1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Nebraska-USC Meet Up on the Hardwood in LA: February 27th, 2:25pm

Episode Date: February 27, 2026

Nebraska-USC Meet Up on the Hardwood in LAAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hi, yes, we're back here on one-on-one on 93-7. The ticket on Jake Fockman. He's Austin Oerman, and we are entertaining you here for the next half hour. I'll stick around for Bach in the black shirt with Terrell coming up after this program. And then Austin will be sticking around for old school coming on later in the day. So it should be a lot of fun. Again, I want to get to this college football story. I think we can do it before the end of the show.

But also, I mean, Nebraska basketball has got a game tomorrow. And that's the talk of the town in Nebraska basketball. And interesting, too, as they go on to take on USC. You might have just heard there. Nick will be out there for the USC game. Austin, you'll actually go out for the UCLA game. So we're going to have some representation out there in Los Angeles. Just want to get your thoughts quickly on Eric Musselman in USC as they come in on a four-game losing streak.

I've lost Ohio State, Illinois, Oregon, and at UCLA recently. recently UCLA beat them pretty good, 81 to 62, dropped, use SC to 18 and 10 and 7 in 10 overall. I just think it's kind of interesting because, you know, as it lands here, I think UCLA and Iowa are a little bit more of a threat, but you can't overlook USC. And I think, you know, even watching that Maryland game and certainly the loss to Iowa kind of puts Nebraska back in this kind of touchable category, right?

where it seemed that one time, Nebraska's like, they're beating the bottom half, the Big 10 by 20 plus points. Only losses are the top 15 teams. Can't overlook the Trojans here. You cannot, especially not since they have Patrick O'Brien on their roster. Patrick O'Brien. Not that Patrick O'Brien, but a different Patrick O'Brien.

The list at the very bottom of their roster. This is a typical kind of Eric Musselman grab bag roster. Same thing he did for a while at Arkansas. Of course, last year's USC team actually came to Lincoln and won. It was a relatively tight game in Lincoln, trying to scroll back to the exact. 78, 73. Roshan A.G., who's playing some pretty good basketball for Texas A&M.

Right now had a big game against Nebraska in that one. But there's been essentially no carryover from last year's roster to this year's roster. Headlined by Chad Baker-Mazara, the 27, 26, 27-year-old senior wing. Good player can get himself in trouble sometimes, right? I'm not overly scared of him. Ezra Asar was a Nebraska target at one point in the transfer portal. He ends up out at USC. Elijah Arenas, of course, Gilbert Arinas's son had some health issues, some scary stuff in the offseason, but he's back from that now.

Rodney Rice played for them for a little while. He's averaging 20 points a game, but he is out for the year with an injury. I only played in the first six games of the year. So when he went out, that's kind of when things took a downturn. I like Amarian Dickerson forward, but he hasn't really been in the rotation, hasn't done much. You might have been another injury guy.

But this is just a typical Eric Musselman team. You know, it's going to be kind of a hodgepodge of who can I get out of the transfer portal. I think Eric Musselman's a good coach, the fact that he's been able to get this team, you know, to an 18 and 10 record. They had an undefeated non-conference season.

That's not nothing. We weren't exactly playing Murderers Row, but you did it. They're just so mid. It pretty much everything, though. Middle of the pack in offense, middle of the pack in defense. They don't have really any, you know, definable strengths. I mean, maybe they get to the free throw line a lot,

but they're only okay when it comes to knocking them down. They're good, not great at rebounding. They'll block some shots, I guess, but they'll turn the ball over. Not a good three-point shooting team on pretty low volume. So I think this is a team in a game box that, you know, if you look at just kind of the headlining names before the year, you kind of like USC's roster.

It just hasn't really coalesced somewhat due to injuries and somewhat due to it's just always been kind of hit or miss with these Eric Musselman's style of teams the way he builds them. And if you look at it too, they're still looking for their kind of big victory on the year. Not able to knock off any top 25 teams. I think their own four against them thus far this season. And a team that needs, I mean, at least for this we can say about them, is they're going to need some wins to get in the NCAA tournament.

So they at least have the motivation on their side as they, as they'll take Nebraska, similar to Iowa, you know, to a lesser degree, their resume not quite to where I was, but where a win against Nebraska would propel them in those type of discussion. So hopefully different results here in Los Angeles rather than in Iowa City. Yeah, and that's one where USC being a team that's looking for that big win, does kind of scary the same way that Iowa did. I think Baker Mazar is good.

He's won team, some games in his college career, but there's not necessarily that guy at the point of attack, right? I think, you know, Sanford Jacobson, Hoyberg will get a crack, I'm sure at times, Frager at times as well. It can do enough to limit him or at least make his life difficult. Coming in off a four-game losing streak, like you said, Bach, I mean, a seven-point loss on the road at Ohio State, not a lot of shame in that one got absolutely steamrolled by Illinois.

It was never competitive in that game. Oregon came in, beat them tight, and then going on the road losing at UCLA by almost 20 points. This is a USC team that I think could go one or two ways, you know, knowing they're in the very far bubble periphery of the NCAA tournament conversation and this win, plus going on the road to Washington, who's, you know, the bottom of the big 10 standings, but not a horrible team with some history between those two and then UCLA, Revenge on the mind, wrap up the regular season. And this is a USC team that I think could be playing out the string or a USC team that could say, hey, here's our chance to re-kickstart our season, right? We have a chance to welcome a top 15 team to town.

We haven't played well against them before. Let's put it all on the line. Let's see if we can get this one and see where that leads. Yeah, yeah. So we'll see what that leads to here on tomorrow, actually, Nebraska will play USC again. 3 o'clock on BTN if you're trying to plan out your Saturday. and get ready for that.

