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It's the calm before the March Madness storm and I'm wondering:
• Will stately Municipal Auditorium become the Devaney Center South this weekend? Book it. When Nebraska's No. 3-ranked women's hoop team takes the floor for the Big 12 tourney on Friday, Husker fans figure to dominate all weekend, if the tourney goes according to chalk.
Good for them. Nebraskans haven't had a good reason to hang out in Kansas City in early March since the early 1990s. Jeff Griesch, the media relations man for women's hoops, says NU sold out its Big 12 allotment of 250 tickets, asked for another allotment and sold that one, too. He thinks there could be at least 2,500 Husker fans on hand and possibly more.
Who knows? NU set school records for season average attendance (7,390) and for Big 12 home games (11,383). There were also almost 2,000 Husker fans at K-State last Saturday. If the Huskers go to Minneapolis and Kansas City for the NCAAs, as expected, get ready for more red. Griesch thinks there could be “several thousand'' for the regional in K.C., although it should be noted that both Minneapolis and Kansas City are Sunday-Tuesday games. Would you get off work to follow Husker hoops? We'll find out.
• Will there be baseball at Haymarket Park this week? As of Monday, the Huskers' first homestand of the year was still on (the team practiced at Haymarket Park on Monday). Good thing. The team needs to beat somebody, anybody, and Kearney-Houston Baptist-Northern Colorado will do.
Kudos to Mike Anderson for beefing up the nonconference schedule, but the NCAA baseball committee won't give NU credit for playing Fresno State, Rice and UCLA. The Huskers (3-7) went 1-7 against that group and Big 12 play starts on March 19 at Texas. Promising starter Tom Lemke had his first tough outing, getting roughed up by UCLA for four earned runs and seven walks in 1.2 innings.
• You think the coaches in the CCHA are glad Dean Blais is leaving the league after this season? The man is amazing. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if UNO not only made the league tourney in Detroit but won the thing outright and then made a run in the NCAA tournament.
• Is Derrin Hansen the best-kept secret in town? You betcha. The man can coach. Some wonder if UNO does go Division I someday, would men's basketball be able to compete? I think so.
As of now, UNO would probably try to join the Summit League, with South Dakota State, North Dakota State, South Dakota (2011), Oral Roberts, UMKC, Oakland and others. This is down the road, but I could see UNO competing in that league for, yes, an NCAA tournament bid. Who makes the NCAA Division I tourney first? UNO or NU?
• Can you please say something positive about Creighton? Absolutely. Josh Jones. The redshirt freshman isn't afraid to shoot and looks like he's ready to fulfill the prophecy of coach Dana Altman, who said Antoine Young and Jones could be his next Ryan Sears and Ben Walker. Altman said that a year ago. That's a good backcourt going into next season — or this postseason.
• Is there anything to be gained from a 5 a.m. practice at this point? A lot of coaches would tell Doc Sadler that you actually want to pull back on practice late in the season. I'm sure Sadler knows that. He must be trying to find out who's going to stand by him going into an all-important next season. If Doc was trying to inspire the troops for Oklahoma State, well, you saw how that worked out.
• Will Creighton play the last game in Rosenblatt Stadium? Maybe if the Jays schedule a game on Sept. 3. Steve Scarpello, Omaha Parks administrator, said on Monday that the transfer of the stadium site to the Omaha Zoo will take place next April, and Scarpello said he had a hard time seeing that date changing.
Maybe CU and UNO could arrange a game at Rosenblatt in early April or March, if the desire for history is there. Loyal reader Jack Seume sent a note saying that the first college game at Rosenblatt was between Creighton and Omaha U. in the spring of 1949. Seume knows; he says he played in the game for Omaha U.
• Could they put a baseball diamond where Rosenblatt used to stand? Probably not.
But that's what they did in St. Louis. The site of the former Busch Stadium was scheduled to have condos, retail and restaurants built on it. The economy has put that project on hold. So city officials built a sandlot diamond, complete with outfield fence, for softball and baseball teams to play on before or after the Cardinals play next door at the new Busch Stadium.
Cool idea. But I don't see it happening here. Not until giraffes can swing a bat.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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