Can Nebraska Men’s Basketball Get a No. 1 Seed?

Nebraska’s men’s basketball team has reached unprecedented heights with an 18-0 record and a projected 2-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology.

Is an unthinkable No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament too much to ask for Nebraska? It is possible? A bridge too far?

It’s not too much to ask; and yes, it is possible — if not likely.

Nebraska has little basketball tradition, so it will have to accomplish more to get its appropriate rewards. Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut and others can garner more national attention with fewer accomplishments. Right now, in ESPN’s Bracketology, three of the four No. 1 projected seeds each have one loss — Michigan, Duke and UConn.

Arizona is one of the nation’s three undefeated teams and deserves a No. 1 seed. Miami, Ohio, sorry/not sorry, plays in the Mid-American Conference and it’s definitely neither a basketball school nor is the MAC a basketball conference. Still, 19-0 is impressive and the Redhawks currently are an 11-seed in Bracketology.

That leaves the third remaining undefeated team in the nation — 18-0 Nebraska.

Check out ‘Team A’

Take this blind taste test. Take “Nebraska” out of the argument and see if “Team A” with these credentials should be a No. 1 seed. A “Team A” that:

* Is 18-0 and plays in a major conference.

* Is one of three undefeated teams in the nation.

* Is truly one of the best college basketball stories in the nation.

* Is 7-0 in the Big Ten, probably the deepest and strongest conference in the nation.

* Has conference road victories over No. 13 Illinois, Ohio State, Indiana and Northwestern. Ohio State and Indiana could make the NCAA field. Illinois definitely will make it.

* Has an impressive road victory over Indiana, 12-3 at the time, which was achieved after a rally from a 16-point deficit.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg gestures to his team against Northwestern during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. | David Banks-Imagn Images

* Has a home victory over No. 9 Michigan State, for decades the Big Ten’s standard of excellence.

* Has a 30-point home win over Wisconsin, right now a projected 9-seed.

* Has a 35-point home win over Oregon.

* Has a 77-58 win over Northwestern on the road, usually a tough place to win by a large margin.

* Has a 21-point home win over rival and traditionally tough Creighton. The Bluejays have made the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive years.

Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence shoots a three-point basket against Creighton guard Nik Graves at Pinnacle Bank Arena. — Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence shoots a three-point basket against Creighton guard Nik Graves during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

* Defeated Oklahoma at a neutral site. Oklahoma is on the edge of NCAA recognition by Bracketology.

* Defeated New Mexico at a neutral site. New Mexico is projected to make the field.

* Defeated Kansas State at a neutral site in November. At the time, with one of the nation’s top scorers in P.J. Haggerty, the Wildcats were considered an NCAA Tournament team. Now, the Wildcats are 9-8 with a late game Saturday night at Oklahoma State.

“Team A” has a strong resume. If this were Duke’s resume, or UConn's, they would be graced with a No. 1 seed.

Huskers deserving?

Nebraska has been examined and documented throughout its remarkable season. In a CBS Sports Big Ten preseason poll, the Huskers were selected to finish 14th in the 18-team conference.

The Huskers have been to the NCAA Tournament only once since 2013-14. That was in 2023-24, coach Fred Hoiberg’s only NCAA berth since he came to Lincoln in 2019.

Something else that might not help the Huskers: Nebraska is 0-8 in NCAA Tournament games, the only power conference team without a victory.

The beauty of basketball is with so many games the best teams eventually, but not always, are validated. The beauty, agony and chaos of college basketball — unlike the best-of-seven NBA playoffs — is the NCAA Tournament is one-and-done. If a team has a bad shooting night, or the opponent is on fire, a great season can go up in flames in some drafty, half-filled gym in Greenville, S.C.

One-and-done is great for TV viewers and for the sport in general, but it can be heartbreaking if your heavily favored team falls to a 14-seed.

If Nebraska is worthy of a 1-seed — not only in Bracketology but in the real world — the Huskers will have plenty of opportunities to prove it.

Nebraska has 13 Big Ten games remaining. Road games remain against Michigan, Iowa, USC and UCLA. Home games include Purdue, Illinois and Iowa. Nebraska can play great and still go 4-3 or 3-4 in those games. Not being a basketball school, Nebraska’s national stature will take an oversized hit with each loss. The Huskers won’t fall off a cliff with a couple of losses but their projected seeding would drop from a 3 to 6, or worse.

Losing to top-level, nationally ranked teams shouldn’t destroy a team’s resume. Nebraska has accomplished too much already this season. How much more the Huskers achieve will be in their hands.

Any team worth its salt should want it this way.

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