Big Ten Offseason Evaluation Series: Is Nebraska Ready for the Next Step Under Hoiberg?

In our Big Ten Offseason Evaluation Series, we'll break down what each team lost and gained this offseason, then provide analysis on the team's outlook for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Next up, we'll discuss the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who lost two starters but returns 3-point marksman Keisei Tominaga as coach Fred Hoiberg looks for his first NCAA Tournament appearance entering his fifth season in Lincoln.

Jack Ankony | Jul 10, 2023

Big Ten Offseason Evaluation Series: Is Nebraska Ready for the Next Step Under Hoiberg? /

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska went 16-16 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten in 2022-23, good for the most wins and highest conference finish in four years under coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Cornhuskers lost starters Derrick Walker and Sam Griesel, then replaced them with four veterans through the transfer portal. Sharpshooter Keisei Tominaga is back for his senior year, but is that enough for Nebraska's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013-14?

In our Big Ten Offseason Evaluation Series, we'll break down what each team lost and gained this offseason, then provide analysis on the team's outlook for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Let's take a look at the Cornhuskers.

(rankings per On3 Industry Average)

What they lost

Pro/no eligibility: F Derrick Walker, G Sam Griesel, G Emmanuel Bandoumel
Transfer portal: G Denim Dawson (Tennessee State), F Oleg Kojenets (Wyoming), G Quaran McPherson (Northern Illinois), F Wilhelm Breidenbach (Washington)
By the numbers: Nebraska lost three starters, including Walker (13.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, All-Big Ten), Griesel (12.0 ppg) and Bandoumel (8.4 ppg). Dawson and Breidenbach played solid minutes off the bench, while Kojenets played in just 18 games and McPherson missed the entire season with a knee injury.

What they gained

Transfer portal: F Josiah Allick (8.4 ppg at New Mexico), F Rienk Mast (13.8 ppg at Bradley), G Brice Williams (13.8 ppg), G Ahron Ulis (6.1 ppg at Iowa)
Freshmen: G Eli Rice (No. 262)
By the numbers: With three productive, veteran transfers, Nebraska built the No. 36 transfer portal class in the nation and the third-ranked transfer class in the Big Ten, behind Penn State and Indiana, according to 247Sports. Williams, a 6-foot-7 guard, is a 39.5 percent 3-point shooter, and Ulis brings Big Ten starting experience from Iowa. Mast likely steps into a starting role with Walker gone.

Roster

Keisei Tominaga, 6-foot-2 senior guard
Josiah Allick, 6-foot-8 senior forward
Blaise Keita, 6-foot-11 junior forward
Rienk Mast, 6-foot-10 junior forward
Ahron Ulis, 6-foot-3 junior guard
Brice Williams 6-foot-7 junior guard
C.J. Wilcher, 6-foot-5 junior guard
Juwan Gary, 6-foot-6 junior forward
Jamarques Lawrence, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard
Sam Hoiberg, 6-foot sophomore guard (walk-on)
Ramel Lloyd Jr., 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman guard
Eli Rice, 6-foot-7 freshman guard
Scholarships available: 2

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) reacts after scoring a three-point basket against the Maryland Terrapins in overtime at Pinnacle Bank Arena. — Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) reacts after scoring a three-point basket against the Maryland Terrapins in overtime at Pinnacle Bank Arena / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Biggest concerns

Derrick Walker was a force down low for the Cornhuskers last season, earning All-Big Ten honors and averaging 13.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists. But he's gone now, leaving plenty of questions surrounding the Nebraska front court. Coach Fred Hoiberg added a pair of forwards through the transfer portal, 6-foot-10 Rienk Mast from Bradley and 6-foot-8 Josiah Allick from New Mexico. Mast is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference player, averaging 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds last season. He's not much of a rim protector, but he stepped out and hit 3-pointers at a 32.9 percent rate across his career. Mast can play power forward or center, and Nebraska could opt to play Allick next to him in the front court. At 6-foot-8, Allick is tenacious around the rim, shooting an efficient 55.1 percent across his four-year career at Kansas City and New Mexico. While he excels at slashing to the bucket, he's a career 28.7 percent 3-point shooter, including 15.8 percent last year. Making the jump from mid-major schools to the physical Big Ten could be a challenge for Mast and Allick. And outside of the two transfers, Nebraska's other options down low are 6-foot-6 Juwan Gary, who averaged 9.5 points in 17 starts before a season-ending shoulder injury, and 6-foot-11 Blaise Keita, who played sparingly in his first season at Nebraska. On paper, Hoiberg has a deeper squad heading into the 2023-24 season, but the lack of Big Ten experience down low is concerning. Nebraska played a smaller lineup for most of last season, and that could be the case again this year.

Reasons for optimism

Nebraska returns 3-point deadeye Keisei Tominaga, who was one of the more exciting and underrated players in the Big Ten last season. He shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and is third in 3-pointers made among Big Ten returners in 2023-24. With third-leading scorer Sam Griesel gone, Tominaga will have even more freedom to let it fly during his senior year. Nebraska has good backcourt depth behind Tominaga, with returning starter C.J. Wilcher (8.0 ppg) and sophomore Jamarques Lawrecence, who scored 10-plus points in six of his last nine games as a freshman. Hoiberg also did well in the transfer portal, landing All-Conference USA guard Brice Williams, who averaged 13.8 points on 39.7 percent 3-point shooting last season. And after starting 27 games at Iowa last year, guard Ahron Ulis transferred to Nebraska. Ramel Lloyd Jr. was Nebraska's top recruit in the 2023 class, ranked No. 135 in the nation, and he could be in line for minutes as a 6-foot-6 wing. Despite the loss of Griesel, Nebraska has put together a solid core of perimeter players for the 2023-24 season.

The bottom line

Nebraska had its best season of the Hoiberg era in 2022-23, but that still amounted to just 16 wins, an 11th-place finish in the Big Ten and no NCAA Tournament. If Derrick Walker and Sam Griesel returned, Nebraska would have been in good shape for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013-14. Hoiberg did a nice job retooling the roster through the transfer portal and Keisei Tominaga is a strong candidate for an All-Big Ten season, but I think Nebraska will remain on the outside looking in when Selection Sunday rolls around in March.

On Tuesday, look forward to the next part of our Big Ten Offseason Evaluation Series, featuring the Northwestern Wildcats.