Nebraska Basketball: 2022-23 season preview for the Cornhuskers

Projected Starters

Derrick Walker Jr. – Senior

One of the best things that happened in the offseason for Nebraska was when Derrick Walker Jr. announced that he was going to come back to Nebraska for one final season. This will be the Covid year for Walker and Nebraska needs him back. The big man is experienced in this offense and is athletic enough that they can move him around in the zone defense, he can defend multiple positions and the coaching staff has even talked about him bringing the ball up this season.

Last season the big man started every game and shot almost 70% from the floor. Late last season Nebraska found a lot at the end of the season with misdirection ball screens usually resulting in a Walker basket. That is going to be utilized a lot this year and the senior is going to be the recipient of a lot of easy looks at the basket.

Wilhelm Breidenbach – Sophomore

The sophomore big man was going to start cutting in Walker’s minutes and would have been starting at one point in the season. He ended up getting hurt in the first conference game against Michigan and was out for the season.

There is not much known about Breidenbach as he did have the freshman growing pains, but he is an extremely athletic big man who can play on the wing or an off guard. He didn’t make many threes last year, but he was recruited as a great shooter out of California power Mater Dei. He has nice touch at the rim as he also shot about 60% in a small sample size in the paint. He has quick hands and a penchant for steals.

A full season for Breidenbach is going to help Nebraska immensely. Everyone will fall in love with the sophomore big man as he is one of the few players still wearing Rec Specs when they play sports.

Juwan Gary – Junior

Gary is a wildcard for me, as I don’t know if Hoiberg is going to start him or wants his energy off the bench. The junior wing spent the first part of his career at Alabama where he played on two NCAA tournament teams and was also a key contributor on two of the best offenses in the country over the last two seasons. The junior was never a go-to guy in the offense, but he was a starter for most of the year, and the shots he did get he made. He shot over 50% from the floor a season ago and 64% from inside the paint.

Gary is another extremely athletic, big, bodied player who can play multiple positions and defend multiple positions. It remains to be seen how Gary will fit into the overall plans on offense, but he has won and has experience and will be a big factor on the defense end for Nebraska. He is on the floor because of his defense and every bit of offense he provides is a plus.

CJ Wilcher – Sophomore

It would not be a stretch to say that Wilcher enters the season as the expected leading scorer for Nebraska and a player who could be due for a breakout.  The coaching staff has given Wilcher the ultimate green light from deep, especially if he has an opening. He shot 40% from deep last year overall and it was much higher in the Big Ten. The sophomore guard lost 15 pounds in the offseason and is showing a different level of his game this year that was not previously seen.

He is showing that he can be an elite scorer and given the shots in the offense he can shoot at a high efficiency as well. Nebraska is going to run a more balanced attack on offense but Wilcher is the one guy that the staff trusts to get a bucket from deep when they need it. The offense is likely going to go as he goes.

Sam Griesel – Senior

Many Husker fans have always thought of the senior point guard as the one who got away. Griesel was born and raised in Lincoln, NE, and was never recruited by Nebraska coming out of High School. The point guard took his talents to North Dakota State where he had a great career and was able to earn the Nebraska offer as a graduate transfer.

Griesel is a 6’7” point guard who rarely turns the ball over, is a good passer, great rebounder, and good defender. He is exactly what Nebraska has been looking for at the point guard position. Griesel saw his role in the offense increase over the last two seasons and that is when he saw his efficiency increase and he saw himself shoot about 45% from the floor overall.

Last season he shot 50% from the floor and 40% from deep. All Nebraska needs is a steady point guard who can get a basket when they need it, can defend the top of the key, and gets the ball moving. Rebounding is always going to be a help for the Huskers.