65 College Basketball Teams In 65 Days: Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a little something I like to call preview season, which by my watch starts on September 1. From that date until the start of the season we have 65 days. In those 65 days I’ll give a team preview each day. There’s going to be no rhyme or reason for the order we go in these 65 days. It will just be 65 teams I think are worthy of a detailed preview. We’ll have other previews throughout the time leading up to the season as well – conference breakdowns, player rankings, team rankings, etc. But, these will just be team previews. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers

2017-18 Record: 22-11, 13-5 in Big 10, 5th in Big 10. Lost 1st Round of NIT
Top returning scorers: James Palmer Jr. (17.2), Isaac Copeland (12.9), Glynn Watson (10.5), Isaiah Roby (8.7)
Newcomers: Amir Harris (3-star), Karrington Davis (3-star), Brady Heiman (3-star)
Head coach: Tim Miles, 6 seasons, 97-97 record

2018-19 Outlook
Nebraska was one of the surprise teams last year as the Cornhuskers rebounded from a 13th place finish in the Big 10 to finish fifth. If it wasn’t for scheduling/failure to win against tournament teams, Nebraska likely would have been in the NCAA Tournament, instead just missing the bubble and going to the NIT. Tim Miles was able to bring in two important transfers in James Palmer Jr. (Miami) and Isaac Copeland (Georgetown) that really gives this team something new. They have NBA talent with those guys and now a core-four with those two, Isaiah Roby and Glynn Watson Jr. Those four are good enough to compete in the Big 10 this year.

This team thrived on defense last year. They were graded excellent on Synergy giving up just .845 points per possession, which was in the 93rd percentile nationally. They took away the ball screen doing an unbelievable job of forcing pressure on the ball handler, which led to turnovers on 21% of possessions out of that set. Along with that, despite not having a ‘true’ big, Copeland and Roby both ranked in the top-500 nationally in block percentage and as a team they finished 28th in the country in protecting the rim. They predominately run man defense, spending only about 9% of the time in a zone, which is just 200 possession from last year.

Now, the key this year will be Isaiah Roby. He’s projected as a top-60 prospect by a majority of people heading into the 2019 NBA Draft. There’s a lot to like about him. He’s 6’8″ that can protect the rim, rebound and shoot the ball a bit. He shot 40% from three last year but only attempted 42 threes. If he can continue to expand his range and still shoot 40% he becomes that more of a problem offensively.

Nebraska itself was decent last year offensively, ranking 75th in the country. They were one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the ball, which mostly falls on Watson. While he absolutely struggled shooting the ball, he turned it over just 13% of the time. If he can figure out his shot (just 29% from three and 38% from the field), Nebraska has a legit shot at winning the Big 10.

This very well may end up being the most important year for Tim Miles at Nebraska. He’s a .500 coach there and took the team to the NCAA Tournament back in 2014. But, this is the first year that they have real expectations and the team that should live up to the hype as a top-40 team in the country. Nebraska has been patient with Miles and let him get to this point, now it’s time to capitalize.