# 2018–19 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cornhuskers were led by seventh-year coach head coach Tim Miles and played their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 19–17, 6–14 in Big Ten play to finish in 13th place. In the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Rutgers and Maryland to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Wisconsin. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Butler in the first round before losing to TCU.
On March 26, 2019, Tim Miles was fired. Four days later, the school hired former Chicago Bulls' head coach Fred Hoiberg as the next head coach.

## Previous season

The Cornhuskers finished the 2017–18 season 2211, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Michigan. Despite winning 13 Big Ten games, the Cornhuskers did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, but did receive a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. However, they lost in the first round of the NIT to Mississippi State.

## Offseason
### Departures

On March 27, 2018, junior guard James Palmer Jr. announced that he would declare for the NBA draft, but not sign with an agent. Junior forward Isaac Copeland also declared for the draft, but did not sign with an agent. Both chose to return to Nebraska for their senior seasons before the NBA draft deadline.
| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Jordy Tshimanga | 32 | C | 6'11" | 268 | SO | Montreal, QC, Canada | Transferred to Dayton |
| Jack McVeigh | 10 | F | 6'8" | 215 | JR | Cabarita Beach, NSW, Australia | Signed in NBL |
| Duby Okeke | 0 | C | 6'8" | 247 | SR | Jonesboro, GA | Graduated |
| Malcolm Laws | 3 | G | 6'1" | 191 | SR | Orlando, FL | Graduated |
| Evan Taylor | 11 | G | 6'5" | 206 | RS SR | Cincinnati, OH | Graduated |
| Anton Gill | 13 | G | 6'3" | 195 | RS SR | Raleigh, NC | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Dachon Burke | 11 | G | 6 ft 4 in | 180 lb | Sophomore | Orange, NJ | Robert Morris |
| Dedoch Chan | 02 | F | 6 ft 8 in | 210 lb | Freshman | Rochester, MN | Mississippi Gulf Coast CC |

### 2018 recruiting class

Following the departure of Nebraska assistant coach Kenya Hunter in April, 2018, signee Xavier Johnson was granted a release from his Letter of Intent to Nebraska.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Karrington Davis SF | St. Louis, MO | Montverde (FL) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Mar 10, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Brady Heiman C | Springfield, NE | Springfield (NE) Platteview | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | Aug 8, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Amir Harris G | Hagerstown, MD | Hagerstown (MD) St. Maria Goretti | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 10, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 82 ||||||
| 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: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018. ||||||

