1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Is this the Year for Nebraska Basketball to Win an NCAA Tournament Game?: November 21st, 11:25am

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

Is this the Year for Nebraska Basketball to Win an NCAA Tournament Game?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You're listening to one-on-one with DP, brought to you by Canopy Street Market on 93-7 the ticket and the ticket-fm.com. We are back here on one-on-one on 93-7, the ticket, myself, Jake Bachman, Austin Orman, and Nick Sanard hanging in here for the hour. Talking some Nebraska basketball really got down a nice path to think about some of the old nostalgic names in Nebraska basketball. But I did want to ask you guys with early in the season. I know it's early, but 5-0, a big game against Kansas State, who, by the way, I think they are also 5-0, and the lowest they've scored so far as 84. Their other points per game are points this year have been 93, 98,

99, and 98. So Nebraska better be shooting well this evening. We'll see. What do you guys think about? I mean, I hate, I don't want to say I'd do this every year because I really don't. I'm used to like getting into this tournament play against Oklahoma and think, okay, well, here's the word Nebraska is going to drop their non-con game.

and then we can kind of maybe upset Creighton and then we'll see if you can get to 500 conference playing all that. I think this could be the team. I'm going to go. There we go. I think this could be the team. To do what?

To do what? To win the first tournament. To win it all. I'm doing it. I'm buying in. I'm already bought in. I mean, just because of what we've talked about,

part of it could be Price Sandford, could be Frayor, it could be ranked mass. It could be, you know, hopefully, Hoyberg, we've even seen the team. Connor's seizing off the bench.

We'll see what Ugi does when he comes back if he can help. But it's just, it, and you watch it like through the broadcast, like, you know, you hear the broadcasters saying too, like this is one of the most efficient and effective offenses we're seeing early in the in the in the non-con. Austin, now, okay, I wanted to get to this point at some point about the, the rotation. And maybe we can later in the conversation with Ugi. Because that is, that is a player that's going to take minutes from somebody targeting mid-December return.

Yes, targeting mid-December. I would love to see him for Creighton on December 7th. I think that's a little too soon, but still, like, that's going to be a guy that takes minutes. So maybe that's what I meant also by the rotation, not being fully figured out, or they have a plan in place. Who knows? But sticking to your point, Bach, I go into the night's game, and maybe this is just

naive of me, I don't, I don't expect Price Sanford to struggle tonight from three. Like, I, like, last night, I don't know. specific stats last night, but what do you shoot? One for six from three, one for five, somewhere around there. Yeah, three of 11 overall. Yeah, yeah, he, I mean, he struggled. And there was a couple of times he was active in the passing game, but then also active in, in cut into the hoop.

He got a couple of layups to fall. But like going into the night, to your point, Bach is like maybe, sure, it'll be nice if Frager can drop another 20 burger. But I don't think Nebraska will need that tonight because I just don't think, I just don't view Nebraska. and like Price Sanford struggling from the perimeter two nights in a row. And maybe that's naive of me. And there's Husker fans going, go, come on, Nick.

Have you seen Nebraska basketball over the last couple of years? Sure. But to your point, and I'll agree with you, Bach, there's just something a little bit more that provides me a little more confidence, Austin, with Nebraska's shooting ability this year with these guys. So I think that Braden Frager is maybe the most illustrative example of Nebraska just kind of as a whole, right? I mean, back to back, great games to begin the career,

back to back nothing burgers the next two games then here he pops back out even yesterday's game I think is a a pretty good encapsulation of what Nebraska is going to be all year long because that's a team that went nine of 19 from the first half and then four of 18 in the second half where do you end up 37% excuse me which is to me probably where Nebraska settles maybe you'd like it 38 39% for me to feel better about it. Nebraska's chances to do the unthinkable, the unspeakable, that you are now willing into existence block. But this is a Nebraska team that's going to have its ups and downs. When you rely on the jump shooting, when you rely so much on timing, precision, everyone being in

the right spot at the right time, doing the right thing, one person's off, it throws everything off. The stops and starts, I don't think, are this good for Nebraska. They like to play foul-free basketball really on both ends of the court. When there's stops and starts, it just throws Nebraska off. There's just more moving pieces they have to work with, have to find a way to get back into the flow. Nebraska needs to make sure that they still get downhill and get to the free throw line. But if you look big picture to me at this game against Kansas State, it feels anecdotally to me like it would just kind of be gravy on top. I mean, PJ Haggerty is a top 15 player in the country, almost assuredly. I mean, you can make the argument for top 10, probably not top five,

but he's in that conversation, consensus all American last year. I mean, leading the country and scoring at 26 points per game so far this year. If you look at Ken Pomeroy, Nebraska is number 40 in the country, Kansas State's at 48. The other guy I trust Bart Torvik has Nebraska all the way up at 37, but how about this? Kansas State down at 72. This is a game Nebraska ought to be favored in. This is where I wish this was a Friday-Saturday tournament for Nebraska fan's sake,

or that this had happened last week. If it was a Husker by week, I think the Husker representation would be incredible. But with Thanksgiving around the corner, I'm just, just not sure what the Husker representation is going to be. It'll be there. But I think it is going to be pro Kansas State, which is a bit of an advantage for for the Wildcats, who really blew the door off, doors off of what I think is still a pretty decent Mississippi State team.

