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Season marks new start for Cipriano's team
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Snowfall
forces
Huskers
indoors
Bowl tickets
All ticket requests for
Orange Bowl tickets have been
filled and the Nebraska ticket
office still has a few tickets
available for fans. Anyone
interested in either getting
additional tickets or ordering
Orange Bowl tickets should
contact the Coliseum Ticket
Office.
Intramurals
Thursday is the final day
teams can register for the
intramural basketball season
which starts second semester.
Registration is $20 per team in
the A and B divisions and $5
per team for C and little fry
teams.
page 16
I 1 ft'
nil iii
t,rffpr, fog
to keep fans happy.
Tuesday's snowfall forced Nebraska's
football team to split its Orange Bowl
practice into two indoor sessions. The
Cornhuskers will practice in Lincoln before
leaving for Miami Christmas Eve.
"Working indoors doesn't slow our
running game, but it's difficult to work on
our passing game or pass defense," said
Nebraska head coach Bob Devaney. "If the
weather doesn't improve here, we'll have to
play catchup in Miami."
Devaney said the Huskers would have at
least one contact session before the Orange
Bowl game with Notre Dame, but that
session will probably be in Miami. The
Cornhuskers will take an 80-man squad to
the Orange Bowl.
Cornhusker flanker Johnny Rodgers,
winner of the 1972 Heisman Trophy, and
middle guard Rich Glover will miss practice
Wednesday and Thursday while attending
the Heisman Banquet in New York City. J
4? ;
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The Nebraska Coliseum was rather
quiet Monday night. An extra section
of bleachers had been installed at the
north end of the basketball court to
accomodate an expected large turnout
of students, but it wasn't needed.
jim johnston
There were only 3,000 fans there to
watch the Cornhuskers up their season
record to 3-2 with a 72-58 win over
Texas Christian,
There are, perhaps, tome
explanations for the poor turnout. It
was snowing. A lot of folks were
Christmas shopping. And then tnere
was the Monday Night Football game
(Oakland vs. New York Jets, no less).
No excitement
But there may be another
explanation. The public in general and
students in particular may no longer
be interested in Nebraska basketball.
Cornhusker head coach Joe Cipriano,
although making no comment on the
small turnout, was obviously
concerned.
Cipriano has been under attack the
past few years. His Nebraska teams the
past three years have compiled a 48-29
record, but the fans are far from
happy. And they're no longer satisfied
with the line that Cipriano is the
winningest basketball coach in the
Nebraska history.
"Nebraska basketball teams aren't
exciting," they claim. "It's too slow.
Cip substitutes too much. Big Eight
basketball is boring."
What they mean is they want a
winner. All fans are fair weather fans.
They support a winner and criticize a
loser. Even the Kansas City Chiefs, one
of the best followed teams in
professional football, had nearly
30,000 empty seats at Arrowhead
Stadium in a game against Baltimore
Sunday. When a team is not a big
winner, there's no big following.
Needed support
Cipriano knows this. And he's
heard the complaints (several times
over). He wants desperately to build
Nebraska basketball. He is rather
sensitive to outside feelings and he
knows that his program needs fan
support. So this year Cip has come
over to the fan's way of thinking.
He has sacrificed height for
quickness. He's trying to build running
teams which kept fans happy in the
mid 60s.
"We're gonna run more- this
year-especially at home," Cipriano
said. "It will keep the home fans
happy and if they get behind us we
Take A Break During
Dead Week or Finals
Drive to 48th & Vine and
we will buy you a shake
when you buy a
Big Shef and
an order of fries
Unlimited offer
Cither bring this ad or
p.. "tiident I.D.
041 No. 40fh
Offer expires Dec.
could really be effective in the
Coliseum."
Recruiting changes
Cipriano's recruiting this year has
indicated his desire for a new look.
Nebraska landed a pair of quick and
gifted freshmen-Jerry Fort from
Chicago and Ricky Marsh from New
York.
Cipriano has known that it's
difficult (if not, in fact, completely
impossible) to compete in the Big
Eight with mere talent from Nebraska
high schools. Although he may have
received pressure to recruit basically
within Nebraska, he is now willing to
fight that thinking.
Big 8 problems
The entire Big Eight Conference has
been faced with a similar problem. The
Big Ten schools, which have gained
enormous basketball recognition the
past few years, are located near large
cities and can more easily obtain
big-city basketball talent.
The Big Eight can acquire this
big-city talent in football because it is
a well established football conference.
But, with the exception of Kansas
University,, Big Eight schools have not
been established as basketball powers.
Thw freshman eligibility rule will
help Big Eight basketball. Big Eight
teams can tell freshman they will have
a chance to play on the varsity their
freshman season, but more powerful
basketball programs will rarely have
room for freshman.
The Big Eight coaches have also
added a 30-second clock this season,
which means a team must shoot within
30 seconds after gaining possession of
the basketball. It is hoped that this
will erase the image of a slow brand of
basketball.
Gradual improvements
The Big Eight has also improved its
basketball facilities. Missouri and Iowa
State are playing in new arenas this
year. Nebraska will be in a new
fieldhouse within two years, if it's ever
decided how long to make the
swimming pool.
Nebraska's basketball program and
the entire basketball program in the
Big Eight is willing to admit it's
behind. So don't get discouraged if
this year's Nebraska basketball team
finishes, at best, at .500. There's a
rather difficult non-conference
schedule, including a date Friday at
Kentucky.
But mark down the 1972-73
basketball season as a new start for
Nebraska and the Big Eight. It's a start
of the new look.
22, 1972
b .
daily nebraskan
Wednesday, december 13, 1972