## Schedule and results

The 2018–19 season marked the first time in Big Ten history that the teams will play a 20-game conference schedule, setting a precedent for all Division I basketball. The new schedule also included a regional component to increase the frequency of games among teams in similar areas. Over the course of a six-year cycle (12 playing opportunities), in-state rivals will play each other 12 times, regional opponents will play 10 times, and all other teams will play nine times. Three in-state series will be guaranteed home-and-homes: Illinois and Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, and Michigan and Michigan State will always play twice.
The Cornhuskers notably beat in state rival Creighton 94–75 in the 2018–19 season for the first time since the 2010–11 season.
Nebraska again participated in the Gavitt Tipoff Games where they defeated Seton Hall. The Cornuskers also participated in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic on November 19 and 20, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Fellow participants in the tournament included Missouri State, Texas Tech, and USC.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Wayne State (NE) | W 75–40 | – | 12 – Roby | 10 – Roby | 5 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,385) Lincoln, NE |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Mississippi Valley State Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game | W 106–37 | 1–0 | 19 – Watson | 13 – Heiman | 5 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,307) Lincoln, NE |
| November 11, 2018* 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | Southeastern Louisiana Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game | W 87–35 | 2–0 | 17 – Palmer | 7 – Roby | 5 – Allen | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,462) Lincoln, NE |
| November 14, 2018* 7:30 pm, BTN | | Seton Hall Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 80–57 | 3–0 | 29 – Palmer | 10 – Copeland | 8 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,713) Lincoln, NE |
| November 19, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Missouri State Hall of Fame Classic semifinals | W 85–62 | 4–0 | 23 – Copeland | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Sprint Center (N/A) Kansas City, MO |
| November 20, 2018* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Texas Tech Hall of Fame Classic finals | L 52–70 | 4–1 | 20 – Copeland | 8 – Copeland | 3 – Watson | Sprint Center (6,521) Kansas City, MO |
| November 24, 2018* 1:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Western Illinois | W 73–49 | 5–1 | 20 – Watson | 9 – Watson | 3 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,800) Lincoln, NE |
| November 26, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Clemson ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 68–66 | 6–1 | 20 – Palmer | 9 – Palmer | 3 – Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,974) Clemson, SC |
| December 2, 2018 4:00 pm, BTN | | Illinois | W 75–60 | 7–1 (1–0) | 23 – Palmer | 6 – Tied | 4 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,764) Lincoln, NE |
| December 5, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | No. 24 | at Minnesota | L 78–85 | 7–2 (1–1) | 17 – Copeland | 7 – Copeland | 4 – Tied | Williams Arena (9,624) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 8, 2018* 5:00 pm, BTN | No. 24 | Creighton Rivalry | W 94–75 | 8–2 | 30 – Palmer | 8 – Roby | 5 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,950) Lincoln, NE |
| December 16, 2018* 6:00 pm, BTN | | vs. Oklahoma State Sioux Falls Showcase | W 79–56 | 9–2 | 29 – Palmer | 7 – Roby | 5 – Palmer | Sanford Pentagon (3,800) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 22, 2018* 1:00 pm, BTN | No. 25 | Cal State Fullerton | W 86–62 | 10–2 | 23 – Palmer | 8 – Roby | 10 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,088) Lincoln, NE |
| December 29, 2018* 1:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Southwest Minnesota State | W 79–38 | 11–2 | 16 – Tied | 9 – Borchardt | 5 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,057) Lincoln, NE |
| January 2, 2019 5:30 pm, BTN | No. 24 | at Maryland | L 72–74 | 11–3 (1–2) | 26 – Palmer | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Xfinity Center College Park, MD |
| January 6, 2019 4:30 pm, BTN | No. 24 | at No. 25 Iowa | L 84–93 | 11–4 (1–3) | 24 – Copeland | 9 – Roby | 5 – Watson | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,782) Iowa City, IA |
| January 10, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Penn State | W 70–64 | 12–4 (2–3) | 22 – Roby | 11 – Roby | 4 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,753) Lincoln, NE |
| January 14, 2019 5:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 25 Indiana | W 66–51 | 13–4 (3–3) | 15 – Watson | 9 – Palmer | 7 – Palmer | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| January 17, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 6 Michigan State | L 64–70 | 13–5 (3–4) | 24 – Palmer | 8 – Palmer | 3 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,923) Lincoln, NE |
| January 21, 2019 7:00 pm, BTN | | at Rutgers | L 69–76 | 13–6 (3–5) | 22 – Palmer | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,022) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 26, 2019 11:00 am, FS1 | | Ohio State | L 60–70 | 13–7 (3–6) | 19 – Palmer | 9 – Roby | 4 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,890) Lincoln, NE |
| January 29, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | | No. 24 Wisconsin | L 51–62 | 13–8 (3–7) | 18 – Roby | 10 – Þorbjarnarson | 3 – Roby | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,739) Lincoln, NE |
| February 2, 2019 1:15 pm, BTN | | at Illinois | L 64–71 | 13–9 (3–8) | 22 – Palmer | 18 – Borchardt | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (13,588) Champaign, IL |
| February 6, 2019 6:00 pm, BTN | | No. 24 Maryland | L 45–60 | 13–10 (3–9) | 20 – Roby | 14 – Roby | 3 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,552) Lincoln, NE |
| February 9, 2019 7:30 pm, BTN | | at No. 15 Purdue | L 62–81 | 13–11 (3–10) | 17 – Palmer | 5 – Tied | 4 – Roby | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 13, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | | Minnesota | W 62–61 | 14–11 (4–10) | 24 – Palmer | 9 – Allen | 3 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,642) Lincoln, NE |
| February 16, 2019 7:30 pm, BTN | | Northwestern | W 59–50 | 15–11 (5–10) | 19 – Roby | 16 – Roby | 6 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,927) Lincoln, NE |
| February 19, 2019 6:00 pm, FS1 | | at Penn State | L 71–95 | 15–12 (5–11) | 24 – Palmer | 7 – Palmer | 5 – Allen | Bryce Jordan Center (8,049) University Park, PA |
| February 23, 2019 3:00 pm, BTN | | No. 15 Purdue | L 72–75 | 15–13 (5–12) | 25 – Watson | 7 – Borchardt | 8 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,652) Lincoln, NE |
| February 28, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 9 Michigan | L 53–82 | 15–14 (5–13) | 11 – Akenten | 2 – Tied | 2 – Watson Jr | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| March 5, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 9 Michigan State | L 76–91 | 15–15 (5–14) | 30 – Palmer | 9 – Roby | 5 – Roby | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| March 10, 2019 1:00 pm, BTN | | Iowa | W 93–91 $^{OT}$ | 16–15 (6–14) | 27 – Palmer | 10 – Harris | 6 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,821) Lincoln, NE |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2019 5:30 pm, BTN | (13) | vs. (12) Rutgers First Round | W 68–61 | 17–15 | 34 – Palmer | 6 – Roby | 5 – Watson | United Center (16,473) Chicago, IL |
| March 14, 2019 1:55 pm, BTN | (13) | vs. (5) No. 21 Maryland Second Round | W 69–61 | 18–15 | 24 – Palmer | 9 – Borchardt | 3 – 3 tied | United Center (16,207) Chicago, IL |
| March 15, 2019 2:00 pm, BTN | (13) | vs. (4) No. 19 Wisconsin Quarterfinals | L 62–66 | 18–16 | 23 – Watson | 6 – Roby | 3 – Watson | United Center (17,369) Chicago, IL |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 20, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | (4) | (5) Butler First Round – TCU Bracket | W 80–76 | 19–16 | 28 – Roby | 8 – Roby | 5 – Trueblood | Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,103) Lincoln, NE |
| March 24, 2019* 8:30 pm, ESPNU | (4) | at (1) TCU Second Round – TCU Bracket | L 72–88 | 19–17 | 19 – Palmer | 13 – Borchardt | 6 – Watson | Schollmaier Arena (3,445) Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | 25 | RV | 24 | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | 25 | 25^ | 24 | RV | 25 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23-T | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.