2019–20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team

2019–20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record7–25 (2–18 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPinnacle Bank Arena
Seasons
2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 17 Wisconsin 14 – 6   .700 21 – 10   .677
No. 9 Michigan State 14 – 6   .700 22 – 9   .710
No. 12 Maryland 14 – 6   .700 24 – 7   .774
No. 21 Illinois 13 – 7   .650 21 – 10   .677
No. 25 Iowa 11 – 9   .550 20 – 11   .645
Penn State 11 – 9   .550 21 – 10   .677
No. 19 Ohio State 11 – 9   .550 21 – 10   .677
Rutgers 11 – 9   .550 20 – 11   .645
Michigan 10 – 10   .500 19 – 12   .613
Purdue 9 – 11   .450 16 – 15   .516
Indiana 9 – 11   .450 20 – 12   .625
Minnesota 8 – 12   .400 15 – 16   .484
Northwestern 3 – 17   .150 8 – 23   .258
Nebraska 2 – 18   .100 7 – 25   .219
Note: The 2020 Big Ten tournament was canceled prior to the second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

The 2019–20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cornhuskers were led by first-year coach head coach Fred Hoiberg and play their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 7–25, 2–18 in Big Ten play to finish in last place. They lost to Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten tournament[1] which was subsequently canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

In the final game of the season against Indiana, Fred Hoiberg appeared ill during the game, left the game in the second half, and was taken to the hospital.[3] He was tested for COVID-19 due to the ongoing pandemic, but he was diagnosed with influenza. As a result of Hoiberg's sickness, the team was quarantined in the locker room following the Indiana game for a short period of time.[4][5]

Previous season

The Cornhuskers finished the 2017–18 season 19–17, 6–14 in Big Ten play to finish second-to-last. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they made a run but lost in the quarterfinals to Wisconsin. Despite winning 13 Big Ten games, the Cornhuskers received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. They won in the first round of the NIT to Mississippi State but lost in the second round to TCU.

Following the season, head coach Tim Miles was fired, having lead the team after seven seasons.[6] Four days later, the school hired former Chicago Bulls' head coach Fred Hoiberg as the next head coach of the program.[7]

Offseason

Due to a change in coaching staff, Nebraska experienced a near-complete overhaul of its roster, retaining only two players from the previous season (only one of which had seen any playing time for Nebraska).[8] The rebuilt team took an exhibition trip to Italy; a documentary on the trip was filmed by the Big Ten Network.[9]

Departures

Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
James Palmer Jr. 0 G 6'6" 207 SR Upper Marlboro, MD Graduated
Johnny Trueblood 4 G 6'3" 194 SR Omaha, NE Graduated; walk-on.
Glynn Watson Jr. 5 G 6'0" 180 SR Bellwood, IL Graduated
Isaac Copeland Jr. 14 F 6'9" 225 SR Raleigh, NC Graduated
Tanner Borchardt 20 F 6'8" 250 SR Gothenburg, NE Graduated
Isaiah Roby 15 F 6'8" 230 JR Dixon, IL Declared for the 2019 NBA draft; selected 45th overall by the Detroit Pistons.
Thomas Allen 12 G 6'1" 184 SO Raleigh, NC Transferred to NC State.
Nana Akenten 25 G 6'6" 218 SO Bolingbrook, IL Indefinitely suspended prior to end of previous season. Transferred to Southeast Missouri State.
Dedoch Chan 2 F 6'8" 210 SO (incoming) Rochester, MN Transferred to Indian Hills CC, left team before start of 2018–19 season.[10]
Justin Costello 33 F 6'1" 200 RS FR Elkhorn, NE Transferred to McCook CC; walk-on.
Brady Heiman 45 F 6'11" 215 FR Springfield, NE Transferred to South Dakota.
Amir Harris 1 G 6'4" 205 FR Frederick, MD Transferred to George Washington.
Karrington Davis 10 G 6'6" 215 FR St. Louis, MO Transferred to Southern Illinois.

