#126 Nebraska Men's Basketball 2021-2022 Preview

 
 
Nebraska Cornhuskers
 
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #126
Conference Rank: #12 Big Ten
 nebraska Logo
 
For two years in a row, Nebraska has finished dead last in the Big Ten. For Coach Fred Hoiberg’s third season, the results will need to be better. Winning five conference games over two years is not good enough. The Big Ten is going to be very tough though so even with drastic improvement, do not expect the Cornhuskers to make a huge jump up the standings.
 
2020-21 Record: 7-20, 3-16
2020-21 Postseason: None
Coach: Fred Hoiberg
Coach Record: 14-45 at Nebraska, 129-101 overall
 
Key Departed Players:
Teddy Allen, Guard, 16.5 ppg
Shamiel Stevenson, Guard, 5.5 ppg
Thorir Thorjarnarson, Guard, 3.9 ppg
Yvan Ouedraogo, Forward, 3.4 ppg
 
Key Returning Players:
Trey McGowens, Junior, Guard, 10.7 ppg
Dalano Banton, Sophomore, Guard, 9.6 ppg
Lat Mayen, Junior, Forward, 8.6 ppg
Derrick Walker, Junior, Forward, 5.9 ppg
Kobe Webster, Senior, Guard, 8.1 ppg
Trevor Lakes, Senior, Forward, 3.2 ppg
Eduardo Andre, Freshman, Center, 2.7 ppg
Jace Piatkowski, Freshman, Guard, 0.4 ppg
 
Key New Players:
Wilhelm Breidenbach, Freshman, Forward
Jackson Cronin, Freshman, Guard
Keon Edwards, Freshman Guard, Transfer from DePaul
Sam Hoiberg, Freshman, Guard
Oleg Kojenets, Freshman, Forward
Bryce McGowens, Freshman, Guard
Chris McGraw, Sophomore, Guard, DIII Transfer
Quaran McPherson, Freshman, Guard
Keisel Tominaga, Sophomore, Guard, JC Transfer
C.J. Wilcher, Freshman, Guard, Transfer from Xavier
 
Projection:
Leading scorer Teddy Allen is gone, but four starters are back. Trey McGowens is the team’s top returning scorer with 10.7 points per game. Guard Dalano Banton is flirting with the NBA, but he will likely be back at Nebraska after averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds last season. Banton is a big 6-9 guard who can do it all, but he will need to prove that he can be a more consistent outside shooter before heading to the professional ranks. Lat Mayen and Kobe Webster are the most prolific three-point shooters on the team. Mayen is a 6-9 forward who can stretch the defense with his outside shooting. Derrick Walker made a big impact once he was eligible to play during the second half of last season. He is the bruiser in the paint and averaged 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. A whole slew of newcomers will look to make an immediate impact. Keon Edwards and C.J. Wilcher transfer in after seeing limited playing time as freshmen in the Big East. Both were four-star recruits coming out of high school. Incoming freshmen Bryce McGowens could make the biggest splash this year. He is a five-star shooting guard who can score in bunches. With other freshmen like Wilhelm Breidenbach adding more depth and more options, this is a Cornhuskers team that should start to finally see some improvement.
 
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.0 (203rd in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.2 (268, 14)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.8 (271, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.1 (105, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.4 (66, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.3 (184, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 63.9 (323, 13)
Rebound Margin: -3.6 (283, 14)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (128, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.1 (228, 14)
 
 
Madness 2021 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#26 Bryce McGowens
#94 Wilhelm Breidenbach