Nebraska Cornhuskers
Record: 19-12
Head Coach: Tim Miles (2nd season)
Season summary: For the Cornhuskers, this season was a tale of two teams. Nebraska started off the year 8-8, losing to the likes of UAB and Purdue. No one expected much from the Cornhuskers under a second-year head coach in arguably the nation's toughest conference, the Big Ten. But Nebraska turned things around in the second half of the season and won eight of its last 10 games, including three victories against teams in the top 25. The NCAA selection committee was impressed enough with the Cornhuskers' conference record to give them an at-large bid despite a loss to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Terran Pettaway and Shavon Shields lead the way offensively for Nebraska, averaging 18.1 and 12.7 points per game, respectively. Pettaway and Shields pack a potent one-two punch and will have to shoulder much of the load for the Cornhuskers in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.
How they make a run: The Cornhuskers manage to slow down the game against higher-scoring opponents and take advantage of their own offensive opportunities to squeak out wins in close games.
How they falter: The pressure of the NCAA tournament causes the Cornhuskers to revert to their early season form, and Pettaway and Shields get too little scoring help from their teammates.
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