Gonzaga, Louisville, and Texas rise in updated WTE top-25 college basketball power ranking for 2026-27 season

20. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Likely departures

• Rienk Mast (13.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 3.1 apg)
• Jamarques Lawrence (9.8 ppg and 3.8 apg)
• Sam Hoiberg (9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 4.5 apg)
• Berke Buyuktuncel (6.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg)
• Ugnius Jarusevicius (7.0 ppg and 2.0 rpg)

Likely returnees

• Pryce Sandford (18.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg)
• Braden Frager (11.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg)
• Connor Essegian (5.4 ppg and 1.3 rpg)
• Cale Jacobsen (4.6 ppg and 2.9 rpg)

Roster additions

• Trevan Leonhardt (11.9 ppg and 6.0 apg at Utah Valley)
• Taj DeGourville (5.5 ppg and 3.0 apg at San Diego State)
• Kadyn Betts (3.1 ppg and 1.1 rpg at Montana)
• Boden Kapke (10.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg at Boston College)
• Sam Orme (12.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg at Belmont)
• Damon Wilkinson (13.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg at South Dakota State)

The Huskers lost their frontcourt rotation from their historical campaign, but have done a good job reloading, including the late pickup of Wilkinson from the Summit League. The return of Sandford, one of the best pure shooters in college basketball, gives Nebraska an all-league star to work with and be the focal point of the offense. 

But will the backcourt be good enough? Leonhardt was one of the top passers in the WAC and is an all-league defender, while DeGourville is a quality defender from San Diego State. Essegian’s return gives them a shooting boost, while Frager is a breakout candidate as well, heading into his sophomore campaign.

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