Earlier this month, Michigan State basketball hosted a one-loss Nebraska game to close out its December two-game slate of Big Ten play.
Most expected this game to be close as the Cornhuskers has been playing really good basketball and averaging well over 80 points per game. Their only loss of the season was to a Saint Mary's team that will flirt with being ranked all year and Nebraska also had a ranked win over then-No. 14 Creighton.
By all accounts, this game was supposed to be a good one. Through about 10-15 minutes in the first half, it looked like it would be tight. And then Michigan State turned up the pressure.
The Spartans out-scored the Cornhuskers 48-21 in the second half to win by 37 and everyone immediately jumped off Nebraska's bandwagon. They were no longer a "surprise" team in the Big Ten and rather just a middle-of-the-road opponent. But that hasn't been the case since.
And that just goes to show how impressive Michigan State's win truly was.
In fact, after getting hot over the past couple of weeks, the win over Nebraska is creeping closer to Quad 1 status. What is a Quad 1 win? A home victory over a team ranked 1-30 in the NET, a neutral court win over a team from 1-50, and a road win over a team ranked 1-75. At the time, the Nebraska win was a Quad 2 victory. Still good for the resume, but not great.
It's still a Quad 2, but it's creeping ever-so-close to the Quad 1 status after Nebraska just beat Oregon State to win the Diamond Head Classic. The Cornhuskers beat Murray State, Hawaii, and Oregon State to win the tournament which followed up a 17-point win over Indiana.
Following these four wins since losing to Michigan State, the NET rankings have been updated and the Cornhuskers are up to No. 44 from No. 52. If they keep winning (they have UCLA, Iowa, Purdue, Rutgers, and Maryland approaching), the Cornhuskers could jump into the top 30 and give Michigan State a much-needed Quad 1 win for its tournament resume.
After sweating out the past four Selection Sundays, this would be huge.