Incoming transfers

Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Haanif Cheatham 22 G 6 ft 5 in 195 lb Senior (graduate transfer) Fort Lauderdale, FL Florida Gulf Coast
Matej Kavaš 25 G 6 ft 8 in 200 lb Senior (graduate transfer) Ljubljana, Slovenia Seattle
Shamiel Stevenson 4 F 6 ft 6 in 245 lb Junior Toronto, ON, Canada Nevada
Derrick Walker 13 F 6 ft 8 in 236 lb Junior Kansas City, MO Tennessee
Dalano Banton 45 G 6 ft 8 in 185 lb Sophomore Toronto, ON, Canada Western Kentucky

Other arrivals

Noah Vedral and Brant Banks, two members of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team joined the team as emergency back-ups prior to the 2020 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament due to depth issues.[11]

Recruiting classes

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jervay Green
SG 		Denver, CO George Washington (CO)
Western Nebraska CC 		6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sep 23, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Cameron Mack
SG 		Austin, TX Christian Life Prep (TX)
Salt Lake CC 		6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 27, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Akol Arop
SF 		Omaha, NE Creighton Prep (NE) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 3, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Jace Piatkowski
SG (walk-on) 		Elkhorn, NE Elkhorn South (NE) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 18, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Charlie Easley
G (walk-on) 		Lincoln, NE Pius X (NE) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 6, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Yvan Ouedraogo
F 		Bordeaux, France INSEP 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg) May 12, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars
Kevin Cross
PF 		Little Rock, AR Mills (AR) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (110 kg) May 13, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Samari Curtis
SG 		Xenia, OH Xenia (OH) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) May 15, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Bret Porter
F (walk-on) 		Omaha, NE Millard North (NE) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 2,015 lb (914 kg) Jun 6, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 52
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2018–19 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Akol Arop 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Creighton Prep HS Omaha, NE
F 1 Kevin Cross Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Mills HS Little Rock, AR
G 2 Noah Vedral 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Bishop Neumann HS Wahoo, NE
G 3 Cam Mack (S) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS So Salt Lake CC Austin, TX
G 4 Shamiel Stevenson (I) Current redshirt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Nevada Toronto, ON, Canada
G 11 Dachon Burke (S) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Robert Morris Orange, NJ
F 13 Derrick Walker (I) Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Tennessee Kansas City, MO
F 15 Samari Curtis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Xenia HS Xenia, OH
G 21 Jace Piatkowski (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Elkhorn South HS Elkhorn, NE
G 22 Haanif Cheatham 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Florida Gulf Coast Fort Lauderdale, FL
G 23 Jervay Green 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Western Nebraska CC Denver, CO
F 24 Yvan Ouedraogo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr INSEP Bordeaux, France
G 25 Matej Kavaš Injured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Seattle Ljubljana, Slovenia
G 30 Charlie Easley 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Pius X HS Lincoln, NE
F 32 Brant Banks 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 300 lb (136 kg) RS Fr Westbury Christian HS Houston, TX
G 34 Þórir Þorbjarnarson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Jr Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Akureyri, Iceland
