Let’s talk about Nebraska basketball, shall we?
Nebraska enters the 2026-27 season coming off 28 wins, a 15-5 Big Ten record and the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, followed by a trip to the Sweet 16. Pryce Sandfort is back after averaging 18.1 points. Braden Frager returns after winning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. Connor Essegian is healthy again. There are experienced transfers, intriguing freshmen and positional flexibility that head coach Fred Hoiberg can put some very different-looking groups on the floor.
All of that is good. It also brings us to Nebraska’s immediate preseason problem: there might be too many reasonable answers.
“We’re really going to use this game,” Hoiberg said. “I’ve got a lot of guys that I need to play and figure out the rotation.”
Nebraska opens exhibition play Friday against Saint Louis at Pinnacle Bank Arena, followed by games at BYU and against Kansas State in Grand Island.
How exactly does Hoiberg plan to use Friday’s exhibition, and those that follow? Let’s dive in.
