, too, because I totally agree with you 100%. Rebounding is like receivers blocking on the perimeter.

It's just want to. It's effort and it's want to. People could say, well, the fundamentals, you know, the, get in the position and boxing out. Those are all characteristics of want to basketball. I mean, you have to want to do those things. If you remember, Nick, a few days ago, a few years ago, oh, what's the former Oklahoma coaches named coaches at Houston now? Samson. Kelvin Samson.

Remember that rebound drill? Did you remember I think that rebound drill to where they just go absolutely, it's their dang near fighting? Yeah. That's just what, if you haven't seen it, look up Calvin Samson. rebound video or something like that on YouTube. You'd find it. The way how relentless they are going for rebounds. Purdue.

Now granted, people say, well, the big guy, seven, yeah, I get that. But it's what to basketball. Nebraska has to develop more. And to your point, they have to develop more, in my opinion, that Sam mentality. I'm going to get this ball come hell or high water. In the losses we've had swim, the rebounds are the tail of the tape. Michigan, we saw it against Illinois.

and we saw it again against last night against Purdue. When you are out rebound at 21 to 6th on second chance points, you're not going to win many basketball games, especially with a parental powerhouse like Purdue. Yeah, I don't, I mean, here's the thing. This is where I struggle with like just looking at the stats and saying that, hey, Nebraska got out rebounded. That's, yes, was last night bad 100% in Fred Hoyberg last night

in the post game press conference? I mean, he mentioned it multiple times about how he was disappointed in the rebounding effort. The 21 offensive rebounds worries me more than the than the just the fact that he got out rebounded.

Here's why. But it's all rebounds. Nebraska, but we have to remember what type of team Nebraska is. Nebraska's not the type of team that's going to try to crash the offensive glass. The reason being there's a lot of really good

big 10 teams that are really, really talented at getting out and running. Purdue is one of them. Purdue has Braden Smith is probably one of the best, if not the best point guard in the entire country. We've seen what a point guard that can control the pace of your play can do and how it can elevate everybody around you from Jamarca. Like we've seen from Jamarcus Lawrence this year. Like Michigan was a great example. Everybody freaked out about the rebounding numbers against Michigan. If you had watched how Nebraska played and Fred Weber told you this going into that game, Nebraska wasn't going to crash the offensive glass

because their number one priority because Michigan got out and ran so well that they needed to get all five guys back and especially how thin they were. They needed to get all five guys back. And so, like, I'll say this, Nebraska not rebounding well on the defensive side. Yes, that part is alarming.

But, like, people are bad because Nebraska only got six offensive rebounds last night. that's not Nebraska's game. Nebraska has faith in that they're going to shoot the basketball, make a shot, and they're going to be able to get back defensively. That's what their priority is. I just think that it's important to remember what type of team Nebraska is before we just immediately dogpile everything on Nebraska,

not wanting to rebound, which, yes, last night was bad. But we got to take it with a little bit of a grain of salt in my opinion. I'll say this swim. If that, to your point, yes, you're right, that is their style. but it's a style that's not going to win deep in March if you don't, if you don't make, if you don't change. Well, if you're not making shot, if Nebraska makes shots, guess what? I mean, if Nebraska goes, that number is going to have to improve.

I mean, here's the thing. If Nebraska goes 18 of 32 or 16 to 32, 50% from the three point line, guess what? And then you're looking at, you know, it's 50 to 37 on the, on the glass. Like, I just, there's, if you start making shots in that first half, if you don't go on, you know, if you don't allow Purdue to go on a 14-1 run, you make three more shots in that one, then we're looking 40. 737 on the glass. I just think that if Nebraska, Nebraska's proven all season long that they can

win games being the undersized team. Now, we can't panic now on February 11th when we're four months deep into the season and go, oh man, this is the reason that Nebraska is not going to be successful. No, they're 21 and 3 doing exactly what they've done all season long. Maybe not to this extent of getting out rebounded 54 to 37. And that's once again, why I said the 21 reoffensive boards that you allowed are certainly alarming. We can't sit here and act like this is like, this is what's going to be the downfall of Nebraska basketball season because now they've won plenty of games being out, rebounded, and undersized.

