So you may have seen that I wrote about Nebraska on ESPN.com. The headline for the story says, “Huskers are nation’s hottest team.”
I don’t write headlines. Or cutlines (aka captions for pictures). Or any display type. That’s done by editors at ESPN.com. Headlines generally are short and quick, and editors want them to have impact.
If you define the word “hot” as in what’s”exciting” and “happening” right at the moment, the Huskers are very hot because they’re a different face getting attention in the sport. I think that’s why that headline was used. But if people are taking this headline as meaning Nebraska is “hotter” than UConn in terms of how well they are playing, that’s absurd.
I didn’t write anything like that in the story, and I don’t think that. Nobody thinks that. This story wasn’t about Nebraska challenging UConn. It was just trying to explain what’s going on now at Nebraska.
Nebraska has had some good teams and good players – it’s not that the Huskers’ history is terrible. But they’ve never really cracked the national consciousness until now, because they’ve never gotten off to a start like this or had a team that appeared capable of competing at this level throughout a season.
Coach Angela Beck’s best team was in 1992-93, when the Huskers made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Lisa Leslie’s Southern Cal squad. Coach Paul Sanderford’s best team was in 1997-98, when they lost in the NCAA second round to an Old Dominion team that was seeded No. 1 that year.
Coach Connie Yori’s 2008 Huskers made it to the second round, but I think her best team – prior to this year – was in 2007, when Nebraska finished tied for fourth in the Big 12 and really should have defeated Temple in the NCAA’s first round.
But even with those teams, Nebraska lost eight (’93), 10 (’98), 10 (’07) and 12 (’08) games. The fewest games Nebraska has ever lost in a season is seven – in 1974-75 and 1987-88. In 34 total seasons of Husker basketball entering this year, the program has had single-digit loss totals in just five seasons.
All of that, I think, further puts into context why Nebraskans are so excited about this team. They’ve seen really good players, they’ve seen teams that click at times, they’ve seen potential … they’ve just never seen it all come together for as sustained a period as they have this year.
If you’re a UConn fan, you’ve probably either forgotten what that feels like – to make that kind of exhilarating breakthrough _ or you’re young enough that you’ve NEVER experienced UConn as anything but a Godzilla-sized powerhouse.
I mentioned in my story that UConn was building a Secretariat-like lead … just in case anyone is unfamiliar with his most famous blowout victory, he finished off the 1973 Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths.
I don’t know how much clearer I _ or anybody else in the media _ could possibly be about UConn’s dominance. If there were any doubters about whether the Huskies were not just favorites but prohibitive favorites, they were erased by the back-to-back victories over Notre Dame and Duke.
But I’m wondering if some UConn fans are now worried that the team is so good that people are somehow going to under-appreciate them. As in, they fear folks will say, “Oh, I’m sick of UConn, I don’t want to watch them,” and then miss actually seeing how good they are.
It also seems to me that to some degree, UConn fans may be defensive about how the team has been so dominant, as if they feel people are “blaming” the Huskies for taking the drama out of the season.
I always say you don’t get mad at whoever raises the bar for how high they raise it. You challenge everybody else to see who among them can try to get that high, too. If, like last season, nobody does that this season _ then so be it. That’s not UConn’s problem to worry about.
When people ask, “Is this bad for women’s basketball, to have UConn be so much better than everybody?” my response is that it’s ultimately a pointless question. Obviously, it’s exciting when there’s lot of competition for the top spot. But it’s never “bad” when a group of women play the sport as well as the Huskies are playing it.
That said, Nebraska is playing very well, and it’s fun to see the fans there enthusiastic about the team. A lot of followers of other Big 12 teams also are happy for the Huskers. They know the history of the program. They know what Kelsey Griffin has been through with injuries and her father’s cancer, and they applaud what a fine person and player she is. Most fans, as far as I can tell, like Yori,too. She’s down-to-earth and always respectful to her opponents.
Nebraska hopes to accomplish a lot of “firsts” this season. Not sure if the Huskers will be able to do things such as win their first Big 12 regular-season title, or their first Big 12 tournament title, or advance beyond the NCAA tournament’s second round. But with the senior leadership Nebraska has, it’s never been in better position to try.