Tonight, by the way, Michigan and Illinois, number three, Michigan, number 10, Illinois. That will be an interesting one. Unfortunately, Michigan's all but wrapped up the Big Ten. I think they will tonight with a win, right? They should, I think. Let me pull up the Big Ten standing. That sounds right.

Because Michigan, all right, we're at Big Ten basketball standings. Yeah, Michigan is 16 and one. Yeah, they would need to lose out, Nebraska, and Michigan State and Illinois would all need to win out to force some tiebreakers. Even if Illinois does end up getting this one tonight, I would anticipate Michigan winning one of its final three games of the regular season. It's at Iowa and it plays host to Michigan State. So not necessarily an easy close to the season for Michigan that did end up getting pushed

by Minnesota at times in that game in Ann Arbor. But yeah, it's Michigan's to lose. It would take a lot going wrong for the Wolverines not to sing. single-handedly or, you know, in individual fashion, claim the Big Ten crown. Yeah, so that's probably going to happen, but still a very fun game. You can see two teams that are going to be certainly vying for the final four there.

Last night, Michigan State upended Purdue, 76 to 74. You know, so now Michigan State 13.4, Nebraska has the tiebreaker there. Purdue falls to 12 in five, so helps out Nebraska in the standings. Braden Smith had an opportunity at the buzzer, get it done. So ultimately Michigan State gets the win. One thing Braden Smith did do is jump into the top five all time and career assists, one of five players to get more than a thousand assists in his career. I'm a big fan of assists. So I had to shut that out. All time leader and assists. You might know it. Do you know it? Bobby F. and Hurley. Bobby Hurley. That's right. Bobby Hurley,

1,076 at the top. In fact, the top three all played their college ball in the state of North Carolina. Ed Cota, one I remember third there for North Carolina at 1,030. Again, only five players have been there before. It's always fun to kind of go back and look at some of the names on the list, including the top 10, Steve Blake from Maryland, 972. Aaron Miles from Kansas, if people remember him, just inside the top 10 at 954. How about Greg Anthony at 11th all time?

And Doug Gottlieb. Yes, that Doug Gottlieb is at 12 all time. And now I'm just doing rankings because, you know, numbers. These are, these are guys over 900. Also in the 900 club. Let's see. Gary Payton. Gary Payton was another name.

Yeah. That I wanted to mention there. The name that I will bring up that didn't quite get even to that mark, but I think has been kind of lost to Big Ten history. is Cassius Winston. Oh, yes. I hated playing against. Like, I hated watching Nebraska try and often struggle to defend those Michigan

state teams. Brayn Smith has been an incredible college basketball player, right? Better score than you give him credit for one of the best passers of all time, not just in the assist numbers, but in the touch on his passes, the way he's able to manipulate defenses. It's really hard to poke holes in Braden Smith's resume. But, man, there's just something about Cassius Winston. And if you made me pick between the two of them,

Smith might end up with a better number, certainly an assist. He's now 100 clear and counting at this point. But let's just not skip over how good Cassius Winston was in Michigan. Say that dude was an absolute baller. All-All-All-Regent team in 1819, two-time ball, Big Ten, 2018-19 player of the year,

2019 Big Ten tournament MVP, 46, 43, 85 shooting splits for his career, average 14, 3, and 6. Of course, he's a Detroit kid. It ended up going to Michigan State. So don't let his lack of NBA career as a 6-foot-1 guard. It'll let you forget just how unfortunately mesmerizing and electric Cassius Winston was at Michigan State.

I do. I have no problem with the Cassius Winston shout out because he was a lot of fun to watch. I think you're right. Some of those names get lost. And that's why part of this is kind of fun just to go through the list. And remember names that are more college basketball. names, you know, don't get as much run in the NBA. But, but we're in that group.

In the 800 club included is Ryan Nimhart from Gonzaga, Dwan Harris from a couple of years ago from Kansas. Whoa, okay. Is up there with 865. Yeah, this would be some surprising names in here as well. Trying to go down the- Jaylon Pickett, Jaylon, Mr. Booty Ball. There you go.

Chris Dewon. Yeah. Duke guy, 819. Mateen Cleaves on there. in the 800 club. Mo Watson from Creighton, even in there. I think that's the highest Creighton rank is, it would be 55th

all time. Well, doesn't Ryan Nemhardt count for Creighton? Some of them, some of them. Some of those assists happen there. So you can have your arguments there. By the way, forward Nebraska, their all-time leader, 682 assists, which ranks 176th in NCAA history, would be Brian Carr.

So he's down the list a little bit. How many people would have guessed Toronto? How many people forget about Brian Carr? Yeah, they might have. Although Toronto, he left that year early. I always will wonder what could have happened if Toronto Lou came back for a senior season. Ooh, bigger, what if?

T. Liu senior season, Isaiah Roby senior season. That's good. I would say Lou. Vincent Hamilton was like the player of the year the next year. And they weren't. Yeah. It's got to be Lou too just because of how bad that first spread team was. Yeah.

You know, like is Roeby tying that team together? I don't. But if he does somewhat tie them together, at least the respectability, or more of them stick around, do you get more of a better build at the beginning? It's just a shame. He just didn't realize how good he could be. I know. It should have figured that at some point.

But, yeah, I mean, I'll even go back to then was because in the time, I always kind of think of Tronlew and Amon Green. If you keep one of those guys, would have been very interesting to see the trajectory of the programs from there. And, of course, neither of them went exactly the way we wanted them to. So, but that, that happens. Guys have to make their best decision. Of course, Emmett Johnson doing the same now and in the NFL Combine.

So it'll be interesting to follow that. All right, let's go ahead and take a break. We do. I've been saying it all day. So we'll get to. I try to save college football. I'll go next year, 93-7 the ticket.