With basketball season rapidly approaching, we’re going team-by-team in the Big Ten to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out this year.
Nebraska finally enjoyed a breakthrough year under Fred Hoiberg last season. The Cornhuskers racked up several marquee wins, went undefeated on home court in Big Ten play, and made their first NCAA Tournament in a decade. They had a lot of roster turnover over the offseason, but Hoiberg still has some key pieces in place.
WHO’S GONE:
- Kesei Tominaga (15.1 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- C.J. Wilcher (7.7 PPG) (transfer — Texas A&M)
- Josiah Allick (7.3 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Jamarques Lawrence (6.9 PPG) (transfer — Rhode Island)
- Eli Rice (4.2 PPG) (transfer — Penn State)
- Jarron Coleman (2.4 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Matar Diop (0.8 PPG) (transfer — Loyola Marymount)
- Blaise Keita (transfer — Western Kentucky)
- Ramel Lloyd Jr. (transfer — Long Beach State)
WHO’S BACK:
- Brice Williams, G (13.4 PPG)
- Juwan Gary, F (11.6 PPG)
- Sam Hoiberg, G (3.4 PPG)
- Rienk Mast (medically redshirting this year after undergoing surgery in May, will return for 2025-26 season)
WHO’S NEW:
Transfer portal
- Andrew Morgan, F (12.9 PPG at North Dakota State)
- Rollie Worster, G (9.9 PPG at Utah)
- Ahron Uhlis, G (6.1 PPG at Iowa in 2022-23)
- Gavin Griffiths, F (5.8 PPG at Rutgers)
- Braxton Meah, C (5.3 PPG at Washington)
- Berke Büyüktuncel, F (4.5 PPG at UCLA)
- Connor Essegian, G (3.2 PPG at Wisconsin)
Freshmen (Rankings from 247Sports Composite)
- Nick Janowski, G (four-star, No. 134)
- Braden Frager, G (three-star, No. 189)
RETURNING MINUTES: 38.2 percent (per barttorvik.com)
Why it will work
Even after losing some important players from last year’s squad, Nebraska has a lot of intriguing pieces on this year’s team. It starts with Brice Williams, one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten. He was terrific down the stretch last season, averaging 16 points per game over Nebraska’s final eight games, including the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. He actually finished with a higher 3-point percentage (38.8) than Tominaga (37.6) on the season. Williams will be in a much bigger role this season, but he has all-conference talent. The Huskers also bring back Juwan Gary, giving them two of their top four players from last season.
Ahron Ulis missed last season with a suspension from the Iowa gambling scandal, but he returns this year and is a good addition to the Husker backcourt. Worster is also a nice pickup with power-conference experience. Essegian is an X-factor — he averaged 11.7 points per game at Wisconsin in 2022-23 and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, but he fell out of favor last season and struggled. If the change of scenery helps him regain his freshman-year form, he could be one of the bigger transfer portal additions in the Big Ten.
Why it won’t
First off, it’s easier said than done to replace All-Big Ten players like Tominaga and Mast, and Nebraska’s ceiling could be limited if Williams isn’t playing at an All-Big Ten level.
It’s also reasonable to question Nebraska’s frontcourt. Allick did a lot of the dirty work inside for the Huskers last year, and Mast executed his role as an undersized forward to perfection. They added more size in the portal with Meah and Morgan, but Nebraska may need them to perform better than they did last season at Washington and North Dakota State, respectively, if they’re going to play real roles for this squad. If that doesn’t happen, the Huskers could be undersized yet again, without a clear weapon like Mast to make that an advantage.
Our take
The middle of the pack in the Big Ten could be tight, just as it was last season. Expect the Huskers to be in that mix again — and don’t be surprised if they emerge from it. There are plenty of questions with this team, and reasons why things could fall flat. But this Nebraska team has potential that may be getting overlooked among some other intriguing teams heading into the season. If Hoiberg’s squad can defend the way it did last season — the Huskers ranked fifth in the Big Ten in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency — the pieces could be in place for another solid season in Lincoln.
BIG TEN OUTLOOK: Sleeper
PRIOR ROSTER ANALYSES:
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