Nebraska Cornhuskers
2023-2024 Result: 23-11 record (12-8 Big 10), NCAA tournament appearance
Projected Starting Lineup
Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg (6th season)
Guard: Rollie Worster (SR)
Guard: Brice Williams (SR)
Forward: Gavin Griffiths (SO)
Forward: Juwan Gary (SR)
Center: Braxton Meah (SR)
Key Additions
Rollie Worster (Utah)
Gavin Griffiths (Rutgers)
Braxton Meah (Washington)
Andrew Morgan (North Dakota State)
Berke Buyuktuncel (UCLA)
Key Losses
C.J. Wilcher
Jamarques Lawrence
Josiah Allick
Keisei Tominaga
Rienk Mast (on roster, out with injury)
Fred Hoiberg’s team had a successful season last year making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014. This season, that will be a little bit tougher with the losses of two of their three leading scorers. Keisei Tominaga captured the college basketball world last season with his long-range shooting and colorful personality but has now graduated. Rienk Mast, who was a huge part of the Cornhuskers' success last year is back on the roster but is out for the entire season with a knee injury. They also lost several other key players, so they brought in six guys out of the portal, three of which are expected to start this season. Rollie Worster, Gavin Griffiths, and Braxton Meah are all projected starters, and Connor Essegian, Andrew Morgan, and Berke Buyuktuncel are expected to come off the bench.
Nebraska was in the bottom ten in the country in offensive rebounds allowed last season. Losing Josiah Allick and Rienk Mast will not help this stat, but they did go out and get 7 ‘1 Braxton Meah. Between Meah, Andrew Morgan, and Berke Buyuktuncel, Fred Hoiberg’s team will hopefully improve in this department. Tominaga and Jamarques Lawrence, who were not defensive guys or rebounders, should help on this end, but not on the other. Nebraska has a bigger, more physical team this year that should lead to better defensive results, but they still won’t be a top-level defensive team in the BIG 10.
Offensively, a lot more of the scoring will fall on Brice Williams and Juwan Gary. Mast being out for the season and Tominaga and CJ Wilcher being gone leaves a lot to be replaced. Andrew Morgan, who came over from North Dakota State, should have a large role offensively off the bench. Rollie Worster, the new point guard for Hoiberg, will need to shoot it more efficiently and be the creator that he was for Utah last year for this team to reach its ceiling. The offense should run through Brice Williams, who is a long, athletic guard who can score it from anywhere. Outside of Williams, the perimeter shooting is lacking with all of the Cornhuskers’ losses from their NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago. They were in the top 100 in three-point percentage last season, but expect a drop-off in efficiency in this area with their retooled roster. Nebraska’s offense will go as far as Williams, Gary, and Worster can take them.
Nebraska got the unfortunate news this offseason about Rienk Mast being out for the season. After losing all that they did to graduation, it leaves Nebraska in a tough spot coming off one of their best seasons in a long time. They will hang around in some games, but expect them to return to the bottom half of the BIG 10 for the 2024 campaign.