Big Ten Basketball Podcast Previews: Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers

Holy crap, Big Ten basketball starts [**checks watch**] tomorrow?!

That’s right—Big Ten basketball tips off tomorrow morning, with the Nebraska Cornhuskers taking on the McNeese Cowboys at 11am on BTN!

Need to know how good Nebraska’s going to be, with Fred Hoiberg working his transfer magic and pulling in Teddy Allen (Wichita State Shockers, West Virginia Mountaineers, Western Nebraska CC Fightin’ Dinos—more on his story here), Trey McGowens (Pittsburgh Panthers), Shamiel Stevenson (Nevada Wolf Pack, Pitt), Lat Mayen (Australia, TCU Horned Frogs, Chipola CC Fightin’ Chips), Kobe Webster (Western Illinois Leathernecks), Derrick Walker (Tennessee Volunteers)...

...dear God, this is exhausting.

Anyway, we preview the Northwestern Wildcats—who won’t tip off until December!—and #24 Rutgers—who hypothetically has some games on the schedule!—below. Here’s the table of contents so you can skip ahead if you need.

Blocking Chargecast, Ep. 1

:45 how dare people expect us to work on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving

Northwestern

1:25 Do...do we have to talk NU hoops?
2:45 MNW proves he paid attention in Michael Smutko’s Intro to Astronomy class and deserved better than the C he earned
3:43 Jordan Lathon (Texas-El Paso Miners, Milwaukee Panthers) and the lost promise of Northwestern recruits past—also AK tries to reference Jaren Sina, maybe?
4:48 DID YOU KNOW Pat Spencer PLAYED LACROSSE? DID YOU KNOW Boo Buie IS RELATED TO Talor Battle?
5:46 Who’s going to score for Northwestern? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Deep-diving the NU lineup and assessing whether recruit Ty Berry can spell Buie (along with William & Mary Tribe transfer G Chase Audige)
7:30 MNW displays shocking ignorance of kids’ breakfast cereals, we develop a nickname for a Buie-Berry backcourt
8:59 Let’s hope Ryan Young can stay out of foul trouble...oof. That depth.
10:00 Pete Nance, most maddening player on the NU roster
10:25 Robbie Beran and Miller Kopp, who we all remember exist and one of whom is afraid to go left. And is a D-1 basketball player.
12:30 That schedule...DEAR GOD NOT IN THE FACE.
15:01 A hearty “Fuck you” to Barry Alvarez, because this is a podcast featuring MNW—or a look at the Northwestern schedule, whatever.
17:40 “Hey babe, you up?” the Northwestern non-conference schedule conspiracy theory, ft. the DePaul Blue Demons and the Battle for the Mayor’s Key

Nebraska Cornhuskers

19:50 LIIIIIIIIINE CHAAAAANGE—recapping the Nebrasketball transfers and appreciating the consistency offered by...Thorir Thorbjarnarson and Yvan Ouedraogo.
—honestly this goes on for a long time. get popcorn. there are SO MANY TRANSFERS—
24:08 Dalano Banton, 6’9” point guard.
27:00 LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY JOKES?!
28:15 Don’t think we’re going a whole podcast without a Brant Banks and Noah Vedral shoutout.
28:53 The turbulent Nebraska schedule, the saga of the Golden Window Classic, and puttin’ some football respek on McNeese State’s name—plus, why playing EVERY DAKOTA is a great strategy for Hoibergball
32:10 Once again, the Big Ten does the Huskers no favors in a conference schedule

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

35:40 Rutgers Basketball...the palate-cleanser?!?!?
36:50 Carryovers and consistency—only losing Akwasi Yeboah, looking at the Geo Baker-led depth of the Knights’ roster
38:01 THE ULTIMATE JERSEY GUY
39:05 Complimenting Pikiell’s international recruiting and defensive system—Clifford Omoruyi, Mamadou Doucoure, Myles Johnson, and just a goddamn streetfight
40:35 Jesus, we haven’t even talked about Montez Mathis yet?
41:15 Continuity: a shockingly low number of players started for Rutgers in 2019-20, but the number of players in this program...could Rutgers be the Indiana or Northwestern football of 2020-21?
43:22 MNW blind picks the Rutgers non-conference schedule and does shockingly well
45:09 A manageable conference schedule, and you could be talking to your kids about a 5-seed Rutgers?

Give it a listen!