Reaction to the volleyball win….
It’s too much to call it a win of good over evil, but the Nebraska and Wisconsin teams have been built in very different fashions. Wisconsin cannibalized the rest of the conference to build their team. They took one of Minnesota’s top players plus the best players from Northwestern and Michigan State. They also took an all-Big 12 player from Kansas. The Badgers did what is within the limits of the rules, but that feels pretty slimy to me. I know that we have taken transfers, too. Lexi Sun, Kayla Caffey, Kaitlin Hord and Merritt Beason all came via transfer. However, we have mostly built through recruiting and filled gaps via transfer. I like our approach better. It feels more like what college athletics are supposed to be.
One of the consequences of Wisconsin’s strategy is that the overall conference is weakened. The B1G is very, very top heavy. There’s a massive gap between the top two and the rest. Penn State also contributed to that by taking the best players from Michigan and Ohio State. Without the flurry of transfers. Michigan State and Ohio State would have been very good this year. Minnesota is in a coaching transition, but it would have been made easier without having to replace an all conference type player. I intensely dislike Wisconsin, so the win was going to be satisfying, no matter what. It was more satisfying given the way Wisconsin built their team. That approach isn’t about developing players or people, it’s about renting talent for the sake of winning. I get that winning is important, but it seems like a shortcut to just go build a roster of players that other coaches have poured their heart and soul into and developed into elite players.
Much was made of the long losing streak to Wisconsin. The reality is that now most of our starters have never lost to the Badgers (Beason is 2-0 while Jackson, Murray, Reilly, and Choboy are all 1-0) while the cumulative record of Badger starters against the Huskers isn't as sparkling as that 10-win streak would have suggested. The team really grew up in the last couple of sets. The scary thing about this Nebraska team is they are just beginning to scratch the surface of what they can be. It should be a fun ride for the rest of the season and for the next few years.
It’s too much to call it a win of good over evil, but the Nebraska and Wisconsin teams have been built in very different fashions. Wisconsin cannibalized the rest of the conference to build their team. They took one of Minnesota’s top players plus the best players from Northwestern and Michigan State. They also took an all-Big 12 player from Kansas. The Badgers did what is within the limits of the rules, but that feels pretty slimy to me. I know that we have taken transfers, too. Lexi Sun, Kayla Caffey, Kaitlin Hord and Merritt Beason all came via transfer. However, we have mostly built through recruiting and filled gaps via transfer. I like our approach better. It feels more like what college athletics are supposed to be.
One of the consequences of Wisconsin’s strategy is that the overall conference is weakened. The B1G is very, very top heavy. There’s a massive gap between the top two and the rest. Penn State also contributed to that by taking the best players from Michigan and Ohio State. Without the flurry of transfers. Michigan State and Ohio State would have been very good this year. Minnesota is in a coaching transition, but it would have been made easier without having to replace an all conference type player. I intensely dislike Wisconsin, so the win was going to be satisfying, no matter what. It was more satisfying given the way Wisconsin built their team. That approach isn’t about developing players or people, it’s about renting talent for the sake of winning. I get that winning is important, but it seems like a shortcut to just go build a roster of players that other coaches have poured their heart and soul into and developed into elite players.
Much was made of the long losing streak to Wisconsin. The reality is that now most of our starters have never lost to the Badgers (Beason is 2-0 while Jackson, Murray, Reilly, and Choboy are all 1-0) while the cumulative record of Badger starters against the Huskers isn't as sparkling as that 10-win streak would have suggested. The team really grew up in the last couple of sets. The scary thing about this Nebraska team is they are just beginning to scratch the surface of what they can be. It should be a fun ride for the rest of the season and for the next few years.
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