Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
By Tuck Clarry
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Year four of the Fred Hoiberg regime was Nebraska’s most successful. The Cornhuskers finished .500 overall and 9-11 in conference play, their best record since 2013-2014. He largely broke through in Lincoln thanks to upperclassmen Derrick Walker and Sam Griesel, who graduated. The Huskers now turn to junior scoring guard Keisei Tominaga, who averaged 13 points per game last season and shot 40% from three.
Tominaga will be joined by transfer Jarron Coleman in the backcourt, making an interesting situation of two guards who are more wired to score than facilitate. The frontcourt is also in a precarious predicament, as Hoiberg looks for Bradley transfer Rienk Mast and senior forward Juwan Gary, who returns after missing half of last season due to injury.
How this team faces the adversity of a grueling Big Ten schedule will ultimately decide how high up the standings Nebraska finds themselves. This is a team with 9 upperclassmen–6 of them seniors–which could be a good thing if they are competitive or reason enough to wave a white flag if the losses start racking up.