F 44 Bret Porter (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Millard North HS Omaha, NE
G 45 Dalano Banton Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Western Kentucky Toronto, ON, Canada
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Foreign exhibition tour[12]
August 5, 2019*
11:30 am, PlaySight 		at A.S. Stella Azzurra W 87–56  0–0
  15 – Green    – –    – –   
Rome, Italy
August 7, 2019*
1:00 pm 		vs. BC Šilutė W 83–58  0–0
  20 – Burke/Cheatham    – –    – –   
Ponte Buggianese, Italy
August 8, 2019*
11:00 am 		vs. BC Šilutė W 73–70  0–0
  13 – Curtis    – –    – –   
Ponte Buggianese, Italy
August 12, 2019*
12:00 pm 		vs. Italian Select W 84–62  0–0
  15 – Easley    – –    – –   
Costa Masnaga, Italy
Exhibition
October 30, 2019*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		Doane W 91–63  0–0
  15 – Burke   10 – Cross   8 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,695)
Lincoln, NE
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
8:00 pm, BTN 		UC Riverside L 47–66  0–1
  11 – Mack   9 – Mack   3 – Tied  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,745)
Lincoln, NE
November 9, 2019*
1:00 pm, BTN Plus 		Southern Utah L 78–79 OT 0–2
  19 – Cross   8 – Green   11 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,828)
Lincoln, NE
November 15, 2019*
8:00 pm, BTN 		South Dakota State W 90–73  1–2
  24 – Mack   12 – Ouedraogo   5 – Green  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,946)
Lincoln, NE
November 22, 2019*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus 		Southern W 93–86 OT 2–2
  22 – Green   7 – Cheatham   8 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,931)
Lincoln, NE
November 25, 2019*
6:30 pm, FloSports 		vs. Washington State
Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals 		W 82–71  3–2
  19 – Cheatham   8 – 3 tied   6 – Mack  John Gray Gymnasium (660)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 26, 2019*
7:30 pm, FloSports 		vs. George Mason
Cayman Islands Classic semifinals 		L 66–85  3–3
  14 – Burke   5 – Tied   5 – Green  John Gray Gymnasium (1,066)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 27, 2019*
5:00 pm, FloSports 		vs. South Florida
Cayman Islands Classic third place game 		W 74–67  4–3
  26 – Cheatham   5 – Ouedraogo   7 – Mack  John Gray Gymnasium (512)
George Town, Cayman Islands
December 4, 2019*
6:15 pm, ESPNU 		at Georgia Tech
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 56–73  4–4
  14 – Cheatham   11 – Cheatham   6 – Mack  McCamish Pavilion (5,133)
Atlanta, GA
December 7, 2019*
1:30 pm, FS1 		at Creighton
Rivalry 		L 76–95  4–5
  14 – Cheatham   7 – Burke   3 – Mack  CHI Health Center Omaha (18,068)
Omaha, NE
December 13, 2019
7:00 pm, BTN 		at Indiana L 90–96 OT 4–6
(0–1) 		 25 – Burke   10 – Ouedraogo   10 – Mack  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
December 15, 2019
3:00 pm, BTN 		Purdue W 70–56  5–6
(1–1) 		 18 – Burke   10 – Mack   12 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,654)
Lincoln, NE
December 21, 2019*
5:00 pm, BTN Plus 		North Dakota L 74–75  5–7
  19 – Mack   9 – Ouedraogo   7 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,010)
Lincoln, NE
December 29, 2019*
3:00 pm, BTN 		Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 73–52  6–7
  17 – Cheatham   14 – Ouedraogo   5 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,968)
Lincoln, NE
January 3, 2020
7:00 pm, BTN 		Rutgers L 62–79  6–8
(1–2) 		 16 – Cheatham   5 – Burke Jr.   6 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,024)
Lincoln, NE
January 7, 2020
8:00 pm, BTN 		Iowa W 76–70  7–8
(2–2) 		 17 – Thorbjarnarson   9 – Thorbjarnarson   10 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,722)
Lincoln, NE
January 11, 2020
3:30 pm, BTN 		at Northwestern L 57–62  7–9
(2–3) 		 11 – Mack   10 – Mack   7 – Mack  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,664)
Evanston, IL
January 14, 2020
5:30 pm, FS1 		at No. 21 Ohio State L 68–80  7–10
(2–4) 		 15 – Thorbjarnarson   6 – Thorbjarnarson   6 – Mack  Value City Arena (12,954)
Columbus, OH
January 18, 2020
6:00 pm, BTN 		Indiana L 74–82  7–11