Now, one thing I will say, they need to find one more guy to rely on. Like, at some point, you're going to need Jared Garcia to do something. Yeah. Like Nebraska right now, and this is what I took away from last night in the last couple of games, is because Braden Frager, he's playing, but obviously might not have the same hops that, and I've kind of noticed,

might not have the same kind of bounce that he was before the ankle injury. I mean, right now, Nebraska's really playing a seven-man rotation, which is fine, but, man, I think we saw, when we talk about the effort and the energy and the want to and the physicality and the foul troubles, like there were times last night when Rink was in foul trouble, like he wasn't going for rebounds because he didn't want to get called for a fourth foul

because after rink we saw the drop at that position when barrake's in offensively like there's a lot of other pieces to it that you just you got to find one other body to get going and i think that answers jared garcia you just you need him to do it yeah the the it's alarming um i'm i'm going to say the the rebounding part is for me personally the most alarming overall throw the offense out. I'm not saying throw it out, but just the overall, you know, it's almost 20,

20 differences in rebounds, you know, it's 54, 37. So that'd have to be squirted out, you know, certain down. Yeah. But let's talk about the search. 18-2 run that was sparked by Price Sanford. You know, in Nebraska,

10-3s, mass, Sanford, Lawrence, all in double figures. They finished with 21 assists, 11th game with 20-plus assists. When they move the ball and space the floor, produce struggle. But to your point, Nick, we were not able to do that early on

because we were in such desperation mode to cut into that lead. But once they got it within striking distance, they were able to do that. With some of the individual performances, ranked mass was 18.7 to 6, 6 rebounds, fouled out in OT, which definitely hurt.

Jamarcus Lawrence, 16 points, 12 after halftime, Price Santafort, 15 points, all after half time. Hoyberg, five assists, one turnover. in five ranked games. This stat was interesting, 21 assists to only one turnover for Sammy and that one.

And that is definitely, and you know, you talked about Smith for them. Dude, that was the first game I've seen him live this year. You know, the ones kind of the highlights. He's a ball player, man.

He is a ball player. Yeah. Talk of the point guard for Purdue. He is a ball player and heard us a lot, especially early on in the game. I mean, the dude was just unconscious. He was the floor general, the distributor, hit big shots inside,

outside he did it all for them um so i'm i'm going to ask you this man who else who do you think last night you would have liked have seen before and better for Nebraska i i i'm going to say price um you know he finishes with four you know 15 points uh what was it how many of those five of those come from the free throw line at those two those two free throws at the end right um had that big layup and overtime as well but nebraska's at their best when And this is where I go back to Nebraska hasn't played their best basketball in a couple of weeks, in my opinion.

Which is fine because college basketball teams go through this. And this is a fine time to do it before the Big Ten Conference tournament and before you try to make a run in March. But Price Samford, two for nine from beyond the three point line last night. If Nebraska wants to succeed,

I think, at their best, he's number one, maybe the volume is even more than nine three-point or three-point attempts. Now, last night, he wasn't able to put up a whole lot. But somewhere in the four to five made threes, the game from Price, I think changes the entire offense and changes what you can see from this team. And so I really, like, we know Price can do it. And that's where this isn't me saying like, Price got to step it up. No, because he's done it all season long. It's just when Nebraska needed them most, unfortunately,

these last couple of games against Illinois against Michigan, Price was really beaten up after Michigan. And ever since that second half of that Michigan game, we remember Price came out really, really strong in that first half. Second half he kind of struggled because Michigan made some adjustments on him. And ever since that, give credit to Illinois, give credit to Purdue. I mean, we're talking about some of the best coaches in college basketball. In terms of you're in a league with obviously Izzo and,

and Brad Underwood and Matt Painter last night. Like these coaches are going to recognize and throw some creative stuff at you. But I think Fred Hoyberg's in that similar conversation are close to that similar tier of conversation. And the same way that Matt Painter is coming at Price Sanford, like Fred and his staff have to find creative ways to get Price Sanford involved.