The best about the Huskers? They do it EXACTLY the way UConn does it, albeit with less talent.
Player for player Nebraska really isn’t that good. But they play as a unit. They fight for each other, and they worked for this year in the offseason.
And there is coach Yori. When she was hired, this program had a lot of people who just didn’t care. There was no pride. N
The best about the Huskers? They do it EXACTLY the way UConn does it, albeit with less talent.
Player for player Nebraska really isn’t that good. But they play as a unit. They fight for each other, and they worked for this year in the offseason.
And there is coach Yori. When she was hired, this team had a lot of people who just didn’t care. There was no pride. No spirit of achievement. We had a lot of malacontents, crybabies and quitters. Connie Yori got a big shovel and cleaned out the stables. Yeah, my lasses lost 20 games, but that team did a large part in getting the pride back. I’ll admit, I did not agree with hiring her, but you cannot argue with the immediate results. She won me over.
As for the UConn fans: It just goes to show you, most women’s basketball fans are fans of their respective teams, not necessarily fans of the sports and that’s okay. As a fan of the sport as a whole, I applaud, and I am inspired by, what the UConns, Tennessees, Stanfords, etc. built in this game. My lasses are in position to chase the excellence this year. If it wasn’t for those giants and pioneers, this chase wouldn’t exist to the level it does.
This is a special, special year and I hope it just keeps on going!!!!
How silly….do the UConn fans live under a rock? Can’t the rest of the country appreciate other teams besides UConn?
Ohhhh….I was so confused. When I saw that ESPN headline, I was thinkin’ that the Nebraska team was gonna pose for Playboy. Dang. :-p
NOTT. Seriously, you can’t be implying that readers took issue with your article…can you? Nebraska’s success this season is just simply a Great Story. Anybody who *needed* your explanation above should go follow badminton.
Note from MV: Yes, there are some fans who are suggesting I intentionally put an inflammatory and inaccurate headline on the story to stir up controversy. I have nothing to do with the headlines. I can express some dislike for them – as I did with this one when I saw it yesterday afternoon after people complained to me about it – but that doesn’t mean they’ll be changed.
Ultimately, it can be a bit frustrating as a writer when you spend seven hours driving, two hours watching a game, an hour doing interviews/taking video, an hour downloading video and a couple of hours writing a story … and all some people get out of it is a headline that you didn’t have anything to do with. But such things happen.
Big UConn fan here. Spoiled, of course—how could I not be?
But I certainly haven’t “forgotten what that feels like – to make that kind of exhilarating breakthrough.” I was at that 1995 Tennessee game, and there was a reason we all just stood there and yelled and clapped and hugged for a half-hour after the buzzer. It was indeed an “exhilarating breakthrough” (made all the better in my case because I shared it with my young, starstruck, Rebecca Lobo-worshiping daughter).
Some UConn fans unaccountably remain sensitive to things like the headline of your column, which they take as slights. Most don’t.
I’m really interested in Nebraska this year, wish I could see them play, and I hope they go far in March. I think this is true of a huge percentage of UConn fans…who are also great fans of good basketball and “exhilarating breakthroughs”, no matter the color of the jerseys.
Keep up the good work, Mechelle.
I’m an OU fan first, a B12 fan second (7 of the 12 teams are in this week’s AP 25 – how’s them apples) and a WCBB fan third. I admit I am hardly playing attention to UConn this year. Twice a week it is reported that they beat two someones and did it convincingly. Yes, it is news because it just happened and no, it isn’t news because what else did you expect? A Villanova win? But Nebraska, NEBRASKA? THAT’s news and great news at that and news about a team and coach which I respect.
The B12 coaches ranked Nebraska 6 of 12 in a pre-season look and now? WOW!
I respect UConn for what it is and has done but I’m blown away by what Nebraska is doing.
So while I sure understand Michelle’s response to the headline, I didn’t think twice when I saw it because I know how HOT Nebraska is, at least in my neck of the woods.
Geri, I’m a Uconn fan and I didn’t give the headline a second thought for two reasons…First of all, I am aware of the fact that editors write the headlines and second because I remember what it was like (yes, I thought about that before Mechelle asks the question in her article).
