Shock Talk, November 12

So, maybe this is the season. Maybe this is the winter when Nebraska will overtake its neighbor to the northeast for basketball supremacy in the state. Don’t count on it, though.

There’s a better chance of Bo Pelini engaging in a polite Saturday discussion with any of the men dressed in black and white. Not since the days of Danny Nee have the Cornhuskers legitimately challenged the Creighton Bluejays as the state’s college basketball power.

Back then, as Creighton rebuilt after the Tony Barone era, the Huskers dominated. In fact, Nebraska won eight straight in the in-state series at one point. But ever since, the Bluejays have claimed victories in eight of the last nine Cornhusker State clashes, and Creighton shows no signs of slowing this season.

Beyond the head-to-head battles, Dana Altman has built a consistent contender Nebraska has been unable to match under Barry Collier and now Doc Sadler. Fans of the Big Red who dislike Creighton probably hated seeing Altman so uncomfortable calling the Hogs down in Arkansas last April.

It’s important to note how that last sentence began because many Husker fans don’t hold any hatred for the Bluejays, and vice versa. The Nebraska-Creighton series isn’t some hated rivalry.

Sure, the teams don’t love one another. But c’mon, this isn’t North Carolina-Duke. This isn’t even Iowa-Iowa State. Many basketball lovers around the state wish success for both teams.

And with that in mind, let’s take a quick glance at the outlook for each team, starting with the team that has dominated the other for the past decade.

Creighton seems on track to win 20-plus games for the 11th straight season.

Everything starts with P’Allen Stinnett, the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard whose athleticism appears to be at odds with physics at times. Stinnett averaged 12.6 points and 3.4 rebounds last season, but his impact can’t exactly be measured on a stat sheet.

Stinnett affects contests with timely, momentum-shifting plays. An alley-oop dunk here, a steal and breakaway dunk there. The reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year can send 15,000-plus in the Qwest Center into a frenzy at any moment.

Also, the talent and experience of Stinnett’s supporting cast makes a trip to March Madness feel more probable than possible. Eight other players who return averaged at least seven minutes per game last season.

Look for sharp-shooting point Josh Dotzler, sharp-shooting guard Booker Woodfox and big man Kenny Lawson Jr., to have the most impact beyond Stinnett.

Sixty miles to the southwest, Sadler enters the third season of rebuilding Nebraska with higher expectations than ever. The Huskers finished 20-13 last season and advanced to the second round of the NIT before losing at Ole Miss in overtime.

Nebraska lost dominant post scorer and rebounder Aleks Maric to graduation, and the Huskers missed out on recruit Roburt Sallie, who instead ended up at Memphis. But the Huskers surely retain enough to compete for another NIT berth this season.

Size again should rank among the top of Sadler’s worries. With Maric gone, Nebraska has only two players taller than 6-8 on its roster. So the strengths of the Huskers, once again, must be in their backcourt and with their collective intensity.

Guards Ryan Anderson, Ade Dagunduro and Steve Harley are all capable of scoring 20-plus points on any given night, and all display the defensive effort Sadler demands.

Still, the chances of the Huskers narrowing the gap between them and the Bluejays are grim.

Other colleges tipping off

This week’s City Weekly cover story focused on the city’s main men’s hoops attraction – Creighton – but several other colleges around town are starting their seasons, too:

• Bellevue University tips off its 2008-09 campaign against Northwestern College of Iowa on Thursday at the Lozier Center

• Iowa Western Community College is already 3-0 with wins coming last week; their next home game is Friday against Nebraska Tech

• UNO dropped an exhibition game at Iowa State last Saturday; it opens its regular season at Sapp Fieldhouse this Saturday at 4 p.m. against Doane

Glenn suspended

Nebraska linebacker Cody Glenn was suspended indefinitely from the team on Tuesday afternoon.

Head coach Bo Pelini made the announcement through a statement, but he didn’t get into specifics, say that the suspension was “based on a violation of team rules.”

Glenn started nine of NU’s first 10 games and was third on the team in tackles with 51.

UNO makes the cut

The Mavericks squeezed into the playoffs for the fourth straight season as UNO learned it will be matched up in a first-round game against Pittsburg State on Saturday.

UNO earned the final spot in the Super Region 4 playoff field by beating Washburn on the road on Saturday and seeing previous regional No. 6 Tarleton State lose 51-0 to West Texas A&M.

The Mavs’ playoff game will be on the road in Pittsburg, Kan. at noon on Saturday. The play-by-play can be heard on AM 1620 the Zone.