Feit: A Messy Big Picture for Nebraska Men’s Sports

Will the continued losing in basketball force Trev Alberts to make a decision sooner than he wants?

© Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the winter winds blowing, let's gather around the warmth of some Husker Hot Takes.

What do we do about Nebrasketball?

Fred Hoiberg's team is bad. Historically, epically, painfully bad. There are very few positive things that can be said about the 2021-22 Huskers. Fewer things exist to provide hope for dramatic improvement next year.

Bryce McGowens has lived up to his 5-star hype. He will likely win the conference freshman of the year award, but his still raw talents aren't enough to carry this team to victory. It really stinks that Nebraska is wasting the talents of one of the best players to ever step foot on campus. It seems like a foregone conclusion that he'll  declare for the NBA Draft after the season. After that?

**cricket noise**

There are some decent parts, and some pieces with potential, but is there anybody coming back that you'd build a roster around? And given the results of the first three rosters from the Hoiberg era, what confidence do you have that they'd make any kind of significant jump?

I'm not going to call for anybody to be fired. But in a vacuum, the numbers after Tuesday's loss at Northwestern (21-65 overall, 6-49 in conference, 1-30 in true road games, etc.) tell you everything you need to know about how the Hoiberg era has gone. Those "Go Big Fred" shirts from 2019 might be taking on a second meaning.

You'll notice I said "in a vacuum", because unfortunately, the big picture is messier. Athletic Director Trev Alberts's decision-making process will be complicated by:

• Hoiberg's buyout of $18.5 million. I wonder how many times a week Trev curses Bill Moos' name.
• Concerns about the overall budget, which are complicated by the pandemic, a $165 million construction project next to Memorial Stadium, and attendance drop-offs in football and basketball.
• A football coach that is 15-29 going into what is widely perceived to be a "make or break" season. Oh yeah, Scott Frost currently has a buyout of $15 million.

I know we're talking basketball, but football absolutely matters in this conversation. For the sake of argument (and based on things Alberts has said since taking over), let's operate under the assumption NU is not currently sitting on a gigantic pile of money.*

*Yes, I'm aware that is a potentially dubious presumption given the riches provided by the Big Ten's current TV contracts, big boosters, and other reserves. But it was reported that NU had a revenue shortfall of $29 million from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. During 2020, the athletic department had layoffs and all coaches took a 10% pay cut.

We know men's basketball is in bad shape. Until the football team finishes a season with more wins than losses, they should be considered on shaky ground as well. Is there room in the budget for two buyouts, plus salaries for two new coaching staffs?

If not, which sport do you prioritize? The one with five national championships and brings in millions in revenue per home game? Or the one that has never won a game in the NCAA tournament?

A few weeks ago, I was adamant that Nebraska had to focus on making sure football was fixed before they could focus on basketball. That meant seeing if Frost's new assistants - and the influx of talent from the transfer portal - could reverse the string of losing seasons.

My thinking was Alberts would sit down with Hoiberg and work out a similar deal like he last fall with Frost: significant changes in program structure (including assistant coaches), a reduction in salary, and agree upon some "unspecified metrics" to be met next season. If that meant another mediocre to poor season of Nebrasketball ... well, so be it.

At a school like Nebraska, football has to come first.

But the continued losing in basketball - including some very uninspired blowout losses - may force Trev to make a decision sooner than he wants.

If that is the case, then my advice to Alberts would be to do whatever it takes. The collective psyche of most Husker fans is beaten down by continued, agonizing losses in the two biggest men's sports, and the ridicule it inspires. If it takes a boatload of buyout(s) in a single calendar year to get your top program(s) back on track, then do it. The TV bubble will burst someday, but it is not happening in the short term.

The best thing Nebraska has going for it is the passionate support of its fans. But the fans are reaching a breaking point where they will no longer spend their money or time on programs that produce heartache, anger, and apathy. Football's vaunted sellout streak is in serious jeopardy - again - in 2022. Pinnacle Bank Arena was building a reputation as one of the toughest venues in the conference. Now, fans are staying away in droves. Yes, the pandemic has hurt attendance, but I'd argue the product on the court is the bigger culprit.

The cruel irony is Bill Moos did exactly what I'm asking for now. He went big. By hiring Scott Frost AND Fred Hoiberg AND Will Bolt, Moos swung for the fences, went all-in, insert your favorite sports cliché here.

Two of those three hires have not yet panned out. But it doesn't mean we stop trying.

The Big Ten is about to get paid

The Big Ten is looking to sell its media rights, and will likely have a host of bidders bringing a lot of zeroes. Front Office Sports reports that NBC has interest in broadcasting Big Ten sports, with ESPN and CBS also showing interest.

Here is - figuratively and literally - the money quote from sources in the article: "The Big Ten could command fees of up to $1.1 billion annually on the open market".

Wow.

If the Big Ten signs such a deal, the ramifications will be seismic and widespread. Once the ink dries, here are three things that you will be able to take to the bank:

1. Nebraska will never, ever, ever leave the Big Ten. You can hate the conference, its leadership, scheduling, referees, or the ridiculous distance between Lincoln and Piscataway, New Jersey. It won't matter. Make your peace, because Nebraska will stay B1G forever.
2. Kevin Warren's job security goes way up. You can dislike his leadership and/or his bungled approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Again, it doesn't matter. A commissioner's job is to make the membership happy. A billion dollars a year should make 14 members very happy… at least until the SEC signs a bigger and better deal in a few years.
3. With a sizeable bump in TV revenue, NU will have tons of money to improve athletics. Theoretically, NU could buy out underperforming coaches, hire winning coaches and pay them top salaries, improve facilities, and still have money left over. That is the good news. The bad news is the same thing will apply to the other 13 schools, most of which are ahead of NU in the sport(s) you care about. This puts pressure on Trev Alberts to spend wisely.

A quick word about the women’s basketball team

The news from last week about an assistant coach being suspended with pay, as well as a top player being removed from the roster, raised a lot of eyebrows across the state.

I don't know if those two things are related. I don't know what happened. Honestly, it is none of my concern.

Rumors and breathless speculation do not help anybody. And usually, the "inside scoop" you heard from the guy who knows somebody that is neighbors with somebody else is dead wrong.

Instead, let's keep the focus on the court, where Amy Williams is building something special. You can see it on the floor, in the stands, and in the passionate following her team has earned. She has a great team and a firm foundation.

I haven't hopped on the women's basketball bandwagon yet, but the seats are filling up fast.