Big Ten Basketball: Predicting teams at the bottom for 2019-20 season

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 01: Juwan Morgan #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers works against Deshawn Freeman #33 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second half during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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13. Nebraska

2018-2019 conference record: 6-14

Key players lost: James Palmer Jr., Glynn Watson, Isaac Copeland, Isaiah Roby, Thomas Allen, Tanner Borchardt, Nana Akenten

Key players returning: Thorir Thorbjarnarson

Newcomers: Haanif Cheatham (transfer), Cam Mack (Juco), Jervay Green (Juco), Samari Curtis, Yvan Ouedraogo,

After losing the majority of their rotation players and firing head coach Tim Miles, no team has more question marks heading into next season than Nebraska.

New head coach Fred Hoiberg takes over a roster that is dependent on several transfers from the collegiate and Juco level, as well as incoming freshman.

Haanif Cheatham is the most experienced transfer of the bunch. He played at Florida Gulf Coast last season but played in only 10 games after suffering a shoulder injury. After graduation from FGCU, he will be immediately eligible for the Huskers who will need him to score double digits like he has in the past.

Cam Mack is probably going to be their best player. He was one of the top Juco recruits in the country after averaging nearly 20 points per game and eight assists at Salt Lake Community College in Utah. With three years of eligibility remaining, he can help lead the new brand of players in the Hoiberg era.

With an entirely new team, Nebraska’s position in the Big Ten is hard to peg. Some of their transfers could be better than expected and this team could be middle of the Big Ten. But it’s more likely they are somewhere near the bottom. Ultimately, an NCAA tournament bid in Hoiberg’s first season is unlikely but they can use this year to rebuild and figure out a path for the future.

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