2021–22 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2021–22 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Cornhuskers were led by third-year head coach Fred Hoiberg and played their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska as members of the Big Ten Conference . They finished the season 10–22, 4–16 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for last place. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament , they lost to Northwestern in the first round.
Previous season
In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , the Cornhuskers finished the 2019–20 season 7–20, 3–16 in Big Ten play to finish last place. As the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten tournament , the Cornhuskers lost to No. 11-seeded Penn State .[ 1]
Offseason
Departures
Due to COVID-19, the NCAA ruled that the 2020–21 season would not count against the eligibility of any competitor in any of the organization's winter sports, including basketball. This in turn meant that all players active in the 2020–21 season, regardless of their academic classification, could return in 2021–22. This also led the NBA and its players union to agree that graduating seniors, who are normally automatically eligible for the NBA draft, had to declare their eligibility for the 2021 draft.
Name
No.
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Notes
Teddy Allen
0
G
6'6"
223
Jr
Mesa, Arizona
Transferred to New Mexico State
Akol Arop
33
G
6'5"
203
So
Omaha, Nebraska
Transferred to Omaha
Dalano Banton
45
G
6'9"
204
So
Toronto, ON, Canada
Declared for NBA Draft
Yvan Ouedraogo
24
F
6'9"
245
So
Bordeaux, France
Transferred to Grand Canyon
Bret Porter
44
F
6'5"
228
Fr (RS)
Omaha, Nebraska
Entered Transfer Portal
Shamiel Stevenson
4
G
6'6"
245
Jr
Toronto, ON, Canada
Declared for NBA Draft
Þórir Þorbjarnarson
34
G
6'6"
202
Sr
Akureyri, Iceland
Graduated and chose not to return
Elijah Wood
3
G
6'5"
174
Fr
Potomac, Maryland
Transferred to Eastern Illinois
Incoming transfers
2021 recruiting class
On November 13, 2020, five-star shooting guard Bryce McGowens committed to Nebraska.[ 2] McGowens became Nebraska's first five-star commit and highest-ranked recruit in program history.[ 3] Wilhelm Breidenbach,[ 4] Oleg Kojenets,[ 5] Quaran McPherson,[ 6] and Keisei Tominaga [ 7] rounded out the 2021 class.
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Wilhelm Breidenbach C
Santa Ana, CA
Mater Dei High School
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Oct 1, 2020
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN grade: 84
Oleg Kojenets C
Kaunas, Lithuania
Western Reserve Academy
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Apr 5, 2021
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Bryce McGowens SG
Pendleton, SC
Legacy Charter
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Nov 13, 2020
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN grade: 90
Quaran McPherson PG
Queens, NY
Link Year Prep
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
May 3, 2021
Star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports :
Keisei Tominaga SG
Nagoya, Japan
Sakuragaoka Gakuen High SchoolRanger College
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Nov 28, 2019
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports :
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals : 20 247Sports : 18 ESPN : 13
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:
Roster
2021–22 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
C. J. Wilcher
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
221 lb (100 kg)
So
Xavier
Plainfield, NJ
G
1
Alonzo Verge Jr.
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
164 lb (74 kg)
GS
Arizona State
Chicago, IL
G
2
Trey McGowens
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
196 lb (89 kg)
Sr
Pittsburgh
Pendleton, SC
G
3
Quaran McPherson
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
199 lb (90 kg)
Fr
Link Year Prep
Queens, NY
G
4
Jackson Cronin (W)
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
Fr
Great Neck North High School
Great Neck, NY
G
5
Bryce McGowens
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
179 lb (81 kg)
Fr
Legacy Charter
Pendleton, SC
G
10
Kobe Webster
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
GS
Western Illinois
Indianapolis, IN
F
11
Lat Mayen
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
217 lb (98 kg)
RS Sr
Chipola
Adelaide, Australia
G
12
Sam Hoiberg (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
Fr
Piux X High School
Lincoln, NE
F
13
Derrick Walker
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
239 lb (108 kg)
RS Sr
Tennessee
Kansas City, MO
F
14
Trevor Lakes
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
GS
Indianapolis
Lebanon, IN
G
15
Chris McGraw (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
RS Jr
Otterbein
Columbus, OH
G
21
Jace Piatkowski (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
177 lb (80 kg)
RS So
Elkhorn South HS
Omaha, NE
G
23
Keon Edwards
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
204 lb (93 kg)
RS Fr
DePaul
Houston, TX
G
30
Keisei Tominaga
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
178 lb (81 kg)
Jr
Ranger College
Nagoya, Japan
F
32
Wilhelm Breidenbach
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
227 lb (103 kg)
Fr
Mater Dei HS
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
C
33
Oleg Kojenets
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
223 lb (101 kg)
Fr
Western Reserve Academy
Kaunas, Lithuania
C
35
Eduardo Andre
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
236 lb (107 kg)
So
AZ Compass Prep
London, England
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
Exhibition
October 27, 2021 *6:00 p.m., BTN+
Peru State
W 97–58
0–0
20 – Verge Jr.