And it'll all work itself out eventually. I'm just not too concerned about this team. not justifying the loss is not making it any easier last night, but I'm still confident in what this team can do come March. I'm excited to see what Nebraska does. In fact, they got a big game on Saturday, but I say big in that it's a lot of,

it's alumni weekend. I think it's 80 plus, Nick, give or take, guys that are coming back. That's got to be the biggest one in a long time. So, okay, I want to bring this up. We're going to read a lot of these texts we come back to. So some of 4693 on the text line goes,

Masks on the board should have been better last night. He got worked by Purdue's Big Man with the Beard on the board. He's obviously talking about Oscar Club. Big man with the beard. But we got to remember that's not that's not Rinks game. Like just because you're in Fred's system, just because you're tall doesn't mean you just automatically rebound. That's why Berke is so valuable to this team, to this specific team.

This is why Berke, so I would say Berke last night needed to be better on the boards. I would definitely agree that. If there was somebody that needed to be better, I would say Berke needed to be better. Rink is going to be the guy that you flash out to the perimeter. And if we're trying to sit there and go, Rink, you need to run from the three point line

all the way to the rim and get an offensive rebound. But then when you don't get the offensive rebound, sprint all the way back and defend the post without foul and then do it again. Like, you're asking guys to do things that aren't their strengths. Rink, there's a reason Rink mask doesn't lead this team in rebounding. There's a reason Rink, I believe,

is third on the team in rebound. behind Sam Hoyberg, Berke, and then it's rink. Like there's a reason for these things. Don't, don't fall on the line. And I'm not saying this textual was saying it specifically. This is more of a wide blast. Don't fall into this mindset of like traditional basketball where it's, hey, the big man needs to rebound the best on the team.

Because a couple of years ago, Nebraska's biggest bugaboo rebounding was that they had no guards that could rebound. And now one of your guards is leading the team on the glass. Swim, I'm going to say this before you go to break and we'll come back and get through more of these checks. I'm going to say this. Bear K is going to have to step up on the glass along with the rest of the team.

Also, Rink was the one who offensively rebounded the game tying layup and he just missed the free throw. But game tie and layup at the end of regulation. So rebounding, I'll beat this drum until the day I die. Rebounding is want to basketball. It's a mindset. It's a mentality. But overall, it's a want to. I mean, it strictly is.

Sam is that guy. He's shown it consistent. I'd say others haven't, but Sam has shown it the past 20 plus games, 24 games. I remember if they played, he's shown it every game. That's why he's,

I think what you said, Nick, the leady rebounder for the team? Yeah, Sam is. You know, and he's the shortest, the shortest starter out there. That's just want to.

And the rest of those guys are going to have to follow suit because here's a reality swim. If you get rebounded, 54 to 37 in this game, you are, I'm just speaking facts. You will not last long in the tournament.

if you get out rebounded by that level overall. Just not going to work. Just not going to win. That's way too many second chance points for a team, hence why Nebraska was outscored on second chance point, 17 to 6. That's the difference right there in a ball game as far as that goes. Yeah. Oh, by the way, excuse me,

Rinkmask has actually surpassed Sam Hoyberg now for rebounds per game. Ringmast is at six. Sam Hoyberg's at 5.9, and Bear K is at six as well. So those two are both. Absolutely. So I misspoke earlier. Don't know worries.

After the Purdue game. When we come back, we're going to dive into more of these text messages talking about Nebraska's 87. Comeback loss that came up just short of them getting it done. We want to hear from where we'd come back? It's a drive.