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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2000)
—SPORTS OPINION— No matter how bad it gets: Bears have it worse Joshua Camenzind The result of Saturday’s game between Nebraska and Baylor was a much-needed 69-55 Husker victory and yet another loss for the Big 12 cellar dwellers from Waco, Texas. With their defeat in Lincoln, the Bears have now dropped their last 22 conference games and, barring dramat ic improvement, that streak will contin ue to grow. First-year Coach Dave Bliss has his work cut out for him after leaving New Mexico and teams that perennially won 20-25 games every season. Bliss guided the Lobos to seven NCAA appearances and was coach of the year in die Western Athletic Conference twice in his 11 sea sons at the helm. For some reason or another, Bliss left the friendly confines of “The Pit” and decided to take over a struggling Baylor program that had lost nine letter men and three starters off a team that only won five more games than the BU football team did last fall. The football team won one game. Bliss is quick to shift the blame for the streak elsewhere from his locker room. “Nobody likes to lose,” Bliss said. “We are in a situation that is not the making of people in that room. They are paying the price for the indiscretions of past administrations.” One thing the Bears could use at a time like this is support from their own fans, but people in Waco look to have abandoned their hometown university. The Bears opened the season 9-2 after going 6-24 last season, and hopes were high in Waco. But five straight conference losses have fans writing off the season. Attendance at Baylor home games has been a shade over what is expected at a Lincoln Northeast Lincoln East game and has averaged 2,931 fans in home games this season. The Bears managed to draw only 7,200 combined for their last two games against perennial Big 12 powers, Oklahoma State and Missouri. “After we started out 9-2, people were expecting us to start out the con ference season real good,” Baylor guard Tevis Stukes said. “They are baqking us up and giving us good support. They are down because we haven’t won a confer ence game yet, and they believe it will be another year like last year.” Both Bliss and Stukes confirmed that it was not in the game plan to shoot that many 3-pointers (The Bears shot 34.) but because of a lack of an inside presence and NU’s 2-3 zone, it came out of a necessity to stay close. The Bears’ offense resembled the same one I run in my new Playstation game. It also resembles the one that Nebraska fans had been hearing so much about at the beginning of the sea son but looks to have been abandoned from day one. But it is not an offense that will win many games for the Bears - let alone a conference game. If Stukes didn’t catch fire in the first half and hit shots from beyond NBA 3 point range, the Bears faced zapossible 35-point defeat, which would resemble the early blowouts the Bears endured in their fust three conference games. i neir roster teatures one or two players who will return next season that are Big 12-type players. So the focus turns to Bliss and how much magic he can work in a short period of time. “You have to be realistic, you have to be mature and you have to be profes sional,” Bliss said. “It goes with the coaching staff. We are not happy with what we are going through but our determination is to do the best we can do every day.” While Stukes pointed out that every program goes through times like these and it is just their time now, not many programs have to endure 22-game los ing streaks in their conference. Hiring Bliss is a step in the right direction but Baylor will be lucky to break that skid this season. Much like its football team, Baylor will have a long hill to climb back into to the pack of the Big 12. So rest assured Husker fans. As bad as it might get here in Lincoln, just think, you could be in Waco. Joshua Camenzind is a sopho more news-editorial major and a Daily Nebraskan staff writer. j B n rr !• 2000 ; I Sue Tidball r . ■■ "v ■ vV i Award I for i; . * '• -v -j- ^ •• ^ ! | | | | v . . ;• ; f 4 v .• • *'*> This annual award is presented to one, two or three people (students, faculty or staff at UNL). I► It recognizes significant j contributions to the development of a humane, educationally creative, just, and caring community on the UNL campus. ! | Nominations for the award may he submitted by anyone associated with UNL. | | More information, nomination forms, and guidelines are available at: | I I * IFC-Panbellcmc, NU 332 * Residence Hall front desks, RAs & Maintenance offices fi • Most college, school and division offices • Suabnt Involvement offices, NU 200 & ECU 300 jl • Culture Center. 333 N. 14th St. * Human Resources. Admin. 407 * Facility Maintenance & Landscape Service oil tees ij • Office of Student Affairs. Admin. 106 * Cornerstone, 640 N. 16th 6850B - 4764)355 • Website: trttpy/www,unI.cdu/liUball/ Nominations arc due February 14,2000 It goes from God to Jerry to Kurt to the cleaners to... The Daily Nebraskan. 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