Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska hopes to turn the program around and make the Cornhuskers annual postseason participants. Suppose the last two seasons are any indication of future success. In that case, the Huskers are well on their way to becoming a consistent middle-of-the-pack team in the Big Ten that participates in a postseason tournament every season.
That doesn't seem like a tall ask for a power conference team, but given the lack of history at Nebraska, making the postseason every season would be a largely successful tenure for any coach. The postseason is nice, but the ultimate goal is always to make the NCAA Tournament. Since Nebraska has never won a game in that event, many Husker fans will not rest until the Huskers can get a win in the event.
Two seasons ago, Nebraska made the tournament as an eight seed on the back of the shooting of superstar Keisei Tominaga. Nebraska lost again. Last season, they had an NCAA Tournament bid wrapped up before ending the season on a long losing streak, missing the Big Ten Tournament. However, they regrouped and won the first-ever College Basketball Crown event.
Last year had many highs, starting with the wins at Creighton and Oregon, and ending with the unbelievable season by superstar Brice Williams. The guard had one of the best seasons in Nebraska history, and it was nice to see him finish the season with a win in the College Basketball Crown.
How does the 2025-2026 season shake out for the Huskers? It is preview time again for the 2025-2026 season. The all-encompassing preview will look at the projected starters and bench for the Huskers, their schedule, and overall prediction for the season. Will the Huskers make it back to the NCAA Tournament this season, or will they have to settle for the College Basketball Crown again?
Projected Starters
The roster construction is perfect for Nebraska and head coach Fred Hoiberg. It is the first time in his tenure that Nebraska has had a positionless starting five. Another first for Coach Hoiberg is that this team will have five three-point shooters on the floor at all times. Over his career, those are the teams that have performed the best for Coach Hoiberg. His five-out offense needs to have players who can shoot from anywhere on the floor. That should make Nebraska fans happy.
These are the five players who will be on the floor come opening tip.
Rienk Mast - Center - Senior
The dynamic big man was a massive part of the Huskers' run to the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago. He missed all of last season after knee surgery, and his loss was felt in a big way for the Huskers, especially in the paint.
Mast is a great shooter for a big man; he can bring the ball up the floor, will play some point guard, and is an elite passer into the paint on backdoor screens. All Nebraska fans will welcome him back with open arms.
Berke Buyuktuncel - Junior - Forward
Berke was finally finding his footing for Nebraska and looked poised to play a massive role in getting the Huskers back to the NCAA Tournament before suffering an ankle sprain near the end of the Ohio State game in Lincoln. Buyuktuncel was never able to recover from the injury fully and was not the same for the rest of the season after returning from the ankle sprain.
The Turkish forward stayed in Lincoln to work out all summer. It was the first time he had remained in the States during the offseason, and all accounts are that the talented forward is finally ready for his breakout. If he can consistently play at a high level, it will provide a giant boost to the Husker lineup.
Braden Frager - Redshirt Freshman - Forward
Every time you turn around, Frager is making an eye-popping play. That is all you ever hear from the coaching staff. The forward made the most of his redshirt season, getting stronger and working on his jump shot.
Frager came out of high school as one of the more athletic players in the state. He has always been bouncy and had a knack for scoring, but with his newly made body and jump shot, the coaching staff said he could be one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten.
Kendall Blue - Senior- Guard
Blue was an underrated addition to the Nebraska roster, but he had a great three years for St. Thomas and was one of the best two-way players in the Summit League. Blue shot over 40% from deep last year. In addition to that, the guard finished near the top of the league in assists, steals, and rebounding.
Nebraska is going to use him a lot as their lead guard, some forward, and an off guard. The hope is for Blue to continue being a stat sheet stuffer who makes threes, runs an efficient offense, and leads the charge on defense. Blue can lead the Huskers in scoring and will be a fan favorite.
Jamarques Lawrence - Senior - Guard
Lawrence is back at Nebraska after spending one year at Rhode Island. The year at the Rams allowed the guard to work on his game, especially running the point. Lawrence will tell you that while he worked on his game, he also worked on his leadership and is ready to take the next step in his development.
Lawrence was another player who had some huge games for Nebraska in their run to the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago. His transfer was unexpected, and the Huskers were never able to fill that void. The guard is another player who can shoot the ball well from deep and has shown flashes of great defense. Lawrence is a nice compliment to Blue and Mast on the scoring front.
Key Reserves
Nebraska has a lot of depth this year, and the way the bench rotation plays out will be something to follow as the season rolls on. Coach Hoiberg has a ton of shooting on the bench, and three players in particular can get extremely streaky and light the nets on fire.
Connor Essegian - Senior - Guard
One of the guards can change games with his deep shooting. The guard had one of his best seasons of his career last year, shot 38% from deep, but it was his performance in some big games that left a sour taste for the guard.
He made a significant impact in the College Basketball Crown tournament, giving Husker fans a glimpse of what he can do when he's on fire. This year, the Huskers have loaded the roster with a lot of shooters to help Essegian when he is in a slump. There should not be as much pressure on him to perform. If he shoots 38% from deep again, it will be a good year for the Huskers.
