When fall rolls into winter, most sports fans in Nebraska long for spring football. But Coach Tim Miles has given hibernating fans a reason to cheer through winter for the first time in twenty years. Since taking over the men's basketball program in 2012, Miles has gone from being relatively unknown outside college coaching circles to a big name on the national stage as an up-and-coming, funny, and fan-friendly college coach.

Miles scores big with Nebraska's fans with his social media acumen--he tweets during halftime--and his fan interaction--he applied (and failed) to become the...