Nebraska basketball: Is it Big Ten-ready?

That's a funny question coming from someone in Iowa, isn't it?

Since the Hawkeyes' previous four seasons produced 6, 5 and 4 Big Ten wins, respectively, and this season's Hawks are 3-12 ...

But Iowa has been to 22 NCAA tourneys to Nebraska's 6, and the Cornhuskers haven't been to one since 1998. Plus, the Huskers have never won an NCAA game, and haven't shared a conference title since 1950. They haven't won one outright since 1916, when they were in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Ninety-five years, my babies!

Why, I think Nebraska might just be a football school.

But this year, in the final Big 12 winter, the Huskers started looking like a basketball team. They knocked off third-ranked Texas in Lincoln last Saturday for their biggest win in seemingly forever, improving to 18-8 overall and 6-6 in the Big 12.

So Nebraska hosted Kansas State Wednesday night in a huge game for the Huskers' NCAA hopes. It wasn't exactly a great showcase for the tournament committee.

Down 55-53, Nebraska's Brandon Richardson airballed a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left. It was 56-53 when Nebraska's Eshaunte Jones was fouled with :13 left. Jones missed both foul shots. He missed the second on purpose in hopes a teammate would collar the rebound, but the ball caromed out of bounds.

With seven seconds left, NU trailed 59-56. Don't ask how, but both teams scored three points between the :13 mark and the :07 mark, and Nebraska got the ball back. With :04 remaining, Huskers point guard Lance Jeter was fouled. He made the first free throw. Then he intentionally missed the second. But he did so by firing the ball off the backboard like he was trying to break the glass. It never touched the rim, which is a lane violation.

K-State got the ball, made two free throws, and won 61-57 to crush the unusually large crowd of 11,832 that came to the Bob Devaney (former Nebraska football coach) Sports Center for the game.

That stretch of 61 years without a conference title? I don't see Nebraska snapping that in the Big Ten any year in the near future, do you?

Now remember, Iowa fans, it's been 32 years since your team has shared a Big Ten crown. So no snickering. Nebraska is going to some sort of postseason tourney this year, after all.