Two and two, their losses now to Iowa State and in Kansas State last night, that's a team with a really great leading guy and Josh Hubbard that I think is still trying to find itself. It's going to be a challenge. It's going to be a test. But I do think Kansas State plays a style that Nebraska is comfortable playing. So if Nebraska is able to shoot 37% from three again, Kansas State, I think, is in that same kind of boat where there may be a 34, 35% team. My guess is it's a tight game, but another good resume opportunity, I don't know if it counts as true road or if it's a neutral site game.

I don't know how the net will end up formulating this one, because I think most of these places have to, especially if it's in the same, you know, general region, sometimes I have to name like a host school. I don't think Kansas State is hosting it. it might go down as a true road game for Nebraska might be a neutral. Either way, you know, low quad one, high quad two opportunity for Nebraska. And if they can go three and oh in this first key three game stretch of the non-con,

that is a huge step in the right direction. I think for the confidence of fans in this program that like you said, Bach, this could be the special year. And again, it's not going to be a complete team. I know there's going to be athletic teams that challenge, challenge Nebraska hasn't had a block in the last two games.

Yeah. You know, so there's going to be certain things. They do have length. but not necessarily that. Last night, they really struggled with turnovers. I mean, 18 turnovers.

Which was contrary to what was Saturday. Yeah, and just to all season. I mean, they've done a good job holding on to the ball. So there's going to be that. But again,

I think tonight could be absolute fireworks. If Nebraska is shooting well. Listen to the box. Well, Kansas State's shooting 46% beyond the art. They've got, what, let me count them out. Do we see 110 points for Nebraska?

They've got five guys shooting over 40%. Three of them over 50%. Haggerty himself is at 47%. Yeah. I mean, The guy to keep an eye on is Abdi Bashir, former Nebraska Juko target Omaha kid as well. He's kind of there, a siege, but I would say a little bit better. He will take the transition 28 footers and make them somewhat consistently.

I'm telling you guys, I think, you know, there's a lot of confidence oozing from, from this, the fan base, rightfully so, right? They've passed every test, and they've become a little bit more of a formidable, formidable opponents as we've gone on, right? uh maybe oklahoma was a little bit better than new mexico but still and nebraska benefited off of the the fact that new mexico probably lost one of their best players to ejection you know halfway through the first quarter first half now we think that new ex you would have played better without i don't i don't but right but like we have to we have to six seven um we have we have to we have we have to we have to at least acknowledge that in some in some respect and so tonight like i'm glad. I know you mentioned the pro Kansas

state crowd. Like, I'm, I think it's beneficial for Nebraska that that's going to be the case. Just because they won't face a crowd like this on the road until Big Ten play. Till Illinois. Till Illinois, which is late December.

Mid-December. One of their first two conference games. So mid-December, but like, since Creighton's going to be at home, you know that's going to be a very heavy and energetic Nebraska crowd. You're not worried about USC upstate bringing a lot of fans from from their spot. Like,

I think that this is the next litmus test for Nebraska men's basketball. We talk about the experience. We talk about the veteran leadership on this team all the time. Okay, it got him through. I don't want to say a sleepy game because it was a pro-Nebraska crowd last night,

but certainly nowhere close to a full arena. It might not be full tonight, but it's going to be a lot more Kansas State fans in that building than there are Nebraska fans. This is like the next step to Bach, to prove in your point, if this is the team that wants to be able to do it, they've got to get through this test.

And maybe at the end of it, we see it both sides shoot 38% from the field. Kansas State beats Nebraska by two. It just cannot be a situation to where Nebraska looks shell-shocked and doesn't look prepared for the moment. And that's where I think this is the next litmus test and a big opportunity for the Huskers. Yeah, like you said, I mean,

there's only so many of them on the schedule, especially in the non-con for Nebraska. Kansas State looks pretty darn good. This could be a big win for the Huskers in the race. resume early. If Nebraska wins, Bach, start tooting the horn. That's right. Start, start punching the tickets, start booking flights.

I mean, do everything. And of course, it is dangerous when you, because they could have a very, very, very, one of the most successful seasons in history and then shoot poorly that one day we need them to win the tournament game. But one way or the other, this could be the year. Let's go ahead and take a break. We'll wrap things up on one-on-one coming up next year, 93-7 the ticket. Watch live on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitch.

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