(2–5) 		 20 – Mack   9 – Thorbjarnarson   9 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,925)
Lincoln, NE
January 21, 2020
8:00 pm, BTN 		at Wisconsin L 68–82  7–12
(2–6) 		 20 – Burke Jr.   8 – Tied   6 – Mack  Kohl Center (16,856)
Madison, WI
January 25, 2020
1:00 pm, BTN 		at No. 24 Rutgers L 72–75  7–13
(2–7) 		 19 – Mack   8 – Thorbjarnarson   5 – Burke Jr.  Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000)
Piscataway, NJ
January 28, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		Michigan L 68–79  7–14
(2–8) 		 19 – Mack   8 – Thorbjarnarson   9 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,868)
Lincoln, NE
February 1, 2020
6:00 pm, BTN 		No. 24 Penn State L 64–76  7–15
(2–9) 		 15 – Cheatham   8 – Cheatham   3 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,901)
Lincoln, NE
February 8, 2020
5:00 pm, BTN 		at No. 17 Iowa L 72–96  7–16
(2–10) 		 18 – Green   7 – Green   5 – Cross  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056)
Iowa City, IA
February 11, 2020
7:30 pm, BTN 		at No. 9 Maryland L 70–72  7–17
(2–11) 		 20 – Cheatham   7 – Thorbjarnarson   8 – Mack  Xfinity Center (14,396)
College Park, MD
February 15, 2020
1:15 pm, BTN 		Wisconsin L 64–81  7–18
(2–12) 		 17 – Cheatham   10 – Ouedraogo   8 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,864)
Lincoln, NE
February 20, 2020
7:30 pm, FS1 		Michigan State L 65–86  7–19
(2–13) 		 21 – Burke Jr.   7 – Ouedraogo   6 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,838)
Lincoln, NE
February 24, 2020
7:00 pm, BTN 		at Illinois L 59–71  7–20
(2–14) 		 14 – Cheatham   10 – Ouedraogo   2 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,354)
Champaign, IN
February 27, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 23 Ohio State L 54–75  7–21
(2–15) 		 13 – Burke Jr.   6 – Ouedraogo   3 – Tied  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,611)
Lincoln, NE
March 1, 2020
3:15 pm, BTN 		Northwestern L 76–81  7–22
(2–16) 		 20 – Cheatham   19 – Ouedraogo   7 – Mack  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,842)
Lincoln, NE
March 5, 2020
5:30 pm, FS1 		at No. 25 Michigan L 58–82  7–23
(2–17) 		 19 – Cheatham   7 – Thorbjarnarson   4 – Green  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
March 8, 2020
12:00 pm, BTN 		at Minnesota L 75–107  7–24
(2–18) 		 17 – Cheatham   6 – Easley   4 – Cheatham  Williams Arena (9,984)
Minneapolis, MN
Big Ten tournament
March 11, 2020
7:30 pm, BTN 		(14) vs. (11) Indiana
First Round 		L 64–89  7–25
  17 – Cheatham   9 – Cross   4 – Green  Bankers Life Fieldhouse (17,923)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Schedule source: [1]

References

  1. ^ "Nebraska vs. Indiana - Game Recap - March 11, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "2020 Big Ten tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Young, Dennis. "Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg leaves Big 10 tournament game with illness, is hospitalized but doesn't have coronavirus". nydailynews.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "Nebraska's Hoiberg addresses coaching with flu". ESPN.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  5. ^ "Report: Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg hospitalized after game". 247Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Basnett, Chris. "Tim Miles out after seven seasons as Nebraska basketball coach; Moos wants consistency in program". JournalStar.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Nebraska hires Hoiberg to seven-year deal". Reuters. March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  8. ^ Cross, Ken (October 6, 2019). "Nebraska Basketball: The mayor presides over a total roster revamp". College Hoops Watch.
  9. ^ "BTN to Premiere The B1G Trip: Nebraska Basketball In Italy on Monday, Oct. 28". October 21, 2019.
  10. ^ Chris Heady. "Transfer Dedoch Chan leaves Nebraska basketball program three months after joining". Omaha World-Herald.
  11. ^ Staff reports. "Husker football players Brant Banks and Noah Vedral added to Nebraska basketball roster". Omaha World-Herald.
  12. ^ "Huskers Head to Italy". University of Nebraska.