6 – Tied
8 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,542)Lincoln, NE
October 31, 2021 *11:00 a.m., BTN+
Colorado Charity Exhibition
W 82–67
0–0
15 – B. McGowens
6 – Walker
6 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,345)Lincoln, NE
Regular Season
November 9, 2021 *7:00 p.m., BTN+
Western Illinois
L 74–75
0–1
26 – Verge Jr.
13 – Verge Jr.
5 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,312)Lincoln, NE
November 12, 2021 *7:30 p.m., BTN+
Sam Houston State
W 74–65
1–1
29 – B. McGowens
9 – T. McGowens
7 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,474)Lincoln, NE
November 16, 2021 *6:00 p.m., FS1
Creighton Rivalry /Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 69–77
1–2
20 – Webster
5 – Tied
4 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,939)Lincoln, NE
November 19, 2021 *6:00 p.m., BTN+
Idaho State
W 78–60
2–2
14 – Walker
7 – B. McGowens
5 – Webster
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,274)Lincoln, NE
November 21, 2021 *3:00 p.m., ESPNU
Southern Nebraska MTE
W 82–59
3–2
18 – B. McGowens
11 – B. McGowens
4 – Tied
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,255)Lincoln, NE
November 23, 2021 *8:00 p.m., BTN
Tennessee State Nebraska MTE
W 79–73
4–2
18 – Tied
6 – Tied
10 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,236)Lincoln, NE
November 27, 2021 *1:00 p.m., BTN+
South Dakota Nebraska MTE
W 83–70
5–2
23 – Tominaga
8 – B. McGowens
5 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,685)Lincoln, NE
December 1, 2021 *6:15 p.m., ESPNU
at NC State ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 100–104 4OT
5–3
25 – Verge Jr.
13 – Walker
11 – Verge Jr.
PNC Arena (11,562)Raleigh, NC
December 4, 2021 11:00 a.m., BTN
at Indiana
L 55–68
5–4 (0–1)
15 – Verge Jr.
5 – Tied
3 – Verge Jr.
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)Bloomington, IN
December 7, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2
Michigan
L 67–102
5–5 (0–2)
31 – Verge Jr.
8 – Verge Jr.
3 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,426)Lincoln, NE
December 11, 2021 *10:30 a.m., ESPN2
vs. No. 18 Auburn Holiday Hoopsgiving
L 68–99
5–6
17 – Wilcher
10 – Walker
4 – Tied
State Farm Arena (8,557)Atlanta, GA
December 19, 2021 *5:00 p.m., BTN
Kansas State
L 58–67
5–7
21 – Verge Jr.
9 – Walker
5 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,000)Lincoln, NE
December 22, 2021 *6:30 p.m., ESPNU
Kennesaw State
W 88–74
6–7
18 – Tominaga
7 – Verge Jr.
12 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,000)Lincoln, NE
January 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 13 Ohio State
L 79–87 OT
6–8 (0–3)
18 – B. McGowens
10 – Walker
4 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,478)Lincoln, NE
January 5, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 10 Michigan State
L 67–79
6–9 (0–4)
16 – Walker
4 – Tied
5 – Verge Jr.
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
January 8, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN
at Rutgers
L 65–93
6–10 (0–5)
17 – B. McGowens
6 – Walker
4 – Verge Jr.
Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000)Piscataway, NJ
January 11, 2022 7:30 p.m., BTN
No. 25 Illinois
L 71–81
6–11 (0–6)
19 – B. McGowens
7 – Walker
9 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,069)Lincoln, NE
January 14, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1
at No. 7 Purdue
L 65–92
6–12 (0–7)
11 – Tominaga
8 – Mayen
5 – Webster
Mackey Arena (14,804)West Lafayette, IN
January 17, 2022 5:00 p.m., BTN
Indiana
L 71–78
6–13 (0–8)
20 – B. McGowens
5 – B. McGowens
4 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,290)Lincoln, NE
January 27, 2022 4:00 p.m., BTN
No. 11 Wisconsin Rescheduled from January 25
L 65–73
6–14 (0–9)
23 – B. McGowens
5 – Tied
4 – Walker
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,385)Lincoln, NE
January 29, 2022 5:30 p.m., BTN
Rutgers
L 61–63
6–15 (0–10)
29 – B. McGowens
8 – Mayen
3 – Mayen
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,671)Lincoln, NE
February 1, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN
at Michigan
L 79–85
6–16 (0–11)
24 – B. McGowens
6 – B. McGowens
3 – Verge Jr.
Crisler Center (9,301)Ann Arbor, MI
February 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN
Northwestern
L 63–87
6–17 (0–12)
15 – Wilcher
6 – Walker
6 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,609)Lincoln, NE
February 9, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN
Minnesota
W 78-65
7–17 (1–12)
22 – Verge Jr.
7 – Tied
5 – T. McGowens
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,303)Lincoln, NE
February 13, 2022 1:00 p.m., FS1
at Iowa
L 75–98
7–18 (1–13)
14 – Walker
6 – Walker
6 – Verge Jr.
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,772)Iowa City, IA
February 18, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN
Maryland
L 74–90
7–19 (1–14)
25 – B. McGowens
6 – Walker
5 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,443)Lincoln, NE
February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN
at Northwestern
L 65–77
7–20 (1–15)
15 – B. McGowens
10 – B. McGowens
5 – Walker
Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,487)Evanston, IL
February 25, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 25 Iowa
L 78–88
7–21 (1–16)
18 – Verge Jr.
8 – Walker
7 – Verge Jr.
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,960)Lincoln, NE
February 27, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN
at Penn State
W 93–70
8–21 (2–16)
25 – B. McGowens
7 – Walker
5 – Verge Jr.
Bryce Jordan Center (8,273)University Park, PA
March 1, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 23 Ohio State Rescheduled from January 22
W 78–70
9–21 (3–16)
26 – B. McGowens
6 – T. McGowens
7 – Verge Jr.
Value City Arena (12,268)Columbus, OH
March 6, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 10 Wisconsin
W 74-73
10-21 (4-16)
26 – Verge Jr.
7 – Walker
6 – Verge Jr.
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Big Ten tournament
March 9, 2022 5:00 p.m., BTN
(13)
vs. (12) Northwestern First round
L 69–71
10–22
21 – Verge Jr.
7 – Tied
9 – Verge Jr.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Time .
References
^ NU Athletic Communications. "Huskers Fall in Final Seconds" . Huskers.com . Retrieved March 22, 2021 .
^ "5-Star Guard Bryce McGowens Commits to Nebraska" . Hail Varsity . Retrieved March 22, 2021 .
^ Borzello, Jeff. "Bryce McGowens (No. 33) becomes Nebraska's highest-ranked commit" . ESPN . Retrieved March 22, 2021 .
^ McKeon, Sam. "Husker hoops lands commitment from top-100 center Wilhelm Breidenbach" . Omaha World Herald . Retrieved March 22, 2021 .
^ Washut, Robin. "2021 center Oleg Kojenets commits to Nebraska" . Husker Online . Retrieved April 5, 2021 .
^ Basnett, Chris. "Husker hoops bolsters point guard depth with addition of McPherson" . Lincoln Journal Star . Retrieved May 3, 2021 .
^ "Huskers Land First 2021 Commit in Japanese Guard Keisei Tominaga" . Hail Varsity . Retrieved March 22, 2021 .
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