The set-up: The Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for the season openers for the Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Both schools opened last season playing just fine but each would up under .500 by year's end. Eastern Illinois started out at 8-4 but then lost eight of its next nine games and despite closing the year on a 5-3, finished 14-15. Nebraska opened 4-0 but then lost six of its next seven. Nebraska finished the season on a 3-13 slide and at 12-19 overall (6-12 in the Big Ten).

Eastern Illinois: The Panthers did lose their leading scorer from last season in Demetrius McReynolds (14.7 PPG) but four starters return. Guards Montell Goodwin (14.3 & 3.1 APG) and Terrell Lewis (10.5 & 4.7 APG) plus wing Ray Crossland (10.5 & 6.1) all were double-digit scores last season.

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers enter this season off three consecutive losing years, after winning 19 times in 2013-14 and earning only the school's seventh-ever NCAA bid. This is not what Nebraska fans expected when Tim Miles was hired for the 2012-13 season. The Cornhuskers have lost their best player in Tai Webster, who averaged 17.0-5.1-4.0 plus Ed Morrow (9.4 & 7.5) and fellow forward Jacobson (6.0 & 6.2) both transferred to Marquette. Glynn Watson (13.0) figures to take Webster's place but Miles is counting heavily on freshman Thomas Allen and Nana Akenten.

The pick: Eastern Illinois comes into this season with plenty of optimism and hopes to win some of teh "close ones" it lost last season (went 2-5 in games decided by five points or less LY). Meanwhile, Nebraska will be searching for a "new identity" and hoping key newcomers like Allen and Akenten are "as good as advertised. I will stay away from the side in this one and make the Over a 10* play.