Projected Starters
G Alonzo Verge Jr – Senior
Verge is a graduate transfer from Arizona State, and he was an extremely late addition to the Nebraska roster. He committed a few months ago and has hit the ground running with the Huskers. One thing that comes with Verge Jr. is excitement. He is a flashy guy who is elite at scoring the ball, and he has shown how electric he can be passing the ball as well.
The point guard is a great rebounder as well and don’t be surprised if he flirts with a triple-double. The Huskers have had one each of the last two seasons and Verge could be the guy to get the next one. The guard is that high volume scorer with good efficiency numbers that was mentioned earlier.
G Trey McGowens – Junior
The older McGowens brother brings a lot to Nebraska other than scoring. He can score, but it doesn’t seem as if he is going to need to score as much this year as the Huskers have a better offense surrounding him. The junior guard brings a lot of different things to the Huskers. He is their best defender; he is a good rebounder and he always seems to reset the offense. Even when the junior guard is not scoring, he is still a giant asset to the team.
G Bryce McGowens – Freshman
The younger McGowens brother comes to Nebraska with a ton of hype. The guard is the first five-star commitment in the history of the school. He is going to rely on to score and score a lot and he is going to be the first or second option every night. McGowens is another high-volume, high-efficiency scorer that Nebraska has needed under Hoiberg.
Currently, the guard is projected as a lottery pick by some NBA draft analysts and with a good season, it could be a possibility that he is also the first lottery pick and one-and-done player in Nebraska history.
F Lat Mayen – Junior
Mayen was the best shooter on the floor for Nebraska last year and he is the best shooter of the starting five, but honestly, Mayen doesn’t bring much else. He has struggled to defend bigger, quicker guys in the Big Ten, he does have a penchant for turning the ball over, and he sometimes struggles on offense.
What he does bring though is a giant asset to Nebraska as he provides shooting and when he gets going, he can score quickly. He is by no means the best shooter on the team, but the forward has shown that when he sees a couple of threes go in, his game changes drastically and he becomes a good rebounder and better offensive player. Mayen is streaky but has the experience and will find himself in the starting lineup almost every night.
F Derrick Walker – Junior
Walker may be the most important player for Nebraska. At least in terms of winning and losing games. The Huskers will be able to survive bad nights from Verge and McGowens, but they are going to have a hard time surviving a bad night from Walker. The forward patrols the paint and he is exceptional on the pick and roll.
He is also a key piece to Nebraska trying to limit the opponents from getting offensive rebounds. Rebounding and interior defense are going to be big things for this team all year and Walker gives them their best chance to succeed at those two things. The big man is also a good offensive player and worked all summer to improve his defense and free throw shooting.
If he continues to play as he did in the two exhibition games then the Huskers will have a pretty successful year, but if he struggles to control the paint, score, and rebound it is going to be a tough year. Walker has a chance to be one of the best glue guys in the country.