I felt the same way while watching this Nebraska team play Saturday. It totally brought me back to the days when Uconn was the big underdog with a team full of local players. I’ve been following Uconn since the late 70s so I do remember what it feels like when you finally make it.
Other than your own team winning, there is nothing like watching the underdog win the big one, especially when it is for the first time. As they say, there’s nothing like your first!
But that is the beauty of it all Ms. Judy. My lasses haven’t made the breakthrough yet. Hopefully that is to come, and hopefully it will come against the brand names in our league and maybe the brand names along the entire landscape.
This could be what 1970 and 1971 felt like in football. The surge to the top. Perhaps women’s basketball will have their “Game of the Century”. We hope so.
Wow…using the phrase “hottest team” is considered to be inflammatory? That’s absurd on so many levels. Lord help if the headline had said something silly like “is Nebraska better than UConn?”. ESPN would probably have to hire security protection for you Mechelle.
But aren’t these folks taking things a bit too seriously?
Judy – I know there are a lot of UConn fans who love women’s basketball. I had a great time talking to UConn fans at a final 4. I’m glad to hear that you’re appreciating NU’s run – it’s been a blast to watch.
mechelle, i like to follow your writing because it feels like the bottom line, genuine … heartfelt. you know your stuff. and you add the funny. there’s also the passion you have for the game. so maybe the folks that fuss haven’t read enough of your work. and sometimes people need to be reminded that it is not about them.
i enjoyed the sec piece.
What Gator said!!
Girrrrrrlllll, I couldn’t-of said it any better.
Preach on Mechelle! Just one from the Sooner Nation that loves to read your stories.
Chipper, playing their way to the “breakthrough” is some of the most exciting time for fans. When UC made the Final Four in ’91 we all wondered if this was the pinnacle for our team.
In ’94 we knocked on the door and in ’95 we kicked that door in. Fans still just shook their heads in disbelief as we beat top programs. When we beat Tenn in January everyone (media) said it was because Tenn was on the tail end of long, tough road trip. When we finally had another shot at them in the finals, we the fans were pretty sure the media was correct. We just couldn’t beat Tenn again, especially now that all things were even- Tenn was better rested and UC was not playing on its home court.
Well Tenn took us in the first half (albeit Lobo’s foul trouble was killer) but when time was running out and it was apparent the Huskies were about to win the improbable championship, I swear I could hear my heart pounding! Different championships had different feelings but that first one, especially when no one believes in your team, is indescribable. I hope the run continues for you and your team.
Thanks for writing about our friends up north. Being a Sooner fan, I love the rivalry between OU and NU, esp. in football. Both teams and their fans really respect each other, so its great to see the Huskers succeeding.
Kinda funny how NU and OU were picked 5th and 6th in the Big 12 and right now they’re the two challengers. Go Big Red!
I was at that 1995 final, Judy. It was a magic. I also saw Connecticut play Kansas in ’94. I had heard they were good, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. The Huskies tore up a very solid team, and that was all the convincing I needed to see.
I hope this run keep moving, and I’d love to see it go all the way to the Final Four…maybe even to a match with UConn. Could we win? Probably not. I love my team, but I also get to see a lot of Connecticut (I live up there). They are deeper, more skilled and more athletic. I don’t think we can play at the level it would take to beat them. We have one player who has the skills to play for Connecticut. But the teams your see in January may not be
But if my lasses get to that point, I don’t think win-lose would matter so much. I look at how far we came. 8 years ago, we had a team that could have been best wrapped in toilet paper. Then came a new coach and new direction, and the climb wasn’t easy. It was slow. Fans were impatient, me included. A few years ago, I was questioning how long we stick with the coach. We finally made the field of 64 in ’07 and ’08, and now this unexpected surprise of a season that is still going.
I remember that 1991 Connecticut team. Unexpected, fun, wild ride. That is what this Nebraska team could be.
I remember that Kansas game too…it was a (I believe) nationally televised double header, with the men and women both playing in Kansas. It might have been after both teams had earned the number 1 rankings…good times!