Pryce Sandfort - Junior - Guard
Sandfort is a transfer from Iowa and was the first commitment from the transfer portal for this recruiting cycle. Sandfort has been a player that Nebraska has coveted since his high school days, and now that his brother Payton has graduated and Iowa went through a coaching change, the Huskers finally got their guy.
Sandfort fits in perfectly with what Nebraska is trying to do, especially when it comes to his ability to stretch the floor and shoot the ball from deep. The guard shot 40% from deep last year but only took about six shots per night. He will likely get more run most nights for Nebraska, but last year provided a pretty good snapshot of what he can offer the Husker offense.
Jared Garcia - Senior-Forward
When Garcia first committed to Nebraska, it was hard to say what type of role he was going to carve out for Nebraska, especially considering the depth they already had. Garcia is another guy who can shoot the ball at an elite level from deep, and the coaching staff has compared his game to former Husker Juwan Gary.
I still don't know how much run the forward will get in the offense, given the overall depth, but not including him in the key reserves would be selling short the ability he has from the three-point line to impact the game. The coaching staff loves what he brings to the table, and he is one of the most experienced players on the roster. Those types of guys tend to get some run.
Ugnius Jarusevicius - Senior - Center
Oogie is a transfer from Central Michigan, a guy who isn't very well-known outside of the country. He was one of the leading scorers in the MAC last year, has had a few huge games scoring and rebounding, and is going to be one of the players that Nebraska utilizes in the pick-and-roll. Jarusevicius is a great pick-and-roll player, and that is part of why he is so intriguing for Nebraska.
He isn't a great shooter, but he is serviceable from deep. He will help Nebraska in the paint and on the glass. The Huskers have struggled on the glass under coach Hoiberg, so any improvement in that area will be beneficial. Oogie had a breakout season last year and will provide help for Nebraska, but how much he plays is still to be determined.
Cale Jacobson and Sam Hoiberg
Every team needs energy guys who can change the way the team plays on the floor and can spark a rally. Jacobson and Hoiberg are those guys. They may not be the most talented players on the floor, but they consistently play extremely hard and will likely find their way on the floor due to their intangibles and ability to impact the game with their energy and defense.
Jacobson finally started getting some run in the College Basketball Crown tournament and was one of the best players for Nebraska because of his uncanny ability to shift the energy and the momentum of the game every time he touches the floor. Hoiberg is another guy who shifts the energy and plays hard whenever he hits the floor. Each player can shoot from the outside, make clutch free throws, and help Nebraska win games.
Schedule Outlook
The Big Ten has enough games in the conference season that will provide enough quad one wins to get into the NCAA Tournament, but that is assuming that the team wins all of those games. The best schedules in the power conferences come with a nice mix of cupcakes and other power conference schools that will provide some added opportunities for good wins. That way, teams can mitigate some disaster if they have a bad two weeks against the top teams in the league.
Coach Hoiberg has built a non-conference schedule that has that mix. He has cupcakes against West Georgia, Maryland Eastern Shore, and Florida International. The Huskers follow that up with a neutral-site game against SEC foe Oklahoma, then head to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame classic to play New Mexico and either Kansas State or Mississippi State. Next is the rivalry game against Creighton, and then some more cupcakes against USC Upstate, North Dakota, and New Hampshire. The Huskers also face a challenging opponent in Winthrop, which could pose some challenges before they enter the conference season.
The Big Ten schedule has yet to be released, but the Huskers will have a trip to California to play UCLA and USC, and will host Oregon and Washington. Every team in the Big Ten plays four home and away games, and they will get their additional eight home games out of the 20 total games in the league. The 4 NCAA Tournament teams from last year, coupled with the Big Ten schedule, make this a challenging schedule that is good enough to get the Huskers back to the NCAA Tournament, provided they win enough games.
Nebraska Basketball Outlook
So where do the Huskers finish overall? Are they good enough to finish in the top half? Are they good enough to finish in the middle? Will they make the tournament? The answer is no one knows for sure, but considering all factors, I would venture that the Huskers finish anywhere from 8th to 14th in the league.
Consider this: the roster is loaded with shooters, all of whom have played for multiple years and achieved success. Coach Hoiberg finally got his big man back, who is going ot instantly help the offense, and finally the Huskers have guys who can defend and who can change games with their energy. Looking at the rest of the teams out there who usually make a run to the NCAA Tournament, the Huskers have all of the pieces, at least on paper.
Getting there is another story; unfortunately, Nebraska fans don't have to go too far back into the annals of their history books to find a team that underachieved. Last season's team was a perfect example of one that didn't live up to its lofty expectations. The returning players and the coaching staff remember and will make sure it doesn't happen again.
Nebraska may not win 25 games, but 20 is not out of the question. They might take more threes than anyone in the country, and if they can shoot at the average, Coach Hoibers says they can, it will be a banner year for Nebraska. Time will tell, but the adage goes Live by the three, die by the three.
The Huskers finish in 10th place in the Big Ten with 20 wins and make a postseason tournament again for the third season in a row. They will be a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament yet again this year.