Let’s start here. In a 20-1 start to the season, the most impressive performance from Fred Hoiberg’s No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers is arguably the “1.” It came on Tuesday night, 75-72 in Ann Arbor after Nebraska led nearly the entire way without key contributors Rienk Mast, who was out with the flu, and Braden Frager, who is recovering from an ankle injury, and actually boosted the Huskers’ Final Four betting odds.
After hanging with No. 3 Michigan, it seems that everyone is finally ready to believe that a program with eight all-time NCAA Tournament appearances is a legit national contender. How could it not? Nebraska controlled the game on the road against one of the national title favorites and only relinquishing the lead as its diminished seven-man rotation ran out of gas and finished on a three-plus-minute scoring drought.
Yet, the performance revealed a potential weakness that could doom the Huskers in their next biggest game of the season, hosting No. 9 Illinois in Lincoln on Sunday.
Nebraska needs Rienk Mast and Braden Frager back vs. Illinois
Nebraska’s outside shooting and perimeter-centric game were a tough matchup for Michigan’s physicality. That was clear going in and played out, especially when Nebraska shot well over 50 percent from the field in the first half. However, Michigan eventually wore down Nebraska’s undermanned front court, pulled down nine offensive rebounds, and scored 14 second-chance points…